A Song of Lightning and Fire
Arc I: Hogwarts
Part III: The Prisoner of Azkaban
October 28th, 1992.
"Mexico," an old wizard croaked, before passing out. "Severus Snape is in Mexico."
The Map of the World on the Table in front of the old Wizard ignited into Flames and was reduced to ashes within seconds. That was the way Blood Magic worked, after all.
Albus Dumbledore sighed at the implications, vanishing the Fake Corpse Albus had helped Severus make after Voldemort's defeat at the hands of Harry Potter back in 1980. The Corpse was made with Severus' blood, and could therefore be used to locate him.
But Mexico was a large place, and it didn't necessarily have the friendliest of welcomes.
"Of course, he's in Mexico," Newt said. "No, it couldn't be America, or India, or even funking North Korea, no. The man has to go and settle down in Mexico."
Albus shook his head in disapproval of his language, but he still couldn't deny that Newt had a point. Even North Korea would be better than what Magical Mexico was now.
Albus sighed. "I should go do this alone, Newt," he said. "Laura has her debut today as a starter, correct?"
One of the Holyhead Harpies players had gotten injured recently, and since Laura was one of the most promising players anyone had seen in… well, a long while, they were giving her the chance to play in today's match as a Starting Chaser.
Newt nodded. "Yes," he replied. "I've already missed her previous match as well…" he trailed off.
"Then go," Albus said. "I will be able to do this myself."
"Are you certain?" Newt asked. "She will understand-"
"No," Albus interrupted him. "Well, she might, but I do not want to deprive her of her grandfather when she wins."
Newt smiled at the obvious confidence Albus had in his Granddaughter. "Very well," he said, bowing his head and turning to go.
"Wait," Albus called. Newt turned back with a question in his eyes. "What do we do with him?" Albus asked, gesturing to the passed out Wizard.
"Oh," Newt said. "Well, I reckon we should just conjure him a bed, some pillows, and give him his payment."
Albus nodded in acceptance, and did as Newt suggested, and the two Wizards left the room and out into the streets of Taiwan, bumping into several Muggles on their way out of the shop of the Wizard.
Newt had come across the old Wizard during his Travels to Taiwan, long before the war with Grindelwald. The Wizard was a Blood Magic expert, and Albus and Newt had hired him to look for Severus, who was still alive, contrary to what the Death Eaters believed. The purpose of the body was only to fool the Death Eaters since it would not hold up in an examination.
"Don't you think Fudge will get suspicious about your travels?" Newt asked.
"What's there to be suspicious about two old men travelling the World together on a Holiday?" Albus countered.
"We're not just any two old men, though, are we?" Newt asked.
"Touché," Albus said. "Jokes aside, I do believe that he already is suspicious about it."
"What are we doing about it?" Newt asked
" I will deal with him," Albus said, there really was no need for Newt to compromise his family for him. "Make up an excuse or something."
Newt looked at him worriedly for a while before nodding hesitantly. "Don't play with him too much," he warned. "I know you're powerful and all, but he's still the Minister for Magic. And he's still under a lot of stress because of Azkaban's Wards being destroyed."
Albus nodded in understanding. Despite what people believed, he wasn't a child trapped in a crackpot old man's body, that was just his way of coping with shit. But even Albus would admit that he took it a bit too far sometimes.
And now was certainly not the time to do that, not after the Mystery Prisoner of Azkaban had just broken down the Wards, leading Albus to believe that the person was very powerful.
"Good luck," Newt said, as they reached the point where Newt was planning to Portkey away from.
"Thank you," Albus replied. "Wish Laura the absolute best from me, will you? I have a feeling I won't be able to make it to the rest of her games this year."
Newt nodded before pulling out a feather and holding it in his hand. Twenty Seconds later, Newt was sucked into the Portkey's vortex, presumably back to his Townhouse.
Albus, on the other hand, had another… mission to do. But Taiwan was too far from England to attempt any kind of Apparition, and there was no way he'd be able to Portkey into Hogwarts- not after all the warding he'd done to prevent anyone from entering the Castle Magically- so he disapparated to an Alley near the Airport, and went in to book himself a ticket on the earliest flight to England.
Albus entered the Ministry of Magic the next day, hoping to avoid Cornelius Fudge on his way to book a Portkey.
Strictly speaking, he didn't really need to book one, he could always just make it for himself, but there was no guarantee that he'd be able to remain anonymous in Mexico. His face was rather recognizable after all, and being caught with a disguise would give him nothing but an entirely new set of troubles
Unfortunately, just as he was entering the corridor leading to the Portkey Office, he spotted Cornelius waiting for him there.
"Dumbledore," Fudge greeted him coolly.
"Cornelius!" Albus said cheerfully, with a lot of over enthusiasm.
"Care to tell me where you're going?" Fudge asked.
"Not particularly," Albus reied, still in that cheerful tone.
"Dumbledore," Fudge warned.
"Fine," Albus sighed, as though giving away his deepest secret. "I am going to Mexico. Happy?"
"Why?" Cornelius pressed.
