Chapter 76- Meeting at the Leaky cauldron ( part 4).

Fred rolled his eyes at his younger siblings' antics, but Ginny's endorsement seemed to have piqued Hermione's curiosity. He could almost hear her weighing the possible outcomes as she tried to decide whether to take the bait.

George waggled his eyebrows at her. "Come on, you know you want to," he teased outrageously. Hermione looked like she couldn't decide whether to be offended or not, then relented and smiled.

"All right, what's this latest invention then?" she asked in her best "this better be good" voice.

Fred traded a look with George, then both of them flashed their most charming smiles.

"Why it's only the most amazing-"

"Colossal-"

"Truly magnificent-"

"Piece of work-"

"Ever to grace the face of the planet!"

Fred paused dramatically, then dug into his pocket. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Extendible Ear!"

Hermione raised a brow. "The what?".

Ron scowled. "They're barking, Hermione. You should know that by now."

Well aware of Ron's temperament, Fred gave him the pitying look again. "Stress," he pronounced, raising sympathetic eyes to George.

George nodded and hummed in agreement. "Sad, really."

"Perhaps he should invest in a Canary Creme."

Ron was less than amused. "Perhaps you two should just sod off," he said in a way that made Fred swear he was channeling Percy.

"So how does it work?" Hermione asked, before a row could get started. Fred traded an exasperated look with George. Hermione was a nice girl and a fellow Gryffindor, but she just didn't seem to understand the Weasley's favorite form of stress management.

On the other hand, how many opportunities did he get to discuss Wheezes with a willing and informed audience?

"It's very simple." Draping an arm over her shoulders, he flipped one end of the Ear towards the door. "You get that end near what you want to listen to, and put this end in your ear," he said, demonstrating. "Who wants to give it a go?"

Not surprisingly, Harry was first in line. He tossed the listening end toward the parlor door, then frowned. "I can't make out the words."

Fred made a little noise of agreement. "Tom casts a good charm."

"The best!" Harry agreed, before shrugging and offering the Ear back to Fred. "Oh, well."

Fred motioned for Harry to put the Ear back on. "If it isn't a full Silencing Spell, we aren't sunk. We just have to get closer."

"We'll have to work on controlling the sensitivity of these things," George said, twirling one of the Ears in a circle as he walked.

Fred nodded his agreement as they edged closer, testing the sound every few steps. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't clearly make out anything unless the listening end of the Ears were pressed against the parlor door.

When they were finally able to make out the conversation Fred winced and sneaked a glance at Harry. The voices inside were not happy ones.

"Mr. Wright, I don't believe you appreciate the gravity of the situation."

Ouch, Fred thought with a wince. Mum was speaking in her coldest most civil voice. Never a good sign.

"Oh, I understand perfectly. And you're right. Harry needs protection. All I'm saying is he needs to take at least partial ownership of that protection."

"Ownership? Rubbish! He's just a child!"

"Agreed. Potter isn't ready for that sort of responsibility."

Fred felt Harry stiffen and who could blame him, really? Professor Snape's voice was enough to set his teeth on edge. Fortunately the Calvary wasn't long in coming.

"How can you say that? Harry's done a wonderful job of looking after himself this summer!"

"That's a matter of opinion, Mrs. Wright. He's managed to keep himself alive, true, but he also withheld important information and disobeyed a direct summons from his headmaster."

"We've been over this, Snape. Harry says he didn't want to put anyone in danger, and I believe him, but the real crux of the problem seems to be his determination to stay away from his Muggle relatives. Based on previous experience, Harry thought he'd be returned to them if he came to us. If you look at it from that point of view, all Harry's perceived naughtiness was just a form of self protection."

"Don't be daft, Lupin."

"No, Professor Snape, I think Remus may have the right of it. The boy's really blossomed over the last few weeks. He seems much happier and more at ease than he was when he arrived."

"Thank you, Tom. Look, I know it sounds odd. Harry may not even realize it himself but it's true. Call it an accident, call it sheer dumb luck, but he found a place where he was valued and accepted. He's had a chance to heal and shore up his sense self worth. A chance, I daresay, he wouldn't have gotten at his aunt and uncle's house."

