THE THIRD CAMP
CHAPTER VI-- THE DOG STAR
Harry was folding and unfolding Riddle's "note" when he realized that Ron was looking over his shoulder.
"Just do it, Harry," he said.
"Do what?" Harry asked.
"Show Sirius the note, don't be so independent, you'll end up killing yourself," he sighed.
Harry gave Ron a grin, "You sound like your mother."
"Heaven forbid," he gave Harry a mortified look. "Go downstairs."
"Now?"
"They're just talking," Ron shrugged.
"Ok," Harry nodded, "Come with me."
Ron raised an eyebrow, "You think I would stay up here?"
----
They took the stairs two at a time, searching the packed room for the mop of black hair that was Sirius. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Harry almost tripped over Mad-Eye Moody. There was noting more disturbing than getting a blank look from a man he had "known" for a year.
"D'you see him?" Harry hissed to Ron.
"No."
It was impossible to move in the clutter of bodies, all holding wine glasses and chatting intently. A few turned to look at Harry and Ron as they jostled past them, and more outright gaped at Harry's scar, but he was far to used to that to care. A man he had never seen before grabbed Harry by the arm, "Could you tell me your name, please?"
"Harry Potter," Harry said as quietly as possible.
"See, I told you!" The man smiled delightedly at his wife, a wisp of a witch in a gauzy yellow dress. Harry hated it when people talked of him like he was some sort of pet, "Is it true that you're a Parselmouth?"
"Yes," Harry said shortly, "Have you seen Sirius Black?"
"Er...no..." the man began.
"Sorry, I'm looking for him... urgent--" Harry managed a thin smile before twisting out of his arm, to find Ron, standing there with a smirk on his face.
"Harry, can I touch your hand please, oh Harry--" he began.
"Don't start," Harry rolled his eyes.
"Ron! Harry!" Considering the merits of an invisibility cloak, Harry wheeled around to be faced with Professor Lupin.
"Professor Lupin!" He grinned.
"Hello," Ron said and for the first time Harry realized how tall he was. Lupin was shorter than his friend by a good three inches, something he hadn't noticed when he saw him last.
"You've shrunk," Harry said, amazed.
"Good to see you too," Lupin was smirking in a way reminiscent of Sirius. "And I think you've grown, Ron at least." Lupin stared at Harry as though trying to find words for his feelings, "It's been a while."
"Yeah," Harry shrugged, "A lot has happened."
"Sirius told me what you did, Harry," he shook his head slightly, "James would have been proud."
The mention of Sirius reminded Harry of why he was here... and the note. "Professor Lupin," he began out of habit, and then realizing that Lupin wasn't a professor anymore, was unsure of how to continue.
"Remus, Harry," he said with a slight smile.
"...Remus, I got a note today from Tom Riddle," he handed Lupin the much folded scrap that seemed to add a whole other dimension to his world of worry.
Lupin looked up from the paper, "Have you shown Dumbledore?"
"No one but me and Ron and you."
Lupin nodded, "He should see this." Holding the paper, he began to make his way through the crowd, clearing a path more effectively than Harry or Ron had managed, he supposed it came with practice. When they finally reached Dumbledore, sitting in front of the fireplace, they found him wrapped up in conversation with a man Harry had never seen before. He had black hair, gelled up into inch long spikes and tawny eyes, brown streaked with gold.
"Though I admit you know Cornelius better than I ever could..." Dumbledore was cut off when the man, sensing their presence, cleared him throat.
Turning around, Dumbledore smiled at the sight of Lupin, and more broadly though not surprised in the least, at Ron and Harry. "Harry, Ron," he said, drawing them closer with his arm, "I want you to meet Gabriel Cox."
"Hallo," Gabriel smiled at them and Harry realized this was the man who had been lobbying so hard for an article in the Daily Prophet, "Ron Weasley and Harry Potter I presume?"
"Yeah," Ron grinned broadly, pleased that, for once, someone recognized him.
