Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is J.K. Rowling's. Except Jamie, Luka, and Ariana.

Chapter 21- Occlumency

Kreacher, it transpires, was lurking in the attic. Sirius said he found him up there, covered in dust, no doubt looking for more relics of the Black family to hide in his cupboard. Though Sirius seems satisfied with this story, it makes Harry uneasy, which makes me uneasy. Kreacher seems to be in a better mood on his reappearance, his bitter muttering has subsided somewhat, and he submits to orders more docilely than usual.

Harry does not mention his vague suspicions to Sirius, which I understand, his cheerfulness is evaporating fast now that Christmas is over. As the date of our departure back to Hogwarts draws nearer, he becomes more and more prone to what Molly calls "fits of the sullens," in which he will become taciturn and grumpy, often withdrawing to Buckbeak's room for hours at a time. His gloom seeps through the house, oozing under doorways like some noxious gas, so that all of us become infected by it.

I'm half expecting for Sirius to plead with Harry not to go back to Hogwarts and to just stay with him. I have been enjoying my time with my newly formed family though. Things have settled quite nicely now with the official paperwork all signed, notarized, and legally binding now.
I am no longer the orphan alone in the world with only her twin brother to keep her company. Now I have a mother, a father, seven brothers, and a sister. My head whirls for a moment at the sheer number of family members that I now have. I may not be ready to quite admit all of this out loud for fear of it all being torn away from me, but they truly do feel like my family.

I can admit that sparingly to the kids but never to Arthur and Molly… that'd be like I'm trying to replace my parents and I'm not… am I?

Unfortunately the day dawns and we are on our final day of freedom before having to go back to school and homework, classes, and that vile evil toad. Luckily Molly has yet to find out about the scar etched into the back of my hand. I'm pretty sure that the sheet devastation she'd cause would level a small country.

We're hanging out in the boys' bedroom not really wanting or liking the idea of facing the real world so Harry and Ron play a game of Wizard's Chess. Hermione and Ginny are playing with Crookshanks while Luka, Ariana and I are having a heated debate over what nasty surprises are going to be waiting at school for us when we return.

I feel like I'm becoming a pessimist more and more every day that this situation goes on. There's a knock on the door and we all look up startled to see a slightly frazzled looking Molly standing in the doorway.

"Harry dear, could you come down to the kitchen? Professor Snape would like a word with you." She says. Okay so maybe this could get worse, well for Harry at least I suppose.

Harry does not immediately register what she said; one of his castles is engaged in a violent tussle with a pawn of Ron's, and he is egging it on enthusiastically.

"Squash him — squash him, he's only a pawn, you idiot — sorry, Mrs. Weasley, what did you say?"

"Professor Snape, dear. In the kitchen. He'd like a word."

Harry's mouth falls open in horror. He looks around at Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luka, Ariana, and me all of whom are gaping back at him. Crookshanks, whom Hermione was restraining with difficulty for the past quarter of an hour, leaps gleefully upon the board and sets the pieces running for cover, squealing at the top of their voices.

"Snape?" says Harry blankly.

"Professor Snape, dear," says Molly reprovingly. "Now come on, quickly, he says he can't stay long."

"What's he want with you?" says Ron, looking unnerved as Molly withdraws from the room.

"You haven't done anything, have you?"

"No!" says Harry indignantly.

"Then hopefully it's nothing to worry about." I say trying to sound confident but failing miserably while doing so. We watch in dreadful silence as Harry leaves the room. It's a few minutes before Ginny decides to speak up.

"Are we going to go and see what we can hear?" She asks tentatively. I shake my head no.

"We don't need to. Harry will tell us everything that happened later. Beside there are more important things to be focused on for the moment. Isn't Arthur coming back soon?" I ask hoping that it's true.

"Yeah! He should be out of St. Mungo's today! I hope they let him out so that we can see him before we head back to school!" Ginny says with a smile. The five of us sit there in silence for a few moments wondering what exactly is going down in the kitchen.

"So… what's going on with everyone?" Hermione asks suddenly with a mischievous smile on her face. I inhale wrong and immediately burst out into a couching fit. Ginny giggles conspiratorially and a blush is slowly working its way up onto Ariana's cheeks. Luka and Ron share twin looks of confusion that would have been funny if I wasn't currently dying, and mortified.