"You're making too much of it, Lupin. Besides, in my experience, self worth has never been a problem in the Potter family."

"All right, that's enough."

Fred and the others looked at each other when Janet Wright made her pronouncement, and a second later they heard chair legs scrape across the floor.

"I don't know who you think you are, or what your quarrel is with Harry, but if you believe even half of what you've said today, it's obvious you don't know him at all!"

"Mrs. Wright-"

"No, Headmaster, I'm not through. I think I know what part of the problem is. Most of you are accustomed to thinking of Harry as a baby, and that's just not true anymore."

"Jannie's right. I'll agree he's not grown yet, but he's way past the point in life where he needs his nose wiped for him. Besides, it's better to work with a person's temperament and for better or worse, Harry's a protector. He likes to act, not sit on the sidelines."

"Yes, and he's also old enough to have a say in what happens next. It's ridiculous of us to be sitting in here planning out his future without asking his input."

"I concur."

Fred felt himself nodding along with the Wrights and Professor Lupin, not realizing until a few seconds had passed that quick footsteps were headed toward the door. "Scatter!" he hissed, waving the others back as Mrs. Wright reached the door and yanked it open. That's it. We're caught, he thought, already imagining the fit his mother was going to throw. All she had to do was open the door a little wider and the lot of them would be visible to the parlor's occupants.

Mrs. Wright surprised him, though. Instead of sounding the alarm, she took everything in with a glance and finished her exit, barely hesitating as she did so. "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" she said, crossing her arms and raising a dark eyebrow at Harry. "Where's Becky?"

Fred reckoned the First Task she-dragons looked friendlier, but Harry didn't seem fussed. "She's sleeping, just over there," he replied, pointing. "I was afraid I'd wake her if I tried to move the cot."

Mrs. Wright looked in the indicated direction, then nodded and became all business again. "So how much did you hear?"

Fred blinked, thrown a little by the sudden change of topic. Harry seemed to be having the same difficulty. Unfortunately he tried to stall for time by using one of the hardest defenses to pull off-playing dumb. "Hear?"

Fred winced and resisted the urge to shake his head. Oh, Harry, Harry! We have to work on your delivery! Harry was able to keep a straight face, true, but speaking almost an octave above his normal tone was a dead giveaway.

Mrs. Wright, as expected, wasn't buying it. "Don't mess with me, Harry, I'm not in the mood. We've already frittered away the better part of an hour and at this rate Tom's going to have to reopen for dinner before we're done. There's no sense repeating what you already know, so I say again, how much did you hear?"

"Not a lot," Harry admitted, shuffling his feet. "Just since Mrs. Weasley told Steve he didn't understand the situation."

"Hmm. You held out longer than I thought you might," Mrs. Wright said, with a hint of a smile. "Becky?"

Harry looked sheepish, then nodded. "I just got her down a few minutes ago."

"I suspected as much." Mrs. Wright walked over to the cot and touched Becky's arm. "She seems a little cool now. Let's get her blanket."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I should have thought of that." Harry rummaged briefly in the bag, producing a small crocheted baby blanket and passing it to Mrs. Wright. "Here it is...hey! What's this?"

"What's what?" Mrs. Wright asked, unfolding the blanket and tucking it around Becky.

Curious, Fred turned to see what he was on about. Harry was still peering into the bag.

"Blimey, Janet, did the professors stretch the bag? I'd have sworn this thing was stuffed to capacity before we left and I know it wasn't there before."

"The professors gave me a handful of pamphlets, Harry. They're here in my purse. I haven't put anything in the diaper bag since we left the house."

"Strange...hang on...this has my name on it!" Harry exclaimed, drawing a fat folder out of the diaper bag. Fred was just about to ask what the heck a Census and Archive folder was doing in there, but was interrupted by Mrs. Wright's sharp intake of breath.

"Wait, Harry!" she snapped, making Harry jump and pause in the act of opening the folder. "The professors want to talk to you first. There's a few things you need to know."

"What? Why? What's going on?" Harry asked, turning the folder over in his hands. "Wait...is this the folder that-" He broke off in surprise when Dumbledore came up behind him and plucked the folder out of his hand.

