The next couple weeks proved to be some of the most enjoyable of Harry's entire life. Not only was Professor Jackson fun inside the classroom, but he was even funnier and more relaxed outside of them too. Harry spent many afternoons, wandering the many shops of Dragon Alley, listening and laughing to the many funny stories Professor Jackson liked to tell. Harry's summer was also proving to be one of the most productive as well. True to his word, the morning after his rescue from the Dursley's, Professor Jackson and Harry spent most of the morning discussing a book list, and what Professor Jackson felt would be a workable extracurricular defense schedule.
Daphne Greengrass had once said that there was no one in the castle more capable of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, than Professor Jackson, and the longer Harry listened to the man, the more Harry suspected that she was right. In the two weeks Harry had been staying at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry had learned more about defensive magic, than he had in his last two years at Hogwarts. Not only was Harry's History professor knowledgeable about defensive battle magic, but he understood magic on a conceptual level that Harry had never experienced before.
"Magic, Harry," he'd explained one sleepy afternoon outside Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, "Is the manifestation of your own soul. Now that's important, because it tells us something incredibly important about magic, can you tell me what that might be?" He asked, and Harry felt his eyes cross in concentration as he considered the question. But for the life of him, he couldn't understand where his professor was going,
"Come on Harry," Professor Jackson said, a lazy grin on his face as he slurped at his milkshake, "You know this. Think, do you remember what you said to Daphne at the dueling club last year?"
Harry thought, remembering the impromptu tutoring session he'd given, "She was struggling with the disarming spell," He recited as the memory played in his head, "And I told her that she didn't want the spell to do what it was supposed to badly enough. That she needed to really want - no need - my wand to leave my hand." He said, and Professor Jackson beamed,
"Exactly, Harry, so can you tell me why that is so important?" He asked, and Harry frowned, absentmindedly licking his ice cream cone in thought.
"Well, it's-it'd be all about intent then, wouldn't it?" Harry asked uncertainly. Professor Jackson positively beamed at him,
"Excellent job Harry!" Professor Jackson said happily, "That's exactly right, magic is all about intent. When we cast magic, it's tied to our emotions, our feelings, our will. Some spells require a strong desire to do harm, while others rely on pure happiness, safety, and love. Haven't you ever wondered why we use incantations and wands?"
Harry just shrugged, "I always thought that we needed them," Harry said, suddenly feeling quite foolish, but Professor Jackson just waved him off,
"Relax Harry, most people don't ever even think twice about it." Professor Jackson explained, "The answer might surprise you though. In the most strictly theoretical sense, no witch or wizard ever truly needs to use a wand or magic words to make something happen."
"Then why-?" Harry began to ask, but Professor Jackson cut him off,
"Incantations, by themselves, hold no magical properties on their own. Witches and Wizards use them, because we associate a certain result with the words. Look at a simple spell like lumos. What does that mean?"
"It's derived from Latin words for light," Harry said,
"Precisely, so we associate the spell lumos, for light, correct? Can you tell me why that's helpful with casting the spell?" Professor Jackson asked. Harry noticed that unlike most of his other teachers, Professor Jackson liked his students to come to whatever conclusions they can on their own.
"Well it's like you just said," Harry said, "Since we associate the word with the intent to create light, when we cast the spell…it, erm, works?" Harry finished lamely, and Professor Jackson chuckled,
"Close enough," He said with a smile, "Essentially, we use the incantations as a crutch. They help us focus our intent; because we associate lumos with light, when we cast the spell, we don't even think about what we're really doing. As you practice and grow as a wizard, you'll learn how to effectively cast without saying an incantation, because you'll find it much easier to focus the intended result into your magic."
"Which means we need wands for the same thing then?" Harry asked curiously,
"More or less," Professor Jackson shrugged, grabbing a jar of sprinkles on the table, "Wands are useful, especially for younger witches and wizards because it provides a focus for your magic. It's easier to force your magic through a medium, rather than to simply make it happen through force of will alone. But as you grow stronger and more confident with your magic," He flipped the jar in his hands, and it transformed into a small glass statue of a dolphin, "You no longer require a wand for it." He flipped the dolphin and it turned back into the jar of sprinkles, "Granted I still like to use a wand with more complex magic. Easier to control that way, and it's far less taxing on your own energy."
It was a more in-depth explanation about magic than Harry had ever gotten at Hogwarts, and suddenly so much more began to make sense. He was itching to get back to Hogwarts and test out his brand-new understanding of magic. But he put the desire aside for the moment, and asked the other question that was nipping at the side of his brain.
"How did you learn so much about magic sir?" Harry asked, "They don't teach us anything like this at Hogwarts,"
Professor Jackson just shrugged, "Don't be too harsh on Hogwarts, from my experience most magical schools don't go in depth about the nature of magic. Most magicals don't care enough to think about it. And I only know so much about it because I had some very…dedicated teachers."
"Did you learn about it at Ilvermorny, sir?" Harry asked,
"Nah," Said Professor Jackson casually, "I only spent two years at Ilvermorny and they weren't too concerned about magical theory,"
"You only had two years of school, sir?" Harry asked, despite already knowing that Professor Jackson had been privately tutored before going to the American school, having heard Draco Malfoy mention it the year before. But his professor's past was something of a mystery, and he couldn't resist the temptation to learn more about the man's past.
"That's right," Professor Jackson nodded, his eyes scanning the throngs of witches and wizards in the Alley, "I got some private tutoring here in England when I was…" he trailed off for a second as he seemed like he had to think about his answer for a brief moment, "Twelve. Yeah, I was twelve."