At that moment, Albus wished he hadn't mentioned the creation of the Confundus Charm to anyone in the Ministry. "Sightseeing," Albus replied with a serene smile. "Mexico is a lovely place, you know."
Cornelius narrowed his eyes at him, clearly not believing the blatant lie Albus told him. "What exactly are you playing at Dumbledore?" Fudge asked.
"Playing at?" Dumbledore asked, genuinely curious to see where this was going.
"Trying to take over the Ministry, are you?" Fudge hissed. "I know you've always wanted the post."
Albus sighed. Not this again. Cornelius Fudge had always had 'suspicions' that Albus would one day steal the position of Minister for Magic from him. The fact that Albus had chosen to decline the position three times always seemed to slip his mind.
"Might I remind you-" Albus started but was cut off by a Patronus bounding into the corridor they were in.
"Minister," Albis recognized the voice of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, and silently thanked her for the timely intervention, even though she hadn't done it for him. "The meeting is about to start, where are you?"
Cornelius heaved a sigh, closed his eyes and took a deep breath and then let it out. He did this two more times and then glared at Albus. "This isn't over!" He hissed.
Albus merely inclined his head at the man as he left. Albus took a deep breath of his own and let it out when he entered the room. This was worse than he'd been expecting, but it gave him the confidence that revealing Voldemort's return now, would only ruin their chances. No, secrecy was, by far, the better option.
He entered the grey colored room, very similar to its Egyptian counterpart, except for the fact that there were usually two, or in this case, one attendant inside the room.
Albus remembered the man, Fabian Davies, a Ravenclaw, he'd graduated with E's all around last year, which was why Albus assumed he was sitting here, this job being a part time job would make the most sense.
Fabian's eyes grew wide upon seeing him and he stood up to greet him. "Headmaster," he said. "It's great to see you. How can I help?"
"You can start by calling me Albus," he replied with a smile, just as he always did to any one of his ex-students that still called him by the title. "You are not a Student at Hogwarts anymore."
"Erm, okay. Albus," he replied, seemingly testing the name out. "How can I help you?"
"I need a Portkey to Mexico," Albus said, watching the young man's eyebrows raised. "How soon can I get one?"
"Well, erm, I'll need your-" Fabian interrupted himself by clearing his throat. "I'll need your identification, sir."
Albus wasn't expecting anything else, and dutifully handed it over. Fabian quickly inspected it and handed it back to Albus, making an entry in the journal he had with him. Words started forming in the journal below where Fabian had written his message, and Albis knew that the Mexican Officials had seen his request.
Pretty soon, Albus found himself holding a Rubber Duck. Albus always found them curious little things. He would love to make/Enchant one from scratch that could actually hold a conversation with someone, much like his brother, Aberforth, had done to Goats. Hm… maybe it was something to consider doing after retirement.
His thoughts were cut off when the Duck glowed blue and he felt that pull behind his Navel and was sucked into the Vortex of the Portkey, landing on the grey Stone floors of the Mexican Ministry of Magic.
The Mexican Ministry of Magic was located in an isolated Aztec temple in a Magically Hidden Forest in Central Mexico. The Temple had a rich history among the Locals, and the amount of Runic and Blood Magic that was found here was rivalled only by the Egyptian variety of said Magic.
Of course, the use of the Magic wasn't nearly the same in Mexico as it was in Egypt. Egyptian Wizards used their Hieroglyphs and Runes to guard the Tombs and Pyramids, whereas the Mexicans used it to attack, confuse or overwhelm the enemy.
Albus left the Portkey Room and headed toward the Department of Records. He knew that Severus Snape was living in Mexico, but he didn't know where. Or if he was even living in a Magical area.
He cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself, feeling secure when he felt the familiar feeling of the Charm, like icy cold water being dropped on your skin.
He confounded the four guards with a flick of his Wand and entered the room, searching the extremely well organized filing system for anything after the year 1980.
Approximately an hour later, Albus had found no mention of any Severus Snape here, so either he had packed his bags and run away, or he was under an alias, but what Alias would he…
Albus could have smacked himself right then, of course he would use the name Prince, Severus was especially proud of that one.
Lo and behold, not ten minutes later, he had found a file for Severus Prince. He was living in a suburban Magical part of Central Mexico as the owner of an apothecary.
Albus smiled at that, Severus had always wanted to open up an apothecary. Albus felt doubly bad for ruining it for him now, but if Voldemort came back, it would be much worse.
Albus memorized the pictures of the area, flicked his Wand to place the files at their original destinations, and promptly disapparated.
Upon reappearing, he found himself exactly where the pictures said he would be. Albus walked into the nearby shopping district and was surprised at how… Muggle, it seemed.
Sure, he could feel the Magic around him, but still, it was very unique, and Albus made sure to make some time to come here for an in-depth visit.
But unfortunately, he wasn't able to find the apothecary, despite looking for a long time. He also gained a lot of attention since he was walking alone, and had chosen to go without a disguise.
"Are you lost, sir?" A man wearing Black robes asked him.
