Hello everybody. I am back to my normal release day of the week, Sunday. This is largely thanks to my beta DustBunnyQueen, who managed to get fifteen pages corrected in time.
Disclaimer: I only play in JKR's sandbox.
Have fun and write me more of those great reviews.
Dementor attack
Sirius sat in a comfortable armchair at the Rawthorn residence. The patriarch of the Rawthorn family, Frederick Rawthorn, had invited him over to learn a bit more about the "new public face" as he had called him. Well, this wouldn't be the last time that a wizarding family wanted to know more about the man who suddenly jumped into the center of public interest. After all, he returned Harry Potter after the boy had fled from his relatives. And Harry Potter was always of interest in the wizarding world.
Sirius knew how to play the views of the important families. He didn't even need to manipulate them; He just had to be polite, respectful of some of the better traditions, as he called them, and discuss his own opinions on how the wizarding society could profit from incorporating some things the muggles had come up with.
"You're a very interesting man, Orion." Frederick Rawthorn said, sipping his tea.
They had decided to go with their first names. After all, both were interested in a beneficial relationship with each other. The Rawthorn family was well respected in society and Orion de Jarjais had the connection to Harry Potter, a boy who would be one of the major players in their word in the future.
"I try to, Frederick. I think it would be boring to be just like everybody else." Sirius joked.
"Certainly. I've followed the articles the Daily Prophet has published during the last month and have recognized that many of them mention your name or that of your ward Harry Potter. While I can understand that many people are interested in the boy, as he was the one who freed us from You-Know-Who's reign of terror, I find it interesting that so little is known about him and, in addition, you."
Sirius enjoyed such discussions. Frederick Rawthorn was a former Ravenclaw and not somebody who leapt at silly rumors.
"Well, as it's now a well-known fact, Harry has grown up with muggle relatives of his mother, Lily. Against the will of Lily and James, I would like to mention. They had named others to take care of their son in case something happened to them. I don't know why Professor Dumbledore, who I found out, was the one to place Harry with Petunia Dursley, thought it would be appropriate to isolate Harry from his heritage. What I know is that Harry has been abused by the Dursleys. His cousin was allowed to beat Harry up whenever he wanted, Harry had to work for his living there, and only got enough to eat to not alert the neighbors of massive child neglect.
"All the chores in the house were his to do as soon as he could properly walk. Harry told me what he had to do. Nothing that would be a real problem in itself, but nothing a small child should be forced to do. His bed was in the cupboard under the stairs and if he accidentally used magic, he was always locked up in there without food or light for hours or days. I've already hired some lawyers to prosecute those despicable excuses for human beings for their crimes."
"That is truly despicable. I'm glad to know Harry won't return there. And I share your opinion, that it's questionable that Professor Dumbledore placed the boy there. While I can understand his desire to protect the boy from the fame he had gotten, and prevent the boy to be spoiled by the public, things could have been arranged otherwise. Not all wizard families would have let the fame of the boy go to their heads. Many would have been able to raise him properly without spoiling him rotten." Frederick said.
"I know. I don't think Professor Dumbledore was aware to what kind of fate he condemned Harry to when he left him there. It's one of his flaws, to believe everybody is somehow good. While for some this might be true, a woman who has hated her own sister for having a gift she hasn't won't be a good guardian for her nephew who would be sure to have the same gift as his mother." Sirius agreed.
Mentally he knew that Dumbledore had been aware of Petunia's attitude, but he could hardly blame the man publicly. No, the better way was to get people to question Dumbledore's decisions before agreeing with the man. If people built their own opinion, much would be gained. Dumbledore was a sly man. He had built his reputation over decades. It would take time to discredit him enough for people to see his manipulations. For the moment, it would have to be enough to get Harry out from under the man's manipulations; and for that he needed allies.
"Yes, probably; it seems Professor Dumbledore is getting old. Well, he has fought in many wars on the side of the light and it's only natural for him to make some mistakes. But in this case he should delegate his duties to someone younger. Nobody would mind it. I mean, he has done enough. He could just retire and enjoy his life. Perhaps remain as an advisor for Hogwarts, but he has so many political positions that it can't be good for him at his age." Frederick said.
"I think you're right. But from what I have learned, he is too stubborn to let the younger generation take over. It will take time for him to acknowledge that he isn't the only one able to lead the light." Sirius replied.
