After the Dawn:
Chapter Six: Growing Up
Harry sat in the middle row of Edinburgh Elementary school. Now a proud six years old, he had matured a lot from the shy boy who had walked through the gates of Uppchurch Elementary school, hardly aware that there were any other people alive, save himself and Sirius.
He half listened to the teacher for awhile, and realised that the man was still going on about decimal points and how to multiply them, before letting his mind wander again. He already knew this.
He thought back to his days at Uppchurch – how things had changed since then!
"Hey, Evans," a voice sneered from behind Harry. It had been three months since Harry had started school at Uppchurch Elementary, and he was still being picked on by the older students, no matter how many times they were punished.
Harry didn't turn around. It wouldn't make any difference. He wished that he and Sirius had stayed at Potter mansion and never left to come to Muggle school.
He heard footsteps approaching and braced himself to run. It wasn't hard to hear his perusers, they were all big, heavy boys. But Harry's sharp ears suddenly heard something else – more footsteps, ahead of him, and to the side.
He was surrounded.
Suddenly, from front, back and both sides, four people leapt at him. Harry yelled, a high pitched, fearful sound. He dropped to the ground, landing on his stomach and waited for pain.
When nothing happened, and he heard no sounds above him, Harry rolled onto his back and looked up. Above him, four huge boys were stuck, mid leap, nothing moving but their eyes, which showed white all around with terror.
There were sounds of screaming – the boys friends, who'd been guarding any ways of escape. They were running now, screaming loudly.
Suddenly a huge black dog raced down the street, stopping as he stood over Harry, Sirius transformed back to human, and the boy's who'd been about to beat Harry up looked more terrified still.
"Obliviate," Sirius murmured, pointing his wand at the four boys who remained frozen in the air over his godson. "Come on kid, we'd best get out of here."
"I didn't mean to," Harry told his godfather, eyes wide as he looked at the boys he'd frozen.
"It's ok. It was good that you did that, in a way. Magic is your birthright, Harry, and you must learn to use it some how."
"But won't they be hurt?" Harry asked, having to hurry to keep up with his godfather's strides.
"I doubt it, anyway, they were trying to hurt you," Sirius said. "You moved in self defence. Anyone in the magical community knows that younger children are not fully in control of their powers. Their powers are apt to explode when they feel strong emotions."
"Oh. What are we doing now?"
"We're leaving," Sirius replied. "It's not safe here – the Ministry won't know who did that, I wiped the minds of the boys back there, they won't remember anything. But the Ministry will be on the look out for someone with a very strong magical gift in this area. It's not safe for either of us, but especially for me."
"Where are we going? Back to Potter Mansion?" Harry asked, hopeful.
"No, you still need to get an education. You also need to learn to get along with other people. You'll have to work with them in your life, on many different occasions. It's best you start learning to live with it now, rather than have it thrust upon you later. We'll go somewhere else.
Since then, he and Sirius had moved four times, every one of them because Harry had used magic. Harry had been in this class, now going by the alias of Taylor Sarl, for just over three weeks.
In this school, at least, he was felt more secure than he had in any of the others. He was stronger than average for his age, and tall. He was also fast, and Sirius had taught him several ways of blocking attacks, and more than one way of harming a bigger, stronger opponent.
"Mr Sarl," the teachers voice intruded on Harry's thoughts, and the rest of the students in the class tittered a bit, seeing Taylor Sarl, the quiet new kid, getting in what might be trouble.
"Yes, sir?" Harry asked. He couldn't less whether he got in trouble or not, just as long as he was getting in trouble for something he did.
"What is the answer to the question on the board?" Harry, who hadn't been paying any attention, glanced at the board, reading 9x7, which he assumed was the question the teacher was talking about.
He did the maths quickly in his mind then said, "sixty three, Sir."
"Very good, Taylor," the teacher said, the glass glared at Harry. They'd been hoping to see someone get in trouble. Harry kept his face expressionless. He knew better than to try and make friends just yet. In a few weeks, the students would be more open to him … As long as he proved that he wasn't too stuck up.
