(A/N: I'd like to thank my readers for their wonderful reviews and especially Hermionerocks, who is my youngster reader, just 10 years old, wow! I also need to apologize with eekii, since he's a boy and not a girl!! In the next chapter we'll start to see the first "vibrations" between Harry and Hermione, that's why I'm sure you'll like it. Enjoy the reading!)
Chapter 19. THE INHERITANCE
...
In your eyes,
Full of innocence
I may still find
The scent of a pure love,
The scent of your love.
...
"Blue Water, Clear Water" by Lucio Battisti
Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione obediently went upstairs, leaving the adults in the kitchen. As soon as he found himself in his bedroom again, Harry put his belongings away and set Hedwig's cage on the window, still thinking about Lupin's story. He had been bitten by Voldemort's snake, just like Mr. Weasley the year before when it had nearly cost him his life.
Harry made the decision that next time he'd try his best not to put his friends' lives in danger, again.
He turned to Ron, who was sitting at his desk with a blank piece of parchment and a quill in front of him.
"You want to start your homework now?" Harry asked astonished, but Ron didn't seem to be in a mood for joking and kept staring at his blank parchment seriously.
"Yes, I'm trying hard to get better grades..." he answered without even turning to him. Since Harry was still standing there with his mouth open, Ron hurriedly added, "Didn't you have something else to do?"
"W-what? Me? Oh, all right, then... I'll leave you alone. I'm going to check if Fred and George've come back."
Harry frowned at his friend worriedly, then exited the room, asking himself the reason for Ron's odd behavior.
He had just started descending the stairs when he heard Lupin calling him from the first floor.
"Hem hem, Harry? I need to talk to you for a moment, please."
Harry quickly reached the downstairs floor, hoping not to get scolded again.
Lupin headed to the last door at the bottom of the corridor, which was the library, and entered after him, closed the door, and went over to an ancient desk.
"Please, take a seat Harry," said Lupin, pointing his finger to an armchair just in front of him.
He obeyed, looking at his teacher, deeply concerned.
"I must inform you about a very important matter, regarding Sirius... and you..."
Lupin stopped for a few seconds to get Harry's complete attention; then he spoke again in a very formal way.
"As you already know, Sirius was the last descendant of the Black family. Now, Professor Dumbledore had been waiting for the proper time to inform you that once you turn seventeen, all of Sirius's possessions, including this house and all that is inside of it.... will belong to you."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise; he had never imagined anything like that, and since he didn't reply, Lupin went on.
"You're certainly asking yourself why. Well, Sirius was your godfather, Harry, and after his tragic end... you've become his heir."
"I don't... I never thought that Sirius would decide to..."
Harry was trying hard to speak, but unfortunately without success.
"I understand your surprise, but you don't have to worry about anything at all. Sirius made arrangements with Albus Dumbledore, so that he'll take care of everything until you are of age."
"I... don't know what to say. I'm really surprised, that's all! The fact is... that I'm not sure if I want to accept..."
Harry spoke without even thinking about it, giving voice to the feeling of anguish in his heart in that moment.
"I understand how you feel. This house is full of memories, but it doesn't seem to me a good reason for..."
"He did the same for my parents, right?" Harry cut him off abruptly, then spoke again, using a colder tone.
"I mean, when... when they died... Dumbledore took care of their things?"
"That's right, Harry. Your parents asked Professor Dumbledore to take care of all their belongings, in case they... well, you know what I'm trying to tell you. As you can see, the Headmaster is still taking care of you... ever since that time. You should trust him more, because he'd never do anything to hurt you."
Harry's thoughts flew immediately to Mark Evans' revelations, and a strong resentment started to rise inside of him.
"I've something to ask you about Mark Evans!"
On hearing this question, Lupin raised an eyebrow and stared at him, slightly embarrassed.
"Why do you want to talk about Mark Evans?"
"Professor Dumbledore had called him to Hogwarts in your place and when we talked, he said that we were cousins."
Harry stopped on purpose to look at Lupin's reaction; the teacher sighed deeply, and then slowly spoke, weighing every word.
"Yes, it's true. He's a distant cousin of your mother. What else did he tell you?" Lupin asked, trying to appear casual, but Harry knew that he wasn't feeling comfortable at all.
"He told me a few things about my parents, events of my childhood with them, and then..." Harry stopped for a moment, staring at Lupin directly in the eyes. "Once, I heard him talking to Hagrid and I discovered where my parents were buried."
Lupin coughed, and nervously settled himself in the chair, while Harry continued to stare at him, waiting for his comment.
"Look, Harry, you shouldn't believe everything Mark Evans says. In the past, he has been a..."
"But I've seen the GRAVE!" Harry shouted at him, feeling his resentment rising inside. Lupin seemed really embarrassed and after a short break, he spoke again, trying his best to remain calm.
"Listen carefully to me, there is a reason why we've never told you the truth about your parents' grave."
"I'm curious to know why! Maybe you thought that it wasn't right to give me a grave on which I could cry for them? Didn't I deserve that?
