AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. Anything you recognised from GOF belongs to her. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...
Chapter 24 – Confrontations and Discoveries
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and a disappointed expression crossed his features. He started to speak, prepared to try and diffuse the situation but Sirius cut across him, the anger still simmering in his voice. "Your office or mine?" He asked bluntly. Although the hall was silent, their attention riveted on the sight of the DADA professor not quite shouting at the headmaster, Sirius knew he didn't want to have the confrontation here.
He had briefly entertained the notion of chewing Dumbledore out in front of the entire hall, particularly after the comments he had made in front of all the students but he knew that would not be a good idea. Many of the issues he wanted to yell at the man for, or demand answers to were things that neither he or Harry ever wanted to become public knowledge and issues he knew that if revealed would hurt his child and he was not willing to do anything that would hurt his godson.
Dumbledore surveyed his features for several moments and he was disquieted by what he saw there. Anger was burning fiercely in Black's features but it was not the harsh judgmental anger he had seen on the young man's face in his Hogwarts days, no this anger was far more dangerous. It was not anger on his behalf, instead it was the fierce, protective anger that a parent feels whenever their child is threatened, anger against those who had hurt them, rage against the injustice perpetrated against their child. It was an anger motivated by love and as such it was the most powerful. He knew that there would be no reasoning with Black whilst he was still in this fey mood and the safest solution would be to go to his office and to let the man vent his anger before attempting to shed some reason on the situation.
"My office, I think, provided that is alright with you Sirius?" He tried to keep his voice pleasant but his only answer was a curt nod, before Sirius clambered to his feet and strode out of the hall, only pausing once when he reached his godson, to lay a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and murmur something, presumably some form of explanation or reassurance and as he saw the boy relax slightly he couldn't help but wonder at Potter's attitude around Black.
In all his years at Hogwarts he had never seen the child so comfortable around an adult and he could clearly see how close godfather and godson were. He wondered how the man had managed to gain the boy's trust so quickly, as it was obvious that the child trusted his godfather absolutely just as it was plain to see the gentleness with which Sirius handled Harry. Dumbledore couldn't help but be impressed, in all the years Harry had been at Hogwarts he had never shown an inkling of any sort of meaningful trust towards the professors, the only exception being Professor Lupin, who in a single year had got closer to the boy than any other, but still, that relationship couldn't light a candle to the relationship between the boy and his godfather.
For a brief moment he wondered if the boy's behaviour had anything to do with his home life, the situation had not been ideal after all, and he had certainly been neglected. Was Harry's behaviour the result of gaining a loving guardian after a lifetime of neglect? Perhaps, perhaps not, it pained him to admit it but he knew that he could not compete with Sirius when it came to the child's affections, he had hoped that the boy would trust him by now, but looking at the light shining in the boy's face as he spoke to his godfather he knew it was a lost cause, he would never be able to compete with Sirius Black.
That could pose a problem though, in order to manipulate the boy effectively, for the good of the wizarding world, he needed the boy to trust him but it was obvious he didn't, and neither did Sirius and he knew the child would follow his guardian in this matter. He sighed as he got to his feet and headed out of the room after the irate Black. For the Greater Good it was imperative that he sorted this situation out as soon as possible.
Sirius paced back and forth in the lushly furnished office, his moments betraying his anger as he waited for Dumbledore to arrive. This conversation was overdue and there were many issues he needed to raise with the senile old fool but he would have to tread carefully. He fully intended to make his anger clear but he was not going to move against the man yet, that could wait until after Christmas, it could wait until Remus and he had a water tight plan for dealing with the man.
He was aware that Dumbledore was manipulating the situation, manipulating Harry's life, probably in response to the same information that had prompted Lily and James to go into hiding. He was sure that the man was trying to achieve a good outcome but he was becoming increasingly suspicious that this outcome was probably based off Harry in some way, or that his plan involved his pup in some sort of crucial role. And that was something he wasn't going to let happen. He wanted Voldemort defeated and he was going to try his damnedest to ensure that came about, but he was not going to force Harry to take centre stage in some sort of misguided plan to save the Wizarding World, to the contrary he was going to try his hardest to ensure that his godson would be kept as far away from the fight as possible.
That was one of the main reasons that he intended to wait until after Christmas to confront the Headmaster properly. By then he would have blood-adopted Harry and his pup would be his own child by blood and blood counted for a lot in the Wizarding World. Once Harry was his, nothing and nobody would ever be able to take him away from him until he died, then and only then would it be safe to move against Dumbledore. Harry would be beyond his reach completely and utterly and he would be where Sirius could keep him as safe as possible.
