After the Dawn
Chapter Thirteen: Passing Time
After Harry had told Dan the truth about himself and Sirius, the pair had grown even closer than before. Dan, though a Muggle, had an undying fascination with all things magical, and never tired of experiencing magic with Harry.
Harry and Sirius still went by the names of Keith and Harry Sull, and Dan still called Sirius Keith most of the time.
Harry and Dan celebrated first Harry's then Dan's* eighth birthday parties together with only Sirius and Helen. Neither felt any need to invite other children along as well.
They both continued in the Tae-Kwon-Doe classes, and spent a lot of their time together practicing.
Harry was now the proud bearer of a yellow belt with an orange tip**, which was level two and a half. Dan had a white belt, yellow tip, which was level one and a half.
Harry took Dan to Potter Mansion quite often, and the pair of them had a great time there, running over the grounds, swimming in the long lake that stretched across the far end of the grounds, causing havoc in the house …
At school they were known to be terrors by the students, but were still almost teachers pets. The teachers didn't realise that it was Harry and Dan who were doing all of the pranks around the school, and since the pair of them were careful to do all of their work and hand it in on time, the teachers liked them a lot.
Another year passed, and Harry's ninth birthday was approaching now. In two years time he would be going to be going to Hogwarts.
But just before Harry's ninth birthday, it came time to move again when a few rogue Death Eaters came through Bath and Ministry attention became far too focused on the area.
"You have to leave?" Dan asked with a pained expression. "Where are you going to go?"
"Don't worry, I'm going back to Potter Mansion, Sirius is going to let me do home schooling from now until Hogwarts," Harry replied. "You can still come and visit heaps though! And I'll still come here too, I just can't live here."
Dan still looked upset at this. "But what am I going to do at school?" he asked. "And at Tae-Kwon-Doe?"
"I'll still come to Tae-Kwon-Doe once a week," Harry replied. "I'll come and visit you at least that often! And at school … Well … At least you won't be bullied any more."
"What about our pranks?"
"You'll have to continue with them," Harry said decisively. "Just like you would have had to when I went away to Hogwarts anyway."
"I guess …"
"Hey, it's not like it's forever," Harry smiled. "Maybe we'll come back some day. Sirius is gonna put it around that we are visiting a sick relative, so when the Ministry's given up here, maybe we'll come back."
"I hope so," Dan said.
"So do I. But if I do, it won't be until at least partway through next year," Harry warned.
Dan sighed and nodded. "When are you leaving?"
"Two weeks," Harry replied sadly.
"Well we'll just have to make the most of it," Dan said decisively. "Let's get to Tae-Kwon-Doe – you know what Sensei is like when we're late!"
"Race you?" Harry offered.
"Nah, you'll win," Dan laughed as the pair of them jogged off companionably.
Two weeks later Harry walked into Potter Mansion with Sirius. Dan couldn't come today, but he'd be coming to visit the next day.
"Well, it's kinda good to be home," Sirius remarked.
"But at the same time we'll miss the life that we made out there," Harry remarked, sounding more adult than Sirius had ever known him to.
"Yes," he nodded.
"You must have really felt bad, leaving everything you knew to raise me," Harry said. "How did you do it?"
"I knew that if I stayed, I'd end up in prison, without any of those friends anyway," Sirius replied. "I'd rather be free and have you, even if there isn't anyone else, than be in prison and have no one at all."
Harry nodded his understanding and they went to their own rooms to unpack and settle in.
"Are you back to stay?" a voice asked him, and Harry turned his head to see a portrait of his father, a small one, looking at him.
"Yes," Harry replied. "For a little while anyway. At least half a year."
"Oh good! We'll be able to cause some mischief together then!" James smiled. "I'll see you soon, I expect!"
Harry nodded and bounded off. At least his parents were here… In portrait form, at least.
In his room, he found Kiby standing, with most of Harry's previous possessions piled around her.
"Why have you done that?" Harry asked curiously, making very sure that his tone was rebuking.