"Perhaps you're right, but we should prepare to lead our country without his help. He can't live forever. But now, I would really like to get to know more about you, Orion. What is your profession?" Frederick asked.
"I don't have a set profession at the moment. I once learned how to be a warder and am quite good at curse-breaking due to this experience. But my family encouraged me to learn more than one thing." Sirius said.
Truth was, he had learned all he could to prepare to fight against dark wizards, just to spite his parents who were so involved in the dark arts. He had learned nearly every branch of light magic, and some gray parts. Not many people knew this, but Sirius was very intelligent. His immature behavior only encouraged them to underestimate him. It had helped him fight Voldemort's death eaters.
"I'm also quite capable in dueling and speak some foreign languages and those of other magical races."
"One of them being Gobbledygook, I presume?" Frederick asked.
"Yes. My father made it a subject I had to learn to be able to understand what the goblins, who take care of our money, are speaking about. He was really cautious with money."
That much was true. Orion Black had been the most suspicious bastard you could have imagined. His sons had mandatory lessons in all things he deemed important for a Black to know. It hadn't been fun growing up with all those lessons.
"I see. And are you teaching Harry those abilities also?"
"Some of them. He's learning Gobbledygook because he asked me if I could teach him. He really wants to learn all the things he can about the wizarding world. And he's decided he wants to better those things he dislikes. I have to admit, he doesn't have the best outlook at the British wizarding community, due to his past two years of experiences. Thankfully, he isn't someone to hold a grudge and act out. If he sets his mind on something, he won't stop until he achieves his goal. I really think the Minister is in for some unpleasant surprises in the near future." Sirius couldn't help but smirk at this.
"Why do you think this?" Frederick asked.
"Do you know what the content of the third year Defense against the Dark Arts classes is?" Sirius countered with his own question.
"Dark creatures of lower strength, if I remember it correctly, why?"
"Yes it's. Harry and his classmates' first dark creature they encountered was a boggart. What do you think Harry's boggart turned into?"
"My guess would be You-Know-Who at full strength." Frederick answered.
"Close, but not right. His boggart turns into a dementor." Sirius explained, secretly enjoying the stunned face of the man before him.
"Oh my God; and Fudge has placed over one hundred of them around Hogwarts to recapture Black." He said with a pale face.
This would be a feast for the press if it ever got out, Frederick realized. With as much public standing as Harry had as The-Boy-Who-Lived, he could very well be the downfall of Fudge. Hell, he was the heir to one of the most influential noble houses. When he reached adulthood, he would be in the perfect position to really change the wizarding world. An intelligent decision had to be made to not enrage a potentially powerful ally or enemy. Harry Potter could turn into both, depending on what he thought you were supporting. The ways that he wanted to change, or the changes.
"I'll think about what you've told me so far, Orion. It seems the public view that has been portrayed by all those books gives an inadequate picture of Harry Potter."
"Of course it does. How could it not? Harry has never been asked to give interviews, thankfully, but as 'nobody in the magical world cared about him', like he sees it, how could they know what kind of person he is? All the things that are in those books, are inventions of authors who don't know what they write about. I read some of them. Hilarious. Harry is not happy with all the nonsense that has been written about him. At least some of the history books only printed the known facts, that he was the reason for You-Know-Who's fall. Well, another job for the lawyers."
Frederick nodded. This man was no joke. He really cared about Harry, from what he could see. And he wouldn't let anybody mess with the boy's life again.
The time Harry had been waiting for had come. Due to difficulties with Dumbledore interfering with the plan to reveal Peter to McGonagall, they had decided to wait until Dumbledore would leave for a conference of the International Wizarding Community in two weeks. But today it would be the start of the Quidditch season. Gryffindor against Slytherin. Harry really looked forward to the match, even if the weather conditions were horrible. But he was smirking at the thought of Malfoy looking like a drowned dog. The blond had been awful the past weeks, always trying to get Hagrid into trouble in class.
Harry knew that Malfoy had gotten his father to accuse Buckbeak of being dangerous and the fools at the Ministry were buying it. Well, they would see what they got angering the Boy-Who-Lived and his friends. Yes, Sirius was achieving good results with all the nice invitations for tea he got. If those fools only knew.
Oliver Wood stood in front of his team and observed everybody. They were the best, and certainly no storm would diminish their chances at the cup this year. Before he could send everybody out, Harry stopped him.
