A/N Here it is, the final part of the "Dark" Trilogy. If you have stumbled
across this by accident, then I seriously suggest that you read the first
two parts, "A Candle in the Dark" then "The Second Darkness", they are both
good. Even if I may say so myself! Please read the A/N at the end, it is
very important.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel.
Chapter 1: The Astronomy Tower
Harry stood at the top of the Astronomy Tower, overlooking the grounds. He had been up here for half an hour and, until a few minutes ago, had been enjoying the solitude and peacefulness. The cool breeze was calming and the night sky was particularly starry.
He leaned on the wall and gazed up into the sky, he frowned when couldn't find what he was searching for. He scanned the night sky once more before sighing and giving up. He turned away from the wall and began walking back towards the exit, disappointment flowing through him. One last small reminder was all he wanted and he couldn't even have that.
His hand knocked against the hilt of his sword as he walked and he stopped, frowning. He unbuckled his sword belt and threw it against the wall. It clattered against the worn stones and fell into a shadowy corner where it lay still.
"I can't do it." He whispered to himself. For a long time the sword had been a reassuring presence, a symbol of strength, it calmed him when he was angry and soothed him when he was scared. Now? Now everything had changed. He no longer wanted it, no longer wanted to feel the weight of it, no longer wanted it as a constant reminder of what he was about to do.
The sword and the approaching exit made Harry stop. He decided he didn't want to face reality so he turned back to the wall and leant against it again and looked back up the night sky. If it wasn't for the disappointment gazing at it was causing him, Harry would have been able to appreciate the beauty of it. The stars were particularly bright and there were many of them out.
He forced himself to search the night sky one more time; it came as no surprise that he couldn't find it.
He buried his face in his hands and began to cry softly. He'd had enough. He was sick of it. He had to kill Fudge; he had to kill Voldemort and the one release he wanted, then one slight comfort he wanted, he couldn't have. He'd had enough.
He never heard someone come up the stairs. He never heard them pause and take in the weeping figure of the Boy Who Lived, but he felt the comforting arms that were put around him and held him while he cried into their shoulder.
"Hush, it'll be okay." Harry looked up, recognising Hermione's voice.
"Hermione?"
"Hey."
"Hi." He turned away not wanting her to see him in this state. She walked up and stood next to him.
"What's wrong?" Harry stared straight ahead, not answering the question. Hermione looked sideways into his eyes. "It's Sirius, isn't it?" Harry nodded slowly.
"Yes." Hermione felt her heart bleed.
"Oh, Harry," she said sympathetically as she wrapped her arms around him pulling him towards her, "I thought you had managed to get over him." Harry shook his head,
"No. I can never get over him. Sometimes the pain is less. But it is always there." Hermione held Harry tighter, not knowing what to say. "I want to forget about it, I want to stop feeling guilty, I want to stop feeling scared. I'm sixteen for God's sake. I should be worrying over clothes and girls and exams, not Death Eaters, Voldemort and some stupid prophecy."
"Harry you don't have to cope with all of this alone, we all wish you could have a normal life but there is nothing we can do, we have faith in you. You aren't alone. The Weasleys love you like family. Ron, even if he won't admit it, loves you like a brother. Cho loves you with all her heart. I love you." Harry looked at her curiously; Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his puzzled expression.
"Harry, you're the big brother I never had. You look after me and protect you and for that I love you." Harry smiled at her. She was having a soothing influence on him and he was feeling particularly calm and loving at the moment. He had no way of knowing that this was the effect sibling love had on you. Gathering up his courage and bracing himself for another disappointment, he glanced up at the night sky. He held his breath as he scanned it. Hermione watched him enquiringly. She was surprised to see a smile spread across his face, the first true smile she'd seen since Sirius had died.
She didn't think that Harry was telling them everything. She got the impression that there was something beneath the surface. Every time he told them he was fine, he never properly met their gaze. Whenever the talk turned to Sirius Harry would either become silent or change the subject. But the dead give away was the haunted look that was always lurking beneath his eyes. That and the fact that he rarely smiled anymore.
She continued to look at him inquisitively. He turned to her.
"Sirius." He said pointing up into the sky, she frowned, wondering where this was going, but, seeing as this was one of the few times he spoke Sirius' name comfortably, she was inclined to follow this through. She looked at the night sky for a few minutes, not sure what she was looking for and feeling rather foolish. Then she gasped,
"Oh Harry!" He turned and smiled at her.
"Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation." Words failed to express the pride and love Hermione was feeling for the young man in front of her.
"I have little to remember Sirius by. There are no portraits of him and the only photos I have of him are those in my photo album. This means so much more to me. It's permanent, it will always be there for me when I need it, just like Sirius was, now I can look up at the sky and know that Sirius is still there, still smiling down on me, still protecting me, still watching over me. This is forever. This is the one reminder I need to keep me knowing that I will see him again." Hermione couldn't help but smile.
