Hi everyone! This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction, although I've posted other fanfic under a different name, so I hope you like it! I was working on a longer fic when the idea for this one hit me. So I hope everyone likes this and please review, because I am looking at writing more beyond this one-shot and would love some imput!
Thanks! Mara
Chocolate Frog Cards
The air was calm and cool for a July night. Twilight lent a bit of a breeze, cooling a day that had been scorching. The globe of the moon illuminated the fields and silvered the leaning tower that was fondly known as "The Burrow" by its inhabitants. But to the group of teens sitting on a soft blanket in the field, it was just another warm and slow summer night. And they had few slow days or nights. Tonight, however, was all about friendship – and sugar!
Harry laughed as Ron scrunched up his face in distaste as he quickly swallowed the Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Bean in his mouth. "Ugh, soap! Harry, hand me a frog, would you?" Ron sputtered, swallowing in an effort to rid his mouth of the taste. Harry grinned and cracked open a Chocolate Frog packet, catching the escaping treat by the hind leg as it tried to spring for freedom. He tossed it to Ron, who caught it and immediately took a huge bite. Harry pulled the Wizard card from the box and tossed the box onto a growing pile of debris.
"Thanks mate," Ron said through the chocolate, causing Hermione to wrinkle her nose at him. "That was vile. Reminds me of the time Mum washed my mouth out with soap when I was eight."
Hermione grinned and reached for a packet of muggle candies. "What did you do to deserve a washing?" She asked, sticking a lemon drop in her mouth.
Ron grimaced. "It was really all Fred and George. They thought it'd be fun to teach me to curse. Mum didn't think it was all that funny. She washed their mouths out too. Vile stuff, that soap Mum uses. I couldn't taste a thing for a week."
Ginny laughed. "Serves you right for doing what Fred and George dared you to do. They're nothing but mischief, those two." She turned to Hermione. "They dared Ron to climb up the Burrow when he was ten. I thought Mum was going to kill them."
Hermione looked at the leaning tower that was the Burrow and gulped. At several stories high, the Burrow looked as though the only thing holding it together was magic, with its odd, leaning construction.
Ron's ears reddened. "Just because you never get caught, Ginny, doesn't mean you're a saint. You broke into the broom shed for years to sneak rides while no one was watching."
Ginny stuck out her tongue. "But I never got caught, did I? That's the difference between you boys and me."
"The difference between you and me, Ginny, is that Mum would let you get away with murder. After all, with several generations of only boys, Mum thought she'd never have a girl. In her eyes, you can really do no wrong."
Ginny laughed, tossing a couple of Pepper Imps at her brother. "I know, isn't life wonderful?" He retaliated with a few Every Flavour Beans, causing Hermione to hide behind her hands as the candy whizzed past her face, laughing.
Ginny ducked the candy, jostling Harry's shoulder with hers as she tried to twist away from the candy. Tossing an apology to him, she reached for a handful of candy, only to stop short as she realized Harry hadn't responded. In fact, looking over at him, she realized he was sitting as still as a statue, his eyes glued to something in his hands. Ignoring Hermione and Ron's laughs as they pelted each other with candy, she reached a hand toward Harry.
"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione and Ron sat up quickly, their faces growing solemn as they watched their friend.
Harry jumped as if he'd been burnt, looking at Ginny with startled eyes. "What?" he asked, focusing his eyes on hers. Ginny repeated her question, her brow furrowing.
Harry nodded as if dazed. "'M fine, thanks."
"You don't look very good, mate," Ron said, leaning forward. "In fact, you look like you saw a ghost or something."
Harry laughed dryly. "You could say that," he said, looking back at his hands. Ginny leaned forward, catching a glimpse of the item.
"Harry, is that a Chocolate Frog Card?" Ginny asked, trying to get a better glimpse of the item.
"Yeah, brand new one, too." He ran his fingers over the card, then held it out to Ginny. She took it gingerly, not certain what had caused such a reaction in the usually unflappable Harry. It only took her seconds to understand his reaction when she took a good look at the card. Two faces smiled up from the card, one with green eyes and surrounded in wavy red hair and the other with smiling hazel behind round glasses under messy black hair. Even though she'd never seen them before, the faces were familiar to her.
"Harry, it's your parents."
Harry sat there, feeling a bit poleaxed. He'd hardly expected to see a picture of his parents when he pulled the Chocolate Fog Card out of the box. And yet, there they were, their faces smiling up at him, so familiar, and yet not. Harry tried not to dwell on his parents, yet it seemed the past came up often to catch him unguarded. He brushed aside the thoughts of what might have been, thoughts that plagued him in his darkest moments.
