"Er, Professor," began Hagrid. He was holding his hat in his hands, wringing the ratty and torn garment with some concern and nervousness. Albus knew to pay attention to Hagrid, because, quite simply, Hagrid didn't come to Albus for minor things. The last time Hagrid approached Albus, their was an unfortunate bit of business involving centaurs, Aragog, and a rambunctious nest of Acromantulas.
"Yes, Rubieus?" asked Albus, genuinely concerned.
"There's… there's something new in the forest."
Albus waited, knowing Hagrid took time to put together his words before speaking.
"Firenze says it ain't something to worry about, talked about how it was a shadow over Mars. Aragog says it's taken to hunting near the Black Lake."
Albus nodded.
"Any word on what it is?" asked Albus.
"No, nothing yet. Me and Fang have looked for it, but ain't seen anything yet. I've asked Aragog to keep a few eyes out for it, see if he can give me a description."
"Then that is all we can do," said Albus. "We'll want to know if it's dangerous to the students at all."
"Of course, Professor. That's why I came to see you."
"And I'll have a chat with the Mer-people, to see if they've seen anything."
"Thank you, Headmaster."
0x0x0x0
It was two years later, and Harry Potter's letter sat on Albus Dumbledore's desk, unaddressed and unsent. At first, he'd thought it was merely the wards on Harry's home, blocking even the spells of Hogwarts.
No.
The wards were gone.
When he'd queried Petunia on the matter, she said the boy disappeared some three years before, after the McKinnon murders, down the way. She'd reported his disappearance, and she was done with him.
When Albus asked why she hadn't informed him, her response was simple, but not very eloquent.
"And how was I supposed to do that, you blasted old fool? Do I own an owl? Do you have a box the postman can deliver to? How about a telephone number? Hm? Get out."
Albus had no response. He'd contacted Alastor about trying to get the records from the Surrey Police Department. Alastor would get back to him about it as soon as possible.
Harry's letter was written, and Harry's name was still in the book of records, but no address was written. Madame Hopkirk was subtly queried as to accidental magic, and found nothing. No owl would take a letter to the boy.
That lead to the obvious question, where was Harry Potter?
0x0x0x0
It was Halloween afternoon when Quirrell went into the Forbidden Forest to lead the blasted troll into the school. The thing was terrified at being left alone, but Quirrell couldn't find anything else on short notice.
At first, he thought the stupid beast had wandered off, and began looking for it, calling after it, before finally finding it.
Part of it, at least.
The troll had been ripped in half, it's guts thrown into the trees like festive garlands. Already, a number of that oaf Hagrid's thestrals were feasting on it, although how they could stomach such a meal was beyond even Quirrell's knowledge.
Voldemort growled something incomprehensible from underneath the turban. Quirrell merely turned, and went right back to the castle, plan foiled by the troll being too stupid to keep itself from being killed. There would be other chances.
0x0x0x0
Albus paid only a little mind to Hagrid's report about the sick thestrals, at least until he mentioned Troll meat.
"Our newest resident, perhaps?" asked Albus.
"No. Asked Firenze about it, he said there hasn't been any trolls in the forest since the centaurs took up lived there. Drove 'em out or killed 'em all back in the day. He says it keeps to itself, an' they think it keeps with the thestrals."
Albus nodded. A troll found two days after Halloween, combined with Quirrell's planned defense for the stone? Hardly a coincidence, Albus felt.
"Thank you, Hagrid. That answers a question or two for me, but raises more. Has there been any other news on the forest's latest resident?"
"Nope. Nothing's really changed. Unicorns, thestrals, acromantulas, nothing's really changed with whatever's out there. It keeps to itself, 'cept for the thestrals."
Albus nodded. Very curious.
0x0x0x0
Quirrell and Voldemort were, once more, in the forest. Quirrell's body was failing, burning up from the inside out thanks to the wraith contained within him, and the potions they were brewing were no longer able to sustain them.
Thus, a more powerful regent needed to be acquired.
Unicorn's blood.
Unicorns were fast and flighty creatures by necessity. They were intelligent, but they were not cunning. They did not know how to avoid hunters, human hunters, at least.
Quirrell knew the animal was running for the Black Lake. Perhaps the mer-people would interfere, but given the trail of blood, it likely wouldn't make it.
"He smells familiar," came a rambling voice from above them.
"Who was that?" hissed Voldemort.
"Who was what, my lord?" asked Quirrell, still following the trail of blood as quickly as he could.
"That voice!" demanded Voldemort.
"I heard no voice, my lord," replied Quirrell, hoping his lord did not punish him.
"This little snake hears me?" came the voice again.
Voldemort realized what it was. Parseltongue. Some snake he'd met in school, perhaps? His pet would not be awake.
"Begone," hissed Voldemort. "It was nothing," he said to Quirrell. "Faster!"
"I think not, little snake."
"Stop," ordered Voldemort. "Who is there?"
"Death, little snake. You trespass, you butcher. Your stench was hidden on the green thing. I recognize you, little snake. You will die."
With a roar, it dropped from overhead. Quirrell tried to move as quickly as he could, but the decay of his body slowed his movements. It was quickly upon them. It's body was shadow and mist, and nothingness enveloped them. Quirrell and Voldemort screamed in pain and torment as their body burned at the creature's merest touch, before a fist smashed their skull open like a over-ripe squash.
0x0x0x0
Bane looked up at the massive shadow that stood before him. In it's arms, it held an injured unicorn. The thing's tail was wrapped around the animal, pressing a heavy black clothe into the animal's flank.
It growled at him.
Bane wasn't an idiot. He hated humans, but for something to harm a unicorn? Unspeakable. The animal was docile in its arms. Clearly, this monster was not the one who harmed such an animal.
"Follow," ordered Bane. Firenze saw both of them soon enough, and ran to fetch Dumbledore.
The monster placed the animal were Bane commanded, and quickly turned away, back into the forest.
"The one who did this, creature," bellowed Bane.
The creature turned, glared back at him with its empty face.
"It is dead?"
The creature nodded, once, and went back into the depths of the forest.
0x0x0x0
Quirrell's body was found, and the DMLE quickly wrote it off as Unicorn poaching gone wrong. Or right. It depended on who you asked. Albus, once more, found himself scrambling to find a replacement teacher.
0x0x0x0
That summer, Alastor got back to him, saying he hadn't found a single thing about the boy's whereabouts.
He did mention something about a family murdered about the same time, but Albus waved it off as unimportant.
"If any other information comes to light, inform me as soon as possible."
Alastor just nodded, and stomped away. Sometimes, Albus was an idiot.
0x0x0x0
Lockhart was an idiot. An egotistical, sociopathic incompetent who clearly had either faked or stolen his credentials.
Severus, Minerva, and Albus were all in the Headmaster's office trying to figure out a way out of this, but neither Severus or Albus could find some loophole in Lockhart's contract to remove him from the building.
Granted, he hadn't discounted Snape's "accidental removal" plan. Yet. He really should, but… well… it was Lockhart.
Minerva, Severus, and himself would keep a very close eye on him.
0x0x0x0
"Oh, hello. How are you?" asked the little girl. It was an early October morning, a little before dawn, and she was amongst the thestrals, petting the animals and giving them strips of fresh meat from the kitchens in the castle.
It stood on all fours, considering her without eyes, trying to comprehend why she was down here, rather than up at the castle.
She was dressed in a plain black cloak, but she was shivering. It moved up against to her, wings of shadow and smoke spreading out and enveloping the girl, pulling her up against the creature's body.
"You're very warm. Thank you."
The creature hissed in response. The girl soon stopped shivering, and fell asleep against the creature.
The creature was entirely unsure of what to do about this.
0x0x0x0
"You seem anxious," said the girl. Her name was Luna. She never talked about her friends, roommates, or classmates, but she did talk about her father. The creature was wondering just how it could visit her over the summer.
Her friend hissed, but lifted its snout and took two long drags of air, it's body filling out, armored carapace forming from the mists and shadows of it's body.
"Is it the Chamber of Secrets business?"
Upon seeing her friend's questioning look, Luna explained how the Chamber had been opened, and Mrs. Norris had been petrified. She watched as the carapace disappeared back into the mist of its body, her friend becoming his usual size of a large horse. Or a small moose. She wasn't very picky, because he was warm. And she was fairly certain he was a he. After all, one didn't study rare and usual creatures without learning how to tell the difference between male and female. Her friend was, she had identified, very male.
