Project Management for Beginners

by snuffly22

Harry had never really properly planned anything before. The fact that his first ever plan was risky and filled with assorted dangers was not actually deterring him as much as it should. (This story explores how Harry's third year at Hogwarts might have played out differently if a little project management and an ambitious plan had been thrown into the mix.)

17. The game changer

All rights to the Harry Potter universe belong to JK Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Hi, thanks to everyone who's reading this story and leaving comments and kudos, I do appreciate it.

Also, I have had to include some distances in this chapter and they're expressed in miles. I got some comments querying this when I used miles to express distances in chapter 1, so just to mention in advance that I'm British myself and in Britain, the mile is a widely used measurement still – all distances on road signs are in miles, for example.

- IIII - IIII - IIII - IIII -

Chapter 17 – The game changer

External forces have the power to derail any project. Although advance planning can prevent negative consequences from occurring, sometimes a project team can only react to a situation and aim to limit the damage of it as best they can.

Filius Flitwick knew from the moment that he showed Severus Snape into his living room on Saturday afternoon that the Potions master wanted to talk to him about something important. He was pleased about this, and hoped that he could be of assistance to the other man. Since Harry Potter had confided in him about his wish to get on better terms with Professor Snape, Filius had carefully watched the big events of the term unfold and for the most part, he was pleased with the results. He'd always had a talent for spotting hidden connections between events, and he knew without being told that Harry Potter was the leading force behind the Teaching Charter. He was also impressed with the changes which had been made by Professor Snape as a result of it. Even so, he'd been sensing for a while now that the man sitting next to him was troubled deeply for some reason.

The two Heads of House chatted in a desultory way as afternoon tea was consumed; it was a light and simple conversation, touching on next term's lesson plans, the Headmaster's garish new robes and how likely it was that there would be snow before Christmas. Filius didn't rush things, and it was only after an hour of gentle gossip that Severus started to talk about deeper matters. He told a shocked Filius all about the decision he'd had to make as to whether or not to leave the school, and how he'd only been able to stay by using the Volens Melius spell. Severus explained everything in detail, including the reasons why he'd chosen to remain at Hogwarts and the deceit he'd employed to hide the true purpose of the Volens Melius spell from Dumbledore.

"My dear Severus," he said warmly, "I have to salute you. Truly, you have made a most brave and honourable sacrifice for the sake of the school!"

Severus's eyes widened. "Do you think so?"

"Absolutely. Many men in your position would have handed in their resignation and walked away. You didn't. You placed duty first, regardless of the cost to yourself, and I think that's much to be admired. I can barely imagine the bravery it must have required to cast such an unfamiliar spell on yourself."

"I was scared, you know, Filius," he admitted. "I was very much afraid."

"And yet you didn't pull back; that is true courage. Bravo, Severus, bravo!" Snape smiled, feeling rather heartened by the unexpected compliments.

"Thank you, Filius. I appreciate you saying so."

"Oh, I mean it. And you did the right thing. I know the Slytherins had concerns at first about the Teaching Charter, but they seem quite sanguine about it now from what I can see – or is that just on the surface?"

"They interpreted the Charter as being a personal attack on me by the Gryffindors at first. We have moved past that now, I'm glad to say."

"That's good." Filius hesitated. "Did… did you think that, Severus?"

"I didn't know what to think at first. In the end though, it didn't matter what their motive was. I will admit, just between us, that the Charter is fair and provides equal rights for all students."

"I quite agree, and I'm pleased that you've been able to make it work for you. I think it was worth it. Quite a few of the students have spoken positively to me about the changes that have taken place in Potions lessons over the last couple of weeks. My Ravenclaws are delighted about it, and I think many of the other student are happy too."

"I have seen this also," Severus said slowly. "The students seem to appreciate the adjustments that I'm making. They…"

"Yes?"

"Two days ago, a couple of Hufflepuff first years came to my office before morning lessons and asked for some clarification as to how they should carry out research for their homework essay. Five days ago, a Gryffindor fifth-year stayed behind after class and requested advice on the best way to structure their Potions OWL revision schedule. There have been several other similar incidents. My Slytherins know that they can always come to me for help, but with the other Houses, they have never… I did not expect it, Filius."

"Every time something like that happens from now on, you should see it as a compliment," Flitwick told him warmly. "They're starting to trust you."

Severus looked surprised. "Trust me? Really?"

"Yes, really. I admire all of the actions you've taken, and it's greatly to your credit that you have done so. It can't have been easy for you, even with that insidious spell to help."

"No, it wasn't. At first I struggled to know exactly how to adapt my teaching manner. I can't be like yourself or Pomona, all cheerful and relaxed in the classroom - that's just not me. But then I realised that all I actually needed to do was to become more like Minerva."

"Ah, so that was your strategy? Well, I can quite see what you mean. You've always both been strict, no-nonsense teachers."

"Yes, many of the basics were already there," Severus said thoughtfully. "We both expect students to pay close attention and not mess around in our classroom. We are both stern and use a firm approach, setting high standards. All I had to do was to made amendments in certain areas to bring myself into line with her. Minerva is, for example, perfectly willing to take points from members of her own House if she feels it justified. That is something which I now do myself, among other things."

"Does she know that you used her approach to teaching as a benchmark?" Filius asked with a smile.

"No, and I don't intend to tell her. She's smug enough about the whole thing as it is!"

"Minerva has been teasing you somewhat about making so many changes due to the Charter, I know."

"Her and most of the other Professors. It's been rather hard, I've found - getting used to being the staff room joke."

"That is not what you are!" Filius told him instantly. "I think— Severus, is this why I've barely seen you in the staff room this week? Do you feel uncomfortable with us now?"

"Not with you," Severus replied quietly. "You haven't mocked me, as the others have."

"I know they've had some fun at your expense, but Severus – you are widely respected for what you've done. Don't think otherwise, I beg of you."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does matter!" Filius insisted. "We Professors barely see any other adults during the school term, apart from the odd walk into Hogsmeade of an evening if we can find the time – and that's not often for either of us, as Heads of House. You know as well as I do that the Hogwarts staff need each other for social company. I think that if you come back to the staff room then you'll find this whole thing will all blow over very soon. Please, trust me on this."

Severus looked at the other man and recognised that his concern was genuine. "Thank you for taking an interest. I'll do as you suggest."

"I'm glad. You need some cheering up, I think!"

"Well perhaps, but I'm not the best company myself at the moment, Filius."

"May I ask why? Is it the spell itself - how has it changed you exactly?"

Severus sighed. "It's not easy to put into words. I think I can best describe it by comparing a person's emotions to a wide river, which sometimes flows calmly with shallow water and sometimes turns into white water rapids. When the Volens Melius spell activated, for the first time I was able to climb out of that river and stand on the bank, observing it rush by and studying its movements. It was only then I realised that my own particular river of emotions runs so fast and so deep because it is powered by masses of anger and resentment and bitterness. I also saw for the first time how many of my ideas, thoughts and decisions were fuelled by those negative emotions."

