Hey all my peeps! (glad to see new reviewers!) Sorry for the completely late update – this semester has been insane and life was simply demanding attention! But, yay! Summer! Already working on the next chapter!
Just trying to make Harry's year eventful folks! –Big, big grin- JKR did leave large shoes to fill. And I can't believe the book will soon be here!!
And woah, so many OMGs as well as so much fear Harry is dead. Silly people this is a HP story, without him there is no story! It's like worrying JKR would kill Harry off in one of the books. Just silly – we don't have to worry about that until this last book!
Feature questions:
The Snake: Irrisa Taisho – no the snake was not a basilisk, just a regular snake. Rowling never said the symbol for Slytherin was a basilisk, just a snake. Purrbaby101 – why would the snake intuitively know Harry was telling truth? Kasmo – Harry's never really just controlled snakes, they've just shown him respect. Voldemort can control snakes, but Harry never really has and when it comes to a Slytherin sigil snake? I don't think so.
The Teachers: Alexis8907 – they were a little in shock, but about to spring into action when Harry ran at the snake. Then, they didn't want to disturb the tête-à-tête between Harry and the snake – for fear of causing it to attack – I know, in hindsight, ironic.
Sirius: Wow, a lot of people think this'll make Sirius fuzzy for Harry. Um, did we miss the whole Parseltongue and Heir of Slytherin connection? Ava Monroe – yes Sirius will make Harry crack – at some point –evil smirk-. And yay! You like Remus! I so agree, Rowling totally undercut in the books what he could be for Harry.
ashez2ashes – Yes, Remus did see the thestral! Um and lighter stuff is incoming, my time line got switched around a little. I agree, him being a Parselmouth is big news, but, er, I'm not really going to go into that – maybe later. Oh and actually I didn't even consider St. Mungo's, but it'd screw up my timeline unfortunately…
"Is there any chance of Harry getting to spend the winter holidays with James family?" –Big grin- Wait and see.
CSebastiene – "I can't imagine how poor Harry must feel, seeing all these people who suffered so much during Voldemort's first reign as (mostly) innocent teenagers, just readying themselves to face the outside world at large." So true.
And on with the show! Been leaving Harry bleeding on the ground for long enough… Time to finally lighten up the plot a little.
Hold Me While I'm Here-
Tailfeathers Strikes Again
"I do not believe I have to explain the seriousness of the occurrences of this night. It is extremely fortunate that Professor McGonagall, Madame Pomphrey, and myself were at hand or a visit to St. Mungo's may have been necessary. We are extremely lucky it was not."
White faces became even paler, if that was possible.
"However, Mr. Patterson has considerable injuries to his torso and left arm. He's lost a lot of blood and broken a large extent of his ribs and left arm. Thankfully the snake's fangs managed not to full-on pierce any major organ and very nearly missed his spine. But he is in critical condition and unlikely to regain consciousness until tomorrow at the earliest."
It was quite certain there was at least one muttered 'Bloody hell', but it was impossible to tell who exactly it was issued from – though an educated guess couldn't be far wrong.
"I assume this was not your intent in constructing this prank." It wasn't really a question, though Dumbledore's light eyes swept over the assorted gang pointedly, but James nodded anyway. "In light of the damage done however, it must come as no surprise that Gryffindor will be losing 75 House points. Beyond that, I do think you have been punished enough."
He let the words hang in the air before bringing his speech to a close. "At this point, I would normally dismiss you to your dorm, but I feel there is no need to make you break more rules than you already have. I would ask however, that you would remove yourselves after you have assured yourselves of Mr. Patterson's condition."
And with that, Dumbledore took his leave of both the Marauders and the Hospital Wing.
There was dead silence.
James was finally the one to break the silence, clearing his throat from his position sitting on a spare bed. "So what went wrong?" His hoarse voice sounded almost deafening in the thick gloom, but nevertheless he strove for composure.
"The animation spell," Remus was compelled to speak from his spot opposite. "But I don't understand why - it never did anything like that in any of the tests, I mean-" he kept speaking, his horror of what had happened – because of him – breaking his composure. They had performed trial runs, on much smaller targets. After a few tweaks, they'd managed exactly what they had been planning. It didn't make any sense. He saw again the snake fall before his mind's eye.
"If it wasn't the spell, then what went wrong?" James cut Remus off sharply. The other boy flinched, before going on more subdued.
