The Lewis House 8 страница

There was silence except for a loud gasp from Mrs. Weasley, who was now clutching her heart. Harry looked around and noticed that Mr. Weasley, still holding a forkful of vegetables, was trying very, very hard not to laugh. After what seemed like an eternity, Mrs. Weasley broke the silence with a sob, "Oh! Fred! Angelina! How could you? How? Didn't you think we'd want to be there?" Her eyes narrowing, Mrs. Weasley turned to look past Ginny at George. "Did you know about this?" she demanded.

"Of course!" George answered brightly. "I was the witness and I was the one who made them carry through on their bet."

"What bet?!" Mrs. Weasley screeched. George looked unaffected.

"I bet Fred and Angelina that if we sold over one-hundred trick wands within the first two weeks of the end of the war, then they would have to get married. And we sold one-hundred and three in the first week."

Mrs. Weasley gasped again, presumably shocked at her son's lack of remorse, and turned in preparation to launch into Fred, but to Harry's surprise, Fred seemed to have regained his courage. Angelina was now standing, and holding Fred's arm, and Fred held out his other hand to his mother, gesturing her to wait.

"Mum," he said, in a voice that was more serious than Harry had ever heard exit either of the twins' mouths. "We just felt like the time was right. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but please understand," Fred looked over at Angelina, who winked at him and grinned, "we love each other very much, and, well, it just felt right."

Angelina was smiling, although she looked like she might cry, and she leaned forward and said, "Please, Molly, do forgive us. I didn't want to upset you, but I seem to lose my head a bit when Fred's around."

At that point, Mrs. Weasley started to cry, and Angelina started to cry, and Mr. Weasley finally put down his fork and walked around the table to congratulate the couple. Ginny was punching George on the arm for not telling her and Ron was looking delighted, as though pleased that one of his brothers had done something less than perfect.

***

After all of the excitement had died down over Fred and Angelina's announcement, everyone seemed to remember that it was, indeed, Harry's birthday.

"Which do you want first, Harry?" Sirius asked, clapping him on the back. "Presents or cake?"

It was a difficult decision, but Harry decided on "Presents first, please" and Remus and Mrs. Weasley started to clear the table while Sirius and Ron ran inside to collect all of the gifts.

A few minutes later, a large pile of brightly wrapped packages appeared on the table, and Harry's eyes opened wide at the shock of it all.

"You all - you really didn't - " he started, but George interrupted him. "Oi, shut up and open up Harry. Let's just say we owe you one. Here, open ours first." George pushed a very bright, very loud red and pink package towards Harry. "It's from me and Fred and Angelina," he added.

Feeling a bit apprehensive, Harry started to unwrap the gift, holding it a bit away from him. When it was unwrapped, he stared at it, astonished. On the table before him stood a perfect model of a Quidditch field. Seven miniature players stood at either end of the field, clutching tiny broomsticks. One set was wearing scarlet robes and the other - green. "Go on," prompted Fred. "Tell them 'Let the game begin!'"

"Er, 'Let the game begin'!" said Harry, looking down at the players. A referee appeared in the center of the field with a wooden box, and opening it, released two Bludgers, one Quaffle, and one Golden Snitch into the air. The players mounted their brooms and flew off.

"Wow!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah," Harry echoed, transfixed.

"We're branching out," explained Fred. "Magical games. You can choose the robes and the names of the teams. You can also select certain players to play for each team. We've got all the famous ones enchanted in there. So, if you want to see a team with Ludo Bagman, Catriona McCormack, and Viktor Krum," Fred stopped and winked across the table at Ron, who scowled, "then all you have to do is say so before the game starts."

"This is a pre-release copy Harry," explained George. "There's a serial number on the bottom." Harry looked at the base of the Quidditch pitch and noticed a golden "1" stamped in the wood.

"The whole thing was actually Angelina's idea," said Fred proudly. "We worked on it during the war when we needed a break."

"Thanks!" said Harry earnestly, already mentally forming teams in his head. He stared at the game for a few more moments, and then, remembering that there were other presents to be opened, he pushed the game over to Ron, who was eyeing it with great interest.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a new set of dark green robes ("To bring out your eyes, dear.") Hermione handed him a book - Common Quidditch Injuries and Charms to Prevent Them – while Ron offered him a bottle of "Goldie's Liquid Curse", the alcohol in the green bottle that had made him so drunk earlier in the month. Remus added to the collection by giving Harry a small wizarding alarm clock that shouted, in a voice very like Oliver Wood’s, "Oi, Potter! Get your lazy arse out of that bed!"

