Where He Stands

7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven

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"Mental, mate! Your brother is absolutely mental!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "I have never seen anyone injuring a dragon with Magic alone. What Spell did he use on it? Can you teach me?"

Charlus winced at his friend's incessant blabbering. He was also curious about what Spell Harry used. Harry had been silent the entire round, so it was hard to deduce what Spell he had used. Charlus had an inkling that Harry had used Diffindo at one point but wasn't sure. The Spell shouldn't be strong enough to cut a dragon's wing membrane.

"I read that it usually takes a group of four wizards to take down a dragon. Hungarian Horntails are the nastiest of all, especially the ones having eggs," Hermione pointed at the dragon that was being carried out of the stage. "Your brother injured the dragon, not technically taming it, but he is better than most dragon tamers. I mean, not many can replicate his feats and he is still in his Sixth Year."

"I get it, Hermione. My brother is awesome," Charlus raised his hand with a wry look.

"Uh, sorry, Charlus. I didn't mean to…" Hermione winced.

"It's fine," Charlus shook his head.

"Yeah, it's all right having a cool brother. We have Charlie at home. Well, not at home. He is in Egypt right now, but you get my point," Ron supported.

Charlus sighed to himself. His friends were an honest bunch, stupidly so. He knew they didn't mean to compare his brother to him but couldn't help feeling bitter. He was used to being the centre of attention, being the Boy Who Lived whom the wizarding world regarded highly. He had been basking in fame for as long as he could remember.

Compared to him, his brother was a nobody. He was a quiet yet well-respected student of Hogwarts, being the top three students in his years, but otherwise unknown. Not many people even knew the famous Head Auror Bellatrix Black was taking care of him. He didn't even know Harry was his brother until his Second Year when his mother told him.

Although Charlus never bore ill-will to Harry, at some point, he had thought his brother was jealous of him. After all, he had everything that Harry didn't. That was why Harry was being a brat, refusing to meet them whenever they were visiting and ignoring the invitations they sent. He had believed that was the case until what happened at the Quidditch World Cup.

His sense of superiority was knocked down a peg when Harry saved him from the Death Eater's clutch. At that moment, he realized Harry didn't have any reason to be jealous of him. His prided power from being the Boy Who Lived paled in comparison to the might Harry had shown. He couldn't even knock out a single Death Eater, but Harry had killed many and even landed a hit on the infamous Regulus Black.

Harry's performance further proved his point. Harry was being truthful when he said he didn't care about their family affair and not being petty. Charlus preferred to keep it that way, but his mother was adamant about getting Harry back to the family. He was glad that his mother was brimming with happiness these days but couldn't help feeling threatened.

Will Mom and Dad forget me in favour of Harry?

Charlus loved his parents to death, but given their naivety which had resulted in Harry's abandonment, Charlus could see the same thing happening to him. But they wouldn't, right? He worriedly mused. After all, he was the Boy Who Lived. But what would happen if his parents decided to spend their time with Harry this time to make up for the lost time?

Harry must be rid of…

It only takes a drop of ink to spoil the entire canvas. Charlus smiled in assurance, watching the boring rounds while thinking about his plot. They weren't boring per se, however, compared to Harry's stellar performance, they felt lacklustre. The crowds would have thought differently if Harry had gone last.

"This is madness, I tell you. Why is he even allowed to judge? Look at how biased this lanky old twit is!"

Charlus winced in the audience seat as he heard his mother complain about Karkaroff's judgment. The headmaster had given Harry an 8 while others had given Harry 10s. No one complained about it as they had thought he was being strict. However, he had given Viktor's underwhelming performance a 10. Naturally, Lily couldn't accept that.

"A feisty one your mother is," Ron remarked as he looked at Lily. "I still prefer her over my Mom, though. She could be the Dark Lord for all her beauty."

Hermione slapped Ron's head for his crass remark, saving him from Charlus' punch. Many of the men in the audience seat agreed with him, though.

"Lily, that's why we have you as an impartial judge. Bias is something we can't avoid here," Dumbledore placated.