"A History," he murmured, clearing his throat when it tightened. "A History says that the banners are the originals created by the Founders. I suppose, somehow they are magically engineered and-" He couldn't go on. They had all seen what happened. And on some level, it was a moot point. They couldn't go back and fix it.
James sighed, bringing up a hand to rub the low throb by his temples. "But why did it attack Harry?" It was the next obvious question, edged with a fatigue James could not hide. "If it even needed a reason…" he murmured more to himself.
Peter looked around the casual circle, wringing his hands in a sudden reflexive motion. "Maybe he did something?" he suggested weakly.
"Or hey, gee, maybe it was something he said," Sirius finally spoke bitingly, arms crossed over his chest. "You know, when he was soddin' speaking in PARSELTONGUE to it!" Despite the fact he was leaning against the wall, he nearly vibrated with heated energy.
James shot him a look at the volume, but he knew better than to take the words completely at face value. Sirius felt the same impotent anger as himself. That once again Harry was suffering for their oversight.
Mad at himself.
Mad at his best mate.
Mad at Remus. Mad at Peter, mad at Dumbledore, mad at McGonagall, mad at the Slytherins, mad at the snake, mad at the Houses, mad at Salazar Slytherin, mad at the Great Hall, mad at magic, mad at Hogwarts, A History, mad at anything and everything that could possibly be blamed for what happened.
Mad at Harry.
And like always, that anger focused on a single object.
Sirius pushed off the wall. "And don't you dare give me that look James or say you don't want to hear it! He's a soddin' Parselmouth! A Parselmouth!" He was vehement, but obeying James' implicit warning, he used intensity rather than volume to emphasize his words. And then he was away, pacing yet again. "Do you even–" he choked on the words, whirling on James. "damn it James – you have to know what that means!"
He could excuse Peter and even Remus, grown up on the fringes of pureblood society. Both were the children of wizards, but there was Muggle blood in their families. Peter just might not have understood
the implications of Parseltongue and Remus might never have learned about it due to his rural childhood.
But James… James had to know, had to know what pureblood families thought about Parseltongue, how dark pureblood families combed their ancestral lines for that spark of hope, that they were related to Salazar. Every pureblood house had their lineages, but there were always gaps, holes that research simply could not fill, and a point at which they could not go further back. And so the claim, the wonder, the curiosity if they, even those faithful to Slytherin's ideals, could possibly be connected to him so intimately allured them.
The gift would prove it.
Gift, Sirius' stomach rolled.
"Do you know-" he hissed, "what a pure-blood family would give to have one?"
If he'd been alone with James, he might've told him that when he was six, his parents had tested him. They'd used a simple garden snake, not wanting to expose their firstborn son to any actual danger. They sat him down and stood back, herding the snake closer to him. He might've told James that he still remembered that incident, the snake slithering closer to him unwillingly, testing the air. And how he'd reached for the snake with the naïveté of youth, grabbing it in the hard grip all children naturally use. And how the green head had waved, hissing, before sinking its fangs into his arm.
He might've even told James that was when he first learned to hate snakes.
His parents hadn't tried again.
But he didn't tell them.
"But he's not pureblood," Peter ventured.
"It doesn't matter," he dismissed lowly. It would be heretical to what all purebloods believed, but given the actual frequency of interbreeding, it was conceivable. Ironic, especially to Sirius, but conceivable. "It's the mark of Slytherin."
James could see where he was going in the dark glint of his eyes and his jaw tensed. Still, he didn't argue head-on. "But then why would the snake attack him?"
Sirius stiffened, still in the middle of the room. Tension solidified in the lines of his shoulders as his hands slowly fisted. They weren't going to like his answer and his gaze fastened to the wall. "It could've been staged."
Peter's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"Staged?" James repeated in disbelief, not sure if he was more shocked at the idea or the fact Sirius was actually suggesting it. A tight nod.
"Are you crazy?" Remus finally spoke up, vitriolic and caustic as he nearly jumped from his seat. Only his store of self-control kept him from making as dramatic a display as the other boy. He gave a derisive laugh. "No, Sirius," the werewolf bit out the name insultingly. "what you are is paranoid. You honestly think Harry nearly killed himself to weaken reactions to the fact he's a Parselmouth?"
Peter was struck silent.
It was ingenious.
"The bite wasn't that bad," Sirius said thinly, his lips white and compressed.
"That bad?" Remus echoed in shock and horror. Had he even listened to Dumbledore?!
