Thank you to all of my readers, and particularly those who reviewed. I'm a little surprised by how popular this story has gotten, and I'm very happy people are enjoying this.
Tell all the truth but tell it slant, says my friend Emily Dickinson.
-Adah, Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
Having spent the weekend reading the books on the Animagus transformation, Harry was more than ready to do anything to alleviate his boredom. He had never been one for taking it easy when he was injured, and Albus refused to allow him to begin the transformation until he was fully healthy.
Hagrid! The thought hit him with the force of a bludger. Hagrid was still at risk of expulsion if he was found with Aragog. Harry had to find him as soon as possible and convince him to let the acromantula go. Fortunately, Albus was teaching a class at the moment. If he was lucky, he could find Hagrid and return before the professor noticed he was missing.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard a scolding trill. Turning, he found himself being given a disapproving look by Fawkes, who had been acting nearly as protective of him as Albus was. "It needs to be done, Fawkes, before it's too late," Harry said apologetically, and slipped into the empty hallway.
Albus knew the moment Harry left their rooms, and his eyes sparked with irritation. Suspecting that his friend might attempt to exert himself, he had set up a simple ward that would warn him. It was lucky the second years were reviewing at the moment and therefore did not notice Professor Dumbledore's anger, or they would have been terrified.
Harry was completely unaware of the trouble he was in as he headed off to Gryffindor Tower. He hoped someone would be able to tell him what class the Gryffindor fourth years had at the time. Then he could wait and simply waylay Hagrid when class ended.
He was panting a little when he reached the seventh floor, having been on enforced bed rest with no exercise.
"Password?" enquired the portrait.
"I don't know. I just wanted to know if anyone was in the Common Room, or if you knew what class Gryffindor fourth years had," Harry replied politely. He and Ron had learned better than to insult the portraits, particularly if you wanted them to do something for you. Not that Harry wasn't usually polite, but frustration and adolescent issues could rear their head at rather inopportune moments.
The Fat Lady peered down at him suspiciously. "You don't look to be a student, young man."
"I'm not," Harry nodded. "I'm just looking to help an old friend."
"Well, I suppose I can tell you that the fourth years have a free period right now," she sniffed. "It's not exactly secret knowledge."
"Thanks," Harry said brightly, and left quickly. Knowing Hagrid, he'd probably be spending his free time tending to Aragog. Unless he had another extremely dangerous pet hidden somewhere.
Oh Merlin.
No, Harry reassured himself. He would have mentioned something if it was more than an acromantula, and anyway, he's a student now. He shouldn't have enough time to care for too many creatures. Now, where had Hagrid been keeping his pet? It had been so long since he had witnessed the scene in Riddle's diary, but he vaguely remembered that it had been near the dungeons. Hopefully something would look familiar, or perhaps a locator spell might work if he was in close proximity to his target.
The air around him grew noticeably cooler as he descended into the dungeons, and the flickering torchlight led him through the corridors. Harry moved quietly, carefully, sticking to the shadows as best he could. He didn't want to run into any students, but he particularly didn't want to run into any Slytherins in their area of the castle.
Harry tried to ignore the ache in his joints, and the way his legs wanted to shake with so much activity. Damn it, he'd felt just find earlier. He wished his body could keep up.
He sighed after wandering aimlessly for several minutes. It all looked familiar; he hadn't the faintest idea which room Hagrid would have used. He gave up finding him on his own and muttered a spell under his breath, following his wand as it lightly tugged him back the way he had come and then down a small hallway hidden by a dark alcove. Harry had to hand it to Hagrid. This was a sneakier and more secretive than he would have expected of the half-giant.
He heard some scuffling eventually, and a familiar voice, before he came upon the closed door. Deciding not to frighten Hagrid too badly, Harry knocked lightly on the door.
There was a moment in which silence reigned, and then a hurried shuffling of feet to the door. Hagrid stuck his head out, careful to keep Harry from seeing inside. Harry's heart swelled at the sight of him. He looked younger and perhaps a little shorter – though he still towered above everyone – but even then he looked quite a bit like the Hagrid he remembered.
And just as bad at keeping a secret, Harry noted with some amusement. The shifty, guilty look on the half-giant's face wouldn't be overlooked by a child.
"Can I help yeh?" Hagrid asked nervously.
"Hi," Harry said with a smile, doing his best to put his old friend at ease. "My name's Harry."
"Rubeus Hagrid," was his pleased reply as they shook hands. It was nice that someone could meet him without being rude or looking down on him as being inferior. He thought he would like Harry.
"Well, Hagrid – "
"Call me Rubeus," the fourth year interrupted.
This threw Harry for a moment. Rubeus. Weird. It was even harder to think of Hagrid as Rubeus than it was to think of Dumbledore as Albus. He had made the latter adjustment rather quickly, however, so he would try to please Hagrid and make this adjustment too.
"All right, Rubeus," Harry tested the name, and continued. "I need to speak with you about your pet."
