His Life's Grace
Part I: Serpentine
Chapter Four
Reawakening

Harry opened his eyes groggily, cringing at the soreness in his muscles. He shifted his head to the side, trying to make out the blobs of color. He slowly brought his hand up to rub at his eyes tiredly and then blinked the fuzziness out of his eyes.

Leo was sleeping in a chair next to the bed, his knees drawn up under his chin. Vincent was seating on the floor by the chair, his head resting against Leo's legs.

"Leo," Harry tried to call, he cleared his throat when no sound came out. Frustrated, he made a quick motion with his hand. Eyes wide, he watched as a book flew across the room and hit Leo on the head. "Oops."

"Ack!" Leo kicked Vincent on the head, startled. "Bloody hell was-" He was up in an instant as he noticed Harry was awake, ignoring Vincent who was groaning in pain. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by the Knight Bus," murmured Harry.

Leo only smiled thinly, his eyes were red and he looked to be on the verge of tears. Vincent sat on the bed, still holding his head. All three looked up as the door opened, admitting the headmaster followed by a younger boy Harry did not recognize. Though he did resemble Rudo somehow, with blonde hair and grey eyes.

The boy waved his hand imperiously and both Vincent and Leo moved aside, albeit rather reluctantly. He sat beside Harry on the bed, grasping his hand and turning it over. Then reaching up and laying a hand across Harry's forehead.

"He should be fine now," the boy stated, his grey eyes regarded Harry indifferently.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, confused.

"Rayn," was all the boy said, standing. "I'll inform your friends of the... good news."

Leo, Vincent, and the headmaster remained silent until the door closed behind the blonde, after which everyone seemed to relax.

"He frightens me," stated Vincent, deadpanned.

The headmaster took the seat Leo had previously been using. "You gave us quite the scare, Mister Potter."

"You've been... sleeping… for about nine days," Leo said.

Vincent snorted. "You've been practically dead for nine days."

Harry groaned, clearing his throat. Leo brought him a glass of water that he drank down greedily.

"Do you remember what happened?" asked the headmaster, for once not looking out of place and confused.

"Not really," said Harry, shaking his head and groaning at the pain that brought. "I was going to take a nap in Vincent and Leo's room. I was so dizzy and tired... then it hurt. So much."

"Well," the headmaster clapped his hands, looking grim and upset. "We're not sure what happened. A student came across you on his way to class."

"At least you're awake now!" exclaimed Vincent. "You looked like a dead person when we first brought you in here!"

"..." Leo glared at Vincent.

"Err..." Vincent fidgeted. "Malfoy is bringing food. We don't want you withering away into nothingness, after all."

"Well," the headmaster stood, he pat Harry on the head on his way out. "I have some things to attend to."

"I have to go back to the infirmary," said Leo, he hugged Harry tightly. "I'm glad you're alright." He briefly ran his fingers through Vincent's hair before leaving.

"So..." Vincent began awkwardly, his eyes darting about the room restlessly. "How are you feeling?"

Harry stared at him blankly, and then turned to admire the flowers and candy on the bedside table. He grabbed a couple of cards to read them.

"You seem to have gathered quite a few admirers," Vincent said, smiling almost proudly. "Of course, the big bouquet is from Runako and Rudo. They couldn't decide what type of flowers to get you, so they got all the available ones."

The emerald eyed boy regarded said bouquet in confusion. "Rudo and Runako."

"Rayn was there," Vincent looked about in trepidation, as though said boy was going to jump out and attack him. "Those two are whipped."

Harry raised an eyebrow in his direction, deciding not to comment on his own apparent lack of will when it came to Leo. Thankfully, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in already!" Vincent shrieked. He smiled sheepishly at Harry, who had dropped the card he was holding in shock.

"There's no need for you to scream," Rudo mumbled. "Although, you could have at least opened the bloody door!"

Vincent remained silent, visibly shrinking when Rayn followed Rudo into the room. They were then joined by Runako, Romulus, Raven, Erian, Rudolphus, and after a minute, Tom. "Are we having a party or something?"

"Maybe later," agreed Romulus, carrying a food tray and placing it beside Harry on the bed.

Harry ignored them while he ate, not even bothering to look up from his tray. After a while he noticed that no one was speaking and he looked up, only to find everyone staring at him.

"What?" he wondered.

"You're quiet," commented Rudo, smiling uncertainly.

"What do you want me to say?" Harry settled back, gazing back at the evenly.

"Well, you've been dead for nine-" Runako let out a startled yelp as Rayn smacked him across the head.

Rayn glared at Vincent. "What have you been telling everyone?" He didn't wait for an answer, turning back to Harry. "You were found unconscious in the corridor leading to the Head Boy quarters. A student heard The Lion roaring and decided to check it out, which in turn led him to finding you."