Filius nodded understandingly. "That must have been very traumatic for you."

Severus looked across at him with a stricken expression. "I've made so many mistakes, Filius. In the past I think I self-justified my actions by making reference to my own feelings, but now… now I look at myself with those emotions put aside and all I can see is a bitter and pathetic bully of a man. There were a couple of Professors who bullied me when I was a student here, and I hated them for it. And yet here I am now, acting almost as badly. Perhaps I should have resigned after all."

"I think you are being rather hard on yourself, Severus."

"I wish I was! No, I see myself clearly now, for the first time in my life - and I don't like what I see at all."

Filius looked closely at him. There was silence for a moment as he considered what to say. "Severus, I have known you for many years and I find much in your character to admire and like. But yes, you have always had your faults too. My advice to you is to accept that you have made mistakes in the past, acknowledge that and try to put them right. You've already started down that road, haven't you?"

"I am trying to do better," Severus said hesitantly. "I am truly sorry for my actions, but the thing is that I can't say so – not in public. I have to keep the respect of my Slytherins, or my plans to try and protect them when war comes will fail completely, and that could cost lives."

"Then the answer is quite simple," Filius told him, "show that you feel sorry in actions rather than words. However, I would suggest making one exception to that rule; you have been particularly harsh with Harry Potter, you know."

"I… yes. I have been. It was all so personal, Filius."

"He's not James Potter, you know. Quite a different person, really."

"I am starting to see that for myself," he admitted. "I will consider all that you have said, Filius. And yes, I will speak to Mr. Potter."

"Good. You will not get far with aiding him if he does not start to trust you as well, and an apology will help with that process. Now, these feelings of regret and remorse, they're important; you should remember them, but not dwell on them. You should be proud of yourself, Severus – there are few people who could alter themselves as thoroughly as you are doing. Try to forgive yourself, at least a little."

"Forgive myself?" Severus repeated doubtfully.

"I think it's about time," Filius told him, smiling at the other man. "And if you can, then it will be easier to achieve everything else that you're setting out to do. Too much self-blame means living in the past; you can't afford that, when so much is at stake in the present and future."

"Forgive myself," he said again, looking thoughtful. "Well, Slytherin is the House of ambition…"

"One more thing, Severus. I'm with you on this, if you want me to be. Everything that you're trying to do with the Volens Melius is admirable. Would you like an ally to help you achieve your objectives?"

Severus's face softened. "I would be honoured." He held out his hand and Filius shook it solemnly.

"We will accomplish great things together," Filius told him, and somehow Severus knew that this was true.

- IIII - IIII - IIII - IIII -

Harry and his friends returned to the Headmaster's office three days later as planned. They found all four Heads of House present, plus Fawkes and a large brown owl sitting together on a perch. The owl had a letter strapped to its leg, and Harry could clearly read his own name on the front of it.

"Does this mean we're going ahead with the plan?" he asked eagerly.

"Indeed we are," the Headmaster said with a wide smile. "The owl you see before you is called Sasha, and he has volunteered to attempt to deliver the letter to Sirius Black. Sasha understands that this is a perilous task but he has agreed to take the risk, for the sake of the school. We will be sending him and Fawkes out shortly under cover of darkness. If they are unsuccessful, they will return to the castle and we will try again tomorrow, and then as many other times as we need to. You see, Fawkes informs me that he may need some time to perfect his dark wizard tracking skills."

"We have placed four more owls outside as well," Professor Flitwick informed them. "All of them have different tracking spells in place, and they have been instructed to follow Fawkes and Sasha here at a distance."

"We carefully considered whether to send wizards on broomsticks with them as well, but we decided against it in the end," the Headmaster added. "After all, we're entirely uninformed as to Black's current situation. When we find him, he could be alone or there could be twenty other dark wizards with him. It would not be right to send any of our people into such a potentially dangerous state of affairs. The use of owls is a wiser option, and will hopefully assist us in being discreet about what we're doing. As I mentioned last time, the Ministry will not be informed of this plan on the grounds of safety – however, I will share the details with them if we can get the letter delivered."

"We've also prepared a highly secure location which Black will be transported to if he touches any of the various portkeys which we're sending to him," Professor McGonagall said. "Now, your mail will be diverted as we have discussed from now on, Mr. Potter. I will hand any checked letters or parcels to you personally for the foreseeable future; you can collect them from my office at the end of afternoon school each day. Don't touch the owl," she added quickly, as Harry took a step towards Sasha. "He is loaded with magical protections and enchantments which must not be disturbed. You may speak to him, however."

Harry felt a little self-conscious doing so while so many people watched, but the owl was risking his life so it only seemed right to thank him. "Hi Sasha," he said awkwardly. "I just wanted to say thanks for what you're doing. It's really brave of you and we all appreciate it. I hope that you can deliver the letter safely and make it back unharmed." The owl hooted at him quietly and there was a soft flurry of feathers. "Thank you," Harry said. He felt that the words were inadequate but he wasn't sure what else to say.

"Moving speech that, Harry," George commented. "So emotional… so heart-warming. If I was going out on a deadly mission with little hope of survival then those are just the words that I hope you'd say to me."

"Shut up," Harry muttered, going red.

"If you think you can do better then by all means please do try, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said with amusement.

"Alright," George replied, grinning. He walked over to stand by the owl's perch. "Sasha, oh brave and selfless owl, thank you for cutting your life short for the sake of the school—"

"He may well come back, Mr. Weasley," Professor Sprout pointed out mildly.

"And through the mists of time, you will be remembered as the wisest and best of owls that all of us humble witches and wizards have ever known…."

Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes. "I wish you hadn't encouraged him, Albus."

"Surely statues will be built in your honour, and whole wings of the school renamed after you (wings, get it?), and I bet they award you the Order of Merlin – that'd be an owl order, right! – because you really deserve a reward for such valour, such gallantry in the face of incredible danger—"

"Thank you Mr. Weasley, I think the owl has been praised enough," Professor Flitwick said firmly.

"More than enough," Professor Snape muttered.

"And to make such a supreme mortal sacrifice, you are to be admired above all owls. I promise to name all of my children after you, even if it does get a bit confusing. Your—" George stopped abruptly as the owl hooted at him fiercely, gave him a stern glare and flapped his wings at top speed.

"I rather think you have offended Sasha," the Headmaster remarked. "Please desist now, Mr. Weasley. We need our friend here to remain focused on the task ahead."

"He's a bit ungrateful," George grumbled as he walked back to join the others. "He didn't treat Harry that way."