Albus inclined his head. "I might be," he replied. "Do you know where Severus Prince's apothecary would be?"
"Indeed I do!" The man replied cheerfully. "Follow me," he set off in a brisk walk, and Albus followed him after a moment of hesitation, maybe he should have asked Newt to come with him…
The man led him down the path, and into a large empty Alley. Albus immediately reached out with his Magic, searching for the Magical Signatures of others to know if this was a trap.
Unfortunately, he sensed at least 5 other Magical Signatures. One on the top of the building, and the other 4 hiding behind cover, all of them ready to cast a Spell.
But he wasn't Albus Dumbledore for nothing.
He spun around, jabbing his Wand toward the edge of the roof of the building where he knew one of his adversaries were located.
The edge of the building's roof was blown away and Albus flicked his Wand at the Rubble before it got too far, encasing the Enemy on top in a cocoon of stone.
He quickly disapparated, apparating behind the man who led him here, and promptly stunned him.
He sensed a lot of Curses heading for him, but Fawkes suddenly appeared in front of him, covered with Phoenix Fire, absorbing all the Curses.
Albus knew that he wasn't just covered with Phoenix Fire though. He actually was the Fire. It was one of the abilities of the Phoenix, but it made the Phoenix suffer the pains of Burning Day sooner.
Albus thrust his hand toward Fawkes who Flamed him away to the other side of the Alley. Fawkes promptly flew away to set up his own brand of Concealment and Notice-Me-Not Enchantments.
His adversaries were wide open now, though, so Albus swept his Wand in an arc, casting a Seismic Wave Charm, causing all of them to go flying back as though hit by an Erumpent.
His enemies, apparently, weren't done yet because at that moment, he heard several 'pop' sounds. He ducked as Fawkes joined the Battle, grabbing one of the enemies with his tail feathers and Flaming away into the air, promptly dropping him to the ground while Albus duelled the other Six.
The Body dropping from the sky managed to distract the others enough for Albus to quickly Stun four of them.
The other two went to revive them, but Albus launched such a furious flurry of Spells- Bludgeoning Hexes, Stunning Spells, Cutting Curses, Full Body Binds, Conjured objects/Animals and the like- that they were forced to back away.
One of them was caught by a Random Disarming Charm Albus added to the Mix, and Albus was able to parry one of the man's own Curses back at him.
The man immediately started blowing up like a Balloon until he reached a point where he quite literally exploded in a shower of blood and gore.
Albus didn't let this distract him, though. He'd known they were using strange Curses on him, but he didn't know they were this bad. Albus assumed it was probably that time of the decade when Dark Magic evolved.
So naturally, getting hit by one of them was something he could not afford.
A lot of the blood went on the last remaining adversary, so Albus Transfigured the Blood into Water, which he then wrapped around the man, Transfiguring The Water into a thick rope, successfully binding him and hitting with a Stunner.
Albus walked forward, intent on interrogating the man, when he felt a burning pain in his lower back, he also found himself unable to move, and, as a result fell to the ground.
He tried to use his Magic to fight against this Curse, but this was no Full-Body Bind, there was no fighting this, especially not when Albus didn't even know what it was.
"Albus Dumbledore," someone said. "The vanquisher of Darkness, Champion of Mudbloods, what a fucking joke!" He finished, kicking Albus in the side and turning him over.
Albus saw that there were three more men in the area, and he was especially concerned about the fact that he hadn't been able to sense them, almost as if they were… but no, he would know if they were… undead, right?
Albus' thoughts were cut-off when he saw another figure in full Black Robes jump down from the building, slashing his Wand and causing a crescent blade of Magic to erupt from it, heading toward the enemy on Albus' right.
The man was vertically cut in half, but Albus' saviour didn't seem to care. He landed on his feet, flicking his Wand and blasting an enemy into the wall, trapping him there.
His saviour still didn't slow down, furiously Duelling the remaining one, the one that had Cursed Albus.
In the end, his saviour got the man with another one of those crescent blades of Magic to the neck, Severing his head clean off of his body.
The saviour turned around and lowered his hood, causing Albus to gasp in surprise. "Do you mind explaining what the hell you are doing here?" Severus Snape asked, glaring at Albus furiously.
Albus wasn't able to answer his question back in the Alley due to the Curse, but once Severus figured out what the matter was, he'd grabbed his arm and taken Albus to his flat above the apothecary.
The flat itself was very small, with a kitchen right next to the entrance hallway which led into the Living Room. There was a Dining Room in front of the Kitchen, and stairs that led up to the bedroom near the end of the Hallway.
Albus had been lying on the couch in the living room for the past hour, waiting for Severus to return with the Potion that would enable him to move again.
Severus came a few seconds later with a steaming goblet that Albus assumed contained the Potion. He opened Albus' mouth, and poured the Potion down his throat, pointing his Wand at Albus and making him swallow it.
Immediately, Albus felt his body begin to loose up a little and soon, he was able to move freely. "Thank you," Albus managed to croak out.
"What are you doing here?" Severus asked harshly, not bothering to acknowledge the gratitude.
"I was looking for you actually," Albus answered.