"Master Potter should move to a bigger room," Kiby replied. "Kiby is being asked by Mr. Black to help Master Potter move his things to a different room."
"Oh. What room?" Harry asked.
"Follow Kiby," was the happy reply and the house elf skipped off.
Harry had a larger bedroom now – not the Master room, not yet, at least. He and Sirius spent most of the afternoon putting everything in it's new place, and Harry looked forward to showing Dan the next day.
Another month passed, and Harry became worried. Death Eater activity was increasing in Bath, he wasn't sure why.
Harry's nineth birthday was rapidly approaching, and he and Dan were happily planning celebrations for both of their parties, since Dan's was, after all, only twenty days after Harry's.
July the thirty first came, and went, and Harry had a great time with Dan, swimming in the lake, racing up and down the halls of Potter Mansion, conversing with portraits, consuming excessive quantities of food, and (in Harry's case) opening presents.
The next couple of weeks passed swiftly, and the boys decided to spend Dan's birthday in Bath, revisit old sites and play some pranks on a few of the bullies who lived a few blocks from Dan's house.
The morning of the 19th, Harry and Sirius headed away from Potter Mansion, stepping out of the fire place in a small wizarding centre in Bath.
"Not a good day today," the owner of the shop they'd come out in remarked darkly.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked sharply.
"Them rogue Death Eaters been out and about again. Muggle hunting," the man spat, and wouldn't say any more.
Harry and Sirius exchanged fearful looks and hurried out into the streets of Muggle Bath. "I feel funny. Sad and afraid," Harry said, his eyes filled with both emotions.
"It'll be fine," Sirius said, though he sounded nervous himself.
"It won't," Harry said, but, for a moment, it didn't sound like Harry speaking. But it passed, and Sirius paid little attention to it, more concerned with finding out where the attack had taken place.
Over the city, hanging in the sky, the putrid green of the Dark Mark glistened sickeningly. Harry's quick mind figured out where the attack was all too fast. "Dan!" he howled suddenly and raced away.
Sirius swore and leapt after him, hurtling forward, following his godson through the winding city streets, heading towards Dan's neighbourhood.
The loudest thoughts in his mind said: It'll be fine, it won't be them. It'll be someone who lives close by, maybe a neighbour. But Dan and Helen will be fine."
But somewhere, deep within his mind and heart, Sirius knew that this wasn't true. He knew that when they reached Dan's house, they'd find it in ruins, with Ministry wizards and witches crawling over it.
Sure enough, he rounded a last corner to see rubble in the place of Dan and Helen's house. Harry was tearing towards it, screaming his best friends name.
"Whoa there sonny," one of the Ministry wizards growled, catching Harry around the chest.
"Dan!" Harry screamed again, tearing at the hands that held him back, desperately trying to get to his friends house. "Dan!"
"Who are you? Family, friend?" The Ministry Wizard.
"He's ten years old!" Sirius snarled at the wizard. "But if you must know, Dan, the boy, was Harry's best friend."
"And you are?"
"Keith Sull, this is my son, Harry," Sirius replied. "It was Dan's birthday today, we were coming to visit from London, where we've been staying."
"I'm sorry," the Ministry official said awkwardly.
"It's not like your being sorry will bring my son's friend back," Sirius replied. "Do you mind if we stay for a little while? Have you found the … bodies?"
"Yeah, we found 'em alright," the man sighed. "They've been taken away already. We're just fixing some things up here."
Sirius nodded. "Well … maybe it's best that we don't stay then. I thought that I could identify them, if you needed someone to do so. Harry should probably go home."
"That's probably a good idea," the man agreed.
Harry was kneeling, his head tucked into his chest, tears streaming down his cheeks and sobs wracking his frame. Sirius was crying, silent trails of tears, himself.
"Come on Harry, we'd best leave these people do their job," he said heavily. Harry didn't respond, so Sirius lifted his godson, with a little difficulty, into his arms, walking away sadly.
"I know it won't do anything for you Harry, but I'm sorry," Sirius whispered into his godson's ear.
