Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 5: Meet the Weasleys (Pt 2)

10 June 1992

A few hours later, Harry awoke at dawn out of an ingrained habit to get up and make the breakfast. Then, he looked around the room and realized once again that he wasn't that person anymore. Still, as he stared up at the ceiling of Charlie Weasley's dragon-infested bedroom, he found it impossible to fall back to sleep. Unbidden, his thoughts returned to what Snape, Artie, Hestia and Ted had told him – that there was some magical aura surrounding him that triggered an instinctive fear and dislike in Muggles. And apparently, if he stayed around them long enough, violent rage. He was safe here among the Weasleys, but the knowledge of his ... condition only made him angrier that he'd been abandoned by the Potters. Granted, his birth-parents couldn't have known that some outside force would drive the Dursleys to the brink of madness, but still, if the Potters had checked in on him even once, they'd have known about his treatment. Worst of all, now that he knew the truth, he actually felt a perverse sense of, well, pity for the Dursleys. After all was said and done, he really had ruined their lives with his "freakishness." Eventually, his brooding was interrupted by the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of sizzling bacon. He got dressed and went downstairs where he found Molly Weasley hard at work on an English Breakfast for eight.

"Oh, good morning, Harry! Did you sleep well?" she asked while stirring a skillet of scrambled eggs.

"Very well, Mrs. Weasley," he lied. "I'm sorry I woke you last night."

"Oh think nothing of it, dear. I'm just so sorry you had to go through an experience like that. Doxies are nothing to treat lightly, and Professor Snape said you'd run into a score or more."

"So I was told. I was very fortunate that the aurors showed up when they did." He looked around the kitchen at the numerous pots and pans Mrs. Weasley had in operation. "Can I help with anything?" he asked.

"No, Harry, but thank you for asking," she said without looking up from the stove. She was using magic, of course, with several spoons and whisks operating themselves. Harry was amused. Mrs. Weasley was clearly a fine cook. So was Harry for his age, which was what allowed him to appreciate her skill. With that, an idea began to form in his mind, and he began asking Molly some general questions about what kind of magic was used in cooking. To his surprise, there was no spellwork. The stove, the pots and pans, and even the mixing spoons were all magical items and required little effort to activate and set in motion.

Minutes later, Arthur Weasley came down and was also surprised to see Harry up so early. "Goodness me, Harry. I hope we didn't disturb you."

"Not at all sir. I'm an early riser. I used to have to cook breakfast for my relatives at about this time."

"Er, yes. Well, you needn't worry about that here, Harry. You're a guest after all." Arthur made a bit of a face at the mention of Harry's relatives, and the boy was curious as to what he and Molly had been told about them. Hopefully nothing in depth – he loathed the idea of being pitied for his upbringing and would have been utterly humiliated if they'd known that Vernon had actually tried to kill him.

Percy and Ginny came down soon after, with Ginny blushing just a bit at the sight of Harry. Ten minutes after that, Molly had finished setting the table, at which point she stomped over to the stairs and bellowed: "FRED! GEORGE! RONALD! GET DOWN HERE IN THREE MINUTES OR YOUR BREAKFAST GOES TO FEED THE PIGS AND CHICKENS AND YOU THREE CAN HAVE COLD TOAST!"

Two minutes and forty-five seconds later, the three boys bounded downstairs to the breakfast table and joined the rest of their family. Despite himself, Harry found himself enjoying the boisterous family, and even Ron was starting to loosen up a bit, though he still seemed uncomfortable around Harry.