Finally, at the end of the story, her friend shook his head.
"Could it be related?"
Her friend shrugged.
"There was some nastiness about one of the Professors last year hunting Unicorns. Is it related to that?"
A nod.
Luna hmm'd, then snuggled further into the warm body of her friend.
0x0x0x0
Two children had been petrified. Colin Creevy, and Justin Flitch-Fletchley, according to Luna. Her friend merely growled its annoyance.
He could smell something on her, a trace of what he was looking for, as well, as she talked about her friend Ginny, and how withdrawn she was. She asked if it was alright to bring her down, and he agreed, not really caring one way or the other.
0x0x0x0
The creature missed Luna over Christmas break, but kept to itself. It was a little certain that the hairy man (Luna said he was large, but it considered very few people large these days) had seen it, but Luna had said only good things about him.
Besides, given how much time they both spent amongst the thestrals, it was surprising it'd taken this long.
Hagrid just looked at the creature, and got a happy glint in his eye. After all, the creature was both large and dangerous. Obviously, that meant it was one of the most beautiful and perfect creatures Hagrid had ever found.
Hagrid, naturally, named him Mort.
0x0x0x0
Hagrid stood in the thestral's clearing before dawn, hat in hand. His hands were worrying it in much the same way he once approached Albus. He was keeping watch on the thestrals, had already fed them, but he had other business.
"Mort?" called Hagrid. Luna didn't actually call him Mort, but she was amused by it.
Mort slinked into view, wary of Hagrid still, but curious.
"I've got bad news, Mort… You- you've heard about the attacks up at the school? Luna's talked about them?"
Mort nodded.
"Well… Luna… Luna's been attacked. She's in the infirmary, she's alive, but- but-" Hagrid fell silent. He stared at the creature, waiting for a reaction. It was still, silent, and then it started pacing for a long moment, back and forth, back and forth. It's body shifted size, sometimes the size of an oliphant, other times taking on the size of one of the thestrals that ate the strips of meat Hagrid was throwing out to them.
Finally, it stopped, and pushed itself onto two legs. It was a little under Hagrid's height, and began stomping (as much as it's quiet footsteps could stomp) off towards the castle.
"Err… you're not thinking of- of visiting Luna, are ye?"
Mort's empty glare called him an idiot, and Hagrid quickly ran to keep up.
"Well, err… just keep to the shadows, alright? Otherwise they might think it's you."
A snort of derision was the creature's only response as it stalked towards the castle. Mort avoided the castle, but followed Hagrid into the massive stone building, as he lead the way up to the infirmary.
0x0x0x0
While their were many scents on Luna, on his friend, only three were of interest. Namely, because they were on the others that were attacked.
He had discounted the matron. She was on everyone in the ward. Her presence filled the ward, and while it reeked of plants and ointments, she was the healer. It was expected.
He turned, Hagrid shouting after him, following Luna's scent. It was mixed, there were so many others, but he knew Luna's by heart. He could find it even in this mix and muddle.
And there it was.
The little snake, faint but there, and something else. Something as cold and inhuman as the little snake, but… larger. Grander and ancient.
He'd kill them both. He followed the little snake, Hagrid trying to follow, but quickly losing sight of him as he took off up the moving stairwells, leaping from stairwell to stairwell.
He slinked through the corridors until he reached a garish portrait of a large woman. The scent lead right up to it, he was so close!
He thought back to the unicorn, and realized what he needed to do. He went up the walls, and waited, gripping the large blocks as easily as the branches of a tree.
The first time the portrait swung up, he moved to follow the group of giggling girls headed from whence he came. He snarled, but kept it to himself, moving in that direction, hoping his prey went the same way.
It took an hour or two, and many more children, but a lone red-haired girl stepped through the entryway. She didn't have time to scream as he dropped down behind her, a massive hand over her mouth, a tail wrapping around her body.
"Your fault," he hissed.
She whimpered at the hissing, as he moved along the ceilings, eventually find his way into a disused corridor, scrabbling along the walls, clutching them with his wing claws.
"Where is it, where is it," he hissed to himself, then took a long sniff, before pulling a leather journal from her bookbag.
"This is it. This is the little snake. This will die, just like before. Maybe it'll even stay dead, hmm?"
He glared at the girl.
"What about you, though? Why'd you do it? Why'd you hurt Luna? Was it because of him, like he was part of the other man?"
Ginny nodded, which confused him.
"You understand me?"
Another nod. He took his hand away.
"I found the book," she started, explaining how she found it amongst her things after shopping, and how she wrote it in, and how she woke up once covered in blood and feathers. How she tried to get rid of it, but couldn't think of how, and if only the Boy-Who-Lived were here, she'd be able to save her from this. He was supposed to be here last year, but Albus Dumbledore kept him hidden away, saying he was still safe, and being trained.
He listened, and considered the book for a moment longer. He then attempted to tear it in half. Ginny watched as the creature tried to rip and tear the book, attempted to just rip out the pages, then actually bite the book.
After a few epithets, it stopped, and looked back at her.
"Do you know what the monster is?"
"No, except that… that… that I think it's in Myrtle's Bathroom. Or, at least, I wake up there every once in a while."
"Show me."
0x0x0x0
The ghost squeaked once at the sight of the creature, and ran, while Ginny stood. She'd walked there, slowly, and the creature had followed. It hesitated, a little, about entering the girl's bathroom, but it soon followed her inside.
"So… you're friends with Luna?" asked Ginny, finally.
"Yes."
"How is she? I haven't… because of that book, I haven't had a chance to see her to often, especially since she's in a different house and all. And… and now she's… she's…"
"She doesn't talk about friends at all. I don't think she has any. Be quiet for a moment."
She watched as it wandered around the bathroom, taking long drags of the air. When it wasn't, it was muttering rather unpleasant things about how it could smell whatever the monster was, and what it would do to it. Ginny wondered if her mother would try to wash out it's mouth with soap if it kept going like that.
Finally, it stopped in front of a sink, growling at it.
"Here. It's right here."
"Maybe there's a secret passage?"
"Maybe. But how am I supposed to open it?" Naturally, the entire basin opened at this question.
"Stay here."
Ginny nodded, and watched as the creature, as Luna's friend went into the shaft, searching for vengeance. It'd left the journal on the ground near the wall.
She sat down, away from the journal, and waited. She jumped when she heard the roar, the massive noise she felt in her chest, and shook the walls around her. She heard the echoes of crashes and rumbles, as Luna's friend and whatever Slytherin's monster was battled. She hoped Luna's friend was okay, but then she heard the shouting.
She tried to back away from the open pipe, as she heard Luna's friend's anatomically impossible threats against whatever it was fighting, but she didn't want to leave lest she incur it's wrath.
There was a final, echoing boom, followed by a thunderous roar. After a few minutes, she could hear the grunting, growling, and scrambling of Luna's friend coming up the pipe. It soon exited it, and then it's tail dragged the snake head out of the pipe.
A giant snake head. It's eyes were slashed out, it's lower jaw was torn off, and it's entire head torn off the rest of it's body, leaking blood that was attempting to eat into the stonework underneath it. The pool of blood reached the journal, and it let off a horrific, high-pitched screech of pain. Luna's friend moved forward, and tore one of the giant snake's fangs.
A basilisk, some absent part of Ginny's mind supplied, as Luna's friend stabbed the fang into the book, silencing it. Ink bubbled and hissed as it mixed with the basilisk's blood.
"Said I'd kill you, little snake. Kill you as often as I have to. And your stupid pet, too."
Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.
"What was it like?" she asked.
"Damn thing was a nutter. Kept going on and on about killing and murdering and crunching bones."
Ginny nodded, and then the horror dawned on her. Luna never said her friend could talk. Just that it could understand her.
"You should go," said Ginny, her mind already putting together whatever lies were necessary to convince the teachers she wasn't a parselmouth. It was all the book's fault, right? It was all Tom's fault. It was obvious how it found her, it was obvious how it entered the tunnel. Yes, this could work. "I'll find you in the forest, alright? Once Luna's better. I think they said it'd be in May. Just... I'm only going to tell Luna I can understand you, alright?"