"Why were you in England is?" Harry asked, and then before he could stop himself, he asked, "Is it because of the people who are after you in America?"
Professor Jackson choked on his milkshake, and had to thump hard on his chest in order to get some air to his lungs,
"Where-" He coughed out. "Where the hades did you hear that?" He asked, his eyes were slightly panicked,
Harry felt a pang of guilt in his stomach, "Ah," Harry said, averting his eyes from Professor Jackson's, "It was, erm, last year sir. Right after Justin was petrified, I was waiting outside Professor Dumbledore's office, and I, um, overheard you two…arguing." He flinched slightly in embarrassment,
Professor Jackson's eyes bore into Harry's, and his jaw was clenched so tightly that Harry was worried Professor Jackson might chip a tooth,
"It's not a sin to be curious, Harry," Professor Jackson said slowly, closing his eyes as he appeared to be trying to calm himself down, "But nobody likes a nosey nelly."
Harry ducked his head in shame, "I'm sorry sir," He said softly, berating himself for what he'd said. He'd screwed up, and he couldn't help worrying that he'd just pushed away one of the few people who'd ever tried to help him.
He felt a large hand pat him on the shoulder, and Harry dared a glance up and saw Professor Jackson staring at him, a slightly pinched expression on his face,
"It's all right, Harry." He said steadily, though he was still clearly upset, "Like I said, it's not a sin to be curious. But you really shouldn't go digging too deep into someone's past like that, it's a horrible invasion of their privacy."
"Yes sir," Harry said, ducking his head again "Sorry sir,"
Professor Jackson sighed and leaned back in his chair, and he seemed deep in thought. After a few moments, he seemed to come to a decision,
"It's not necessarily that there are people who are…after me," He explained in a steady tone, not looking at Harry, who's head shot up and looked at the man in earnest, "But there are people back home who…would not react well if I went back. Especially now that-well what's the date again?"
"The nineteenth, sir," Harry said, and Professor Jackson flinched badly,
"Yeah," He said roughly, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah there's no going back for me for a while. And no, I'm not going to talk about it, Harry," He said, catching Harry as his mouth opened,
It's…a complicated story Harry. One only known to myself and a handful of others." he laughed darkly, "Besides, I really doubt that you'd believe me even if I did tell you."
Harry wanted to interject, wanted to say that he would believe Professor Jackson, like he always believed Harry, but a look from the man shut Harry's mouth and he stayed silent.
"Do me a favor Harry," Professor Jackson said, "And keep what I just told you to yourself yeah?"
"Of course, sir!" Harry said quickly, not wanting or ever planning on betraying his professor's trust like that.
However, before either one of them could break the awkward silence, a voice rang out from the crowd in the alley,
"Harry! Professor Jackson!" Turning, Harry saw a familiar girl from his year, but in Hufflepuff running up to their table. She had a rounded, heart-shaped face, deep red hair that she wore in a plait down her back, and dull green eyes. Harry couldn't remember her name, but he remembered seeing her in the Hospital Wing visiting Justin Finch-Fletchley the year before.
Behind her was a tall, stern looking woman. She was maybe a bit younger than Professor McGonagall, and as Harry looked at her, he thought that she bore a rather striking resemblance to the girl who'd run up to their table.
"Hello Susan," Professor Jackson beamed, reaching out to give the girl a small hug, before sitting back down into his chair, and Harry remembered that her name was Susan Bones. Though Harry was confused why she had called out to him too, she spent most of her time with her friend Hannah Abbott, and Harry wasn't sure if they had ever said two words to one another.
"Harry," said Professor Jackson, "I'm sure you remember Susan, she's in your year,"
"Erm, hello," Harry said with an awkward wave, unsure of how to act. His relationship with most of Hufflepuff house was not the greatest. The year before, the vast majority of the House of Helga had treated him spectacularly poorly, certain as they were that the Harry had been the one to attack their fellow classmate. Harry couldn't remember if Susan had been part of the problem, but given that most of the students in her house had been, Harry was still leery of her.
Susan seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and flinched slightly, and gave him an awkward wave as well, but Professor Jackson saved them both from further uncomfortable interactions, as he asked,
"Having a good summer so far, Susan?"
Turning to Professor Jackson she beamed at him, "Oh it's been wonderful sir, I got to go to Australia with Hannah's family for two weeks, oh sir it was just incredible! Oh," she turned, only then seeming to remember the woman behind her, "Auntie, this is Professor Jackson, and Harry Potter," She introduced, "And this," She gestured to the woman who must have been her Aunt, "Is my Auntie, Amelia Bones,"
Professor Jackson stood up and shook the stern witch's hand, "Pleasure to finally meet you Madam," He said,
"Pleasure is mine," Said Madam Bones, an amused smile on her face as she rebased Professor Jackson's hand, "My Susan here hasn't stopped talking about you and your class all summer."
Susan turned scarlet and hissed at her Aunt, who ignored her. Madam Bones then turned to Harry, and gave him an apprising look before extending a hand,
"Mr. Potter," She said, and Harry was once again reminded warily of Professor McGonagall, "Pleasure to finally meet you. My word if you really aren't the spitting image of your father,"
Harry shook her hand, as he looked up at her in surprise, "You knew my parents?" He asked in surprise,
Madam Bones' eyes widened for a moment, before nodding, "But of course, your father was an auror when I was deputy head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. My word, I thought you'd known."