He knew that Dumbledore was only doing it for the best and he knew that Harry was always going to be a target, but that didn't stop the anger that bubbled up inside him. Harry was his child and woe betide anyone who tried to harm him in anyway. He would protect his godson to the death and he would not allow anyone to hurt him. That was why the anger was so strong, someone had, despite everything he had done, all the precautions that he and others had taken, Harry had still been entered in that godforsaken tournament, was still going to be threatened and hurt and there was nothing he could do to get him out of it, all he could do was train him and help him as much as he could and then hope that it would be enough.
And then Dumbledore! For the man to sit there and deny that anything was wrong, deny that something had occurred, that his son was being forced to compete against his will, had been the last straw. His anger against the old man was strong, there was the issue of the Dursleys, why had Harry been placed there, why had the signs of abuse been missed, if he could spot them in a mere hour, surely the Hogwarts staff who had interacted with him on a daily basis for several years should have spotted it! Not only that, but at the beginning of term he realised that Dumbledore had known, known and forced his child back into an abusive home year after year. And then the adventures, all the dangerous situations that Harry had been in and never should have had to have been in, there were so many questions when it came to his Hogwarts years, and then the fact that he hadn't known about his heritage, it had been kept from Harry.
So many things, too many, and all pointing in one direction. Dumbledore.
His anger was strong, almost bordering on rage but he knew this was not the time to take Dumbledore down and deal with him, rather, he wanted answers, or at least some of the answers. Realistically, he knew that without Harry out of Dumbledore's influence and without a way to threaten the man safely, and that wouldn't be safe until Harry was beyond his reach, he was unlikely to get all the answers he wanted. But he was going to try, and even if he didn't get all the answers he'd be damned if he didn't make the man think.
"Dumbledore," the word was short, clipped, the barest of acknowledgements as the aged wizard finally made his way into the office, settling himself into the stuffed armchair and steepleing his fingers together as he surveyed Sirius with what many would call a grandfatherly look. "Sirius," the man responded, his voice soft and calming but Sirius just shrugged it aside. He didn't have time for Dumbledore's games at the moment, he was after answers and no amount of gentle persuasion and no matter how calming the Headmaster was trying to be, Sirius was not going to leave this room without them.
The older wizard peered over his half-moon spectacles, looking at Sirius contemplatively, his calm face showing no signs that anything might be wrong. Sirius had to forcefully swallow down the anger that rose in him, he couldn't blow up, not completely at any rate but it did not help his temper to see the man looking as unconcerned as he had ever seen him, when his godson was trapped in a deadly tournament, fighting for his life.
"How in Merlin's name can you sit there and pretend that there is nothing wrong?" he hissed, his frustration and anger finally reaching their boiling point.
Dumbledore merely leaned forward, eyes twinkling, he thought he knew what Sirius was angry about but he really couldn't see why the man was getting so worked up about it. Yes it was regrettable that the boy was in this situation but it didn't really matter, there was nothing that could be done and there was no reason to get worked up about it. Frankly, it would be a good opportunity to test the lad, it hadn't been his original plan, but his plans had a way of changing when they encountered Harry and he couldn't deny, that with Black's presence to ensure the boy was not harmed too severely, it was almost a golden opportunity to see how he would fare against more experienced opponents. However, the anger he could see and feel bleeding into the room was enough to make him consider his words carefully as he replied.
"The situation with Harry is regrettable, but we must make the best of a bad situation and ensure that the child is as prepared as possible." He tried to make his words as calming as possible but if anything they had the opposite effect.
"Regrettable?" Black growled, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side, "Regrettable that a young boy is entered into the tournament against his will, regrettable that he was being shunned by his peers for being entered," his voice was rising, and Dumbledore could feel magic whipping around in the air, "Regrettable that my son will be fighting for his life, regrettable that..."
He broke off, his chest heaving and his breathing erratic, turning away slightly, trying to regain control over his emotions. When he turned back the fire in his eyes made Dumbledore pause and he would have taken a step backwards if he had been standing.
"You don't see it as anything else do you?" It was the tone in his voice that caused the Headmaster to start to think, the sheer unadulterated pain and fury that was conveyed in those few syllables, "You never stopped to think that it might be serious, that there might be something wrong, that Harry might be hurt, might not want this. No, it is just regrettable," Sirius sneered the word, "Looking at you now, it is easy to see that you do not care at all!"
Those words stung Dumbledore more than he would ever admit. He had to do things for the greater good but that never meant that he did not care! Quite the contrary, he cared deeply, every death, every injury weighed on his soul but he had to make the sacrifice, sometimes he had to choose, but he never stopped caring, only he pushed it away, because if he didn't he would never be able to make a sacrifice again, and if he didn't then the whole Wizarding World would be doomed.