"Oliver, what do you think of water repelling and warming charms on all of us? I mean it's not forbidden to use them in such conditions. And I doubt the Slytherins will think of something like this. I'm rather sure they would have cheated their way out of the match if they had any excuse, but they're not smart enough to use the rules to their advantage. If we were playing Ravenclaw things would be different."
"Harry, that's brilliant. Alright, does everybody know the charms?" Oliver asked.
He got nods from all of his team members. They did the charms on each other and then walked out to the field. The noise of the storm drowned everything else out. Not the best conditions to find the snitch, but Harry would find it before Malfoy did. The bastard would be humiliated like never before.
The team captains shook hands and the game started. Harry was furiously flying around on his Nimbus, looking for the tiny golden ball. The time went on and the only consolation he had was that Malfoy looked worse for wear than him. Then he was signaled to come to the ground. Oliver had called for a time out.
"What is the situation?" Harry asked.
"We're leading by 110 points. But it would be really good if you found the snitch soon, or we play into the night." Oliver explained.
"I'll try. Do the charms still hold?" Harry wanted to know.
"Yes, but perhaps we should renew them just in case. It would be bad if they gave out when we were in a heated phase of the game." Oliver suggested.
Everybody agreed and they renewed the charms, and then took off again.
Harry scouted the whole field for the snitch, it had to be somewhere. Then, finally, he saw the tiny ball ten feet above him. He pulled his broom upwards and raced towards the snitch. Malfoy, who had seen him shoot skywards, was behind him, trying to stop him from getting the snitch. Then he felt the chill. He heard the rattling breath.
'No, not now.' He thought desperately.
He mentally thanked his father for insisting he wear his wrist wand holster just in case something happened during the match. Harry focused his thoughts on his happiest memory, the adoption ceremony. Just before he had it clearly in his mind, he reached the snitch and reflexively caught it in his left hand. He saw Malfoy had dived towards the ground when he had noticed the dementors. Harry switched hands holding the broom, and now had his right hand free with his wand in it.
"Expecto patronum!" He yelled, and bright white mist shot out of it, stronger than ever before.
Harry thought for a moment he could make out some kind of animal in the mist, but he was racing towards the ground, trying to get to safety. Then he had to stop. There was more than one dementor, there were dozens. Damned, he wasn't strong enough yet to stop them all. He tried to concentrate on his happy memory, but the amount of dementors was too much. A female voice screamed inside his head. Then, as if somebody had pushed a rewind button, he could hear something else.
"Lily, take Harry and run, it's him, I'll hold him off!"
Harry heard something else, cruel laughter and then, "Avada Kedavra".
"Please, not Harry, have mercy. Take me." She begged.
"Step aside, stupid girl." He demanded.
"No, not my Harry, have mercy, please let him live, take me instead." She pleaded with the man.
"Step aside, I said."
A moment of silence. Then again the cruel voice. "Avada Kedavra".
The high scream of the woman.
"So small, and yet such a danger to my plans. But no longer. Tonight, the prophecy will end. Avada Kedavra".
...
Those in the stands were gasping at what was happening. They had seen Draco Malfoy turn around instead of following Harry Potter further in the hunt of the snitch. Then everybody felt the icy chill of the dementors coming close and the teachers had sprung into action to protect the students. Many called forth patroni and all of the students who knew how to cast one, did as well, even if many only managed to conjure silver mist.
Then a bright light erupted in the air which brought the attention of the crowd to the scene. Harry had also attempted to produce a patronus, and for some moments it seemed to work. He was headed to the ground until some dementors cut off his escape route. Harry's patronus vanished as he was surrounded by dozens of dementors; and then he fell.
The students screamed, fearing for Harry's life, but before Harry could hit the ground, three other spells connected with his body. His fall slowed down and those near the teacher's box could see that the Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout had pointed their wands at Harry and were levitating him slowly to the ground. Then a powerful silver patronus was unleashed and directed towards the dementors. They saw Dumbledore with a face full of fury directing the patronus. The dementors fled. Even they didn't want to be in the presence of a furious Albus Dumbledore.
Poppy Pomfrey sat in her office in the infirmary. Harry Potter had just been brought in by Minerva. Again. The boy definitely had some kind of bad luck that attracted all kinds of trouble. Well, this time he wasn't at fault; the Ministry was. The poor boy. She was glad that Minerva, Filius, and Pomona were able to save his life.
