Kitala: Cliffhangers are evil, but I love them…well, I love writing them…
Saimhe: He was the DADA prof for a few weeks until Crouch got there and locked him up. His eye is really cool besides.
Charlie YuY: Snake of the Vampires is comical, so uh, yeah, sorry bout that. Hope you don't mind a little insanity (I laugh at myself sometimes).
Karri: HAHA! My goal has been accomplished.
Charma1219: Thanks!
Sk8reagle: Uh oh…good interesting or bad interesting?
Sparrow: This chapter should be nice and long for you people. Attack, Sirius, etc
Kateri: I still say you're a misplaced Slytherin (the sorting hat does have a sense of humor, just look at Pettigrew). You'll get to see the Underground in action here.
Lei Dumbledore: I will, I will, don't get your panties in a twist.
Pineapplehead: I hated having roommates. Here, I just share a bathroom with one other person (suite mate). Two rooms connected with a bathroom…it's beautiful. And wow, are we pushy.
Mikee: You know, Severus wasn't as intimidating as I was going for. Oh well. Look for it, though later. Could you describe it a little more for me? I'm sleep deprived and looking after a two year old (his mommy just had a baby!), you will have to use simple language…
Lee Lee Potter: WAKE UP!! I fell asleep on my keyboard once and wrote a whole 25 pages of random letters and stuff (That was all I got before my computer froze and started making that annoying noise).
Chaser: I think I will, though later. The exchange program lasts one term, so he'll probably switch over after Christmas (spoiler: I don't suspect his parents will be too happy).
Takari4ever7: I think they will, too. This one is going to be anyway. I'm sorry that Sirius is one of your favorites…hehe…just kidding, I just don't like him much. Don't know why. Oh well.
Little Suzi: Dark? Really? Interesting. No, I've never explained how he became an animagus, but I will in a later chapter. It's really not a big deal [except to you people ;)]
Lady Lightning: He wasn't invisible, but Moody's eye could see right through the charms. Sorry for the mix-up. I re-read it and realized I didn't word it quite right. I hate not being able to convey what I want.
Zane: Thank Lisa for him not being in Slytherin. Personally, I love Slytherin Harry (hey, I'm a Slytherin, sue me) but she made a convincing argument.
Snape coolgirl: More for ya!
Esperanza: Fred and George are great aren't they? They are hilarious.
JeZeBeL: Thanks for sticking around. Severitus challenges are going to be OOC most of the time. There are a few that stay pretty true to characters. But you have to realize that characters change with situations, and you have to adjust the characters' reactions based on those situations. Severus being Harry's father is a huge adjustment on both ends. I have yet to see a story where, upon finding out, both stay in the character that Rowling created. Wow, do I sound preachy (I hate when I do that) but it happens. I'm sorry. By the by, when are you going to update your Severitus challenge?
Phoenix Flight: I got that off of "Green Mile" and thought it was appropriate.
Really, what is it with you people and your obsession with Sirius? Honestly…the man is unstable. You can't tell me twelve years in Azkaban didn't affect him at all. Sure, he didn't dive into depression and insanity like everyone else, but really, to come out completely sane? Come on, be realistic. I haven't decided if Harry and Sirius will reconcile or not. I hope they do (just because Sirius was the first adult who ever cared for him other than a teacher), but I really don't know. I'll have to do what fits best with the story. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but Sirius may stay a prat forever. He will not get along with Severus anytime soon, but he may make up with Harry. I've ranted long enough.
Well, Lee Lee Potter was asleep when she reviewed and
didn't leave an item, so this one comes off my dedication list. This one's for Alecatq who's been
really cool and a faithful reader! On
with the chapter!
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"I am stationing my best operatives and myself in London to prepare for the attack. We do not know when it will happen, but we will be ready. There are ten in all, more on call if we need back up. Do you wish us to take prisoners?" The cloaked man turned to Dumbledore. Harry noticed he seemed a little hopeful when he asked, as if he really didn't want to take prisoners.
"Stun them if possible. We are working on a secret holding facility for the Death Eaters. We believe Voldemort will try to take Azkaban, and putting his top Death Eaters in there would only give him more cause." The cloaked man turned to Severus.
"Why were you not called to the meeting?" Severus pursed his lips.