"Fine… we're fine. What about you two? How are you doing Ron?" Ariana says quickly focusing her attention on the oblivious redheaded boy across from her. Thankfully Ron takes the bait, and the conversation is directed away from dangerous territory. I glare over at Hermione and Ginny who are giggling quietly looking entirely too pleased with themselves. I shift over to them, and proceed to smack the both of them in the back of the head.

Ginny sticks her lower lip out at me in a pout, while Hermione actually has the grace to look chastised. We goof around for a few more minutes before there is a loud shrill shriek that signals the arrival of a visitor. Since this is a far safer thing to investigate rather than Harry and Snape alone together, we hurry down the steps as fast as we can.

Molly is forcing the curtains closed on Mrs. Black portrait after having stunned her to silence. The best thing though is seeing Arthur looking a little tired still, but standing on his own volition with Bill beside him. "Dad!" Ginny cries racing forward, and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. He winces at the strength but returns it. Fred and George all of the sudden apparate next to him and hug him as well.

I have a big smile on my face as Ron hurries over to join the group. I glance at my brother to see him looking wistfully as well. Suddenly there's a hand on both of our shoulders. I startle but its only Molly, she has a happy smile on her face. "Its your family as well loves. Why don't you go say hello." She nudges slightly. It doesn't take much after that for the two of us to go over to Arthur and give him gentle hugs, which he returns happily.

"Its great to see you all again!" He claims cheerfully. Hermione and Ariana both get hugs as well when the mob that is now my family moves down the hall. I turn to Bill because everyone has forgotten him.

"Its good to see you too Bill!" I say happily. The man laughs and shakes his head.

"I'm happy to see you to little sister." He replies. I blush at the title, but the smile doesn't melt off my face. It's definitely going to take some time to get used to that. Molly is clucking over the lot of us saying that she's going to get some food going.

We all file down the stairs to the kitchen a rowdy lot Arthur explaining that he's cured, but we freeze when we get into the kitchen. What on earth exactly went on here?

Gazing at the scene in front of me, which is also suspended in mid-action, both Sirius and Snape looking towards the door with their wands pointing into each other's faces and Harry immobile between them, a hand stretched out to each of them, trying to force them apart.

"Merlin's beard," says Arthur, the smile sliding off his face, "what's going on here?"

Both Sirius and Snape lower their wands. I look from one to the other. Each wear an expression of utmost contempt, yet the unexpected entrance of so many witnesses seems to have brought them to their senses. Snape pockets his wand and sweeps back across the kitchen, passing the Weasleys without comment. At the door he looks back.

"Six o'clock Monday evening, Potter." He is gone. Sirius glares after him, his wand at his side.

"But what's been going on?" asks Arthur again.

"Nothing, Arthur," says Sirius, who is breathing heavily as though he has just run a long distance. "Just a friendly little chat between two old school friends . . ." With what looks like an enormous effort, he smiles. "So . . . you're cured? That's great news, really great . . ."

"Yes, isn't it?" says Molly, leading her husband forward into a chair. "Healer Smethwyck worked his magic in the end, found an antidote to whatever that snake's got in its fangs, and Arthur's learned his lesson about dabbling in Muggle medicine, haven't you, dear?" she adds, rather menacingly.

"Yes, Molly dear," says Arthur meekly. I snicker under my breath at how under her thumb he is until she casts a glare my way, and I slink behind George some for protection. I do not want to mess with her.

This night's meal should have been a cheerful one with Arthur back amongst us; I can tell Sirius is trying to make it so, yet when he is not forcing himself to laugh loudly at Fred and George's jokes or offering everyone more food, his face falls back into a moody, brooding expression.

Harry looks like he wants to talk to him but he's separated by a few Order members so he cannot. So he settles for telling Ron, Hermione, and me about what exactly Snape wanted. Turns out that Harry's going to be taking Occlumency lessons.

"Dumbledore wants to stop you having those dreams about Voldemort," says Hermione at once. "Well, you won't be sorry not to have them anymore, will you?"

