Author's Note: Hey everyone. Another chapter another day! I dedicate this chapter to TheEverFalling for her beautiful picture that I love so much and appreciate. I have been swamped with homework and such. In fact, I have a huge ass civics test tomorrow and I am so screwed, but I'll update anyways, out of the goodness of my heart (or to procrastinate studying, whichever). So, my sister's helping me type as I "study." Hope you all like the chapter!! Please review! I live off of them. (My sister says that threats work well, but then she thought again and decided that they never work. She's weird. And sooo supportive...not. Just kidding!!! Now she's threatening me with physical abuse. She writes for fictionpress.net, you guys should read her stories!! They're really awesome. Her penname is Torrlev. Read it and I'll give you...Ruffles cheddar cheese chips.) And check out HarryGonePunk's fic in my favorites if you're in for a good laugh!! Anyways, on with the story!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At lunch, Harry met Eloise and Neville in the library for a last minute studying session for a test in potions. Eloise had potions for her next class and was nearly hyperventilating in anxiety. Harry poured over the chapter with her and Neville, answering their questions quickly, trying his best to feed them clues to remembering the information.
When the bell rang, all the color drained from Eloise's face. She frantically began scanning things, flipping pages wildly. Harry gently took the book from her and skimmed the last part of the chapter quickly.
"Don't worry, I'll walk you part way to your class and explain this last bit to you," he explained as Eloise tried to grab the book from him. Neville ran off to Charms, and Harry walked along the corridors with Eloise, quickly explaining the last bit to her and then asking her questions about what they had studied. She answered many of the questions correctly, but also froze on a great deal of the ones that Harry was certain she knew the answers to.
"Just remember that Kartin weed and Boomslang skin react explosively together. Think "Ka" from Kartin and "Boom" from Boomslang. Ka boom. Explosive."
"Ka boom. Right," she said nodding her head vigorously. "Kartin and Boomslang are explosive. Ka boom. Ka boom. Ka boom."
Many students looked at Eloise oddly as they passed. She was walking down the corridor repeating the words "Ka boom" with each step, so Harry could understand. He stopped her at the point where he had to turn down another corridor.
"Listen, you'll do fine. You've as prepared as you can be, probably more so than the rest of the class, so just do your best. You just need to calm down. Think of something besides the test for the rest of the way, okay?" he said, giving his pre-test pep talk.
Eloise took a deep breath. "Okay. Calm is good. Harry what the hell can I think of besides the test?" she asked him desperately.
"Elwine! Hey Elwine!" a voice called.
The two looked up curiously toward the voice. Eloise's jaw dropped while Harry almost laughed in surprise. Roger Davies was making his way over. Eloise frantically smoothed down her hair.
"Hey Elwine," he said as he got to them, shooting her a smile. He looked at Harry. "You're Harry Potter, right? I heard about what Cho's been doing to you."
"Who hasn't?" Harry said with a weak grin.
"Don't worry. Everyone knows she's mad. She comes across so nice at first and then, wham, out comes this crazed beast," he said punching his fist into his hand at the "wham" to emphasize his point.
"Tell me about it," Harry said with a laugh.
Roger turned back to Eloise. "So, what's your next class, Elwine?"
Eloise blushed. "Actually, it's Eloise. I have potions."
"Oh I'm sorry. I could have sworn you told me Elwine, but it was so loud in there I also thought you said you were in Huffleclaw," he said with a laugh. Eloise laughed nervously, trying to hide her crimson face and avoid Harry's smiling eyes. "Anyways, my class right now was canceled so why don't I walk you to the dungeons?"
Eloise looked at him in awe. "Er…what? No. I mean yes! Yes!" she sputtered.
"Well, I have to run. Good luck on the test, Eloise!" he called as he walked backward down the hall.
She shot him a blank look. "Test?" She shrugged and walked off with Roger, positively glowing.
That evening, Harry knocked on Lupin's office door. It was immediately opened to reveal a grinning Sirius who swept Harry up into an affectionate hug.
"Hey kiddo," he said, ruffling Harry's hair.