"I know your brother Bill," Gabriel said.
"D'you work at Gringotts?" Ron asked.
"No, I'm a reporter for the Prophet. I knew Bill at Hogwarts."
"Albus..." smiling apologetically at Gabriel, Lupin gripped Dumbledore's arm, "Harry got this in the mail today, postmarked under Tom Riddle." A flicker of dismay passed over Gabriel's face like a wraith.
Dumbledore took the letter, and looked at it slowly, his laugh wrinkles hardening into a frown.
"Sirius tells me the boys are going with you, Remus," Dumbledore said curtly.
"Yes," Lupin replied.
"You have ward spells on your home?"
"Three."
Dumbledore nodded gently, a smile curling over the edge of his beard, "Then I have no objection in letting them go. I believe it is a petty threat, Voldemort cannot touch Harry and I plan to keep it that way."
"What is this?" Sirius sauntered up, a wry smile lighting his gaunt features.
Gabriel passed the note to Sirius, "Avada Kedavra."
"Where did you get this?" Sirius's voice sounded more like a growl than an actual human expression.
"Voldemort sent it to Harry," Dumbledore said, his calm all the more unnerving.
A look of bitterness passed over Sirius's features. "God damn..." he muttered, and then slowly-- ferocity building with each heartbeat began to rip the note up into little pieces, crumpling them in his hand, as if he was trying to suffocate the very paper. With an anguished roar he threw them into the fire, watching maniacally as the flames licked the tiny pieces of paper as it burned away... into nothingness. For the first time in his life, Harry saw why people had believed Sirius capable of murder. Slowly, he looked up at Harry, reached out and grabbed his arm, gripping it so tight that it hurt. "He will never hurt you, Harry, as long as I live. Never." Letting go of his arm as abruptly as he had grabbed it, Sirius collapsed into an armchair, his head in his hands. Lupin turned to them, his face gray, "Ron-- Harry, go get your things..." they turned and left without another word.
"I can't stay in here..." Sirius muttered, "...heat..."
----
When Remus had gone outside, he found Sirius standing next to the wall, wordlessly staring up at the sky.
"Sirius--" With an animal roar, he grabbed a flowerpot and threw it against the wall. It broke, dirt, clay, and crushed daisy flew through the air. "Sirius, please--"
"That bastard!" He yelled, "Why? Why the hell does he do this?"
Remus looked at him, "He's sick."
"Hasn't he done enough?" Sirius yelled suddenly, hitting the wall with his fist, "Hasn't he killed enough Potters already? Hasn't he wrecked our lives once? Why the bloody encore? Damn it!" He pounded the wall again, "God damnit..."
Remus walked over and caught Sirius's arm in midswing, he tried to twist away, but Remus held him fast, pulling him away from the brick wall, "We won't let him."
"We won't let him?" Sirius gave into a sudden emotion, neither laughter or crying, but a mixture of both. "You know what Sirius is, Remus?" He said suddenly, looking up at the night sky.
"The dog star," Remus said quietly.
"Appropriate isn't it?" Sirius gave a hollow sounding laugh, "You were always the best of us, you know that? You with your constant moralizing and compassion." He paused for a second, "Never though you'd hear me say that, eh? I'm so much more of a monster than you ever were... are. That's why Sirius is appropriate, I'm a dog, I'm the animal." He shook his head bitterly, "Who am I fooling, if he came for Harry I would be powerless... I would have no chance. I couldn't save James, I can't save Harry..."
"Sirius is also the brightest star in the sky, Padfoot," Remus said, gripping his hand, "Without you, Harry had no one. You can't give up on yourself."
For the longest moment, Sirius just stared at the sky, "What would Snape do if he saw me crying?"
"Nothing," said Remus, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Sirius, "I'd have ripped his tongue out before he could gloat."
"You're too good to me, Remus," Sirius said with the trace of a smile.
"You're too hard on yourself," Remus replied. "Now come on, you have a very worried godson to attend to."