Luna's friend nodded.
"It's January now, right?"
"February third."
"I'll be waiting."
Ginny smiled at the creature as it opened the door and disappeared into the school. Not a knight in shining armor, and certainly not the Boy-Who-Lived, but whatever it was, it was nice. Even if it was a parselmouth.
Soon enough, she stood up, and went to find a Professor.
0x0x0x0
Albus suspected there was more to Ginny's story. Some things didn't fit together quite the way she wanted them to, and he suspected Severus knew, as well. Minerva, along with Molly Weasley, were more than happy to not notice the inconsistencies of her story, and just be thankful she was alive, and Slytherin's monster was dead.
Albeit by another one.
Albus took the description of the animal, and went to do some research.
0x0x0x0
Luna lead Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Hagrid, and Ginny down the path to the clearing with the thestrals.
"Mort?" asked Hagrid.
"It's alright, they won't try to hurt you," said Luna. "I imagine they'd prefer to thank you for getting rid of that mean basilisk."
There was a snort of derision, as he stepped out into the pre-dawn light. He was in full carapace, and was wary of the old man and his greasy-haired minion. There were shadows of memories of this old man, and he could smell the faintest of whiffs of the little snake.
Albus and Severus stood their ground as it walked amongst the thestrals. They parted for it, as it walked up to the men. Hagrid was holding back the girls, in case things came to blows.
It stood before them, inspecting them, before growling at the pair of them.
"You recognize this?" asked Albus, pulling out the ruined diary.
Mort carelessly swatted it aside, ignoring it. It was destroyed, dead. There was something living, something that was fresh but not. Ah. The other man. He went right up to his face, and took a long drag. Down. Left. The arm.
"Severus, your arm?" asked Albus.
Severus pulled up his sleeve, and revealed the faint outline of a tattoo, forever staining his arm and his soul.
"He served the one who created that diary," said Albus, "but turned on him, trying to save his friends."
Albus felt as though the monster was judging him. He wondered how lacking he would be found, how many people he had failed to save, how many deaths he had failed to prevent.
The creature gave a deep, rumbling growl, before turning his back on the pair of them, walking up to Luna and Ginny. Hagrid stood, tall and proud.
"Hello," said Luna. "I understand you had an adventure?"
He nodded.
"Good. I'm sorry I wasn't able to visit you for the past few months, but I'm glad you were able to find and kill the monster. It's a pity it had to die. I suppose being trapped in a basement for a thousand years would make anyone a little grumpy."
Mort snorted with amusement, before butting his head against her. She grabbed him in a hard hug, as the spines and plates melted away, and he shrank down to the size of the largest thestral, and lifted her in the air with his neck.
Hagrid smiled at the sight, while Albus and Severus were surprised. It did certainly explain how the animal moved through the halls without being noticed, and managed to fit down the pipe to the Chamber of Secrets. The armored and angry version also explained how it managed to butcher a thousand year old basilisk, although not how it survived the dread creature's gaze. Given the animal didn't seem to have eyes, however, suggested it couldn't see. How, then did it know of his presence. How could he test it? He began to subtly draw his wand.
"Was that book what you smelled?"
The creature nodded.
"And that was the same as the unicorn poacher?"
Another nod. Albus, Severus, and Hagrid all blanched at that, and Albus ceased to draw his wand.
"You smelled the same scent as the diary, in both the Unicorn Poacher, and on Professor Snape's arm?" he asked, instead.
Another nod.
"Then... was Miss Weasley like the poacher? Possessed by your enemy?"
Another nod.
"The poacher was possessed by Voldemort?" asked Luna.
"How did you come to that conclusion, Miss Lovegood?" asked Severus Snape, while Albus was utterly awestruck.
"Ginny said the diary was owned by Tom Riddle. I looked up Tom Riddle, and found he was a Slytherin in 1945, the same time as Moaning Myrtle was murdered in the first opening of the chamber of secrets. Given the monster was a snake, the only Parselmouth in recent history was Lord Voldemort, and I assumed there was a connection, which was easy to find. Tom Marvolo Riddle can be rearranged into 'I am Lord Voldemort.' Therefore, Ginny and Professor Quirrell were possessed by Lord Voldemort. Which means he isn't as dead as everyone would have hoped."
"Fifty points to Ravenclaw for a brilliant deduction, Miss Lovegood," said Albus. "To which I must say, you are correct. Tom Riddle did indeed become Lord Voldemort, and he is not as dead as everyone would hope, much to my dismay."
"I think my father would like to write an expose on that," said Luna. "Would you like to help?"
"Perhaps I shall, Miss Lovegood. While I have been collecting evidence for quite some time, it is not enough to provide true proof. The world is as ready to realize his return as they are to understand the existence of the crumple-horned snorkack."
Luna nodded sadly, before brightening.
"Would you like to be an anonymous source, then?"
Albus smiled.
"I would love that, Miss Lovegood."
She clapped her hands with glee.
"I'll write father immediately!" she started to run back to the castle, then stopped, turned back, and gave her friend another hug. "Thank you for hunting down the monster."
Luna's friend gave a snort, as this time she really did run up to the castle.
0x0x0x0
In a truly massive (if macabre) manor with albino peacocks wandering it's highly temperature controlled grounds, Lucius Malfoy muttered things unrepeatable after Severus Snape handed him a copy of the Quibbler.
Everywhere else, people wondered. Xenophilius Lovegood normally wasn't that serious, but... well... he was the editor-in-chief, and his own daughter was one of those attacked.
Meanwhile, a man on a rock in the North Sea saw a copy of the Daily Prophet. He saw a picture, and realized, quite simply, that he was at Hogwarts. Within the week, he had left. This confused everyone, because the only he they could think of most certainly wasn't at Hogwarts. Then again, all the other people on the rock were insane, so it didn't matter.
0x0x0x0
Remus Lupin had a job. There was a question he wanted to ask Albus, but he valued the job to much to dare approach the question.
He sighed, knowing, also, that a man he thought his friend was out, and headed for Hogwarts. He supposed he'd have to find a few things that were still on the grounds.
0x0x0x0
"I will not allow Dementors at Hogwarts," said Albus. He was plain-spoken and without malice, but his voice was made of steel.
"But… but… Sirius Black! He's after Potter!" cried Cornelius Fudge, halfway into a panic.
"And Potter is not here."
"And just where is Mister Potter?" drawled Lucius Malfoy.
"Protected," replied Albus Dumbledore, staring him directly in the eye. "It has already been established there have been several attacks on the school, and I felt it would be best for Mister Potter to be taught in a safe environment."
Cornelius and Lucius were both struck dumb by this. Albus Dumbledore, willing to admit Hogwarts wasn't safe?
"I have had a possessed professor attempting to poach unicorns, and I have had an eighty foot basilisk in this school. I would prefer a nice, quiet, safe year before adding Mister Potter to that mix. I do not believe Dementors would be conducive to that." At this, Albus paused. "In fact, I think they would detract from that."
"But… but… Sirius Black!" repeated Cornelius.
"Is looking for Mister Potter, is he not? And the Daily Prophet's pages are filled with statements that Mister Potter is not, and never has set foot in Hogwarts, correct?"
Fudge nodded.
"Then I fail to see a reason the Dementors should be positioned here. Around school children. Perhaps having Aurors in Hogsmeade and in Diagon Alley? Perhaps increasing the DMLE budget? Perhaps, for the first time in eight years, hire more than two new Aurors, as has been the recommendation of both myself and Madame Bones?"
On this, Fudge fell silent. Lucius was already silent, having realized that Albus was actually willing to state Hogwarts wasn't safe. Which, if he were honest, it wouldn't have been for the boy.
Still, Fudge didn't seem to comprehend the idea of not doing something, so Dementors were stationed around the school, but not actually in the school.
That still left the question of just where the boy was.
0x0x0x0
The cloaked things stank. They stank of pain, misery, and despair. They stank of an old boot cupboard under the stairs. They stank of a screaming mother and a shouting father and green light. They stank of a friend's bruised, bloody, and dirty face, cold and still in the harsh firelight.
"Nasty things, Dementors," said Hagrid of them. "Suck all the happiness and warmth from a room. If they kiss you, they suck our your soul. Don't know if that'll work on you, but I'd avoid them."