"Hey Sirius," Harry said with a smile, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to undo Sirius' messing it up. It really was messy enough as it was without people making it even more so. "Hey Remus," he waved to his professor who was sitting casually at his desk. He was finally getting the hang of calling him Remus in private, though it sounded strange to Harry after calling him Professor Lupin for so long and still having to do so in public.
"Hey there, Harry. How are you feeling?" he asked, as Harry sunk into one of Remus's comfortable chairs. It was now the customary first question he was asked when he went to Lupin's office to see him and Sirius. They took turns asking it and Harry had long ago quit insisting that they needn't ask that question every time.
"I'm feeling fine, thanks," he answered without his usual roll of the eyes, because in truth, he was feeling slightly sick.
"So, tell us about this soap opera that you call life," Sirius said as he put his feet up on Remus's desk. He always found Harry's stories amusing. Harry told him about Cho's latest claims, the Weasley twins' prank shop, the newspaper article, his fight with Cho, and the prank the twins pulled on her.
Sirius was in stitches when Harry described it to him, with Remus adding in helpful bits of description. He claimed that Hagrid had seen her on her way to the hospital wing and asked Professor Sinistra if he could teach this strange creature in his class, causing Cho to go into a spitting rage. Harry wasn't sure if this was true, but thought it was hilarious nonetheless.
"These Weasley twins sound very promising. We'll definitely have to check out their shop this summer, eh Harry?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's going to be so great!"
"Oh no," Remus said with a chuckle, looking at Sirius, "see that look, Harry? That's Sirius's evil scheming look. It means that he either is making plans for the pranks or for helping the Weasley twins with some tips from a Marauder."
"Actually, I was thinking about food, but those are great ideas, Remy. I'll have to do that," he said with a sly wink.
Harry then sat back as he prepared for a Marauder story, as he could now tell when one was coming.
"So, Harry, has Padfoot ever told you about the time when the Defense teacher in our sixth year found him strolling around in his Animagus form and wanted to keep him as a class pet?" Remus said with a sly grin.
"Thanks Moony, I generally try to keep that blocked from my memory," Sirius said with a glare at the now laughing werewolf.
"Oh, well now I really want to hear this one. Sounds embarrassing," Harry said with a grin. He knew that Sirius would now be itching to tell the story despite his embarrassment to entertain Harry.
"Well, Prongs Jr., if you really want to hear it, who am I to deny you the pleasure? It all started when I was walking around the school as Padfoot after curfew. That's when Madam Spinkly found me, squealed, exclaiming how adorable I was—"
Remus snorted.
"—and slipped a collar over my neck. That's when my troubles began…"
Sirius continued telling the story of how the frightening woman had put pink bows on his ears, gave him a bright pink collar, and painted his claws pink. Thankfully, Remus and James had figured out what had happened through the Marauder's map and some well-placed eavesdropping. They created a distraction with Dungbombs and convinced Peeves to sing a creative song about Madam Spinkly's sex life. Remus unlocked the door letting a traumatized Sirius escape. Remus added that Sirius had transformed back into human as he ran, forgetting about the bows in his hair, the pink collar on his neck, and his pink toenails, until he ran into Lily who asked if he had decided to become a cross-dresser with her fake innocent look.
Harry perked up with interest especially at this last part. He rarely got to hear about his mother.
"What was my mum like?" he asked shyly. Both the adults looked at him sympathetically.
"Ah," sighed Remus with a look of fond reminiscence on his face, "your mother, Harry, was the most wonderful person that I've ever met."
"She was beautiful. She looked like an angel, though I often thought she had a devilish streak about her personality," Sirius added.
"She this gorgeous red hair and brilliant green eyes," Remus said, smirking at Harry who blushed. "Yeah, you definitely have your mother's eyes."
"Well they look like your mothers, though they seem to work like your father's," Sirius added in reference to Harry's glasses.
"She had a wicked sense of humor and was absolutely brilliant, but she never let it go to her head."
"Yeah, she never flaunted it aside from using both to make fun of us with jokes that only Moony understood. Your dad was mighty lucky to get her Harry, because I would have married her if he didn't," Sirius said fondly.
"So would've I. Or any guy for that matter. She was so kind to everyone and wasn't prejudice. She sure put us in our places a few times after teasing Snape."
