Trouble 20

As Harry entered the spacious room on the top floor of the large McGonagall Mansion, his eyes almost popped out of his head in utter astonishment. This room was as big as his dorm in Gryffindor Tower. One wall was almost entirely made out of a window, overlooking the heather and the nearby loch. Harry was absolutely speechless, trying to take it all in.

"Well, what do you make of it?" Minerva's voice was not at all what he was used to at school. It was all timid and insecure. Harry realised that she was trying very hard to be a good mother to him and make up for all the years he had to spend with the Dursleys and their grudging care of him.

Looking around more carefully and taking in as many details as he could, his gaze caught on a large picture frame opposite his spacious four-poster bed and right above his desk. As he drew nearer, as if a strange power compelled him to, he noticed that it was full of many smaller and larger photos or cuttings and notes. He moved closer still. Harry was so fixated on the moving pictures that he didn't even startle when Dobby appeared with a resounding 'pop' beside him. It was Minerva's gentle voice that finally roused him from his trance.

"Hagrid gave us a lot of these and Dobby apparated all over the country to get the others – we thought you would …"

She was cut off abruptly as Harry all but threw himself into her arms. His face was buried into her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her middle. "I love you, Mum. Thanks. That was very thoughtful of you."

"I want this place to be your home, Harry, and for you to be comfortable … one bad home is enough, don't you agree?"

Harry could only nod into her shoulder. A small hand tentatively touched his leg and he heard Dobby's voice, in an obvious effort to lighten the mood.

"Would Harry Potter like to include pictures of his friends? The kind Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger and other noble friends of Harry Potter … I could get pictures of them."

Harry had to laugh at the idea. He could already imagine the chaos Dobby would create (having had the doubtful pleasure of having his life 'saved' by the over-eager elf). "I got some, Dobby. It's a great idea. Maybe you and Mum can help me pin them up." He looked hopefully up at his new mother, who nodded as eagerly as Dobby.

In no time at all Dobby had apparated into Gryffindor Tower, got the pictures out of his trunk and apparated back. Soon thereafter all three of them were sitting on the floor, rifling through the pictures together and deciding which ones to pin to the wall.

"Oh dear Lord!" Minerva exclaimed loudly, shoving one picture rather forcibly away from herself and making both Harry and Dobby jump.

"What is it?" Harry asked hesitantly, mentally going through the pictures to find out if there were any embarrassing ones.

"D-Dragon …" was all Minerva could utter.

"Oh yeah, that's Norbert …" Harry trailed off lamely at the incredulous stare of his mother. All too well he remembered that disastrous adventure and Minerva's wrath and losing all those house-points in his first year.

"Norbert? How did you meet a dragon, Harry?" The stern tone of her voice was back and she looked every inch Professor McGonagall, even sitting cross-legged on the floor with the sun glinting off her glasses.

"Weeeell," Harry drew the word out for as long as he dared, but one look into the steely eyes of his new mother made him realize that she wasn't joking anymore. She was dead serious and wanted to get to the bottom of this. "I don't want to get anybody into trouble," he muttered finally, hanging his head.

"You will be in trouble, young man, if you don't tell me the bloody story this instant," Minerva ground out through her clenched teeth. Before her mind's eye she saw Harry desperately fighting for his life against a dragon – although a very small one, judging by the picture – and it made her heart stop – especially in light of the first task of the tournament.

Harry nodded miserably and began his story, "Do you remember the time in my first year when you caught Hermione, Neville and me out after hours and took 150 points off us?"

Minerva swallowed hard at the memory and closed her eyes. "Please don't tell me that Mr Longbottom had been right about a dragon loose in the castle," she was nearly whimpering.

"He was," Harry said simply, drawing a gasp from his adoptive mother. "Hermione and I had brought Norbert up to the Astronomy Tower where Ron's brother Charlie and a few of his chums picked him up and flew him to Rumania. Norbert was Hagrid's pet dragon."

"Pet dragon!" Minerva squeaked in utter disbelief. "I knew that one day his love for monsters would get us all into trouble. How could he? Endangering children like this!"

Harry observed in silence how Minerva shook her head, lost for words. He wanted to defend Hagrid, but he was also aware that there was no possible excuse – considering that Hagrid had told Quirrel all about the protections around the Sorcerer's Stone in exchange for the egg. All he could do now, was to conceal that part from Minerva … even though he thought that Albus suspected or had been told by a very remorseful Keeper of the Keys. Slowly he scooted close to Minerva and snuggled into her side. "Please don't be mad at me … you already punished us for it."

Minerva closed her eyes tightly, her nostrils flaring, and suppressed the tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. Harry had always been severely punished for being Lily's and James' son, for things he couldn't control, things he never even did. She would not do this to him. Gently she drew him close and kissed her forehead. "Trouble always seems to find you, but do promise me that you will be more careful from now on and confide in Albus and me," she murmured against his unruly black hair.

Harry readily enough agreed and just let Minerva hug him to her still erratically beating heart. That was how Albus found them some time later when he wanted to get them for tea.