"You will see him again. But for now, be content with those who love you on earth. Because we do love you." Harry nodded and turned back to look up at the night sky, seeing that he wanted to be alone Hermione took a step towards him. She quickly gave him a quick kiss on the lips and put her head on his shoulder, tears threatening to pour,
"We do love you." Without waiting for a reply she turned and left the Astronomy Tower.
------------
The next few weeks saw a massive change in Harry. He smiled and laughed more and was less withdrawn, getting into conversations more. No one knew what had brought on this change and, for once, rumours were not flying as no one could think of even a slightly plausible reason to why the Boy Who Lived had snapped out of a depression overnight.
The one thing that the Gryffindors noticed was that whenever Harry had a bad day, he would disappear for half an hour and come back smiling. He would re-enter the common room, share a knowing grin with Hermione before returning to normal.
It soon became clear to everyone that Hermione knew something and so she was constantly being pestered into telling people why Harry had suddenly changed from depressed to lively overnight. She always responded with the same knowing look and the words 'I don't know.' Not one person believed her.
A month after she saw Harry in the Astronomy, Hermione was called to the Headmaster's office and, with slight trepidation, Hermione hurried straight there. She gave the password to the stone gargoyle and climbed the revolving staircase. Inside was Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore.
"Have a seat, Miss Granger." Said McGonagall as soon as Hermione entered. Hermione did so and looked up at them expectantly.
"As I am sure you already know, Mr Potter has undergone a massive change in his attitude. It was no secret that he was suffering from depression despite our best efforts to pull him out of it. We know you know why he has changed. We would like you to tell us." Hermione shook her head.
"I'm sorry, professor, I don't know anything."
"Please don't lie to me, Miss Granger."
"I don't know anything." Insisted Hermione stubbornly. Dumbledore stood up.
"Miss Granger it is vital that you tell us. Depression and then an inexplicable calm are the last symptoms of a person before they commit suicide. Do you see what we are getting at?" Hermione sat there stunned,
"Harry? Commit suicide? But...That's just...That's absurd! Harry would never commit suicide!"
"Miss Granger, it is no secret that Harry is under a lot of pressure, more pressure then most full grown wizards to cope with. You know about the prophecy, it is not just for us that Harry must remain as strong as is possible. If Harry commits suicide, the wizarding world will be subjected to Voldemort's terror forever, Harry must stay alive. We need to know if he is feeling suicidal, I know it is not likely but we have to take precautions. We are not asking you because we are curious, we are asking you because we need to know." Hermione did not want to tell them, it felt as if she was telling them one of Harry's personal secrets, but she could see their point. So, at last, she told them.
"Ok, a month ago I went up to the Astronomy Tower at about nine thirty at night. Harry was already up there, all alone. So I went to talk to him."
"How would Mr Weasley react if he knew that you and Mr Potter were alone in the Astronomy Tower together that late at night?" Interrupted Professor McGonagall, the corners of her mouth witching upwards, Hermione felt herself blush slightly. 'Teachers know more than we credit them for' thought Hermione, but she managed to grin slightly,
"Oh, I don't think he would react to badly seeing as we only kissed once." She said airily. McGonagall raised he eyebrows and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. Seeing McGonagall's raised eyebrows Hermione continued, "It was just before I left, I gave him a quick kiss on the lips." Dumbledore chuckled slightly.
"Anyway, I began talking to him and eventually he confessed that he was still being affected by Sirius' death." McGonagall's usually stern features softened slightly and Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle. "So I told him about everyone who loved him and he didn't have to do it all alone. He looked at me and then he looked up at the sky. Then he smiled and it was the first real smile I have seen since before Sirius died. He pointed into the sky and said 'Sirius' at first I was confused and didn't know what he meant. Then I saw it. Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation. He told me that it reminded him that Sirius was watching over him, that Sirius was up there and that Harry would see him again and that Sirius was looking down on him and protecting him. It's permanent so Harry knows that it will always be there for him, like Sirius was. So, now whenever Harry's had a bad day, he goes and looks at the Dog Star and it makes him feel better. That's why he has changed." This left the two professors virtually stunned.
"I didn't know Sirius' death was still affecting him." Said Professor McGonagall.
"He said the pain never goes away, sometimes it is easier to handle but it never goes away. Looking at the Dog Star helps."
"Thank you, Miss Granger." Hermione stood up and left.
And the next Gryffindor password was Canis Major.
------------
Harry ran down the marble staircase towards the Entrance Hall as fast as he could, he was meant to meet Cho there ten minutes ago.
"Where have you been?" She asked impatiently as he jumped down the last five steps of the marble staircase. He grinned sheepishly at her. She glanced up at his hair and saw that it was wet. Cho sighed in exasperation,
"Harry, your hair will not lie flat." She moved closer to him and slipped an arm around his waist, "Anyway, I prefer it messy." Harry laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"If you prefer it like that, I'll leave it like that." Cho smiled at him and slipped her arm through his. They began walking out to the grounds.