"And you wonder why?" Snape said acerbically. "Mr. Potter's words may not have been the most eloquent, but they were sincerely expressed and spoken with the wellbeing of the owl at heart. You, on the other hand, were simply showing off and joking – and in so doing, you showed a lack of respect for this owl, and for the great risk that he is taking for us all."

George went red with embarrassment. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Let's move on," Professor McGonagall said, giving Professor Snape a firm nod of approval. "Mr. Potter, we have now applied spells to your dorm room which mean that if anyone who is neither a Gryffindor student nor a member of staff enters it then they will immediately be bound in unbreakable chains, and an alarm will be sounded as well."

"That'll be helpful," Harry said.

"Quite so," the Headmaster agreed. "And now for additional protection, just in case, we will be placing some tracking spells on you and on objects around you, Harry."

Professor Snape came forward, and held out a vial. "This is a potion which can has a distinctive magical signature that can be traced. Drink it." Harry did so, grimacing at the unpleasant taste. "It will only remain active for a week, so make sure that you come to see me in six days for a repeat dose. Now, we have some additional items which will do a similar job. Put this on." Snape handed him a copper-coloured necklace. It was inlaid with several black stones and numerous carved runes. As Harry felt the necklace settle against his skin, he could almost sense the magic that it held.

"It's disappeared!" Neville exclaimed.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Well, it would hardly be of use if Black could spot it!" Neville blushed.

"And now take these," Professor Snape said. He handed Harry a few sickles, a handkerchief, a Gryffindor tie, a watch, some socks and a quill. "All of these items have been made into tracking devices. They are charmed to be unbreakable. We have not made them invisible since they are normal objects which you might be expected to wear or carry around with you. The magic within them is designed to be untraceable however, even if the most intensive detection spells are used. Keep them on your person at all times, including when you are in bed – but perhaps strap the tie around your waist while sleeping for safety. If you should forget any item and leave them behind then they will emit a strong Compulsion spell to compel you to return for them."

"But at night, I mean… I don't have pockets in my pyjamas," Harry said, feeling embarrassed to mention it.

Professor Snape glanced across at Percy. "Mr. Weasley, I will assign to you the job of casting the appropriate Transfiguration spells to ensure that all of Mr. Potter's clothing, including nightwear, school uniform, casual clothes and quidditch apparel, is given as many pockets as he requires."

"Of course, Professor!" Percy said, sounding smug. "I'll see to it as soon as we return to the common room."

"Does this mean you'll know where I am all of the time?" Harry asked, not liking the idea very much.

"Temporarily, yes," Snape replied coolly. "A necessary safety precaution, given what we're attempting. They shouldn't be needed if you remain within the school and are properly supervised, but I don't believe in leaving anything to chance. However, I assure you that we will not be monitoring your movements on a day-to-day basis; these objects will only be used to locate you if we believe that you are at risk."

"Now, the rest of you have a role to play in this as well," Professor McGonagall said. "Mr. Potter can't be left alone at any time. You will all work as a team to ensure that he is always accompanied by at least two other students."

"You can count on us, Professor!" Percy exclaimed loudly.

"Yes, we won't let you down!" Neville chimed in. Harry groaned inwardly. He saw Blaise giving him an evil grin and glared back at him.

"What distance do the tracking spells cover?" Hermione asked.

"Ah, they vary quite a bit," Professor Flitwick said cheerfully. "Each object has separate spell layering, and we've had to sacrifice a degree of range in some cases in order to build in additional magical enhancements. That being so, they can track Mr. Potter here over a distance of anything between ten miles to a thousand miles."

"Ten miles isn't much," Ron said doubtfully.

"True, but that distance is for the necklace only, as it has powerful charms embedded to help it function even through the most robust of magical barriers. Now, the potion, the quill and the sickles have an operating distance of about three hundred miles, while the tie and the socks are around twice that and the watch and the handkerchief will cover the full thousand miles. I think that together they will offer Mr. Potter a very comprehensive form of protection, though as we've said they shouldn't be needed. I think we all feel better knowing that they're in place, however."

"Well, I believe that covers everything," Dumbledore said. "It only remains to send our feathered friends on their way." He opened the window with a flick of his wand. "Goodbye for now, Sasha and Fawkes. Thank you both. Travel safely and return to us soon." The two birds hooted and flew out of the office. "We will advise you all when there is something meaningful to report, but please be patient as it may be some days before we have definitive news."

"Thanks for doing this," Harry said to the Professors. "I know it must have been a lot of work."

"But for a very good cause," Professor Flitwick told him with a smile. "We used most of those suggestions of yours, you know, when we crafted the required spells. Why, even my Ravenclaws couldn't have come up with ideas as ingenious as those!" The other teachers nodded their agreement. Harry and the others thanked the Professors and went back to their respective common rooms, feeling well pleased with their efforts. It was a couple of days later before it occurred to Harry that during the meeting in the Headmaster's office, a unique and remarkable event had occurred, one which he had never thought to see – but which had passed almost unnoticed during the rapid flow of conversation; Professor Snape had actually complimented something which he had done. Yes, it was while he was telling off George, but even so… it had been a genuine compliment.

One way or another, Harry thought this was the most unusual school term he'd ever experienced.

- IIII - IIII - IIII - IIII -

The next week was highly frustrating as far as Harry was concerned. Percy, with the willing compliance of all the other quest group members, arranged Harry's schedule to ensure that even within the Gryffindor common room or his dorm, he was never left alone. He was allowed to go to the bathroom on his own, but only with either Ron or Neville standing guard outside. Harry felt stifled by this, and he chafed under the lack of freedom offered by this new regime; it made his mood worsen by the day. The fact that he'd created this whole situation himself by coming up with the idea of writing to Black did not make him feel any better.

The only cheerful note of the week came when the Headmaster announced at lunch one day that lessons in the Patronus Charm would be made available from the following week. Those interested in studying the Charm were asked to advise Professor Lupin who would put them down for a lesson, which would be taken by an auror. Harry and his friends all signed up for the Patronus class, although Ron and Neville admitted to having serious doubts about whether they had the magical strength to cast it. Harry also thanked Professor Lupin for his help in arranging the classes and Lupin acknowledged his thanks formally, but without showing any particular warmth. This made Harry suspect that it would be some time until Lupin forgave him for pressing the issue, though that didn't concern him very much. Of more interest was the note which he received the following day from Mr. Moody. This simply said:

Mr. Potter,

I hear it was your idea to petition the Auror Department for Patronus Charm lessons. Smart move, that – you lot all need to be prepared. I'll see you in class.

AM

Ten days after Harry wrote to Charlie Weasley, he received a reply back. This was sooner than he'd expected, although Harry had used one of the school's special international journey owls, which might have helped. The response was very encouraging.