"My mum stood up for Snape?" Harry asked, surprised. He was absolutely drinking up this information of his mother. He had never known she was such a good person.
"Oh yeah, many times. Same with other Slytherins and, well, everyone who needed it. She had a heart of gold, Harry, and I'm not just saying that," Sirius said. "You know who she reminds me of?" he asked.
"Who?" Harry said with extreme interest.
"You."
Harry paused. "Me?"
"Oh definitely," Remus butted in. "You have parts of your dad's personality, but you have the same heart as Lily, and that is saying something."
Harry grinned broadly and rested his head back against the seat as Sirius began telling the story of how James had tried to win Lily's heart.
"So then, at the Christmas party, James called Lily over and Remy and I conjured up some mistletoe over their heads. Lily told him she admired his determination and then gave him their first kiss…"
"Sirius," Remus whispered.
"And then your dad asked her out and she said yes. Then we had to figure out where they would go. We finally decided…"
"Sirius!" Remus hissed. Sirius looked up at him questioningly and Remus pointed to Harry. Sirius followed his gaze to find that Harry had fallen asleep in the chair.
"Guess I got a little carried away," Sirius said sheepishly. "It is a bit late."
He stood up and walked over to Harry. Noticing the sleeping boy sweating slightly, Sirius put a curious hand to his forehead and frowned.
"I think he has a fever, Moony," he said somberly, taking in Harry's shivering. "He's getting worse."
Remus shook his head sadly. "I know. He hides it so well I sometimes forget, but then I'll see the signs and remember that he's…that he's fifteen years old and dying."
Sirius sighed and brushed the hair away from the sleeping Harry's face. "And the worst part is that we barely know him. I mean, we're trying to make up for it now, but how much is it going to do when we weren't there for him when he was growing up with those horrible monsters? I just can't help but think of all the time I've missed. If only I had broken out sooner or something. I should have broken out the minute I heard he was staying with Lily's horrible sister," Sirius said quietly.
"I know, Padfoot." Remus said in a hushed voice. "Trust me, if I'd could go back in time, I'd have gotten my brain into gear and actually spent ten seconds thinking about who Harry was staying with, rather than wallowing in mourning for years on end. I would have got him out of there. But we can't go back in time, so this 'should have' game is useless. All we have is the present so all we can do is work with that."
Sirius smiled at him weakly. "You were always the smart one, Remy." He turned to Harry. "Hey kiddo," he said softly. "Time to get up. I don't think you want me carrying you into the Gryffindor dorms. Come on, Harry. Let's get you to bed."
Harry's eyes fluttered open tiredly.
"What time is it?" he asked sleepily.
"Late," Sirius said. "Definitely passed my bedtime and definitely passed curfew."
"Sorry for falling asleep on you guys," Harry mumbled as he climbed unsteadily to his feet. He had to clutch the arm of the chair as a dizzy spell came and went.
"That's okay, Harry. Padfoot's going to walk you up to your dorm so you don't get in trouble and I'll see you in class tomorrow," Remus said fondly.
"Yeah, lets get you to bed, kiddo. You have a fever," Sirius said, grabbing Harry's cloak and placing around the shivering boy's shoulders.
"I do?" he asked with a yawn. A slightly sick expression settled over his face. "Oh. Well, bye Moony."
"Goodnight Harry," Remus waved as Harry and Sirius walked out the door into the hall. Harry shuffled along, occasionally putting a hand to his face to feel the coolness against his burning face. Sirius noticed.
"Maybe we should go to the Hospital Wing instead," Sirius suggested worriedly.
"No, I have fever-reducing potion in my dorm. It's not bad, don't worry."
"I always worry about you," Sirius said with a sad smile. Harry looked up at him.
"Well, you don't have to, really."
"Of course I do, Harry. You're like a son to me. I'll always worry about you 'cause I love you."
Harry stopped in his tracks and looked up at Sirius in wonder.
"Harry, are you okay? What's wrong?" Sirius asked in a near panic, unsure of the cause of Harry's behavior.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just, nobody's ever said that to me before," he said quietly, looking away.