"I thought it might motivate you," said Remus serenely.

When they’d all finished laughing, Ginny shyly handed Harry his present and sat twisting her fingers as he opened it. It was a slim, attractive looking book with a flattering picture of Harry, riding his Firebolt, on the front of it. The picture appeared to have been painted and the sky around him swirled and moved as he flew back and forth across the cover. In gold and silver lettering across the bottom was written, Thoughts of Harry, compiled by Ginny Weasley in honor of his eighteenth birthday.

Harry looked up in amazement and noticed that Ginny was now blushing so furiously that it was difficult to tell where her forehead ended and her hair began. He grinned at her and she smiled weakly back. Not sure what to expect, Harry opened the book to the first page. There was a wizard photograph of himself, Ron, and Hermione, taken during the beginning of their fifth year, looking very happy and silly as they prepared to head to the Halloween feast, followed by a short explanation of the book itself. Ginny had apparently gone to all of Harry's friends and asked them to write about a memory of him, or else to provide a picture – she explained that Dean Thomas had drawn the front cover, and Seamus Finnigan had written a small piece inside. Parvati Patil had written a rather humorous account of their "date" to the Yule Ball, thanking him for allowing her the freedom to meet Pierre Bardot of Beauxbatons, and enclosing one of her hair ribbons from that evening. Neville Longbottom had enclosed a list of all of the passwords ever used to enter Gryffindor tower while they were at Hogwarts 'compiled with the much appreciated assistance of the Fat Lady, who sends her regards as well'. So that’s why Ginny was talking to Neville the other day, Harry realized, relieved to know the explanation.

Slowly, as everyone else returned to laughing together and eating, Harry skimmed through his book and tried to process all the kind things that had been written for him. There was a note from Mrs. Weasley in which she told him that she would always consider him a son in her heart, and one from Mr. Weasley thanking Harry for all of his insights over the years into Muggle affairs. Sirius and Remus had put their heads together to compile a "Marauders Map" of Lupin Lodge, so that Harry would always know when the toilet was free. Harry snorted with laughter, then glanced at Ginny, who was the only one still watching him.

"So, happy birthday," she said, meeting his eyes, though she was still twisting her fingers in her lap.

"Thanks," he said quietly, leaning toward her slightly to make sure she could hear him over the din of chattering around them. "This was a great idea. Really." He looked down at the book, which he had almost finished skimming, and turned the last page.

"No – why don’t you finish reading it later –" Ginny attempted, but it was too late. Harry had already seen that on the last page was written a very short entry, in Ginny’s handwriting. He adjusted his glasses unnecessarily, suddenly feeling both incredibly curious and very nervous. He was half-afraid she’d written something like the long-ago Valentine, and half-afraid that she hadn’t. He peered apprehensively at the pretty cursive.

Harry,

I am here.

Love,

Ginny

Blushing more furiously than he would have been if Ginny had written a twenty-page love letter, Harry glanced up only to find Ginny looking at him questioningly. He stared back for a long moment, his head swimming with questions of his own. "I... thanks," he managed briefly, feeling like an idiot for his speechlessness.

She nodded, and turned away.

Harry was relieved a split-second later, when Sirius hollered, "My turn!" His godfather pulled his wand and shot the only package that was left on the table into Harry’s hands. There was a card stuck to the top of it, and Harry opened that first.

He read to himself:

Dear Harry,

Your parents gave this to me shortly before their deaths. I was instructed to hold onto it, in case anything happened to them, until your seventeenth birthday. Unfortunately, things were rather hectic last year and I didn't think of it until just now. It's been in my Gringotts vault all these years. I'm not even sure what it is, although if it's what I think it is, we should have quite a lot of entertainment for this evening.

Happy Birthday,

Sirius

Harry didn't say anything for a moment - he just stared at the package on the table in front of him. Finally, he gulped, and announced to everyone sitting around the table, "It's from my mum and dad." Sirius nudged Harry with his elbow and said, "Go on then, open it up."

Harry eased off the paper surrounding the gift. Soon he had uncovered what appeared to be a plain picture frame, with a photograph of his father and mother. They were both smiling and waving at him, and Harry gazed at it intensely. This had belonged to his mother and father. They had touched this. And there they were. Harry had so few pictures of his parents that each one was like a treasure to him. He looked over at his godfather and whispered, "Thanks, Sirius." To his surprise, Sirius laughed.

"Just as I thought! That's not all, Harry! But perhaps we should have the cake on the table before I show you how to work this thing."

"Work it?" asked Harry, puzzled.

"Yes," answered Sirius. "That's not just a photograph - it's a Kinolia."