He'd learnt a lot in a year of switching schools and neighbourhoods every couple of months.
The last bell for the day, and the term rang, and Harry walked out of school alone. He was always alone, Sirius didn't dare show his face too often in public.
Even though Harry's godfather looked different, Sirius wasn't going to risk being caught. Harry understood, to an extent, but it was awfully lonely, watching everyone else running to meet up with families, or join friends to walk home together.
For a moment, he wished he was like them. Happy and naïve, living life to the full and not having to worry about anything more than getting homework in on time.
He shook his head slightly and turned down the street. He wouldn't give up Sirius for the world, and to live that happy, naïve life, he would have to.
"Hey kid," Sirius greeted his godson with a hug just over five minutes later as Harry walked into the apartment that they were staying in now.
"Hi Sirius," Harry hugged his godfather back. "What are we doing this afternoon?"
"I enrolled you in a new Tae-Kwon Do class," Sirius replied. Harry had been enrolled in a class back in the old neighbourhood, but then they'd had to move when Harry set fire to the science labs because the teacher was going to try and get him suspended for playing with matches without permission.
"Yes!" Harry cried, punching the air.
Sirius laughed gently. "I had a feeling that might be your reaction. Change into your Gi and let's get going, it's just around the corner, there's a class of about ten, the Sensei said."
Harry hurtled off, disappearing into his small room, and stagger out a moment later, struggling to change into his Gi at the same time. Laughing so hard he could hardly do anything to help, Sirius came over to help his godson, straightening out clothes and hunting out Harry's shoes.
"Ok, all ready?" Sirius asked.
The six year old nodded, and the pair of them headed out the door. "I hope this won't be like school," Harry muttered. He was always the outcast at school.
"It won't be," Sirius promised. "I'll be there this time."
Harry squeezed his godfathers hand with a small smile. "I know you will," he said. "You're always there for me."
"Not always, unfortunately. I'm never there when you need me enough to use magic," Sirius pointed out.
"That's not your fault," Harry replied with an expressive shrug. "It's in school. Parents aren't supposed to come to school."
Sirius just ruffled his godson's hair. "Here we are," he said suddenly, steering the boy through a doorway into a long corridor.
"You would be the Sarl's, would you?" a voice asked from behind them, and they both spun around. A slim, middle aged man with reddish-brown hair and lively grey eyes stood behind him.
"Yes, that's us," Sirius said, holding out a hand to shake.
"Call me Sensei," the man said, taking Sirius up on his offer of a handshake. "And this would be Taylor, would it?" Sensei asked, kneeling.
"Yes," Harry said quietly, offering his own hand. Sensei shook hands with the boy briefly.
"Well, you've got a Gi, that's good. Come on, the class is down this way, you're a little early, but that's ok," Sensei said, sounding business like.
Sirius walked with Harry and Sensei, analysing the new man through half closed eyes. His subject didn't seem too dangerous, despite being a fighting man.
"May I stay and watch?" Sirius asked as Sensei let them into a large room.
"If you want to. There are seats, for parents to sit and watch," Sensei replied, indicating them. "Take a seat, if you wish to, I'll see what your boy knows of this art."
"He's only had a few lessons. We had to move not long after he started at the last place," Sirius called back.
"I'll keep that in mind."
He tested a Harry a little, quickly discovering that the boy, though he had natural balance, hadn't learned all that much in Tae-Kwon Do.
Soon the rest of the class arrived. There were several people that Harry knew by face, though not by name, from school. "This is the newest member of our class, Taylor," Sensei introduced them. Everyone gave a muted greeting.
Well used to being disliked at first, Harry paid it no heed – he just wanted to get started. "Alright, what do we start with?" Sensei asked the class.
"Stretches," they all chorused back, sounding utterly bored. Harry didn't blame them. Stretches were boring as.
One and a half hours later, Harry bounced from the class at Sirius's aside, full of enthusiasm. Sensei was a good teacher, and some of the kids were lightening up around him now.