"Have you seen the quidditch notice? Do you know who you're playing tomorrow?" She asked him as they walked around the grounds near the greenhouses.
"Slytherin?" Cho's grin broadened,
"Nope. You're playing us."
"Excellent, an easy game then." He said, knowing it would annoy her. She smacked him on the arm.
"You won't be saying that when we beat you tomorrow."
"Cho, face it, you're never going to beat us. You're just not good enough."
"Hey!" She grabbed him and he swung her round and pulled her to the ground so she landed on top of him. He grinned up at her.
"It always seems to be you who lands on top." Cho rolled around so that she was underneath.
"Happy now?"
"Whenever I'm with you, sweetheart, I'm happy."
"Ahh, how sweet." She said, only half mockingly. She reached up and pulled his head close to hers and captured his lips in a passionate kiss, he was surprised at first but kissed back just as eagerly.
His hand, as usual, seemed to be making it's own way up Cho's top and she began to kiss him harder. He slowly began to move his lips downwards; placing butterfly kisses on her throat, she pressed herself against him and he moved his lips back up to hers, she ran her hands through his hair. He moved his hands round to her back and began to undo her bra strap.
They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. They looked up and blushed profusely. Lupin was standing there looking highly amused.
"Moony!"
"Hello Harry. In case you've forgotten, you were meant to have a swords lesson ten minutes ago. But I can see that you were rather busy." Lupin said, his grin broadening. Harry couldn't meet Lupin's eye. He mumbled an apology and stood up. He grinned apologetically at Cho and, bending down to help her up, whispered,
"We'll continue this later." She grinned at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Later, then." Harry turned and followed Lupin towards the lake,
"Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to get caught by an adult doing that!" Lupin laughed loudly,
"Don't worry, My Little Marauder, the amount of times I caught your dad in the same position." Harry looked at him curiously,
"What did you just call me?" Lupin looked at him,
"What? Oh yeah, 'My Little Marauder'."
"What's that all about?" Lupin motioned for Harry to sit down.
"Okay, a little story for you. When you were a baby Padfoot and I used to have great fun annoying Lily by calling you things like that. Padfoot used to call you 'Prongslet', I used to call you 'Little Prongs' and we both used to call you 'My Little Marauder'. Lily used to get really angry with us, but James just laughed. He found it funny. She was always saying that on no accounts would her son grow up to be like his father. That scared the hell out of James and Sirius. They always wanted you to be like them. But anyway, you could tell that Lily didn't mind it really, her mouth always used to twitch up at the corners whenever we called you that." Harry grinned, it was good to hear stories of his parents, Lupin was looking at him anxiously though,
"You are going to though?"
"Going to do what?"
"Carry on the Marauders' legacy of course!" exclaimed Lupin, Harry couldn't help but to burst out laughing,
"You mean, Remus Lupin is encouraging me to break the rules and get into trouble!" Lupin looked horrified,
"Lily would kill me if I did! Let's just call it...providing entertainment at other peoples' expense." Harry grinned at the last true Marauder.
"Yeah, of course I am." Lupin grinned back at him.
"Well come on, Little Prongs, we've got swords training to do." They stood up and assumed the starting position.
Harry returned to the common room exhausted, but grinning broadly.
------------
Harry was hurrying along to Defence Against the Dark Arts with Ron and Hermione when Lupin stepped round a corner, catching sight of Harry he hurried over to him,
"Prongslet, I'm afraid I've got to cancel today's swords training, the Order have got work for me. Sorry."
"No problem Moony, there will be a session on Friday though, won't there?"
"Probably. Anyway, I've got to go. Have fun, My Little Marauder." Lupin began to walk off but turned back to Harry.
"Oh one more thing, have you got one planned?"
"Yeah I have, but I just need to find something out from you."
"Okay. I'll speak to you later." Lupin walked off, a definite grin on his face.
Harry realised Ron and Hermione were staring at him curiously.
"What?"
"What was Lupin calling you?" asked Ron.
"I'll explain in Defence Against the Dark Arts otherwise we are going to be late." They got to Moody's classroom and found seats in the corner at the back. Harry wasted no time in telling them what Lupin had told him. By the end of it Hermione had tears in her eyes and Ron was grinning.
"Oh that's so sweet!" Ron nodded.
"That's really cool."
"It is."
"Harry, what was Lupin on about, 'got one planned'?" Harry shook his head,
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. But you will find out after the quidditch match. I promise." At that point Moody began to walk over in their direction. The three of them quickly took out their wands and looked as if they were practicing the arrowhead curse, a curse that had the same effect as an arrow would.
Harry aimed his wand at one of the dummies at the front of the class,
"Sagittas." A dark grey beam of light shot out of his wand and hit the dummy in the chest, leaving a deep hole. Harry did it a few more times to check it hadn't been a fluke. Both Hermione and Ron could successfully do it, but it had taken them a few attempts. Moody stood next to Harry.
