Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.

Thanks a lot to my beta-reader, Orodruin, for correcting my mistakes.

I also want to thank my motivation and plot betas Amandine and coffeeonthepatio.

I'm not a native speaker of English!

Dear readers,

here is the next chapter for you. I currently write on chapter 57 but it doesn't flow as easy as it should. :( At least I started writing again.

Sunny


Chapter 50 - The Forest Trip Part One

~*~

"Harry, there is a monster," Lysander said, scared.

"There is no monster, Ly," Harry assured the crying boy while waking fully and sitting up.

"Yes, there is. Listen!" Lysander said panicky.

A scary sound erupted the air, and Lysander threw himself at Harry. "Please kill the monster, Harry."

"Ly, that is only Ala... Uncle Al. He snores." Harry tried to calm his brother by drawing circles on his back.

"I want to go home. I want Mummy," Lysander sniveled.

"It's late Ly, Mummy is sleeping, and we should be sleeping as well." It was strange to call Ivy mummy but it would be too confusing for Lysander if he would call her Ivy while talking with him. "Come on, why don't you come with me in my sleeping bag?"

"Hmm," Lysander said and nodded frantically.

After climbing in Harry's sleeping bag, Lysander soon was asleep, and Harry followed him quickly.

~*~

"Remind me to never listen to one of you fantastic ideas again," Draco spat, and shook his trouser legs for the tenth time to get at least a bit of the mud and leaves from it. His trousers were wet and his shoes were, as well.

"You've been in the forest with Remus before," Harry said, annoyed.

"Yeah, but that was when it was sunny, not raining cats and dogs," Draco said grumpily.

"What are you two doing?" Remus asked and looked back at the two teenagers who were walking behind him and Alastor.

"My feet are cold," Draco whined.

"Why haven't you cast water proof charms on your shoes and trousers?" Remus asked, shaking his head.

Alastor had stopped as well, but looked above him into the crown of a big tree.

Remus spelled the clothes and shoes of the boys dry and placed the water proof charm on them.

"You could have told us before," Draco protested.

"You learn this spell in Charms, Draco. I thought you were able to do it without me telling you to," Remus said disapprovingly.

"Hmpf," Draco said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Stop pouting or we will go back," Remus said strictly.

"Why are you scolding only me?" Draco protested.

"Because you are the one pouting," Remus said, laying his hand on Draco's shoulder.

"But Harry didn't put the spell on his shoes, either," Draco said, still pouting.

Harry had the feeling Draco whined like a little child, but didn't comment on it.

"First, I scolded you for pouting and just stated that you should have charmed your clothes. Second, Harry isn't my son; or stepson, if you insist on it," Remus said, increasing the pressure on Draco's shoulder a bit to make him face him.

"But you just looked at me when you said we should have put the charm on," Draco said.

"I can hardly cross my eyes to look at both of you, and again you are my son and not Harry."

"Not fair," Draco said grumpily.

"Draco, please," Remus said. "We wanted to have a great day outside, didn't we?"

"You could have reminded me to put the spell on," Draco insisted.

Remus sighed. "Next time I will remind you to cast the spell, okay? I'm still new in the father business, Draco. I sometimes forget that you are not an adult."

"I'm almost adult," Draco said proudly.

"Yes, sure," Remus said and ruffled Draco's hair.

"Eww, Remus, I'm not Harry," Draco protested and flattened his hair again.

Meanwhile, Harry had gone over to Alastor and looked up in the tree as well. "What's there?"

"An Augurey nest," Alastor said.

"A what?" Harry asked, puzzled, staring at the drop-shaped nest.

"An Auguerey nest. Crazy thing is that it is up in the tree and not in one of the bushes. Never heard of them?" Alastor asked.

"No," Harry answered, not noticing that Alastor had stopped staring at the nest and was now looking at him.

"There is no Augurey. They often fly on rainy days. Not something nice to look at, either. They look like a starved vulture with green and black feathers. The most interesting aspect of it is his scream, though."

"Scream?" Draco asked, as he and Remus joined the two.

"Yes, the scream is really something special," Remus answered for Alastor. "It is bloodcurdling. There have been cases were people suffered a heart attack just from hearing it."

"Yep, and some believe it announces the death of somebody close to you," Alastor said mysteriously.

Harry felt a shiver go down his neck.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco mocked.

"Dream on, Malfoy," Harry replied.

"Oh, really boys. Already back to last name basis?" Remus said, chuckling, and again ruffled Draco's hair.

"Remus," the blond boy protested and batted Remus' hand away. Glaring at Harry, he said, "By letting them ruffle your hair all the time, you make them believe it is normal."

Harry shrugged. "I don't care when they do."

"Yeah, because you already have a rat's nest on your head." Draco attacked Harry so quickly that he couldn't defend himself when Draco started to ruffle Harry's hair overenthusiastically. Harry fell backward in the mud, and Draco fell on top of him.

"Get off me, Malfoy," Harry shouted and smashed a handful of mud in Draco's face.