Hello Harry,

I got your letter this morning. It's good to hear from one of Ron's friends - I know all about you of course, Ron's mentioned you in his letters many times. Sounds like a tricky situation with the hippogriff but I think I should be able to help out. There is a place which would be a suitable new home for Buckbeak. Have you ever heard of Zuquerri? It's a warm, lush island, hidden from muggles and located a couple of hundred miles east of Madagascar. The only people living there are a group of witches and wizards who look after the animals and are well trained in working with even the most dangerous of them. There's magical wildlife of all sorts there, and I know that includes a hippogriff colony. I've always wanted to see it for myself! Anyway, I met one of the Deputy Directors from Zuquerri when he visited us a while back to see the dragons. His name is Francesco Mancini and he's a very warm and kind-hearted animal lover (like myself, haha!), so I'm confident he'll help out. I've already written to him to explain the situation and ask for his help. I'll let you know as soon as I hear back.

Best wishes, Charlie

Harry then told Ron what he'd done and showed him the letter from Charlie. Ron was surprised at this news, but also excited by the idea of shipping Buckbeak off to a nice new home. He immediately convened a Danger Club meeting for that afternoon to discuss this further and make plans. Professor Sinistra was also invited, since it had recently been agreed that she would present the case for Buckbeak at the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures hearing, which was taking place on the 10th of December. Ron told Harry triumphantly that this was the very breakthrough that they needed, to which Harry replied it was a relief that something was going right.

- IIII - IIII - IIII - IIII -

A few days later, Professor McGonagall asked Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville to wait behind after their Transfiguration lesson had finished.

"The Headmaster requested that I speak to you and let you know our news. Up to last night we had made fifteen failed attempts at delivering the letter to Sirius Black. This morning, after the sixteenth try, Fawkes returned to the school - alone."

Harry gulped. "Does that mean that he… that Sasha is—"

"We don't know yet. Aurors have checked the scene where the tracking owls led them to and found no trace of either Black or Sasha, nor of any dark magic residue. Black must have disapparated and taken Sasha with him - except that one of the portkeys should have triggered when he did so, which didn't happen."

"Have any of the trap spells activated?" Hermione asked.

"None, I'm sorry to say," Professor McGonagall replied, looking thoroughly exasperated. "Not yet, anyway. However, we can conclude from this that Black is interested in the letter, since otherwise he would simply have killed or ignored the owl and left the scene. Therefore, he's probably taking his time and attempting to cautiously break through our magical defences, but I hardly think he'll find them all. We must be patient, and careful – and in the meantime don't lower your guard, any of you."

"No chance of that, Professor," Harry replied, with a glance at the others. Neville blushed a little but gave him a determined look back.

"I know it's tiresome," Professor McGonagall conceded, "but it's essential that you all understand the importance of staying alert to danger. Please pass on the news to the rest of your group for me. Now, you'd better be off or you will be late for Potions."

Fortunately they arrived just in time for Potions class, after some rapid not-quite-but-almost running which left Neville red-faced and the other three out of breath. Professor Snape ushered them in while Harry checked out Snape's hair with a quick glance to make sure it was still in top condition, which for some reason had become a daily habit of his. He and Neville had their joint interview booked in with Professor Snape to discuss their Potions progress in a couple of weeks. Hermione's had already taken place; she'd been ecstatic with the results and had raved afterwards about how insightful the whole thing was and how informative Professor Snape had been. Ron's look of disgusted disbelief as he listened to her had been highly entertaining to watch.

To begin the lesson, Professor Snape gave them careful instructions on how to prepare that day's potion and briskly dealt with any questions that the students had. Harry and Neville completed the assembly of their potion without any issues, having become used to each other's ways of working now and developed an effective partnership. Snape monitored everyone's progress and offered corrections and suggestions as he checked their work; looking across at him, Harry wondered if the novelty of seeing a helpful and reasonable Snape in action would ever wear off. By the end of the lesson, every pair of students had completed a potion which looked to be at least of an acceptable standard. Once they'd cleared away their ingredients and tidied up, Snape returned their last essays to them, with marks and supporting comments noted on each one. Harry and Neville both received good marks, and Snape had written "A very competent and thorough analysis" on Harry's, which made him grin. His mood during the lesson was sunny and cheerful, and so he wasn't at all worried when Professor Snape asked him to stay behind after class.

"I will escort Mr. Potter to the Great Hall for lunch," Snape told his friends, "so you need not remain."

"Sorry Professor, but we were told not to leave him," Neville replied, in a nervous tone. "So, erm…"

Snape rolled his eyes. "In which case, you may wait for him further down the corridor. Much further. Mr. Potter, come with me to my office."

Harry followed Snape into the office. They both sat down, and Harry waited curiously to hear what he was wanted for.

"There is a personal matter which I would like to discuss with you," Snape told him. "What I am about to say is private and between us. It must not go further, or become public knowledge. However, I will give you permission to speak to Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom and Miss Granger about it if necessary, providing that you also swear them to secrecy in the same manner before you do. Are you willing to give me your word of honour that you will comply with these conditions?"

"Yes, you have my word," Harry said, more eager than ever now to understand what was going on.

"Very well. Mr. Potter, I'm sorry."

"Erm, what?" Harry replied in confusion after a moment. He'd assumed that Snape's words were only a prelude, to be followed by further details - I'm sorry that you keep causing trouble, Potter perhaps, or I'm sorry to have to issue you with yet another detention - but that seemed to be it.

"I'm sorry for how I have acted towards you since your arrival at Hogwarts," Snape clarified. "I have treated you most unfairly and you have every right to be angry at me because of it. I do deeply regret my actions, and I wanted you to know that."

Harry was shocked. "You… you're telling me that you feel bad about how you've acted?"

"Yes, very much so. It has taken me until this term to see that you are not your father, and that in fact you have many worthwhile qualities which so far I have completely failed to notice."

It felt to Harry as if something hot and sore was twisting inside of his stomach. He could tell, he knew for sure, that Snape was speaking truthfully. A Snape apology, out of the blue. It was exactly what he'd always wanted, it was why he'd started the quest in the first place, he should be happy… but all he could feel was an expanding sense of wrath and outrage.

"Do you think that makes everything alright?" he asked bitterly. "One little apology and we're all fine?"

"No, I don't think that," Snape replied quietly. "However, now that I have finally recognised that I've made mistakes with my life, and with yourself especially, it seemed right to admit it. An apology is what you are owed, Mr. Potter, at the very least."

"But not a public apology, right?" he sneered. "All this time you've done everything you can to hurt me and make me feel bad in front of the entire school, but when it comes to making up for it then you speak to me privately and make me keep it a secret. You're a hypocrite, a complete fraud!"

"That isn't true. It's not for my own sake that this has to stay a secret," Snape told him. "I would apologise in public were it possible, but if I did so then the Slytherins would no longer have any regard for me and that can't be allowed to happen. Too much rides on this, more than you know; people might lose their lives one day if I spoke of this to others."