"Not a difficult curse for you?" Harry shook his head and lowered his voice; Moody bent closer on the pretence of examining the desk for graffiti.
"Not really, the lessons with you have helped make spells like that easier to do." Moody nodded,
"I've been meaning to tell you, we're are going to be starting physical magic next lesson, next lesson will be in a few days time." Harry nodded and Moody limped off to yell at Parvati Patil who had been talking to Lavender rather then practice the spell.
------------
Harry sat in the common room that night staring into the flames. He found that the flickering and dancing of the flames had a rather hypnotic, soothing effect and he was enjoying the feeling of not worrying about anything and being able to lose himself in calmness for once. Reluctantly shaking himself out of his reverie he looked at his watch. Midnight. Ron and Hermione had been gone an hour longer then they should have. He was about to give up waiting for them when the Portrait Hole swung open and in stepped a satisfied looking Ron and Hermione.
"And where have you been?" The two of them jumped and blushed at the sound of Harry's voice.
"Prefect rounds-"
"-Finished an hour ago. So where have you been?" Harry was grinning broadly at his friends' obvious discomfort. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other. Harry couldn't help laughing. "Come on. I was only joking."
"Why are you still up?" Hermione asked him.
"Couldn't sleep."
"Nightmares?" Ron asked tentatively.
"No." Harry's defensive tone and the way his eyes never met theirs told them that he didn't want to talk about it. Ron and Hermione shared the same look, they knew when Harry was suffering and they knew that he had to learn to talk about it; keeping all his problems bottled up was not a good idea. Hermione opened her mouth to try and force him to talk about it but closed it again, now was not the time.
"C'mon Harry, bed. You've got a quidditch match tomorrow and you need some sleep." Harry nodded. He didn't feel like talking. The pressure of everything in his life was beginning to take its toll on Harry. He stood up and followed Ron up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.
He undressed silently and lay on his bed. After a few minutes he could hear that Ron's breathing had steadied and knew that he was asleep. No matter how hard he tried sleep would not come to Harry. He turned over to lie in a more comfortable position. The pale moonlight streaming in through the window reflected off the sword lying on the chair next to Harry's bed.
Harry closed his eyes tightly, willing his problems to leave him alone. Fudge, Voldemort, the Prophecy, the DA, Death Eaters, Sirius it was too much for one sixteen year old boy. Why him? Why not Neville? Harry regretted that thought immediately. He would not wish this on anyone else.
Tears began to leak out from beneath his eyelids. He needed a parent figure. Someone to talk to, to share his problems. But Sirius was gone, Bellatrix had killed him and now she was dead. But killing her did not leave any satisfaction. It didn't fill the hole left by Sirius' death. Instead it made it worse. It was all too much. He didn't want to cope with it.
And not for the first time, Harry cried himself to sleep.
A/N VERY, VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ.
Ok, I'm sorry this chapter is short; it is basically opening up all the separate plots that will happen within the main plot. I needed this chapter because there is a slight, well is suppose it can be called a clue, in it. Certainly something that is important and you need to be aware of before the end.
Second. I am flying off to Malaysia for the summer holidays and I will not be able to get anything uploaded as a result of that. This is not an excuse for me to 'forget' about this fic. No, I fully intend to continue. Anyway, there is too much in my head about this fic for me to forget. I have said it before and I will say it again, I will not stop this fic until it is done. You will see another chapter out on the 12th of September, if for some reason I cannot update on that day then I will put a note in my bio explaining why not. Thank you.
Third. Any Harry/Ginny shippers out there? I have got an excellent H/G fic all planned out in my head and I am constantly being attacked by plot bunnies and if I can put it into writing as well as it sounds in my head it will be an excellent fic. I am not trying to be boastful, I am merely telling it as I see it.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "The Light at the End of the Tunnel". Next chapter will be out in the beginning of September. I promise.
Shadowfax2931 – I'm glad you enjoyed the fics. You will see more of Malfoy later on. Thanks for the review.
OoXandiaoO - Thanks for the review. Here it is, I'm continuing.
Craftygurl - Thanks for the review.
The Enchantresses - Thanks for the review.
Aubyn Lin - Thanks for the review. That really made me feel good. Here is the sequel.
Charmed-103 - Thanks for the review. You'll see why Fudge has to die.
Whitewizard101 - Thanks for the review.
FSI - Thanks for the review, sorry I forgot about you!
Witchintraining - Thanks for the review. In OOTP Lupin says that Voldemort had huge numbers under his command, his faithful Death Eaters, and also witches and wizards he'd bullied into following him. The huge numbers come from the Witches and Wizards who he'd bullied. I just refer to them as Death Eaters to keep things simple.
The Lord of Pencil – I wish I could come and get lessons, my friend. Thanks for the review.
Anime-Master7 - Thanks for the review.