Sirius felt a flash of hatred toward the Dursleys and sympathy for Harry. He couldn't believe he had so little time with Harry before he'd be ripped away.
"Well, it's true. Come here," he said, pulling his godson into a hug, praying to anyone who would listen to let Harry live.
Harry, meanwhile, was suddenly wishing he hadn't done what he did. The truth was that he was scared to die, despite what he let people believe. And now there was someone who loved him? Someone who thought of him as family? He hadn't thought he would ever have something as precious as this, but of course, fate only let him know about it after he'd performed the spell. He mentally scolded himself for being so selfish, wishing it was someone else besides him.
And then, he couldn't help it. All the stuff that had been secretly plaguing him: the Dursleys, the constant pain from the cancer, feelings of being the third wheel within the Golden Trio, the stress of keeping so many secrets, fear of dying, and the sense of loss he was already beginning to feel, all just came out in a wave of tears.
He clutched the back of Sirius's robes and sobbed into his shoulder, as if trying to make sure he wouldn't leave. He silently prayed that Sirius wouldn't think less of him for this breakdown, but he couldn't stop the tears from falling and he needed Sirius there.
Sirius pulled his godson into a tighter hug and rubbed his back comfortingly.
"It's okay. It's going to be all right," he whispered.
"But it's not. It's just not," Harry whispered. Sirius couldn't deny that Harry was right. There was nothing to say so he just stood there in the low-lighted, empty hallway and let Harry cry.
A few days later, Harry had a potions lesson on a "good day." When Snape barked that they turn in their homework, Harry quickly wrote his initials instead of his name at the top.
Snape picked up his paper, glancing briefly at the top as he had he last few potions lessons. Harry saw the acknowledgment glimmer in his eyes before grabbing the next student's assignment. Before the lesson began, Harry saw Snape flick his wand, sending a pale green light discreetly into the fireplace. Harry guessed it would be going to Dumbledore's office as a signal.
Snape briefly explained the potion they would be making and listed the ingredients on the blackboard, purposely switching two. He instructed them to begin. A few minutes later, a house elf came in as planned.
"Mr. Snape, sir, Mr. Dumbledore is wanting to see you," he squeaked.
"Can't this wait?" he asked annoyed to keep up pretenses. "I'm teaching a class."
"It is urgent sir. Mr. Dumbledore said it will be brief."
Snape sighed and got up.
"I will be gone extremely briefly. I trust that you incompetent fools can last a few minutes without me. I expect NO fooling around, I will know if you do and the punishments will be severe," he said ominously before sweeping out of the room, robes billowing behind.
"I wonder what that's all about," Neville whispered to Harry, looking around nervously as if expecting to find Snape still hiding in a corner. Harry just shrugged. He took a long time chopping up his Mandora root to stall. Suddenly, he heard a concerned whisper.
"Hey, Hermione, Ron, isn't the potion supposed to turn blue?" asked Seamus who was staring at his and Dean's bright red potion.
"I thought so, but ours is red too. I'm sure I followed it correctly!" Hermione frowned.
"Why is this potion red?" asked Malfoy. Harry threw in the second of the two switched ingredients and watched as his and Neville's began to grow red.
"Ours is too," he said, pretending to be perplexed.
Now, about how the class's potions had turned red. Everyone else had stopped adding ingredients. Students began flipping through their notes trying to figure out what was wrong.
Suddenly, all of the red potions exploded. Harry instinctively threw his hands up to shield his face. When he didn't feel the potion hit, he looked up to see that the potion had frozen midair in front of him and Neville, who had ducked behind him. He dropped his hands and the potion fell to the ground, to the amazement of those who were watching him.
"Wow," breathed Neville, who was peeking out from behind Harry in awe.
The room was a disaster. Everyone was covered in the potion except for Harry and Neville. Everything was in disarray and a fire had broken out. Harry jumped up, purposely leaving his wand "dropped" under his desk. He raced over to the fire and put up his hands, palms toward the flames.
"What the bloody hell are you doing, Potter, warming your hands?" Malfoy yelled.
Harry ignored him, concentrating on coldness. The flames died quickly leaving a few icicles hanging from the charred desks where it had been burning.