At this point, Harry completely lost his temper. He jumped up and started yelling at Snape, words pouring out of him in a wave of hatred. "You LIAR! I don't know why you're saying this but none of it is true! You're a horrible man and everyone hates you, because you've been awful to them as well. What about Neville, doesn't he get an apology? You were his BOGGART! He's been terrified of you, and you know it, and all you've done since is make it worse for him!"

Snape nodded slowly. "You're right, Mr. Potter. I will speak to Mr. Longbottom and apologise to him as well."

"I hope he doesn't believe you," Harry stormed. "You're a nasty, slimy git! You wouldn't know how to be sorry for anything!"

"There is a time when that would have been true, but not anymore. I'm trying to change, and to do better. Really, I am truly sorry," Snape insisted. He had gone pale, but unlike Harry he was still calm. "I can understand that it might mean nothing to you, but I am sincere in what I say. If I can do something to make it up to you for my actions so far, then I hope you will let me."

"I'll tell you what you can do to make it up to me," Harry shouted, slamming his hand down on the desk, "you can throw yourself off the Astronomy tower, how about that? Or drown yourself in the lake, that'd be just as good! I wish you were dead! I hate you, Snape, you're a rubbish teacher and an even worse person, so you can take your pathetic apology and shove it!" He grabbed his bag and stormed out of the room, filled with feelings of hatred and bitterness which he could neither understand nor control. Snape remained in the room, still and silent.

Ron, Neville and Hermione were all standing by the dungeon stairs, waiting for him. "What's wrong?" Ron said as he came towards them. "Did Snape say something nasty?"

"Leave it," Harry snarled. "I'm going outside. And for once, don't follow me!" His friends let him go, but remained at a distance – they wanted to stick with him but they were a little unnerved at how angry he was. Harry walked quickly down to the lake; his overwhelming wish was not so much to get there as to get away from Snape. The weather was dry but cold, and he became progressively more chilled as he stayed by the lake on his own. An hour passed, and then two. Harry knew that he should be in a class by then; he couldn't remember which one and hoped that he wouldn't get into too much trouble. How could he possibly explain where he'd been and what he'd been doing?

It took quite a while for the fury to fade away. Slowly, Harry's emotions made the transition from explosive rage to something calmer, more under his control. And from there, he started to feel fear. He had insulted a Professor in the rudest possible way, and not just any Professor. Snape wouldn't tolerate that; Harry knew he would be punished severely. It might be points loss on a grand scale, enough to ruin their chances of winning the House Cup and make every Gryffindor turn against him, just as they'd done after the dragon smuggling incident in his first year. Detentions he could manage – but then again, Snape had a strongly developed ability for making them hideous experiences.

Distressing though these possibilities were, he groaned with dismay as an even worse thought came into his mind. Harry had insulted Snape's teaching – among other things – so what if as a result, Snape was so angry with him that he went back to his old, nasty ways in the classroom? The other students were so pleased with all of the alterations that Snape had made in Potions class already; even the Slytherins liked some of them. What would everyone say if the quest was ruined because of him?

"He wouldn't," Harry said, trying to convince himself. "He wouldn't." But there was no comfort in the words. Shivering and close to tears, he got up and walked back towards the school.

Ron and Neville were waiting for him at the castle entrance. "Hermione's gone to History of Magic class," Ron told him. "She said she'd take notes for us and give Binns some excuse for why we couldn't make the lesson. It'll be over by now, but if we hurry, we might get to Charms on time – only if you feel up to it, though."

"Yeah," Harry said, giving him a weak smile. "Sorry about before, I was just a bit worked up." The other two nodded and didn't ask any questions; Harry guessed they were holding back to avoid upsetting him further. "Come on, let's go to Charms."

"We grabbed some food from the lunch table as well to keep you going," Neville said, offering him a couple of sandwiches. Harry took them, giving him a smile of thanks. Whatever the consequences were to be of his behaviour towards Snape, having good friends would make it a little bit easier for him to face them.

- IIII - IIII - IIII - IIII -

The following day dawned bright and clear, and Harry made it through a morning's worth of lessons along with lunch, all most uneventfully. Nothing in the way of disciplinary action came his way – no summons to the Headmaster's office, no dressing down by Professor McGonagall, no swiftly imposed punishment by Professor Snape. Harry could only see Snape at a distance across the Great Hall but he looked perfectly normal. He was unsure what to make of this; after all, if Snape wanted to punish him then he was usually pretty quick about it.

Although he had permission to speak to his friends about the conversation with Snape, Harry chose not to. He merely told them at lunch that Snape had not said or done anything wrong, they'd just had a very personal conversation and he'd rather not dwell on it. Ron was clearly disappointed not to hear more, but he was easily diverted when Harry asked him for another Danger Club update. It seemed that the new curriculum, containing actual magical creatures combined with increased safety measures, had already started and was working well. The third-years would be able to see this themselves for the first time in their lesson with Hagrid the next day. Preparations for Buckbeak's hearing were also at an advanced stage; Ron said that although they felt fairly confident about getting the hippogriff acquitted, the option of sending him abroad would be really helpful if Charlie's friend came through for them.

The first lesson that afternoon was Divination, taught (if such a word was appropriate) by a somewhat sulky Professor Trelawney. Although she had not been required to make many changes to her class as a result of the Teaching Charter, it had quickly been decided by the other Professors that any prophecies she might come up with relating to the death, torture or extreme suffering of students or their close relatives should not be spoken of during lessons. Instead, Professor Trelawney was required to refer all such prophecies to the student's Head of House who would determine the appropriate course of action. She regarded these new arrangements with frequently expressed resentment, although Harry for one was grateful that he was no longer being told during Divination lessons how short his lifespan would be and how grave the peril was that loomed all around him. It wasn't as if that was news to him anyway.

The final lesson of the day was the one which Harry had been both looking forward to and worrying a lot about; the new Patronus Charm class. Students had been split into small groups for this, each to be taught by different auror. Harry's group was a mixture of third-year and fourth-year students. The others from his year were Hermione, Tracy Davies and Michael Corner. From the fourth year they had Marcus Belby, Herbert Fleet, Helen Dawlish and David Urquhart. As Harry had expected from Mr. Moody's letter, he was their teacher. When the names of the Patronus groups and their assigned aurors had been put up in the Gryffindor common room, various people had commiserated with Harry and Hermione about being 'unlucky' enough to get Moody, which was partly why he was worrying. The others were nervous as well - he could see that right away when they were all assembled in class; Mr. Moody's reputation clearly proceeded him.

Everyone stared when Moody entered the room; it wasn't polite but they couldn't help it. Harry had seen his picture in the Prophet but it had only shown his head and shoulders, so he was surprised to see that the auror had a wooden leg, which thumped heavily on the floor as he walked. Moody studied each one of them, his artificial eye dwelling quite a bit on Harry. He seemed even more unnerving than Snape on his worst day, and that was without him saying a single word.