Colm - Thanks for the review.
Jessy-Allens - Thanks for the review.
Keep Reading and Reviewing 'cos I'll keep writing.
Fireboy.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel.
Chapter 1: The Astronomy Tower
Harry stood at the top of the Astronomy Tower, overlooking the grounds. He had been up here for half an hour and, until a few minutes ago, had been enjoying the solitude and peacefulness. The cool breeze was calming and the night sky was particularly starry.
He leaned on the wall and gazed up into the sky, he frowned when couldn't find what he was searching for. He scanned the night sky once more before sighing and giving up. He turned away from the wall and began walking back towards the exit, disappointment flowing through him. One last small reminder was all he wanted and he couldn't even have that.
His hand knocked against the hilt of his sword as he walked and he stopped, frowning. He unbuckled his sword belt and threw it against the wall. It clattered against the worn stones and fell into a shadowy corner where it lay still.
"I can't do it." He whispered to himself. For a long time the sword had been a reassuring presence, a symbol of strength, it calmed him when he was angry and soothed him when he was scared. Now? Now everything had changed. He no longer wanted it, no longer wanted to feel the weight of it, no longer wanted it as a constant reminder of what he was about to do.
The sword and the approaching exit made Harry stop. He decided he didn't want to face reality so he turned back to the wall and leant against it again and looked back up the night sky. If it wasn't for the disappointment gazing at it was causing him, Harry would have been able to appreciate the beauty of it. The stars were particularly bright and there were many of them out.
He forced himself to search the night sky one more time; it came as no surprise that he couldn't find it.
He buried his face in his hands and began to cry softly. He'd had enough. He was sick of it. He had to kill Fudge; he had to kill Voldemort and the one release he wanted, then one slight comfort he wanted, he couldn't have. He'd had enough.
He never heard someone come up the stairs. He never heard them pause and take in the weeping figure of the Boy Who Lived, but he felt the comforting arms that were put around him and held him while he cried into their shoulder.
"Hush, it'll be okay." Harry looked up, recognising Hermione's voice.
"Hermione?"
"Hey."
"Hi." He turned away not wanting her to see him in this state. She walked up and stood next to him.
"What's wrong?" Harry stared straight ahead, not answering the question. Hermione looked sideways into his eyes. "It's Sirius, isn't it?" Harry nodded slowly.
"Yes." Hermione felt her heart bleed.
"Oh, Harry," she said sympathetically as she wrapped her arms around him pulling him towards her, "I thought you had managed to get over him." Harry shook his head,
"No. I can never get over him. Sometimes the pain is less. But it is always there." Hermione held Harry tighter, not knowing what to say. "I want to forget about it, I want to stop feeling guilty, I want to stop feeling scared. I'm sixteen for God's sake. I should be worrying over clothes and girls and exams, not Death Eaters, Voldemort and some stupid prophecy."
"Harry you don't have to cope with all of this alone, we all wish you could have a normal life but there is nothing we can do, we have faith in you. You aren't alone. The Weasleys love you like family. Ron, even if he won't admit it, loves you like a brother. Cho loves you with all her heart. I love you." Harry looked at her curiously; Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his puzzled expression.
"Harry, you're the big brother I never had. You look after me and protect you and for that I love you." Harry smiled at her. She was having a soothing influence on him and he was feeling particularly calm and loving at the moment. He had no way of knowing that this was the effect sibling love had on you. Gathering up his courage and bracing himself for another disappointment, he glanced up at the night sky. He held his breath as he scanned it. Hermione watched him enquiringly. She was surprised to see a smile spread across his face, the first true smile she'd seen since Sirius had died.
She didn't think that Harry was telling them everything. She got the impression that there was something beneath the surface. Every time he told them he was fine, he never properly met their gaze. Whenever the talk turned to Sirius Harry would either become silent or change the subject. But the dead give away was the haunted look that was always lurking beneath his eyes. That and the fact that he rarely smiled anymore.
She continued to look at him inquisitively. He turned to her.
"Sirius." He said pointing up into the sky, she frowned, wondering where this was going, but, seeing as this was one of the few times he spoke Sirius' name comfortably, she was inclined to follow this through. She looked at the night sky for a few minutes, not sure what she was looking for and feeling rather foolish. Then she gasped,
"Oh Harry!" He turned and smiled at her.
"Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation." Words failed to express the pride and love Hermione was feeling for the young man in front of her.
"I have little to remember Sirius by. There are no portraits of him and the only photos I have of him are those in my photo album. This means so much more to me. It's permanent, it will always be there for me when I need it, just like Sirius was, now I can look up at the sky and know that Sirius is still there, still smiling down on me, still protecting me, still watching over me. This is forever. This is the one reminder I need to keep me knowing that I will see him again." Hermione couldn't help but smile.