"N-no, ma'am," Harry said, eager to hear a little bit more about his father, "My dad was an auror?" Though he didn't know what it meant, he assumed it must be something like a policeman if it was part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he thought he remembered hearing the word before as well.
"Here," Professor Jackson said, and with a wave of his wand, he summoned a pair of chairs, "Please, have a seat, no need to be standing for this,"
"Thank you, professor," Said Madam Bones as she took a seat depositing some of her bags under the table as she did so, with Susan doing the same, and taking the chair besides Harry, though still unable to meet his eyes. Not that Harry minded at the moment, he was too focused on Madam Bones and hearing more about his parents.
"Your father," Said Madam Bones as she turned back to Harry, "Was one of the most gifted up and coming aurors I've ever met." Then she seemed to sense Harry's confusion, because she explained, "An auror is something of a police officer, they are in charge of finding and capturing dark and dangerous witches and wizards. And your father was one of the best, incredibly gifted with a wand, and one of the biggest pains in my side I've ever met."
Harry couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across his face, his father had been a hero! He'd been a dark wizard catcher, someone responsible for fighting against the kind of people like Sirius Black!
"I'm surprised you didn't know," Madam Bones said with a frown, "James and Lily were well known and well liked. Has no one told you much about them?"
Harry shook his head, "No, ma'am, all I really have of them, is a photo album that my friend Hagrid put together for me."
Madam Bones hummed, as she looked at him, then she nodded, "I'll write to some of their former classmates and friends. See if they can't send you some letters about them,"
Hope and happiness swelled in Harry's heart; unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Harry felt as though he could fly, "Really?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly with emotion, "Thank you, thank you so much!" He said, ducking his head slightly to wipe his eyes on his shirt. All he'd wanted for so long, was to know more about his parents, about the family that he should have had but had been stolen from him.
When he looked back up, Madam Bones' stern visage had lessened somewhat, and she was smiling sadly at him, before giving him a small nod. Thankfully, she was then distracted when professor Jackson asked,
"Madam Bones, I've been meaning to write you, did Camila have a chance to talk to you? I had to do some magic at Harry's a few weeks ago and just wanted to make sure he wasn't punished for it,"
"Yes, yes," Madam Bones said, "Madam Chambers mentioned it for me and I passed word along to Madam Hopkirk, who assured me that it would be taken care of."
The pair then dissolved into a discussion of the state of the hunt for Sirius Black, leaving Harry and Susan to sit there in an awkward and uncomfortable silence. She kept sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye. She looked like she was building up the courage to say something, and finally she took a deep breath and steadied herself,
"H-Harry," She said, doing her best to seem like she was more confident than she was feeling. Harry turned to look at her, and for a moment it looked as though she were going to back down, but she didn't
"Um, I just wanted to, erm, apologize to you." Harry didn't say anything, he just kept staring at her, and she squirmed in her seat but pressed on valiantly,
"I wanted to apologize for the way my housemates treated you last year," She said very quickly, as though she were afraid she'd lose her bottle if she didn't get it all out at once, "It wasn't fair to you at all and we were truly just terrible towards you and it wasn't right and we shouldn't have acted like that and I'm just so sorry!"
Harry did not know what to say, and all he could do was watch slightly incredulously as Susan Bones apologized profusely, finally his own internal panic seemed to be overcome with his own anxiety over making someone so upset.
"It's all right!" He hastened to say, looking desperately to Professor Jackson for help, but the smug man was just determinately staring at Madam Bones, an irritating smirk on his face. So, he turned back to Susan, who had finally stopped babbling, and was staring at him,
"It's fine, really," He insisted, "Justin apologized at the end of term, and even Ernie stopped to say sorry. So really, water under the bridge and all that, yeah?" He asked, hoping beyond hope that he'd managed to calm her down somewhat.
She didn't seem convinced at first, then she gave him a watery smile.
"It's not ok," She said easily, "Hufflepuff's pride themselves on their sense of justice and loyalty. You've been nothing but kind since coming to Hogwarts and we treated you dreadfully, all because we were scared." She shot a fond look at Madam Bones, "My Auntie has a saying, 'Mob justice isn't justice,' we got too wrapped up in the terror of everything, and lost sense of ourselves. None of us can call ourselves worthy of being Hufflepuff's." She gave him another smile,
"It's fine!" Harry insisted, wanting desperately for the conversation to be over, "Look, did Professor Jackson give you the same lecture on learning from the past at the start of last year?" He asked, changing tactics, and Susan nodded, "Well, do that," He said, rather pathetically, "Learn from the past, don't let the mistakes of yesterday happen tomorrow and all that, yeah?"
Susan just stared at him, then gave him a small smile, "You're very kind, Harry." She said shyly, after a minute and ducking her head.
"Er, thanks," Harry said awkwardly. Then, seeing his opportunity to change topics, he engaged her in a small conversation about the upcoming term. As it turned out, they were both going to be taking Ancient Runes in the fall, and were both equally looking forward to the upcoming trips to Hogsmeade. They spent the next several minutes making idle chit chat, before Madam Bones checked a silver pocket watch and started slightly,
"Good lord is that the time?" She asked nobody in particular, standing up and grabbing her bags from under the table, "Susan, say goodbye, we need to be running,"
"Bye Professor Jackson," She said cheerily to the professor who waved back, then she turned back to Harry, a faint flush on her cheeks, "Bye, Harry. See you in class!" And before Harry could say another word, she grabbed Madam Bones by the hand and dragged her away so quickly, that they accidentally knocked over one of Professor Jackson's conjured chairs.