"I can only guess that he suspects something. He is probably trying to figure out who the spy is. If he called everyone else, planned an attack, and no one found out about it, he would know I'm the spy. Because of Potter's connection with him, we found out about it anyway." Harry tried not to beam at the statement. There was a compliment, and probably thanks, in there, he just had to look for it. At the mention of Potter, the cloaked man turned to Harry.
"Ah yes, Mr. Potter. It is most fortunate that you have this connection with Riddle, or we would not have the advantage we have now."
He wouldn't be thinking it's fortunate if he had the nightmares, Harry thought. But aloud, he smiled. "Anything I can do." Valiant nodded approvingly and turned back to Dumbledore.
~You know, it's really disconcerting to talk to a faceless man~ Harry saw his father's lips purse to hold in a smirk, and turned back to the table. Sirius was eyeing him strangely. Harry smiled weakly at him and mouthed "Let's talk" to him. He nodded and responded silently.
"Without him," he nodded in the direction of Snape and Harry nodded back. With that agreement settled, Harry tuned back in to the conversation.
"…and I will contact you when our mission is complete." Dumbledore nodded and turned to the order.
"Now, is there any other business to attend?" Murmurs filled the assembled group, then a collective shake of heads. Dumbledore clapped his hands and stood up. Everyone else rose with him, and Harry jumped out of his seat. "As I said, I'm sure we will be meeting again. I have a feeling that history is to repeat itself, and we will face dark times indeed. I will need all of you at your best to combat Voldemort and his followers. There will be a training session to reacquaint you with the old ways. I will let you know whom you will be fighting with and when we will begin. This concludes the first meeting of the Order." Chatter broke out among various people, and Harry smiled at Sirius.
~I told him I'd talk with him alone~
~Very well, I must talk with Albus and Valiant. Just call me when you are ready to return~ Harry walked around the table and was joined by Sirius, who opened the door for him and led him out. Harry didn't recognize the building they were in, but let Sirius lead him around the corner to a small room. It was like a den, with a couch and racks of wizard magazines and newspapers.
"Here we are." His voice didn't hold the jubilance it had before, but instead sounded somber and business like. He shut and locked the door behind him as Harry took a seat, then joined Harry on the couch. "What do you want to talk about?" Harry was taken aback at his tone.
"I, uh, wanted to talk, you know, about all this." He gestured grandly. "About us, where we stand right now."
"Where do we stand Harry? I mean come on! Look at it from my point of view! This man used my sister for Voldemort's purposes, he hated me and my best friend, what do you want me to think!" Harry jumped up.
"He did not use Mum! He loved her!" Sirius stood as well, his voice rising above Harry's.
"That's what he told you! You can't take his word over mine!"
"At the moment, he's being more rational than you! He explained to me what happened that night, and the fact that he hasn't told you means that it's either personal to him, or painful, or he sees you as too much of a prat to even care! And at the moment, I'm inclined to agree with him!" Harry made for the door, but Sirius grabbed his arm violently to stop him. Immediately, images came flooding back and he cowered down, shielding his face from any blows that would come.
Sirius' eyes widened in horror as he witnessed his nephew cringing from him, as if waiting to be struck. He released his arm and cupped Harry's face in his hands.
"Harry, look at me! What's wrong?" Harry, realizing that it was Sirius and not Vernon, straightened up and tried to recover lost composure.
"N-nothing. Y-y-you j-just surprised me." Sirius wrapped an arm around the boy, and Harry collapsed into him. Sirius just stood there as Harry latched onto him, trying to hold in sobs. Sirius rubbed his back, face contorted in a mixture of anger and confusion.
"Bastard," he whispered. Harry looked up, eyes blood-shot from holding in tears.
"What?"
"What has that bastard done to you, Harry? What he did to Lily makes me want to rip his heart out, if he has one. But this is unbeliev—"
"No! Snape isn't the one," his voice trailed off as he spoke, realizing he was going to have to divulge information.
"Then who?" his voice was deadly and held a timbre Harry had never heard. For a moment, he could imagine why everyone had thought him a murderer.
Uncle Vernon," he whispered, hoping he caught it the first time. When Sirius leaned in, not even having noticed he'd spoken, he cleared his throat. "Vernon." Harry felt the grip on his shoulder tighten suddenly, and Sirius' eyes became wild and fiery. "You're not going to…" Sirius led Harry back to the couch and sat the boy down.