"Extra lessons with Snape?" says Ron, sounding aghast. "I'd rather have the nightmares!"

"There's a lot of things I'd rather than that. I'd probably blow the place up with whatever this is." I say waving my hand and having a light glow of blue surround it.

"That's new." Hermione says with wide eyes. I look at it in shock and then shrug my shoulders helplessly.

"I've got not a clue about what it is." I say exasperatedly. Harry reaches out his hand and touches my glowing one with his. He doesn't cry out in pain, so I take that as a good sign. A shiver does seem to run through him though.

"So?" Ron asks curiously. Hermione's eyes are narrowed at me, and I shift slightly under the scrutiny.

"Well it doesn't hurt that's for sure it's more like… a rush. Touching Jamie's hand made mine tingle and now I'm itching to use some magic." Harry explains carefully. I widen my eyes at that. I guess that my magic is strong enough that it can rub off other people now. I concentrate really hard, and the blue glow slowly fades back leaving me with a normal hand. Harry reaches over again for my hand and after a moment releases me again.

"Nothing. That really cool though." He says. I bite down on my lip, trying to figure out what exactly is happening to me. I look up and see that the only one other than my friends that had seen my little demonstration is Ariana. She's looking at me with a curious expression that is slightly worried. I give her a soft smile to let her know that I'm okay and that seems to appease her.

We are to return to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus the following day, escorted once again by Tonks and Lupin, both of whom are eating breakfast in the kitchen when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I arrive there next morning. The adults seem to have been midway through a whispered conversation when the door opens; all of them look around hastily and fall silent.

After a hurried breakfast we pull on jackets and scarves against the chilly gray January morning. Harry does not want to say good-bye to Sirius. The pair of them had a private conversation together and I smiled at that. It was good that Harry had someone who cared about him at least. Sure he has Molly and Arthur but it's different when they're not actually yours. I knew that feeling.

We were surrounded and smothered by hugs and well wishes from Molly and Arthur, and not without a few threats about behaving well and keeping out of trouble. Then we're being shuffled out of the house next to Tonks who is disguised as a tall tweedy woman with gray hair.

The door of number twelve slams shut behind us leaving the nine of us kids standing there with a shiver. We follow Lupin down the front steps. As he reaches the pavement, I look around. Number twelve is shrinking rapidly as those on either side of it stretch sideways, squeezing it out of sight; one blink later, it is gone.

"Come on, the quicker we get on the bus the better," says Tonks, and I think there is nervousness in the glance she throws around the square. Lupin flings out his right arm.

BANG.

A violently purple, triple-decker bus has appeared out of thin air in front of us, narrowly avoiding the nearest lamppost, which jumps backwards out of its way. I groan at the sight of it. This thing is seriously messed up to ride on.

A thin, pimply, jug-eared youth in a purple uniform leaps down onto the pavement and says, "Welcome to the —"

"Yes, yes, we know, thank you," says Tonks swiftly. "On, on, get on —"

And she shoves Harry forward towards the steps, past the conductor, who goggles at Harry as he passes.

"'Ere — it's 'Arry — !"

"If you shout his name I will curse you into oblivion," mutters Tonks menacingly, now shunting Ginny and Hermione forward before grabbing at Luka, Ariana, and me.

"I've always wanted to go on this thing," says Ron happily, joining Harry on board and looking around. I sit down next to Ginny with Ariana and Luka behind me.

"I loathe this thing." Luka grumbles, already beginning to look motion sick. He only ever gets sick on this bus though.

"If you throw up on me I will stop this bus just to murder you." I glare at him sharply and Ginny casts a worried look at us.

Stan comes up to us holding out his hand for the bus fare. I fish out eleven sickles out of my pocket handing him the money as the bus lurches to a start again.

It rumbles around Grimmauld Square, weaving on and off the pavement, then, with another tremendous BANG, we are all flung backward; Ron's chair topples right over and Pigwidgeon, who was on his lap, bursts out of his cage and flies twittering wildly up to the front of the bus where he flutters down upon Hermione's shoulder instead. I narrowly avoid falling by seizing a candle bracket, and look out of the window: we are now speeding down what appears to be a motorway.

