April 5, 1994
Remus shrugged. "It might just be innocent adolescent mischief."
Sirius sighed. "I want to believe that, but given his history, I'm inclined to believe otherwise."
"Well, as far as I'm aware there's no three-headed dog or basilisk in the school this year, so whatever the three of them are plotting, it can't be too dangerous," Remus replied dryly.
Sirius snorted. "There was no three-headed dog or basilisk lurking around when we were in school, and we still managed to find plenty of dangerous things to do."
Remus chuckled, "Well, I highly doubt that Harry is working on becoming an animagus, and to my knowledge there are no student werewolves to run around with in the forbidden forest."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're not funny, Moony."
Remus smirked, "And if Harry has a motorcycle he's charming to fly, he's doing a very good job of hiding it."
Sirius glared at his friend while Remus smiled smugly. After a moment, Remus took pity on him. "So what are you going to do?"
Sirius shrugged. "I think the only thing I can do is wait for him to come to me. If it is adolescent mischief, then it won't be a big deal."
Remus nodded. "And if it's not?"
Sirius sighed. "I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it." He wrung his hands together. "He trusts me, right?"
Remus smiled sadly at his friend. "I'm sure he does Padfoot, but you know it's going to take time. Did you trust the Potters in less than a year?"
Sirius shook his head. "No, not really. I wanted to, but it was still hard."
"I'm sure it's the same for Harry. He wants to trust you, but there's still going to be bumps in the road."
April 7, 1994
Harry hurried to Remus's classroom, his body tired and aching from the hours and hours of quidditch practice. He was still carrying his Firebolt and nearly out of breath by the time he arrived.
"Sorry Remus, practice ran long...What are you doing here?" His eyes landed on Sirius, smiling smugly from a desk across the room.
"Is that anyway to greet your favorite person in the world?" Sirius asked teasingly.
"I wasn't talking to Remus. I was talking to you," Harry responded quickly.
Remus nearly fell over laughing. "Harry, you absolutely inherited your mother's quick wit. She was always able to put Sirius in his place. I am glad to see that live on in you."
Sirius glared at his oldest friend. "I am here," he began, turning his attention back to Harry, "to assist in your defense class tonight."
Remus rolled his eyes, but Harry didn't notice.
"Why do you need to assist?" Harry asked skeptically.
"Well," Sirius began, looking around thoughtfully, "I felt like there was a spell you really needed to know."
"What spell?" Harry asked, but before Sirius could answer, Remus interrupted.
"Well, to be completely honest, I want no part in this, so I'm going to patrol the hallways. You two enjoy yourselves."
Harry didn't miss the angry look Sirius shot Remus, but he sat patiently while Remus exited and waited for his father to continue.
Sirius sat forward and laced his fingers together. "Before your date Saturday, or I guess I should say before you start dating, I wanted to have a little chat with you."
Harry's eyes grew wide as he realized what Sirius had in mind. "Sirius, that's really, really ok. I know how it works."
Sirius nodded. "Right, you know the...mechanics?"
Harry nodded quickly. "Yeah. And Sirius, I haven't even kissed Cho yet, so I don't think this conversation is really necessary right now...or ever."
Sirius's nervousness was starting to fade. "You might not be thinking about it right now Harry, but eventually you likely will be, whether with Miss Chang or another girl or boy, and I just want you to be prepared when the time comes."
Harry shifted nervously, but Sirius ignored him and continued.
"Now personally, I hope you wait until you're at least 50 to have sex…"
"Aren't you 34?" Harry interrupted.
"Yeah, why?" Sirius answered, confused.
"You're telling me you've never had sex?"
Sirius blew out a long breath. "Moving on, I hope you wait a long time to have sex. But more than anything, I hope that you feel comfortable talking to me about it, ok?"
Harry nodded sheepishly. "You really want to know if I'm having sex?"
Sirius twisted his head in thought. "Well, I don't need to know the details, but yes, I do. I want to know that you're happy and that you're using protection mostly."
Harry was starting to relax a little. "Seamus said there's a charm."
Sirius nodded, "There is, and I plan to teach it to you tonight, but you should also consider using other methods as well, just in case it doesn't work or you get so caught up in the moment that you forget. There's a potion girls can take that works like, I think muggles call it birth control. There's also always the possibility you will want to have sex with a muggle, and in that case you might want to keep a condom on you at all times."