Sirius gave a half-turn. "It could've been worse."
"Yeah," James couldn't help himself. "He could've died!"
Remus' eyes narrowed to slits. "I suppose this should be unexpected, I mean, it's not like you have a prejudice that makes you see dark wizards under every tree and bush."
The barb struck home and Sirius' face hardened. He wheeled towards Remus. Clenching his fist, he managed to restrain his first impulse to lash out. "Moony, open your eyes," he hissed. "Would you stop seeing a soddin' fellow victim?"
James tensed in his seat, ready to intervene if necessary if, when Sirius crossed the line. And predictably, the Black boy's voice hardened even further.
"Even if he isn't a dark wizard –"
It was as far as James let him get. He couldn't let him go farther, because farther was not something James was ready to consider. Not now, not ever.
He wasn't a dark wizard.
Not Harry. Not Remus.
Not yet.
"Sirius! Just stop!"
He stood between them, hands unnecessarily out. Sirius ground his teeth. Calmer, but just as serious, "You can't just ignore this James, you-"
"One more thing." James spoke over him with absolute firmness. "One more suspicious or questionable thing he knows or does – one more thing and we'll confront him." It wasn't an actual claim of solidarity, despite the use of 'we.' They all knew it would be Sirius doing the confronting. James was only giving his permission, not agreement. Sirius' lips compressed, but he whirled away without a further word. Remus looked equally unimpressed – compromise rarely pleased any party.
Watching Sirius turn away in thwarted fury, Remus scowl in festering bitterness – he hated being in the middle of them. It was becoming like walking a tight rope between them, Sirius' suspicions and Remus' defensiveness with lingering dark undertones. Both steeped in darkness, each murmuring caution of the other. As if it was just a matter of time before one went too far.
He got chills at the thought.
No, he knew Sirius and Remus too well. They were both loyal and they would never betray themselves to dark magic, never betray him – even if others tried… And Harry, despite his secrets or perhaps because, he could tell, was just like them.
And in his consoling thoughts, he quite overlooked the rat.
Harry hated the Hospital Wing.
He hated the white walls, the stale silence, the restriction to bed rest, the fussing of Pomphrey, the fact he'd spent far too much time locked within its walls, the isolation it put him in as he was left to imagine how his latest 'stunt' was being dissected by the entire school.
Most of all, he hated the fact he felt like hell most of the time he was there.
Yet, considering above dissection, he was not really inclined to leave the Hospital Wing, for say, the rest of the year. He'd already gone through the revelation of him being a Parselmouth once and it hadn't been pretty. Then again, there had already been rumors floating around because of the random attacks and dark magic – not that this time was devoid of those.
What made it worse was he couldn't really gauge the Marauders' reaction, which mattered the most to him. They hadn't been there when he'd first awoken, but it had only been briefly – basically just enough for Pomphrey to slip him some nasty-tasting potions and ask a few very basic questions. The second time, they'd been there, James and Remus, almost defiantly, crowding around him. Sirius had been off a ways and Peter wasn't in eyesight – at least one good result of the whole mess.
They'd been sympathetic, asking how he felt and apologizing over what happened. He kept waiting for the question, 'Why the hell are you a Parselmouth?' or even some kind of interrogation over why he hadn't told them – but none came.
And finally he'd done it for them after the fourth 'Are you sure talking isn't too strenuous for you?' (Remus of course, and to be honest, it actually was painful, but he was hardly going to send them away.)
"I found out four years ago," he blurted out, his knuckles whitened, clutching his bed sheet. Remus and James froze, but Sirius' eyebrow went up in interest.
"How?" James finally asked quietly.
"There was a fake dueling match with M-another kid," he caught himself from the nervous slip and licked his lips. "He accidentally," accidentally his arse, "conjured up a snake and I told it not to attack anyone when it was threatening and no one understood what I said though I didn't realize that at the time and then I found out what a Parselmouth was actually." His ribs spasmed at the nervous rambling, but he fisted his hand tighter.
"You had no idea before that?"
He shook his head at Remus, before reconsidering. "Well I talked to a boa once before then, but I didn't realize there was anything really peculiar about it."
Three identical stares.
"Doing magic period is weird in the Muggle world, remember?" he flushed.
James gave his head a little shake as if to change the subject. "Well, it's not like you can help it." A slight eye slide to Remus. "If you have it, it's, it's not like you can help it."