I check on my own owl and see Dionysus is hooting softly at a very fat Hedwig who looks like she's trying to sleep on this god-awful ride.

"I think I'm gonna puke." Luka murmurs from behind me. I reel around to glare at the boy.

"Aim for the aisle." I say with a pointed glare, making a face when he does just that and loses his breakfast on the ground. Ariana's face pales, though she manages to pat him on the back to make him feel better.

"Just outside Birmingham," says Stan happily, talking to Harry as Ron struggles up from the floor. "You keepin' well, then, 'Arry? I seen your name in the paper loads over the summer, but it weren't never nuffink very nice. . . . I said to Ern, I said, ''e didn't seem like a nutter when we met 'im, just goes to show, dunnit?'"

The Knight Bus sways alarmingly, overtaking a line of cars on the inside. Looking towards the front of the bus I see Hermione cover her eyes with her hands, Pigwidgeon still swaying happily on her shoulder.

BANG.

Chairs slide backward again as the Knight Bus jumps from the Birmingham motorway to a quiet country lane full of hairpin bends. Hedgerows on either side of the road are leaping out of our way as we mount the verges. From here we move to a main street in the middle of a busy town, then to a viaduct surrounded by tall hills, then to a windswept road between high-rise flats, each time with a loud BANG.

"I've changed my mind," mutters Ron, picking himself up from the floor for the sixth time, "I never want to ride on here again."

"I agree, lets just fly anywhere we need to go from now on." I say gripping onto Ginny's hand tightly. At this rate I'm not sure which of us is grabbing onto the other more.

"Listen, it's 'Ogwarts stop after this," says Stan brightly, swaying towards us. "That bossy woman up front 'oo got on with you, she's given us a little tip to move you up the queue. We're just gonna let Madam Marsh off first, though —" There is more retching from somewhere in the back, followed by a horrible spattering sound. "She's not feeling 'er best."

A few minutes later the Knight Bus screeches to a halt outside a small pub, which squeezes itself out of the way to avoid a collision. We can hear Stan ushering the unfortunate Madam Marsh out of the bus and the relieved murmurings of her fellow passengers on the second deck. The bus moves on again, gathering speed, until —

BANG.

"I can't wait for solid ground." Ginny moans, and I hear Ariana grunt in agreement behind me.

We are rolling through a snowy Hogsmeade now. I catch a glimpse of the Hog's Head down its side street, the severed boar's head sign creaking in the wintry wind. Flecks of snow hit the large window at the front of the bus. At last we roll to a halt outside the gates to Hogwarts.

Lupin and Tonks help us off the bus with our luggage and then get off to say good-bye. I glance up at the three decks of the Knight Bus and see all the passengers staring down at us, noses flat against the windows.

"You'll be safe once you're in the grounds," says Tonks, casting a careful eye around at the deserted road. "Have a good term, okay?"

"I think we'll be better now we're on land!" I cry dramatically pounding my feet against the snowy ground. Mostly I'm just trying to keep warm since its much colder here than in London. I almost miss the creepy house.

There are frozen chuckles at that. "Look after yourselves," says Lupin, shaking hands all round and reaching Harry last I overhear for I'm next to him. "And listen . . ." He lowers his voice while the rest of them exchanged last-minute good-byes with Tonks, "Harry, I know you don't like Snape, but he is a superb Occlumens and we all — Sirius included — want you to learn to protect yourself, so work hard, all right?"

"Yeah, all right," says Harry heavily, looking up into Lupin's prematurely lined face. "See you, then . . ."

The nine of us struggled up the slippery drive towards the castle dragging our trunks. Hermione is already talking about knitting a few elf hats before bedtime. I glance back when we reach the oak front doors; the Knight Bus has already gone, and I half-wish, given what was coming the following day (school), that I am still on board.

The next day is about as much fun as I expect it to be. The teachers start right back up on the homework if not on a greater scale as if they've suddenly realized that we're behind schedule with our studies. Harry is upset about his upcoming lesson with Snape tonight, so he's in a bad mood, especially when Snape gives him a hard time in Potions.

Harry seems to be growing unhappier since more and more D.A. members have been coming up to him in the halls asking if there's going to be a meeting today.

