Connecting the Dots
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Summary: "Harry, Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban." When Harry is told by Arthur Weasley that Sirius Black has escaped, strange things begin to happen. As puzzle pieces fall in line, Harry begins to connect the dots and realise that there are often different versions of one truth.
A/N: Currently, I have about 3 stories that I've started, plus my one shot and of course, Purest Power. I am a very busy girl it seems. Since I'm on holiday, I thought I'd take some time before I start volunteering to relax and write. This is so much fun, and I hope you can feel it coming through. I've had this particular story idea for quite a while now and just couldn't resist. The conversation between Arthur and Harry is inspired by POA – it was too golden to modify a lot.
Chapter 1: Diagon Alley
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He'd done it. Aunt Marge was out of the picture for now and Cornelius Fudge was so desperate to uphold his reputation that he'd allowed Harry to stay at the Leaky Cauldron. And, to top it all off, he'd signed Harry's Hogsmeade slip. It may have been in Harry's favour that his eyes had held a look of power – something Cornelius didn't have much of. He could see it from Fudge's point of view. He was the Boy Who Lived and as much as he hated the title, he had the ability and the influence to use it for good.
xxxx
The next day, August 31, the Weasley family arrived through the floo Network. There was Mr Weasley, a kind and jovial man with thin hair and a large smile; Mrs Weasley, the mother of one of Harry's best friends; Fred and George, the pair known at Hogwarts as the second greatest pranksters in the last two decades; Ron, Harry's best friend, who was obsessed with the quidditch team, The Chudley Cannons; and Ginny, the youngest child, who had eyes as brown as chocolate. Ginny had been through a rough ordeal in her first year, having been possessed by the memory of Tom Riddle but was now on the road to recovery and looking significantly happier than he'd last seen her. Beside them was Hermione, who was known for her love of books and kind heart. They were a diverse bunch of people, but to Harry they were family.
A little while after arriving, Mr Weasley approached Harry. "Harry, some within the Ministry would strongly discourage me from divulging what I'm about to reveal to you. But I think you need to know the facts."
Harry sighed. "Has this got anything do with Sirius Black, sir?"
Mr Weasley frowned. "What do you know about Black, Harry?"
"Only that he escaped from Azkaban."
Mr Weasley asked "Do you know why? 13 years ago, when you stopped…"
"Voldemort." Harry interrupted, knowing what Mr Weasley was about to say.
He flinched. "Harry, please don't say his name. You know how it scares us."
"But sir, fear of a name only increases the fear of thing itself. Professor Dumbledore told me that in my first year."
"Harry, listen. When you stopped You-Know-Who, Black lost everything. But to this day, he still remains a faithful servant. And in his mind, you are the only thing that stands in the way of his master returning to power. That is why he escaped. To find you."
"And kill me." Harry said. It was not a question, but a statement.
Mr Weasley touched Harry's shoulder. "Look, just swear to me that whatever you hear, you won't go looking for Black."
Harry replied "Mr Weasley, why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me? Trouble usually finds me, not the other way around."
He seemed satisfied by this and walked off to join the family again. Harry remained, thinking for a minute. Something felt off. He'd have to do some more investigating.
xxxx
At 2 O'clock, Harry, the Weasley's and Hermione decided it was high time to do their shopping. Having only just returned from spending the entire summer in Egypt, the Weasley Family hadn't yet had an opportunity to buy school supplies.
Their first stop was Gringotts. Again, his eyes caught sight of the poem that adorned the entranceway.
Enter Stranger, But Take Heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors,
A Treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware,
Of finding more than treasure there.
It would not do to anger the goblins, Harry thought quietly to himself as they walked through the doors. As they waited in line for a teller to serve them each, the tension was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. Ron and Hermione had fought as usual – this time over the fact that Ron had still not started his homework. In his defence, his brothers had reminded her that they'd been on holiday visiting Bill. Harry, of course, quietly felt for Hermione. He could understand her worries.
A voice to his left called "Next Please!" so Harry, who was first in line, stepped up to the teller.
"Name?"