"And yet nobody knows what happened to me?" Harry cocked an eyebrow, then returned to his food while frowning worriedly. "Could this happen to me again? Do you think it's because..."

"Because you're a time traveler?" Rayn questioned, he waved his hand around at his startled look. "It became necessary for me to know since I was asked to heal you. It could certainly be due to that, however. But since we've never had to deal with a time traveler before, especially one who is apparently from very far in the future... we can't know anything for certain."

The atmosphere of the room was certainly grim, Harry noticed, as though someone had died. "But I'm all right for now," he said softly. "Right?"

Rayn looked uncertain and the others turned to stared at him questioningly and imploringly. "Of course," he said slowly, staring at Harry as though he was going to keel over at any moment. It wasn't very reassuring, that was for sure.

Romulus suddenly let out a frustrated groan. "Can we all stop scaring him, now! Your bedside manner sucks, Rayn."

The blonde blinked and had the grace to look embarrassed. "Forgive me. I did not mean to cause you undue stress."

"Would you stop talking like that?" Romulus continued. "You need to relax! Get laid!"

Runako reached over and punched him on the shoulder. "Will you stop telling him that!"

The two got into a scuffle while the others tried to separate them. Harry could only laugh at their antics and Vincent sent the two a grateful look.

The group settled down around the room, taking turns to tell Harry about everything that had happened in his absence. "So everyone thinks I was attacked... by girls?" Harry wondered.

"They think that maybe some of the girls took their newly found interest in you a little overboard and... decided to molest you," said Rudo, wrinkling his nose in disdain.

"I hope that never actually happens," mumbled Vincent, a frightened look in his eyes.

Harry looked around the room surreptitiously, eyes lingering on Tom who sat in a corner being talked to by Rudo. He couldn't help but wonder why the boy was even in the room.

The door opened and Leo stopped just inside the room, looking around in apparent confusion. That quickly changed to anger, however. "I thought I said no more than two visitors at a time!" He suddenly screeched. Harry ogled at the speed with which Leo ran about the room smacking everyone on the head. It seemed so normal, for Leo at least. "Out! Out! He needs to rest and he can't do that with all of you hanging about like idiots!"

The group shuffled out of the room quickly and Harry smiled as they waved at him or in Rudo's case, blew him a kiss. Tom lingered in the doorway momentarily, he gave Harry a small nod and then tilted his head in the direction of his bedside table before leaving quickly.

Leo was mumbling as he tucked the covers around Harry, forcing him to lay on his back. He quietly summoned a house elf to take away the dirty dishes. "Rest just a little bit more, Harry."

Harry closed his eyes and relaxed. He heard the door open and then close with an audible click. Slowly he peaked his eyes open, then sat up when he saw he was alone. Quietly as he could, he reached over and pulled all the cards on his bedside table onto the bed with him. He smiled as he read the top one, from Raven, who had drawn a strange little creature inside which she explained would protect him from further physical harm. He read through the cards until he came upon one that was signed "Tom Riddle". He closed it in order to re-examine the front which, unlike the other ones, wasn't enchanted to move.

The drawing on the front was plain. It was a little stick figure with a sad expression on it's rounded head, it's little stick arms pulled up to it's face as though praying. Harry couldn't help but smile as he traced the figure before opening the card. "I'm not too proud to say I'm sorry," Harry read. "I'm sorry. Get well soon. Tom Riddle."

With a bittersweet smile, Harry traced Tom's name. Pushing the cards aside, he sat up slowly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. There was a pitcher of water on the bedside table but no sign of a glass. There were also bags of, he assumed, clothing scattered about the room. He stood, albeit wobbly, and made his way to the door. Not even thinking about the too large shirt and pyjama pants he was sporting as he peaked out wonderingly.

The door led into a large, heavily decorated room that resembled the Gryffindor common room. The far wall was lined with bookshelves built into it, filled with books. There was a large window covered by curtains on the right wall.

He walked across the room slowly. Harry scratched his head and examined the bookshelves closely, noting one of them was sticking out of place. Upon closer examination he found what appeared to be a doorknob and turned it, finding the bookshelf served as a door as well. "Interesting." It led into a simple bathroom, with a tub in one corner that resembled a smaller version of the prefects' bath. He shrugged and closed the door behind him as he wandered away.

Making his way to the window and pulling aside the curtains, he smiled at the sight that greeted him. The room was stationed by the Quidditch field, he could see students on brooms, though they appeared as mere specks to him. He could make out the Slytherin green and wondered if Tom was on the Quidditch team. Though he was feeling very unclean, he decided he was too tired to bother taking a bath and headed back to the bedroom.