Mort avoided them, until they went into the forest. Ice formed on the trees with their passage, and rather than attack him, they surrounded him. He roared at them, hatred emanating from him in waves, as he felt over-and-over-and-over, the screamed pleas of a woman and the green light and the yelling man. They tried to press in on him, like the old boot cupboard, but he wouldn't go back. He would roar and tear and break until the cupboard was no more.
He tried to hurt them, but they wouldn't break. They just kept surrounding him, forcing him down. The cold was sickening, clawing at his insides and tearing at his chest and body, but there wasn't anything else he could do. He fought his way through them, surely Hagrid would know what to do? He broke from the forest, scattering them, and made his way towards Hagrid's hut. The dementors followed, a trail of ice following them out onto the grounds of Hogwarts itself.
A tall, stern witch was out on the grounds with Hagrid, and from her wand ran a silvery-white cat, chasing away the few dementors that were still following. He crawled up to Hagrid, and dropped to his feet, letting the heavy carapace melt away and exposing skin to the comparatively warm night air.
"You alright, Mort?" asked Hagrid.
He tried to stand, he really did, but it just wasn't in him at that point. He still nodded his head. He just needed a minute.
"Don't know how to stay down, do you?" asked Hagrid. "Well, just stay here for a little bit, alright?"
"I don't think it understands you, Hagrid."
"He understands me just fine, just ask Dumbledore. Here, have some chocolate. It'll make you feel better. You can eat chocolate, right?"
McGonagall watched as this… this creature, Mort, seemed to take a long look at the foiled wrapped package that Hagrid was holding out to it. It had shrunk, perhaps to a little shorter than Hagrid, rather than the oliphant-sized beast it was before. It reached out and gently took the package. Rather than bite into it like some animal, or even rip it open like one of her own students, it carefully opened the package with a single claw, bending the bright foil open to reveal the Honeydukes chocolate contained within.
"Carry a few bars with me whenever I'm out of the castle. Figure it's a good idea with those things out and about."
The creature broke off the first row of the bars, and began to carefully eat each individual square, savoring each bite of the chocolate. It eventually sat up, crossing its legs, still savoring it's chocolate bar.
"Like it a lot, don't ya?"
A slow, gentle nod, as the creature stared out at the forest. It's tail absently twitched, and McGonagall swore it was almost purring with pleasure at eating the chocolate.
"You are what defeated the basilisk on behalf of Miss Lovegood and Miss Weasley?" she asked, finally.
Another nod.
"I have a student who could… who could use a friend. She is also an avid researcher, and perhaps she can find a way for you to communicate with others."
He nodded.
0x0x0x0
Hermione Granger was following Luna out towards the rear of the school in the pre-dawn light. She'd been asked, quiet pleasantly, to go with the diminutive Ravenclaw out with her to speak with a rather unusual but intelligent being on the grounds.
She noted the word "being" and "unusual." Both went together, apparently, where Luna was involved, but she followed nervously. She was confused when Luna took a rather unusual route through an empty clearing in the forest, at least until she walked into something invisible and leathery.
"Luna? What did I just walk into?"
"A thestral. They pull the carriages. They're a type of winged horse."
Hermione wanted to ask other questions, such as "If they're a horse, why are they leathery?" or "How do you know they pull the carriages?" or, better yet, "How did you navigate around them, if they're invisible?"
She then followed Luna's route to the center of the clearing. Luna stood, waiting, looking into the canopy of trees above the clearing.
"So… is it a thestral?"
"No. Thestrals aren't intelligent. Well, they're intelligent for a horse, but you can't hold a very good conversation with a horse."
Hermione nodded in confused understanding, then noticed the black mass of something crawling down from a tree, and winding its way through the invisible herd. It approached on four legs, and she suspected there may have been wings. It had a long neck, and no eyes.
"Is that why we're here?"
"He is. Hello, Mort! How was your summer?"
It almost seemed to purr.
"Hagrid said you had some problems with the dementors. They didn't hurt you, did they?"
It shook its head.
"This is Miss Hermione Granger, she's here to help figure out how to talk with you."
It pushed itself up onto two feet, and presented a hand to her. Hermione stared at it for a moment, then reached forward. She was surprised when her hand was taken, a light kiss (did it even have lips? She didn't even see any teeth) was placed on the knuckle of her middle finger.
"You've been waiting all summer to do that, weren't you?"
It nodded.
"Well, you still did it wrong. She needed to present her hand, first. Unless you were thinking of marrying her?"
Hermione goggled at Luna.
"Pureblood traditions. There are books."
Both Mort and Hermione nodded.
"So what do you know?" asked Hermione.
"Well… we think he can talk in parseltongue, but given that nobody else knows parseltongue, that makes it rather difficult."
He growled a moment.
"Yes, but Ginny's rather close-minded about it, being from a light family and all."
"Do you understand it?"
"Him. Sometimes. It takes practice. It's more accurate guesswork."
"Right," said Hermione, then looked back at the creature. "Um… can you write?"
Mort smacked his own forehead, and his tail snaked out and scratched "yes".
"Well then, we can start with parchment and quill. Have you ever used a quill before?"
"No," was scratched into the dirt.
"It's okay, I missed the obvious as well," said Luna. "You'll find wizards regularly miss the obvious."
"Parchment and quill, or the dirt works well," said Hermione, "but I think we need something faster. Have either of you ever heard of sign language?"
0x0x0x0
Remus Lupin was in the small shack between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, again.
Mort was curious as to why. Mainly, because he smelled rather wolf-like when it happened.
There was also a rather disheveled and starved dog nearby. Big, for a dog at least, and covered in a deep black fur. It stank of loneliness and despair. He let it be.
0x0x0x0
Ronald Weasley was wondering just what buck-toothed know-it-all was up to, every morning, ever since her cat nearly ate Scabbers. He carried Scabbers with him everywhere, now. Even if he didn't like the little rodent, he still didn't want him eaten.
So after dragging himself out of bed in the early morning and following her down to the Entrance Hall, and followed her and Loony out onto the snow-covered grounds. When he saw them enter the forest, he just knew he could get them into trouble, but he needed to know what they were up to.
Which is when he found himself, flat on the ground with a very large and heavily clawed foot on his chest, the left sleeve of his robes pulled up, and a large head with very sharp points on it sniffing at him.
Scabbers scrambled out of his robes, and began to run away, when a tail came from above and grabbed him. Ron thought it rather odd that the tail ended in three claws, rather than a single point, but thought it better not to question. Instead, he decided to shout at whatever was holding him down.
"Hey, that's my pet rat!"
"I don't think it'd agree with your stomach," said Looney.
The monster made a few odd motions with his hands.
"We should probably go to Dumbledore, then," replied Looney. She made odd signs back to the monster as she spoke.
"I think Dumbledore smells of lemon drops and old books, not lies and secrets, but he'll both be at breakfast by now."
Ron was picked up off the ground, and dropped onto his feet. He stood, shakily, and was then bowled over by a very large and angry black dog, attempting to attack the monster.
0x0x0x0
McGonagall felt the headache come on, as she watched the parade enter the Great Hall. Students goggled at the massive, armored form of Mort, his tail aloft and dangling a rat. A large grim was trotting on his heels, while Luna, Hermione, and Ronald Weasley were trailing behind. Hermione and Ronald were arguing about something, while Luna serenely followed the others.
"Is there something I can help you with, Mort?" asked Dumbledore.
One of the other Professors, Lupin looked ashen at the sight of the grim following this "Mort" creature, and watched as it barked at the… the rat. The rat held in it's tail. He stood, and immediately went around to the other side of the table.
"The rat is a Death Eater," supplied Luna, as Remus walked up to the rat, his wand out, pointed at the dog. The dog whimpered.
"And the dog?" asked Lupin.
"He's a dog. A little matted and mangy, but a dog."
Lupin pointed his wand at the rat, and cast a quick charm. The entire hall gasped as the rat turned into a short, pudgy and dirty man missing a finger. He was slammed into the ground, and a massive clawed foot was on his chest. Large hands patted him down, and removed a pair of wands form his person. One clattered to the floor, but the other was held onto. His left sleeve was pulled up, revealing the faint outline of the dark mark.