Harry just watched in utter bewilderment, unable to comprehend what was very clearly, one of the strangest interactions of his entire life. He looked over to Professor Jackson, hoping for some form of support, only to see him laughing at Harry.
"What?" Harry demanded, but Professor Jackson was just laughing, slurping merrily at his milkshake,
"What?!"
BREAK
Over the final few weeks of his break, Harry continued what had become a daily routine of sleeping in late, catching a late breakfast with Professor Jackson, before spending the day wandering the Alley. As the start of term drew nearer, Harry began seeing more and more familiar faces. He'd run into Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, ogling the new Firebolt Racing broom in Quality Quidditch Supplies, had a fun conversation with his fellow teammate Katie Bell at Flourish and Blotts book store about what they assumed would be a new insane quidditch schedule for the upcoming year. He'd even had a very pleasant conversation with Tracy Davis, a few days before the start of term; she was apparently taking the same electives as him, and the shared commiserations over the Monster Book of Monsters, the new book for Care of Magical Creatures, and how neither of them were able to open it.
However, as the start of term drew nearer and nearer, he had still not seen either Ron or Hermione. On the morning before they were due to return to Hogwarts, Harry was eating lunch with Professor Jackson at a small restaurant near Gringotts, the wizarding bank, when a pair of very familiar voices called out to him. Ron and Hermione were running up the street to him, Ron looking far more freckled and Hermione incredibly tan. They'd both grown significantly, though Ron seemed to have grown nearly half a foot since they'd last been together.
"Well, Harry," Professor Jackson said, after greeting Ron and Hermione, "I think this is where I'll leave, I'll see you on the train tomorrow, all right?" He said, clapping Harry on the back.
"Why are you taking the train, professor?" Hermione asked,
"Professor Dumbledore wants a little extra protection on the train, just in case." Professor Jackson answered easily, "Either way, have a good last day kids, and I'll see you tomorrow," With a final wave, he threw a few galleons on the table to pay for the meal, and he disappeared into the throngs of witches and wizards.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched him leave, before Ron turned a confused look on Harry, "What was Professor Jackson doing here?" He asked,
Harry thought for a second before answering. He knew he was going to tell them, but he didn't want to talk about Sirius Black with so many people around them, so he told them he'd fill them in on the train. The three left the restaurant in good spirits, Ron excitedly showing Harry his new wand to replace the one he'd broken the year before, as they made their way to the magical menagerie. Hermione wanted to spend a the last of her birthday money on a new owl, and Ron wanted to get something to help with Scabbers, his pet rat, who was looking considerably paler and skinnier than Harry had seen him in the two years he'd been Ron's friend.
However, the trip to the menagerie turned into an utter fiasco. Ron was nearly scalped by an ugly looking, orange, cat, as it leapt at Scabbers and tried to swipe him from Ron. It took nearly fifteen minutes for both Harry and Ron to track down the terrified rat, and when they finally managed to capture him again, Hermione had turned back up, the demonic cat, called Crookshanks held tightly in her arms.
Naturally, as was so often the case with the pair, that had led to an argument between Ron and Hermione. Harry, in spite of it, couldn't help smiling. As they wandered into the Cauldron, he truly felt as though his life were finally beginning to turn around.
They met back up with the rest of the Weasley's inside the tavern. They shared a wonderful meal in the Leaky Cauldron. Though Harry could not help noticing that when Mr. Weasley shook Harry's hand, he looked far more tense and worried than Harry had ever seen him. Tom put together a couple of tables and they gorged themselves on an enormous feast. When their stomachs were full, and their eyes were drooping, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's marched up the stairs, and went off to bed.
The following morning was organized chaos, as they all struggled to get their things together in order to get to Kings Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express. Mr. Weasley had somehow managed to pull some strings to get some magically enchanted cars from the Ministry of Magic, though Harry had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly how Mr. Weasley had managed to come across the fleet of cars, but kept his suspicions to himself. However, Harry got his answers soon enough when Mr. Weasley pulled Harry aside on the platform.
"Harry," He began, wringing his hands slightly in nervousness, "I don't know quite how to tell you this, Molly doesn't want you to know but I think it's important that you're aware-"
"I already know about Sirius Black, Mr. Weasley," Harry interrupted quickly, as the train's whistle rang loudly, indicating that students needed to begin boarding the train,
"You what?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking shocked,
"Professor Jackson, he picked me up from the Dursley's and brought me here, and then he and Minister Fudge told me all about Black," Harry explained quickly, as Mrs. Weasley called out for the two of them, "Oh," Said Mr. Weasley looking somewhat relieved, "Well that certainly makes this a bit easier, then. How are you feeling, Harry? I know that it must be rather scary,"
"It's ok, Mr. Weasley!" Harry reassured, as the train let out another whistle, and the pain began hurrying back to the others, "I already talked to Professor Jackson all about this, I promise I won't do anything reckless, I swear!"
Mr. Weasley's face regained a bit of the color it seemed to have lost, and he gave Harry a relieved smile, "That is great deal of worry off my shoulder's Harry, it's not that I don't trust you, mind, it's just,"
"I know, Mr. Weasley," Harry said, as Ron threw open one of the doors to let Harry onto the train, "It's just because you care, thank you!" And with that he slammed the door to the train shut, and joined Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasley siblings as they waved goodbye to the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as the train departed from the platform.