"I gathered that," he responded dryly. "You've been drawing a lot of attention to yourself."
"Attention?" Albus asked.
"The ones that tried to kill you," Severus replied. "They aren't Mexican Terrorists. They are Talons."
"Talons? Albus asked, remembering the carnage that particular group was capable of. "What were they doing here?"
"Looking for you," Severus replied. "As I said, you've been attracting a lot of attention. Now what do you want?"
"Your Dark Mark, Severus," Albus said, letting the old topic go, and vowing to be more cautious next time. "Has it been… burning as of late? Been more Darker perhaps?"
He noticed Severus look away and tense up more and more as Albus was speaking, and knew that something more was going on.
"It has," Severus replied quietly. "But surely it isn't… him, is it?"
"May I have a look at it?" Albus asked.
Severus nodded and raised the sleeve of his left robe, revealing the Dark Mark. The Mark was indeed slightly Darker than Albus remembered it being 10 years ago. Back then, they'd all assumed that the Dark Mark was tied to the Magic of the Death Eaters, now he knew otherwise.
"What does this mean?" Severus asked. "Has he returned?"
"No," Dumbledore answered. "He has not. Though, I fear that he will. Which is why I am here."
"No," Severus said, immediately backing up. "I will not work as your bloody spy again-"
"Relax," Dumbledore interrupted him. "I am not asking you to work as a spy. I just need information."
"Information," Severus slowly repeated after a moment.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "What are the methods one can use for immortality? Particularly ones that focus on the severing of a soul? I had an interaction recently that has led me to believe that this might be what Voldemort has done."
Severus went wide-eyed and pale and ran out of the room, returning a minute later with a huge tome in his hand, one that seemed to be about Dark Magic
He slammed the tome on the coffee table and opened it, turning a few pages till he seemingly found the right one. He skimmed through it and then showed it to Albus, who promptly started reading.
A Horcrux is an object in which a Wizard or Witch hides a fragment of his or her soul in order to become immortal. As long as the object remains intact, so too does the soul fragment inside it, keeping the maker anchored to the world of the living, even if their body suffers fatal damage. The Horcrux is widely considered to be the most terrible of all dark magic.
Horcruxes can only be created after committing murder, the supreme act of evil, as a means to tear the soul. The process for the creation of a Horcrux involved a spell- which we shall not name, nor give directions for- and a horrific act was performed soon after the murder had been committed.
Given that the objects used to make the Horcruxes themselves must be precious to those who made them, there are usually protective measures made to prevent them from being stolen or destroyed, such as Counter-Charms and Curses. Horcruxes were also very durable, requiring some of the most potent elements of the wizarding world to destroy them, such as Basilisk Venom and Fiendfyre.
Albus sighed and let his head fall back onto the Sofa. This was… bad? No. This was so much worse. And if this was Tom Riddle, he must have improved on the original formula.
"I take it you have found what you were looking for?" Severus asked.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore replied. "It will take further investigation of course but this is the most hopeful I have ever been. Thank you."
Severus nodded absently this time, rubbing his hand on his forearm where the Dark Mark was. Albus did have one more question though.
"Have you ever heard of a Soul Shard?" Albus asked.
"Yes," Severus replied. "But it is unlikely that he made one of them."
"I know for a fact that he did," Albis replied. "But that has been taken care of, by the same people who stopped Voldemort from rising again. But what I am interested in, is how this Soul Shard is made. I can find no references to it anywhere."
"That would be because it has fallen out of use," Severus replied. "It was used in the old days, and by old I mean before King Tiberius ascended to power. But it wasn't quite the method of immortality people believed it to be. Just a copy of your soul called a Life Essence. It would share all your memories upto the point of its creation."
"And how was it created?" Dumbledore asked.
"It is a tedious and most difficult process," Severus replied. "It made use of a Soul Forge to separate the Soul from the body."
Albus wasn't able to stop his jaw from dropping. The Soul Forge was only used to treat someone if their soul had been damaged or otherwise injured due to a Curse, and there were not nearly as many of those cases nowadays due to the sheer difficulty of those Curses.
"Then," Severus continued. "The Soul must be severed in a 51:49 ratio by someone else using a Demonic Blade. It won't work if it isn't exactly this ratio. The smaller part must then be left to regrow in an object that holds emotional value for someone, while the original piece will be regrown in the Soul Forge itself."
"But this process requires two people," Severus said. "And I cannot see the Dark Lord trusting anyone like that."
No, Voldemort wouldn't. But Tom Riddle certainly would. And that is what Albus had the most trouble understanding. How did Tom Riddle, the Paragon of Justice and Equality turn into the Monster responsible for terrorizing the entire Wizarding World? The Monster that openly called Purebloods superior and discriminated against Muggleborns…
"Thank you for your help, Severus," Albus said, pushing those thoughts out of his mind.
Severus inclined his head. "Anything else?" He asked in a tone that held hope that there wasn't anything else.