He straightened, his eyes flashing, "I care deeply," he retorted, his voice agate hard, "I care for every one of my students and Harry more than any other!" But Sirius was not cowed in any way by his anger.
"Then show it!" He cried, eyes blazing.
"If you really do care why did you ever allow Harry to be selected in the first place, why did you not set the fears and rumours to rest, why wasn't an investigation needed, and why, why did you ever place him with abusive muggles!"
The shouts fell, ringing, into the tense silence that enveloped the room. Sirius could see that Dumbledore's face was strained and there was an unreadable expression on his features as he took in Sirius's accusations.
"There is no greater love than that of the parent for their child," Dumbledore murmured, not really intending for his words to be heard, but Sirius's sharp ears caught them and his spine stiffened as he straightened.
"Then tell me why!" He demanded, "Tell me why my child is trapped in this tournament and tell me why you sent him back to his relatives when you knew they were abusing him!"
Dumbledore peered over his half moon spectacles, looking closely at the man in front of him. He had not failed to notice what Sirius had called Harry. He was not sure if it was intentional or not, but he had heard it last night and again just now, Sirius was referring to his godson as his son and his child. Last night he had passed it off as a slip of the tongue but listening to Sirius now, and hearing the passion in his voice as he spoke, he was left in no doubt that the man really did consider the boy to be his own child. All that was left to wonder was whether Harry considered his godfather to be his father, and whether Sirius had legally adopted Harry yet.
But regardless, he could see the burning love that Sirius had for his godson and he knew that even without this, Black was extremely determined and he would not leave his office without some answers, and he had to admit that he had messed up when it came to Harry's placement. He had known the Dursleys were unloving of course and slightly neglectful but he had never considered the possibility of abuse until he had visited their home after Sirius had taken Harry and he knew that he did deserve some of Sirius's anger. He should have picked up the signs, and then assigned a guard or minder to ensure Harry's safety and allow him to reside there, thus maintaining the blood protection. But he had not and he had paid the price. Not to mention it was abuse, he should never have allowed Harry to grow up in an abusive household, it wasn't right and if he had known he would have ensured that Harry would have been protected there.
"Damn it Albus!" Sirius's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he suddenly realised that he had drifted off in the middle of the conversation, "If you do not have any answers, and they'd better be bloody good ones, I will start looking for another school for Harry to attend next year." His voice was tightly controlled but there was no mistaking the hard edge. Sirius didn't actually intend to pull Harry out of Hogwarts, the boy loved the school too much to contemplate doing that, not to mention as a founder's heir, he would have more protection here than at any other school. But Dumbledore did not know this and, as he saw the man blanch, he knew just how effective a threat he had at his disposal.
Dumbledore's thought were whirling around, jostling for space. Take Harry from Hogwarts, the mere idea chilled his bones, he needed Harry here for the Greater Good, not to mention, more sentimentally, he wanted Harry to attend the school he had gone to, loved, taught at and finally become Headmaster of. But Sirius was well within his rights as a guardian, and potentially the boy's parent, to change the school he attended.
"Answers Albus," Sirius all but growled and belatedly Dumbledore realised that Sirius had seen his reaction and one glance at the man's face confirmed that Black knew precisely how devastating a weapon he had at his disposal. He sighed, he knew the man would never hurt the boy, he doubted he would even be able too, and whilst he knew that, given time, he could almost certainly find a way to keep Harry at Hogwarts, unless of course Black had blood adopted him, which, looking at the love he could see in Sirius's eyes, even as clouded with anger as they were, seemed to be a very likely possibility. He knew that for a time being, he was in a corner and he would have to volunteer up some information in order to get Black off his back. Of course he wouldn't tell him everything, horcruxes and the prophecy were prime examples of the information he would keep to himself, but, as he thought about it, he realised Sirius did have a point, and that he really did owe him some answers.
He sighed, when had all his plans fallen to pieces? He felt so old, so useless and he realised that it wasn't just answers he owed the man, if was also apologies.
"First of all I feel I must apologise to you Sirius, I never meant for Harry to be abused, and nor did I question your incarceration, and I should have and for that I am deeply sorry."
Sirius was taken aback for a moment, the last thing had ever expected the man to do was apologise, the man was certain he knew everything, and he and only he was able to make important decisions, however his blighted upbringing had taught him to keep his composure and prevent his emotions from showing. He pushed the apology aside, focusing on much more important matters, and the pause was so short Dumbledore would not even realise that his actions had thrown him, if only slightly.