"I didn't do it!" shouted the man. "It was all Black! I had to hide!"
Dumbledore and McGonagall stood, rigid, as Lupin spoke. One was wondering how this would change everything, and how much trouble it would bring him. The other was wondering how she could have doubted a young man she had known for years.
"You betrayed them, Peter! You betrayed James and Lily! You sold them out to Voldemort! You betrayed Sirius, sending him to rot in prison, and now you expect me to believe you? You could have revealed yourself at any time, even if you murdered twelve muggles! No, instead, you hid like the little coward you are!"
The hall was silent, at this proclamation.
"Sirius, help me bring this little maggot in for justice."
The hall jumped back, as the black grim became a gaunt but smiling Sirius Black.
"Thank you, Mort. We'll be taking him to Madame Bones from here. Albus, I don't believe I will be teaching my classes today."
"Yes, yes, of course," said Dumbledore. "Come up to my office, we'll floo from there. Minerva, I do believe we should dismiss the students. If you would speak with the young children who brought this to our attention?"
McGonagall nodded. She knew this was going to be a headache, but not a heartache as well, as she watched Sirius Black stand tall, innocent and proud of it, dragging Peter Pettigrew away.
Today, she felt, was going to be a long day.
0x0x0x0
"So what happened?" signed Mort to Luna, while Hermione was talking. He knew they had a solid ten or twenty minutes, and as long as they kept quiet, McGonagall wouldn't mind.
"Do you know about the Boy-Who-Lived?" signed back Luna.
"No."
"Well, Riddle was a Dark Lord, a wizard as evil as they come. He sought power, and to many powerful wizards, knowledge is power. So he sought evil knowledge, which corrupts you to your very soul. He became a monster. He claimed that only the purest of bloodlines should live, and the muggleborn should die."
"Alright. So what about the Boy-Who-Lived?"
"Riddle attacked the Potters. He killed James Potter, and Lily Potter gave her life protecting their son, Harry. Hagrid says Harry had a lightening bolt scar on his forehead afterwards."
"The curse Riddle killed Lily with, was it green?"
"The killing curse is green. It takes quite a bit of hate to cast, but Dark Lords are very hate-filled people."
Mort nodded, before asking his final question.
"So what happened to Harry?"
"Dumbledore says he's safe and protected," replied Luna. "Supposedly with his muggle relatives. He isn't at the school for his own protection. Again, supposedly."
Luna gave Mort a long look as Mort turned away, looking at some of the objects in the office. She noticed his skin had become sharper, more solid towards the end of the conversation, but set that aside.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes."
But no matter what Luna asked, Mort wouldn't say anything else.
0x0x0x0
Sirius Orion Black was a free man.
Dumbledore had taken the three of them directly to Madam Bones. Veteriserum had been administered, while Fudge had been called in. Twenty minutes of testimony, a dictation quill, and both Albus Dumbledore and Madame Bones towering over a quivering Fudge, and he was cleared. There'd be a full-blown trial for Peter later on that week, with the press and everyone else. Sirius, though, woul be free, exonerated, and everything would be blamed on the already disgraced Bartimus Crouch Sr.
Sirius suspected there was somebody else's name on the order that threw him into prison without a trial. He wasn't going to ask now, though.
Instead, when him and Remus arrived back at Albus' office, he'd asked the first and foremost question on his mind.
"Where's my godson?"
Oh, Albus did his usual song and dance, tried to convince him he wasn't in any condition to care for the boy, he was safe and protected, he needed to spend time getting himself back into shape.
"I'm going to see him, Albus. If I like where he's living, I'll let him stay, and just be that favorite crazy uncle. But first and foremost, I am going to see him, so where is he?"
Albus sat in his chair, while Sirius was glaring down at him, leaning on the man's desk. The portraits slowly vacated the entire office, while Remus retrieved his wand in the event this came to blows. Albus seemed to sink into his chair, his face falling, his beard coiling on the ground.
"I don't know," said Albus, finally.
"What?" asked Sirius.
"I don't know."
Albus began speaking of his method for protecting Harry, and the very instant he said "Lily's sister," Sirius cut him off.
"You gave Harry to Petunia?" he growled. "Petunia?"
"He needed to be protected," replied Albus, a response as old and tired as he felt. "The protections that could be placed on that house would prevent anyone from harming him."
"And if he ran away?"
Albus pointed to a device on his shelves.
"A blood-based tracking device," said Albus. "I recall the boy ran away several times when he was younger, but he was always returned to his home."
"And you didn't think for an instant he might not want to return?"
Albus sighed.
"Does it still work?" asked Sirius, taking the item from the shelf.
"It should, but it hasn't in the last five years. It has not entirely failed, thus the device still works, but it refuses to give his location."
Sirius was utterly silent at this proclamation. Remus glanced at Albus, and could smell his defeat.
"If you ever find Harry, you will tell me. You will not touch him, you will not talk to him, you will do nothing, except to retrieve me. If you do not, I will find out who else signed that order to leave me in Azkhaban without a trial. Is that understood?"
Albus nodded.
"Good. Who do you have looking for him?"
"Alastor."
"Good. At least you can figure out who can be discreet to fix your colossal fuck-up. I'll be speaking with him. Now piss off and die, Albus. I hope you rot in hell for the shit you've dumped on Harry."
Albus was silent on this proclamation. He knew better than to try and get the last word.
0x0x0x0
"So are you going to tell me what's wrong? Or am I going to keep bothering you?" asked Luna.
Mort slipped something from his arm, kept between armored plates that hadn't disappeared, and revealed a long, thin, lightly colored stick, a little over a foot in length. He gave it a wave, and red sparks and black motes drifted from it's tip.
"That's a wand!" said Luna. "Where did you get a wand?"
"Peter."
"But you tossed a wand away…" Luna paused for a minute. "Could it be Riddle's wand? I think James and Lily's wands were put on display. That's not what's wrong. Tell me."
"No."
Luna crossed her arms and thought. She wondered what could have caused this problem with her friend. Her friend had become grumpy ever since McGonagall's office. The story of the Boy-Who-Lived. Why? He was clearly too nice to be Voldemort. He didn't seem to know anything about Hogwarts, so he couldn't have been a friend of James and Lily, and not known how they died. Hagrid said he arrived only three years before she arrived. Did he feel bad for Harry Potter, the ever-missing Boy-Who-Lived, that Albus Dumbledore was reluctant to produce? But why? Wait, why was Harry Potter so hard to produce? Why hadn't he even been seen in public? There were sightings, certainly, but those had dropped off five or six years ago.
Time…
She tugged on his wing, and he turned back to her. She tugged on his wing again, and he opened them, shielding them from view.
She signed a name. He sat down, arms and wings wrapped around the both of them. He seemed smaller, somehow. Shorter, smaller than she'd ever seen him.
So, rather than ask again, she instead decided to tell a story. A story about a nine-year-old girl whose mother was a great and kind and wonderful, who researched spells and found out how they worked and why they worked. And one day, the girl walked in on her mother, and watched as a spell didn't work, didn't work in the most horrible way, and her mother died.
They sat in the clearing, the sunlight filtered through the winter trees, the thestrals having moved back into the forest.
When Luna looked at him, he made the first signs in over an hour.
"Her name was Jennifer. She was my only friend, besides you."
0x0x0x0
Mort's major issue with casting spells, was he couldn't speak Latin. He could, however, translate the spells from their original language to something he could use. Some spells were direct translations, while others were a little more creative, such as Windgardeum Leviosa becoming levitate you bastard feather. They did find that Parseltongue was a much faster language than Latin or English, but it made even the most basic transfiguration nearly impossible. Still, Luna required him to keep practicing it.
She also approached Professor Lupin about learning the Patronus Charm, telling him how Mort was attacked by the Dementors before term began. While they had been removed, she still wanted to learn to protect her friend. After getting the incantation and wand movements down, she explained it to Mort. Mort began practicing it on a regular basis, but with both the difficulty of the spell and the Latin-Parseltongue problem, they weren't even sure it would ever work. Mort claimed, however, that the words he was using, "I await a protector," felt right.
0x0x0x0
"I don't suppose you could follow me home, could you? I know my father would love to meet you."
"Why?"
