Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 54: Advice
"I-it's nothing important," said Harry, getting obviously flustered.
"No, come on. If there is something I can help you with, then I want to help." Sirius pointed at the chairs. "Why don't we sit down and discuss this?"
Harry sighed. "Okay, fine." He took a seat and spent a few minutes filling Sirius in. However, he did avoid mentioning that the girl in question was Ginny.
"I see." Sirius nodded solemnly. "Well, it's been a while since I dated anyone because… you know. But, while I was younger, I was fairly popular, you know?"
"You were?"
Sirius frowned. "I don't like that look of doubt on your face… but yes, I was popular. Your father was not the only one getting lucky with pretty redheads."
"I don't really know much about my father anyway, other than that he liked playing Quidditch and that he didn't get along with Snape," Harry said.
"Let me ask you something." Sirius leaned closer. "Is there any particular girl that you like, or are you trying to get lucky with as many pretty girls as you can? Because the approach is going to be very different…"
"I wouldn't do that!" Harry sounded offended. "It's just one girl that, you know…"
"Mmmm…" Sirius leaned back. "I'm going to be honest. After what I recently learned about you, I'm very surprised by this request."
"How so?" Harry asked.
"Because… ehm, how do I say this? Didn't you spend like an eternity inside that frozen world? You have already lived for so long and experienced so many things. So…"
"I can see where you are coming from, Sirius," the hat said. "But you are very wrong about Harry."
"What are you saying?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, what are you saying?" added Harry.
"Sirius believes that because you were trapped in there for so long, you should have the mental maturity of an adult. I'm just telling him that he is very wrong," said the hat.
"I am plenty mature," complained Harry.
"For some things, yes. But for anything that involves human interaction, your development was stunted. When it comes to that, Harry could be considered less mature than even someone of his same physical age."
Sirius thought about it for a moment. "I think I understand." As someone who had spent over ten years locked away by himself, he could somewhat comprehend that some part of Harry's mind never had a chance to grow while trapped in the frozen world, given the complete lack of company.
Now it made more sense to him why this Harry would still need his advice for something like asking a girl out. It was something he could have learned by just reading books.
"Harry will need your advice and guidance for many things," V added.
"I thought I had you for that…" There was a hint of annoyance in Harry's tone.
"I am a talking hat. You should take everything I say with a grain of salt. And I already told you not to ask for advice on girls."
"Okay then." Sirius rubbed his hands in anticipation. "Get comfortable and listen to Uncle Sirius. I will impart to you all of my wisdom about dating."
"Ehm… okay?" Harry wasn't sure if this had been a good idea after all.
<><><><><><><><><>
A portal appeared in the middle of the Chamber of Secrets, and a second later, Harry walked out of it, looking slightly pale.
He pulled a small box from his robes as he walked towards the snake statues.
"Are you okay?" V asked. "You have been very quiet after listening to Sirius 'talk'. I personally think he went a bit too far into the details. Like…"
"He didn't need to tell me about sex. I knew that part… it was very awkward," Harry muttered.
"Yes, because that was something you actually learned from magazines and videos. Isn't that right?" V asked.
"We agreed to never talk about 'that'! Okay?" Harry shouted.
"You are right. I'm very sorry. I wish I could forget some things… like the human-looking golems you created fo—"
"V! Say another word, and I will turn you into a wallet," Harry exclaimed.
The hat went silent.
"Good boy." He extended his hand, and two boxes flew out of the snake's heads, landing in front of him.
One of them held the Hufflepuff Cup, and the other one held the Ravenclaw Diadem he had previously acquired.
Harry knelt down and placed two more boxes. One held the Gaunt Ring, and the next to it had the Slytherin locket he had just acquired.
"This is it." Harry spoke softly. "Combined with the diary that I already destroyed during my second year and the fragment left in my scar, that would make six."
"At the risk of being turned into a wallet, I would like to say something," V then spoke.
"As long as it's relevant…" Harry responded.
"Are you going to destroy them now?" V asked.
"Is there any reason for waiting?"
"Yes, but what I was going to say is that you should look at the time. You promised the Weasley matriarch that you would return before lunch, and you are already running late."
"What?" Harry moved his hand. "Tempus… oh." It was indeed getting late.
"I will apologize to Miss Weasley later. This is more important."
"Okay then. I still think you should wait for a bit before destroying them," V added.
Harry narrowed his eyes. "Why would I do that? I thought we agreed on this. We collected all of the Horcruxes that we knew so we could destroy them in one go. If the Dark Lord has created another one, then we can worry about that one later."
"Yes, that was the idea. But the situation has changed. He has become aware that you took them from him. That his most precious possessions are no longer safe."
"And? What does that change? We still need t—"
"Harry… do you trust me?" V asked.
"I do," he responded without hesitation. "There is no being in the world that I trust more than you."
"Then listen to my advice..." Said the hat.
Harry remained silent for a moment. "Very well. I'm listening."
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