Harry was furious, and had completely lost his temper. He was angry at the whole world, but above all, he was angry at Dumbledore and Lupin, the latter of whom was still staring at him without emotion.
"Please, try to calm down now, and let me finish explaining! During these past years, the Headmaster has always wanted to protect you, and not only from Voldemort, but mostly from yourself! It wouldn't be wise to let you know certain things prematurely. Do you understand this?"
"What does it mean that I'm a SEER?"
Harry was trying hard to regain control of his feelings, and asked the question watching his words. Lupin looked astonished and didn't reply.
"How much information about my past are you keeping from me? How long am I going to grope in the dark?"
Lupin lowered his head and then spoke again, staring at the desk in front of him.
"You're absolutely right, Harry. It's time for you to know everything..."
Harry was shocked. He was expecting Lupin to deny it, or to give him more excuses, but now, Lupin seemed willing to unleash every secret.
Harry shivered all over, and for a short moment he wished not to know. Then Lupin raised his head and started to speak.
"Your mother was a Seer. She had a really rare gift, which wasn't only the ability to foresee the future. No, her gift was much, much greater..."
Lupin turned his gaze away from Harry, and stared into space, with a dreamy expression on his face.
"She was able to see the good side in everybody. She was an exceptional woman and remained close to me in one of the most difficult periods of my life. Dumbledore knew that you could've inherited the internal view from her, but when you started getting visions, we knew then for sure."
Lupin looked directly into Harry's eyes.
"I guess you've already had odd intuitions sometimes."
"Yes, a few..."
"I believe that, as time goes on and your ability in magic improves, your Seer talent will become more powerful too."
"But I'm not like Professor Trelawney!" objected Harry, since he considered his divination teacher a total fraud, but Lupin reassured him.
"No, of course not! There are different kinds of Seers. Your gift is something deeper, it's a power which makes you more sensitive than normal wizards, but also more vulnerable. The foresight is a double-edged sword, Harry! As you've already found out for yourself, you have the ability to perceive Voldemort's feelings, for example, and this is very dangerous for you."
Harry sighed deeply and then spoke, resigned.
"Then what do I have to do?"
"My suggestion is the same that the Headmaster has already given you. You should be patient and do your best at school, and in this way, prepare yourself for the future. At the right time, your new powers will manifest themselves spontaneously. You don't have to force them. Otherwise, the consequences would be very serious."
***O***
Harry had just left the library, leaving Lupin there. He walked along the corridor, completely absorbed in his
thoughts, trying to bring order to the confusion in his brain.
He was thankful to his teacher for having talked to him so sincerely, but those revelations had shocked him deeply.
Suddenly, his scar started to throb and he raised a hand to his forehead, trying to soothe the pain.
He had just reached the landing on the second floor when he saw Hermione standing in front of his room's door with her arms crossed and a sulky face.
"Is everything all right, Hermione?"
"Why don't you ask your friend inside if everything's all right! It's already been a good half hour that I was knocking on the door, but he didn't want to let me in... said that he was studying! Does that make sense?" she asked, deeply annoyed, pointing her finger at the door behind her. Harry made a forced smile, because his scar was still throbbing painfully.
"Maybe he just wanted to be alone for a while, that's all!"
Then Harry turned to both sides, to make sure that nobody was on the stairs or in the corridor and moved closer to her, talking in a low voice.
"I need to talk to you for a moment, would you come with me?"
"Yes, but where?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"Just come with me..." he said, grabbing her hand and heading upstairs. When they reached the third floor, they tiptoed until the last room on the left side of the corridor. Harry turned the handle and went inside.
The room was dimly lit by the weak moon light that came from the half-closed windows.
"INCENDIO!"
At Harry's order, a few candles lit up, revealing an ancient bedroom. There was a canopy bed, covered with a heavy purple bedspread, ancient armchairs made of black leather, and a huge stone fireplace.
Hermione started to pace the room with slow steps, looking at every corner with deep attention.
"The last time I entered this room, it was exactly one year ago, remember? You shut yourself inside with Buckbeak and didn't want to talk to anyone. Everything is still the same as when Sirius was living here..."
Harry was standing at the door, rubbing his burning scar with his hand while his friend looked out the window, not noticing. Then, he slowly went over to one of the two armchairs and sat down.
"What did you want to tell me?"
Hermione turned to Harry, and sat close to him, waiting.
"I've just talked to Lupin. I asked him about Mark Evans."
She seemed really interested in the subject, and sat forward in the armchair to listen more carefully.
"All that Mark said is true. We are cousins and... I'm a Seer, just like my mother."
Hermione was staring at him in deep concentration. Then Harry spoke again, trying to touch his scar as little as possible, even though the pain was still intense.
"Lupin said that they had expected this since I was born. I don't even know if I should be happy or seriously scared about it."
Harry stopped and stared at his fingers, which were resting on his knees; luckily, the pain in his scar was lessening. He hoped that Hermione would give him some useful advice, as she always did.
"I think that you should learn how to live with this, Harry. It isn't your fault that you're able to get premonitions, or that you're able to feel Voldemort's feelings... it's simply like that! And what did Lupin suggest for you to do?"