"A what?" asked Harry, even more confused, but he noticed that Fred, George, Ron, and Mr. Weasley had all uttered "Cool!" and "Wish I had one of those!" under their breath. Harry was used, even after eight years in the wizarding world, to not knowing many things that might be common knowledge amongst people in wizarding families.

"A Kinolia," explained Mr. Weasley excitedly. "It's the wizard version of a Muggle filum."

"Filum?"

"Yes, you know, their version of moving stories."

Harry was floored. He was holding in his hands a device that would show him not only stationary versions of his parents, waving and smiling, but something that might enable him to hear them speak, and laugh, and move. He didn't want to wait for cake, although Mrs. Weasley had already brought an enormous one to the table.

"How'd you work it Sirius?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure if I even remember. Remus is the brains behind the whole thing - do you reckon you can work it out?"

"I think so," replied Remus. He surveyed the ground in front of them and muttered "Accio!" Soon, several blankets were flying out of an upstairs window of Lupin Lodge and spreading out on the ground below. "We should sit in a circle," he explained. "It's easier to watch that way."

Still clutching the frame in his hands, and feeling too excited to bring the slice of cake that Mrs. Weasley had placed in front of him, Harry made his way over to the blankets. It was getting dark now, but Harry didn't mind. Everyone else soon followed, Mr. Weasley making a grunting noise as he tried to get down on the ground. Ginny was the last one over, and Harry noticed that everyone seemed to have left a space for her next to him. She sat down gingerly, curling her legs up under her.

"Harry, place the Kinolia in the center there," Remus instructed and Harry did so.

"Now," directed Remus. "I think that all you have to do is point your wand at it and order it to play. Give it a try."

Harry extracted his wand from the back pocket of his jeans and pointed it at the frame. Eyes fixed on the identical ones belonging to his mother, he said loudly, "Play!" and watched as mist appeared to float out of the picture. Soon, he heard the sound of a woman laughing, and heard Ginny gasp slightly. Floating above everyone were James and Lily Potter, looking solid and young and healthy and happy, despite the fact that they were floating a few feet above the ground.

"Is it working, Remus?" Harry heard a voice ask from above. It was his father's voice. He had only heard his father's voice twice before, and both of those times, it had been filled with a sense of fear and urgency. Now, it was filled with amusement.

Remus on the ground grinned, as they heard a younger version of his voice reply, "I think I've got it this time."

"Right," said James Potter, walking around behind his wife and encircling her waist with his arms, "Go on then Lily."

Harry watched his mother laugh, and her face grew larger as the Kinolia zoomed in on it, while the rest of her body seemed to float away in the mist. She cleared her throat and began, "Hello Harry... or... Honora... we're not sure which you'll be yet, as you're currently about this big..." she held up her thumb and index finger in front of her face and squinted. "But we know you're there, and we want to keep a complete record of your entire life for you, so Daddy - " here she stopped and turned to beam back at her husband, "Daddy went out and bought this Kinolia for you."

There was a loud Thud! as Lily and James Potter's faces fell out of view and what appeared to be grass and some shabby-looking shoes came into focus.

"You're pregnant?" they heard a young Remus exclaim. "Really?"

Everyone on the ground turned to look at Remus, who was shaking with laughter at this point. He shrugged his shoulders and kept laughing, and everyone turned their attention back to the figures in the center of the circle.

The grass had faded away, and James and Lily Potter were standing in the center once again, but this time, Lily Potter looked much larger than she had before. She was standing sideways and grinning.

"Well, my child," she was saying. "You've gone and ruined my figure, but I love you anyway."

They heard laughter from behind the camera, but this time, there were three voices - Remus, Sirius, and – Harry jumped inwardly – Peter Pettigrew.

"Let me have a go." The voice definitely belonged to Peter. "You two go and stand with Lily." Harry felt himself shudder slightly. He didn't want Peter Pettigrew anywhere near his parents. He felt like reaching out to the solid looking figures in front of him and pulling them away - warning them. Involuntarily he reached out his fingers as if to touch them, before realizing that there was nothing solid to touch.

Quickly he pulled back his hand, his heart lurching with a sick helplessness. He opened his mouth to say that he would watch the rest of the Kinolia later, that he didn’t want to see this anymore – but before he could speak, he felt something cool and smooth cover his fingers on the blanket. He looked down and saw Ginny's pale hand on top of his and felt the bottom drop out from his stomach. But he didn't want her to move – not at all. Tentatively, he turned his palm upward and laced his fingers slightly through hers, letting out his breath, which he realized that he'd been holding in. The Kinolia could keep playing, he decided briefly, feeling a shock run up his arm when Ginny moved her thumb along his index finger, just barely. The Kinolia could keep playing for the rest of the night.