"Well then, let's get down to business. My name's Moody and I'm an auror. I've been asked to try and teach you the Patronus Charm. I say 'try' because not all of you will manage it. This is difficult magic and it'll need sustained commitment and a lot of hard work on your part. Make no mistake, this is one of the toughest spells that you'll ever study. Many can't master it, even adults - so don't feel bad if you fail. I won't blame you for that, and if you want to pull out of these lessons any time then you can. Now, introduce yourselves in turn – tell me your name, your House and your reason for choosing to learn the Patronus Charm. Don't lie to me about the reason, I'll know if you do and you'll be out of this class before it's even started. You first," Moody said, pointing at one of the girls on the front row.

"I'm Tracy Davies from Slytherin. I want to learn the Patronus because the Dementors make me feel awful, and I don't want them to have that kind of power over me."

"A worthwhile incentive," Moody agreed. "Next!"

"I'm Michael Corner from Ravenclaw. I want to learn it because, well… I know it's really advanced, like NEWT level or higher. I'm a third-year student. When else will I get a chance to study something so complex? Probably not for two or three years at least! I really like the challenge of it."

"A Ravenclaw's answer, eh? Knowledge for the sake of it. I don't have a problem with that, as long as you're willing to put the work in. Next!"

"I'm Hermione Granger from Gryffindor. I want to study the Patronus Charm because…" she flushed with embarrassment, "well, because I want to be able to cast it if Harry can't."

One or two of the other students snickered at this, but hastily stopped as Moody gave them a death glare. "Loyalty to a friend, I see… that's one of the strongest motivators there is. You won't give up easily I expect, not with that front and centre in your mind." Hermione looked pleased and Harry gave her a smile of appreciation.

"I'm Pamela Alton from Ravenclaw. I'd like to learn the Patronus because I'm planning a career in the Ministry and I'd need it for that. It would be good to know it even before starting work there."

"It's always sensible to plan ahead," Moody conceded. "Next!"

"I'm David Urquhart from Slytherin. I'm here because my family all live in Hogsmeade, and of course I know a lot of the other families there too. If there's any trouble with the Dementors going where they shouldn't, like they did at the quidditch game, then I want to be able to make sure that my relatives and neighbours don't get hurt."

"Thinking about people who are important to you, eh? Good. That'll keep you focused, I'm sure. Next?"

"Erm hi, I'm Herbert Fleet from Hufflepuff. I don't know if I'm good enough to learn the Patronus but I want to try because, well… I know this sounds silly, but I feel it's my duty to. It feels like it's the right thing to do, morally speaking. I mean, there were Professors at the quidditch match who used the Patronus to drive the Dementors off, but what if the same thing had happened at a practice game when there weren't any adults there? I know I might not be good enough, but I couldn't feel easy with my conscience if I didn't give it a try at least."

Moody gave him a look of approval. "Nothing silly about that, lad. If more people put duty and morals and looking after others first then our society wouldn't be in the mess it is now. Right, who else have we got?"

Harry raised his hand slightly. "I'm Harry Potter, Gryffindor. As most people know, I'm pretty vulnerable to the effects of the Dementors. I feel the same as Tracy, it gives them a power over me that they've got no right to have. I want to take that away from them."

Moody nodded. "Self-defence and protection, that's good. You keep remembering that, Potter. Right, that just leaves you," he said. He turned to the student sitting next to Harry, who looked really embarrassed for some reason.

"Okay. I'm Marcus Belby, also a Ravenclaw. Err, do you really have to know why I'm here, Professor?"

Moody scowled at him ferociously. "Got something to hide have you, lad?"

"No Sir, it's just… I'd rather not say, that's all."

"You're here with seven others who've spoken honestly about their reasons for studying this spell. If you can't do the same then you're no use to me."

"Alright," Marcus said reluctantly. "I signed up for this class because there's a girl I want to impress and I think she'd find it really cool if I could produce a Patronus." Most of the others grinned, and Hermione giggled nervously.

"Cool," Moody repeated, making it sound like a dirty word. Marcus visibly wilted. Moody stared at him, his artificial eye spinning madly and his face twisting into an expression of contempt. "So, you're in it for yourself, are you?"

"I was," he replied earnestly, "but to be honest, I feel a bit bad about that now. I mean, I do totally like this girl and all, but listening to what everyone else said, it really made me think. Maybe it would be a good thing to learn the Patronus so that I could protect other people. I hadn't given that a thought before but it makes sense. And that thing Herbert said about duty – that feels right as well."

Moody looked at him for a long moment, then gave him a nod. "Fair enough." Marcus sighed with relief. "Well then, now I know why you're all here. You might be wondering why I needed to know. The answer's simple; if you don't have the drive to succeed then I'm wasting my time teaching you. This is an optional class, and you can walk away any time you want to. At some point you'll all think about doing just that, I expect – and I need to know that you've got something important in mind, to help you keep going even when it gets tough. Any questions before we start?"

David Urquhart put up his hand. "Roughly how long will it take us to learn the Patronus Charm, Mr. Moody?"

"Don't expect a quick result," Moody warned him. "You'll be here with me once a week and we'll see how you go. It's a tiring spell to cast so I don't want any of you trying it outside of this class, because you need to be supervised. Anyone else got questions? No? Fine. Your lessons are going to be in two stages. First stage, you'll work on your Patronus in the classroom with me until it's as good as it can be. If you can produce a Patronus here to a good standard, then for the second stage you'll be taken to the Ministry to practice on a real Dementor." He saw their expressions of horror and grinned. "No need to panic, it'll be under strictly controlled conditions and with aurors present the whole time. The Dementor will be nearby and you'll feel its effects but it'll be physically unable to reach you."

"But Sir, if we can cast the Patronus Charm then surely we don't need to go anywhere near a real Dementor, do we?" Michael Corner asked anxiously.

"You think it's the same, being here in a nice cosy classroom and being outside with a terrifying Dementor in front of you?" Moody roared at him. "Of course it isn't! You've got to be able to use that spell when it really counts, and how will you know you can unless you try it against a Dementor? But that won't be for a while yet, and none of you moves to stage two until I'm sure that you're ready, so put it out of your mind for now. Now, who can tell me what a Patronus is?"

Predictably, Hermione put up her hand. "It's a kind of magical guardian, Sir. It's made up of positive feelings and it acts as a barrier to stop the Dementors feeding on our emotions and memories."

"That's it. A Dementor is a dark creature which can drain a person of all hope and happiness, and suck up any positive memories and feelings. You're right to want to protect yourself from such monsters. Now, a Patronus can be incorporeal – usually looking like a mist or cloud – or corporeal, where it takes the form of a creature of some kind. That's the hardest type of Patronus to cast. Stand up and wands out!"