Minerva had left the infirmary to speak to her house. It was necessary, after all, they all had felt the effects of the dementors. Perhaps now the Ministry would see how foolish it was to put dementors around a school. But she really doubted it. Then someone entered the infirmary she didn't recognize. It was a dark haired man who had a worried look on his face.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She asked with her no-nonsense voice.
"Hello, my name is Orion de Jarjais and I'm here to see Harry. I'm his guardian and was informed that there was an incident and he was injured." His gray eyes seemed full of worry.
"I understand. Yes, Harry is here. Thankfully, he was not injured that badly. While he was attacked by dementors in the air during the Quidditch match, he never hit the ground when he fell from his broom. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout managed to catch him before he hit the ground. He's just suffering from the effects the dementors had on him. He'll need rest and I would like to keep him here for a day or two to observe him after he wakes up." She explained.
"He won't like that; he told me he spent way too much time in the infirmary." Sirius said, relieved that it was nothing serious.
New steps could be heard outside the room. Poppy turned towards the new visitors. It was the Gryffindor Quidditch team, who had changed out of their robes and put on clean and dry ones.
"Madam Pomfrey, could we please visit Harry?" Angelina asked.
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey, we're worried about him." Alicia confirmed.
"Not at the moment. Mr. Potter is still asleep. He'll probably be in this state for some hours. He's magically exhausted. You can come back to visit him for half an hour after dinner. That's all I'll allow." She said sternly.
The members of the team looked at each other and then nodded. Fred and George gave Sirius a smile and a wink and then left with the others. Poppy turned towards Sirius and led him to the bed Harry was in. Sirius looked at the face of his son and was glad to see that he wasn't injured. He sat down on a chair next to Harry's bed and took to waiting until his son would wake up.
In the Gryffindor common room nobody was really in the mood to celebrate. Not until they knew how Harry was. It had been announced that Harry caught the snitch before the dementor attack and so Gryffindor won the game with 340 to 90. But it felt wrong to celebrate without Harry. He was the one to win the game for them. And he had risked his life doing it. Honestly, everybody knew it hadn't been his intention to be in such danger, but who could have known that the dementors would come to the match?
Ron and Hermione sat anxiously on some armchairs, waiting for the Quidditch team to come back. McGonagall had told them all to stay in the tower and had sent some food up. The only exception was the team, which she had allowed to ask Madam Pomfrey for Harry's current state. She knew the Weasley twins would otherwise have found another way to do it and this way was really easier.
"Do you think Harry will be okay?" Hermione asked Ron.
"Sure he will. The teachers caught him before he hit the ground. I don't want to think what could have happened if they didn't." Ron answered.
"How could the Ministry place these vile things around us? It's so wrong. It's because of them Harry fell off his broom." She ranted.
Many people who sat around them agreed with her. The attack had left them shocked. The Portrait hole opened and the Quidditch team entered. Hermione was the first to ask questions.
"How's Harry?" She asked.
"He's as well as he could be in his situation. He's asleep, and Madam Pomfrey told us that he isn't severely injured. He's magically exhausted from the dementors attack and his attempt to protect himself with a patronus. Blimey, if it had only been a couple of those monsters he would have succeeded to drive them away." Fred said awed.
"Yes. His guardian is with him now. We're allowed to visit Harry for half an hour after dinner. Madam Pomfrey expects him to be awake by then." George added.
Many relieved breaths could be heard. If Harry was as well as he could be, they could lay their worries to rest.
"I think we should postpone the celebration of our victory until Madam Pomfrey lets Harry leave the infirmary." Oliver suggested.
Everybody agreed.
Harry was slowly regaining consciousness. He was having problems recognizing anything around him. His body was aching. He felt weak, terribly weak. What had happened?
'Yes, the match. The dementors. The attack. My patronus.' Harry could only think in single terms. His mind wasn't yet ready to return to his normal capacity.
"Hey, Harry, can you hear me?" A very familiar voice asked.
Harry tried to speak, but his throat was sore. Sirius saw the problem and helped Harry to drink some little gulps of water to prevent him choking. Then he laid Harry back into his pillows. Harry took his time to really wake up.
"Pa?" He finally asked weakly.
"Yes son, I'm here. You really gave me a scare. I'm glad you're alright." Sirius said relieved.