"Never meant for it to happen," he hissed, his voice dropping dangerously as he realised precisely what Dumbledore's words had implied, "So what did you mean to happen? For a child to grow up neglected, unloved, to be denied information, taunted and ridiculed, did you mean that? Denying him information about his heritage, did you mean that too? Was the abuse only regrettable," his voice twisted around the word and the Headmaster couldn't help but flinch, "because you never meant for them to go that far!"
Sirius's voice had risen to a shout and Dumbledore could feel the magic that had grown thick upon the air. Sirius's eyes had darkened until they were almost black and he was suddenly, forcibly, reminded that although Sirius had run away, had disowned his family, he had still been born a Black and there was a reason that Blacks were feared. He could only be thankful that the man had never turned to the Dark because he knew that if he had, Voldemort would have been the lesser threat. He would never admit it to anyone else, but looking at Sirius now, and seeing the way his eyes blazed and the way ancient magic, his magic and Black family magic were all whipping through the air at his command, responding to his anger, frightened Dumbledore.
It was magic at its most pure, its most ancient, most raw and most powerful and he knew that, like Lily's sacrifice, it was powered by the love that Sirius had for his godson and there was no telling what it could do if it got out of the Black Lord's control.
He could hear Sirius's accusations ringing in his ears and he forced himself to look at the truth, had he meant for Harry to be unloved? It had not been his intention certainly, his only thought when placing the boy with the muggles was to give the boy the Blood Protection that he would receive from living with his Aunt, but when reports of the problems had come through from Arabella, he had dismissed them, the Blood Protection was more important than the fact the boy was slightly neglected and unloved.
The magic stirred in the air, and one glance at Sirius's jet black eyes reminded him that it would be wise to answer before something worse happened, or the magic grew impatient enough to try to persuade him, for lack of a better word, to speak.
"I never wanted Harry to be abused, I merely wanted him to grow up with his family, away from the fame of the wizarding world, something like that would have been overwhelming for a young boy." Sirius nodded shortly,
"I can understand that, with myself and Remus unable to take guardianship, I can understand your actions ever if I don't like them, but," his voice suddenly lost its pleasant air and turned cold, "Why in Merlin's name did you send him back once you knew he was being abused, why did you not send someone to check up on him..."
Here Dumbledore felt compelled to interrupt, "Arabella Figg was stationed in the neighbourhood in order to watch over him," he said somewhat defensively. Sirius merely brushed the words aside,
"And did she ever manage to actually see what was going on in that house?" he demanded. The lack of response from Dumbledore was an answer in its self and he snorted in derision.
"But even though he was being watched" his voice twisted the word, making a mockery of it, and he saw Dumbledore glance away, unwilling to meet his eyes, "That does not answer my question. WHY DID YOU EVER LET HIM GO BACK THERE WHEN YOU KNEW!"
The light in his eyes would have terrified anyone, and for the first time Dumbledore saw precisely what Azkaban had done to the man. Gone was the irresponsible, reckless, thoughtless prankster he had known stalk the halls of Hogwarts with his partners in crime, here was a man who had endured hell on earth for twelve years, and despite what most people thought, had not come out unscathed. Sirius Black knew full well the evil in humans and he had sworn himself to protect he child he considered his own against everything the world could throw at him.
Dumbledore dropped his gaze, unable to look at the man before him, the man he and the whole wizarding world had wronged, and the man who was demanding answers, answers he deserved. For the first time in over a hundred years he felt the heavy weight of his years press down upon him along with all those he had sacrificed for the cause, often without them realising it.
"There is an old magic protecting Harry," he found himself explaining, "It was caused by Lily's sacrifice, as long as he called his Aunt's house his home, there was a protection in his very blood, a protection that meant Voldemort could not touch him. I sent him back to ensure he had that protection." He half expected Sirius to show some sign of shock, of worry caused by taking the boy away from such strong protections but there was not even a flicker in Sirius's expression.
"All the protection in the world is not worth the harm of being abused," the man's eyes and expression, almost impossibly, darkened further, "And that is something I know far too well." His voice was level but there was a darkness to it which made Dumbledore step backwards, "The Blood Protection is not worth a damn if it couldn't protect him inside that house."
Sirius narrowed his eyes, "If I had not taken him from those bastards, he would not have made it to the end of the summer. And you were willing to risk Harry, risk a child, harm him and destroy his childhood, just to give him a protection that he should have never needed in the first place." He paused, gazing at Dumbledore, intensity shinning out of his eyes, "And then Harry nearly died. And there is nobody to blame but you."