"How do you still have energy?" Sirius laughed. "Come on, we'd best go and find someplace to get dinner."
Sirius was hopeless at cooking, Harry knew, much as it went against his morals to admit that there was anything about his godfather that was less than perfect.
Every time they moved house, they had to look around them to find the best eating places, since they either ordered take away or went out dinner every night.
Slipping his hand into Sirius's large one, Harry started off to hunt out food, both him and Sirius's using their noses (Sirius's was more useful, because he retained some of the dogs senses in human form).
"Let's try here," Sirius murmured suddenly, stopping in front of a café. "It smells good."
"Sure does," Harry agreed, sniffing the air delicately. "Good choice!" He walked inside immediately, leaving his godfather to follow with a smile.
The café was small, but very cosy. Sirius looked around the inside of it, smiling. It was covered in red, orange and yellow colours, reminding the man of the Gryffindor Common Room, from days long since gone by.
"I like it here," he murmured, hardly aware that he was speaking aloud. Harry glanced up at his godfather, and noticed that the man was wearing the same expression as he did when he thought of Harry's parents. The boy decided not to break his godfathers concentration, but silently lead the man to a table and picked up a menu, looking over it.
Sirius shook his head slightly and picked up the other menu. A waitress appeared by their table. "Good evening Sirs," she greeted them. "Anything I can do for you?"
"Um, yes, could I have a chicken sandwich, and a Vanillia milkshake, please?" Harry asked, smiling disarmingly, green eyes dancing behind wire-rimmed glasses.
"Certainly, young Sir," the waitress replied, smiling back. "And you, Sir?"
"A coffee and the soup of the day," Sirius said, contemplating the menu.
"Coming right up!" She hurried off.
"Well, how was your lesson?" Sirius asked.
"Great!" Harry replied enthusiastically. "I loved it! I hope we don't have to move again any time soon, I like Sensei!"
"I'm sure you do. You lot certainly looked like you were having fun," Sirius told his godson, ruffling the six year olds hair affectionately. "Well, I don't know if we'll be staying for long … If nothing else happened, we'd have to leave in a little over three years to get you to school," he added.
"Well, that's not for over three years now!" Harry said, making the most of things. "I just hope they don't come."
By they, Harry meant the Ministry of Magic. He hated the Ministry with a passion, and had no trust in them whatsoever. He knew that, by Ministry decree, he was 'dead' and that is godfather was a Death Eater. He knew neither to be true, and blamed the Ministry solely for his frequent moves and the fact that he had to live life so carefully.
Sirius and Harry ate their dinner in relative silence, every now and then speaking to each other, but for both of them, eating was a sacred task, and was normally performed in silence.
"Thank you, come again," the man at the counter said, smiling at Harry, who was grinning up at him with an adorable expression.
Sirius and Harry walked out of the little café and into the night, returning to the small flat where they'd been living.
***
Far away from Edinburgh, early the next morning, Peter Pettigrew squeaked in terror and tried to scamper away. A shriek of childish laughter split the air and a large, sticky hand dropped down on his back, holding him tight.
"Ok, we got him. What do we do now Fred?" George asked, as his twin tried hard to hold onto the struggling rat.
"Uh … I know! Let's take him up to the attic! Mum won't see us there!" Fred replied, and the twins hurried off.
"Where are you going?" A young, female voice asked from behind. Five year old Ginny Weasley was watching her brother's suspiciously. "If you go anywhere near my room, I'm calling mum."
"We aren't Ginny. We've found Scabbers," Fred replied, showing his sister. She looked at the rat for a moment then turned to her brothers.
"As long as you don't put him my room."
"We're taking him to the attic," George told her.
"That's ok then."
The five year old walked off unconcernedly. She didn't particularly like Percy either. Percy had started Hogwarts this year, but Ginny couldn't see why he'd been invited. Who'd want to teach a stuffy old bore like Percy?
It was holidays now, and Percy was home, with Scabbers. Ginny looked after her brothers, almost tempted to ask if she could help them. But then she remembered, she was going over to Luna's today.