"You will see him again. But for now, be content with those who love you on earth. Because we do love you." Harry nodded and turned back to look up at the night sky, seeing that he wanted to be alone Hermione took a step towards him. She quickly gave him a quick kiss on the lips and put her head on his shoulder, tears threatening to pour,
"We do love you." Without waiting for a reply she turned and left the Astronomy Tower.
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The next few weeks saw a massive change in Harry. He smiled and laughed more and was less withdrawn, getting into conversations more. No one knew what had brought on this change and, for once, rumours were not flying as no one could think of even a slightly plausible reason to why the Boy Who Lived had snapped out of a depression overnight.
The one thing that the Gryffindors noticed was that whenever Harry had a bad day, he would disappear for half an hour and come back smiling. He would re-enter the common room, share a knowing grin with Hermione before returning to normal.
It soon became clear to everyone that Hermione knew something and so she was constantly being pestered into telling people why Harry had suddenly changed from depressed to lively overnight. She always responded with the same knowing look and the words 'I don't know.' Not one person believed her.
A month after she saw Harry in the Astronomy, Hermione was called to the Headmaster's office and, with slight trepidation, Hermione hurried straight there. She gave the password to the stone gargoyle and climbed the revolving staircase. Inside was Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore.
"Have a seat, Miss Granger." Said McGonagall as soon as Hermione entered. Hermione did so and looked up at them expectantly.
"As I am sure you already know, Mr Potter has undergone a massive change in his attitude. It was no secret that he was suffering from depression despite our best efforts to pull him out of it. We know you know why he has changed. We would like you to tell us." Hermione shook her head.
"I'm sorry, professor, I don't know anything."
"Please don't lie to me, Miss Granger."
"I don't know anything." Insisted Hermione stubbornly. Dumbledore stood up.
"Miss Granger it is vital that you tell us. Depression and then an inexplicable calm are the last symptoms of a person before they commit suicide. Do you see what we are getting at?" Hermione sat there stunned,
"Harry? Commit suicide? But...That's just...That's absurd! Harry would never commit suicide!"
"Miss Granger, it is no secret that Harry is under a lot of pressure, more pressure then most full grown wizards to cope with. You know about the prophecy, it is not just for us that Harry must remain as strong as is possible. If Harry commits suicide, the wizarding world will be subjected to Voldemort's terror forever, Harry must stay alive. We need to know if he is feeling suicidal, I know it is not likely but we have to take precautions. We are not asking you because we are curious, we are asking you because we need to know." Hermione did not want to tell them, it felt as if she was telling them one of Harry's personal secrets, but she could see their point. So, at last, she told them.
"Ok, a month ago I went up to the Astronomy Tower at about nine thirty at night. Harry was already up there, all alone. So I went to talk to him."
"How would Mr Weasley react if he knew that you and Mr Potter were alone in the Astronomy Tower together that late at night?" Interrupted Professor McGonagall, the corners of her mouth witching upwards, Hermione felt herself blush slightly. 'Teachers know more than we credit them for' thought Hermione, but she managed to grin slightly,
"Oh, I don't think he would react to badly seeing as we only kissed once." She said airily. McGonagall raised he eyebrows and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. Seeing McGonagall's raised eyebrows Hermione continued, "It was just before I left, I gave him a quick kiss on the lips." Dumbledore chuckled slightly.
"Anyway, I began talking to him and eventually he confessed that he was still being affected by Sirius' death." McGonagall's usually stern features softened slightly and Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle. "So I told him about everyone who loved him and he didn't have to do it all alone. He looked at me and then he looked up at the sky. Then he smiled and it was the first real smile I have seen since before Sirius died. He pointed into the sky and said 'Sirius' at first I was confused and didn't know what he meant. Then I saw it. Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation. He told me that it reminded him that Sirius was watching over him, that Sirius was up there and that Harry would see him again and that Sirius was looking down on him and protecting him. It's permanent so Harry knows that it will always be there for him, like Sirius was. So, now whenever Harry's had a bad day, he goes and looks at the Dog Star and it makes him feel better. That's why he has changed." This left the two professors virtually stunned.
"I didn't know Sirius' death was still affecting him." Said Professor McGonagall.
"He said the pain never goes away, sometimes it is easier to handle but it never goes away. Looking at the Dog Star helps."
"Thank you, Miss Granger." Hermione stood up and left.
And the next Gryffindor password was Canis Major.
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Harry ran down the marble staircase towards the Entrance Hall as fast as he could, he was meant to meet Cho there ten minutes ago.
"Where have you been?" She asked impatiently as he jumped down the last five steps of the marble staircase. He grinned sheepishly at her. She glanced up at his hair and saw that it was wet. Cho sighed in exasperation,
"Harry, your hair will not lie flat." She moved closer to him and slipped an arm around his waist, "Anyway, I prefer it messy." Harry laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"If you prefer it like that, I'll leave it like that." Cho smiled at him and slipped her arm through his. They began walking out to the grounds.