"I'll let you know when the next one is," Harry says over and over again, "but I can't do it tonight, I've got to go to — er — Remedial Potions . . ."

"You take Remedial Potions?" asks Zacharias Smith superciliously, having cornered Harry in the entrance hall after lunch. "Good Lord, you must be terrible, Snape doesn't usually give extra lessons, does he?"

As Smith strides away in an annoyingly buoyant fashion, Ron glares after him.

"Shall I jinx him? I can still get him from here," he says, raising his wand and taking aim between Smith's shoulder blades.

"You should have just told him that you actually made a potion explode so badly that you ruined Snape's favorite robe in the process. It would have been a much more entertaining story." I say with a grin. Harry rolls his eyes at that.

"That wouldn't explain the recurring time spent with him though Jamie. And just forget it Ron," says Harry dismally. "It's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? That I'm really stup —"

"Hi, Harry," says a voice behind him. He turns around and finds Cho standing there.

"Oh," says Harry awkwardly. "Hi."

"We'll be in the library, Harry," says Hermione firmly, and she seizes Ron above the elbow and dragged him off towards the marble staircase her other arm around me.

"Ah Mione! I wanted to watch!" I whine as they pair vanish from sight.

"We're not going to intrude on them. How would you feel if winter break happened again Jamie?" She demands pointedly. I pale at the thought, and grumble about the unfairness of the world under my breath.

"Wait… what happened over break?" Ron asks confusedly finally coming back into the conversation.

"Nothing, Hermione is just trying to make a point." I say quickly. Ron looks suspicious but he settles on confused in the end.

The three of us spend a few hours in the library working at chipping away at our ever-growing pile of homework. After a while Hermione looks up from her homework with a serious look on her face. "What's that look for Hermione?" I ask warily not quite sure where she's going with that look.

"You know what I realized?" She asks.

"No Mione for all my many and vast talents I come up short when it comes to mind reading." I deadpan. She rolls her eyes at me, and Ron watches the conversation closely.

"I'm serious Jamie. Valentines Day is coming up soon." She says giving me a significant look. I sit there for a moment before panic starts to flood my body. Why did she have to bring that up? I only just admitted that I liked the girl a few days ago. I don't even know if I could handle doing anything big with her yet.

"So…" Ron says starting to get annoyed by our half spoken conversations.

"Its nothing Ron." I tell him, glaring at Hermione.

"Its not! You better do something Jamie Pendragon, or I will not help you with any of your assignments for a month." She threatens, and with that she slams her book closed, before storming off to the stacks for another book. Ron and I sit there for a few minutes before Ron heaves a heavy sigh.

"Girls, I swear I don't understand you." He says dejectedly.

"That's okay I don't understand what the hell goes on with you boys either." I say and we both stick our tongues out at each other, before turning back to the assignment we're trying to finish. Hermione comes back after a few minutes grumbling to herself about how stupid it is that we're still not learning anything with Umbridge.

After another half hour Harry shows up at the library while we're working on the large pointless amount of homework that Umbridge assigned us. Other students, nearly all of them fifth years, sit at lamp-lit tables nearby, noses close to books, quills scratching feverishly, while the sky outside the mullioned windows grow steadily blacker. The only other sound is the slight squeaking of one of Madam Pince's shoes as the librarian prowls the aisles menacingly, breathing down the necks of those touching her precious books.

Harry sits down next to me across from Ron and Hermione. I bite my lip in worry at his apperance. He's very pale, and shaking slightly.

"Harry?" I say softly.

"How did it go?" Hermione whispers, and then, looking concerned, "Are you all right, Harry?"

"Yeah . . . fine . . . I dunno," says Harry impatiently, wincing. "Listen . . . I've just realized something . . ."

He tells us what he has just seen and deduced from his Occlumency practice.

"So . . . so, are you saying . . ." whispers Ron, as Madam Pince sweeps past, squeaking slightly, "that the weapon — the thing You-Know-Who's after — is in the Ministry of Magic?"

"Makes sense that they'd have something of catastrophic power and not know what it is." I mumble crossly still upset with the Ministry.