"Stinky old coots," Lily scoffed before storming off the stage.

Dumbledore smiled in amusement at Lily's feistiness. His expression was mimicked by many others, but they cowered in fear when they met her gaze. Lily was not only pretty. She held the title of the youngest Charms Master. Rumour had it she was an Unspeakable. Her fighting prowess was unquestionable as she could fight Bellatrix Black to a standstill. If you ignored her beauty, she was a fearsome individual.

"Harry! That was amazing of you!"

That fearsome individual became an excited teenage girl when she was in front of her young man. Harry cut his interview with Rita Skeeter short and walked over to Lily. The gorgeous witch enveloped him in a tight hug, ignoring her surroundings. Rita's eyes glimmered at the scene. Carefully, she inched toward the mother and son.

"Excuse me, Madam Potter," Rita called, earning Lily's attention. "Do you have the time to address the convoluted rumours regarding your relationship with Mr Evans here?"

Lily looked at Harry, earning a shrug from him. A silent conversation happened between them and Lily eventually nodded. Rita's eyes gleamed as Lily disengaged from Harry. She could tell whatever she wrote would become an international sensation.

"Shall we move to a more private place?" Rita asked smoothly.

"Here is fine," Lily waved nonchalantly. "Shoot your question."

"Speculations have arisen from the moment the Hogwarts Champion was announced. People are connecting the dots and thinking Mr Evans here is more than someone who recently found out his Potter heritage. What is your comment on it, Madam Potter?"

Lily frowned before saying, "It all began with a prophecy, one I regretted letting dictate my life. Prophecies are mostly self-fulfilling nonsense, but a particular Dark Lord worshipped the prophecy about him…and my sons."

Lily explained the circumstances behind Harry's abandonment as neutrally as she could. She bravely admitted her mistake and accepted that her family might never be the same thanks to the debacle. Rita was equally mesmerized by Lily's story and elated. She knew the grand revelation would send the world into an uproar.

"And that's why I am trying to reconcile. Our relationship has never been better, but we still have a long way to go. I am not so naïve to think Harry would suddenly forget the years of neglect."

Lily teared up a little at the end of the interview. Rita felt for Lily but still thought she deserved it. Even though Rita saw everything as gossip and controversies, she could still judge people objectively. Of course, she wouldn't let her judgment influence her writing. She would only write things that evoked great reactions.

"Hold for a moment, bug lady."

When Harry stopped her from leaving, Rita stiffened. It was already frightening standing close to Harry and being touched by him almost drained her life.

"Y- Yes?"

"Prevent yourself from spinning yarns about Lily, will you? Imagine what will happen if the world knows you have been spying on people in your unregistered bug form."

Rita's eyes widened in fear, and her legs turned to jelly. Harry's hold on her shoulder prevented her from falling. She winced at the strong grip, but Harry's glowing emeralds forced her to hide her pain. Harry smiled coldly, pulling her heart to the bottom of her stomach.

"Make a good article, Rita."

Harry let go of her and left her rooted to her spot. It took her a moment to come out of her stupor. She didn't want to be on Harry Potter's bad side. Sticking true to her promise, she wrote a good article about Lily's revelation. The piece became an international sensation as soon as it was published by the Daily Prophet a few days later.

Harry James Potter and Where He Stands

The article talked about the sacrifice Harry had to make to ensure his brother, the Boy Who Lived's life and the hard decision his parents had to make. The article gave a glimpse of Harry's cold relationship with his family. Lily's stellar effort to rekindle the relationship was not left unmentioned. It also emphasized that what happened was the result of the family's sacrifice to save the world from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Harsh critics were thrown toward the Potter couple regardless of how benevolent they were painted in the article. Still, no one viewed them badly. A failure as a parent they were indeed but good people regardless. They had saved a lot of people from Lord Voldemort, after all.

"Hm…why am I on the Witch Weekly?"

Uncaring to the renewed attention toward his family and him in particular, Harry was wondering why his impressive photo was displayed on the Witch Weekly's cover.