It was poor consolation, but Harry searched his face for sincerity and James, ever one to feed off attention, straightened his shoulders.
"What you are born with or grow up with," he said more strongly, "is not as important as the choices you make." Hazel met green and Harry knew James believed that. Remus nodded stiffly as well.
Harry sighed before smiling weakly. He sounded so much like Dumbledore. "I wished it worked out that easily." And unconsciously, a hand stole up to rub his scar as his eyes slid shut for a second.
Sirius' eyes lasered in at the sight, but all Harry knew was that Remus had immediately exclaimed that they were tiring him and they should go.
It hadn't served to really answer his questions. James was being optimistic, Remus empathetic, and Sirius, from his silence, most likely pessimistic. But he had no idea for how long that would last or exactly how deep it ran.
"The choices you make."
He shook off the slight chill those words inspired. What would his father think of his choices?
Outside of the Marauders, he could only conjecture how the school was responding. If their whole mission had indeed been to re-establish the status quo, he'd officially wrecked any chance of that happening. Slughorne and Ransdale would no doubt be even more intrigued and puzzled by this latest revelation – it wasn't everyday a non-pureblood started speaking Parseltongue. He wasn't looking forward to chats with either of them.
So surely staying in the Hospital Wing was his best bet.
Except it wasn't.
He was dozing, lost in the space of the unwell between alertness and actual capitulation to healing rest. But the voices crept through the curtain, to prod at his tired brain.
"We'd like to see Harry."
"He's not up for visitors at the moment."
The voices fuzzed and he turned his head – it wasn't Marauders.
Not Marauders? Then who would want to see him?
He yawned and blinked his eyes open, wincing in the bright light.
"…only a few minutes." Insistence.
"Yes ma'am, it would hardly be for long." This voice was different from the other, silky smooth and beguiling. Like a – snake.
His eyes snapped open. Slytherins? What the-?
"No," for once in his life, Harry fervently thanked his lucky stars for Pomphrey's implacable concern for those under her care. "Perhaps if you came back tomorrow."
Damn it.
The scene the Marauders walked in on the next day was hardly expected.
For one thing, Harry was out of bed. (Remus was scandalized by that alone.)
Secondly, he was arguing – even though his right hand was betrayingly tucked to his ribs, his left in a tightly bound sling.
Thirdly, fourthly, and – well there were really too many points why this was completely wrong – he was arguing with Madame Pomphrey to be let out of the Hospital Wing! ('Can you even do that?' whispered Peter to James.)
"Absolutely not Mr. Patterson – and if you don't get back into bed-" Her face began to curl into the oddly menacing expression it always got when her patients came close to breaking her rules.
"Staying here is not going to make me heal up any faster than I would in Gryffindor Tower," it sounded like a point that had been repeated frequently, given the stubborn set of Harry's jaw. "You said yourself all I need is bed rest and my potions at their correct times-"
"Completely undisturbed bed rest, coordinated potion treatment, and proper re-application of your bandages," Pomphrey ticked off sharply.
"All of which can be done in Gryffindor Tower," he turned. "Right guys?"
Startled at the sudden incorporation, they were taken about for a minute, but as Harry's pleading gaze fell on Remus, the werewolf couldn't help some empathy.
"It is possible," he said tentatively. James shot him a look and they exchanged brief nonverbal communication. James' jaw tightened.
"Do you really want to leave the Hospital Wing?" he asked Harry.
"I'd feel much," Harry paused, "better if I could be in Gryffindor Tower. And the ability to recuperate is greatly increased in a setting conducive to healing and personal comfort." The pause was marked, but unable to be deciphered – the plea in his eyes and voice (and big words) however…
"This is absurd! The Hospital Wing was constructed for this very purpose-"
"If we guarantee his continued care where he's comfortable," James put in, giving his head a respectful tilt. "Would you allow him to leave?"
Pomphrey looked ill-pleased. Fixing a look on Harry, her frown deepened.
"You absolutely swear you will stay in bed?" she finally asked.
Harry nodded vigorously. "And I will make sure to take all my potions appropriately."
Pomphrey shook her head, muttering under her breath. "Fine," as Harry's face brightened, she held out a cautionary finger, "but if I hear the slightest report or see the faintest sign this isn't working-"
"I'll be back here in a heartbeat," Harry swore. His hand pressed more strongly at his ribs, belying his conviction. Pomphrey's eyes narrowed.