"Come on," Harry said to Ron and Hermione, "I need to talk to you." And after saying goodbye to the others, the three began searching for an empty compartment. However, by the time they reached the end of the train, they had to settle for a compartment with a single occupant. A man, maybe in his early thirties, was laying against the window, fast asleep. He had graying-brown hair, and the wrinkles on his face seemed out of place on his otherwise young place. Covering him like a blanket, were some of the most tattered, and shabby robes Harry had ever seen. He was pale, and looked fairly ill.
"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron whispered as he set his trunk in one of the shelves over the seats,
"Professor R.J. Lupin," Hermione said, as she took a seat on the bench,
"How do you know that?" Ron asked, incredulous, looking at Harry, "How does she seem to always know everything?"
"It's on his suitcase," Hermione said with a light roll of her eyes,
"Oh," Ron said, his eyes jumping to the case as well, before taking a seat as well and eyeing the man warily, "Hope he's not teaching Defense," He murmured, looking uncertainly at the pallid man, "Looks one good hex would put him out for good,"
"Has to be," Hermione said, "It's the only position that's open,"
"Not if Professor Jackson decides to take over," Ron said, sounding slightly hopeful, "Anyways, Harry, what was it you wanted to tell us?" Harry cast a nervous glance over at Lupin, but the man let out a small snort, and curled more tightly into himself in a deep sleep. Deciding the coast was as clear as it was going to get, Harry told Ron and Hermione all about what Professor Jackson had told him. Ron and Hermione took it about as well as to be expected,
"Sirius Black escaped to come after you?" Ron asked, looking very white,
Hermione had her hands over her mouth in shock, her eyes wide in fear, "Oh Harry, you have to be really, really careful this year, please don't go looking for trouble!"
"Since when have I ever gone looking for trouble?" Harry asked, feeling suddenly very nettled, "Trouble usually finds me,
Ron snorted, then started counting on his fingers, "Sure if you don't count Fluffy and the stone, the car-"
"Hey! That was your idea," Harry said indignantly, but Ron ignored him,
"Or Arogog, or the Chamber, or-"
"Oh piss off," Harry said, though he was laughing, Ron joining in. Hermione still looked scared, "Oh come on Hermione, how thick would Harry have to be to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him,"
"They'll catch him, though won't they?" Hermione said shakily, "They have to, they even have the Muggle authorities looking out for him too!"
Ron shifted uncomfortably, "I mean, maybe," he said, looking unsure, "But no one even knows how he managed to escape from Azkaban, no one's ever done it before, and he was in maximum-security too"
They were distracted from their distraction however, as Crookshanks managed to escape from his cage and left at Ron. There was brief scramble before Hermione managed to wrangle the cat, Ron glaring at it suspiciously,
"You need to keep an eye on that thing," Ron hissed hotly,
"Oh, he doesn't mean any harm!" Hermione shot back
Ron scoffed, but for once, didn't rise to the bait. But for the next hour, kept sending glares at the orange cat, as it purred contentedly in Hermione's lap. The lunch trolly arrived at around at about one, they tried rousing Professor Lupin, but to no avail. Shortly thereafter, the door to the compartment opened, and Harry didn't even bother surprising a groan as Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, filled the doorway.
"What do you want?" Harry asked, not in the mood to deal with whatever nonsense Malfoy wanted. Malfoy arched a blonde eyebrow,
"What's the matter Potter, feeling a bit on edge? I suppose I would too if I were you," He drawled lazily,
"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron snarled, standing up, his new wand already in his hand,
"Look who grew the backbone," Malfoy sneered, "All the gold rushing to your head Weasel? Tell me, how'd your mother handle it? Did she recognize it? Or did she try to eat it?"
The spell left Ron's wand in a flash, and Harry acted before he could think,
"Protego!" And a magical shield appeared in front of the startled looking Malfoy, and Professor Lupin gave a snort in his sleep. Harry let the charm drop, and got nose to nose with Malfoy, who was staring at him in shock,
"Leave!" Harry snarled, "Or I'll not stop the next one," Then his eyes shot over to Lupin's sleeping form, "And I'll wake him up, and let him deal with you," Malfoy, always one to recognize when he wasn't in charge of a situation, backed off, masking his surprise quickly,
"Come on," He sneered to Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry closed the door and locked it.
"Why'd you stop me," Ron growled, still staring at where Malfoy had been a few moments before, "He's got two year's worth of punishment coming to him,"
"He does," Harry agreed, "But I don't think cursing him with a teacher in the compartment is the smartest decision," Ron looked for a moment like he'd disagree, but he just nodded gruffly, and sat back down.
"Harry," Hermione said curiously, "That was a shield charm, we aren't due to start learning that for a few years yet, how did you do that?"
Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Uh," he began, "Well, it's just that, with this whole Sirius Black thing, and what with how we've, you know, nearly died two years in a row, I thought it best if I start learning a few things. Professor Jackson agreed, and might have had an idea or two,"
Ron and Hermione goggled at him,
"Professor Jackson's training you?" Ron said, sounding jealous,
"No!" Harry said quickly, "Nothing like that! It's just, well, he agrees that I should probably learn some basic defensive stuff, just in case, I have the books he recommended in my trunk, I'll show you when we get to school!" He said, seeing the look on Ron and Hermione's faces. Ron's face lit up, and Hermione looked just as excited,
"It's probably a good idea, we do seem to have…strange…adventures every year," She said, but was cut off when the train suddenly jerked, and they were nearly knocked out of their seats.
"We can't be there yet," Ron said incredulously, "Why are we stopping?" He leaned over, and peered out the window. Harry, who was nearest to the door, stood up and unlocked it. He peered out into the corridor, and saw that others were peeking out of their compartments as well.