"Yes," Albus said, not wanting to ask the question, but finding himself unable to keep quiet. "If Voldemort returns. Will you fight with us? Not as a spy," Albus quickly added when Severus glared at him. "But as a Duellist. Or a Healer, or a Potioneer. We will have a need for all three if Voldemort rises again."
Severus hesitated, but then his face softened, well, as soft as Severus' face could possibly become anyway. "I shall think about it," he replied.
Albus thanked him, for the information, and for the hospitality, and left his house, feeling thankful that the topics of the Potters and the Marauders were avoided.
Now, if he could figure out the Mystery of the Undead Talons, he could rest easy.
Harry and Ginny left the Charms Classroom feeling rather smug, though the feeling was considerably more in terms of intensity in Harry's case.
They had just finished attending the Charms Club, open for Third Years and above who showed talent in that Branch of Magic. Today was the… selection process so to speak.
They'd just covered a Charm that would make an Animagus assume their Human Form, should the Charm be used on them in their Animal Form. It was one of the first Charms Harry had been able to master in under 4 tries, probably because its Roots were in Transfiguration
They'd used it on Runic cubes which were made by Dumbledore himself. If your Spell was properly cast, then the Rune in the centre would grow a bright green, if you did not, then it would glow in varying degrees of blue, depending on how far off your Spell casting was. The same objects were used in the higher Years every year.
Harry and Ginny had been the only ones to get it in the Class since the class only had 10 minutes worth of time to Practice in. Flitwick had been planning on choosing those that had the most accurate casting.
Today was also Halloween, and the day that many of the students- Fourth Year and above- would leave for Hogsmeade and Harry and Ginny were appearing as though they were bummed about it, but secretly, they were thrilled. They would be sneaking out today, intent on joining the others without them even knowing.
"How was the Charms Club?" Hermione asked. "Do you think you might be selected?"
"Maybe," Harry replied, the grin still fixed on his face. Ginny chuckled and shook her head at him.
"I'm pumped for Hogsmeade," Ron said. "Did you know that the main branch of Honeydukes is in Hogsmeade?"
"Yes, Ronald, we do," Hermione replied, affectionately rolling her eyes.
"You've been going on about that for ages," Ginny added, grinning.
Ron blushed. "Well, did you know that-"
"That the main outlet of Nimbus is here, too?" Harry interrupted with a smile. "Yeah, mate. We know."
Ron managed to get even redder in embarrassment, so Harry threw an arm around the older boy's shoulder.
"Oh, come on," Harry said. "You know we're just messing around."
Ginny nodded alongside him. "Yeah, I do hope you have fun there."
Despite her annoyance with not being able to go to Hogsmeade the official way, she would never hold a grudge against her brothers for experiencing the fun opportunities that the place could provide.
"Thanks, Ginny," Ron replied.
"At least you won't be stuck with Malfoy all day," Harry replied as the blonde boy in question walked away from them after muttering something about 'Mudbloods' that Harry wasn't able to catch.
"Yeah," Ron replied. "Sucks that you have to, though."
Harry and Ginny sighed tragically, but shared a glance, barely managing to suppress their grins.
They reached the Entrance Hall where loads of students were already piled up, waiting for the queue to move. Harry and his friends, due to their short height, weren't able to see much since the rest of the students were older, and considerably taller.
Ginny apparently grew tired of this because she placed her hands on Harry's shoulders and jumped on his back. Harry caught her by her thighs, lifting her up as much as he could. He knew something was wrong when Ginny cursed and hopped off.
"Filch," she said. "He's checking the list of names slower than a bloody Sloth would."
Ron, Hermione and a few others were openly gaping at the pair of them, but Harry and Ginny were more than used to the looks.
"What do you mean?" Hermione finally asked.
"Filch has got a list of the names of the students allowed to enter Hogsmeade," Ginny said, frowning. "But he's not going too fast."
Harry knew why she was so indignant. The sooner they got Ron and Hermione to leave, the sooner they could go themselves since Devon and Jessica were in the Common Rooms.
They had to wait another fifteen minutes before McGonagall came in and Filch had to hasten his pace of reading in front of the rather intimidating Deputy Headmistress. It took another Five minutes before Ron and Hermione had their turn.
"Names," Filch said in the most polite tone Harry and Ginny had ever heard from him.
"Weasley/Granger," Ron and Hermione respectively replied.
"Hold on!" Filch cried, pointing at Harry and Ginny. "You two are underage! Headmistress-"
"For Merlin's sake Filch," McGonagall sighed. "They're probably just here to see their friends off."
Filch was disappointed when Harry and Ginny nodded. He searched Ron and Hermione's names, taking ever so slightly longer than normal before letting them through.
"I'll bring you guys a Chocolate Bar!" Ron called, as he and Hermione waved at them.
"Thanks!" Harry and Ginny called back, waving their friends goodbye.
They turned back and weaved through the crowd of students, finally getting space to breathe near the Grand Staircase. "Time to go?" Ginny asked, barely being able to hold her excitement.
"Yeah, sure," Harry replied. "Last one there's a piece of Dragon Dung," Harry said, running forward.