"Because you're very nice, and I'm very persuasive, so you're coming with me."
"How?" asked Mort, knowing better than to actually argue with her.
"How small can you get?" asked Luna. "Also, we need to find out if you can floo."
Mort signed back the odd motion that Luna made. It looked a combination of the signs for walking and fire, almost as though you were to walk through fire.
"It's travel by fire. It's fun. You'll see. Now, how small can you get?"
Mort shrank down to his usual two-footed height of nine feet.
"Are you certain?" asked Luna. She felt that Mort would have rolled his eyes, if he still could, and lost another foot in the process.
Luna nodded, smiling.
"Excellent. Come along, we're going on the train for winter break."
"Now?"
"Yes, now. When else would we go? You're going to spend Christmas with us."
Mort sort of stared at her for a long moment, before nodding, slowly, and following her down to the carriages. There was another short argument about where he would ride in the carriages, before finally agreed to entering them. Then, there was an argument with McGonagall about whether or not Mort could go with her.
"Miss Lovegood, why is Mort with you?"
"I've decided to take him as a familiar," replied Luna. "Or as a pet. Perhaps both? Or neither?"
"And you're going along with this?"
A Gaelic shrug was Mort's only response.
"He knows better than to argue with me," replied Luna, smiling. "Besides, it's Christmas. I'm very certain he'd like to have a Christmas."
McGonagall just nodded, not entirely certain about this, but finding it best not to argue with Lovegood. She'd tried before, and it just never seemed to work. In the back of her mind, she wondered whether or not Albus would be able to deal with the girl as she waved them on.
It seemed like something she'd like to see.
"By the way, since he's my familiar, he'll be staying with me in my room."
And that's where the argument would be. McGonagall smiled.
"We'll have to take it up with Albus," she said.
Luna smiled some unknowable smile as she walked onto the train, Mort following her. She sat on a bench, and he sat across from her.
"Sorry for calling you my pet," signed Luna.
"It's alright. It's nice to be wanted, really."
"I know. I wouldn't want to be someone's pet, however."
Mort waved her off. The door opened, and Hermione stepped in, and stopped as she saw Mort sitting on the bench.
"Um… Hello Luna. Mort."
"Hello Hermione," said Luna, while Mort waved.
"I'm going to her home for Christmas."
Hermione nodded, thankful for the blank being filled. She sat down next to Luna, while Mort shifted, lying down on the bench.
"Uncomfortable?" asked Luna.
"It's the tail."
"So what are you doing for Christmas?" asked Luna.
"Just staying with my parents," said Hermione.
There was some small talk, but they were largely uninterrupted as the train went south. No one stopped in to visit them, although a few were surprised to look in and see the black monster that had caught Peter Pettigrew.
0x0x0x0
Xenophilius Lovegood gushed over Mort. He was smiling and giddy just looking at him, and Mort successfully floo'd to the Lovegood residence. He stumbled a little, but landed on all fours.
"There's three things my father cares about. Magical creatures, the Deathly Hallows, and me. If anyone can find out what you've become, he will."
"Thank you. Are we going to tell him who I am?"
Luna thought about it for a moment, before deciding.
"Do you want to tell him?"
"No… not yet. I suppose I should tell him at some point…"
"Then why not now?"
"Because we aren't even sure I'll ever change back. If I'm not him anymore, then why bother claiming to be him?"
"But you are him, even if don't look it anymore."
On this, Mort was still.
"So what language are you talking in?" asked Xenophilius.
"American Sign Language. Hermione Granger suggested it over British, since British requires both hands. She also found a few language learning spells, and with a fair bit of practice, we learned both."
"Why both?"
"Because we're British," replied Luna, "and I refuse to stoop to learning just a Yankee language."
Xenophilius nodded in understanding.
0x0x0x0
It was Mort's first Christmas amongst friends.
The house itself was so unlike anything Mort had ever seen. It was bewildering, but it was so… so magical. This was a wizarding home, he felt. Certainly, it needed a little cleaning (well, a lot of cleaning) but he could deal with that.
He slept at the foot of Luna's bed, at least until she dragged him up into the bed itself.
"You've spent enough time on floors and in dirt," was all Luna said.
It was… it was nice.
He woke up with the sun, as he expected, and snuck out of the bed. Luna was curled up against him, her back to his chest. He'd covered her with a wing, rather than retrieve the blankets. Cold had never bothered him, not anymore. Still, he pulled the blankets over her, and set off to make some sort of breakfast for them. Four years of work had ingrained a proper English breakfast into him, and five years of living in a forest had not driven it out.
He still had a false start or two, but managed to make something of the few ingredients in their chillbox. Xenophilius and Luna both came down to a decent breakfast, while Mort was cleaning and organizing the multitude of mis-matched dishes.
Xenophilius was rather surprised by this, and eyed both Mort and Luna carefully, but made no comment given the house hadn't been cleaner since Selene had died. It was just… surprising. Especially when Luna spoke.
"You didn't need to do that."
Mort shrugged, and made a few signs back.
"You still didn't need to. Are you going to eat?"
More signs. Xenophilius knew the spell to learn, and cast it on himself. Luna saw it, and started signing her own words.
"I'm not asking if you need to eat. I'm asking if you want to."
At this, Mort was motionless, before he finally went back to the stove and made more food.
"We'll need to go shopping, I think," said Luna. "I don't suppose you can make the three of us a Christmas dinner, do you?"
0x0x0x0
Christmas dinner proved to be a less extravagant affair, where Mort was involved. Once he figured out how to use the oven (and also cleaned the massive layers of ancient grease and dust from inside it), he started baking and roasting with gusto.
A large Christmas Ham was produced for Christmas Eve (Xeno said he wanted something different from the Weasley's Christmas Goose), along with more fixings than the three of them could possibly eat. Christmas itself was something that his relatives would have never agreed to. It was kind and loving, and more about family than about the gifts and presents being given.
Molly and Ginny arrived that afternoon, both wondering where the Lovegoods were and carrying heaps of leftovers. Rather than the usual forgetful emptiness of the rockery, they arrived to find a festive atmosphere, an overflowing chillbox, and a smiling Luna Lovegood.
"Hello, Mrs Weasley, Ginny."
"Luna, dear, how are you? We didn't see you and your father at Christmas dinner."
"Sorry, we had Mort, so we didn't want to intrude."
"Mort, oh, no, he wouldn't be... a... bother..." trailed off Mrs Weasley, as she saw Mort duck into the room, carrying a tray of sliced ham for sandwiches. He'd prepared enough for his old family, not for his new one. Still, he didn't mind, since Luna had loved it.
"Er..."
Mort nodded to her and Ginny. Ginny stood, staring at both Mort and Luna, eyebrows raised.
"You brought him here?" asked Ginny.
"Yes. We've been teaching each other sign language." She glanced at Mort. He signed something to her. "Father wanted to help identify him."
"Oh, you poor dear, not knowing what you are. I do wish you the best of luck. And that does smell very good! You've had practice cooking?"
And with that, Luna was trapped in the middle of a recipe exchange.
0x0x0x0
"Oh, Hello Ellena, Jamie. This is Mort. He's mine. He'll be staying up here every once in a while."
The other two girls in the Ravenclaw dorm nodded exceedingly slowly, staring at Mort with wide-eyed looks.
"We had a wonderful time at Christmas," continued Luna, not waiting for a response. "I'm so glad McGonagall finally gave permission for me to allow him into the castle."
Mort wondered about that, idly, but he liked both sleeping on a bed, and sleeping on a bed with Luna. Part of him felt it was somehow wrong, that if he was human it'd be wrong to sleep in a bed with another girl, but that part of him was silenced by how comfortable, both he and Luna were.
0x0x0x0
Mort spent a day in the dorm-room, reading a book on enchanting, when one of the fourth years entered and began to open Luna's trunk. They stopped when they heard the deep throaty-growl from the above them, Mort staring down at them from atop the canopy of her bed.
"Um... I'm borrowing something?" started the student. "Luna's a friend of mine?"
Mort's tail snaked out over the bed, and pushed the trunk closed.
The student, a chinese girl, swallowed very carefully, before backing out of the room, and heading on down the stairwell.
He decided he needed to learn enchanting and locking charms, and would ask Luna about it later.