When he next woke it was to muffled voices. He blinked his eyes open and looked around, noticing that he was alone and the voices were coming from the other room. Though they sounded as though they were below him.

With a yawn and a stretch, he stood and made his way to join whoever was out there. Blinking in shock when he opened the door to discover a small hallway instead of the room from the previous night. He eyed the stairwell to his left with suspicion before heading down, stopping at the bottom to eye yet another door which resembled the one from the room. He cautiously opened it and stuck his head out.

"You're awake!" Leo exclaimed as he caught sight of him. Harry stared at him for a second before fully stepping into the room. "You should take a shower and get dressed. You found the bathroom, I presume?"

Harry nodded, still confused.

"This will be your room from now on," Leo continued, he set the tray he'd been carrying on a table Harry most definitely knew hadn't been there before. "The room has a mind of its own, anything you need you'll have. These used to be the Head Boy rooms but we discovered that it plays favorites and it didn't really like Vincent. Dumbledore told us these rooms used to belong to Godric Gryffindor. But we didn't really care much. The bedroom sometimes likes to switch around, it gets bored staying in one place so don't be alarmed when it does that."

Harry nodded again, looking back at the door he had come through. "Where is everyone?"

"Off about, I suppose," Leo shrugged. "It is Saturday. Come eat."

The small boy blinked and joined him.

"You seem to be feeling better."

"Yes," Harry said. "I guess I did need a good rest."

"Well, being unconscious isn't really resting," said Leo.

Harry bit his bottom lip as he eyed Leo thoughtfully, there were somethings he wanted to know and now was a good time as any to ask. "Leo, you and Vincent..."

Leo tensed. "Our Father had an affair with my mother. Actually, he never told her he was arranged to be married. He's a coward and a liar."

"Why do you say that?" Harry wondered, though it wasn't what he wanted to know.

Leo frowned. "Vincent is a year older than me, Harry. Father was arranged to be married but he had already bedded his to-be-wife and conceived Vince. He lied to my mother and he lied to his own wife."

"Oh," Harry frowned thoughtfully.

"Vincent and I met when I first came to Hogwarts," continued Leo. "We didn't know we were related until last year. Father thought the best way to separate us would be for him to claim me as his son, which I am. It was quite the scandal, actually."

"Separate..." Harry mumbled, clueless.

"I was Leoned Black before he claimed me, now I'm Leoned Potter," Leo rolled his eyes.

"Black?" Harry demanded in surprise.

"Yeah, my mother is a Black," explained Leo. "She was disowned, of course. Because she had me out of wedlock. She doesn't care, though."

"So you and Runako are...?"

"Distantly related. Runako is from the main branch of the Black family," Leo waved his hand about randomly. "It's all very complicated. We're sort of the black sheep of the Black family. My great-grandfather, Headmaster Dippet, is a Black on his mother's side. His daughter, my grandmother, married a distant Black cousin."

Harry was feeling a headache coming on but refrained from interrupting. Leo caught sight of his horrified expression and chuckled. "Yeah, the Black family has always been a little weird. Mother didn't want any part of that and she was actually glad when Father demanded I change my name to Potter."

Not wishing to get into another discussion, though Harry wondered if maybe the Black family "weirdness" hadn't rubbed off on Leo after all, he remained silent as he polished off his food. He didn't think he could deal with anymore revelations at the moment, anyway.

Smiling mischievously, Leo casually commented, "So Tom came to visit you yesterday with the others..."

"Yeah, so?" Harry said in an uncaring manner, though he had become tense.

"It's plain to everyone that you two-"

"What's going on in the Muggle world right now?" Harry interrupted quickly.

Leo cocked an eyebrow but allowed the change of subject. "There's a war. There's been a war for the past two years, I think. I'm not too sure about it, actually. But Rayn's lost friends already. If you're really interested and feeling brave, you might ask Reeve Cruizov, one of Rudo's friends that I believe you met. He and his mother were taken in by the Malfoys because their home was destroyed or something."

"I trade in one war for another," Harry muttered to himself. "A Muggle war wouldn't affect the Wizarding World, though, would it?"

Leo shrugged, standing up to stretch. "Some wizards have Muggle families. Now, are you going to eat?"

Harry shrunk back into his seat. "I need to think."

"You need to eat it all," Leo said. "Promise me you'll eat it?"

"I promise," said Harry.

The red head gave him a long look before leaving him and Harry waited until the door closed behind Leo before he resumed eating. His thoughts in disarray, though in the forefront all he could think was; "I do not like Tom Riddle." He didn't know who he was trying to fool.