Champions

Granger Grill

With his head still spinning, Harry returned to the castle just before lunch and plopped himself down in the Great Hall. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours that he didn't know which way was up. He felt like all of his anchors in life had summarily been uprooted, and now he was drifting.

Their conversation continued for quite some time after he got himself under control, mostly about what Sebastian had uncovered in Harry's records. He was surprised to realize that he had never considered asking about his parents' Will; he knew such things existed, but it never even occurred to him that they might have one. The fact that it was sealed was bothersome to say the least: he would really like to read it, if only to see their words.

That Dumbledore was his financial guardian was also bothersome, especially when Sebastian explained that he probably had a lot more money than he thought. The man was shocked to learn that Harry only knew of his trust vault when apparently there were others. He didn't have the specifics, but it was enough to make Harry even angrier with Dumbledore than he already was.

And then there was the Prophecy, which likely explained it all in some way.

Sebastian had no idea what was in it or what it was about, but recommended that they not bother with it until things settled down. Prophecy was perilous, he'd said, and sometimes just knowing one could change the outcome in negative ways. They would worry about it at some indeterminate point in the future, and he advised Harry to simply go on with his life.

For Harry, who had heard a true Prophecy once before, the result was indecision. Had he listened more closely to Trelawney last year, then perhaps Sirius would be free! Then again, how could he have known? He hadn't even known about Pettigrew at the time, so he might have done something foolish to his own innocent godfather! It drove home the idea that it was dangerous.

Beyond those things, not much was discussed other than an invitation to a family meeting so he could properly be introduced.

The idea of having Sebastian as his guardian was growing on him, but it also made him feel guilty when he thought about the Weasleys. On one hand, they'd been there for him for three plus years now, and he had the odd sense that they should have the right to take him in. But on the other, Sebastian had done one thing that the Weasleys never even tried to do: he got him away from the Dursleys.

That was a huge deal, and the main reason why he agreed so readily. The Weasleys would just have to live with it. It didn't hurt that, to his own considerable surprise, he felt more comfortable with Sebastian than he did with Molly and Arthur. He couldn't yet explain why, but there it was.

"Harry?" interrupted Hermione's voice. He looked up as she neared the table, and her eyes widened when she took in his drawn appearance. "Are you alright?" she asked urgently, quickly taking her seat. "I was worried when you didn't come in last night. Where were you? What happened?"

Harry glanced over and saw Ron coming in, and shook his head. "Later, Hermione," he said, throwing a significant glance in that direction. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Hermione watched him worriedly for a moment, but relented when she understood his message.

He was dismayed by the hoarseness of his voice, but there was little he could do about it. Trying to cover his pensive mood, he turned to dish up, though he knew he wouldn't eat even half of what he took. His stomach felt rather smaller than usual today, which was saying something.

Lunch went by without incident, except that Ron was once again the center of attention with his overly-embellished tales of the Second Task. Harry scowled at him; wasn't this the guy who accused him of lying about putting his name in the Goblet in the first place? It was awfully hypocritical of him!