Chapter Text
Harry wakes to the sound of humming, it's not a song he knows but it's soft and pretty. Almost enchanting Harry lies silently listening to what must be his Aunt Nia humming to herself at his bedside. He can feel a weight on his chest and a slow pulse that must be Sona. There must have been a change in his breathing because Sona starts to move on his chest and whisper. 'Hara slept for three days, and Sona thought humans can't hibernate.'
There's an off tone in Sona's hiss that gives away his worry and Harry slowly moves his hands to stroke Sona's scales. Sorry. Is all Harry can whisper before he and Sona are crushed in a hug?
"Harry James Potter do not scare me like that." Nia demand as Sona escapes onto Harry's pillow.
"I make no promises. Did Quirrell get the stone?"
"No Hero, you saved the day. You almost died in the process but you saved the day. Now sit up and have some candy. You've been fed with nutrition charms for three days that can't be pleasant." Free of Nia's bear hug Harry assesses his set up in the hospital wing set with multicoloured blankets and pillows no doubt provided and made by Sookie. A small mountain of candy and more get well soon cards than people Harry knows.
"Is there Treacle Tart?" Harry asks and Nia throws the sweet at his head. Even fresh out of a three-day nap Harry's seeker reflexes catch it. "So what happened to the stone? Did you and Snape get there in time? What happened to Quirrell, my touch burned him." Harry rattles off a thousand more questions as Nia takes a bite of a chocolate Frog.
"The stone was returned to Old Nick and I think they're destroying it. Apparently, after six hundred plus years immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be." She answers and Harry frowns.
"But he'll die."
"He wants to. He's a very tired old man. Your second and third questions go hand in hand. You'd already taken care of Quirrel by the time we got there. It was hit-and-miss Getting you to the hospital though. I was scared we were too late." Guilt pools behind Aunt Nia's eyes and Harry grab her hand.
"I'm okay. We're fine. Why couldn't he touch me?"
"Your mother's spell. The one that Dumbledore's relying on. Lily swore Voldemort would never lay a hand on you with her dying breath. Magic honoured her sacrifice."
"So I killed him? Quirrel?"
"Self-defence. And he was gone the second Voldemort hitched a ride in his turban." Harry finishes his tart and Nia throws some liquorice. Casually as though they aren't discussing a teacher Harry killed. Because he did. Merlin's beard.
"Why does Voldemort want me dead so bad?" Harry asks finally, as quietly as he can manage. Nia doesn't meet his eyes. "Aunt Nia, please. He said he only killed my mother because she tried to save me. If people I care about are in danger I deserve to know why." Harry demands and a tear falls from Nia's eye.
"You know The great Prophesy in Percy Jackson?" Harry nods. It hasn't been in the books yet but they keep alluding to it. It's the whole reason Percy is the Main Character, Oh.
"I have a Prophecy?" Nia nods and Harry sighs. "And Voldemort knows it, that's why he keeps trying to kill me." Again Nia nods.
"Are Ron and Hermione okay?"
"Ron got out yesterday. Hermione got all the summer homework for you."
"Brilliant." Harry's voice is dripping with Sarcasm and Nia genuinely smiles for the first time since he woke. "What about Dumbledore? Have you spoken to him?"
"Threatened him more like. I think he'll be more willing to play ball next year." Nia promises and Harry finds himself doubting it. After the Mirror of Erised, something about Dumbledore just doesn't feel right. Still, Nia can be pretty scary when she wants to be.
Nia catches Harry up on what he's missed while he was sleeping as told by the kids that came in for various injuries. She's convinced half of them hexed themselves on purpose to get a look at him and Harry hates that she's probably right. Just before dinner Harry spots Ron and Hermione at the door and begs Madame Pomphrey to let them in. Once she relents Nia excuses herself to sort a few things out, her words. Harry doesn't have time to question what things because Ron is launching into his own questions and explanations.
Ron and Hermione figured out the entire thing seemed almost planned by Dumbledore and Hermione leaves both boys speechless when she admits what she said to him that night.
"It isn't right. Testing you like that. We're children we wouldn't have gotten nearly as far if he hadn't fed us breadcrumbs." Hermione rants and Harry can't help but agree. He wanted to help, to find out the truth but he's still in a lot of pain and the look on Nia's face when he woke up. Pain like that isn't worth the trouble.