"Harry, you can't honestly tell me what they did was remotely excusable in any world."
"But what if something happens and I have to live with them again?"
"Harry, everyone else on this planet would have to die before I sent you back there." Harry laughed through his tears. "What on earth is so funny about that?"
"Professor Snape said the same thing." At this, Sirius choked.
"What? He did?" Harry nodded. "Well I'll be…" He sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Harry, listen to me. It's no secret we hate each other, and I can't possibly see why you trust him, but I'll make you a deal." Harry wiped his eyes and looked up.
"What…?"
"Just listen. Snape and I will probably never get over our hatred and despise for one another, but you obviously want to keep him in your life." Harry thought for a moment on this, then nodded. "Thought so. And if you're anything like Lily, you will not give him up easily. I still remember vividly what she did to me."
"Professor Lupin—"
"Moony."
"Yeah him, he told me what Mum did to you. Were you really bed ridden for two months?"
"And on crutches for the next four weeks after that." Harry laughed, and was joined by Sirius. "So what's it like living with the—"
"Sirius!"
"Man! I was going to say man!"
"Yeah right, Sirius. Well, I live in Gryffindor Tower, but all last weekend he confined me to his chambers."
"Why?"
"I had the vision, and Hermione, Neville, and Blaise took me to the Hospital Wing. Blaise is a Slytherin in the house exchange program," he explained at Sirius' confused look. "I escaped Pompfrey and hid in his chambers, and I just never left. He wouldn't let me do anything. I couldn't ride my broom, and I couldn't overexert myself. I was stuck in the dungeons doing homework all day Sunday." Sirius cringed.
"Tough luck, kid."
"Did you know he was so good in chess?"
"You played him in chess? Your mother couldn't beat him in that game."
"Liar," Harry whispered. "He said Mum beat him all the time." Sirius laughed.
"Well, he is a Slytherin." Harry resisted the urge to say, "so am I" and just laughed in agreement.
"Well, I should probably get going. Ravenclaw's playing Hufflepuff, and if Ravenclaw wins, Gryffindor moves to first place." Sirius stood with him and Harry hugged him. "Was my first word really Snitch?"
"Yep, James had your future planned out when you were two months old." Harry laughed.
"What was Dad like? I mean, Professor Snape told me about Mum, but he couldn't say much about Dad."
Sirius looked down at the boy. "He's not making you call him 'Father?' That's odd."
"Actually, he said that James was my Dad, and nothing could ever change that." Surprised, Sirius pulled back.
"He actually said that?"
"What did you think he was going to do? Brainwash me and make me forget my parents?" Harry laughed.
"No, I just thought…never mind. Hey, we should get going, I'll tell you about James some other time."
"Okay," he opened the door and let Sirius lead him back to the main hall. Dumbledore and Snape were waiting, and Sirius actually had the good manners to incline his head to both men. Harry beamed as Snape did the same. Things were finally looking up.
Suddenly, pain shot through his head, and he fell forward. Snape lurched forward and caught him, scooping him up in one deft motion. He rounded on the nearest worker.
"Where is the Infirmary?" he snapped, letting the young man know there was no time for pleasantries.
"Second floor, just go up the stairs there and take a right. You can't miss it." Sirius barely had time to open the door as Snape flew up the stairs. Dumbledore and Sirius followed quickly, but were having a hard time catching up with the man. Harry was thrashing violently, but Snape's strength kept him securely in the man's arms. He allowed himself to look down on the boy once, and wished he hadn't.
The boy's face was sickly white and he was sweating profusely. The lightning bolt scar was bleeding, and the red stood out even more on the pale face. Harry began to shiver and whimper, curling into the Snape's arms. He burst through the doors with all the grace of an elephant and laid Harry down on the nearest bed. He looked at Sirius, giving a silent command, and rushed off to commandeer a nurse. Sirius sat by Harry, brushing the boy's messy hair out of the way.
"Get over there now!" Snape ordered, sending the nurses scampering to Harry's side. Dumbledore pulled Sirius off of the bed and stood off to the side. Snape joined them seconds later, staring at the boy intently as the nurses worked on him.
"What's going on?" Sirius whispered to the Headmaster.
"I can only guess that Voldemort is attacking London. I do hope Valiant and his operatives got there in time."