"Mr. Malfoy mentioned. Why yes, it's the very same, Harry," the headmaster verified. "I thought we'd take a short break," he continued, as the rest of the parlor's occupants exited. "We shall call the meeting back to order when everyone has had a chance to stretch and Tom fetches some more of his excellent tea and biscuits." As if to prove his point, Dr. Granger exited, followed by Professors Snape, Sprout, and Penstone. Tom brought up the rear, empty biscuit plate in hand and an empty teapot and several used teacups floating in his wake. He headed for Fred and the other kids while the Professors and Dr. Granger walked toward Mrs. Wright.

"More juice and biscuits, kids?" Tom asked, levitating their near-empty juice flask and biscuit plate with a wave of his wand and adding them to the floating parade of dishes. Silly question, Fred thought. Especially when Ron's about. Confident that his baby brother would agree to a refill without any prompting, Fred aimed his Extendable Ear at the knot of adults off to his left.

"Professor Dumbledore's called a short break. We're not needed for the second part so we're heading back to Hogwarts," Professor Penstone said to Mrs. Wright. "Please feel free to owl any of us if you have any additional questions."

Mrs. Wright nodded and shook the proffered hand. "Thank you, Professor. I will." With that she bent down and grasped the cot, testing the weight, Fred reckoned. He was just about to lend a hand but Dr. Granger stopped her.

"I thought I'd come out and keep the children company while the others finish up. I'd be happy to watch your little ones as well, since Harry will be busy."

Mrs. Wright hesitated, clearly torn, but Dr. Granger just smiled. "It's all a bit overwhelming, isn't it dear?" she asked, a knowing sympathy in her eyes that Fred didn't really follow.

"Yes," Mrs. Wright agreed with a sigh. She seemed to make up her mind about her kids at least, because she gave Dr. Granger a little smile and pushed the cot closer to the wall instead. "Thank you. We'll try not to be long."

Dr. Granger laughed. "It's nothing, dear. Ring me up once everything's sorted here," she said, pressing a small card in Mrs. Wright's hand.

"Here we are," Tom announced to no one in particular, setting fresh juice and biscuits on the table Fred and the others had been sitting around while a pot of tea, and a second plate of biscuits bobbed along in his wake. "Shall we go back in Janet?"

Fred thought Mrs. Wright looked like she'd fancy a lie down at the moment, but she took a deep breath and nodded. "Sure. Let's see if we can get this settled," she said, motioning for Tom to precede her through the parlor door.

"Mr. Potter," Professor Dumbledore began once everyone was settled again. "In a recent letter you mentioned a folder to me. You recall the letter, I trust?"

Harry frowned, thinking that went without saying, but he nodded and said, "Yes sir."

"Very good. For expediency's sake, please just hear me out and I shall endeavor to answer any questions you have. Are you familiar with an office in the Ministry of Magic called the Census Library and Archive?"

"No, sir."

"Every magical citizen has a folder assigned to them. The folders house all matters of public record. As you can see, yours contains copies of all the news articles that have been written about you over the years. It also contains more mundane items like your school records and contact information. The Census Library and Archive is where those folders are created, stored and managed," Dumbledore explained in his matter-of-fact way. Harry felt his irritation slip a jot as the old wizard's tale unfolded. One thing he'd always liked about Dumbledore was his ability to answer questions without making the asker feel stupid.

"The night your parents died, several precautions were taken to ensure your safety. One of them was spelling your folder to watch over you, and alarm if you were ever in any physical danger. That part obviously failed, yes," he said, holding up a hand when Harry frowned and started to speak. "For that you have my most heartfelt apologies, cold comfort though they may be. We can discuss that presently, but what concerns us now is a contingency mechanism that was designed to activate if anything ever happened to your guardians. You mentioned having trouble getting owls lately. That's because currently you're all but invisible to tracking magic. Practically unplottable. Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall have been researching the situation and they believe this new protection is the folder's doing."

"The folder? But why?" Harry asked, wishing he didn't sound quite so lost and bewildered.

"We aren't completely sure. Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall have been studying the matter and formulating theories. They suspect your folder is acting in this manner because the precautions were...'set'...when you were incapable of looking after yourself. As far as it is concerned, a guardian is mandatory. Your folder may simply be hiding you until a new guardian can be selected, or..."

