A New Outlook

Disclaimer: All characters are property of J.K. Rowling. I’m just having some fun.


thoughts
{Parseltongue}
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Chapter 7: A Talk with the Twins

August 1st dawned bright and early. Neville Longbottom awoke to his owl tapping on his window. Neville threw his covers off, stifled a yawn, and opened the window to let Archimedes in. After Neville retrieved the letter, Archimedes flew to his perch to rest. Neville glanced at the letter. It was from Professor Snape! He opened it to read:

Mr. Longbottom,

Tell your red-headed identical friends that I will visit them tonight. I will arrive at the back entrance to their place of business at precisely 7:00 pm.

S.S.

Neville rushed down the stairs to floo-call the Twins.

In the back room at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, the floo suddenly flared up and George saw Neville’s head in the fire.

“Heya, Neville! Whatcha need?” asked George.

“I got a response from a certain black bat,” replied Neville.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m going to hand it through now,” Neville said as he handed Professor Snape’s response to George through the floo connection. George read the note quickly, and then he burned it.

“Thanks, Neville. We’ll take care of everything. Have a nice day!” said George.

“You, too. Let us know what happens as soon as you can. Bye!” said Neville as he closed the connection.

George went to the front of the shop and pulled his twin aside.

“We’re going to have company at 7:00 tonight,” said George.

Fred nodded his head in understanding and then went back to the cash register. Both of the twins could hardly wait. Tonight they would finally be able to do something to help Harry.

At exactly 7:00 pm, Severus knocked on the back door of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes. Fred answered the door and pulled Severus in. Severus was led up to the flat above the shop where the twins evidently lived. Once he was in their living area, Severus immediately threw up locking charms, silencing spells, privacy wards, and he locked down the floo system. Then he turned to the twins.

“Mssrs. Weasley, I understand that there is information that you wish to give me. However, first I want your wands. You can either give them to me or I will take them from you. You have my Wizarding Oath that you will not be harmed and your wands will be returned at the end of our conversation.”

Fred and George glanced at each other, and then handed their wands over to their former Professor.

“We have nothing,” began Fred.

“To hide from you,” finished George.

“Could you both please refrain from speaking like that in my presence?” questioned Severus.

The twins nodded.

“Thank you. Now, on to business. You have given your permission to be asked questions under the influence of Veritaserum. I only need one of you to take it, so which one will it be?” asked Severus.

“Sir, the story we have to tell is quite long and we don’t want to leave out any important details. Do you have a Pensieve that we could put our memories in for you to view?” asked George.

“No, Mr. Weasley, I do not. I am, however, a Legilimens. If you wish, I can view your memories. The advantage is that I can see everything that happened and feel your true emotions toward the information. The disadvantage is that you will have to trust me to only look at that memory. I will still ask one of you some questions under Veritaserum first.”

“Could we take a minute to discuss this, sir?” asked Fred.

Severus nodded his agreement and the twins went to the other side of the room to talk. In less than a minute, they returned.

“Sir, we agree to the Veritaserum and the Legilimency. Fred will take the Veritaserum, and I will let you view my memories,” said George.

“Let us begin then. Mr. Weasley, if you would?” Severus said as he gestured for Fred to take a seat. After Fred was seated, he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue for the required three drops. Severus administered the Truth Serum, and then waited for the effects to show. Soon, Fred was relaxed and his eyes were glazed over. Severus began the questioning.

“What is your name?”

“Fred Arthur Weasley.”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“7.”

At this Severus, raised an eyebrow.

“What are their names?”

“Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, Ginny, and Harry.”

“You consider Mr. Potter a sibling?”

“Yes, he is our brother by heart and soul, just not by blood.”

“So, you are loyal to Mr. Potter?”

“Always, nothing in this world would make George and I betray him.”

“What if Mr. Potter decided to join the Dark Lord?”

“We would follow Harry and join Voldemort.”

“Why?”

“Harry has always been truthful and honest. He does nothing without a really good reason. We trust his decisions. And honestly, after hearing what Dumbledore said, we think that maybe Voldemort isn’t a bad choice. After all, Voldemort is honest about the fact that he wants Harry dead.”

Severus was shocked at this statement. He decided that he had heard enough and gave Fred the antidote.

“Well, Professor. I’m ready when you are,” stated George as he sat in the chair Fred had vacated.

Severus nodded.

“Mr. Weasley, I need you to concentrate solely on the information you wish me to view. Bring it to the front of you mind. Keep eye contact with me at all times. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.”

“Very well. On the count of three…1…2…3…Legilimens.”

Severus immediately found the memory of the Order of the Phoenix meeting that had taken place without him. He entered the memory, and later a part of him would wish that he had never seen it.

George’s memory of the meeting.

Fred and George entered the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, and watched as other members of the Order came in. Looking around they saw Mad-Eye Moody, their parents, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones, Mundungus Fletcher, and several others that they didn’t know yet. Soon, Dumbledore came in with Ron and Hermione following him. George was confused. Since when were they invited to come? As Dumbledore started the meeting, George realized that several people were missing: Remus, Madam Pomphrey, Tonks, Kingsley, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. George’s confusion at the situation increased.

“Attention, everyone. I have decided that Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger will be attending certain Order meetings. Please make them feel at home,” Dumbledore said as Ron and Hermione took a seat between Mrs. Weasley and the Headmaster.

“Now, we need to catch our new members up on everything we know,” said Dumbledore. He continued, “As you can see, this is a select group from the rest of the Order. We have a special purpose and goal. Our goal is to keep Harry Potter firmly under our control. He has been growing more and more unreasonable lately, and he even had the nerve to keep writing me letters about taking him from his relatives’ house after I told him that was the safest place for him to be. Here are the letters. He is just whining and being selfish when we are trying to rid the world of evil.”