Lucius Malfoy laughed as they strolled through London, killing people at random. They had yet to come out and torture Muggles, or make their presence known. Their master had told them to wait till they neared the center of town before unleashing the chaos. No Aurors in sight, which meant it was Severus who was the spy. His master would be pleased to hear it. He turned to MacNair to bark an order to find that the man was not beside him. Nor, in fact, were any of the other Death Eaters. He looked around, wondering how he could lose nine people without realizing it.
The other nine were wondering the same thing as each found themselves in a different part of London. They looked around, suddenly noting the absence of their peers and Muggles. MacNair, one of the smarter ones, whirled around and began to retrace his steps. He rounded a corner and came face to face with a large man with a royal blue cloak. He pulled his wand and readied for a duel.
In other parts of the city, eighteen others faced off, each prepared to fight to the death. Almost as one, the Death Eaters tried to disarm their opponents, but failed, ending up on their own backs. MacNair looked up at the man who had deflected his spell back upon him, but found that he couldn't find the man's face.
"Who are you?"
"My name is of no importance to you, Death Eater. What I want to know is who are you?" A hand shot out and pulled the mask off, then a soft chuckle elicited from the man's hood. "Ah, MacNair, the Ministry will be quite interested in questioning you."
Lucius was faring a little better and had regained his footing. Valiant smiled, though Lucius couldn't tell, and inclined his head.
"The gracefulness, the art of curses, you can only be Lucius Malfoy." Not caring, Lucius removed his mask and threw it away.
"Avada Kedavra!" A bright green flash hurtled toward the leader of the Underground, who merely waved his wand.
"Sparsum referio!" The green light hit a shield, and absorbed into it. All of a sudden, it shot back out towards Malfoy, who barely had time to dive into a gutter to avoid it. When he emerged, he faced six others dressed similarly to the other, all with wands pointed at him. Valiant spoke.
"So you have sent the others to the detainment facility?"
"Yes Valiant."
"Very well, let us dispatch this one and help the others." They all nodded and simultaneously cast a disarming charm, sending Malfoy flying back into the alley, unconscious. Valiant disarmed him, searched him, and sent him off with a flick of his wand.
"Finish up here," he ordered them as they removed the bodies, "I will report to the Order." The other nine nodded as he winked out.
As he roamed the halls, he accosted the nearest worker.
"Where is Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"In the Infirmary sir, with Mr. Potter," the man seemed afraid of Valiant, though he didn't know why. Valiant nodded and ascended the stairs swiftly. Once he reached the infirmary, he saw the Headmaster and Sirius Black conversing.
"Headmaster, we have captured ten, with minimal casualties. We lost 4 Muggles before we managed to Dissociate the Death Eaters."
"Who were they?"
"I only managed to identify one of them: Lucius Malfoy. The others may know more."
"Thank you, Valiant. You saved many lives today."
"It is what I do, Headmaster. Good day." He disappeared before their eyes, and Sirius blinked. The door opened and Severus emerged.
"He's calmed down considerably, and I have asked to take him back to Hogwarts. Madam Pompfrey and I can look after him." Dumbledore nodded and patted Sirius on the shoulder. Severus went back into the Infirmary for several minutes, then emerged again laden with Harry in his arms. The trio walked silently out of the building and Apparated to Hogsmeade. Sirius transformed immediately and nudged Harry's hand in goodbye, then bounded off. Dumbledore and Severus climbed into a carriage and set off for the castle.
Once in his own chambers, Severus carefully laid the boy down in his bed, covering him up. With a start, he realized this was the first time he'd ever tucked anyone in. Smiling softly, he laid his hand on Harry's forehead and then left the room.
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Yay! Ten Death Eaters down. Voldemort's not going to be too happy about that. Oh well, tough luck. That Dissociating thing is cool…they pretty much put the Muggles in stasis until the Death Eaters were captured. Once it was over, they returned them without any knowledge something had happened.
Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been moving all weekend. And how did everyone like the Harry/Sirius interaction. I told you something would happen, I just wasn't sure what. It looks like things are finally turning around for old Harry.
NOTICE: In your review, name one object (anything you like) and the 300th reviewer will have the next chapter (after the review) dedicated to them personally, and I will include the item somehow (promise it won't be hokey…unless it's something totally off the wall). If it ever gets that high, I will also do that with 325th reviewer, 350th, etc…so review away people!