Harry's eyes darted quickly around the circle of his friends, searching to see if anyone had noticed what had just happened, but to his relief they were all riveted by the image of a young Sirius Black, who had loomed up above them. Harry looked at his godfather, sitting on the ground opposite him, and saw that his eyes were glistening. The Sirius that was now laughing out of the Kinolia was young, strong, and dashing. His hair was longer and his black robes were cut fashionably. He put his ear down to Lily Potter's bulging middle and said, "What's that? Really? You do? Very interesting..." Looking up, Sirius winked at James and said, "Harry would like his present now." Lily opened her mouth, just about to ask something, when James held out his hand and said, "Moony! Bring in the gift!" A moment later, Remus appeared, looking much younger also - his hair was entirely brown - with a very small broomstick in his hand.

"James!" exclaimed Lily, shaking her head. "All of you! This child is not even born yet, and, " she added, pointing at Sirius, "we do not know if it is a boy or a girl yet. Either way, our child is not getting on a broomstick before it can walk. I've been reading up on it and Dr. Pedetria clearly states that children who fly before walking..."

"Yes, yes, we know all about Dr. Pedetria, don't we Harry," said James, kissing his wife's neck. "She's an expert." The laughter faded, as did the figures in front of them, and slowly, another vision, almost too dark to see, filled the air above the ground.

First they saw a dim figure, and heard a voice say softly, "Damn! How hard can this be to figure out? I hope it's working." Then they saw Lily Potter's face appear in front of them. She appeared to be sitting in a darkened room.

"Hello, Harry," she said softly. "I know that you're a boy, even though I give James a hard time about it. He's too arrogant sometimes, even though most of the time he is right about things." She sighed deeply and looked down. "James doesn't want you to know about the dark times that we live in, but my hope is that by the time you are old enough to see this, the darkness will be gone, and I think it's important to understand."

Lily looked off to her side for a moment, and when she turned her head back towards the Kinolia, her eyes were bright. "Your father isn't here right now. I don't know where he is. He can't tell me. The truth is, we are in the middle of a war. It's a terrible war, and I am so afraid. Every time your father leaves, I'm afraid he won't come back. That's a real danger, you know?" She laughed a bit and continued. "Of course you don't know - you're a baby, or, I hope you will be in two weeks. You are completely innocent. You are what is keeping me sane. Always know that your mother loves you very, very much."

She sat and stared at the air in front of her for what seemed like an eternity. Harry dully heard Mrs. Weasley sniffling and for a moment he wished everyone would just go away. He pulled his knees up in front of him, pulled his hand out from underneath Ginny's, and grasped at his hair with both of his hands, not thinking of anything in particular.

Soon, however, another, much brighter scene was forming. "It's a boy! It's a boy! I was right! Padfoot, where the heck is that broom?" James Potter's voice rang out clearly through the night air. James turned to face the Kinolia. "My wife is the most amazing, beautiful, brave, wonderful witch on the entire planet!"

Sirius appeared in front of the camera, threw his arm around James's shoulders, and held up the tiny broomstick from the earlier scene in his other hand. "I am a godfather!" he announced proudly. "And as godfather, I am allowed to give the boy his broomstick!" A muffled sound came from behind the Kinolia. Sirius scowled in a friendly manner. "We are not drunk Mr. Lupin. Not at all! I know that's why you're laughing, so you can just stop right now."

"Where's Peter?" asked James, slurring his words slightly.

"Dunno," shrugged Sirius. "Hey! Can we go in and record the baby?"

James held his finger to his lips and said, "Shhhh...sleeping..." but he opened the door behind them and they saw Lily Potter sleeping in a large bed. Next to her, in a small cradle, was a tiny, tiny bundle with a shock of dark, black hair. "Bloody hell, James!" exclaimed Sirius, loudly, and James shushed him again, "You gave the poor kid your hair."

"Yeah, well, he's got Lily's eyes," James said defiantly, "so he'll never have to worry about these ruddy things." James pointed a finger at his glasses and grimaced.

On the ground, Fred and George laughed in unison.

"Wait a second..." The Sirius in the Kinolia seemed to be pondering something and his face lit up brightly. "Remus, what day is today?"

"Why, I believe that it's July 31st," answered Remus, and Harry could hear the grin from behind the Kinolia.

"That's right," said Sirius, spinning round to look at James, "and that means that you owe us some money, Prongs. Surely you haven't forgotten our bet?"