"Everyone get back into your compartments and lock the doors!" Professor Jackson roared as he came sprinting down the corridor, that same silver-white wolf that had spoken with his voice when Professor Jackson had been attacked the year before at his side, "And has anyone seen a Professor Lupin? Anyone?"
"Over here, Professor!" Harry called out urgently, waving Professor Jackson over. He heard Harry, and came charging over, the wolf running at his side.
Harry stepped back, as Professor Jackson stepped into the room, and then over to Professor Lupin. He grabbed the sleeping man by the shoulder and roughly shook him,
"Remus, wake up!" He said loudly, and Lupin's eyes jolted open as he shuddered awake,
"W-what?" He asked, looking dazed,
"They're boarding the train, Remus!" Professor Jackson said urgently, his face slightly white. Professor Lupin's eyes widened, all traces of sleep leaving him.
"What?" He gasped, hurrying to his feet,
"I'll take the back of the train, you stick to the front, we'll head them off. I can't believe they're boarding the gods damned train," Professor Jackson snarled,
"Right," Said Professor Lupin, drawing his wand from the insides of his robes, and followed Professor Jackson out of the compartment. Professor Jackson was about to close the door when he stuck his head back in, "Stay here, and don't leave!" Then he closed the door with a slam, and took off at a run.
No sooner had Harry gotten back into his seats, when the lights in the compartment suddenly flickered off. The door to the compartment opened again, and three dark shapes ushered into the room,
"Who's there?" Harry called, unable to see anything in the darkness of the compartment,
"Potter?" Came a familiar voice,
"Tracey?" He answered, "What are you doing here?" He asked, budging over so Tracey could sit down next to him,
"We ran into Professor Jackson on his way to the back of the train, he told us to get in here quick." Tracey explained,
"I've never seen him so scared before," Came Daphne's quiet voice, and Harry realized that she was the dark shape that had taken the seat next to Hermione, with a smaller shape next to her. In the darkness, Harry thought he could see Daphne holding onto the smaller figure's hand,
"What's going on Daphne? What's happening?" Came a soft, high-pitched voice from Daphne's side. "I don't know Astoria," Daphne said, her voice quivering slightly, "But just sit tight, Professor Jackson will take care of it, I promise you,"
"I'm scared," The voice, Astoria apparently, said.
Before Daphne could say anything however, a deep, penetrating cold fell over the compartment. It felt as though Harry had stepped out into the middle of winter storm, and he felt his teeth began chattering. A sheet of ice creeped up the sides of the windows, and the glass pane of the door to the compartment frosted over, obscuring the outside from view.
Then, something strange began creeping its way up Harry's insides. It felt, as though he were being dragged somewhere far away, and his heart began pumping harder and harder. He was having trouble breathing, and he felt the most overwhelming sense of sadness and despair he'd ever felt in his entire life. It was as though life had suddenly lost all sense of happiness, all sense of hope and joy. Harry was overcome with thoughts and fears he'd long since buried. Thoughts of his wand being snapped, of being kicked out of Hogwarts, of being forced to live a life as a servant to the Dursley's.
There was a click, and the door to the compartment unlocked. There was a dark shape outside the door, a dark, black, hooded shape. Then the door slowly opened, as a grey, slimy, skeletal hand, wrapped around the doorframe, pushing its way into the compartment. The hooded figure glided into the compartment, its tattered robes billowing in an unseen breeze, as though sensing Harry's gaze, it locked its hooded form on him. Harry just had time to see a small dark hole where its mouth should be, before the figure began to inhale sharply.
Harry's eyes rolled into the back of his head, as the cold intensified, and he felt as though he had been plunged into inch water, he tried to fight his way to the surface, tried to breath, but he couldn't. He couldn't see, he couldn't feel, and then, from somewhere very far away; a scream. A loud, ear-piercing scream, as though a woman were being tortured. He tried to reach the voice, to help the screaming woman, but he couldn't move. He was falling deeper, white fog clouding his vision and then-
"Harry! Harry!"
His eyes shot open. There were lanterns lit brightly above him, and the floor below him was shaking. The train was moving again, there was something soft under his head, and he could feel the carpet under his fingertips. He must have fallen out of his seat and ended up on the floor. Ron and Hermione were kneeling on either side of him, looking down on him, worry on their features. Ron reached down, and helped Harry into a sitting position. He felt sick, as though he'd come down with the flu. He was cold, and clammy, and he could feel sweat on his forehead. He looked around him, the movement bringing forth a new wave of nausea, and saw that Tracey was looking down at him, a terrified look on his features, and looking pale and ill. He turned again, and saw Daphne, looking equally pale and concerned, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead she was focused on the small girl whose head was buried in her shoulder. Her shoulders were shaking and it was clear that she was crying. Her light blonde hair was shielding her face as she sobbed.
The door to the compartment opened and looked up to see Professor Lupin step into the compartment. He was far paler than when he'd left the apartment, and he knelt down to check on Harry.
"Are you all right?" Professor Lupin asked lightly, fishing in the pocket of his robes for something, before pulling out an enormous chocolate bar, and began breaking apart pieces of the chocolate.
"What-what was that thing?" Harry asked, ignoring the question, "Where did it go? And who was screaming?"
Ron and Hermione glanced at one another, before Ron said, "Nobody was screaming," He said nervously. Harry felt his stomach lurch slightly,
"But-but I hear screaming," Harry said slowly, before a large piece of chocolate was thrust under his nose,
"Eat," Said Professor Lupin sharply, "It'll help."