0x0x0x0
Luna said her things would usually go missing. When Mort said people were claiming to borrow them, she nodded, and hunted down a very theory oriented book on enchanting from the library. After reading a text on spell-creation, he promptly stated he'd be joining her when she took Arithmancy and Ancient Runes next year, whether anyone cared or not.
Luna merely nodded, and life went on.
0x0x0x0
"Thank you for finally meeting me," muttered Sirius Black, having given the six required passphrases to Alastor Moody. He had already spent four months sending back and forth owls, patroni, and even regular muggle mail (albeit heavily charmed) to the man, before he sent a portkey that left Sirius Black in an empty, warded room for two and a half hours.
"Had to be sure," growled back Moody. He made no motion to give out food or drink. He trusted no one, and felt no one trusted him.
"Dumbledore had you looking for Harry."
"He did. Didn't do much good, when he didn't ask for all of my results. What do you know?"
"Albus placed him with Petunia Dursley nee Evans. He disappeared about five years ago."
"Petunia knows nothing. Boy went to school, cousin said he didn't come home. She reported him missing the next day, and was done."
Sirius nodded.
"Albus probably didn't mention he dropped the boy on Petunia's doorstep on November 1st."
"No. No he didn't. He made no mention whatsoever of leaving a boy who could walk out on a cold, November night. Should I be surprised?"
"Not really. Albus is dumb at times. Then again, he seemed to think everything would work out fine, and look where that's gotten him so far."
"Like his assumption about me."
"Right. Now, what Albus refused to pay any mind to was pretty interesting. McKinnon family. Their youngest son, Gordon, spent a fair amount of time with Petunia's lardball of a son, Dudley. Their only daughter, Jennifer, was Harry's only friend."
"Only friend?" asked Sirius.
"Mm. Dudley and Gordon played a game called 'Harry Hunting,' along with a few others. Made sure nobody went near him. He was pretty rough with her, according to some, too. Got it from his father is the gossip."
"Did you speak with them?"
"Can't. The lot of them were murdered. The girl was found in the basement. Father had tried to hide her, after accidentally beating her to death. Autopsy said she'd been beaten a fair amount before. Fractured her skull when her head bounced off a table. Harry was seen asking after her, two or three times.
"Oh, Merlin."
"Harry broke in through the basement window. They ID'd him through fingerprints from a school assignment. He found the girl. This is where things get… fuzzy."
"What happened?"
Alastor summoned a folder from a nearby table, and laid it out in front of Sirius. Sirius opened it and barely flinched at the sight.
"The rest of the McKinnon family was butchered. Physically torn limb from limb. And I mean physically, you can see the handprints. No spells. I've read the autopsy reports, looked over the pictures, everything."
Sirius nodded.
"I asked about the ceilings. Ten foot. Still leaves us with half-giants, werewolves, and vampires. No bites, and far to much spilled blood, leaving half-giants. Doesn't strike me as something Hagrid would do, and there aren't any other half-giants in England."
"And Harry?"
"Prints are on the basement door."
"How did he leave?"
"Back door, maybe. Torn off its hinges. Damage indicates from the inside."
"So how did this thing get in?"
"Gut says portkey. Seems like a nice plot to kill him or kidnap him, and it kills some muggles in the process."
"Why not portkey him away?"
"Burst of magic that big in a muggle neighborhood? You were an Auror, Black. Use your brain. They'd follow it easy."
Sirius hmm'd, then went back to the pictures.
The hand was huge, whatever it was. Had it kidnapped Harry? But what was it? Alastor was right. No bites, lots of blood. It just tore the entire family apart. It had to be something big and mean, that could sneak around when it needed to.
Inspiration struck Sirius, and he soon excused himself.
0x0x0x0
"Hello, Hagrid."
"Sirius! I… I'm sorry, Sirius. Maybe… Maybe if I had given you little Harry, you never would have gone."
"I know, Hagrid. We both trusted Dumbledore on that one. I figured I'd get a trial, you had to get Harry out of there, and Dumbledore figured he was doing the right thing."
"It means… it means a lot to me, you saying that, Sirius. I'm sorry, I should- we all should've known better, than thinking you'd betrayed James."
"It's in the past, Hagrid," said Sirius, knowing the half-giant would blubber endlessly if he allowed it.
"I know, I know, but it's good to hear it from you. Now I know you didn't just come to chat with me, so what can I help you with?"
"The creature that found the rat."
"You mean Mort?" asked Hagrid.
"Yeah, can I see him?"
"No, he's not at the school anymore. He went home with Luna. Luna Lovegood, that is. I'm glad he found a good home, that forest isn't a proper home. No disrespect to you and Professor Lupin, of course. Sorry to see him go. Lot of the kids liked him."
Sirius nodded.
"He's helping me with something important," said Sirius. "I think Mort might be able to help, too."
"Of course, of course. Oh! One more thing..." said Hagrid, turning and heading into his hut. He stepped back out, and a white snowy owl, with brown spotting covering its lower body. "She's a few years late from when I meant to give it to him, but his birthday is coming up."
"Oh?" asked Sirius.
"I bought this for when Harry turned eleven. I'd planned on giving her when he showed up for school and all, but, well with Albus being worried and everything, I hadn't had a chance to. Can you give her to Harry for me?"
"Yeah... of course," said Sirius, something within him hardening.
Hagrid smiled, wholly unaware of the conflicting emotions crossing Sirius's face.
"Thanks a bunch, Sirius. An' again, I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have."
"It's alright," replied Sirius. "And I'll make sure Harry gets this for his birthday."
0x0x0x0
Sirius and Remus walked up the winding path to the black tower at the top of the hill.
"Definitely Lovegood's place," said Sirius.
"Be kind," replied Remus. "This might be our only lead."
"What, not courteous?"
"That always struck me as being beyond you," remarked Remus, as Sirius rolled his eyes and knocked on the front door.
Xenophilius Lovegood, with his wild hair and equally wild eyes, stared back at them.
"Hello," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Boardman. I understand you're getting the Hobgoblins back together again?"
Whatever Sirius had been expected, that was not it. Remus, instead, spoke.
"Yes, Mister Boardman is interested in a comeback tour," he began. "Unfortunately, we're still looking for a few of the original band members."
"Ah, of course, of course," said Xenophilius, nodding quickly. "And you would be?"
"Remus. Remus Lupin, Mister Boardman's manager. May we come in?"
"Yes, yes, of course. Come in, come in."
Sirius sighed, realizing the man was quite completely and utterly insane, but followed Remus into the building. They needed to speak with Luna and Mort.
Sirius watched as Remus began spinning a story of deceit, drama, and bullshit, that Xenophilius was just eating up. Sirius looked out the window, to see a slim blonde girl reading, her back up against something that just drank in the midmorning sunlight.
Sirius motioned to Remus he was heading out the back door. Remus looked at him and nodded, even as he was still talking with Xenophilius. Sirius spelled the back door silent, and exited the house. Mort was already looking at him, as he closed the door. He tapped Luna's shoulder and pointed up at Sirius.
"Oh, hello, Mister Black."
"Hello Miss Lovegood. I was hoping you and Mort could help me with something."
"Of course," replied Luna.
"Harry Potter is missing," said Sirius, expecting an explosion of surprise, an exclamation, anything, except for the girl's quiet acceptance of this.
"He… he disappeared five years ago, and I'm trying to put together what happened to him."
"Well, what do you know?" asked Luna.
"The muggle law enforcement, the police, have him at the scene of a murder."
"How do they know?"
"Fingerprints. They're unique, and Harry's were there. Harry's Aunt provided some of this things for the police to identify them from."
Luna nodded.
"A little girl… a little girl was murdered, and Harry was looking into it. The girl's father was the one who murdered her, and… and the girl's parents, along with both older brothers were… were butchered. Literally torn limb from limb. Without magic. There's very few things that could do that, and fit into a muggle house. And… well… I wanted to ask if… if Mort was at that house."
Mort tapped Luna on the shoulder, and made a few signs. Luna nodded.
"She was raped by her father, as well," said Luna.
Sirius felt something twist in his gut. He swallowed, horror in his chest trying to escape, to know that such a thing happened.
"Did you… did you see Harry at all? While you were there?"
Mort shook his head.