The words hit the Headmaster like a physical blow. He had never realised it was so severe, that Harry would have died and from what Sirius was saying, he had been close to death. He had nearly lost the boy, and all hope of ever destroying Voldemort, and all because of his stupid choices, all because of his inability to see what was in front of him, all because of his insistence to keep to the plan.
"You may reprimand me all you want to Sirius," even his voice sounded weary, "I shall not stop you, Merlin knows I deserve it."
As he was speaking faces had been flashing before his eyes, Ariana, Tom, Grimmwauld, and then later ones, Lily, James, Frank, Alice, all the people he had failed and then Harry, the boy he had nearly failed, even more completely than his parents. He had managed to stop himself from thinking of them, from thinking of what his sacrifices really cost, the cost he had managed to shield himself from before. Guilt, crushing and overwhelming swamped him. All the faces, all the names, all the voices, everything he had sacrificed in pursuit of the Greater Good.
The Greater Good. Everything he had done was trying to make the Wizarding World a better place but looking at it now he couldn't stop himself from wondering was it worth it. Were all the deaths, all those people who had blindly followed him, who had laid down their lives for him, worth what had been achieved? He didn't know. Before he would have said yes in an instant, but now he simply didn't know. He could justify it of course, he would be able to look at all his reasons and find a justification for each and every one of his actions, but he knew that Sirius, although he didn't know how the man had done it, had planted the doubt. And he knew he would never stop questioning each and every action.
Suddenly he realised that, to his utter surprise, Sirius had not taken the opportunity to rebuke him. Perplexed he looked up and he was struck but the black understanding he saw in Sirius's eyes.
"You'll never stop blaming yourself," the Black Lord said softly, "You'll try to rationalise it of course, and in the day, who knows, you might even succeed. But at night you will always know, always see their faces, and that will punish you more thoroughly than I ever could."
"But," his voice dropped the soft edge and his eyes became agate hard, "If you ever forget, or try to control or manipulate Harry again, I will be here to remind you and I will not let you hurt him ever again. This is your last warning Headmaster. Harry is mine to protect now, and I will protect him and if that sets me against you, then so be it."
His eyes locked with Dumbledore's for a long moment and the Headmaster read all the protectiveness, anger, love, regret, guilt and sorrow in their depths. Then Sirius nodded once, breaking the contact as he spun on his heel and left the room, leaving a pensive Dumbledore alone with his thoughts, and his guilt.
Harry smiled as Sirius rubbed his shoulder in a silent gesture of support before he left the hall, Dumbledore following in his wake. He was able to attack his breakfast with a lot more gusto after the Ministry Official had silenced the majority of his critics, Slytherins did not count, indeed, one glance at their table revealed that Malfoy was being his usual charming self, in other words, a complete prat. He was reassured that a repeat of his second year was not about to occur and that the whispers and animosity he had been receiving from the Hufflepuff table in particular, had all but ceased.
He had finished his breakfast and he was making his way towards the Quiddich Pitch, Fred, George and Ron accompanying him - they didn't have a practice as it was Sunday, but he knew that a fly would settle his nerves, and a quick pickup game, provided they could find another few players would help them all to relax – when Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott caught up with them.
"Harry!" The blonde haired girl called, and he stopped, turning round, a curious expression on his features.
"Susan?" He replied, his voice questioning.
"We just wanted to say, Hannah and I, that we're sorry you're stuck in the tournament, and Hufflepuff will support you, after Cedric of course," she flashed him a smile then her gaze drifted to the brooms, "And, is there any chance of joining you?"
"Yeah sure," he replied shrugging although he couldn't help but smile in reply, they needed the extra players and he couldn't deny that he was touched by the apology and gesture of support. It was the first time anyone from one of the other houses had shown their support for him in the tournament, and it was a far cry from the hostile reception he had received this morning.
Several minutes later they had been joined by Neville, who surprisingly enough, turned out to be a decent keeper, and Ginny who managed to shock her brothers when she showed that she knew a lot about flying. Very quickly they had a small pickup game going and Harry thrust himself through the air with reckless abandon, just enjoying the freedom and the sheer joy he got whenever he flew, as he searched for the snitch.
Nearly two hours later, a windswept and breathless group landed, still laughing. They had managed to play a handful of games, and whilst Hannah was no match for Harry when it came to seeking, there had been several, highly amusing incidents with the Beaters and Chasers, Fred and George in particular, locked in a vicious beater battle which escalated to the point where nobody knew where and when the next Bludger would appear. Harry was in high spirits as he headed back to Gryffindor Tower to get started on the homework that had managed to pile up due to the excitement of the last couple of days.