CHAPTER VI-- THE DOG STAR
Harry was folding and unfolding Riddle's "note" when he realized that Ron was looking over his shoulder.
"Just do it, Harry," he said.
"Do what?" Harry asked.
"Show Sirius the note, don't be so independent, you'll end up killing yourself," he sighed.
Harry gave Ron a grin, "You sound like your mother."
"Heaven forbid," he gave Harry a mortified look. "Go downstairs."
"Now?"
"They're just talking," Ron shrugged.
"Ok," Harry nodded, "Come with me."
Ron raised an eyebrow, "You think I would stay up here?"
----
They took the stairs two at a time, searching the packed room for the mop of black hair that was Sirius. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Harry almost tripped over Mad-Eye Moody. There was noting more disturbing than getting a blank look from a man he had "known" for a year.
"D'you see him?" Harry hissed to Ron.
"No."
It was impossible to move in the clutter of bodies, all holding wine glasses and chatting intently. A few turned to look at Harry and Ron as they jostled past them, and more outright gaped at Harry's scar, but he was far to used to that to care. A man he had never seen before grabbed Harry by the arm, "Could you tell me your name, please?"
"Harry Potter," Harry said as quietly as possible.
"See, I told you!" The man smiled delightedly at his wife, a wisp of a witch in a gauzy yellow dress. Harry hated it when people talked of him like he was some sort of pet, "Is it true that you're a Parselmouth?"
"Yes," Harry said shortly, "Have you seen Sirius Black?"
"Er...no..." the man began.
"Sorry, I'm looking for him... urgent--" Harry managed a thin smile before twisting out of his arm, to find Ron, standing there with a smirk on his face.
"Harry, can I touch your hand please, oh Harry--" he began.
"Don't start," Harry rolled his eyes.
"Ron! Harry!" Considering the merits of an invisibility cloak, Harry wheeled around to be faced with Professor Lupin.
"Professor Lupin!" He grinned.
"Hello," Ron said and for the first time Harry realized how tall he was. Lupin was shorter than his friend by a good three inches, something he hadn't noticed when he saw him last.
"You've shrunk," Harry said, amazed.
"Good to see you too," Lupin was smirking in a way reminiscent of Sirius. "And I think you've grown, Ron at least." Lupin stared at Harry as though trying to find words for his feelings, "It's been a while."
"Yeah," Harry shrugged, "A lot has happened."
"Sirius told me what you did, Harry," he shook his head slightly, "James would have been proud."
The mention of Sirius reminded Harry of why he was here... and the note. "Professor Lupin," he began out of habit, and then realizing that Lupin wasn't a professor anymore, was unsure of how to continue.
"Remus, Harry," he said with a slight smile.
"...Remus, I got a note today from Tom Riddle," he handed Lupin the much folded scrap that seemed to add a whole other dimension to his world of worry.
Lupin looked up from the paper, "Have you shown Dumbledore?"
"No one but me and Ron and you."
Lupin nodded, "He should see this." Holding the paper, he began to make his way through the crowd, clearing a path more effectively than Harry or Ron had managed, he supposed it came with practice. When they finally reached Dumbledore, sitting in front of the fireplace, they found him wrapped up in conversation with a man Harry had never seen before. He had black hair, gelled up into inch long spikes and tawny eyes, brown streaked with gold.
"Though I admit you know Cornelius better than I ever could..." Dumbledore was cut off when the man, sensing their presence, cleared him throat.
Turning around, Dumbledore smiled at the sight of Lupin, and more broadly though not surprised in the least, at Ron and Harry. "Harry, Ron," he said, drawing them closer with his arm, "I want you to meet Gabriel Cox."
"Hallo," Gabriel smiled at them and Harry realized this was the man who had been lobbying so hard for an article in the Daily Prophet, "Ron Weasley and Harry Potter I presume?"
"Yeah," Ron grinned broadly, pleased that, for once, someone recognized him.