He turned his head back in time to see Ginny scrunch her nose up and shake her head at the mental image before taking off after him. Raising Dragons gave you a pretty good idea of what that smelled like.
They were able to run up to the Third Floor Corridor before they were intercepted by Remus Lupin.
Harry was really fond of the man in the two months that he got to know him in. While he still held that little bit of resentment that he never so much as came to visit, Harry knew that losing all your friends in a single night would be hard on anyone. Besides, by all accounts, Harry was living a good life at the Dursleys.
"Ah," Professor Lupin replied. "Harry, Ginny. Just the two students I was looking for."
They raised their eyebrows at the Professor in silent question.
"Remember that… er, request, that you made, Harry?" Professor Lupin asked.
Harry did remember the request. He'd asked Professor Lupin to teach him and Ginny the Patronus Charm, stating that they were affected by the Dementors the most. The Professor had agreed but had asked for a few weeks for arranging the lessons.
"Yes, sir," Harry and Ginny replied.
"Well, I have everything ready now," Professor Lupin replied. "If you are free now, we can start today itself."
Harry and Ginny nodded vigorously, their previous plans to visit Hogsmeade kept aside for now. There would be more time to visit, and even if there wasn't, they'd always just go next year.
"Very well, then," Professor Lupin replied cheerfully. "Follow me."
He set off toward the Grand Staircase, Harry and Ginny trailing behind him, and led them one floor below, onto the Second Floor, and ushered them into an unused classroom.
The interior of the Room was similar to what Professor Lupin had used for the Boggart Lesson during his First Defence Against the Dark Arts Class except it was much smaller, yet large enough for two children and an Adult. This time, however, instead of a closet, there was a Trunk.
"You must be wondering what this Trunk is doing here?" Professor Lupin asked.
Harry and Ginny nodded.
"Well, you see, The Patronus Charm is a very difficult Charm," Professor Lupin said. "It is not easy to cast. And it is even harder in the presence of a Dementor. So, I could teach you the Charm normally, or I can get the next best thing to a Dementor."
"What's that?" Ginny asked. Harry had a feeling he already knew, but he kept his mouth shut in case he was wrong.
"Why, a Boggart-Dementor, of course," Professor Lupin replied, smiling.
Ginny's jaw dropped, and she got a wide-eyed look on her face. "How will we get… Harry's boggart!" She cried in sudden realization. "It's a Dementor, isn't it?" She asked.
Harry and Professor Lupin nodded, remembering that day with the Boggarts. "How will having a Boggart Dementor help?" Harry asked.
"Boggarts can also replicate the Powers of whatever it is that they turn into to a certain extent," Professor Lupin replied. "So, a Boggart-Dementor will get some of the Powers of an actual Dementor, including the depressing feeling that people get around them."
Harry and Ginny nodded in understanding and Professor Lupin spoke again. "Now, onto the Charm itself… I must warn you now, that this Charm is ridiculously difficult to achieve. It is so complicated that it isn't even taught at Hogwarts."
"Not only does it depend a lot on the Individual Power and Skill of a person," Professor Lupin continued. "But also on the determination and will power of that person. It is so complicated that even the best of Wizards fail to cast it, so don't hold out too much hope because there is a very big chance that you might not get it. Do you understand?"
Harry and Ginny nodded again, this time with determination, and Professor Lupin sighed, probably in relief. "Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus, which is a kind of Anti-Dementor which acts as a guardian, defending you from the Dementor. The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon- hope, happiness, the desire to survive- but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it."
"The Patronus usually takes the form of an Animal," Professor Lupin continued. "Mostly a Non-Magical one, but there have been instances of there being Patronuses taking the shape of Magical Animals. This type of Patronus is called a Corporeal Patronus. It is most commonly used to Ward off Dementors and to send messages to people."
"There is also the Non-Corporeal Patronus," Professor Lupin said. "Which is a kind of Shield. As the name implies, it has no form, it's just a cloud of Mist that erupts from your Wand. Over time, you can learn to cast both the Non Corporeal and Corporeal types of Patronus. It is used to reduce the effects of Dark Curses, as well as to Ward off a small number of Dementors."
"There is no Wand Movement to the Spell, and the Incantation for it is Expecto Patronum," Professor Lupin added. "But that is not all, you must also- and this is crucial to the Spell- you must also think of a Happy memory, any Happy memory, but preferably the Happiest memory you have."
"I know you are used to Silent Magic,but give the verbal method a try this time. It might help you grasp the Spell a little quicker," Professor Lupin suggested.
Professor Lupin had them repeat the incantation three times before he had them stand in front of the Trunk. They were both going to cast it first, despite their Brother Wand connection. They'd take a combined Patronus over not having the ability to create one, at all.
"I will give you a minute," Professor Lupin said. "Think of the happiest memory you've got. Think about it, and channel it into your Magic."
Harry thought of the times he'd felt the happiest, as though he was on the top of the world, and the most frequent one for him was the times he was with Ginny. But those memories were just too vast, so he picked flying instead.