"I always thought he was Barking." Ron agrees simply digging into Harry's get-well candy. Hermione looks like she might smack him and Harry feels himself smile at his two best friends in the world. The Golden Trio as Nia called them. He can't deny they feel pretty golden.
Madame Pomfrey kicks them out after fifteen minutes and Nia returns half an hour later with her black notebook in tow.
"Is that your magic book?"
"Yeah, just checking some stuff out. You rest."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, just making some notes. We haven't changed the original timeline much yet."
"What has changed? Other than you."
"Um. Snape and Malfoy are nicer. Not to you, to me but we'll get there. The twins are more involved with Ron which is good. Oh, and you're happier which was the main goal for this year. That reminds me though. I have something for you." Nia pulls another blank book out of her bag and hands it over. Curiously Harry opens the front page.
Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. By J.K Rowling.
"Really?" Harry sits a little too quickly making his head spin and Nia grabs his shoulder to help him.
"Yeah, complete transparency. I can't give them to you till the end of each year for timeline reasons but this way you know exactly what I'm doing and if you don't agree you can help me come up with a better plan." Nia explains and Harry grins, launching at her in a hug. His head swims at the sharp movement but Nia's got him so he won't fall. "This goes without saying but I don't have an explanation if anyone finds that."
"I'll be careful. Thank you." He turns to the front page with a furrow in his brow as he reads through his life.
~Nia~
Madame Pomphrey isn't happy about all the excitement Nia's caused Harry and kicks her out till the next day with the promise Harry can go then. Nia isn't worried and leaves Harry in her capable hands while she goes to check on Snape.
The Potions master has been holed up in his office since Nia dropped the Horcrux bombshell on him. Mountains of books tower over his desk blocking him from the view of the door. It isn't until Nia's sat on the other side of his desk does she see he's out cold using an ancient tome as a pillow.
Unable to help herself Nia sneaks around to the other side and shakes his shoulders shouting obscenities in his ear. He jumps a solid three feet pulling his wand from his robe and shooting a Non-verbal spell directly at Nia. The gust of wind is strong enough to trip Nia's movement.
"What spell was that? If I were a student you could have hurt me!"
"Levicorpus. And a student would know better than to wake me."
"Of course. They'd just draw a dick on your face. How have you been a teacher for ten years and still know so little about teenagers?" Severus looks horrified at the thought and Nia unceremoniously plunks onto her seat.
"What else can you tell me?"
"The Horcruxes include Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Raveclaw’s Diadem, the Gaunt family ring, Tom Riddle's high school diary, his snake Nagini and Harry. I found and Dumbledore destroyed the Diadem and I'm about to get my hands on the diary." She answers easily and he scribbles it down on a piece of parchment.
"Do you know where the rest are?" he asks and she frowns.
"Yes, well more or less but I'm not in the position to handle that much dark magic without a way to destroy it. Horcruxs affect Harry more deeply than they should. I want to keep them away from him as long as possible."
"And how long is that?"
"I'm really trusting that our mutual love and remorse towards Lily is enough to trust you with this. You're the Spy. I know you were team Voldemort until he threatened to hurt her." Snape is staring at the book he was sleeping on like the puddle of drool is fascinating. "Please be worth it. I'm relying on you."
Slowly Severus looks up. "I'll protect the boy. You have my word."
"I suppose that'll have to do. Can I reach you at Spinners End over the summer?" She asks and he frowns at the mention of their shared hometown.
"Why?"
"I'm gonna have a rat problem you're gonna hate taking care of." She answers easily and he looks genuinely confused.
"I dread to imagine what that means but I'll be there on Wednesdays," Snape answers with a sigh of true despair that make Nia grin. With that, she saunters out of the room as though she owns it just to piss him off.
"See you on the flip side Sev."
The end-of-year feast is just as grand as the beginning with far more Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin’s winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. The thought almost makes Nia feel better about the blatant show of favouritism Dumbledore is about to show.
When Harry walks in there's a sudden hush until everybody starts talking loudly at once. He slips into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table as quickly as possible and tries to ignore the fact that people are standing up to look at him. When Dumbledore Struts in the babble dies.
“Another year has gone!” Dumbledore says cheerfully. “And I must trouble you with an old man’s wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, your heads are all a little
fuller than they were. You have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts." Nia smiles knowingly to herself and leans back with her drink. This will be fun.
“Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Hufflepuff with Three hundred and ninety-two points. In third Gryffindor, with four hundred and twelve points; Ravenclaw has four hundred and seventy-six and Slytherin, five hundred and fifty-two.” A storm of cheering and stamping breaks out from the Slytherin table and Nia can see Harry staring down at the Slytherin table.
“Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin,” continues Dumbledore. “However, recent events must be taken into account.” The room instantly goes very still. The Slytherins’ smiles fade a little as they clue in on what's about to happen.
“Ahem,” said Dumbledore. “I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes. First, to Mr Ronald Weasley. for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fourty points.” Gryffindor's cheers nearly raise the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seem to quiver until at last there is silence again.
“Second, to Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fourty points.”
“Third to Mr Harry Potter." The room goes deadly quiet. “for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points.” the sound is deafening as the children shout. Some are in joy others are outraged and some are confused as they try to do math in their heads.
“There are all kinds of courage,” says Dumbledore with a smile. His booming voice interrupted the din. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I, therefore, award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom.”
Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud is the noise that erupts from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stand up to yell and cheer as Neville disappears under a pile of people hugging him. Harry, still cheering, nudges Ron in the ribs and points at Malfoy.
“Which means,” Dumbledore calls over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, really how rude. “we need a little change of decoration.” He claps his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver becomes gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanishes and a towering Gryffindor lion takes its place. Snape is shaking Professor McGonagall’s hand with a horrible, forced smile. The feast begins and Nia laughs. She can't remember being happier.
Nia is allowed to take the train back with the children much to Harry's joy. She tries to escape to a different compartment leaving the kids to themselves but he won't allow it.
"Careful Harry. Being the Hero doesn't save you from being mocked as a Mummy's boy." She teases as they put away their cases. Sookie already took Nia’s things home. Nia was supposed to go with her as well until Harry practically begged.
"I want to tell Ron and Hermione," Harry says quietly once they’re seated. The kids in question were just outside talking to the twins.
"Oh, I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"It is. I finished the book and it's not fair to know so much about them but hide the truth. Especially since you're going to be meddling in their lives." Harry doesn't waver and Nia bites her lip.
"Dumbledore can read minds. Having you know the truth is risky enough. I'm lying to Snape as well and he's far more involved."
"He's also Dumbledore’s right hand. Ron and Hermione are only relevant to him through Me. Please, Aunt Nia." At this point, Ron and Hermione come into the compartment and sit down.
"Not yet. We'll talk about this some more when we get home." Nia promises and Harry makes a face but agrees. Hermione then starts ranting about her grades and classes for next year. "I'd suggest doing some independent study on Defence. The teachers in that subject are pretty hit and miss." The train ride passes without incident. Malfoy walks past the compartment but spots Nia and moves along.
When they do finally arrive at platform nine and three-quarters Nia is starving for something not coated in sugar. Ron suggests grass-flavoured Bertie bots but she declines.
There's a line up to the exit manned by an old serious-looking Wizard. Groups of two to three travel at once and the trio line up.
“You must come and stay this summer,” said Ron, “both of you, I’ll send you an owl.” People jostle them as they move forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world.
Some of them call out “Bye, Harry!” or “See you, Potter!”
“Still famous,” says Ron, grinning at him, Harry blushes. He, Ron, and Hermione pass through the gateway together.
“There he is, Mom, there he is, look!” Ginny Weasley, Ron’s younger sister isn’t pointing at Ron. “Harry Potter!” she squeals. “Look, Mom! I can see.”
“Be quiet, Ginny, and it’s rude to point.” Mrs Weasley smiles down at them. “Busy year?” she asks.
“Very,” said Harry. “Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs Weasley.”
“Oh, it was nothing, dear. Nia Love how good to see you.”
"And you Molly. I'd love to catch up more over the summer in person. Do you have any plans next Wednesday I'd love to see your home?" Nia isn't smooth in inviting herself for dinner but it's easier than making sure Ron brings Scabbers when he visits. Molly doesn't seem to mind.
"Of course Dear it would be a pleasure." Molly smiles brightly and Sookie appears in a shadowy corner.
"That's our ride. We're staying at Fleamont Manor Floo me with the details." Nia says and extracts Harry from his friends.
"What do you think Harry? A successful year?"
"Best I've ever had. Even with the attempted murder." He agrees and they both take one of Sookie's hands apparating home.