"A man after my own heart!" called out Fred delightedly.

Harry watched as his father squirmed uncomfortably, shooting a glance at his wife, who was lying in the bed, apparently still asleep. "Well, let's talk about it outside, shall we?" James motioned to baby Harry, as if to indicate that they would wake him.

"All right," agreed Sirius. "Remus, let's get this down for the official record, shall we?"

"Mmmhmm," said Remus, following them out of the room. All that was visible was the backs of their heads.

"Pay up James!" Sirius said as they exited the room.

"I don't think it proves anything. That due date is just arbitrary. Just because Harry was born today, doesn't mean that..."

"Don't try to talk your way out of this one, Potter. Just pay up. Ten Galleons, wasn't it Moony?"

"I believe so."

"Remus," James hissed, "surely you can see that this is all very silly..."

"I lost a lot of sleep that night as well, James." Remus sounded like he was trying to hold his laughter in. Harry glanced over to where Remus and Sirius were sitting on the ground and both of them were shaking with suppressed laughter. Harry wondered where this whole conversation was leading.

"Fine," James dug into his pocket. "So evidence points to the notion that my son was conceived on Halloween. Big deal. I don't see why it's so funny. I don't see why it's worth discussing over and over again. Actually - " James straightened and grinned a bit, "it could have been any day in the week before or after Halloween as well. Any day."

On the ground, Harry blushed and Ron snorted.

"It's not particularly funny, James," answered Sirius, ignoring James's comment and dividing the gold into two piles and handing one to the Remus behind the Kinolia, "except that you're very fun to tease, and you were being very loud after that Halloween party. Don't worry, we'll use the money to buy a nice gift for Harry."

The scene faded. Everyone in the circle on the ground was now laughing. Harry wasn't really sure how he felt. Watching his parents on the Kinolia was, to a certain extent, painful. It just reinforced something that Harry had always suspected - that his parents were good, decent people, whom he would have like to get to know better, and that was never going to happen. And the reason for that was Peter Pettigrew, who was laughing and joking with them. On the other hand, he was thoroughly enjoying watching his godfather and his teacher enjoying their youth - before it had been snatched away from them. Harry looked around. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting next to each other, smiling. Ron had his long legs stretched out in front of him, one arm propping himself up and the other wrapped around Hermione. Fred and Angelina were holding hands, and George was staring off into space looking quite content. Remus and Sirius were whispering to each other and laughing a bit - Harry assumed that watching the Kinolia must evoke the same emotions in them.

Turning his head slightly, Harry saw Ginny out of the corner of his eye. Her legs were still curled under her. Her right hand picked at the piece of cake on her plate as she stared down at it. The other hand was picking at the grass on the ground next to her. It was white and girlish against the grass and Harry had an unexplainable urge to reach out and hold it again, knowing that it might make him feel better. But for some reason, he just couldn’t make himself do it. Reluctantly, he turned his attention back to the swirling image above him.

Image upon image appeared on the Kinolia. Harry saw himself crying fretfully for no apparent reason at all. He watched Sirius levitate him using the Wingardium Leviosa charm. His parents danced, laughed, and smiled. His mother read him a bedtime story and sang to him. She was beautiful and calm and patient and he was a part of her. It was very difficult to take in at once. Harry wondered idly whether or not Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve was still in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. He felt that he could use one of his own about now.

There was a picnic. Everyone was outside, enjoying the day. People were swimming in a lake. Peter Pettigrew must have been holding the Kinolia, because first Harry saw himself being tossed between his mother and his father. Then the image panned to two figures sitting on a hill a bit away from everyone else - Remus and Sirius. Both looked glum and Harry looked over to their present-day selves to see if he could discern why. He saw Sirius reach out and touch Remus on the arm. Remus looked up and gave a small smile, and Sirius smiled back, withdrew his hand, and both turned to continue watching.

And then, the Kinolia stopped playing. Harry felt the blood drain from his face. He hadn't wanted it to stop. That meant that the scene at the lake was not long before his parents had died. Indeed, the Harry playing in the water had looked to be about a year old. That had been summer - his parents had died at the end of October. They must have been too busy hiding to use the Kinolia more often during the following months. There was a sort of silence outside, and for a few moments, Harry could hear nothing but the summer insects. Finally, Ginny rose and began gathering cake plates together. She Banished them into the kitchen and Mrs. Weasley also rose and began lighting lanterns around the garden. Everyone started chattering again. Harry picked up the Kinolia and held it protectively under his arm. Ron and Hermione came over to him, Ron wearing a big lopsided grin.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04