Professor Lupin waited for two minutes and then asked, "Ready?" Receiving nods from them. "Good luck," he said, flicking his Wand at the Trunk causing its locks to open. Harry stepped forward to make sure that the Boggart turned into a Dementor.
Soon, a Dark robed figure floated out of the Trunk, a chill settled in Harry's body, forcing him to think if the worst memories of his life, though Harry was able to fight it this time, since it was only a Boggart.
"Expecto Patronum!" He heard Ginny yell, and he tried to cast his own Patronus Charm.
But nothing happened.
They tried again, and again, but they might as well be waving their Wands about and yelling Random Gibberish. Ginny even switched to Silent Magic and he followed her lead, Verbal Casting was just weird for them at this point.
They were also constantly on the move, but he noticed their movements get slower and slower, almost as if the Dementor itself was slowing them down. It was that or Magical Exhaustion.
Seconds later, Harry just couldn't take it anymore and he stopped, falling to the floor and welcoming the Darkness that enveloped him. Hearing two different female voices scream his name.
"Ennervate!" Harry heard before snapping back to consciousness.
He sat up and backed away from the two Shapes in front of him. He rubbed his eyes and saw that the Shapes were his Best friend and Professor, Ginny Weasley, and Remus Lupin respectively.
"Alright?" Ginny asked, as Professor Lupin handed him a large piece of chocolate.
"Eat," Professor Lupin said, as Harry nodded in response to Ginny's question. Harry bit it into the chocolate and sighed as the stress and cold slowly left his body.
Harry sighed. "I'm sorry," he said to Ginny.
"What for?" She asked, furrowing her brow.
"This," he said, gesturing to the spot where he had passed out just- presumably- a few minutes ago.
"Don't apologize for that," she said.
"That was a completely understandable reaction, Harry," Professor Lupin said when Harry went to protest. "From what I have heard, you and Ginny have led a more difficult life than most of us at your age, Harry. It isn't anything to be ashamed about, nor is it something you can avoid while learning this Charm. The Dementors will keep affecting you more because of your past."
This did nothing to quell Harry's disappointment in himself, and he reckoned it showed on his face because Ginny gave him a look that said she thought he was blaming himself too much for it.
"What memory did you choose?" Professor Lupin asked.
"Flying," Harry replied.
"Flying?" Professor Lupin asked, furrowing his brow.
"Yeah," Harry said. "You know, anytime I'm flying."
"I chose the memory of my first visit to Ottery St. Catchpole," Ginny said.
Professor Lupin sighed. "I don't think that's good enough. Not nearly good enough. You might want to search for something stronger. Perhaps a feeling instead of a memory? Use what makes you feel the most Happy. Remember it, take hold of it, and channel it."
Something that made him happy. There wasn't much that did that, just Magic, Flying, and his friends, especially Ginny.
"Maybe we should try this tomorrow," Professor Lupin said.
"What!? Why?" Harry cried.
"Because," Professor Lupin replied. "You two need rest. Neither of you knew what to expect, and you need a better memory. Take today off, we'll continue this tomorrow."
Harry and Ginny recognized a dismissal when they heard it, and truth be told, Harry was feeling a bit… winded. Ginny looked tired as well, he noticed.
"Alright, Professor," Harry said. "We'll see you later."
"I shall look forward to it," Professor Lupin replied, waving them goodbye.
"What now?" Ginny asked after they were out of the classroom. They chose against locking the classroom, since Professor Lupin would probably be grading papers in there, everyone knew he liked his peace and quiet.
"I don't know," Harry replied. "Do you want to finish your homework with Aries and Artemis?"
Ginny shook her head. "I've already done my homework. Besides, we just visited them this morning. I really don't think we should have them go through another attachment phase."
Harry nodded with a wince, a little disappointed that she was right. Harry and Ginny had been visiting the Dragons a lot these past two months, trying to make up for the lost time last year, and Aries and Artemis did not want to let them go back to the Castle..
The resulting conversations had been… frustrating, to say the least.
"Alright," Harry said. "Let's just visit Hagrid then," he added, noticing Ginny's eyes light up at the idea. "We haven't done that this week right?" Ginny shook her head and bolted toward the Grand Staircase, Harry close behind her.
They ended up staying most of the afternoon at Hagrid's, who was only too happy to have them there. They talked about their week and helped him with his chores, also getting some knowledge about the Care of Magical Creatures classes that they would be taking next year.
They spotted Ron and Hermione coming back from their Hogsmeade trip and immediately went over to meet them after thanking Hagrid and waving him goodbye.
"How was it?" Ginny asked as soon as they were in the Entrance Hall.
"Bloody Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed. "There was… you know what?" He asked Hermione, a grin forming on his face.
"What?" Hermione asked curiously, looking at the books in her bag like Harry looked at Molly Weasley's homemade Treacle Tart.
"We should just let them see it for themselves," he said, his grin turning into a smirk, eyes pleading with her to go along with it.
"Hermione!" Ginny cried. "You wouldn't do that would you?"
"Oh, I'm afraid I'll have to," she replied, giggling at Harry and Ginny's horror struck faces.
"Traitor!" Harry and Ginny cried together, setting off in a jog toward her.