"So how are you suggesting getting him to the Tower?" Sirius idly asked. Remus bit his lip.
"He's not in a condition to make the trip, is he?"
Pomphrey muttered again under her breath, but didn't seize the opportunity to nix the agreement. "There's a certain spell for transporting patients-"
"Mobilicorpus?" James suggested just a little too quickly. Pomphrey eyed him severely.
"That is correct, but I believe that Mr. Lupin should perform the spell." Remus compressed his lips to keep from smirking.
"How soon are we taking him?" he asked instead.
"Not until I've thoroughly checked him. And given you the potions and the schedule and showed you how to properly dress his wounds – oh this is-" she fussed.
"I, we can take care of it," Remus soothed, coming to stand by her. James nodded behind him, but Sirius rolled his eyes.
"It's not like we have no experience-" James shot him a sharp look and he stopped his muttering. Bringing up their 'experience' was unwise in front of both Harry and Madame Pomphrey – though for obviously different reasons.
And accordingly, Pomphrey fixed him with a chilly look, but she just motioned to Harry. "On the bed."
Dutifully he did so, but the glow of early release was apparent.
"I can't believe Pomphrey's agreeing to this," James muttered. Even after all these years, they had problems sometimes springing Remus free after full moon nights. Then again, Pomphrey had a rather special concern for her most frequent patient.
"Well, it's Harry," Sirius said acidly. "He can do all sorts of impossible things."
James frowned at the tone, but couldn't dispute the words.
Harry was shaping up to be a true magician.
Floating was a really odd experience.
It was completely different from flying. At least in flying, you still had some kind of support – your broomstick. But floating – there was nothing. He wasn't controlling his own movement at all either, another rather alarming feature. It made him doubly grateful Remus was in charge of the spell, especially after James and Sirius made 'suggestions' of having some fun with his floating form. Considering his injured state, he was reasonably sure the bouncing him off walls and ceilings were jokes, but still…
Although now, he was wishing they were still making such suggestions. Instead, under the pretext of making sure the way was clear, James and Sirius were huddled in front of them, speaking in an undertone that he couldn't pick up.
It was enough to make a new Marauder nervous.
Finally, Sirius broke away.
"Tailfeathers, you are an idiot." The hairs on the back of Harry's neck rose and he quickly looked at Remus.
"Moony," he whispered worriedly, "did Sirius just call James an idiot?"
Remus gazed straight ahead. "I'm sure it's nothing."
Peter looked at him disbelievingly. "Prongs?"
The next instant, James bounded back in front of them. He addressed Harry.
"I have to just go and set up the Tower okay?"
Harry's eyes widened and he waved a hand uselessly. "But-"
"Padfoot" James' clapped the other boy who'd come up on the back "will take care of you." And with a bright smile, James disappeared down the corridor.
Harry swallowed.
"He's not planning something, is he?"
Sirius gave an innocent wide-eyed look. "What would make you think that?"
His arrival was relatively uneventful – it was just about dinnertime so the Tower was empty thankfully. Despite his insistence in being there, he was still dreading the Gryffindors' response to his 'gift.' Floating up into their dormitory, James had apparently been as good as his word – Harry's bed was fully decked out with pillows and blankets and his night table had been cleared off. However, noticeably, James himself was missing. Waving away his pointed questions, Sirius told him to lie down and the others set about making him comfortable.
Then, with a promise to bring him some real food from dinner, they left him alone.
And despite his feeling of foreboding, Harry drowsed. Even floating, the transport had worn him out.
"Wakey, wakey Flighty." Harry yawned, blearily opening his eyes.
"Wha' time iz it?" he slurred.
"Time to come down to the common room." Harry blinked again. Sirius was grinning. Why was Sirius grinning?
Still, he let the bigger boy carefully draw him out of bed. Out of habit, he grabbed his wand from the nightstand. Leaning heavily on Sirius, Harry realized Remus and Peter were by his other side. Remus had his arms crossed and didn't look pleased. James was nowhere to be seen.
"Sirius, we promised complete bed rest-" Sirius started to shrug, but caught himself before the motion disturbed Harry.
"It'll only be for a few minutes Moony."
"What is this about anyway?" Remus took the suspicious question from Harry's mind.
Sirius smirked. "You'll see."
Together, they maneuvered to the door and then slowly down the stairs.
"Maybe I should levitate him again-" Remus started worriedly when there was a sudden cry from downstairs.