However the gloating figure of Draco Malfoy, a smirk on his face as he stood, blocking the corridor, flanked by the two pieces of portable muscle that were Crabbe and Goyle, soured the good mood in an instant. "What do you want Malfoy?" Harry demanded, not in the mood to deal with the arrogant Slytherin. The boy's smirk widened, "Oh I just wanted to show you this Potter," he said carelessly, indicating the badge that had pride of place on his school robes. It was currently flashing 'Support Cedric Diggory, the REAL Hogwarts Champion," in bold bright letters.
Harry just shrugged, not really bothered. He couldn't care less about the honour of the Tournament, and if Malfoy was trying to rile him he was failing miserably. "Yeah I know," he said impatiently, "If you don't mind moving?" The sarcasm in the last sentence was obvious. Malfoy appeared a little irritated with the lack of reaction but he didn't move.
"Not yet Potter," he drawled, "You haven't seen all the features." He jabbed the badge with his wand and the lettering rippled and changed until it spelt out, 'Potter Cheats!" Harry just growled, not having expected anything else from the spoilt Slytherin,
"Get out of my way Malfoy," He pushed passed them and was heading away when a thought struck him, "I'd keep those badges out of sight of Professor Black," he called back to the blonde boy, "I'd imagine he'd be most displeased if he learnt of the second message." He was rewarded with a grimace and a muttered, "Get lost Potter," and he knew that, even though they did not act like it most of the time, the large majority of the Slytherins, including those in the Death Eater circles were wary of his godfather, something to do with the Death Eater lives Sirius had taken in battle, or so Sirius had told him, and those outside that circle had come to respect Sirius as a competent Professor and had evidently taken his earlier warnings to heart.
Harry frowned in concentration as he carefully added the powered lacewings to his potion, it was an extremely delicate stage in the proceedings, and, once Snape had stopped breathing down his neck and had actually let him work, Harry had discovered to his complete surprise, that although he was not a genius when it came to the subject, he was certainly good at it, and as such, he had no intention of botching up his potion.
The last couple of weeks had proved to be extremely hectic, on top of his ordinary workload his was preparing for the tournament and trying to find some time just to enjoy himself and have fun. Preparing for the tournament was proving easier than he had originally thought, because, although he still had absolutely no clue what the first task was, Sirius had kept his promise and was helping him as much as possible. Currently he spent several hours and several sessions a week with his godfather just working on spells that could help him with the tournament and doing research.
The figure of Colin Creevy poked his head round the door, "Professor Snape sir, they sent me to fetch Harry Potter for the Weighing of the Wands," Whereas previously the much hated Professor would have made some scathing remark the man just nodded shortly,
"Get going Potter, and I expect an essay on this potion to be on my desk tomorrow morning is that understood?" He snapped and Harry just nodded, inwardly cursing the fact that the tournament had just increased his workload further. He scrabbled his belongings together, stuffing quills, books and parchment into his bag with almost reckless abandon. He was quite glad to be out of the dungeons, even though he had got a lot better at potions, he didn't think he would ever enjoy the subject as long as Snape was teaching, although he was certainly not looking forward to whatever event he had just been summoned to.
"Ah here he is, our youngest Champion," Bagman enthused and Harry bit back a groan, and he saw Cedric smile sympathetically at him. Once the older boy had learnt he did not want to be in the tournament he had proved to be a good guy, even helping him with some of the higher level spells on occasion, when Sirius was busy and the Hufflepuff had quickly learnt that Harry loathed the attention and would do anything to avoid it. Harry realised he had tuned out and he forced his attention back to the over enthusiastic official. "And this is Rita Skeeter from the Prophet, she's going to writing an article and I think she wants a few photos," Bagman grinned and Harry saw the reporter pull out an acid green quill and she looked hungrily in his direction,
"Yes a few photos would be wonderful Ludo, and perhaps some interviews?" Her eyes didn't leave Harry once and they had a distinctly predatory gleam in them that made him uncomfortable. Not to mention she wrote for the Prophet and he despised the sort of things that they had written about his godfather, and all the rumours that they had spread. It wasn't fair, why couldn't they just leave them alone and let Harry have the family he had always wanted? A scowl graced his features and he switched darkening eyes onto Mr Ollivander as the man called them up one by one to inspect their wands.
Predictably he came last and he sighed as he handed his wand over for examination, by now he just wanted the whole ordeal to be over. Mr Ollivander examined the piece of wood in great detail and Harry just hoped that he wouldn't announce that the core in his wand was the brother of Voldemorts, he dreaded to think what the reaction would be if that got announced and he could just imagine the furore the headlines would create. Eventually though, Ollivander pronounced his wand to be in perfect working order and Harry placed it back into his wand holder, reassured once it was back in his grasp.
