The Life that Never Lived ? (Goblet of Fire)

THE PENSIEVE

Harry didn't want to be left staring at that book any longer than he had to for now, it caused too many terrible stirrings in the back of his mind as he kept contemplating on what his connection to Voldemort could mean. Bad things, of that he was sure. So instead he engaged himself as much as he could in conversation and honestly tried to drag it out far more than called for even after lunch was done, and dragged his feet back to the reading spot.

At least his mother offered one last word of comfort before Remus could start. "I know what you've been doing love, but I know everything's going to work itself out."

"How do you know?" Harry sighed, and they were all getting very concerned at how hollow his voice sounded right then. It was very clearly written all over him he was foreseeing how bad this was going to get before it gets better.

"Because I know it will," she stated back with pure confidence. "Because you're here now, a handsome grown man, and so everything else will work itself out."

Harry flushed at the compliment, which made Lily smile as that had been her point.

"Maybe, maybe even Dumbledore will see you as old enough now and will explain to you properly more about your scar." James offered hopefully, still knowing he wanted that answer more than anything, as he hoped it would directly link to why Voldemort had even gone after his family.

"Yeah, maybe," Harry now said, back to his usual tone and a small smile lingering.

Sirius had excused himself to give baby Harry his lunch, leaving the parents, James, to have a chat with Harry without him around for a bit. Once the infant was all settled in a playpen for a while, there was no way they were going to risk bringing him back into the room with the last task looming, it was clear they were waiting on him as Remus began.

"I never understood why those things fake that," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Portraits don't even need sleep, they just fake it to annoy us!"

"Annoyed," James answered for him at the presence of Fudge in general, let alone the actual reason Harry was there.

"Yes, somehow you always find a way to be the source of a lot of things," Remus agreed.

Harry wished he could deny that one.

"You seem to have that attitude a lot," Sirius shook his head in disbelief at Harry. "What on earth possessed you to admit to ease dropping as much as you do?"

Harry shrugged for answer.

Lily had a triumphant grin in place, fighting back the impulse to high five her son for that.

"I'm thinking about paying Dumbledore to fire that woman so no one ever has to go back to that class," James grouched.

"Wait what," Sirius began scowling at once. "He can't tell the Minister to be waiting! Dumbledore must know Harry wouldn't have come if it wasn't important. I don't want to hear about that stupid whatever it was again, but that doesn't mean Dumbledore should be brushing you off!"

"He wasn't really," Harry edged, his mind plucking up one feeble solution as offering. "He was trying to get rid of Fudge so he wouldn't hover. Dealing with his problem first meant he would leave, then Dumbledore could give me his full attention."

No one looked all that happy with this.

No one could stop a soft smile even if they all did shiver in remembrance of the last time that bird had showed up.

Sirius tried to hide how affronted he was that Harry hadn't taken the initiative to go send him a letter about this. If Dumbledore was telling Harry to wait, then at least Harry could be sending the message to someone he should know would care at that instant.