Third
"Harry?" the timid voice of Hermione called out to the brunet. He paused with a heavy sigh, his fingers automatically going to Sebastian's feathered breast. The raven nibbled on his hair, shuffling closer to the boy's head in comfort. Harry had found himself touching the demon more frequently when he was in his animal form, deriving pleasure from the soft contact. When Sebastian was his human self, no mention was made of Harry's almost compulsive behavior toward his butler's animal form.
Turning, he met the soft caramel eyes of the girl who had called to him. Standing at her side, like a loyal puppy, was Ron, his blue eyes focused on the bird on Harry's shoulder. There was suspicion in those eyes that made Harry exceedingly uncomfortable.
"What do you want?" he asked tiredly.
"We…we don't get to see or talk to you anymore, Harry, and we miss you," she answered softly. Harry fought hard not to roll his eyes at the sentiment, his patience wearing incredibly thin. Between the Gryffindors' obsessive need to always know where the Potter Lord was or what he was doing and the constant vigilance he'd had to take in Slytherin to avoid being captured by Parkinson, his nerves were frayed.
"I'm fine, as you can see."
"Why do you always have that damn bird with you?" the redhead snarled suddenly, eyes narrowed. "It's creepy, the way you're never without it. There's something not right about that bird." Ron stepped toward Harry, reaching for the raven on his shoulder. The bird fluttered a short distance away, and Sebastian landed in his human form, towering over Harry's shoulder and glowering at Ron. The Weasel inhaled a sharp gasp, stumbling away from Harry as his butler leaned forward over Harry's left shoulder, hands clasped behind his back.
"I am Sebastian, the young Master's butler and bodyguard. I would advise you to keep your distance, lest I feel that you are a danger to my master and must deal with you."
"Does professor Dumbledore know you have a bodyguard, Harry?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide on the intimidating figure standing over her friend's shoulder. The brunet shrugged, unconcerned.
"Don't you feel it's necessary?" he shot back. "After all, every year some nut job gets into the school and tries to kill me. Sebastian is here for my safety and well-being." Harry paused for a beat, then narrowed his eyes. "Unless you lot want to be without a Savior."
"No, no, that's not what I'm saying," the girl was quick to say. "I just think that the headmaster should know about him, to make sure he's no danger to anyone, including you." Harry opened his mouth to snap, but closed it when Sebastian gripped his shoulder and bent down to whisper in his ear.
"Young Master, perhaps you would benefit from pawns on the other side of the war. After all, in order to achieve anything, you must have information from all sides. Besides, if you appear to be playing nice with people who were thought your friends, it would keep others from becoming suspicious, thereby forestalling any awkward questions." Nodding, Harry turned back to the Gryffindors.
"You're right. I should go and speak to the headmaster about Sebastian. Who knows, he might just be happy that I have protection in the snakepit." Turning, he listened as his butler fell into step behind him, with the other two students bringing up the rear. Harry rolled his eyes as he ascended the moving staircases and slowly made his way to the headmaster's office. He stood before the gargoyle, spitting out candy names before Sebastian leaned forward and allowed his eyes to glow red for an instant. The gargoyle hastily leapt aside, looking fearful, and Harry fought to withhold the snicker that threatened to escape. He ascended the moving spiral staircase first, followed closely by his butler, then Hermione and Ron at a distance. Before he could knock, he was bade to enter.
The group walked into the office, and the old man's eyebrows skated past his hairline in surprise. He had only been expecting Harry; after all, the child had come to him the same time the previous two years, almost like clockwork. The brunet sat in one of the gaudily upholstered chairs, Sebastian at his left shoulder, and Ron stood behind the other chair that Hermione was perched in.
"Harry, my boy," the old man said cheerfully, cautious blue eyes on the stranger. "I'm glad to see you here and in one piece. You gave this old man's heart quite a fright when we couldn't locate you."
"As you can see, headmaster, I'm fine," the Potter Lord answered diffidently. "I've come to speak to you about Sebastian," he raised a hand to indicate the man at his shoulder. "He is my butler, my guardian, and my bodyguard. The both of us felt it would be more prudent if he attended the school with me for my protection." Blue eyes narrowed, but the genial smile never left the old man's face.
"Nonsense, my boy. Hogwarts is the safest place in wizarding Great Britain for you. No harm will come to you here." Harry settled into the chair, prepared for a battle.