The youngest Weasley child scuttled down the stairs to the kitchen, where her mother was cooking something. "Hello Ginny-love," Molly greeted her only girl child.
"Hi mum, are we going to Luna's soon?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, just as soon as I finish these cupcakes. We can take some with us," Molly replied. "Go and change clothes darling."
Ginny sighed. She didn't have that many clothes, and none of them were that good, so why did she always have to change into her best clothes whenever they went out? It didn't make sense to her, but she also knew better than to go against her mother's orders.
Trotting upstairs, she saw Fred and George sneaking into their own rooms, with looks of smug mischievousness on their faces. For a moment, she thought about going to ask what they'd done to Scabbers, then the aroma of her mothers cooking wafted up to her, and she hurried to get changed to go to Luna's so she could eat some of the cupcakes.
She glanced back once more, wishing that she could go and help her twin brothers cause more mischief, then shook her head and hurried back down to her mother.
"Ok mum, I'm changed," she said.
"And the cupcakes are done. Let's go then dear," Molly took her daughters hand and let her from the house, it was a good ten minute walk to Luna's house.
***
Up the attic, Peter cursed the day he'd chosen the Weasley household as his base. He'd thought it would be alright, living with one child… He hadn't realised that the Weasley's had another six children, making it seven he had to deal with in total.
Bill and Charlie were alright, they didn't have much time to pay attention to a younger brothers rat, but Fred and George … Peter shuddered. It was them that had brought him up here. They'd borrowed Charlie's wand while the other was out playing Quidditch and cursed the attic so that Peter/Scabbers couldn't get out.
Curse the girl, why hadn't she gotten her mother? Molly Weasley would have stopped this! Peter tried to snarl, but it came out as a pathetic squeak. He'd be locked in here until Percy missed him, and that might not be for days. He was already hungry.
***
"Harry! Rise and shine, the days hours begun!" Sirius yelled in his godson's ear.
Harry groaned and shot up, wide awake. "Sirius! It's still dark the day hasn't even started yet."
"Yes it has. It's five in the morning, it's been today for five hours now kid! The sun getting up doesn't mean the days only just begun, kid. Come on, we can go and practice Quidditch like this!" Sirius replied boisterously.
Forgetting sleep completely at the mere mention of the word Quidditch, Harry swung himself out of the bed, throwing on some clothes and reaching for his broom.
Sirius laughed. "Ok, keep your voice down as we're going out, we don't want our flat mates to notice anything, as you know." Harry nodded obediently. He didn't care what he had to do, as long as he got to go flying. That was the main thing.
Soon they were out of the flat, weaving down streets and alleyways, finally coming out onto a flat moore on the edge of town. Both immediately mounted their brooms and shot into the air, weaving around each other, heading up, up, up into the sky, then plummeting down to the ground.
"I'm sure glad you took off that height restriction," Harry muttered to Sirius. It had been his godfather's main gift for Harry's fifth Christmas, about a year past.
"So you've told me every time you've flying since," Sirius replied, laughing. "We'll be going back to Potter Mansion later today, I think, since Christmas holidays just started."
"Oh! Yay!" Harry cried softly, mindful that he had to keep his voice down, at least a little bit. "Why?"
"You'll find out when we get there. It's part of your Christmas present though," Sirius replied teasingly.
"Oh, but!" Harry whined.
"No but's, you'll find out when I decide to tell you," Sirius told Harry sternly. "Come on, the sun's getting up, it's time for us to get back to the flat, and then home."
Harry raced at the ground. For a moment, Sirius felt like his heart would stop with nerves, but he quickly recovered, knowing that Harry was very good at diving.
"Come on then, race you home!" Harry called quietly to his godfather, racing off with Sirius in hot pursuit.
***
That'll do, I think. Next chapter will be called Lessons, and might take three days, rather than two, because I'll be busy for most of tomorrow, so I don't know if I'll be updating. REVIEW PLEASE!!
~WolfMoon~