"Ow," some students began whimpering. Many were brushing at their arms and face, trying to wipe of the potion or stop the effects of it.
"What's it doing?" Harry asked Hermione, concerned. She was furiously scrubbing her arms with her cloak even though all the potion was off.
"It's really tingly, but so much that it hurts; like pins and needles but painful," she whimpered.
"All right, hold still," he instructed holding his hands out, palms facing her. He closed his eyes and concentrated on making the tingling go away. Through his eyelids he could see a yellowish light, which he assumed was coming from himself. He could sense the tingling diminish.
"Did that help?" he asked hopefully, opening his eyes.
Hermione looked at him in wonder. "That was amazing Harry, it's totally gone!" she said, a look of awe on her face.
Harry began doing small groups at a time. At first, Malfoy refused to by involved, but the annoying pain eventually made him cave in and join the last group, looking away with a scowl the entire time.
Harry the walked over to the locked cabinets and opened them, murmuring "Alohomora" but without using a wand. The cabinet doors burst open to reveal the cleaning supplies and rags. He grabbed a piece of cloth and went back to his seat to recover his wand, wiping off the potion that had soaked it.
When the silence in the room became obvious, Harry looked up to find everyone staring at him.
"You did all that? And without a wand?" Dean asked in amazement.
Harry shrugged.
"But how?" Blaise Zabini asked, jaw open.
"I don't know, I just did."
At that moment, Snape re-entered, seeing the disaster that was his classroom. "What happened in here?" he asked, looking as if her were about to explode with anger. Harry wasn't quite sure if he was acting or not. Looking around at the mess, the prospect of cleaning it was enough to make anyone irritated, and Snape was not known for his carefree attitude.
Nobody wanted to speak up. Finally, a nervous Hermione stepped forward.
"Something was wrong with the potion, sir, everyone who added the Boxwood and powdered Diadema had their potions turn red and explode."
"What are you talking about?" He looked at the board. "Never mind, if you don't want two hundred points docked from each of your houses, make this room sparkling clean in ten minutes," he growled lividly.
Every student scrambled for rags. At an unprecedented speed, Slytherins and Gryffindors worked together to clean the room while Snape glared at all of them.
Seven minutes later, the room was in pristine condition. "Now, get out of my classroom this instant," he barked menacingly. "But Potter, detention tonight an hour before dinner. I know you're responsible for this mess."
Everyone escaped the room within thirty seconds, in a stampede racing to put the maximum distance between themselves and the dungeons.
"I think we all might have to hire body guards before seeing Snape again after that," Ron said as he threw his things down before collapsing onto the common room couch. "I can't believe the git gave you detention, mate. It wasn't your fault!"
"Are you really that surprised?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I guess not really." He shrugged.
"Harry, I can't believe you did all that wandless magic! Most people couldn't even do that with a wand!" Hermione said.
Harry shrugged. "It's one of my good days, I guess. Besides, in my dueling lessons they taught me how to do magical things without knowing exact spells."
"Still, that was amazing!" Ron exclaimed.
"Are you feeling okay now?" Hermione asked softly.
"Yeah, I feel fine. I don't feel sick at all," he answered truthfully. "Let's go down to lunch early since we're out of class, I'm starving!"
Hermione and Ron grinned brightly as they always did when Harry was hungry.
"You're on," said Ron. "We'll have them cook up a celebration feast in honor of being in the first class that nearly blew up Snape's classroom!"
They all chuckled and made their way down to lunch.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: Hey all, sorry for the few and short review responses, but I really am crunched for time. If my sister hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have even been able to post or respond to any reviews at all! What can I say, life is hectic!!! Reviews lift my spirits though, so don't hesitate in pressing that little button and dropping me a word or two!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dadaiiro: Mmm...Cho torture is so fun. The Weasleys rock, and they do want Harry and Ginny together, I mean Harry's such a babe. Malfoy will make his reappearance soon, sort of *evil smirk*. Hope you like the chapter!
Luinlothana: Though the idea of having Voldie kidnap Cho is appealing, I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of the drama. We'll have to see what happens to her. Of course I can't tell you the ending, but I find your guesses amusing, and I like the twins, too. I guess you'll see what happens!