"Is that so, sir? If I recall correctly, in my first year I had to face a troll, and a Death Eater disguised as a bumbling teacher. If Hermione hadn't have showed me some of those defensive spells in that third year spell book, I would've died. Just last year, I had to face a basilisk and the ghost of a teen-aged Tom Riddle. My best friend's sister died as well. Death Eaters and ghosts of the Dark Lord have free rein in this school. So explain to me how I'm safer here than anywhere else."
"Harry, you must understand," Albus tried another tack, "I cannot allow an adult that isn't one of the staff access to the students, unprotected. How do I know that this man is not a Death Eater who has tricked you into believing that he's here to protect you? I cannot take any chances with the rest of the students. He must leave at once."
"I'm afraid that I cannot allow that," Sebastian said in his soft voice. "My duty is to my master and I only take orders from him. He has commanded that I attend the school with him, and provide him protection at all times. I cannot go against my orders."
"He cannot stay here," Dumbledore said harshly, the kind grandfatherly façade falling away in his anger. "He will be a distraction, and I cannot vouch for his trustworthiness. Please, Harry, see reason. I only do this for the safety and protection of all my students, including you."
"Sebastian Michaelis has been my butler since I was a small child," Harry lied effortlessly. "While my parents and I hid away in Godric's Hollow, he was stationed at one of the other Manors, seeing to its upkeep until we could return. When he'd finally heard of my parents' deaths, as well as my placement with my muggle relatives, he had the Manor prepared for my arrival, and had made arrangements to bring me there at the end of last year. My parents have entrusted him with my life, and nothing else will be said on the matter." The hard tone in Harry's voice made everyone back down, and a small smirk lit on Sebastian's face.
"He can't be seen wandering the halls with you," Dumbledore tried to regain some control over the situation. "He cannot go to classes with you, either. He will be too great a distraction."
"That is easily taken care of," Sebastian said again, his copper eyes glinting in the low light from the fire. He stepped back, and everyone watched as his form rippled and shuddered until a very large raven stood in his place. The bird flapped to Harry's shoulder, nipping his ear and grooming his hair. Albus collapsed back into his chair in defeat.
"Very well. He may stay. But," he glared hard at Harry, offending the brunet, "if I hear of a single incident involving him, either in his human or bird form, he will go, and I will have no argument about it." The three teens stood from their chairs and left, Harry bringing up the rear. The raven turned its head to look back at the headmaster, a red glow deep within those black eyes, and Albus' eyes widened in fright. Once the door closed, he rose quickly and headed for the bar in the corner, pouring himself a stiff shot of firewhiskey. I only imagined it. It was just the firelight, reflecting off the bird's eyes. Nothing more.
"You want to come to the Quidditch pitch with us? Hang out for a little while?" Ron asked tentatively as they made their way back to the entrance hall. Harry looked at the Gryffindors, his thoughts whirling in his head.
"Hmm? Oh, not right now," he answered absently. "I've some things I need to do before classes start tomorrow." Seeing the crestfallen looks, he quickly continued. "How about we take a walk around the lake later. We can catch up on things then." Both Gryffindors smiled widely before they headed outside. Harry turned to the stairs leading down to the dungeons, his fingers restlessly stroking the raven's breast as his thoughts piled up on each other. He entered the Slytherin common room and headed directly to his room, breathing a sigh of relief when he found the bedroom empty. He sat on his bed, the raven flying to the back of his desk chair before reverting to his butler once again.
"That was a masterful job of storytelling, young Master," Sebastian said with a small smile. Harry grinned back at him, emerald eyes alit with mischief.
"I couldn't very well tell him that I'd made a deal with a demon, now could I? Besides, now that he knows of you in both forms, it won't be awkward to explain should he come upon you in your human form."
"I shall endeavor not to let that happen, sir. I will remain in my raven form at all times outside this room."
"Good. Don't want to give the old goat an excuse to remove you from the school. However," Harry turned pensive as he looked at his butler, "I suspect the headmaster may indeed become a problem down the road. I think he feels he has the right to dictate how my life is to be lived, since both my parents and godparents are dead. I'm not sure how I'll handle things if he tries to insist that I see him alone. I don't want to have any meetings with him without you there."
"I can turn into a spider, if necessary, should you find it impossible to avoid his summons," Sebastian said. "The terms of our deal are very clear. I am to protect you to the best of my abilities for as long as the contract remains in place. Do not worry so, young Master. I will always be beside you."