"Have you seen the quidditch notice? Do you know who you're playing tomorrow?" She asked him as they walked around the grounds near the greenhouses.
"Slytherin?" Cho's grin broadened,
"Nope. You're playing us."
"Excellent, an easy game then." He said, knowing it would annoy her. She smacked him on the arm.
"You won't be saying that when we beat you tomorrow."
"Cho, face it, you're never going to beat us. You're just not good enough."
"Hey!" She grabbed him and he swung her round and pulled her to the ground so she landed on top of him. He grinned up at her.
"It always seems to be you who lands on top." Cho rolled around so that she was underneath.
"Happy now?"
"Whenever I'm with you, sweetheart, I'm happy."
"Ahh, how sweet." She said, only half mockingly. She reached up and pulled his head close to hers and captured his lips in a passionate kiss, he was surprised at first but kissed back just as eagerly.
His hand, as usual, seemed to be making it's own way up Cho's top and she began to kiss him harder. He slowly began to move his lips downwards; placing butterfly kisses on her throat, she pressed herself against him and he moved his lips back up to hers, she ran her hands through his hair. He moved his hands round to her back and began to undo her bra strap.
They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. They looked up and blushed profusely. Lupin was standing there looking highly amused.
"Moony!"
"Hello Harry. In case you've forgotten, you were meant to have a swords lesson ten minutes ago. But I can see that you were rather busy." Lupin said, his grin broadening. Harry couldn't meet Lupin's eye. He mumbled an apology and stood up. He grinned apologetically at Cho and, bending down to help her up, whispered,
"We'll continue this later." She grinned at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Later, then." Harry turned and followed Lupin towards the lake,
"Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to get caught by an adult doing that!" Lupin laughed loudly,
"Don't worry, My Little Marauder, the amount of times I caught your dad in the same position." Harry looked at him curiously,
"What did you just call me?" Lupin looked at him,
"What? Oh yeah, 'My Little Marauder'."
"What's that all about?" Lupin motioned for Harry to sit down.
"Okay, a little story for you. When you were a baby Padfoot and I used to have great fun annoying Lily by calling you things like that. Padfoot used to call you 'Prongslet', I used to call you 'Little Prongs' and we both used to call you 'My Little Marauder'. Lily used to get really angry with us, but James just laughed. He found it funny. She was always saying that on no accounts would her son grow up to be like his father. That scared the hell out of James and Sirius. They always wanted you to be like them. But anyway, you could tell that Lily didn't mind it really, her mouth always used to twitch up at the corners whenever we called you that." Harry grinned, it was good to hear stories of his parents, Lupin was looking at him anxiously though,
"You are going to though?"
"Going to do what?"
"Carry on the Marauders' legacy of course!" exclaimed Lupin, Harry couldn't help but to burst out laughing,
"You mean, Remus Lupin is encouraging me to break the rules and get into trouble!" Lupin looked horrified,
"Lily would kill me if I did! Let's just call it...providing entertainment at other peoples' expense." Harry grinned at the last true Marauder.
"Yeah, of course I am." Lupin grinned back at him.
"Well come on, Little Prongs, we've got swords training to do." They stood up and assumed the starting position.
Harry returned to the common room exhausted, but grinning broadly.
------------
Harry was hurrying along to Defence Against the Dark Arts with Ron and Hermione when Lupin stepped round a corner, catching sight of Harry he hurried over to him,
"Prongslet, I'm afraid I've got to cancel today's swords training, the Order have got work for me. Sorry."
"No problem Moony, there will be a session on Friday though, won't there?"
"Probably. Anyway, I've got to go. Have fun, My Little Marauder." Lupin began to walk off but turned back to Harry.
"Oh one more thing, have you got one planned?"
"Yeah I have, but I just need to find something out from you."
"Okay. I'll speak to you later." Lupin walked off, a definite grin on his face.
Harry realised Ron and Hermione were staring at him curiously.
"What?"
"What was Lupin calling you?" asked Ron.
"I'll explain in Defence Against the Dark Arts otherwise we are going to be late." They got to Moody's classroom and found seats in the corner at the back. Harry wasted no time in telling them what Lupin had told him. By the end of it Hermione had tears in her eyes and Ron was grinning.
"Oh that's so sweet!" Ron nodded.
"That's really cool."
"It is."
"Harry, what was Lupin on about, 'got one planned'?" Harry shook his head,
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. But you will find out after the quidditch match. I promise." At that point Moody began to walk over in their direction. The three of them quickly took out their wands and looked as if they were practicing the arrowhead curse, a curse that had the same effect as an arrow would.
Harry aimed his wand at one of the dummies at the front of the class,
"Sagittas." A dark grey beam of light shot out of his wand and hit the dummy in the chest, leaving a deep hole. Harry did it a few more times to check it hadn't been a fluke. Both Hermione and Ron could successfully do it, but it had taken them a few attempts. Moody stood next to Harry.