MissPanther: Why thank you! Cho is soooo horrible. Ron and Hermione rock as a couple. Thank you so much for putting me on your favorites list! Those scenes are my favorites, too. Don't worry, I'll definitely finish this story, and probably make other stories, too. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Shawn Pickett: Hahaha, pranks are a great idea, as Fred and George have taken into consideration. Death Eaters would only be giving her the satisfaction of the drama that she wants so badly, but karma will bite her in the ass, don't worry.
SiriusWolf: I rule my life by procrastination. You got your wish about Harry and Sirius, but my plans for Fred and George come into play later. And I'll have to check out those movies that you recommended some time (when I'm not swamped with homework, that is!)
Saz: Yeah, my mother complained for about four years about never getting sleep, I guess we were some pretty rowdy kids. Hope you're enjoying life as a parent (that is besides not being able to sleep) and congratulations!
o Hell o Kitty o: Cho was spying on Harry while he was changing in the Quidditch locker rooms, that creepy stalker. Well, what can you do. The story is about 3/4ths of the way done, and I'll probably write after this, if I can find the time that is!
Terence: Hey Terence, how's it going, can't wait for your next chapter and thank you! Hope things are going well and say hi to Sirius for me! We should set him and Louise the boombox up for a play date! Can't wait to hear from you, and hope you like the chapter!
Paranoiain2005: I love long reviews! They are my fuel *chug-a-chug-a-choo-choo* (Celebony's sister wrote that, she is not insane—but lock your doors in case) Fred and George aren't finding out quite yet, but they'll definitely be in the fic, they're not going to drop off a cliff into nowhere-land.
Temporary Insanity: There wasn't proof in the books, but as Ron and Hermione's best friends, Harry saw the chemistry between them far before it became obvious (at least in this fic). What's a baka? But anyway, Harry might die and Harry might live...you'll just have to wait and see. Yeah, the Duke only reminds me of Draco because of the hair—nothing else. Draco will make an appearance, but he's laying low for now. Don't worry, he's still in the fic. Secrecy is a big theme in this story. Well, Cho is a typical girlie girl, in this fic, that is, and she's popular, very concerned with her looks, and of course, her reputation. That's why we love to hate her! Because she has no depth to her shallow existence.
Thundering Lights: Not reviewing makes my updates slower because I always wait to see if my reviewers will review. Yes, they will find out eventually, and Hermione will be in this fic in other ways, so don't you worry.
PussyKat: Yes, random would definitely be a word to describe my story. Keeps ya wondering *shifts eyes*. Cho was spying on Harry in the locker room. I would give you guys a flashback in the next chapter, but it just doesn't "flow with my ebb". Thank you for bugging me about updates, it keeps me on my toes.
theauthorthatwrites: Whoa! That's so cool that you're a guy and you like romance, you'll make somebody very happy someday! If you want to kill Cho...be my guest, or maybe I can join you! And Ginny and Harry rock the world and one day I might write a Harry/Ginny romance fic.
Ckat44: Thanks, I like my pace, too: gives me some resting time in between. Yeah, I can imagine that the Harry ghost story idea would be sad to write. Hope you like the chapter!
Maximum Poofy-Pissed Off Queen: Yeah, I hate Harry/Cho fics...I don't even read them. Anyway, I have to ask, why were you up at 4:45 in the morning? I could never stay up that late. But I know what you mean about serious lack of good FF's because I can't find very many these days. Well, hope you like the chapter.
Ratgirl: Well, you got what you wished for, here's another Sirius scene!
Catiechan: Here's your scene, delivered on a silver platter! Thanks for telling me to do it because I personally think it added to the plot. Hope it fulfilled your wants!
Also, thanks to: blackunicorn, Demon Child, allison, ginnyNharrysecretlove, lizhowHP, Leigh, NightScape, Rain Warrior, madden, Xirleb70, Padfoot98056, baudburner, lilynjamesAAF, EriEka127, BratPrincess-187, SiriuslyObsessed, fantagal, Englishgirl, Romm, Xenocide, jo0609, jouve25, Arctic Wolf2, Maikafuiniel, rhinemjr, and tati1