"In the Department of Mysteries, it's got to be," Harry whispers. "I saw that door when your dad took me down to the courtrooms for my hearing and it's definitely the same one he was guarding when the snake bit him."

Hermione lets out a long, slow sigh. "Of course," she breathes.

"Of course what?" says Ron rather impatiently.

"Ron, think about it. . . . Sturgis Podmore was trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic. . . . It must have been that one, it's too much of a coincidence!"

"How come Sturgis was trying to break in when he's on our side?" says Ron.

"Well, I don't know," Hermione admits. "That is a bit odd . . ."

"Maybe he was trying to protect whatever it is— or…" I trail off. The three of them look at me.

"Or what?" Harry questions. I let out a shaky breath of air.

"If there was one thing that fake Mad-Eye taught us last year it was how to withstand an Imperius curse. He could have been being controlled by Voldermort." I breathe quietly. That makes the three of them stiffen at the implication that the Order is almost partially compromised.

"I just don't know though." I admit softly, rubbing down the goosebumps on my arms.

"So what's in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asks Ron. "Has your dad ever mentioned anything about it?"

"I know they call the people who work in there 'Unspeakables,'" says Ron, frowning. "Because no one really seems to know what they do in there. . . . Weird place to have a weapon . . ."

"It's not weird at all, it makes perfect sense," says Hermione. "It will be something top secret that the Ministry has been developing, I expect. . . . Harry, are you sure you're all right?"

For Harry has just run both his hands hard over his forehead as though trying to iron it.

"Yeah . . . fine . . ." he says, lowering his hands, which are trembling. "I just feel a bit . . . I don't like Occlumency much . . ."

"I don't blame you. I wouldn't like people trying to reach around in my head." I tell him patting him on the shoulder comfortingly.

"I expect anyone would feel shaky if they'd had their mind attacked over and over again," says Hermione sympathetically echoing my sentiments. "Look, let's get back to the common room, we'll be a bit more comfortable there . . ."

But the common room is packed and full of shrieks of laughter and excitement; Fred and George are demonstrating their latest bit of joke shop merchandise.

"Headless Hats!" shouts George, as Fred waves a pointed hat decorated with a fluffy pink feather at the watching students. "Two Galleons each — watch Fred, now!"

Fred sweeps the hat onto his head, beaming. For a second he merely looks rather stupid, then both hat and head vanish. I need one of those.

Several girls scream, but everyone else is roaring with laughter.

"And off again!" shouts George, and Fred's hand grope for a moment in what seems to be thin air over his shoulder; then his head reappears as he sweeps the pink-feathered hat from it again.

"I'll take one!" I say with a grin. Fred grins at me and tosses me the hat as I search for my money.

"No, no, little sis, consider it a welcome to the family gift." George says seriously shaking his head at me. I grin at them and plop the hat down on my head, have people laugh and shriek again.

"How do those hats work, then?" says Hermione, distracted from her homework and watching Fred and George. "I mean, obviously it's some kind of Invisibility Spell, but it's rather clever to have extended the field of invisibility beyond the boundaries of the charmed object. . . . I'd imagine the charm wouldn't have a very long life though . . ."

"I'm going to have to do this tomorrow," Harry mutters, pushing the books he has just taken out of his bag back inside it.

"Well, write it in your homework planner then!" says Hermione encouragingly. "So you don't forget!"

Harry and Ron exchange looks as he reaches into his bag, withdraws the planner and opens it tentatively. I grimace at the sight of it. I haven't gotten as bad as to have a talking planner yet.

"Don't leave it till later, you big second-rater!" chides the book as Harry scribbles down Umbridge's homework. Hermione beams at it.

"I think I'll go to bed," says Harry, stuffing the homework planner back into his bag. With that he disappears up the steps to the boys' dormitory leaving us looking after him worriedly.

"He's going to be okay right?" I ask worriedly, not liking the state that my friend has been in since returning from his lesson with Snape.

"Sure he is! He's Harry Potter ain't he!" Ron exclaims with a false bravado that falls flat.

"For all our sakes let's hope so." Hermione says cryptically, and the three of us return to finishing our assignment.

Something big is brewing on the horizon. I can feel it.