"Not a difficult curse for you?" Harry shook his head and lowered his voice; Moody bent closer on the pretence of examining the desk for graffiti.
"Not really, the lessons with you have helped make spells like that easier to do." Moody nodded,
"I've been meaning to tell you, we're are going to be starting physical magic next lesson, next lesson will be in a few days time." Harry nodded and Moody limped off to yell at Parvati Patil who had been talking to Lavender rather then practice the spell.
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Harry sat in the common room that night staring into the flames. He found that the flickering and dancing of the flames had a rather hypnotic, soothing effect and he was enjoying the feeling of not worrying about anything and being able to lose himself in calmness for once. Reluctantly shaking himself out of his reverie he looked at his watch. Midnight. Ron and Hermione had been gone an hour longer then they should have. He was about to give up waiting for them when the Portrait Hole swung open and in stepped a satisfied looking Ron and Hermione.
"And where have you been?" The two of them jumped and blushed at the sound of Harry's voice.
"Prefect rounds-"
"-Finished an hour ago. So where have you been?" Harry was grinning broadly at his friends' obvious discomfort. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other. Harry couldn't help laughing. "Come on. I was only joking."
"Why are you still up?" Hermione asked him.
"Couldn't sleep."
"Nightmares?" Ron asked tentatively.
"No." Harry's defensive tone and the way his eyes never met theirs told them that he didn't want to talk about it. Ron and Hermione shared the same look, they knew when Harry was suffering and they knew that he had to learn to talk about it; keeping all his problems bottled up was not a good idea. Hermione opened her mouth to try and force him to talk about it but closed it again, now was not the time.
"C'mon Harry, bed. You've got a quidditch match tomorrow and you need some sleep." Harry nodded. He didn't feel like talking. The pressure of everything in his life was beginning to take its toll on Harry. He stood up and followed Ron up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.
He undressed silently and lay on his bed. After a few minutes he could hear that Ron's breathing had steadied and knew that he was asleep. No matter how hard he tried sleep would not come to Harry. He turned over to lie in a more comfortable position. The pale moonlight streaming in through the window reflected off the sword lying on the chair next to Harry's bed.
Harry closed his eyes tightly, willing his problems to leave him alone. Fudge, Voldemort, the Prophecy, the DA, Death Eaters, Sirius it was too much for one sixteen year old boy. Why him? Why not Neville? Harry regretted that thought immediately. He would not wish this on anyone else.
Tears began to leak out from beneath his eyelids. He needed a parent figure. Someone to talk to, to share his problems. But Sirius was gone, Bellatrix had killed him and now she was dead. But killing her did not leave any satisfaction. It didn't fill the hole left by Sirius' death. Instead it made it worse. It was all too much. He didn't want to cope with it.
And not for the first time, Harry cried himself to sleep.
A/N VERY, VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ.
Ok, I'm sorry this chapter is short; it is basically opening up all the separate plots that will happen within the main plot. I needed this chapter because there is a slight, well is suppose it can be called a clue, in it. Certainly something that is important and you need to be aware of before the end.
Second. I am flying off to Malaysia for the summer holidays and I will not be able to get anything uploaded as a result of that. This is not an excuse for me to 'forget' about this fic. No, I fully intend to continue. Anyway, there is too much in my head about this fic for me to forget. I have said it before and I will say it again, I will not stop this fic until it is done. You will see another chapter out on the 12th of September, if for some reason I cannot update on that day then I will put a note in my bio explaining why not. Thank you.
Third. Any Harry/Ginny shippers out there? I have got an excellent H/G fic all planned out in my head and I am constantly being attacked by plot bunnies and if I can put it into writing as well as it sounds in my head it will be an excellent fic. I am not trying to be boastful, I am merely telling it as I see it.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "The Light at the End of the Tunnel". Next chapter will be out in the beginning of September. I promise.
Shadowfax2931 – I'm glad you enjoyed the fics. You will see more of Malfoy later on. Thanks for the review.
OoXandiaoO - Thanks for the review. Here it is, I'm continuing.
Craftygurl - Thanks for the review.
The Enchantresses - Thanks for the review.
Aubyn Lin - Thanks for the review. That really made me feel good. Here is the sequel.
Charmed-103 - Thanks for the review. You'll see why Fudge has to die.
Whitewizard101 - Thanks for the review.
FSI - Thanks for the review, sorry I forgot about you!
Witchintraining - Thanks for the review. In OOTP Lupin says that Voldemort had huge numbers under his command, his faithful Death Eaters, and also witches and wizards he'd bullied into following him. The huge numbers come from the Witches and Wizards who he'd bullied. I just refer to them as Death Eaters to keep things simple.
The Lord of Pencil – I wish I could come and get lessons, my friend. Thanks for the review.
Anime-Master7 - Thanks for the review.
Colm - Thanks for the review.
Jessy-Allens - Thanks for the review.
Keep Reading and Reviewing 'cos I'll keep writing.
Fireboy.