Harry attempted a smile. It looked somewhat screwed up. Sirius stroke Harry's hair. He returned the smile. He was really glad that Harry didn't have serious injuries.
"Harry, when you're better, I'll go to the Ministry. I've already alerted some of my new acquaintances and I know that Amelia Bones will alert her contacts as well. We'll get Fudge to remove the dementors. I'll not stand aside when those monsters endanger my son." Sirius said firmly.
Harry smiled. It was the first time that somebody protested on his behalf against the authorities. Something that was a completely new concept to him. To be able to let adults handle the things for him. Only be able to be a teenager. It was great to finally have a father.
They heard footsteps coming towards them. Sirius looked up and saw Madam Pomfrey with a large bar of chocolate in her hands.
"I see you're finally awake Mr. Potter. How do you feel?"
"Weak." Harry brought out.
"No wonder. You have exhausted your magical core quite a bit. The patronus you produced would have protected you if it hadn't been for the fact that there were too many dementors. It requires a lot of magical power to achieve something like that. And then those monsters sucked some more of your power. You'll have to stay in bed for some days until you're recovered and I won't discuss this with you." She added, seeing Harry trying to protest.
She gave him a bit of chocolate, which he wasn't able to eat at the moment, which made Madam Pomfrey frown.
"Mr. Potter, you have to eat the chocolate to get better." She said.
"Perhaps you could organize some chocolate milk for him to regain some strength first, Poppy. I'm sure Harry will be able to eat some chocolate after that." A new, yet very familiar, voice suggested.
Sirius and Harry recognized the voice at once. It was Remus.
"Professor Lupin." Harry mumbled.
"Hello, Harry. I just wanted to see how you're doing." He said smiling.
Then he turned towards Sirius who really had problems keeping his secret, seeing his old friend standing before him. He wanted to talk to him, tell him what had really happened. But Poppy was there. He couldn't risk it. He had to think of Harry first and foremost. Never again would he fail his son.
"You must be Harry's new guardian." Remus said. "Remus Lupin, Professor for Defense against the Dart Arts." He introduced himself holding his hand out.
Sirius took Remus' hand and shook it.
"Orion de Jarjais, nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin." He said masking his true feelings.
"Harry wrote many pleasant things about your lessons. He really looks up to you." Sirius said.
"Really? Nice to know that I'm appreciated." Remus answered smiling.
"I'll leave you alone for some minutes. I have to tell the headmaster that Mr. Potter has awoken. I'll send a house elf with some chocolate milk for Mr. Potter. It's a good idea, Remus." Poppy informed them.
She left the infirmary. Harry looked at Sirius and gave him a questioning look. His question was clear. Should they use the opportunity to tell Remus everything? If he knew the truth he would certainly help them. And he was at Hogwarts. He could always help Harry when Sirius was at Grimmauld place. Sirius nodded.
"Professor Lupin, would you listen to an important story?" Harry asked.
Remus wondered what this was about. But listening wouldn't hurt him.
"Are you sure you want to tell me now, Harry? You're still weak after the dementor attack." He asked concerned.
A house elf popped into the room with a glass of chocolate milk.
"I has been ordered to gives yous this chocolate milk." The elf said.
"Thank you very much, Rinny." Remus said, taking the glass from the elf that popped away instantly.
"Can you drink yourself Harry?" Remus asked.
"No." Harry answered.
Sirius helped Harry sit up. He transformed the pillow to become thicker and more stable and let Harry drink from the glass in small sips. Remus could see how much he seemed to care for Harry, and was glad that Harry had found such a good guardian. He'd been extremely upset when he had read the articles in the prophet about Harry having been abused.
"Well, the story would be mine to tell." Sirius answered.
"Well, I promise to listen. I wonder why this is obviously so important."
"It's about the true traitor of Harry's parents. We found out that Lily and James' will stated that their secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black." Sirius said, hoping Remus would believe him.
"What? But Sirius killed Peter." He said disbelievingly.
"No, he didn't. He tried to get him for the betrayal but the rat faked his death and escaped. They only found a finger. Not very likely if he was blown up, don't you think?"
Remus's mind was spinning. Meanwhile, Harry finished the glass. He was beginning to feel a bit better.
"It's true Professor. It's in their will. And I saw the memories." Harry confirmed it.
"Which memories? The only one who could have memories would be…" Remus stopped realizing what Harry was indicating.