The class got to their feet nervously. "Right, the incantation for this spell is Expecto Patronum. When you say it, you have to be thinking of a really happy and joyful memory, the best one you have. Go ahead, all of you - try it and see what happens."

As it turned out, what happened was initially failure. The room was filled with determined cries of Expecto Patronum!, followed by a complete lack of result. People grew tired and frustrated with their own lack of progress, but with Moody's warnings fresh in their minds, nobody said so. The auror monitored each person carefully, correcting their wand movements and pronunciation.

"Stop for a few minutes," Moody said after a while. "Sit down, all of you, and rest." They were more than willing to comply. "Now, you've all had a taste of it so you know what you're up against."

"It's very tiring," Pamela Alton said. "I feel like I've run to Hogsmeade and back."

"And that's why you can't overdo the practicing," Moody said. "It's going to wear you out while you're learning. Building up your magical strength is all important."

"Mr. Moody, I was wondering if – oh!"

Hermione stopped mid-sentence and stared as a beautiful, shimmering Patronus in the shape of a lion came whooshing through the wall. The lion opened its mouth, and to everyone's astonishment it spoke with a man's voice. "Apologies for disturbing your lesson Alastor, but I wanted to show my group how you can use a Patronus to send messages. Can you send one back, just for the demonstration? Don't yell at your class, it's not their fault!"

Everyone gazed at it with admiration and watched the Patronus in silence as it faded away.

"You were right Marcus, it is really cool," Herbert Fleet said fervently.

"So that's what a Patronus looks like," Harry murmured. "It's amazing."

Moody grunted with what Harry thought was amusement. "Should have shown you one at the start, I expect. That's Dawlish's Patronus; he's training a group of fifth years at the moment. Each person's Patronus takes a different form and it can tell you something about them - maybe what's important to them, what they're like or what's happened to them in the past. Dawlish, for example, he lived in Africa for quite a few years as a child and he spent a lot of time with lions there."

"Are you going to send a message back, Sir?" Marcus asked eagerly.

"I expect I'd better." He drew his wand. "I can cast a corporeal Patronus but I don't use one because as you've seen, they're too easily recognised. Expecto Patronum!" A large, silvery mist formed and Moody tapped it with his wand. "Message for John Dawlish. Here's your Patronus back, now stop showing off and get on with the lesson or you'll spend the next three months in the filing room tidying up old case files without the use of magic. And don't think I'm joking!" He tapped the Patronus again and it rushed away.

"It's good to know what we're aiming for," Tracey Davies said. "Is there any way of finding out what form our Patronus creature will take in advance?"

"No, you'll have to wait and see," Moody told her. "And some of you won't be able to create the corporeal version at all – though you might learn to do that when you're older. Once you've cracked either version then I'll show you how to send messages with them as well, but don't forget that they're not secure; you'll have no idea who else will be with the person you're sending it to when the Patronus arrives."

"Does the cloud thing work just as well on a Dementor?" Marcus asked.

"If it's fully formed then yes, the 'cloud thing' will also do the job. Miss. Granger, you were about to ask me a question before."

"Yes Sir, I was wondering if I was using the right memory. How do I pick the best one?"

"You need a single memory and it has to be a really happy one. Nothing more to it. Now, you've all rested for a bit so we'll try again. Each of you, stop when you're tired out; I don't want you overdoing it." With renewed determination, the eight students began attempting the Patronus Charm once more.

"What memory are you using?" Hermione asked Harry in a low voice. "I'm thinking about my first visit to Diagon Alley."

"I'm going with the first time I rode a broomstick, that was a happy moment," Harry whispered back. "I might try something else, I suppose."

Hermione grinned suddenly. "The end of the protest, when everyone was cheering us."

"Brilliant," Harry said. He focused on that memory – which was a really happy one – and attempted to cast the spell. It didn't work and he was getting tired but he wasn't willing to give up.

"YES!" Marcus Belby had managed to produce a small trail of silvery gas from his wand, which disappeared after a few seconds. "Erm, sorry Professor, I was just a bit excited there."

"You were the first to do it, so I'm not complaining," Moody replied evenly. Harry grinned as he saw Hermione grit her teeth in determination and attempt the spell again.

Ten minutes later, just before Mr. Moody brought the lesson to a halt, Harry finally managed to make some progress as a thin, whispery swirl of silver emerged from his wand.

"You've done it, Harry, well done!" Hermione said. She looked a little annoyed but Harry knew that was just because she hadn't been as successful.

"You will too soon," he reassured her.

"That's not bad at all for a first effort," Moody told him. "Right everyone, let's end it there. You all worked hard so I hope you'll choose to come back for lesson two in a week's time. Don't take it personally if you didn't see any results today, like I said this needs perseverance. Dismissed."

Harry waited behind when the rest of the students left the room. "I wanted to thank you in person for the letter you sent me, Mr. Moody. It was kind of you to reply."

"Made good use of the information I provided, didn't you?" Moody said with a twisted grin. "Spotted a gap. Using the phoenix was something we didn't think of. Clever idea, too."

"Well maybe, but it didn't work."

"I wouldn't say that - it got the letter to Black, didn't it? Anyway, trying something is always better than doing nothing, as long as you minimise the risk. I hope you're still being careful of yourself, mind. You remember what I told you?"

"Constant vigilance," Harry said solemnly.

"That's it. You'd better be off now. See you next week."

Back in the Gryffindor common room, they told Ron and Neville all about their first training session; both of them had their first Patronus lesson the next day and were keen to know what to expect. Ron pressed Harry to demonstrate what he'd learned but Hermione pointed out frostily that they'd been strictly forbidden from practising the Patronus in between lessons. In any case, Harry knew he was too tired to do it. "You'll find out tomorrow," he told Ron. "It was cool, though. Mr. Moody's a good teacher and hopefully yours will be too."

More days passed, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. At their next Potions lesson, Snape made no change to his teaching methods and acted as if their argument had never happened. This was reassuring in a way, but it left Harry uncertain about how to deal with what was a major loose end in his life. In the end he decided not to think about it for now. There continued to be no sign of Black, nor of Sasha the owl who weighed rather heavily on Harry's conscience at times. He didn't care to contemplate the fact that Sasha might be dead now because of him and his supposedly bright idea. When that thought surfaced, he would shove the prickly feelings of guilt away and try and distract himself. There were other things to think about, after all – quidditch, Christmas, the next Hogsmeade trip. However, it would have been easier to put the whole letter business out of his mind if his friends weren't so zealous in guarding him day and night - so much so that he was starting to long for some time away from them.

