Harry Potter And The Betrayal

"I am Liam Dantes and I am debating on whether or not to buy the one-third share that Mr. Potter owns in your business." The dark haired man told them calmly.

Fred was stunned by the news. He hadn't thought Harry was angry enough at the wizarding world and them in particular to sell his share of the business he'd helped start, at least not without talking to them first. "And why would Harry want to sell his share of our company to a total stranger?"

The hazel-eyed man looked at him for the first time. "He told me he no longer wished to be partners with someone who believed he could kill a friend…"

"We never thought he killed Neville!" George protested.

"Well from what I was told, he never heard otherwise from you before, during or after the trial." Dantes commented dryly. "Why was that?"

Fred and George seemed to hold a long silent conversation with their eyes, before Fred admitted slightly embarrassed, "our Mum slipped us a mickey."

"It was enough dreamless sleep to keep us out for three days." George put in seriously. Normally they wouldn't have been so open with a total stranger, but this might be their only chance to get a message to Harry and get him to talk to them. They just had to convince Mr. Dantes they were telling the truth so he would tell Harry.

"Dad took it a step further." Fred added just as serious as his twin. "He used his contacts at the Ministry to insure we couldn't get in to see Harry before the trial and had us put on the 'No Access" list at Azkaban so we couldn't get into see him afterwards. I guess he knew we would try and get in to see Harry while he was still able to think rationally. We had wanted to tell him we believed he hadn't killed Neville."

"When we finally did get to see him a few days after he got out of Azkaban, he was so angry at our family." George continued the thread of the tale. "He had good reason too, most of our family had betrayed him and he thought we all had. Fred and I haven't been back to the Burrow since Mum slipped us that mickey. We don't consider it home any more since they were all so willing to turn against Harry that way after all he'd done for us."

"About the only members of the Weasley clan we see any more are Bill and Charlie and that's mostly because they stayed neutral on the subject of Harry's guilt or innocence." Fred added, not wanting this man to think badly of them. "We had figured on giving Harry time to cool off and then we'd tell him our side of the story. Even thought to take a magically binding oath that what we were saying was true."

"And why would you do that?" Dantes seemed genuinely surprised and curious. "Just to keep him from selling his part of your business?"

"Because we want our brother back." The twins said in unison.

Then Fred explained, "Our parents, Ron and Ginny may have thrown Harry to the wolves, but we didn't. He may not be our brother by blood, but he is in every other way that matters."

"Even if he tells you he never wants to see you again?" Dantes inquired.

The twins didn't look pleased by that idea, but George finally told him. "If he hears us out fairly and then still wants us to leave him alone, we will."

"Mr. Dantes, please tell him what we said." Fred requested. "Ask him to hear us out before he sells his share to you. Please."

"I'll think about it." Dantes refused to commit himself. "Good day gentlemen."

...

"You're sure that demonic brat isn't going to suddenly show up?"

It was the third day in a row that Marge had asked her brother that and he was beginning to get tired of giving her the same answer. "I'm sure. He's spent every Christmas at that school of his since he started going there."

Marge sniffed. "I'm sure that his kind don't understand the significance of this holy time of year. I have no doubt they're Godless, the lot of them. Probably Satanists."

Marge looked calmer now. "I still don't understand why you took him in Vernon. What if he'd corrupted Dudley with his foul and unholy ways?"

"I told you, Marge," Vernon tried to keep his face impassive. "Some of his kind wanted to kill us. According the letter that barmy old coot Dumbledore left with him, as long as we kept him, his very presence with us would hide us from them."

"But you put your soul in peril, Vernon." Marge pointed out as she had a number of times before.

"Our souls weren't in any danger," Petunia countered stiffly. "We go to Church every Sunday. Our souls couldn't be in safer hands than His."

They heard the front door open and close, then instead of Dudley's voice calling out that he was home from his night over at Piers Polkiss' they heard an unwelcome vice call out, "Aunt Petunia, I'm home."

At Harry's appearance in the kitchen doorway, Marge whimpered and her eyes rolled up as she fainted and hit the table with a thud.

"What are you doing here, boy ?" Vernon was furious that his family's plans for a nice quiet Christmas were being disrupted this way. "I thought we were finally rid of you ."

"How could I not spend at least one more Christmas with my loving family before going to seek my way in the wide wide world." Harry countered cheerfully, then he patted Vernon on the cheek. "Don't worry Vernon, you'll only have to put up with me today and tomorrow."

When it looked like Vernon was going to take a swing at the unwelcome young man, Petunia put her hand on his arm and shook her head. Remembering a little of what she had heard years ago about magically binding oaths from Lily the few times they'd talked before she'd finally rejected her sister as a freak, Petunia asked, "Do you swear on your magic that after tomorrow we will never see you again?"

Harry shrugged, "While I can't swear that you will never see me again since I won't be leaving Great Britain and it is possible given this is a small island that we could run into each other, I will swear on my magic that once I depart here tomorrow, I will never come to your home unless asked by you. Also that I will never voluntarily approach or speak with you, though if you approach or speak to me, I will respond. Will that do Aunt Petunia?"

Since she couldn't conceive of a time when she would ever want to see or speak with Lily's child again, Petunia nodded.

Harry solemnly repeated the oath she had agreed to. As he felt the oath take hold, Harry wondered if she would be grateful later for the exceptions he'd put into it or not.

"I've got some business to take care of," Harry told his Aunt and Uncle, "But I just wanted to let you know I would be back later to celebrate Christmas with you."

Vernon snorted at that. "I hope you don't expect us to buy you a last minute gift?"

Harry's face was an expressionless mask as he asked, "Why would I expect anything from you? You've made it clear all my life you would be happier if I were dead. Well, fortunately that is one thing I don't not intend to oblige you with. However if things go the way I expect, this will be the happiest Christmas I have had in a long time."

Harry vanished, leaving his relatives to ponder his final words.

....

Join my P*atreon for early access to 60+ chapters ahead of the public release. 

Link : pa*treon.com/thebookaddict (Remove the *)

Free members can get 2+ advanced chapters FOR FREE.