He replied with a shrug of the shoulders, still staring at his fingers.
"What do you think he suggested to me? Always the same thing: to be patient and just think about school matters!"
Hermione nervously moved on her chair, and Harry had the feeling that she was opening her mouth to say "If you want my opinion, Lupin was right!" but she chose not to say that.
"Did he tell you something else?"
Harry thought about it for a moment and then remembered the inheritance that Sirius had left him.
"Sirius left me all his possessions, including this house," said Harry in a low voice. He then stared at Hermione to watch her reaction at the news, but she didn't seem very surprised.
"I had imagined it! It would've been odd if he hadn't. I mean, he was your godfather, and he should've felt responsible about your future."
Harry was listening to her with downcast eyes.
"After all, it's a good thing... aren't you happy about that?" Hermione added, a little puzzled by his reaction.
"Yes, maybe you're right. It'll be great to have a whole house just for myself, a place to go after I've finished school."
Harry smiled at her, imagining his life at Grimmauld Place: simple and quiet. He'd have even invited his friends to come and stay with him for a while. Then suddenly, a sad thought invaded his mind pressingly: the PROPHECY! How would he be able to have a future? Everything was uncertain in his life and he couldn't permit himself to imagine any such possibility.
His face got grimmer.
"Harry, are you all right? What are you thinking about?"
"The Prophecy... maybe it's better that I don't delude myself," he said resignedly, but Hermione replied with energy.
"Don't talk this way, Harry! The Prophecy doesn't mean anything at all! We're writing our own future day by day. The war will hopefully end soon and everybody will finally live in peace. Everything'll be all right, and after the school you're going to move into this house, and you'll be really happy!"
Hermione spoke with sentiment, even though Harry had the feeling she was trying to assure herself as much as him.
"I really want you to be right!" Harry raised his head and looked her deeply in the eyes; she looked back, smiling slightly. Then she turned away, and lowered her gaze to the floor, obviously embarrassed. An odd silence descended between them; it was like neither of them knew what to say or what to do at that moment.
I should say something intelligent now, Harry thought, gazing at his shoe laces with deep interest, feeling his panic rise.
What's happening to you, Harry? Why are you so nervous? Maybe because you're alone in this room with her? Try to say something, otherwise she'll decide to go away! Harry started to think as quickly as possible about something interesting to say. Then he raised his head toward her, realizing that she was still gazing at the floor, playing with her fingers.
She's such a beautiful and delicate creature, he thought. That day, Hermione was wearing a turquoise woolen sweater with a high collar and lace on the sleeves. Her hair was gathered in a chignon and a pair of shining earrings lit up her face.
Unexpectedly, Hermione broke the silence, looking at him directly in the eyes.
"I was thinking that we should really organize ourselves to teach you new defensive spells. As soon as we get back to Hogwarts, we'll do like last year. We'll meet every week in the Room of Requirement to study together, until you've become an expert in Defense Against the Dark Arts... and I swear you'll be!"
"With your help, I'll become one for sure!"
"Oh, please don't joke! I'm serious about this. We must put all our energy into this project. You could also start to exercise your new powers. I'm reading a good book about foresight and all! Don't worry, by the end of Christmas holidays I'm going to know everything about it!"
Hermione was still staring at him and Harry thought that she had the brightest brown eyes he'd ever seen.
"Thank you so much. I'd be lost without you at my side..."
Harry spoke with deep gratitude, and Hermione blushed slightly. They were sitting so close, he could see the cute little freckles on her nose. Suddenly, they found themselves entranced in each others eyes.
Harry was starting to feel something odd inside his stomach. It was like a fizzy lemonade bottle which could have burst out any minute. His adrenaline was rising and his cheeks were burning.
He'd never felt anything like this before, not even with Cho Chang. He wanted to run away from there, but he wasn't able to move a muscle; he was paralyzed.
Hermione wasn't able to move either; she was completely lost in his deep green eyes.
Harry had an overwhelming impulse to grab her hand and hold it tight in his hands, but he wasn't able to find the courage to do so. Suddenly, he found himself staring at her soft lips with desire.
How would that feel, to kiss her? he asked himself, feverish with emotion.
But what if she didn't want to? What if she didn't feel the same? This terrible thought invaded his mind pressingly. I don't want to spoil our friendship, it's too important to me. I couldn't lose her like that!
Harry made his decision: he wouldn't make the first move, at least not yet. He forced himself to turn away and stood up, heading to the door with firm steps.
"We should go and check about Ron..."
He was stubbornly staring at the door, breathing deeply to calm down, then he heard Hermione's footsteps behind him.
"Is everything all right, Harry? Maybe I said something wrong?"
Harry turned abruptly to look at Hermione, who was staring at him, puzzled.
"I'm all right... don't worry!"
"Are you sure? For a moment I thought that you were angry at me."
Luckily this time, Hermione didn't understood Harry's true feelings and he sighed in relief.
"Angry at you? And why?"
"Well, I don't know... it was as if you were..."
"You're wrong Hermione, I'm fine! Let's go."
Harry cut her off, opened the door and exited out in the corridor.
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