He looked over at his friends, Hermione and Ron exclaiming over the card and Ginny watching him with a soft look in her eyes. He laughed shakily. "Sorry, it's just a little bit of a shock. I wasn't really expecting it."
Hermione flipped over the card, looking at the summary on the back of it. She began reading it aloud and Harry looked away from Ginny's searching gaze, hearing the words he had already committed to memory. "James and Lily Potter, 1959 to 1981. Best known as the parents of the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, James was an Auror and Lily a Healer after their graduation from Hogwarts, where they were Head Boy and Girl of their year. Lily and James were killed on October 31st of 1981 by Voldemort personally."
A moment of silence followed as Hermione finished. Neither she nor Ron knew what to say. The topic of Harry's parents had always been a slippery topic, one broached with great care. They'd had conversations about Harry's family before. In first year, Harry had admitted to Ron that he saw his parents in the Mirror of Erised. Third year had brought the revelation of how Harry's parents had been betrayed by the close friend. Both of them knew that the death of Harry's parents had affected him in a way neither of them could understand.
"That's nice," Ginny said, smiling at Harry. "It's a nice card. I never knew you looked so much like your dad, Harry."
Ron and Hermione gaped at Ginny. While she hadn't been through all the events that they had with Harry, they weren't expecting such a blunt statement from her. Now, as they watched Harry, they thought maybe her lack of tact was the best way to go. Indeed, Harry's lips twitched a little, pulling into a smile.
"It's the hair. Potter men have unruly hair."
Ginny laughed, making the mood feel lighter. "Unruly is an understatement. You'd need a pretty strong spell to get it to listen to you."
Harry laughed. "I'm a lot like my dad, really."
"Except your eyes," Ginny said. "They're from your mum."
Ron grinned. "Yeah, those eyelashes are very feminine." They all laughed and Harry lunged for him, playfully pulling him into a headlock and rubbing Ron's hair into disarray.
They laughed, the solemnity of the mood dispersed. Within minutes, they'd reverted to throwing candy and racing around the field, making the air ring with laughter.
Remus Lupin wasn't really expecting the owl that flew through his apartment window that night. But as he read, he knew in the back of his mind that this moment had been coming for a while. Ever since Sirius' death, Remus had expected the time when Harry would want to learn more about the family he never knew.
After all, family was very important, especially to those who had none. Remus understood better than most. Since the death of his parents, he'd felt a lack of familial bonds. He'd always considered the Marauders his family in school and out of it. But Lily and James' deaths had destroyed that. For years, he'd blamed Sirius and mourned Peter. And then, for two short years, the tables had turned and he had had Sirius back for a short time.
He would have despaired when Sirius died if it hadn't been for the Order and many of its members. Molly and Arthur Weasley, in particular, seemed to have no qualms about inviting a werewolf into their ever-expanding family circle. To be honest, Remus often wondered if the Weasleys had a few loose bolts in their heads. They certainly saw no issue with their children consorting with all sorts of people, even undesirables.
Picking a half-full pot of ink from his drawer, he sat down and wrote a response.
Harry was sitting by himself outside the Burrow when Remus arrived. He looked up from where he'd been studying the picture of his parents. "Hey."
Remus took a seat across from him. "I got your owl. You said you wanted to talk about your parents. So I'm here to talk."
Harry smiled a little. "Thanks." He paused, a bit uncertain. "It's just, yesterday I found something. This." He handed the card to Remus, who smiled slightly.
"A Chocolate Frog Card. James would have been in seventh heaven to see this. He loved Chocolate Frogs."
"I was hoping you could tell me about them. No one talks about them, about my mum and dad. All I know is bits and pieces. Some from Aunt Petunia, Sirius, even Snape. It's all confusing. I have all these different views and opinions from various people. And I don't know what was true and what's been tainted by their own feelings."
"Sirius practically idolized my father. He could see no bad in things that he did. Aunt Petunia hated my mother, hated her magic. Snape just plain hated my father and he wasn't too keen on my mum either. And these are the people who have told me the little I know."
Remus nodded. "I can understand. And you want to know more."
Harry nodded. "Would you tell me about them, please?"
The older man sighed. "It was a long time ago. But if you really want to know, about all of it, the good and bad, I'll tell you. But Harry, I want you to look at this objectively. We were kids, and cliché though it might be, kids will be kids."
Harry nodded. "I'll try."
Remus settled back into his seat. "We met on the Hogwart's Express in first year. . ."
I hope you enjoyed this! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks! Mara