Harry took the chocolate with a shaking hand, but didn't eat it,
"What-what was that thing?" Harry asked,
"It was a dementor," Lupin explained, as he passed more chocolate around the compartment, "They guard the prison, Azkaban. They were searching the train for Sirius Black,"
The door to the compartment slid open again, and Harry peeked around Professor Lupin and saw Professor Jackson standing at the doorway. His wolf was still by his side, standing so closely that it was practically wrapped around his legs. The moment the wolf was in view, Harry's world grew a bit brighter. He felt warmer, and no longer felt as sick. He glanced up, and frowned at what he saw. Professor Jackson, looked terrible. His face was paler than Harry had ever seen, and he seemed as though he were having a difficult time breathing. His black hair, normally styled well and taken care of, was matted and drenched in what looked like sweat. The pits of his shirt were stained dark, and more sweat was still congealing on his forehead; he looked as terrible as Harry felt, and he was biting into the single largest piece of chocolate, Harry had ever seen.
"You all right Harry?" He asked around mouthfuls of chocolate. Then he noticed the chocolate in Harry's hand, "You give that to him Remus? Good, eat that Harry, all of it, it'll help. Trust me. Remus?" He asked getting the teacher's attention, "Can you go up and speak to the engineer? I need to go check in on Mr. Finch-Fletchley, poor kid collapsed, relived his petrification."
Professor Lupin stood up, "Of course," He gave Harry one more kind smile, and strode past Professor Jackson out of the compartment. Professor Jackson watched Professor Lupin leave, then turned back to Harry,
"Eat!" He insisted, then looked around the room, "All of you, that's an order," Then he turned back to Harry, "Meet at my office after the Feast Harry," He said, "We should talk," Then he strode from the room, the wolf going with him. The moment the wolf had disappeared from the compartment, the warm feeling in Harry vanished, and he felt ill once again. He put the chocolate to his lips, and took a bite. Immediately, he began feeling better. Warmth spread through his cheeks, and he no longer felt as though he were to feel sick.
"What…what happened?" He asked around a second bite of chocolate,
"Well that-that thing, the dementor - it came into the compartment," Hermione said, her voice shaking badly, "And then it, I don't know but I think it looked around and then it looked at you…" She trailed off, and her entire body shuddered,
"You just collapsed," Ron said, his face still quite pale, even though he'd stuffed nearly the entire piece of chocolate into his mouth, "I thought you were having a fit or something,"
"Professor Lupin then came back," Tracey continued around her own chocolate, "He said 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black is hiding under our cloaks,' and he muttered something, and this silver stuff just shot out of his wand, and the dementor just sort of flew away," She shuddered, "That was terrible, I've never felt like that before in my life,"
The girl in Daphne's arms, Astoria, let out another strangled sob. Harry looked around the compartment,
"And-and did any of you…did anyone else collapse?" They all shook their heads, and Harry couldn't help the pang of shame in his stomach. Why had he been the only one to react that way? And why had he been hearing screaming?
"If you don't mind, Potter," Tracey said, "Do you think I can get my robes back?" Harry started, and then looked down in surprise. Apparently, Tracey had placed her spare robes under his head at some point. Nodding, he reached down, and grabbed them, making sure not to wad them up before passing them to her with a muttered thanks, and took a seat at her side.
After a few minutes, Daphne had apparently managed to calm Astoria, who Harry thought had to be her sister, enough for her, Astoria, and Tracey to excuse themselves from the compartment. Tracey shot Harry a reassuring smile, before exiting the compartment. The rest of trip went on in utter silence, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione contemplated their experience with the dementor.
As the train pulled into the station, Harry thought he could still hear the woman, her screams ringing in his ears. And as they clambered into the carriages that took them to the Castle, Harry couldn't help wondering who the woman was, and what was causing her to scream so painfully.
BREAK
If Harry had hoped for the train to be the last time, he saw the dementors, he was quickly dissuaded of the naive notion. Professor Dumbledore announced, prior to the start of the feast, that the guards of Azkaban would be stationed at all the entrances to the school, as a protective measure against Sirius Black. Although Professor Dumbledore insisted that they weren't permitted to come onto the grounds themselves, or enter the castle, the headmaster seemed less than pleased that they were there to begin with.
With his stomach full, Harry pushed away from the table and bade goodnight to Ron and Hermione, as he pounded the familiar path to Professor Jackson's office on the fourth floor. He knocked twice before Professor Jackson told him to enter, and he strode into the familiar office. Professor Jackson was sat behind his desk, and though he looked considerably better than he had on the train, he was still fairly pale. The silver wolf was lounging on his desk in front of him, and Mrs. O'Leary, who was lounging on the floor, kept sending what looking like withering glares at the conjuration.
"Evening Harry," Professor Jackson greeted as he finished writing something down on a piece of paper, "Have a seat, I'm just finishing up." And Harry did as he was told. Professor Jackson put down his pen, before he folded up the paper into the shape of an airplane. Tapping it with his finger, there was a flash of water vapor, before he turned in his seat, and threw the airplane out the open window. With a wave of his hand, he closed the window, and addressed harry,
"How're you doing, Harry? Feeling any better?" He asked, and Harry shifted slightly in his seat. Once more he felt the need to lie, to try and appear as though he were tough. He didn't want to admit to Professor Jackson that he still felt slightly sick, and look as though he were weak or something. But Professor Jackson never seemed to judge him, and Harry desperately wanted someone to tell him that what he'd experienced was normal, that he wasn't weak.