Hagrid went dead white and quickly ushered him into the room before shutting the door behind him. "Wh-what pet?" he stuttered, eyes darting to the large wooden crate in the center of the room.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down Ha – Rubeus," Harry said quickly. "I don't want to get you into any trouble, I promise."
The half-giant breathed a sigh of relief at that. "How do you know about Aragog?"
Harry waved away the question, focusing on the real problem. "You could have been in real trouble if he had been found while the Chamber of Secrets scare had been going on. It would have been simple to say the acromantula was the monster and that you were to blame. You could still be in trouble if he's found."
"Aragog wasn't the monster!" the young half-giant protested. "He would never have done something like that."
"I know he wasn't the monster," Harry acknowledged softly. "But the authorities were scared and looking for someone to blame. If someone had been killed and you had been found with an acromantula, many wouldn't have cared it you were responsible or not, they would have punished you anyway. Just to say they had accomplished something."
"They wouldn't have," the younger wizard protested weakly.
Harry looked at him compassionately. "It wouldn't have been the first time, nor the last, that an innocent was judged guilty for a crime they didn't commit. But," he continued, making an effort at light-heartedness, "none of that happened this time. Still, I'm worried about you, and what would happen if you kept such a dangerous animal here."
"Aragog wouldn't hurt a fly," he said stubbornly.
"Rubeus, because of your size there are very few creatures that can seriously injure you. But almost everyone else in this castle is physically much weaker and smaller. And you know that acromantula are dangerous. Aragog may care for you, and you for him, but it is in his nature to be a very dangerous predator, and a creature cannot deny its nature. You know that."
"I know," Hagrid replied mournfully. "But he's so interestin' and I love magical creatures, particularly dragons. They're fascinatin'."
"Before going home, why don't you let Aragog go in the Forbidden Forest? I'm sure he can survive and live happily in there by now." Sorry Ron, Harry thought to himself, imagining the sickly green hue his best mate had acquired whenever the subject of the acromantula colony came up. "And if you want to interact with interesting creatures, why don't you ask if you can assist the Care of Magical Creatures professor with his or her animals? It sounds like something you'd like, and then when you graduate you could probably work with any creature you wanted to." With your kind of knowledge and skills, I have no doubt that you'd quickly become an expert.
Rubeus brightened, black eyes sparkling. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'd like to help Professor Herbert, I'd never have thought of it on my own. Thanks Harry." He gave him a grateful look.
"Just be careful when you're transporting Aragog," he replied with a grin.
"Will do," the half-giant replied cheerfully, clapping him on the back with enough force that Harry had to catch the door to keep from falling on his face. "Oops. Sorry about that."
"It's all right," Harry said. "I'm still recovering from some injuries."
He smiled a little to himself as he skirted the hallways, keeping to the shadows as best as he was able. Hagrid – Rubeus, he corrected himself – always had a way of cheering him up without even trying. He was so innocent and trusting. It was nice not to be questioned about his presence or his future knowledge.
He made a detour to the girl's bathroom that housed the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, suddenly remembering the Sorting Hat. It had been bothering him on and off for the past few days that no one had mentioned that it was missing. He wanted to double-check that it wasn't still sitting on a windowsill and more than ready to berate him for forgetting it. If that was the case, surely one of the professor's would have noticed when cleaning up and sealing off the bathroom.
It took him several minutes to bypass the security at the door. It was always more difficult to sneak through the wards rather than bringing them crashing down. The room was, thankfully, empty of the dead basilisk, though Harry did wonder briefly where they were storing it. It appeared as though they hadn't had time to restore the bathroom, however.
He picked his way among the rubble, searching where he had last left the Sorting Hat. There was no sign immediately apparent, so he whispered a quick, "Accio," making sure to power down the spell so it wouldn't affect anything outside of the room.
Apparently, the Sorting Hat had made its way back to the Headmaster's office on its own and without incident. He wondered how the hell it had managed that, and was vaguely impressed.
Now that he knew for sure that the Hat wasn't waiting furiously for his return, he left quickly.
Harry really hoped Albus wasn't back yet. He had made it back to their rooms without incident so far, and now hesitated to speak the password. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Arx Arcturus," and entered.
"Whooo," he exhaled in relief to see the rooms were empty except for Fawkes, who greeted him with a reproachful stare.
"I think I overdid it a bit, Fawkes. I might take a nap." He hesitated, and then asked, "Would…would you sing for me? It helped with the nightmares last time."
Fawkes' stern look softened and he glided over to Harry, chirping encouragingly.
"Thanks Fawkes. You're the best."
He perched on Harry's headboard, leaning down over him as he sang the young man to sleep. And he couldn't help the pearly tear that slipped from his eye and touched the wizard below him. But the wounds he wanted to heal weren't physical, and so there was little else he could do but sing.
Harry woke a few hours later, before Albus was due to return. He sat in an armchair next to the fire with Peter Pan in his lap, absently flipping through the pages as his foot tapped restlessly against the ground. Much as he found he was liking Muggle fiction, he didn't like reading enough to do it for days at a time.