"I know your brother Bill," Gabriel said.
"D'you work at Gringotts?" Ron asked.
"No, I'm a reporter for the Prophet. I knew Bill at Hogwarts."
"Albus..." smiling apologetically at Gabriel, Lupin gripped Dumbledore's arm, "Harry got this in the mail today, postmarked under Tom Riddle." A flicker of dismay passed over Gabriel's face like a wraith.
Dumbledore took the letter, and looked at it slowly, his laugh wrinkles hardening into a frown.
"Sirius tells me the boys are going with you, Remus," Dumbledore said curtly.
"Yes," Lupin replied.
"You have ward spells on your home?"
"Three."
Dumbledore nodded gently, a smile curling over the edge of his beard, "Then I have no objection in letting them go. I believe it is a petty threat, Voldemort cannot touch Harry and I plan to keep it that way."
"What is this?" Sirius sauntered up, a wry smile lighting his gaunt features.
Gabriel passed the note to Sirius, "Avada Kedavra."
"Where did you get this?" Sirius's voice sounded more like a growl than an actual human expression.
"Voldemort sent it to Harry," Dumbledore said, his calm all the more unnerving.
A look of bitterness passed over Sirius's features. "God damn..." he muttered, and then slowly-- ferocity building with each heartbeat began to rip the note up into little pieces, crumpling them in his hand, as if he was trying to suffocate the very paper. With an anguished roar he threw them into the fire, watching maniacally as the flames licked the tiny pieces of paper as it burned away... into nothingness. For the first time in his life, Harry saw why people had believed Sirius capable of murder. Slowly, he looked up at Harry, reached out and grabbed his arm, gripping it so tight that it hurt. "He will never hurt you, Harry, as long as I live. Never." Letting go of his arm as abruptly as he had grabbed it, Sirius collapsed into an armchair, his head in his hands. Lupin turned to them, his face gray, "Ron-- Harry, go get your things..." they turned and left without another word.
"I can't stay in here..." Sirius muttered, "...heat..."
----
When Remus had gone outside, he found Sirius standing next to the wall, wordlessly staring up at the sky.
"Sirius--" With an animal roar, he grabbed a flowerpot and threw it against the wall. It broke, dirt, clay, and crushed daisy flew through the air. "Sirius, please--"
"That bastard!" He yelled, "Why? Why the hell does he do this?"
Remus looked at him, "He's sick."
"Hasn't he done enough?" Sirius yelled suddenly, hitting the wall with his fist, "Hasn't he killed enough Potters already? Hasn't he wrecked our lives once? Why the bloody encore? Damn it!" He pounded the wall again, "God damnit..."
Remus walked over and caught Sirius's arm in midswing, he tried to twist away, but Remus held him fast, pulling him away from the brick wall, "We won't let him."
"We won't let him?" Sirius gave into a sudden emotion, neither laughter or crying, but a mixture of both. "You know what Sirius is, Remus?" He said suddenly, looking up at the night sky.
"The dog star," Remus said quietly.
"Appropriate isn't it?" Sirius gave a hollow sounding laugh, "You were always the best of us, you know that? You with your constant moralizing and compassion." He paused for a second, "Never though you'd hear me say that, eh? I'm so much more of a monster than you ever were... are. That's why Sirius is appropriate, I'm a dog, I'm the animal." He shook his head bitterly, "Who am I fooling, if he came for Harry I would be powerless... I would have no chance. I couldn't save James, I can't save Harry..."
"Sirius is also the brightest star in the sky, Padfoot," Remus said, gripping his hand, "Without you, Harry had no one. You can't give up on yourself."
For the longest moment, Sirius just stared at the sky, "What would Snape do if he saw me crying?"
"Nothing," said Remus, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Sirius, "I'd have ripped his tongue out before he could gloat."
"You're too good to me, Remus," Sirius said with the trace of a smile.
"You're too hard on yourself," Remus replied. "Now come on, you have a very worried godson to attend to."