Harry's cheeks were red but he was soaking up the information. "Is it really so hard to remember to say a simple charm?"
Sirius chuckled. "It happens Harry. Trust me, if it didn't, you wouldn't be here." He ruffled Harry's hair.
A look of horror overtook Harry as he realized the implications of what Sirius had just said. "Oh Merlin! I didn't need to know that!"
Sirius laughed harder. Their conversation became more relaxed as Sirius talked to him about knowing when he was ready, how to treat a date, and the importance of consent. He had just taught him the charm when Remus came back into his classroom.
"All done?" Remus asked hopefully.
"Not quite. I was just going to give Harry a quiz just to make sure he understands…" Sirius attempted to say.
"We're done!" Harry interrupted happily.
April 9, 1994
Cho's hair smelled wonderful as it flew in Harry's face while they zoomed around the quidditch pitch on his Firebolt. Harry thought flying together meant they would each be on their own broom, but Cho hadn't brought hers and immediately hopped on the front of Harry's, and Harry wasn't about to argue. He nervously wrapped his arms around her waist in order to grip the broom correctly and kicked off. They had flown over the lake, circled above the forest, and took a few laps around the castle before they finally landed in the stands, a prepared picnic basket waiting on them.
"That was incredible," Cho said, laughing, as she took a bite of her sandwich.
Harry laughed too. The two chatted casually about their classes and quidditch as they ate. Finally, as they finished, Cho got a mischievous look in her eye.
"Hey Harry?" Cho looked at him sweetly.
"Yeah?" Harry answered, grinning giddily.
"Could I take your Firebolt up?" Cho asked.
"Sure," Harry told her quickly. He was pretty sure he would have agreed to anything in that moment.
She quickly stood up and grabbed the broom, in the air in a matter of seconds. Harry watched smiling until a sharp pain took over his forehead.
"Aaaaggghhh!" he called out involuntarily.
Harry Potter he heard a maniacal voice call out. Harry turned around quickly but saw nothing. He wasn't sure if the voice was in his head or coming from someone nearby. The sudden pain hit him again.
You're going to die, Harry Potter.
The voice was back. Harry stood up and walked around, looking for the source. His scar continued to burn, though it was fading.
Cho landed a few minutes later. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing," Harry answered, turning back to her, "It's just I thought I heard something."
Cho looked concerned. "What did you hear?"
Harry shook his head. "Nothing. It's not a big deal." He reached up and rubbed his scar absently as a dull ache lingered. The wind began to blow and he noticed Cho pull her cloak closer to her. "We better get back inside," he said with a crooked smile.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she answered. Before he could second guess himself, he offered his hand to her. She smiled brightly as she took it, and they walked together, hand in hand, back to the castle. Once inside, Cho turned to face him.
"Well, I better go. I have some homework to finish," she said, though she didn't move.
"Yeah, me too," Harry agreed, but his feet stayed planted as well.
They stared at each other for a long moment. To Harry's surprise, they seemed to be getting closer to one another, like his body was moving without his brain's consent. His heart began beating wildly, and he was certain that at any moment it would pop right out of his chest. Before he completely knew what was happening, their lips met and the world around him disappeared. It was just Harry and Cho, alone, kissing in the entrance hall.
Harry felt like he was floating as he made his way back to the Gryffindor common room, all thoughts of his aching scar far behind him.
April 10, 1994
"So your scar hurt and then you heard a voice?" Ron asked over breakfast the next morning, his mouth full of eggs.
"Keep your voice down," Harry hissed before nodding, "And yes."
"Well, what did Sirius say about it?" Hermione asked.
Harry just looked down at his breakfast, not meeting her eyes.
"You didn't tell him?" Hermione said disapprovingly.
"It's not a big deal, Hermione," Harry answered defensively.
"It is a big deal Harry. Last time your scar hurt, Voldemort was possessing one of the teachers. You need to tell someone," Hermione argued.
Ron looked pale. "She's right, Harry. First you got that letter, now your scar is hurting and you're hearing voices. Something's got to be going on. You should tell Sirius or Dumbledore or somebody."
