Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books and/or movies is not mine.
A/N: This chapter's practically the same except for I've added a small flashback with Sirius and Remus talking about Harry's health the night of the last chapter. Or, to make it simple, they're talking the night of Harry's birthday. I'm trying to build up the storyline a bit more, as I realized that what the upcoming plot holds needed a bit more of a base - so I've fixed it up a bit. You may or may not catch on, but I don't think it really matters. I'll get the next chapter up soon. I'm a bit dissapointed by the lack of reviews, but it's nothing big. Thanks for those who read this and for those who reviewed! Now onward with the chapter!
Preternatural
By: xScenex and Rubber Ducky Loser
Chapter Three: Nevermore
Sirius Black was always one to worry over his Godson. Of course, it was only natural as the boy was the son of his best friend and his wife. But recently, his worry had been increasing.
He didn't know what it was, but he knew something had happened. Harry hadn't been himself, ever since he'd last seen him the Christmas before. That was over half a year ago.
After he had finished his Auror training in Germany, he was hoping to go home and find Harry good and healthy like always, but was surprised to see such a… change in the boy. Skinny and underfed were understatements to the state of being the child was in. Not that he was a child anymore-- he was nearly an adult. There were too many smaller things he noticed, such as, Harry didn't smile much, and when he did, it was usually forced. He didn't laugh anymore, and one of the most noticeable things was that he wasn't clumsy anymore.
But what unnerved him the most was the look in the boys eyes. The usual, nervous, shifty eyes that adorned his face were now overly bright and wise with a hint of grief and darkness in them, as if he'd seen too much in his lifetime that caused him such pain. The only time he'd ever seen that look was when he stared into the eyes of an old war Veteran - like MadEye. Even more unsettling was the color of his eyes now. They resembled the killing curse he'd seen many times; and it scared him.
Even Remus had noticed the changes - and when Remus knew something, he knew it. No joke. He remembered one of their previous conversations, one that took place the night of Harry's birthday…
The two men stared as the boy walked out of the sitting area, deep in thought. When he was way out of earshot and the shutting of his bedroom door was heard, Remus turned sharply towards Sirius.
"Something wrong, Moony?" Sirius questioned.
"Yes!" the man hissed, taking Sirius by surprise. "Harry's what's wrong!"
Taken completely aback, Sirius countered defensively, "There's nothing wrong with Harry! He's just a bit… depressed from what's been happening at Hogwarts!"
"That's not what I was talking about," the werewolf growled out, sniffing the air delicately. Sirius stared, slightly amused, and slightly apprehensive. What was he trying to get at?
"Then what?"
"His scent, Sirius. It's changed. It's full of Dark Magic. Traces of it, in any case."
"Dark magic?" Sirius paled greatly. Harry couldn't… he couldn't be….
The russet haired man looked seriously at his friend, "Sirius, I'll be truthful here. The magic I can smell is a bit subdued, as if he's been cursed by something. But it's not recent - not from what I can tell. It smells like those spells do after years and years since it had been used on a person."
"It may be because of what happened at the Department of Mysteries-"
"No, I would have noticed it before, then," Remus interrupted, his brows creasing in a frown.
Sirius began thinking franticly. What could his Godson have done? Or, better yet, what could someone have done to him? Anger bubbled in his chest, "If I find out that anyone has been casting curses on my son, I'll-"
"Sirius," Remus sighed, looking back towards the doorway where Harry left. "Calm down. Maybe it's just something I missed - he did take a lot of medical potions at the time that I saw him. It could have just subdued the scent and I never noticed it."
"Oh…" that sort of made since, Sirius thought. But hearing about Dark Magic and Harry made him very uneasy…
Sirius just didn't understand what was going on. What could have happened to his Godson in less than a year to cause such a change in him? Had a dark curse from the Death Eater attack at the Department of Mysteries have effected Harry? It was true that the treatment for the wounds was well over, but maybe there was something worse that the medi-wizards didn't catch? He decided he needed to talk to the Headmaster about it.
It was now a week before the return to Hogwarts that Sirius received an owl from the Headmaster responding to his previous letter on Harry's behalf.
Opening the letter eagerly, he read through it.
Dear Mr. Black,
I'm sorry to say that I do not know what has happened to young Harry. The last I saw him, he seemed in perfect health, albeit slightly depressed.
It might be due to the war. Many students are feeling it's effect now, which I hope this upcoming year, us professor's can change. Times like these, we need all the hope we can muster. But I cannot tell you what I gather from the Dark Magic Mr. Lupin was able to pick up on. It is true that things can be overlooked. Maybe you should have him checked up on it, but I wouldn't recommend it unless the issue becomes serious. There are too many dark wizards about, and with your reputation, it's not safe to admit him into a ward.
I assure you, though, that when Harry comes back, that I, along with the other professors, will keep an eye out for the boy. We will keep you informed with anything that might be going on and affecting him in any way.
My greatest apologies for not being much help in this case, Mr. Black. I will, however, do my best to help in the future if possible. I hope this letter finds you well,
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Sirius sighed. Dumbledore didn't know anything about Harry either. Well, he thought to himself, I'll just do my best for Harry. I'll do what I can to help him.