"YES ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, this is truly a gift! Indeed rarer than a Crumble-Horned Snorkack, this could be the very thing you need!"
"Oh no," Remus groaned.
They reached the curve of the stairway. Below them, the common room was filled with students, all surrounding the table by the fireplace – on which James was elevated, decked out in his bright Quidditch robes overlain with a bright green sash. He swept into a crouch and smiled charmingly at the second year girl before him.
"Having trouble with snake Transfiguration homework? Need some extra venom antidote for Potions? Want to score some bonus points with snake knowledge for Care of Magical Creatures?" He sidled up to a brunette forth year and winked. "Trying to find another way to impress that girl you like?"
Harry's face was rapidly losing its color.
James whirled up and made a grand gesture to the stairwell. "Harry is your man!" he crowed.
The crowd turned and dimly, Harry registered the banner floating above James' head, bright green and framed with a smiling, cartoon snake.
The Snake Whisperer.
He blinked and suddenly James was carefully hoisting up a lime green garden snake. "Have anything to say?" he asked brightly.
Several things then happened at once. James stiffened, the banner above his head abruptly stopped floating to the shrieks of a few of the girls, and Harry practically collapsed against the wall closest, still clutching his wand.
Remus responded to the last.
"I knew this was a bad idea," he mumbled, immediately hoisting Harry's good arm over his shoulders. His eyes went to Sirius who had started laughing. "Oh go help James."
Harry didn't speak until he was back to the bed. "I can't believe he did that." He sounded dazed and Remus shook his head.
"He's an idiot, even Sirius said so."
Below, Sirius plowed through the crowd and pulled the banner off his best mate. "Told you it was a dumb idea," he said brightly, tugging James up by the collar. James glared at him.
"And that should tell you something coming from him," an acidic voice intruded, pushing through the slowly dispersing crowd. Lily was beside herself, green eyes flashing. "Honestly, are you a complete idiot?" She prodded James' chest, forcing him back a step. "Harry's not like you – he doesn't want this!" she gestured wildly. "And you, his friends," she was working herself up even more, "insensitive morons!" James opened his mouth, but choked and with a huff, Lily turned on her heel. Sirius whistled.
"You certainly picked a fireball Prongs. Think she likes him?"
James turned to Sirius with a furious glare and pointed to his mouth. Sirius grinned.
"Cat got your tongue?" At James' unamused look, he snorted and muttered a countercurse. James stretched his jaw and wiggled his tongue.
"Thanks." He fixed his best friend with a dark look. "And why didn't you help me before?" he asked sharply.
Sirius shrugged. "Told you was a dumb idea – and," he paused, a calculating look coming into his eyes. "wanted to see what he would do."
James just scowled.
It was at that point a brunette forth year asked a very good question.
"Hey where did the snake go?"
Sirius and James looked at each other.
"Oh hell."
"I can't believe he did that, I mean I know he's an insensitive jerk, but really-" At the sight of Harry's cringe as her volume went up, Lily stopped and took a deep breath. It was her first time getting to really see him – a supervised visit to the common room later in the day. Due to James' little spectacle, everyone knew he was back. Some, like Lily and Marna, had wanted to say hi and see how he was doing. The others, well, James' spectacle had actually helped with that – they were too busy gossiping over it to be terrified of him being a Parselmouth. For the time being.
"Honestly, this whole business is nonsense. So you're a Parselmouth; I'm Muggle-born and we're friends," at her pointed look he nodded quickly. "If people decide to treat us like lepers that shows they have problems, not us." He marveled at her resolve, even if it did echo so many of those he knew – Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Remus, James…
"You sound like James," he couldn't help saying it and she blinked. "He said someone's choices matter more than what you're born with or have to deal with," he volunteered, reading the confusion in her eyes.
The wisdom caught her off-guard and she gave a half-shrug. "Yes, well, would you like to go to Hogsmeade?"
This time he was the one blinking.
"Hogsmeade?"
"Well, I know it's this weekend and that's really soon and agh, you're still supposed to be on bed rest-" she babbled, her brow furrowing as she began to talk herself out of the offer. He stared at her.
"You're asking me to go to Hogsmeade with you?"
Something rang like a five-story fire alarm in his head – she wasn't, she wasn't – it couldn't be –
"It wouldn't be a date," she said hurriedly. "Marna and Evelin and I are planning to go together – Kalista has a date – and it'd be fine if you'd want to come along. If you're up to it."