Harry was thoughtful for a few moments. Finally he answered, "If I tell Sirius now, he'll just be mad I didn't tell him sooner. I don't want to risk getting in trouble before the match Saturday. I said I'd tell him after that and I will. I just don't want to risk it before." He paused a minute and took a bite of toast before adding, "And besides, it's probably just Malfoy being stupid. Like I said, he wants to sabotage the match Saturday. He'd do anything." He spoke with as much confidence as he could, which wasn't much.
"How would Malfoy make your scar hurt?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It could just be a coincidence. But he probably sent the letter and was hiding somewhere when I heard the voices."
Hermione and Ron exchanged looks but didn't continue to argue as the three finished their breakfast in silence.
April 12, 1994
Harry's scar troubles were all but forgotten by Tuesday morning. He found himself seeing Cho as much as he could. On Sunday, he ate lunch at the Ravenclaw table with Cho and her friends, both to see her and to avoid further discussions about his scar hurting with Ron and Hermione. He found her waiting outside his Transfigurations class when he got out on Monday morning, and they began walking to class together as much as their schedules allowed.
Unfortunately for Harry, his scar troubles didn't completely go away. Quidditch practice and homework took up most of his evenings, and he slept soundly at night until early Tuesday morning. That morning, he awoke with a searing pain in his forehead. He sat up, breathing hard through the pain, and watched the moonlight dance across the floor of the boys' dormitory, trying not to wake the other boys.
"Harry, are you ok mate?" Ron had walked over and sat down on his bed.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry whispered back. Ron looked at his friend for a moment before he stood up and headed to the bathroom. When he returned, he was carrying a cool rag for Harry to place on his forehead.
"Here, see if this helps," Ron instructed, "Mum always gives us one when we're sick."
"Thanks," Harry answered as he took the cloth. The coolness felt good on his burning scar. "I'm fine, Ron, really," he tried to convince his friend and himself.
Ron nodded solemnly and stood up. "Goodnight then," he said with a weary smile and turned back for his own bed.
"'Night," Harry said quietly back. He glanced at his clock, noticing it was just before 4 o'clock, and relaxed his head back into his pillow. Though he managed to go back to sleep, he was so exhausted he slept through his first class, which just happened to be Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Mr. Potter," Remus's voice called out as he was walking to Potions, "A word please."
Harry cringed as he turned around. Hermione and Ron paused to wait on him. Remus was standing about twenty feet behind with his arms crossed. Harry walked up timidly.
"Care to tell me where you were during class this morning?"
"I'm sorry Professor. I had a headache and I accidentally slept through it," Harry responded.
Remus uncrossed his arms and his face turned from stern to concerned. "A headache? Are you ok? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I'm fine now. It just kept me up part of the night and I overslept. I'm sorry."
Remus placed a hand on his shoulder. "No apology needed Harry. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You can get the notes from a classmate and we will practice what you missed on Thursday, ok?"
Harry nodded. "Ok."
Remus studied him a moment. "Are you sure you don't need to see Madam Pomfrey?"
Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm sure. And it's all better now, so you really don't need to tell Sirius," he added hopefully.
Remus narrowed his eyes on Harry. "You better get to Potions before you're late," he responded, pointing in the direction of the dungeon.
Harry groaned but turned and walked away.
…
"He said he had a headache?" Sirius asked.
Remus nodded. "That's what he said."
"And it just went away, without a pain reliever or anything?"
"Yeah, I found that a little strange as well," Remus replied.
"You think this has something to do with what he's hiding?" Sirius asked, but before Remus could respond, Harry had come through the door.
"Hey Pup, we were just talking about you. How is your head?"
Harry's eyes immediately met Remus's as if he had betrayed him. "It's fine Sirius. I'm fine now."
"You're sure?" Sirius questioned.
"Yes!"
Sirius hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Ok then. How was your date?"
Harry blushed. "It was fun…"
"Did you kiss her?" Sirius asked before Harry could explain any further.
Harry turned an even brighter shade of red.
"You did kiss her!" Sirius exclaimed.
Harry groaned and put his head in his hands. A muffled "yes" escaped.
Sirius smiled for a moment before his face grew serious. "That's all you did right?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "YES!"
Remus chuckled but decided to rescue Harry from further embarrassment. "It's about time for your appointment, isn't it?"