"Yes, I know where Sirius Black is." Harry said. "He showed me what really happened in 1981. He told me everything, all the reasons. I believe him. He's innocent. And Dumbledore knows." He added whispering. "He was witness to my parents' will."
Remus stood stunned. How could the headmaster do such a thing? Why would he send an innocent man to Azkaban and let the true culprit run free to be able to get to Harry later on?
He grabbed his head. That would mean… he looked at Orion de Jarjais. He got a nod. Recognition stood in his eyes.
"You changed and didn't tell me because you thought I was the spy." He said addressing the man he thought was Sirius.
"Yes, Moony. I'm terribly sorry for that. You were so distant at the time and we found it strange that you would distance yourself from us. And I couldn't be the secret keeper. It would have been way too obvious. Everybody knew I was James' best friend. I would have been found and spilled the secret under torture or Legilimency. While I'm a skilled Occlumens, Voldemort was too strong for me. So James, Lily, and I decided to change at the last moment to Peter to deceive Voldemort. I regret that decision more than anything."
"I believe you, Padfoot." Remus said.
They looked at each other and smiled. Harry was just happy that his father and his remaining best friend could finally be together again. He felt the effect of the chocolate milk, making him a bit stronger.
"Can somebody please give me a bit of chocolate? I'd rather regain a bit of my strength sooner rather than later." Harry asked.
"Of course, son." Sirius said, passing Harry the bowl with chocolate pieces.
"Son?" Remus asked.
"I adopted Harry to keep him safe from the old coot's manipulations. I'll tell you everything later in detail, Moony. I don't know when Madam Pomfrey will come back, probably with the old meddler."
Remus nodded. Given the things Harry and Sirius said about Dumbledore, he could understand this. Harry began nibbling on a piece of chocolate.
Soon they heard steps coming nearer. They silently agreed not to tell anything. When they looked, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey had arrived.
"Ah, Harry, good to see you awake again." Dumbledore said, with his best grandfather smile.
"Yes, it's nice to not be unconscious anymore." Harry answered, taking another piece of chocolate under the approving eyes of Madam Pomfrey.
"And you must be Comte de Jarjais?" Dumbledore asked Sirius.
"Yes headmaster. Nice to meet you." Sirius said politely.
"The pleasure is mine Comte de Jarjais. I've wanted to meet you for some time to get to know you better."
"I'm sure we will find time for that later, Headmaster. I have to admit, my timetable for the next month is rather full. I never expected to get that many invitations from the members of wizarding society when I moved here. It's rather overwhelming, but it would have been very impolite to deny all those invitations. For now, I just want to stay with Harry to help him get better." Sirius avoided a direct agreement.
"I see. It can be time-consuming to be part of the public interest. Don't I know it?"
"Professor Dumbledore, what will happen with the dementors now? I mean, they attacked students, especially me. Will they be removed?" Harry asked hopefully.
"My dear boy, I fear they won't. As long as the murderer Black isn't caught the Ministry will not take them back to Azkaban. They're here for the safety of the students, in the opinion of the Minister. I don't agree with him in this regard. I'm furious that they attacked the Quidditch pitch like that. But, regrettably, my hands are tied in this matter." Dumbledore said.
Sirius that moment decided that if Dumbledore was unwilling to do something, he would just ignore the man and present him with the results. He had promised Harry to get the Minister to remove those monsters. He could nearly smell the intentions of the headmaster. He wanted to make the dementors another of his little test schemes. Not with him, and not with Harry. Enough was enough. While Sirius doubted Dumbledore wanted Harry dead, he wanted him under his control. Something Sirius intended to prevent.
"Madam Pomfrey, would it be alright if I took Harry with me for the next few days? You said he needs rest. If he was to stay here, he would be the center of interest of the students and, most likely, he wouldn't rest. I know how teenagers are. At my home he would be undisturbed and I'll send him back when he has recovered in a few days" Sirius suggested.
"That isn't a bad idea, Comte de Jarjais. God knows that I already had to stop several of his friends from visiting. The only ones I allowed to come back are the Quidditch team members of Gryffindor. But I suspect Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will also come to see him."
"Please, Madam Pomfrey. I would really like to go home for a few days. Professor Dumbledore, please allow this." Harry begged.
Sirius mentally congratulated Harry on his acting skills. Dumbledore would think he did Harry a favor, for which the boy would feel indebted to him. But Harry wouldn't do it. The only use Dumbledore had, for the time being, was as a repellant to the remaining members of Voldy's death munchers.