Harry was feeling down. It was the morning of his departure to Hogwarts, and the air in the house seemed to be darkened by the depressed mood's of both occupants. Sirius didn't want Harry to leave, and Harry felt the same. He wished to stay with his Godfather. He had just gotten back the man he'd seen die, and he wasn't about to just up and leave.
The boy refused touch a single thing on his plate as they sat down to 'Sirius' seriously spectacular special' breakfast, as the man jokingly put it.
"Come, Harry. You have to eat," the man urged, trying to pile more sausages onto the plate in front of the boy.
"I'm not hungry," Harry said in a detached voice, shoving the plate away from him. "I'm just not in the mood to eat."
"You're never in the mood to eat, Harry. You're still a stick! Please, eat something," Sirius whined loudly while pointing his fork at the boy. "Please?"
Sighing, Harry shook his head. "I wont keep it down if I do," he said quietly.
That caught Sirius' attention. "What? You wont keep it down?" When Harry shook his head, Sirius yelped concernedly, "Does that happen often? Do you usually throw up your food? How much can you keep down?"
Harry barely heard all the questions the man threw at him, "I can't keep food down if I'm upset. Alright? That's all. I'm fine, really. I'm not even hungry."
The older wizard seemed to deflate. "I'm worried about you, Harry. This isn't normal for a boy your age."
"Yeah," Harry muttered, "Well, I'm not a 'normal boy' as you put it."
"What was that?" Sirius questioned, having not heard what he said.
The boy sighed, "Nothing. I'm going to go make sure I packed everything. Alright?"
"Okay…"
Harry stood up and left the room, knowing that he had upset his Godfather. He felt bad, but he couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't keep much food down. Blame Voldemort for that.
He double checked his room for anything he might have missed as he packed. When he figured he'd gotten everything, he snapped the lid shut on his trunk and trudged down the stairs with it. It felt odd not having Hedwig with him, but he figured she was with Neville now.
"I'm ready to go, Sirius," Harry called out as he reached the front door.
Said wizard came into the room, holding a pair of keys that belonged to his car. Harry was a bit unnerved with having to drive in a car with Sirius, but he shrugged the feeling off. It wouldn't be that bad, right?
"I'll get your trunk, Harry. Go ahead and get in the car. You have Trevor, don't you?"
Harry nodded solemnly and obliged, settling himself comfortably into the front seat while holding onto a box he'd stuck the toad in. He watched as Sirius lugged his trunk to the back of the car where he shoved it into the compartment. After what seemed like forever of struggling, the man was finally able to shut the trunk door.
"Have fun?" Harry nearly grinned as his Godfather sat down in the driver's seat.
"No, what did you put in that thing? It was heavy!" the man whined.
"Just a few dozen books, my clothes, and the usual. I think you're just weak. I was able to carry it," Harry said with raised eyebrows.
"I'm not weak," the other replied indignantly.
"If you say so."
After sending Harry a sour look, Sirius started the car and backed out of the driveway. That's about the moment when Harry began fearing for his life.
"SIRIUS!" Harry shouted as they zoomed past a car on the highway about twenty minutes later. "Watch where you're GOING!"
"I am," the man replied happily, quickly swerving into the middle lane. "See?"
"Slow the BLOODY HELL down!" Harry shouted, covering his face with his hands.
Sirius looked incredulously at his Godson. He hardly ever cussed -- actually, he didn't even remember hearing his Godson cussing. It was actually a bit funny in his opinion.
The whole scenario went on for a long time before they reached the station. Harry was more than happy to get out of the car, feeling as if he'd never be on his own feet again.
"Thank Merlin," Harry mumbled as he extracted his luggage from the back of the car. "I thought you would get us killed for sure out there."
"Do you have no faith in me?" Frowned Sirius, brushing hair out of his eyes. "I'm a good driver, admit it."
"For someone's who's insane," was Harry's only response.
Pouting, Sirius led Harry towards where the barrier was. There was a large crowd of people around it, and Harry felt his heart leap when he noticed a group of redheads huddled over to the side. When he saw Ron, he wanted nothing more than to rush forward and greet his old friend, but he had to refrain himself. He knew seeing them again would be a bit painful, as he couldn't just talk to them like he used to. Suddenly, Harry felt as if he'd actually lost something since he'd arrived in the world where he wasn't The-Boy-Who-Lived.
"Something wrong, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, using the nickname he hadn't called Harry by for a long time. The boy looked up at him in surprise, causing Sirius to think he said the wrong thing, but to his relief, the boy broke out into a large smile; the first one in a long time.
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just… thinking," he said, looking back at the group of redheads. He noticed then, that there were other people with them. Hermione was there, along with another boy with light brown hair.
That's when he realized that it was Neville with them.
But he hardly recognized the boy. The Neville he stared at now had more confidence. He was thinner than the one he was used to, and he held himself differently. He actually reminded Harry of himself. But the oddest thing about him was the oddly shaped scar running against the brown-haired boys right cheek.
Was that his scar?
"Come on, Harry. Let's go. You don't want to miss the train, do you?"