"Back to square one," murmured Sirius. He sat down on the grass, his eyes falling to the ground, trying to think of something, anything that would be helpful.
Nothing.
It broke him.
Ten years in Azkhaban, knowing Harry was alive, and well, and protected and safe, and it was all a lie. That he'd been abused and beaten, that his only friend was an abused, beaten and raped little girl who was murdered… and now… and now his last chance at finding him had evaporated like water in the desert. His last chance at saving him. His last chance at rescuing him, at showing him what his friends and his parents, and fulfilling his promise to James.
He broke down into sobs, his face in hidden by his arms, cradled on his knees, inarticulate and undecipherable sentences uttered between his choked off cries of despair. Luna stepped forward, and hugged him, even as he wailed his pain and misery.
Remus Lupin stepped out of the house, and saw Sirius, Luna hugging the lost and now finally broken man. She seemed to be glaring at Mort, while Mort was standing, arms crossed. Power and anger seemed to be radiating from the creature, the shadows around it lengthening.
Just what was it, he wondered as he walked down from the back door to Sirius. He picked the man up, he was still to thin and light from Azkhaban, and the stress of trying to find Harry was just adding to it.
Luna started having a very one-sided conversation of hand signals with Mort. The shadows around him and within him seemed to deepen as Luna signed at him.
"Professor Lupin?" asked Luna. "Can we help you find Harry?"
"I'm no longer a Professor, Miss Lovegood. I've quit Hogwarts to help Sirius find Harry. After what Albus did…"
"What Albus did?" asked Luna. "This is off the record, just so you know."
"He ignored James and Lily's will. Harry was supposed to be with Sirius' cousin, Andromeda, or with Edgar and Daria Bones. Granted, Amelia took over for them after Voldemort killed them, but she's done a good job raising Susan. It's just… he did so many things so very wrong back then. He doesn't even bother with apologizing, he doesn't admit he made a mistake, he just… it drives me mad. I don't understand how Minerva can stand him."
"I imagine he hates his parents, then," said Luna.
"What?" asked Sirius. "Why? James and Lily were wonderful people!"
"Because he thinks he was left to his aunt and uncle by them. If he ran away, and doesn't want to be found, then I rather suspect they must have been horrible to him."
Sirius nodded slowly.
"He wouldn't trust anyone. Especially not friends of his parents. They're all lumped together, as liars and abusers. People to be distrusted, to avoid at all costs. And with magic as powerful as Harry was suspected to have, he would never be found."
"He… he wouldn't, would he? Hate James and Lily?"
"He never knew them, Sirius. It's… it's a possibility. I never… I never thought of it that way, Miss Lovegood. But… it does explain some things."
"Petunia," muttered Sirius. "Fucking bint. This is all her fault."
"No, this is all Albus' fault," said Remus.
"Have you tried just sending him an owl?" asked Luna.
"No," said Sirius.
"Try that. Just send a letter. Without tracking charms, without spells, just a simple letter on parchment. Maybe the owl will take it, maybe the owl won't. But if the owl does… maybe you'll get a response."
"It's a plan," said Remus.
"It's all I've got left," muttered Sirius. "Might as well. Hell, maybe the owl Hagrid wanted to give Harry will find him."
"It's worth a try," said Luna.
Once they left, Luna turned back to Mort, to continue their argument.
0x0x0x0
Dear Mister Harry Potter,
If this letter finds you, please don't destroy until you've reached the end.
My name is Sirius Black. I am your godfather. I was a friend of your parents before they were murdered. I'm aware that you were put with your aunt and uncle, and while I don't know how big a mistake it was, I know that it was a mistake to place you with them. I was wrongfully imprisoned for your parents deaths, and have only recently been cleared.
I'm writing to you because this is my last chance at finding you. I know you're still alive, but I want, at least, to know that you are safe, healthy, and protected. Please send back a note saying that much. If you wish no further contact, I understand.
We've asked the owl to contact you when you are alone, in case your present guardians are as despicable as your previous ones are. I apologize, but it is a precaution on our part.
Respectfully yours,
Sirius Orion Black
0x0x0x0
Sirius was depressed. That much was evident.
The snowy owl had left three days before, and they were still waiting for her return.
His theories about what had happened to the owl had reached well into "outlandish" by the middle of the second day, and Remus could only force him to clean Grimmauld Place so much.
Sirius was vibrating in his seat, staring at the open window at breakfast time on the third day.
Both men, for entirely different reasons, breathed a sigh of relief when the snowy owl landed in front of Sirius, a muggle envelope attached to its leg.
Sirius snatched it away, tore open the envelope and began reading, handing the owl an entire plate of bacon to eat.
"Well?" asked Remus, slowly picking at his own breakfast. After a minute or two, Remus moved his chair so that he could read over Sirius shoulder. It was written in a somewhat neat hand, with a muggle pen.
Dear Mister Black,
Thank you for your concern. I wish I had it had been sooner, too. Why was I placed with my aunt and uncle, if it was a mistake? Why didn't any of my parents friends check on me? You have an excuse, and a good one. What about others?
I can receive owls at any time.
Harry Potter
Sirius and Remus stared at the parchment for a long moment.
"Well, why didn't you visit?" asked Sirius.
"Albus suggested that if I did, I could be arrested for making an attempt on Harry's life," replied Remus.
Sirius sat there, staring at the wall for a long moment.
He summoned parchment and quill, and began to write out two more letters.
0x0x0x0
Luna watched the snowy white owl land on the breakfast table, and handed a letter to Mort.
Dear Harry
Thank you for responding. It is wonderful to hear that you are well, safe, and, well, alive.
To answer your first question, you were left on the doorstep of the Dursleys by Albus Dumbledore. And I mean "left on the doorstep." You were in a basket with (hopefully) a warming charm and a note. Your parents will was ignored. You were supposed to be left to myself, Remus Lupin, Alice and Frank Longbottom, Andromeda and Ted Tonks, or Edgar and Daria Bones.
Remus Lupin was a friend of your father's, and was "suggested not to visit" by, again, Albus Dumbledore for a condition he has, under threat of arrest and imprisonment. How he was then made a teacher at a school you should have attended, however, was never discussed, as getting Dumbledore to admit something requires blackmail.
Alice and Frank Longbottom were tortured into insanity two days after your parent's deaths.
Andromeda and Ted, as near as I can tell, were ignored. Albus claims it was to prevent Andromeda's sister, Narcissa, and by extension her husband Lucius, from claiming you. Lucius was a follower of Voldemort who claimed to be bewitched.
Daria and Edgar Bones were attacked two months before your parent's deaths. Edgar was killed then and there, while Daria succumbed to her injuries within a year.
I'm more than certain Albus used some explanation or another to wave off other's concerns. I know he did this with Minerva McGonagall. He is that sort of individual. As to why he did it… he claims there were protections based on family blood. I think he knew exactly how you would be raised, and hoped for an abused little boy looking for acceptance from the kindly grandfather. Or maybe he's just senile. The man's nearly a hundred and twenty years old at this point.
Honestly, I'd prefer him to be senile, rather than evil.
Mort stopped, hearing the knock at the door. Xenophilius answered with a rather normal greeting, and allowed the two men into the house. Mort blinked, as he realized it was Sirius and Remus. Sirius stopped and stared at them, then at Hedwig, then back at Mort.
"Harry?" he asked.
On this, Mort was entirely still. Luna signed at him.
Mort placed the letter on the table, and then nodded.
"You mean..." began Remus.
"A MacFusty Transformation," said Sirius, nodding.
"A MacFusty Transformation?" asked Luna.
"Something a Ravenclaw doesn't know?" asked Sirius.
"Yes, but only temporarily, as you will be providing enlightenment."
"Right. It's an accidental animagus transformation. Almost always into a magical creature, and it's barely reversible," said Sirius, staring. "Harry, is it really you?"
Mort nodded.
"Well, this is rather bolloxed up, now isn't it?" muttered Sirius.
Author's Notes: And that's about where I ran out of steam on this thing. It has it's problems, and I'm fairly certain they're big enough to drive a semi through.
The ending is sort of misty. It'd definitely be in the Graveyard, but I can't figure out a proper way to do it, that won't make it look one-sided.
That, and there's always those goddamn horcruxes. Gah.