"I-I still pretty sick, if I'm honest, sir." He admitted, and Professor Jackson nodded in understanding,
"Preaching to the converted Harry," He said, reaching into a desk drawer, and withdrawing another chocolate bar and tossing it to Harry, "Here, eat some of that." he chuckled darkly, "I'm willing to bet that we're all going to be sick of chocolate by the time the year is over." And in spite of himself, Harry smiled.
"Professor Lupin told you a little about the dementors then?" He asked and Harry nodded,
"Not much though," Harry said around a bite of chocolate, "Only that they're the guards of Azkaban,"
"Sounds about right," Professor Jackson said with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, and rubbed tiredly at his eyes, "Dementors, Harry, are among the most foul, and evil creatures that stalk our world. The survive on the suffering of others. They consume every ounce of happiness in a person, consuming the hope, joy, and love they have, and they cause a person to relive the worst experiences of their life."
"But-but why did no one else faint then?" Harry asked desperately, "Why was I the only one to collapse, is it because I'm-"
"You're not weak, Harry," Professor Jackson interrupted, "And in case you forgot, you weren't the only one to collapse. Justin fainted as well. So did a pair of seventh-years. Some people are more susceptible to the effects of a dementor than others. It's not because they're weaker." He said though, cutting across Harry's interruption, "Those of us who are…lucky enough," he chuckled bitterly, "To have experienced the evils of our world, are far more vulnerable than others. It's not because we aren't strong, Harry, but because we've got horrors in our past that others can scarcely imagine."
He leaned back in his chair again, and his eyes grew slightly glassy. He seemed lost in memory for a moment,
"You handled your first exposure to a dementor than I did, Harry. I was seventeen the first time I ran into one of the sick monsters. Thought I was dying at first. I didn't even last a minute, before I collapsed. I spent a week in the infirmary, and then couldn't stop shaking for days afterwards." He crossed his arms over his chest, and Mrs. O'Leary whined softly from her place on the floor,
"In a way," Professor Jackson said, his voice so soft it was almost as though he were speaking to himself, "It's kind of an honor you know? That we've seen so much, survived so much, that we have so many horrors that can affect us." He rubbed at a spot on the underside of his right forearm, where Harry could just make out a tattoo he'd never spotted before. Professor Jackson let out a dark laugh, "A terrible badge of honor." He shook his head, "Sorry, Harry, got lost there for a moment. Look, the point I wanted to make, is there is no shame in being vulnerable. We all have our weaknesses; all have out vulnerabilities. It's what makes us mortal. Knowing these vulnerabilities, and persevering in spite of them, is what separates us from…others."
Harry nodded, but still couldn't bring himself to meet his Professor's eyes. While it was a comfort to know that Professor Jackson was equally as effected, that even someone as strong as him was vulnerable to the effects of the dementors, it didn't change the fact that Harry had collapsed, and his friends hadn't.
"Is there no way to beat them?" Harry pleaded, "Is there no way to stop them doing that to me?" Professor Jackson's eyes shot his wolf for a moment, before they returned to Harry, and he nodded,
"There are ways," Professor Jackson, "But they're incredibly complex. Not something I would make you attempt unless I though you needed it. Right now, the dementors aren't welcome on the grounds or the castle, the only time you'll ever run into them while you're here is on Hogsmeade weekends, and they won't come after you like they did on the train. For now, put it from your mind, and focus instead on your classes and those books we got. How're they getting on? Heard you cast a pretty good shield charm on the train," He said with a cheeky grin.
Harry started, and the felt his ears go slightly pink, "How did you-?"
"Professor Lupin, of course," Professor Jackson said with a laugh, "He wasn't as asleep as you though he was. Relax, Harry, you're not in trouble and he only woke up because of the noise. He was more impressed than anything. A successful shield charm after never trying one before is impressive, well done."
Harry's flush crept to the rest of his face as his cheeks burned at the praise. Though he was still a little mortified that his new teacher had been there for the confrontation with Malfoy.
"Yeah," He said shyly, "Didn't even really realize I was doing it. It just sort of happened,"
Professor Jackson just chuckled, "Well let's hope it happens again then. Now, professors aren't strictly supposed to encourage this type of thing, but if, hypothetically speaking of course, a couple of students were looking to practice a few extra charms and defensive spells, I happen to know that the History of Magic classroom is always available after dinner for about two hours, and that Filch never gets to the fourth floor until around Eight. So, if, again only speaking hypothetically, these students wished to practice, they would need only tap their wand on the door and say, oh I don't know, 'Wise Girl,' and it would open right up for them."
Harry just stared at his teacher for a few moments, before a beaming grin spread over Harry's face.
"Thanks, professor, you're the best!" He exclaimed, but Professor Jackson just waved it off as he propped his feet up on his desk,
"No idea what you're talking about Harry, now, off to your Common Room, curfew is in a few minutes now. See you in class." Harry got up from his chair, and after giving Mrs. O'Leary a scratch behind the ears, he headed off to bed. Feeling infinitely better about things than he had before heading up to the office.
AN: So, Harry has some new books to read, and a place to train. There are dementors on the grounds, and Percy seems especially susceptible to them. Why is that? What horrors are in his past? You all want to know, but you'll just have to read to find out! I know many of you are anxious to learn more about Percy, but you'll be disappointed because I have no intention of telling you the whole story anytime soon. You'll learn, eventually. Hope you guys are liking it so far! Tell me what you think and give me any predictions you have for what's going to happen! I'm really curious! Thanks for all the love and support, and I'll see you tomorrow. Stay safe, and stay healthy.
Love,
LilDB