If Harry heard, he gave no sign of it.
In Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore was pouring over newspaper articles.
"What's happening, Albus?" Minerva McGonagall asked quietly.
"The Death Eaters are becoming more active. Why, I don't know. Could they still have hope that their master, Voldemort, is alive somewhere … are they following someone else's orders … or are they just restless?" Dumbledore wondered aloud.
"I hope it is the first, if it must any of those," Minerva remarked. "For we know that You-Know-Who has not regained power, as yet."
"But for how long?" Dumbledore wondered.
"For ever, I hope," Minerva said softly.
"For ever would be nice, but I think, and I do hope I'm wrong, that it will not be the case," Dumbledore sighed.
"What is the latest attack?" Minerva asked.
"In Bath, a single mother and her ten year old son," was the reply.
"Albus, do you see a pattern in recent events?" Minerva asked suddenly.
"Yes … all attacks are on single parents, mostly fathers, with sons of ten years or so," Dumbledore replied.
"They are looking for Harry Potter, do you think?"
"I think so, Minerva. The Ministry knows, and they'll be watching as many families that fit those restrictions as they can."
"How did you get Fudge to agree to that?" Minerva asked.
"I didn't," was the grim reply. "You know he's a hopeless case. I've been speaking with Alastor, and he's been pulling strings."
"Ah, that makes more sense. Well, I only hope that not too many families are going to be torn up over this."
"There is some hope though," Dumbledore said quietly.
"What is that?"
"The Death Eaters cannot have Harry Potter, if they are doing this," the headmaster said grimly. "Small hope, certainly, but it is something."
***
*Dan's birthday is the 19th of August
**I'm not sure on the exact grading of Tae-Kwon-Do, what you see there is the results of a half remembered book and a very confusing web page.
Again, not as many words as I'd have liked, but oh well *sighs* the next chapter should, I hope, be longer. People always seem to say that 13 is an unlucky number … Certainly seems that way for Dan.
I know that a lot of people liked Dan – I really liked him too, and didn't want him to do, but it was important to the story as it changes Harry's character, and the way he interacts with other people, which is important when Harry get's to Hogwarts.
***VOTE RESULTS***
Most people wanted this to be multiple stories. I decided not to have two chapters after all, since I got so many reviews *smiles* the end result was: Story per year: 11 and Single Story: 8
Note on thanks: I'm going to change the thanks on this story to be the same as I now use for In Every Darkness. Those people who do not ask a question will have their name written in a list, and those who do will have the question answered after them. It's just easy and uses less space.
Thanks:
Lady Cinnibar, AthenaKitty, ReflectionsOfReality, Wynjara, shdurrani, Queen of the Jungle, Chicken Stars, BipolarGirl, Dweem-Angel, Kraeg001, Solar, OriontheHunter, Ettanreb, PhoenixPadfoot89, yp, Thorfinna, Nasser Himura, Kathy Stgqvk, Kemenran, Romm, Zylexiaa, Wolfia, IRM Karmada Dothleig, Cyblade Silver, Golden Moon Phoenix, Howling Wolf1, Maxx77, Nicoletta, LongHornGal52, Azntgr01, Gaul1, Pottergirl48, futagoakuma-tenshi01, ^_^, Duath, afanofthisstory, Solaris Isa, midnight-lord, Vanna, adge9631, AltonShadeFoot, Deep Fried Chicken Wings With Bananas, Melidy, MikiBaby, MorThreeo, Jeff, Stix-the-Rebel, Maab, FroBoy, LonelySpirit, Empress Sara-Sama, AnImE-aNd-Hp-FrEaK, Sea-Turtles, Prd2bAmerican, Keronshara, ocpawnmaster1, bibichan, Phoenix Flight, Jaded Angel8, OhioGrl-HPFan, Mike Potter 2002, Hot-Salsa, Corie, Taka Ichijouji.
Ok, a bit pushed for time, so thanks everyone, and please REVIEW!!
~WolfMoon~