Shaking his head, Harry followed his Godfather towards the barrier. None of the Weasley's looked his way, although when he passed Hermione, she did a double take and a flash of concern was evident in her eyes when she saw Harry.
At the girls look, Harry just blinked slowly and turned away as she said something to Neville, who turned in turn to stare at him in turn. It wouldn't be any good for him to stare -- he'd just feel more of the loss.
He felt awkward then. He must look loads different from the Harry they were used to. Sighing almost unhappily, Harry followed Sirius still until they were at the train, vaguely wondering if his appearance really had changed so much.
"I'll miss you, Harry. I want you to owl me whenever you can, and if anything happens or if anything's bothering you, tell me, okay?" Sirius said seriously, hugging his Godson tightly after they had made it to the platform.
"I'll miss you too, Sirius," he replied. "I'll owl, don't worry. And I'll be fine, so there's no use in worrying about that either."
"I can't help it--"
"I know, I know. You're just worried," Harry rolled his eyes, having heard that loads of times before. "But seriously, I'll be fine. Just take care of yourself. Don't strain yourself over me, or work. And stay safe."
Smiling broadly at Harry, Sirius hugged him again. "I'm so proud of you, you know that? You remind me so much of your Father sometimes. He'd always tell me to be safe every summer while we attended Hogwarts. But you're just like your mom too. I'm so proud of you."
Harry allowed a smile to grace his face, feeling as if a balloon had swelled in his heart. "Thanks, Sirius. That means a lot to me."
Ruffling the boys hair, Sirius gave the boy a small push, "Now get on that train. It wouldn't do if you missed your ride, now would it?"
"No, it wouldn't. Bye Sirius!" Harry waved as he pushed his trunk up into the train. "Take care of yourself, and like I said before, stay safe!"
The whistle sounded then, and the students began to mill around, trying to get on the train. Harry backed away from the door and started to move through the train, trying to find an empty compartment to sit in.
There was a lot for him to think about, such as the upcoming school year. He had no idea of what he would do, since his role had switched. But all he could do was hope that life would be easier, and his life wouldn't change too drastically from what it was now.
But he could only hope, he thought, as he sat down tiredly in his seat. Once again, he felt drained of energy. Everything seemed to exhaust him nowadays.
Sighing, he rubbed at his face. This is going to be one awkward year.
No one had come to visit him as he sat alone in one of the far back compartments of the train. It had been about an hour, and Harry was actually a bit relieved to not have to deal with anyone.
He stared out of the window, watching the many trees flash by in blurs of green and brown as the sky began to darken and clouds overtook the arriving stars. He sighed, feeling oddly detached and cold in the small train compartment.
The boy rubbed his arms a few times with his hands, trying to warm himself up; it didn't help. He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his thin arms around them in desperate attempts to trap heat against his body.
He didn't understand why he felt so cold. Almost amusedly, he wondered if there were Dementor's nearby, but decided against it as he didn't hear the terrors in his mind that usually accompanied the presence of the foul creatures.
The whole time he'd been on the train, his mind had been working nonstop. He wondered how things would be once he arrived at Hogwarts. How would the teachers treat him? What about all of the students? He also wondered what classes would be like.
Sighing heavily, Harry buried his head against his knees, messy black hair obscuring his features. He sat like that for quite some time before he heard footsteps approaching his compartment. He held his breath, unsure of what to do. What if it was someone he knew? Or, 'knew'?
A moments pause. Then the clicking of a doorknob turning, and the compartment door swung open. Harry didn't look up but peered out the best he could through his hair to see who had come into the compartment.
He saw a flash of brown, bushy hair before the voice of one of his dear friends spoke up, "Harry?"
Said boy grunted slightly, feeling his heart constrict as Hermione closed the door and took a seat across from him.
"Harry?" she repeated.
"Yeah?" he responded finally, lifting his face out of his arms to look at the girl. She looked the same as he had remembered her.
She bit her lower lip for a minute. "Harry, uhm, we -- that is, Ginny, Ron, Neville, and I, noticed that you aren't looking… yourself."
Raising an eyebrow delicately, he inquired slowly, "Really?"
Nodding, Hermione shifted a bit in her seat. "Did something happen to you over the summer?"
Harry nearly laughed. Leave it to her to be the first to show her concern and suspicion. The boy shook his head slowly, "I don't want to talk about it, Hermione. Okay?"
She gave him an exasperated look, "Why?"
"I just don't, okay?" he told her tiredly, allowing his face to fall back into the comfort of his arms. "I just don't."
Hermione didn't say anything for a long time. When she did, Harry cringed at the pity that seemed to drip from her voice. "Well, I suppose I'll be getting back to the others. I was just running my rounds on the train, and the others had said you hadn't showed up at all. If you want to talk about anything, we're here for you," and with that, she left.
Harry scowled. He hated the pity that he received from others. He had actually thought that since he wasn't The-Boy-Who-Lived anymore, he wouldn't have to deal with the emotions anymore. Maybe he was wrong.
Anger started building up but he tried to push it down. He didn't need to waste his energy by being in a foul mood. Harry took a deep, calming breath before he closed his eyes and drifted off into a fitful sleep.
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