"Oi, Harry! Did you have to bring him with you?" Ron's voice was irritated as the redhead spied the raven sitting on his friend's shoulder. Hermione nudged the freckled teen in the ribs and gave him a glare.
"It's ok, Hermione," Harry said as he smiled at the girl. "I get why he's pissed off. But don't worry." He looked at Ron intently, almost glaring. "Sebastian will not repeat anything said by anyone. He is loyal to me, and will do what he can to protect me, even if it means keeping my secrets." The trio made their slow way around the lake, sitting by a tree near the widest part of the water. The raven fluttered down to perch on a bent knee, and Harry ran his fingers along Sebastian's head and back, smiling as the bird seemed to push up into his hand, begging for more caresses.
"So, where have you been all summer, Harry?" Hermione asked softly. They had made sure there was no one around before the girl put up a silencing bubble to protect their conversation.
"Like I told Dumbledore, I was living in my Manor."
"Professor Dumbledore," the girl corrected with a glare, "and what Manor? I didn't know you had a Manor. I thought all you had was the destroyed cottage at Godric's Hollow."
"That's what I thought, too, until I'd received a letter from Sebastian in April. He told me that he'd searched everywhere for us after we went into hiding, but hadn't heard anything from or about us for the last eleven years. When he'd heard that my family was dead, he put in even greater effort to find me." Harry looked down at the demon who had saved his life, a small smile on his face. "It was Rita Skeeter, actually, who pointed him in the right direction. He had seen the articles in the Prophet about me, and had tried to get into Hogwarts to see me. Unfortunately, he was denied access, so he went to Skeeter and, with the right number of galleons, was able to get my whereabouts in the muggle world. He went there and performed a bit of magic to erase me from their memories. He also found a way into the school through the Chamber of Secrets, and found me there after the basilisk had attacked me. He brought me back to my Manor and nursed me back to health. He's been with me ever since."
"What happened in the Chamber last year?" Ron asked hesitantly. "I know Ginny died, but the headmaster didn't have many details."
"Ginny was the one to open the Chamber and set the basilisk loose." Ron's face reddened, and he opened his mouth to yell, but Harry held up a hand, silencing him. He settled for glaring at the brunet. "The diary she was writing in was possessed by the spirit of a teenaged Voldemort. Lucius Malfoy put the diary in your sister's cauldron before school started, when your father and he got into that shoving match in the bookstore. Lucius was trying to discredit your father, to get him kicked out of the Ministry and tarnish the image of Dum…" Hermione glared and Harry corrected himself. "…professor Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix.
"What Lucius didn't realize was that the diary was cursed, and as soon as Ginny started to write in it, it possessed her. Through her, Voldemort was able to open the Chamber and release the basilisk. When I finally got to that part of the Chamber at the end of last term, I saw the teen-aged Voldemort standing over her. She was so pale, and barely breathing. He called the basilisk forth, and I tried to fight it. I'd found old bones down there, from past victims, and I did everything I could to keep it away from her, but it finally bit into my arm and broke off a fang. When it reared back in pain from the broken tooth, I took that opportunity to stab the diary with the poisoned fang, hoping that would end the spirit's attempt to kill your sister. I was too late. The spirit died and the basilisk went back to sleep, but Ginny's soul was gone." Tears were streaming down Hermione's and Ron's faces, and Harry had to swallow the bubble of laughter that threatened to escape.
"You tried, mate," Ron choked out, relieved to have heard the truth. Hermione could only nod, lips pinched closed to hold in her sobs. The raven looked at Harry, black eyes to green, and slowly winked. After a few moments of silence, Ron spoke again. "How do you know that it was Malfoy that put the diary in Ginny's cauldron?"
"Draco told me," Harry answered simply. At the shocked looks from the two Gryffindors, Harry elaborated. "When I was re-sorted, Draco made an effort to put the past behind us. He reached out a hand of friendship to me, and I accepted. Turns out that we ended up roommates as well, and to show that he was genuine, he told me about the diary. He told me that his father had bragged about 'taking down that upstart Weasley' in the Ministry. Gloated that 'Dumbledore and his pets would soon be out of the picture'."
"You believed him?" Hermione asked, eyes wide. Harry looked at her like she was stupid before answering.
"Why would he lie and implicate his own father?"