"Or?" Harry demanded, not bothering to hide his exasperation as he glanced between the three Hogwarts professors. "What does it mean, Professor?"

Professor Flitwick sighed. "It means, Mr. Potter, that the folder may have already made its choice regarding your guardianship. As I'm sure you recall, your friends the Wrights are having difficulty receiving owls as well. Considering who you've had the most contact with this summer, Tom and Mr. and Mrs. Wright are the most likely candidates for selection. The fact that Tom can still freely receive owls while the Wrights cannot seems to imply they were indeed chosen."

"What?" Whatever Harry had been expecting it hadn't been that! The Wrights as his guardians? No! Impossible! It was far too large a risk for them to take! Besides which, wasn't it his being unceremoniously dumped on their doorstep that made the Dursleys hate him so? Even if the Wrights agreed to this nonsense, how long would it be before they began to resent him?

"We spoke to Tom and Mr. and Mrs. Wright earlier and they seem willing. Of course the folder may simply sense your fondness for the family and is extending the protection on your behalf," Professor Flitwick offered, seeming a little distressed at Harry's reaction. "The folder's decision can be overridden, of course, but doing so would almost certainly destroy the magical protection you're both currently under. The headmaster would like to avoid that if possible. What has accidentally been created here is the strength of the Fidellius without the liability of a Secret Keeper."

Feeling as though his world was unravelling, Harry shook his head, jumping when a wet nose nudged its way under his hand. "I...I really don't know what to say," he admitted, sinking both hands into Padfoot's thick fur. "How do we find out?"

"If our suspicions are correct, you simply open the folder and read the first page," Professor Dumbledore said. "Your folder is sealed," he continued, demonstrating his own inability to open it before passing it to Harry, "but as owner you should have full access. I merely wanted to prepare you for what you might see."

Harry nodded, accepting the folder with strangely nerveless fingers. It looked so commonplace, it was hard to believe this was the mysterious "folder" that was causing all the fuss. Swallowing to ease a throat gone suddenly dry, Harry found himself thinking of his trip to Privet Drive. The thought of opening the folder was causing approximately the same level of distress that looking in the living room window had.

In the end he dealt with it in the same manner-do it quickly and get it over with. He sat with one hand on the cover until he couldn't bear the suspense any longer, then flipped the folder open and began to scan the first page.

First was his full name and birthdate...

Harry James Potter b. July 31, 1980.

Then came a list of where he'd lived, when and with whom...

Godric Hollow - James Potter and Lily Potter - 07/31/1980 - 10/31/1981

Hogwarts Hospital Wing - To Be Determined (Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore) - 11/01/1981 - 11/03/1981

Little Whinging -Petunia Dursley (Vernon Dursley) - 11/04/1981 - 07/01/1995

Leaky Cauldron - To Be Determined (Tom Dodderidge) - 07/02/1995 - 07/25/1995

London - Janet Wright (Stephen Wright) primary and Tom Dodderidge secondary - 07/25/1995 -

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry jumped at Dumbledore's gentle prompt, then realized he'd been staring like an idiot. "Janet and Tom," he said, then cleared his throat and tried again. "It says Janet and Tom! And Steve. Janet is primary, Tom is secondary."

"Indeed?" Professor Dumbledore exchanged a look with Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall. "It seems the folder wishes to preserve the status quo."

Taken by surprise, Harry blinked then glanced between the three Hogwarts professors. "Sorry, did you say the folder wants?"

"Your folder was missing," Janet informed him, a knowing sympathy in her dark eyes. "Until you spotted it in the diaper bag a few minutes ago no one could find it. Everyone was just guessing."

Across the room Professor Flitwick nodded. "Fantastic as it may sound, I believe the folder may have achieved a rudimentary intelligence. I don't believe the way it hid or revealed itself was mere coincidence, and it does appear to be looking out for your best interests."

"Oh." Suddenly and ridiculously reminded of Dobby the House Elf, Harry shook his head and battled down a mad urge to laugh. Part of him rankled at the idea of having a guardian at all, seesawing between I don't need a bloody babysitter! and They can't possibly accept! It's too dangerous! Another part didn't mind so much-even allowed that if he had to have a guardian, Steve, Janet, and Tom were loads better than the Dursleys, some random stranger, or one of the stuck-up "pureblood" families. A third part scoffed derisively at the idea Janet, Steve, and Tom would agree to look after the likes of him, and a fourth part, the one crying the loudest, was despairing because he'd never be able to live with his godfather.