They looked at each other and finally Harry smiled, not a huge smile, but a real smile.
"That would be great."
It was only when she walked away that Harry realized James was going to kill him. But it was his mother – how could he say no?
Besides James so owed him.
Um, bonus points to anyone who can figure out what curse Harry used – and why it's actually really improbable.
Thanks so much all of y'all!!
As, iron woman, smidgwidgie, saraHubert, Hiya!, Booklover16, theeternitycode, walker-of-the-shadow-path, Charlie, HPFAN, A Lonely Kitsune, slayerette0, Nyleve, dare2dreamdare2love, Anna, benign intent (lol), Siriusly Odd, Alyss33, So Yun, deuil.bougie (LOL!!), kisabestfriendforever, kawaii-rini (giddiness - I totally know what you mean), Yabberli (love the name), shadow, mellyD28, Hoeun (hah! You're using my --!), hp nerd, Aldavinur, MdnightRose, amour de vin, tran, falcongirl386, t5, Tmctflyboy, CrystalMind, LadyOfTheGreyDawn, Shuichi luva, hp lover, piperpowerofthree14, FlameOfIllumination, Fate, Miss Carrots (eyebrows can still be black), rekahneko, blackwolfgirl88, Question Mark, Murphyangel, Starlit jewel, Ceran Misanthe (Lily – thanks for the idea!), Marlene, parseltonge girl, Irian, TheWizardingWorldsLastHope, cheekymonkey1994, elodrie!!, Drew, Marauder Madness (werewolf stuff will be coming later), RisenFirePhoneix, Glamrockprincess, baka-onna2003, VacantVisage, Sabrina (LOL!), Willow Ann Rover, Sage (um, I'm not working on whatever fic you're talking about so I have no idea…), m-girls, Puella, anonymous.individual, smileenov (interesting threat – locked up with Pettigrew, shudder), Cindy Snowflake, rosalily, kirallie, Lathea!!, Vobi, Kilara16, Melfster (gotta a while 'til conclusion – just getting to October!), sweet-babie-phoenix, Lupin123 (glad someone's reading my a/ns!!), Kara Adar, DaisyAnimeluvr (thanks for compliment!), panick, Dragon Rider22, Shadow's Darkest Depths, braindead, Utena-Puchiko-nyu (Argentina?! Sweet!! Any other internationals out there?), Petitio PrincipiiStaplersBreak (LOL!!)shadow capper, odonata617, cheekymonkey1994, Hamstanator (LOL, sjdhabsouighasriguahlgjnbrfg CLIFFHANGER!), Sister of Death, WitchVelaLady Gallatea Ravenclaw, Serena Gemini (LOL)sukanya, imakeeperacidtrippy, asdfjkl;, furubafan92A Marked Propensity (thanked me!!)Centra-gal86 (love this kind of thing – there's one vote for cliffhangers)A Marked PropensityLazy-Hime (you thanked me!)Master Mono, Salena Snape, harryandginnyfourever, whateva, Moonlit Dreaming, MySite, Cloud Spinner, i'm a misfit, Nicolet, lily, cheerful-pinkstar, Gu-Brath-Faolbutterflea340, Morath Isil Durunya, caterpillar, Serpent91, Nosi (thanks for the compliments!), Jamie Leigh, samyjoc, ochibi-chwan, utahtoken, pyrofreeze, poke-me-im-strange, CursedShadows (cookie received, hope hair still there!), Dadaiiro (wait & see!), crystalbladedragon, Hiei-Rulez (a Grim - creative threat), LaughableBlackStorm, Nessa19, killjoy, Jaeden, Fk306 animelover, RandomRecorders, Cheelalaucha, Alixa Elizabeth Hufflepuff, stacye, ThEiNsAnEoNe, MissPanther (5 hours? Woah…), Juxtathought (evil incarnate? Oy!), Lils, xcloudx, Gioia, Lady Potter of Tortall, Nights Silhouette, forgotten-magick, Seadrance, SilverJadlyn, Shiruba Fokkusu, beauty0102, Von, SwiftShadow, Airealataiel, Bookworm622, pandas rule the world - (no visitors!), gothlyssa - :))))), Kookies 'n Kreem – (actually, technically it was dinner… and I love being yelled at & then congratulated, lol. And um, are Kookies and Kreem dual personalities?)