Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Number of Fools
DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.
I would like to thank captuniv for beta-reading this chapter.
Chapter 15: A Conversation
Back at his home, Harry was at the kitchen table, going over his lesson plans for the Latin classes he taught at the local high school.
"Harry?"
He looked up, it was Amanda.
"What is it?" he asked, pausing his work and putting it aside.
"We need to talk," she said, looking a little concerned.
"Okay then."
Sitting down across from him, she took a deep breath, readying herself.
"Why are you acting this way?"
As usual, Harry's neutral face went up. "What way?"
"About this thing with sending Daniel to Hogwarts." Looking him straight in the eye, Amanda went on. "You don't want him to go to the place which unjustly kicked you out, that I can understand. But then when you relent and let him go. Why?"
Looking down at the table top, Harry said, "Because I didn't want to be like the Dursleys."
"Fine. But then you tell him to deny that he's related to you in any way, since they think you're dead and all that."
"I didn't want him to be harassed just because he was my son," he said firmly.
"Is that it?" she asked. "Or is there something more to it?"
Amanda was a very intelligent woman, with a very uncanny knack of seeing things as they were, and that was one of the things which Harry loved about her.
Now, however, he was beginning to dread that ability.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, Harry, but I'm getting the feeling that you're using Daniel." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Amanda cut him off, continuing, "No, I don't think you're doing that on purpose, Harry, but I think maybe you're doing this without even realizing it. Maybe, subconsciously at least, you want to get even with those people for what they did to you years ago, and maybe you want to see if you can get away with sending Daniel there without them realizing that he's your son, and that you're really alive."
Harry couldn't come up with a rebuttal. A part of him was admitting it that maybe it was true, and a part of him was denying it.
Amanda never raised her voice once so far during the entire conversation, and never used any sort of tone that could instigate an argument, and yet she somehow hit it dead on.
"Harry?" she asked gently.
"What?" he responded, although a bit more snappishly than he had intended to.
"Don't you think... maybe... you should just try and resolve this with your old friends?" Amanda suggested as carefully as she could.
Harry just stared at her.
"Sometimes, Harry, people just lose their anger over things which happened to them. It's been years since this happened. Is all this really worth continuing this grudge over?"
"This discussion is over," Harry said. "I don't even know why you're bringing this up."
"Because I don't want to see you like this!" Amanda retorted, surprising even herself. Composing herself, she then added in a calmer tone, "This is eating away at you, Harry, and I want it to stop - for everybody's sake, including yours. You're a great person, don't do this to yourself. You're not gaining anything good out of this."
"I don't think this can even be resolved, Amanda," Harry told her seriously.
"I said maybe you should try to resolve it," Amanda reiterated.
Harry took a deep breath. "I - I just don't know."
He got up and began to move away from the table, and a moment later, Amanda was next to him, taking his hands in hers. "Harry... I'm not trying to get you angry or frustrated, and I don't want to get involved in anything private of yours that doesn't concern me, except now this is starting to affect our entire family. Besides... would your parents have wanted to see you like this?"
Coincidentally, Dumbledore said more or less the same thing about Harry's parents all those years ago, which in turn caused Harry to curse him.
"I need to go for a walk," he said - not angry, but just tired.
Amanda let him go, realizing he just needed time to himself to think.
(End of Chapter 15.)
A/N: I wrote this as more of an introspective chapter to try and explain why Harry is acting the way he is.
Next chapter should jump back to Hogwarts... -Quillian
I would like to thank captuniv for beta-reading this chapter.
Chapter 15: A Conversation
Back at his home, Harry was at the kitchen table, going over his lesson plans for the Latin classes he taught at the local high school.
"Harry?"
He looked up, it was Amanda.
"What is it?" he asked, pausing his work and putting it aside.
"We need to talk," she said, looking a little concerned.
"Okay then."
Sitting down across from him, she took a deep breath, readying herself.
"Why are you acting this way?"
As usual, Harry's neutral face went up. "What way?"
"About this thing with sending Daniel to Hogwarts." Looking him straight in the eye, Amanda went on. "You don't want him to go to the place which unjustly kicked you out, that I can understand. But then when you relent and let him go. Why?"
Looking down at the table top, Harry said, "Because I didn't want to be like the Dursleys."
"Fine. But then you tell him to deny that he's related to you in any way, since they think you're dead and all that."
"I didn't want him to be harassed just because he was my son," he said firmly.
"Is that it?" she asked. "Or is there something more to it?"
Amanda was a very intelligent woman, with a very uncanny knack of seeing things as they were, and that was one of the things which Harry loved about her.
Now, however, he was beginning to dread that ability.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, Harry, but I'm getting the feeling that you're using Daniel." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Amanda cut him off, continuing, "No, I don't think you're doing that on purpose, Harry, but I think maybe you're doing this without even realizing it. Maybe, subconsciously at least, you want to get even with those people for what they did to you years ago, and maybe you want to see if you can get away with sending Daniel there without them realizing that he's your son, and that you're really alive."
Harry couldn't come up with a rebuttal. A part of him was admitting it that maybe it was true, and a part of him was denying it.
Amanda never raised her voice once so far during the entire conversation, and never used any sort of tone that could instigate an argument, and yet she somehow hit it dead on.
"Harry?" she asked gently.
"What?" he responded, although a bit more snappishly than he had intended to.
"Don't you think... maybe... you should just try and resolve this with your old friends?" Amanda suggested as carefully as she could.
Harry just stared at her.
"Sometimes, Harry, people just lose their anger over things which happened to them. It's been years since this happened. Is all this really worth continuing this grudge over?"
"This discussion is over," Harry said. "I don't even know why you're bringing this up."
"Because I don't want to see you like this!" Amanda retorted, surprising even herself. Composing herself, she then added in a calmer tone, "This is eating away at you, Harry, and I want it to stop - for everybody's sake, including yours. You're a great person, don't do this to yourself. You're not gaining anything good out of this."
"I don't think this can even be resolved, Amanda," Harry told her seriously.
"I said maybe you should try to resolve it," Amanda reiterated.
Harry took a deep breath. "I - I just don't know."
He got up and began to move away from the table, and a moment later, Amanda was next to him, taking his hands in hers. "Harry... I'm not trying to get you angry or frustrated, and I don't want to get involved in anything private of yours that doesn't concern me, except now this is starting to affect our entire family. Besides... would your parents have wanted to see you like this?"
Coincidentally, Dumbledore said more or less the same thing about Harry's parents all those years ago, which in turn caused Harry to curse him.
"I need to go for a walk," he said - not angry, but just tired.
Amanda let him go, realizing he just needed time to himself to think.
(End of Chapter 15.)
A/N: I wrote this as more of an introspective chapter to try and explain why Harry is acting the way he is.
Next chapter should jump back to Hogwarts... -Quillian
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