Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 46: Ask Her Out?
While talking to Sirius, Harry felt much more at ease, since he didn't have to hide this side of himself, at least. It was very liberating.
"So when I realized it was impossible to put the flames out, I had to leave," Harry finished, telling Sirius about another one of his stunts.
"And you let the entire Ministry of Magic burn down?" Sirius asked.
"Not all of it. Just the first three levels or so," Harry said. "I got lucky back then, as I had already moved the most important books and materials to Hogwarts, where I had made my main laboratory."
"Yes, until you blew up the castle," V pointed out.
"You blew up Hogwarts?! How did you do that?" Sirius asked.
Harry's expression darkened. "I… don't want to talk about that."
Sirius noted the quick change in Harry when this subject was brought up. "It's okay, Harry. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to… oh." He glanced over the horizon. The sun was starting to disappear in the distance. "It's getting late."
"You have to go?" Harry asked. He had been enjoying talking to Sirius and didn't want him to leave.
"Yes, but I will come visit you often, so don't worry about that," Sirius told him. "I will need to speak with Molly about it, but she will probably be fine with it."
Harry nodded. "Okay."
"Oh, and I spoke with Dumbledore. He said that if you want to, you can come spend the last two weeks of the summer at my house. I will try to make the Black Manor a bit less depressing by then. Maybe buy some new curtains or something."
"I would like that," Harry said.
Sirius nodded. "Good. I should get going now." He pulled a black cloak over himself, covering his head. "Can't let people see me. Technically, I'm still a wanted fugitive." He took his wand out.
"Sorry. I wish I could do something to fix that."
Sirius chuckled. "What would you do? No, this is my problem, and I will take care of it eventually. But right now, we have bigger things to worry about."
Harry said his goodbyes and saw Sirius apparate away.
His gaze moved upward. "Why did you have to bring that up?"
"I presume you are referring to the destruction of Hogwarts that took place before my creation. Is that it?"
"You know I don't like talking about that," Harry said.
"Yes, I am aware that it is a touchy subject for you, which is why I thought it would be a good chance to talk about it with someone you trust."
"I already told you," Harry huffed.
"I am honored. But it would be good if you confided these things in someone other than your talking hat," V told him. "Honestly, even for the magical world, this is not a normal thing to do."
"I'm not really worried about not looking normal. I am more concerned about being seen like a… monster," Harry muttered.
"A monster, huh? That's how you think they are going to see you if they knew what you can do? I mean… I could see the vultures at the Daily Prophet writing something like that. But Sirius Black seems to actually care for you. He will understand."
"Hmm?" Harry turned around when he felt someone approaching.
"Speaking of caring for you…" V said with a tone of amusement.
"Don't say anything," Harry's voice was more commanding.
"I was only going to say hi to the girl," V responded.
"That's somet—"
"Hey!" Ginny waved at him. "Sirius left already?"
"Yes, he said it was getting late," Harry responded.
"Hehe, sorry. Actually, I was watching you two from my window, I already knew he left…" Ginny had a mischievous grin on her face as she moved her hair from her eyes. "I thought I should come tell you that dinner is almost ready."
"Dinner? Right, ehm… thank you."
"Maybe I should get you a schedule for the family meals. Then I wouldn't need to come get you every time," Ginny suggested.
Harry looked confused.
"It was a joke, Harry…" Ginny said. "The meals at home are always at the same time. My mother may have many flaws, but she is very punctual with that. Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit distracted."
"No, I'm… fine. Sorry." Harry felt a bit strange and had to look away from her.
"He is just a bit tired. You should get going, don't want to make the matriarch mad," V suggested.
"Right," Ginny responded before glancing at Harry. "Don't take long, okay?"
V waited for a few seconds to speak again. "Well, that was awkward…"
"Is that what it was?" Harry asked. "I was wondering..."
"What's wrong with you? Does your brain stop working when the redhead is around?"
"My brain works fine, most of the time, or… at least you know what I mean," Harry said.
"If you like the girl, just ask her out. Worst-case scenario is that she says no and you have a troublesome summer," V suggested.
"I do like spending time with her… does that mean that I like her? What should I do?" Harry asked. "That seems like a very advanced human interaction, and I don't want to make a mistake."
"You are asking the wrong hat…" V said. "Sorry, Harry, but I can't help you with that. You see, I was always more of the solitary type. However… you can just ask Sirius during his next visit."
"Mmm… okay, I'll do that," Harry said. He wasn't used to asking others for help.
Normally, when he wanted to learn how to do something, he would spend decades or even centuries collecting research material on the topic and then studying it over and over.
He did not have that amount of time to do things anymore. Now he had to learn quickly.
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