All and all he wished he could just go back to bed and start the day over.

"Enough of this, Albus. You can't possibly force him back into the Muggle World. Look at him, he's overwrought!"

What? Harry blinked in surprise as he processed Mrs. Weasley's statement, glancing to his left where Ron's parents were seated.

"Molly, be still," Mr. Weasley hissed. Mrs. Weasley gave him a dirty look before turning and addressing Harry directly.

"Harry, dear, repairs on the Burrow are coming along nicely, and the warding can be modified to include Muggle attacks."

"That is true, Harry." Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon glasses and peered down the length of the table at Harry. "But consider, the Burrow's warding only offers protection while you are in the house or on the property. The folder's protection has no such limitation, and it protects your friends as well."

"Hold on, Professor. No fair laying guilt trips."

When Harry turned to him in surprise, Steve addressed him directly. "Don't accept the folder's decision because you're worried about us, or are afraid of hurting our feelings, Harry. We have lines of retreat available to us, and if things really go stupid we can always return to the States."

Tom nodded his agreement, while Janet smiled reached over and gave his arm a little squeeze. "We'll help any way we can, but you have to think of yourself now, Sweetie. What do you want? What's right for you?"

What do I want? What I can't have, of course. Harry sighed, looking at his godfather with his heart in his eyes. Sirius whined, sounding as miserable as Harry felt and laid his head on Harry's knee. "Me too," Harry said, scratching the big dog's ears before looking at Dumbledore. "Please, sir, I always thought...isn't there any way I could...you know..." Harry stumbled to a stop, not knowing how much was safe to say about Sirius in present company, but his headmaster understood. Harry felt his last hope dissolve as Professor Dumbledore sighed, seeming to age before his eyes.

"I wish it was possible dear boy, but alas, it is not. Although Remus would undoubtably take you in, current laws prohibit it. I can petition the Board of Governors to allow you shelter at Hogwarts, but that is dependent on their decision, and the protection shares the same limitations as the Burrow."

Harry nodded. "I understand."

"Perhaps you'd like some time to think things over, lad," Tom suggested, clearly trying to ease the tension. "Unless I'm mistaken, the decision doesn't have to be made this instant."

"This isn't just my decision, you know." Harry looked at the Weasleys, then Tom, then Steve and Janet. "You don't have to do this, any of you. In fact, if it means you'll hate me later I wish you wouldn't. What if I screw up?"

He thought he was being perfectly serious, and was a bit annoyed when Janet chuckled. "That's called 'life,' Harry. You're going to screw up, I guarantee it. So will Steve. So will the girls. So will I. Do you think I know the first thing about teen-aged boys?"

"She's right, kid. It's impossible to live with other people without ever stepping on each others' toes. All you can do is apologize, learn, and try to do better in the future."

"But why? Why are you willing to do this?" Harry shook his head and closed his stinging eyes. "Why are you even considering it?" He waited, not sure if anyone would respond-not sure if he wanted anyone to respond-especially when he heard Janet make an exasperated sounding noise beside him.

"What kind of question is that?" Harry opened his eyes in surprise when gentle fingers touched his chin, but complied with the tacit request to turn his head. When Janet saw she had his attention she let go of his chin and took his hand instead. "Because you're my friend, you big goof, and I care about you and I want you safe and protected. I thought that went without saying."

Further down, Tom cleared his throat. When Harry looked him in the eye, the old innkeeper smiled one of his toothless smiles. "The same goes for me, lad. Oh, I admit in the beginning I thought I was extending some harmless charity and wasn't sure how much help you'd really be, but I think your successes speak for themselves. I also meant what I told you the day we met Janet, here. Anyone with sense would be proud to claim you. If certain people are too thick to see what was right before their eyes, that's their lookout, not yours."

Harry shrugged then looked down, unable to hold Tom's gaze. You've only really known me a few weeks. They knew me my whole life. He studied his hands for a minute, then looked up when he heard Mr. Weasley call his name.

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