"I don't see why not. It would probably be good for Harry. What do you think, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.
"I agree, but you have to rest Mr. Potter. You should be able to come back in four days to return to your classes." She said.
"Thank you." Harry said smiling.
"Do you want to wait for your teammates and friend to come to see you before you go?" Poppy asked. "They were allowed to visit half an hour after dinner."
"I'd like that. I also need to find out who got my broom."
He was greeted with heavy silence.
"What?" He asked, dreading the answer somewhat.
"Harry, your broom, unfortunately, was blown away in the storm." Remus started to explain.
"What happened to it?" Harry asked.
"It was blown into the womping willow." Remus finally answered.
"No. My god, that tree? Is there any way to repair my broom?"
"Unfortunately not, Harry." Dumbledore said. "Professor Flitwick managed to get it out of the tree, but it was only in splinters. It's beyond repair, I'm sorry." He added.
Harry's heart sank. His broom was destroyed. How would he be able to play for the house team this way? He'd have to get a new broom soon. That was the only way. Thankfully, he had inherited a lot of money, so getting a replacement wouldn't be that hard. But it still stung. His Nimbus 2000 had accompanied him through his first years. He had gotten it to be able to play for Gryffindor.
Dumbledore and Remus said their goodbyes. Remus would speak with Sirius later. Sirius had slipped him a piece of parchment to tell him his house elf would pick him up when he and Harry had left Hogwarts.
Harry sat dozing in his bed. Sirius had left to speak with McGonagall about Harry being absent for a few days. It was now eight and dinner was over. Harry expected his teammates and friends to come visit him soon. He really wanted to know what had happened after he fell. He wasn't disappointed. He soon heard many footsteps coming closer. Then he could see the people the feet belonged to. His team, Hermione and Ron.
"Hey." Harry greeted them.
He was still feeling lousy.
"Harry, we're so glad you're alright." Hermione said, getting nods of everybody.
"Bloody brilliant flying, Harry." Fred said.
"Bloody brilliant patronus." George added.
"Too bad there were that many of those beasts." Angelina agreed.
"You were brilliant out there Harry, to catch the snitch under those conditions is remarkable. You got us into first place for the house cup with that stunt." Oliver told him grinning.
"Nice to know." Harry answered smiling a bit.
"How are you feeling, mate?" Ron asked.
"Terrible. I feel totally drained. Madam Pomfrey told me that my magical core is exhausted and it will take some days for me to get back to normal. When I woke up, I wasn't even able to eat chocolate to negate the effects of the dementors. Thankfully, Professor Lupin thought of chocolate milk. It helped and I could eat after that. But it still makes me feel lousy."
Hermione and Ron raised their eyebrows a bit. Harry normally didn't tell them if he felt bad. He normally played it down. Their friend had certainly changed over the summer.
"Oh, Harry. Those dementors are horrible. While they're here to protect us from Black, I think they're too dangerous to keep around a school. If Dumbledore hadn't been at the pitch to chase them away, I don't know what would have happened to the students who were there." Hermione said.
"Truer words have never been spoken. The Ministry is totally insane to have done this." Katie said fuming.
"Yes. In situations like this I wish that gossip, Skeeter, would write an article. This time she wouldn't even need to blow things up. The truth is completely sufficient." Fred said.
"Too true. Fudge deserves that. But sadly, the Ministry uses the Prophet to publish their propaganda." George added.
"How do you know?" Alicia asked.
"Dad." Answered the twins and Ron unisonous.
"Yes, he always ranted about how Skeeter only printed lies that made the lives of those she wrote about hell." Ron elaborated.
"Sounds perfect for that idiot Fudge. I wonder if she would do me the favor to write about the attack." Harry mused.
"Would be great." Oliver agreed.
"So, when will you be released from the infirmary?" Angelina asked.
"I'll return home with my uncle Orion for a few days to rest. It'll be nice to see him for a few days. Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore gave their permission. I just wanted to see you all before I go." Harry explained.
"Nice to know that you value our company." George stated, grinning.
After all, the twins were in the conspiracy and knew exactly what it meant for Harry to see Sirius. He was still getting used to finally have a father.
"What can I say, you're irresistible." Harry said, causing the others to laugh.
That's it for this week. Until the next chapter.