They then had to pose for photographs and Harry endured it with mounting impatience and he was making plans to escape as soon as they announced they had the images they needed when those plans were scuppered by a single announcement, "We need interviews," Skeeter said gleefully, "And I'm sure a quick word with Harry here would be wonderful, youngest champion, entered against his will and all that."
Before Harry really knew what had happened, Skeeter had seized his arm and pulled him into a small antechamber, "Now you don't mind if I use a quick notes quill do you Harry," she said, settling herself, fairly uncomfortably on a stone bench.
"What's a quick..."
"Excellent," she continued, ignoring his question, "Well we should get started then." Not really knowing how to get himself out of this situation, and wanting the whole ordeal to be over as soon as possible, Harry perched on a stone ledge, his eyes moving to the acid green quill which was already skating over the parchment.
Skeeter clapped her hands together, drawing his attention back to her, "Now then Harry, how do you feel about the situation? After all, we all know you were forced to compete when you did not enter, but how do you feel about it now the tournament is staring in earnest?"
"I don't want to be in it at all, I just want to be normal," he exclaimed, frustrated. Rita tutted, leaning forward,
"Now then Harry, none of that, you don't have to pretend for me, after all the readers love a rebel,"
"I don't want to be in it!" He protested but his words were ignored.
"Did you feel pressured, was it the change in your guardianship that prompted your acceptance of the situation, was it the..." Harry was feeling overwhelmed, all the questions were making his head spin and he was forcefully reminded of his first ever potions lesson and the questions that Snape had barked at him unrelentingly. Merlin he had felt stupid then, he was being singled out and he hadn't known a single answer, when Hermione's hand was all but touching the ceiling and he'd been convinced that most of the others had known too. It hadn't been until later that he had realised that most of the class had been just as clueless as him and Snape was just being his usual, mean unfair self.
Rita Skeeter was talking at a mile a minute and Harry was trying to stutter out answers, feeling more and more uncomfortable with each second that passed when a voice interrupted. "I believe it is illegal to interview a minor without a guardian present Miss Skeeter." Harry swivelled, an expression of relief breaking out across his features as he saw Sirius standing in the doorway, anger clear in his eyes. A small part of him registered that the morning lessons must have finished for his godfather to be here but it was drowned out by the relief that swept through him. He would finally be able to escape.
With two swift steps Sirius was at his side, pulling him briskly but still gently to his feet and placing a strong hand on his shoulder. "The transcripts if you please," he held his free hand out, his expression expectant.
"Mr Black, it was just a harmless interview, I'm sure it doesn't matter." She tried to pass it off innocently, but Sirius's expression remained stony.
"Legally I am well within my rights and I do mind, and Harry does too. The transcripts please." It as a demand not a request and Sirius's eyes flashed black fire and Skeeter, awful woman notwithstanding, was certainly very adept at surviving and she knew that the dangerous glint in the Black Lord's eye promised retribution if she did not obey. Grumbling to herself she handed over the parchment and hissed in displeasure as Sirius incinerated them with one well placed charm.
Stiffly she collected her remaining belongs and was about to sweep from the room when Sirius's cold voice stopped her. "I do not expect to see any of this in the Prophet, and I expect you or any of your colleagues to stay away from Harry, unless I am present and have given you my permission to approach him." Grudgingly she nodded but both Harry and Sirius could see the calculation in her eyes, and Sirius kept his hard, unrelenting gaze on her as she left the room, mentally making a note to watch out for the blonde reporter.
"Thank you," Harry said quietly once she had left, and Sirius smiled at him, looping his arm over the boy's shoulders and bringing him close in a one armed hug. "I don't want those vultures near you any more than you do pup, and legally I was right, she had no right to interview you, or photograph you without my permission. I'm only sorry that I couldn't be here earlier."
Harry was already shaking his head, how could his godfather be sorry for not getting there for the beginning of the ceremony? He had been called out of lessons and he knew that Sirius had lessons of his own to teach and of course he wasn't going to be able to come during those times, Harry was merely grateful that he had come when he did and he told his godfather so. But Sirius just shook his head "There's nothing more important to me than you pup."
Harry couldn't help but smile and lean against the animagus who still had his arm wrapped around his shoulders, "You don't need to miss lessons because of me though." Sirius merely made a slight noise in the back of this throat, although whether it was of agreement or dissention he couldn't tell. During this time his godfather had been leading him through the corridors, his hand moving to rest on his shoulder as they moved into the slightly more populated areas of the castle. "Hagrid spoke to me earlier," Sirius said causally, "He mentioned that he had something interesting to show you, and that you should go to visit him this evening, bringing your cloak with you."