George felt anger bubble up as he read the letter, but did not let it show. He was proud to feel that his twin was acting the same way.

“Professor,” Fred spoke up, “If Harry is being abused, why is he still there. Surely Headquarters would keep him safe enough.”

“Ah, you are so naïve, Fred,” Dumbledore began, “Harry is incredibly powerful. And that power needs to be controlled. Harry’s relatives keep him grounded and thankful to the Order for rescuing him every year. His gratitude allows us to keep him and his magic under control. You see, if Harry were to join Voldemort, the world would be destroyed. I told Harry a prophecy that states he will be the only one with the power to kill Voldemort and if he doesn’t, Voldemort will kill him and the world will fall to evil. That prophecy is actually not true. The real prophecy states, ‘The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord approaches…Born to the heirs of Le’Fay and Slytherin; Merlin and Gryffindor, he will be deceived by the side of Light. True Light lies in the Dark and the Dark hides in the Light. With the revelation of his parentage, he will be saved. The one with the power to vanquish the true Dark Lord approaches…’ This is what the prophecy means: A child born of the lines of Le’Fay, Slytherin, Merlin, and Gryffindor will be led to believe that the side of Light is evil and they will destroy all good in the world. Harry is the last living heir of Merlin and Gryffindor. Voldemort is the last living heir of Le’Fay and Slytherin. Should Voldemort and Harry have a child together, that child would grow up to destroy the side of Light.”

“But,” George interrupted, “Harry would never join Voldemort.”

“Ah, but he would have if James and Lily Potter had lived. You see they were spies for Voldemort. I was on to them for some time. Then young Harry was born and I heard the prophecy. I knew that something had to be done for the good of the Wizarding World. So, I had my spy within Voldemort’s ranks, Peter Pettigrew, tell Voldemort that Lily and James had betrayed him and were plotting to destroy him. I even planted false memories in Pettigrew’s mind. I knew that Voldemort would be so enraged that he would destroy the Potters and any chance of the prophecy being fulfilled. However, I didn’t count on Harry surviving. When he did, I knew that I had to keep him away from any Wizarding influence that the side of Light didn’t control, so I sent him to live with his magic-hating relatives. I told them to keep him humble and obedient. And they have done a marvelous job. The Wizarding World really owes them a debt of gratitude. I made sure that Harry knew that all Slytherins were evil and the values that were right and good. Harry’s relatives have ensured that Harry will have the strength to kill Voldemort and the prophecy will never be able to come true. Harry’s sacrifice will be remembered and celebrated forever. Do you now understand that everything I have done is for the good of the Wizarding world and the side of Light?” asked Dumbledore.

George felt revolted at this revelation. He was concentrating so hard on not showing his feelings that he almost missed his twin’s question.

“Professor Dumbledore, you seem to be saying that Harry will not survive his encounter. What if he does?”

Dumbledore chuckled, “Should Harry survive, which is highly unlikely, I assure you that he won’t be able to survive the injuries he suffered during the battle.”

George asked the question that was on his and Fred’s mind, “So, you would kill him. But, why?”

“Simple, my boy. That much power in the hands of an irresponsible and irrational teenager is a danger to society. It is much better that he dies in service to the Wizarding World. He will be remembered as a hero,” Dumbledore explained.

George looked to his parents. “Mum, Dad, you agree with this?”

“Of course, dear. We love the boy dearly, but we can’t allow him to become evil. Everything that Albus is doing will ensure that Harry, the dear boy, will stay firmly on the side of Light. The Fates just did not mean for Harry to live a long life. He was meant to be a Savior and a Hero. Albus is simply making sure that he will always be remembered as one,” Molly Weasley explained to her children.

Seeing that everyone at the table was in agreement, George and Fred pretended to be in agreement. Soon, the meeting was over and the twins returned to their flat.

End of memory

Severus was sickened by the memory. As he thought of the prophecy though, he smirked to himself. “Ah, Dumbledore, but you really fucked up this time. Harry is the child of the prophecy and he will destroy you,” Severus thought.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Severus turned to the twins.

“Is there anything else you wish me to know?”

Quickly Fred and George told Severus of the meetings with Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Fred allowed Severus to view his memories of the events and the resulting letter to the Professor.

“Please, Professor, can you get Harry out of there?” pleaded the twins.

“I need a Wizard’s Oath from the both of you that everything that has happened and been spoken of in this room will not be repeated to anyone. If you don’t, I will Obliviate you both,” said Severus.

“We, Fred Arthur Weasley and George Damien Weasley, swear that everything that we have seen or heard in this room tonight will not be repeated to another soul, living or dead, or another object without express permission from Potion’s Master Severus Snape. Should we violate this, our solemn oath, may our magic and our lives be taken from us. This we swear.”

A flash of light bound the twins to their oath.

“Thank you,” started Severus, holding up a hand to prevent any interruptions, “Harry is safe and recovering from his injuries. I cannot disclose to you his whereabouts, but he is unharmed and will remain that way.”

“Can we see him?” asked George.

“No. Not yet, anyway. I will be in contact with you soon. I can tell you no more at the moment. Now, I have to leave,” said Severus.

“Thank you, Professor,” said Fred.

“You are both quite welcome. Remember your oaths,” said Severus as he lowered the wards, gave the twins their wands back, and left the shop to return to the Dark Lord’s Manor.

“Do you think Harry will be alright?” Fred asked George.

“I do, George. Snape has never been kind, but he has always been truthful. And he has always tried to protect Harry, even if he does hate him,” answered George.

Fred nodded his head and the two of them went to bed secure in the knowledge that Harry was alive and safe.