"Harry James Potter."
"Do you have your key?" the goblin asked gruffly. Harry nodded and handed to him. After inspecting it, the goblin replied, "that seems to be in order." Another one was summoned to take Harry to his vault and off went the cart.
The unlikely pair were halfway to Harry's vault when he had a sudden realisation. The goblin looked familiar.
"Griphook? Is that you?" he asked.
The goblin turned its head in shock. "I'm shocked, Mr Potter. Very few of your kind remember the goblins that have served them in the past."
Harry just smiled softly. Something deep inside him acknowledged that the Goblins would be an excellent ally in a war. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.
They reached the vault and Harry grabbed just enough galleons for the few things he hadn't purchased. He'd bought the majority of his school supplies the day after he arrived. The trip back to the surface was quiet. Harry bowed to Griphook as he'd seen others do. "May your gold be ever bountiful."
"And may yours never run low."
He wasn't sure if that was correct custom, but he thought it was better to be respectful. As he walked out, Griphook called after him. "Mr Potter?"
Harry faced the goblin again. "Yes Sir?"
"Call me Griphook. You're thirteen now are you not?"
"That's correct. Why?"
Griphook smiled toothily. "When you're next in Flourish and Blotts, ask Mr Flourish for a book named Lords and Ladies: A Practical Guide to Wizarding Politics and Law. I believe you'll find the section on Emancipation rather informative.
Harry nodded. "Yes Sir. Thank you."
Stepping into the sunlight, he saw Hermione standing on the front steps, waiting for him. Had he really been gone that long?
"Hermione? Where's everyone else?"
She spun around and grabbed him in a tight hug. "They went to buy their books. We're meeting up at Fortescue's in half an hour."
Half an hour with Hermione? This was brilliant. "What do you want to do until then?"
She thought for a moment. "Well Harry, I really would like a pet of some kind."
"Alright." Harry wrapped his elbow around hers and they set off for the pet store. When they arrived, they found that Ron and Ginny were there too.
"I thought you were at the bookstore." Hermione said in confusion.
Ginny's eyes widened when she saw how close Harry and Hermione were. She cleared her throat and replied "Well, we were but mum told us to come and get Scabbers checked."
"Is there something wrong with him?" Harry asked.
Ron gestured to his rat. "Scabbers has been a little off since Black escaped."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other curiously. That was strange. They observed the scene for a few minutes before Hermione remembered why she'd come. "Harry, I'm just going to look around." He nodded. However, something was drawing him towards her. He felt strongly as though he needed to protect her. So, he followed. A few moments after they stopped, a giant orange blur came flying towards them. It was chasing after a grey blur. Harry's eyes widened in realisation. The cat and rat ran three laps around the store before the rat scurried up Ron's leg and onto his shoulder. The cat landed on the counter with a thud. Hermione stretched her hand out to pat it. The store clerk gasped in amazement as it sniffed her and purred loudly. "I think it likes you Mione."
She smiled and stroked its head. While the Weasley siblings were looking away, Harry stepped up and told the lady that he would like to pay. Thankfully, no one noticed. In fact, Harry had to stop himself from bursting into riotous laughter when Hermione tried to. She huffed in embarrassment when she realised what happened. Finally, they gathered up the cage and treats before leaving to have some ice cream.
oxooxxo
When they got to the ice cream parlour, Mrs Weasley was already there, as were the twins, Percy and Arthur. "Where have you been children?"
"Scabbers went wild when this ugly thing here started chasing after him." Ron growled. Harry didn't know what was so bad about it but decided to stay silent.
It was in the next part of their conversation that Harry discovered the truth. He was happily licking away at his two scoops of strawberry and mint chocolate chip ice cream when Ron said to him "Harry, what the hell were you thinking buying Hermione that furball? He looks like he walked into a trashcan and started snogging it. She could have paid for it herself. Why do you need to flaunt your money?"
Harry raised his eyebrows. Ron glared at him. "Well?"