He had just been considering conjuring up a pack of regular cards to play solitaire – he didn't know how to create Exploding Snap cards – when Albus entered the room. Harry stood and turned to greet him. His smile slipped off of his face at the expression on Albus'.
"Were you not required to stay in these rooms without straining yourself?" the professor queried angrily.
"Albus?" Harry said uncertainly.
"I warded these rooms, and they alerted me the moment you left."
"Oh," the time traveler said quietly, suppressing a wince.
Albus grasped him by the shoulders, restraining the urge to shake him. "Do you care nothing for your health or safety?" he demanded. "If you have experienced even half of what I imagine, you cannot afford to be anything less than fully healed. And until you stop pushing yourself beyond your current physical capabilities, you will never allow your body to fully recover."
Harry stared at him, green eyes wide. He could think of nothing to say.
"This has been explained to you more than once." Albus peered down at him, and then released his shoulders with a sigh. "Your health and well-being have never been one of your priorities, have they?" he asked quietly.
"I…um…Not – not as much as other people, I guess," Harry mumbled nervously.
"And was whatever errand you embarked on this afternoon a matter of life and death?" asked Albus.
Harry thought this through carefully. Aragog was young and only about the size of a dog right now. Hagrid kept him locked away and hidden, so it was unlikely for anyone to stumble upon him, and even then Aragog cared enough about Hagrid not to go killing any students of Hogwarts. Yet. Hagrid was sure to keep him well-fed in any case.
"No," he said at last.
Albus really didn't like that long pause.
"All right," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Harry, just please promise me you won't leave these rooms until Cordelia says you're fully recovered. It shouldn't be too much longer, as long as you weren't exhausting yourself this afternoon."
Albus pinned him with such an intense stare that Harry couldn't refuse. "I promise," he agreed.
"Good." He was silent for a long time. Harry had begun to wonder whether he ought to find something else to do when Albus spoke again. "You were in the war, weren't you?" It was more a statement than a question.
Harry paused. "In the Second War," he agreed, lips twitching. Completely truthful, and completely misleading.
Albus could feel that there was something amiss with the answer. Not a lie, but his instincts told him that there was more to the response than he could see. "That's where you received your scars."
"Most of them." The Dursleys had had a hand in that as well, but Harry would be damned if he let that slip.
"In what capacity did you participate? I would have thought to have heard of someone with your skill and power."
Harry looked away bashfully at the compliment. "I was mostly just trying to survive, to escape from patrols. But why would you have heard of me?" He suspected, but that was with the benefit of more than half a century of historical knowledge.
That question gave Albus pause. "I am a…an advisor of sorts with the Ministry."
Harry tilted his head to one side. If Albus had been the one to seek out and defeat Grindelwald, and the government had assisted or approved of the move, then Albus had to be doing more than simply giving advice. "Then I should be the one warning you to be careful." The glimmer of a smile hovered around his mouth.
"Indeed," Albus chuckled.
The end of the school year approached rather slowly, considering that it had only been about a week away. Albus had taken it upon himself to purchase several robes for Harry and a few other necessities, with the promise of more serious shopping when Harry was well enough to make the trip. At last, though, as school let out for the summer Harry had been considered fully healed, and able to move about as he wished. Just in time, since Myrtle's parents had arrived the day after the Leaving Feast to thank him in person.
He could see that Myrtle had gotten her looks from her father, and her high-strung tendencies from her mother. Still, they were rather pleasant, if somewhat uninteresting people. Myrtle's extensive blushing, and coy batting of her eyelashes had him on edge for most of the meeting, so he almost missed it when they mentioned a Life Debt.
He tried to protest, saying that he didn't want them in his debt, that anyone would have done the same, but they were rather stubborn about this, and so he had said he would call upon them if he needed anything at all. Not that he had any intention of following through, but the family seemed pleased.
Albus had laughed at him once they had gone. "Can't take compliments, can't take thanks. You really are rather selfless, aren't you?"
Harry scowled at him and chose to disregard the comment instead flopping on the couch and groaning. "Did you see that? Did you see? I thought I was done with girls mooning over me, and now I'm being looked at like I'm her dream-come-true or something. Not that I'm complaining about saving her life or anything, but still."
"You would be anyone's 'dream-come-true', I'm sure," Albus replied with studied light-heartedness.
"Very funny, Albus," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Have you given any thought to the summer holidays?" the professor asked.
"A bit," Harry replied cautiously.
"I will be staying in my cottage in the countryside for most of the holiday. If you prefer, however, I'm sure Armando might be persuaded to let you remain in the castle."
The younger wizard sat up, gazing at him with hopeful green eyes. "You want me to come with you to your home? I won't be in the way?"
"Of course I want you to come, Harry," Albus replied without hesitation. "Fawkes would love that as well. But I want to give you choices."
Harry beamed. "I'd love to come if you'll have me."
"Good." Albus laughed. "I daresay with the way Fawkes dotes on you, you would have found yourself flamed into my parlour in any case."
Harry snickered. It was the first time he could remember looking forward to the summer holidays.