"Run!" Ron yelled, doing just that and dragging Hermione with him.
What followed was probably the wildest chase that had ever taken place in Hogwarts. It was completely against the Rules, and by tomorrow, they would definitely lose House Points because of it, but Harry didn't care, he was having loads of fun.
Ron and Hermione were fast. Harry would be the first to admit it. But he and Ginny knew the secret entrances and exits of the Castle so well, he doubted anyone could keep up with, or in this case stay away from them.
Ron and Hermione were presumably headed toward the Gryffindor Common Room, and Harry and Ginny planned to intercept them there, so they took a shortcut from behind a tapestry that opened if you asked nicely.
Ginny placed her hand on the Wall at the end of the Shortcut and it rotated instantly, allowing them to exit into the corridor outside the Common Room. Unfortunately, it wasn't Ron and Hermione they found there.
There was a Huge Black Dog- A Grim, he realized- standing in front of the Portrait Hole.
It looked like the Grim had just Ripped the Portrait Hole open completely, they could see inside the Hole into the Common Room that was thankfully devoid of any students.
It turned to them and snarled before its grey eyes landed on Harry. Its eyes widened and it took a step back in what seemed like surprise, shaking its head.
The Grim charged forward and Harry and Ginny quickly flattened themselves on the wall behind them. Harry shot an Everte Statum at the Grim, but it avoided his Spell by jumping over the area where Harry had aimed his Wand. Fortunately, Ginny managed to get it with a Full-Body Bind.
The Grim went rigid mid air and fell to the floor. Harry and Ginny looked at each other, and went toward it to investigate. They stopped a good distance away from it, though, they didn't believe that a Charm as simple as that would last long against a monster of Myth
"A Grim?" Ginny asked faintly. "I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore."
Harry snorted. It was true, they had had a lot of adventures over the past 2 years. They'd fought creatures that were the stuff of nightmares and found things that were legend, yet this one had to take the cake, a Basilisk was still somewhat believable, a Grim on the other hand…
His thoughts were cut off as the Grim snarled and broke through the Body Bind, completely ignoring Harry and Ginny and rushing toward the revolving wall. Ginny raised her Wand, but Harry caught her arm, letting the Grim go.
"There's a time to fight," Harry said. "And a time to run. Now's the latter."
Harry had learned that lesson particularly harshly last year when he'd fought that Basilisk in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom.
Ginny nodded slowly a few moments after she stopped glaring at him, seeming to come to the same conclusion. She hadn't been there for that particular adventure- and Harry would forever be grateful for that- but he did tell her how badly his eyes had been injured.
"Let's go find Dumbledore?" She asked.
He nodded, and they both set off toward the Headmaster's Office.
Apparently the matter had been considerably more serious than Harry and Ginny had thought it would be. Though, in hindsight, they really should have known better.
The Prisoner of Azkaban was an Animagus. Specifically, a Huge Black Dog resembling a Grim.
The fact that they'd just fought a former inmate of Azkaban and lived to tell the tale seemed… strange to Harry. Surely someone bad enough to be sent to Azkaban would be insane enough to not care for the lives of two children, right? He knew there was more going on here.
But no one except Ginny and Dumbledore seemed to share his point of view. They just called Harry and Ginny extremely lucky and unlucky students, which infuriated them even more.
Right now, Every Single Student from Every Single Year had been called to the Great Hall for the night so that the Staff and the House Elves could search the Castle. They had been given Sleeping Bags after Dinner- where the announcement was made- and Harry and Ginny had immediately chosen a spot next to each other.
They were told to go to sleep over an Hour ago, but Harry and Ginny being… well, Harry and Ginny… had chosen to disregard that command/order/request entirely, having conversations using the Writing Charm. It allowed the user to write on Parchment using just a Wand and a thought of what you wanted on the Parchment.
"We haven't found anything, Albus," they heard Professor Lupin say.
Dumbledore sighed. "It is as I feared then. The Prisoner of Azkaban is after… someone in Hogwarts."
"He's asleep," Professor Lupin said. "There's no need to tip-toe around his name."
"If you truly believe that he is asleep, Remus," Professor Dumbledore said, Harry could hear the laughter in his voice. "Then you do not know him nearly as well as I do."
Harry blushed and Ginny put a hand over her mouth under her Sleeping Bag. He thought he knew who they were talking about.
"But, it doesn't matter now," Dumbledore said. "I shall have to make an announcement tomorrow," Harry heard Dumbledore heave a tired sigh. "There are so many times when I am tempted to just do things my way."
"That would only enrage the Minister," Professor Lupin pointed out.
"Quite right," Professor Dumbledore replied. "It is why I have refrained from doing so before. But I believe we should go now. Let the Students get some sleep."
The two Professors quickly left the Great Hall, Harry immediately met Ginny's eyes, asking with just his eyes, whether or not she would be part of this new Adventure or whatever.
She, of course, nodded a yes in response.
A/N 2: Leave a review if you enjoyed it, and I'll see you guys in the next Chapter!
Byee!!