Harry looked down, trying to bring his temper back in before speaking. He decided there was no point wasting energy by being angry. "First of all, I bought it as a gift. As you well know, her birthday is coming up in a little under three weeks. Second, I know she could have paid for it herself, but she's done so much for us that I wanted to thank her. And third, I don't think he is ugly at all." There was a sniff beside him. Apparently, the girls had heard it all.
"Thank you, Harry." Hermione choked out.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Shh, it's alright." Ron looked even angrier when he did this. Ah, so Ron loved her too. This would be an interesting year then.
Harry spent the rest of the time making sure Hermione was happy and ignoring the dirty looks Ron threw at him.
oxoxo
As the large group stood up, Harry realised he still had time to get the book Griphook had recommended. He tapped Mrs Weasley on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Mrs Weasley?"
"Call me Molly dear. Now what can I do for you dear?"
"I wondered if you could take Hermione's new cat back with you. I forgot something, and I want her to come with me."
She smiled warmly. "Of course, dear."
"Thank you." He replied and went to tell Hermione the good news.
"Hey Mione, I've got one more thing to get. Will you come with me to Flourish and Blotts? Mrs Weasley said she'll take your cat."
Hermione's smile was all the answer he needed.
oxoo
The bookstore was quiet. The last few customers of the day milled around, gathering this book and that one. Harry browsed the items around the till as he waited for Mr Flourish to reappear. From what Harry could see, Mr Flourish was helping another customer find a book. "There's some nice journals isn't there?"
She nodded and smiled in response. Harry watched as she happily looked around. She was beautiful. Behind him, a noise recaptured his attention. The man was back. "How may help you?"
"Mr Flourish, Griphook told me about a book you had. Lords and Ladies or something along those lines." Harry's fringe slipped as he looked in Mr Flourish's eyes.
"Ah, Mr Potter. He told me to expect you. I have it right here for you."
His eyes widened. Gringotts certainly were efficient. "How much is it?"
"For you, nothing."
"But surely – "
"Please. It is a small sacrifice for the difference I know you will make. If you're anything like your mother Lily, the wizarding community will never be the same when you're done."
Harry lost the silent battle and nodded grudgingly. "Alright. Thank you, Mr Flourish."
oxoxoxo
After dinner that evening, Harry was sitting on his bed when there was a knock at his door. He opened to find Hermione, who held a wrapped gift in her hands.
"What's this?" He asked as she handed it to him.
"Payback." She replied.
He hugged her. "Today was nice wasn't it?"
She quirked her lips shyly. "Yes." She whispered. "Open the gift."
He did as she asked and his mouth dropped open in surprise. She'd brought him a journal. "Wow." That was all the pair needed before they flopped on the couch and talked for four hours. He'd learnt more about her childhood, and what it was like having to wait the entire year before going to Hogwarts. As more was discovered about the other, more questions were posed and answered.
She left quietly at eleven thirty, blowing him a kiss as she walked down the corridor. He released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and sat down to write.
August 31, 1993
Today was quite simply one of the best days of my life. Ron tried to ruin it with his jealousy, but it all worked out in the end. I believe I heard his mother shouting at him. Hermione must have let her know at some point.
There were a few things that stood out to me.
Crookshanks, that's Hermione's new cat, seems to have a liking for me yet can't stand to be around Ron. There's also something strikingly familiar about him.
Ron is jealous of what I have and seems to forget what I don't. He's also in love with Hermione.
Hermione is growing up.
Ron's rat, Scabbers, has been fine until the news of Sirius Black's escape.
Scabbers has been in the family for twelve years (I heard him tell the Store Clerk). If I remember what I was taught in Primary School, that is unheard of.
Everyone is worried that I'll go after Black.
Griphook seems to have a plan. Mr Flourish seems to know about said plan.
Well, that's it for now. I must try and sleep, although I doubt I will. I'm too excited.
Bye for now.
HJP.
A/N: Another plot bunny out of my head and into writing. Yay! I'll be back to update my current stories soon but I have one more to deal with. In case it's not obvious, this fic will be Harry/Hermione (my first time writing one) and Harry will have a backbone. Thanks for reading.