Harry had never been so happy to go to a mind healer appointment. He disappeared through the floo and Remus and Sirius resumed their conversation. A few minutes later, a knock at the door pulled them from their thoughts.
"Come in," Remus called out and watched as Ron and Hermione walked through. They both walked hesitantly up to Remus's desk and faced Remus and Sirius.
"Harry's not here, is he?" Hermione asked.
Sirius stumbled over his words, "Umm, no he's...he's umm…"
"We know he sees a mind healer," Hermione responded.
Sirius relaxed. "Oh good. Well that's where he is right now. He won't be back for at least 45 more minutes I'm afraid. Did you two need something?"
Hermione bit her bottom lip while Ron stared at his shoes. They both shifted nervously before Hermione finally said, "We wanted to talk to the two of you, actually."
Sirius raised his eyebrows and sat up. "Oh?"
Hermione fidgeted nervously with the sleeves of her robe. She turned towards Remus. "Professor, Harry lied to you today."
Both Sirius and Remus's eyes grew wide. Remus was the first to speak, "What do you mean?"
Ron was trying very hard not to look the adults in the eye, finding particular interest in the wood pattern of the desks. Hermione continued her explanation, "He didn't oversleep because he had a headache. He overslept because his scar was hurting. It's been hurting off and on for a few days now."
Ron took a deep breath and said quickly before he lost his nerve, "And last week he received a note. It was a threat. It said he was going to die." They quickly explained everything that had happened.
When the teens finished, Sirius glanced at Remus who glanced back, both equally concerned. Remus leaned forward on his desk and put his hands together, "Why wouldn't Harry tell us this?" he asked calmly.
"Well, Harry's pretty used to taking care of himself. Doesn't really like others to be concerned. He thought it was just someone playing a trick on him," Ron said quickly.
"And…" Hermione began, but instantly quieted herself.
"What is it Hermione?" Sirius inquired.
"Those muggles were pretty awful to him. He barely trusts anyone," Ron finished for her.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Not that he doesn't trust you, Sirius. It's just well, I think it's hard for him," she added quickly.
Sirius sat back and looked at Remus. Remus addressed Ron and Hermione. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I know it must not be easy for you two to do knowing Harry might be upset."
"We just want Harry to be safe," Hermione answered, though she looked miserable. Ron nodded in agreement. They were just about to leave when Ron turned back and added quickly, "Also, Sirius, I think Harry didn't want to tell you because he thought you wouldn't let him play in the quidditch final this weekend. I know you're probably going to punish him, but could you still let him play? I would feel awful if he wasn't allowed to and it was my fault for telling you all this."
Sirius was taken aback. Ron and Harry reminded him so much of himself and James, always willing to defend one another.
"I don't plan on taking quidditch away from him," Sirius reassured him. WIth that, Ron and Hermione exited.
Remus looked over at Sirius who had his head in his hands. "Well, I guess we know what he was hiding now."
Sirius didn't raise his head, just groaned into his hands.
Remus continued, "We need to let Albus know."
Sirius finally looked up. "Yeah," he answered wearily. There was a long moment of silence between them before he added, "What am I going to do, Moony? Someone is threatening to kill him, for Merlin's sake, and he's been lying about it for a week now."
Remus sighed. "Well, to your first point, we just have to let the Order know and take whatever precautions we can. We've discussed this before, Sirius. Hogwarts is the safest place for him."
Sirius slumped down in his chair, but he nodded his agreement. "I guess you're right. But what about the lying? Why would he keep something like this from me?"
Remus shrugged. "I have no idea, Padfoot. You'll have to ask him that. The question is now, what do you plan on doing about it?"
Sirius rubbed his forehead. "I lied to the Potters a few times. Sometimes I wasn't even sure why I was lying. Maybe just to see if they cared enough to find out the truth."
Remus frowned. "What did they do when they found out?"
"Well, they were disappointed. Sometimes I wished they would beat me rather than look at me like that. Then they would usually punish me somehow. If James and I got caught together, they would usually take away flying privileges, which was much more a punishment for him than me." They both chuckled before Sirius continued solemnly, "But then they never treated me any differently. They still loved me, just like they loved James," he crossed his legs and stared absently across the room. "No matter what I did, they always treated me with nothing but love and kindness."
Remus watched his friend. "I think you have your answer."