His godfather locked eyes with him and Harry caught the silent message that this was something to do with the tournament and that, come this evening, a very familiar black dog would be accompanying him, just in case, whatever it was proved to be like some of Hagrid's other pets, ie extremely dangerous.
They reached the Great Hall, and Sirius released his shoulder, giving him a light push in the direction of the Gryffindor Table. "Go get some lunch, you've already missed quite a bit of the lunch break, afternoon lessons start in forty minutes," his godfather instructed softly and Harry nodded, quickly heading for the table as he realised just how hungry he was.
The large grim like black dog met him at the entrance hall, moving to pad at his side as he headed down the familiar path to Hagrid's hut. Absently-mindedly Harry reached down and laid his hand on the dog's back, stroking the fur softly. He raised his fist to knock on the wooden door, but almost before he had opened it the door was yanked open, "Ah, there ya are 'Arry," Hagrid boomed, "Glad ya could get down, I got summat really good to show ya." It was then he noticed Padfoot, "An' who's this then?" he murmured reaching down with one large hand to pet the dog's head.
"Padfoot," Harry said quickly, he wasn't sure if Hagrid knew about the Marauder's animagus forms but as the man let out a booming chuckle he figured that he didn't. "Smart name for a dog that un, named it after Sirius I see, always pictured 'im as a dog for some reason." He mused and Harry was hard pressed to stop himself from breaking out in laughter and Padfoot gave a coughing sort of bark that Harry supposed was a laugh.
"Ah well, got ya cloak 'Arry?" At Harry's nod he continued, "Hop unner it then, they're some real nice beauties but if anyone got wind tha' I'd shown ya them I'd be in trouble."
"Beauties?" Harry questioned somewhat apprehensively as he slipped under the cloak, anything that Hagrid thought was beautiful was likely to be extremely dangerous to anything that was not a half giant and named Hagrid, and even then, he mused, there were several creatures that he were sure were dangerous for Hagrid too, no matter how much he protested that they were, "jus' misunderstood."
Cloak secured Harry ghosted in Hagrid's footsteps, Sirius bounding along beside them as they headed into the forest. Harry glanced round slightly apprehensively, he hoped that Hagrid was not taking him to see some of his creatures, the last time he had come here on Hagrid's recommendation, both he and Ron had almost been eaten by a nest of hungry acromantulas and he was in no hurry to repeat the experience. His fears were not in any way assuaged when he spotted a dull orange haze through the trees and he heard a cacophony of dull roars in the distance.
They came through the last of the trees and into an open space, and Harry's jaw dropped because, behind bars of steel that encircled the entire clearing no less than four dragons stood, fighting and roaring at their handlers. A detached part of his brain noted that one of the handlers nearest to them had a shock of bright red hair, identifying him as a Weasley, but that observation was swept away a second later when the dragon released a huge spurt of sooty orange flame, straight at them, coming so close that he could feel the blistering heat of it on his face.
Automatically his fingers sought Padfoot's fur. Finding it he buried his fingers in the dog's coat, clutching at the dog as he searched for support, even as he felt the tenseness of his godfather, even in his animagus form.
Half a dozen stunners erupted from the handler's wands and slowly the massive dragon crumpled to the ground and Harry saw that to his utter relief that the rest of the handler's were managing to subdue their dragons. "Hey there Hagrid," a cheerful voice called and now that Harry didn't have to focus on the massive, deadly, fire-breathing lizards in front of him, he recognised the speaker as Charlie Weasley. He heard Hagrid boom out a reply but his attention was focussed on Charlie's next words.
"Lovely creatures, nesting mothers you know. I have to say, it got bit tricky there, had to subdue them until we can get their eggs back to them. We've got one for each of the Champions, and I have to say I don't envy them. Facing one of them alone is bad enough, but having to steal an egg and get past them? You'd have to be bloody crazy even to attempt it!"
The conversation moved on but Harry stopped paying any attention his thought firmly fixed on the dragons. He had to get past one, had to steal an egg and come out of it alive. It seemed impossible and he felt cold fear worm its way into his gut. He wasn't able to do this, he'd die in the first minute and then what would happen?
The cold wet touch of Padfoot's nose pulled him out of his thoughts and he felt the dog butt against his side, nudging him in the direction of the castle. Sparing one last fear filled glance back at the dragons, Harry persuaded his leaden feet to move, carrying him out of the forest and through the Hogwarts corridors to the safety of Sirius's quarters.
And here's the update! Hope you all enjoyed it, and thank you so much to all who reivewed (over 500, I can scarcely believe it and on my first fic too! :) )
Anyway, see you in two weeks and please reivew.