"Stop it boys or I will take the water proof charm off you," Alastor threatened.

With a final shove on Harry's chest and a handful of mud in his face, Draco let go of Harry.

"Damn brat," Harry muttered and wiped the mud off his face.

"Baby Potter," Draco retorted.

"I said stop it," Alastor bellowed. "Come over here, Harry."

Harry reluctantly went over to Alastor. When Alastor lifted his hand, Harry shrank back violently.

"Open your eyes and come closer, Harry," Alastor said calmly.

Harry cautiously opened his eyes and stepped closer again.

"Hands out, Harry," Alastor instructed.

Aunt Petunia often had hit him with a ruler or a cooking spoon on his outstretched hands, and Harry was scared to get this treatment from Alastor as well. He liked the old man and never would have thought he would punish him like this. This day should have been something fun; or at least interesting, not like this. Harry was scared.

"Harry, I have no idea what you think I will do, but I just want to clean you," Alastor said, again in the calm voice.

Harry looked for the first time since the fight with Draco into Alastor's eyes. The man was looking back at him gently, his posture relaxed and not threatening. Slowly, Harry stretched out his hands.

Alastor waved his wand and cleaned Harry's robes and hands. "Now tuck you shirt in and give me your glasses."

Harry did as he was told.

After Alastor had cleaned Harry's glasses, he cleaned his face as well. "What a mess."

Harry adjusted his glasses and looked shyly at his godfather.

Alastor shook his head and grinned. "Maybe I should remind you that you were the one who asked me to let Draco come with us."

"I know," Harry said grumpily. "He just is an annoying brat sometimes."

Remus pulled Draco away from Harry. "What do you think you are doing?"

"It was just fun. Harry is such a ninny sometimes. It wasn't necessary to fall down, and he started the mud fight."

Remus sighed. "You are both unbelievable. Let me clean you up. Hold your arms out!" Remus instructed and cleaned Draco's clothes and skin.

"It was you who ask me if we could join Alastor and Harry. Why can't you behave then?"

"I did! It was Harry who threw mud at me," Draco protested.

"And it was you who tackled him down," Remus stated dryly.

"It was just a little shove. How could I know he can't stand right?"

"Harry is still recovering. We already talked about this," Remus said disapprovingly.

"Yeah, but how could I know it would unbalance him?"

"Just be more careful next time, Draco! I was very proud when you started to become friends with Harry."

"We aren't friends," Draco said and pulled a face.

Remus chuckled. "Whatever you say." With that he guided Draco over to the other two.

"And you are a ninny," Draco countered Harry's insult and got a cuff on the back of his head by Remus for it.

"What? He can call me a brat and I can't say anything?" Draco complained.

"Severus isn't here to punish Harry for saying things like at; I am. You wanted to be here and spend time with Harry. I'm in no mood to accept your childish banters now. So stop it, both of you." With that he looked from one boy to the other.

"Okay," Harry said, eying Draco skeptically.

"Hmpf," Draco said and then looked at Alastor. "So do we wait for the Aua-bird to come back?"

"It's an Augurey, and no, we won't wait for it to come back. It hasn't rained for weeks, so it will probably enjoy its first fly after such a long break. They only fly when it is raining. So, let's go on." With that Alastor turned and headed deeper into the forest. Remus closed the gap to him with long strides, and so the boys stood awkward beside each other before Harry started to follow the adults.

Draco quickly followed him. "I was just joking, Potter, and you made a fight out of it."

Harry glared at Draco. "Joking? You tackled me down."

"How could I know you are so fragile? You were training in Quidditch last year and defeated Voldmort, so how was I supposed to know you'd fall over just by a small shove?"

Harry blushed. "I was surprised."

"Yeah, sure. So no rough play in this whatever-it-is between us, right?"

"I'm not a baby, and I'm not out of glass." Harry blushed even deeper. When he was honest he had been angry at himself for being so easily brought down, and so he had let his anger out on Draco.

"I'm not so sure about that," Draco muttered.

"I'm not," Harry said and shoved Draco.

"Hey, that's not fair. I will get punished if I push you back."

"Oh, who is the baby now?" Harry teased Draco.

"Just wait, Potter," Draco said and then held his head high and ignored Harry.

Several feet they walked in silence, Draco still with his head high and not looking at Harry, and Harry walking sullenly beside him. Suddenly Draco pushed Harry when he didn't expect it. Not as harshly as Harry had pushed him, he was very careful so that Harry wouldn't fall again. "Got you." Draco laughed and started to run.

"Hey, that was cheating," Harry said, but grinned and started to chase Draco. They passed the adults when Harry reached Draco and touched him on his shoulder. Draco was distracted and fell over a root.

Harry stopped abruptly. "Are you okay?"

"Hmpf," was Draco's reply and said up.

"I think you should teach him the cleaning spell, Remus," Alastor teased. Then he stopped abruptly. "Wait, look!" Alastor pointed at a tree close by.


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