At their second Patronus lesson the next week, both Hermione and Harry were able to produce a silver, cloudy mist which pleased them both. Although as a spell it was still quite weak, Harry thought that the feeling of making some progress was heady and exciting. Ron and Neville were openly envious of this. Their group was run by an auror called Bentley, who according to them had spent quite a lot of each lesson boasting about all of the dark wizards she'd captured, and then describing in minute detail how her daring and quick thinking had only just saved herself and various unnamed colleagues from a horrible doom. Ron said with distaste that it wasn't quite as bad as being taught by Professor Lockhart, but not that far off either. On a more positive note, Charlie Weasley sent them an upbeat message to say that Mr. Mancini was fully sympathetic with their wish to save Buckbeak and very willing to help, so they could expect to hear from him soon. This was indeed the case, as a letter arrived from Mr. Mancini in a couple of days to advise them that he'd be present at Buckbeak's hearing to give them full support. There were also some additional comments which hinted that Mancini was trying to pull some strings in advance of this to influence the committee members.

Friday night, as usual, was Potions club. Harry and Neville were continuing to work steadily through their enormous list of 'potions which have failed us in the past through absolutely no fault of our own'. It was one of the busier club sessions and they were both enjoying the chatty atmosphere, but then the cauldron of the Hufflepuff first-year pair next to them exploded. The first-years themselves were fine, as was Harry, but Neville was hit with most of the failed potion. He immediately fell down and started moaning with pain as his skin went purple and massive lumps appeared all over his face.

"Ow ow, it really hurts!"

"We need to get him to the hospital wing right away," Harry said to Gabriel Truman, who was one of the supervising students.

"Right, we'll take him together." Truman conjured a stretcher and levitated Neville onto it. "Maxine, Stephen – you two take charge here until I get back."

"We're really sorry!" the two Hufflepuffs said. "We must have got something very wrong!"

Harry repressed his wish to point out that they were stating the highly obvious. "Never mind, everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure Neville will be okay."

Harry and Gabriel escorted Neville to the hospital wing and explained what had happened to Madam Pomfrey, who took charge capably and moved him to a bed with screens around it for examination. Harry waited patiently to hear the results, but Gabriel was looking fretful and kept glancing towards the door.

"Harry, would you be okay staying here on your own if I go back to Potions Club? We really need three supervisors present, with there being so many people brewing this evening."

"Oh sure, that's fine. I'll come back and clear my bench down later, since we won't be able to finish our potion tonight."

"No need, I'll get someone to do that for you. See you next week," he said and walked out quickly.

Madam Pomfrey came back twenty minutes later. "Nothing to worry about," she assured him. "Mr. Longbottom is looking much better already. He's asleep now. I've given him a Dreamless Sleep potion and treated his wounds; he'll be staying overnight and possibly tomorrow night as well, but he'll be right as rain by the end of the weekend."

"That's great," Harry said. "Thanks for looking after him."

"Well, that is my job," she said with a smile. "You'd better be off now."

"Okay," he said, and left the room. As he passed through the doors, an exciting and intoxicating thought suddenly passed through his mind.

Nobody knew where he was.

Neville was out of it and the other Gryffindors wouldn't be expecting them back for at least an hour. Usually they walked back to the common room with the other Gryffindor club members, but they were all still brewing their potions. So for once he was unsupervised and he could do anything he wanted with this stolen time – sneak out of the castle maybe, and go flying? It really was tempting; he wanted to do something fun while nobody could stop him. But, but…

"Constant vigilance," Harry repeated to himself glumly. It was just the thought of willingly going back to his friends, much as he cared about them – it almost felt like walking into a prison cell and closing the door on himself.

Harry drifted slowly back to the Gryffindor Tower, with good sense and reckless abandon fighting a constant battle in his mind. Eventually, he decided on a compromise. He'd go back to the common room and stay in the safe zone like a good boy, but if he could avoid the others seeing him then he could sneak up to the dorm and spent an hour chatting to Blaise and Theo without interruption.

It worked like a charm, as it happened. Harry was able to head into the common room behind a big group of sixth-years and easily slipped up the stairs to the dorm without attracting any attention. He got out his memo, hoping that Blaise would be there.

Hey Blaise, you around? I just got back to the dorm so thought I'd check in.

Yup. I'm in the common room with Theo but okay to talk. You're back early from Potions Club.

Yeah, Neville got injured when someone else's potion blew up and hit him. He's in the Hospital Wing but he'll be okay. Madam Pomfrey said he'll be cured in a day or two.

Good news. What are his injuries?

His skin's purple and lumpy. He looked a bit like a squashed blackcurrant.

Yuk. Anyone else hurt?

No, Neville was the only one. Pity, our potion was going really well.

I suppose I shouldn't think it's ironic that Neville's been hit by someone else's exploding potion for once, instead of it being the other way around?

You shouldn't think that. (Though yeah, I see what you mean).

I don't know why the two of you keep going to Potions club anyway, now that actual Potions lessons are working out so well. Aren't they enough?

We kind of like it. The other people there are friendly and they run demonstrations each week which are really good. Anyway, we've messed up so many potions in the past that there are loads to re-do.

Well, if you must be so studious then I suppose there are worse things to work at. When are you and Neville going to duel with Theo and I again? I haven't been able to humiliate you in battle for over two weeks. I'm missing the thrill of overwhelming victory against a much inferior opponent.

Harry grinned and was trying to think of a witty reply when he heard a muffled thump outside

Hang on, I think someone's at the door. Back in a min.

He opened the door and was surprised to see Hermione's cat outside. Crookshanks was carrying a small parcel; it was wrapped in string that had been tied into a bow at the end for the cat to grip in his mouth. The parcel had Ron's name written on it.

"Hi Crookshanks," Harry said. He closed the door behind him, not wanting to give the cat any chance to get in and go after Scabbers. "Someone been using you as a messenger cat, eh? Bit lazy of them. Want me to take that for you? I can put it on Ron's bed for him when he gets back." Crookshanks mewed and put the parcel down in front of Harry, watching him intently.

"Okay," Harry said. He stooped down to pick up the parcel. As soon as his fingers touched it, he was torn away, roaring down some kind of tunnel, being pulled this way and that at frightening spend, and wanting to scream but unable to. But when it finally stopped he was somewhere else, and instead of the warmth of the Gryffindor Tower there was only cold, darkness and roaring wind. Harry felt sick and disoriented. He stumbled, tripping over a rock and - too confused to balance himself properly - he keeled over and hit the hard stone floor, instantly knocking himself out.

Sirius Black jumped up eagerly. He crouched down next to Harry and looked at the unconscious boy. Slowly, he reached out and put his hands around Harry's neck.

- IIII - IIII - IIII - IIII -

A/N: this is quite a long chapter, but I wanted to keep going until Sirius could finally make his move. He's got plans for Harry which aren't very nice, as we'll see next time! I think the next chapter will be the last one, or there might be another one if I need to tie up a few plot points.