Harry breathed the cool morning air as he paced up the castle, towards his office. The castle was quieter on weekend mornings, and frankly, he preferred the quiet, however hollow it felt. He should've been in bed at the hour but he had to collect a stack of essay submissions from the sixth years he'd set on inferi.
A group of third years rushed past him, one unwittingly bumped into him. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull and her hand clamped on her lips as she apologised with flushed cheeks. He smiled at her and they rushed away. Other students walked past him, they spoke animatedly and greeted him with non-committal waves. He responded to each with a firm nod.
"Professor?!" Dual voices called from behind him. Harry turned with raised brows. Nirvaan stood on his left and Connor to his right, they were third years, and both looked wary and shifted nervously. He watched them carefully. It would not take a genius to guess what they wanted.
They wanted to know if-
"-the class could get an extension on the essay, please?" Nirvaan begged with puppy-dog eyes. Harry narrowed his eyes on both boys, and from the corner of his eyes, he caught a group of students peep their head from the corner. No doubt, these two had been sent to test the water.
"-It's just that, with the quidditch match on Monday, some of those playing may not be able to submit on time."
"I can make an exception for those playing," he reasoned, "As for the rest of you-"
"-See Professor, as the diligent students we are-" Connor began slickly. Clearly, Nirvaan had dropped the ball. "We only ever want to submit our best work, and while we can acknowledge, some of us may have procrastinated a tad-"
'Some?' He almost chuckled but restrained himself as Connor continued his most regaling speech.
"Alright, fine," Harry finally relented. Even though he knew it would set his marking schedule back a few days, he conceded, if not for the sake of his ears. They looked up at him with eyes that sparkled. "Let the others know, it's due on Tuesday, twelve-o'clock sharp."
They thanked him as politely as they could (while their lips twitched with suppressed excitement) and when he turned away and they rounded the aforementioned corner, he heard the chorus of joyful screams and hi-fives. He chuckled and shook his head as he trotted down a flight of stairs. He held on to the railing as he rounded another turn and recoiled when he almost kicked on a student, seated on the topmost stair.
"Woah," he stepped back and to the left. "Sorry, I didn't see you,"
The boy looked up, bright blue eyes found his, his oversized hoodie fell back revealing dark hair.
"It's alright," he spoke tiredly and turned to look out of the window. Harry followed his gaze and noticed students congregate just in front of the castle. He watched Mcgonagall collect some permission slips from the students and turned back to Marcus.
"Aren't you going to hogsmeade? The group is leaving in a few minutes."
"No," he answered flatly, "I changed my mind."
"Why wouldn't you want to go? It's the one time you get to step out of the castle and have fun?" Harry cut around Marcus and faced him. He leaned against the railing.
His hoodie was oversized, and his jeans were twice that, with dirt covered holes at the bottom, probably from dragging his feet. Marcus lifted his gaze towards him, and something flickered in his dull eyes. His hands shifted in his pockets and shrugged.
Harry's lips formed a thin line and he took one step down. Clearly, Marcus was not in a talking mood. He gave Marcus a firm nod, turned around and took two steps down the hall.
A memory of the way Marcus tended to the flowers he'd sprouted flashed in his mind, and the small smile in his eyes as he watched them.
He stopped.
"Marcus, do you like herbology?" He looked over his shoulder at the boy.
Marcus' gaze flickered to him and then away again.
"I just like flowers,"
Harry nodded thoughtfully and scratched the base of his chin. He was surprised at the smoothness.
"Well there's this wonderful shop called 'Dogweed and Deathcap'." he mused aloud with a tsk, "And, there may or may not be an incredibly interesting flower on display,"
The boy blinked absently.
Harry continued, "Apparently, it's a crystalline flower that glows once every century or so, its said to be in full bloom, for a limited time, as I heard. "
Marcus' ears seemed to perk but he kept his expression mum. He looked at Harry with a quizzical expression. He smiled at Marcus with a wink, "It would be such a shame to miss out on something that beautiful, don't you think?."
Harry continued on his way without a backwards turn. It took a minute before he heard feet shuffle behind him and gallop away. He smirked and when he turned around, Marcus was gone. He watched through one of the windows as the boy chased after his classmates, his hands waved maniacally. He stumbled twice but quickly got back up.
His pride, while being an auror, had been the idea that he was doing something good, something right. That he was protecting people. That he was cleaning the mess left behind after the war. It often meant endless sleepless nights, chasing dark wizards, giants, werewolves, and then there were the towers of paperwork.
More than that, it was hollow work. An invisible profit.
He often thought of the wizarding world as a plant. His job was to encase it in a glass house, to watch over it and to protect it from the elements. But, he wanted to do more than that. He wanted to nurture this plant, to water it, to feed it and then to protect it. But more than that, to eventually let it grow on it's own and bear whatever fruits came.
Harry smiled warmly as students turned around, finally noticing Marcus.
Things were different now, he felt he had an impact. Whether it was motivating students to reach their potential, or encouraging them, he felt he was making an actual dent in the wizarding world.
Harry waved his wand over his lock and the door opened on its own. He bent down to collect the essays students had slid under his door. He straightened them on his knee and stood up. There was a noticeable chill in the air when he breathed. He looked around the room and was certain he had closed all the windows before he left. Perhaps one of the ghosts had been wandering around his office. Hopefully, none had defaced any of his work.
He approached his desk and as he rounded to his seat, his hip struck the corner. He hissed and doubled over at the vibrating ache. He clenched the corner of the desk and screwed his eyes shut as he let the ache dissolve into a dull throb.
When he felt he could breath, something on the desk finally caught his attention. It was scattered among open books and pages. He hadn't noticed it at first but once it caught his eye, he couldn't ignore it.
He reached for the paper. He would've sat at his chair but didn't trust his hip quite yet (in light of the threatening pain that shot up his leg).
He unfolded the newspaper clipping and felt his jaw tighten.
It was a black and white image of Maximilian Kite, taken during his trial. In the image, Kite cackled maniacally from behind the bars encasing him, his mouth was full of teeth and his shoulder-length white hair washed over him like endless string. Once he noticed the camera, he violently jerks towards it, the image instantly cut to black and looped again.
Harry felt his teeth grate as he stared into Kite's grey eyes. He scowled at the sadistic pleasure behind them. His lip twisted as Kite's hand reached for the camera. He imagined the bony hand come to life, it stretched out of the pages, towards him. It almost reached his neck, when a cold shiver ran down his spine.
He crushed the clipping in his palm and brought his fist to his lips. He clenched the paper so tightly, that he could feel his nails dig into his fist.
Someone had been in his office.
A student? It couldn't have been a student. He had been the last person in his office. And when he left, he placed an enchantment on his door, effectively sealing it but still allowing students to submit their assignments before the deadline. Even if a student tried to bypass his enchantment, they would need a hell of a lot more than 'Alohomora'.
He bit his nail thoughtfully, his brows furrowed in annoyance.
A teacher? Absolutely not, they all know how to reach him if they needed anything.
More than that, why would anyone go to such lengths to leave this?
He gritted his teeth and then resigned himself. 'I have to check'.
Harry slammed his old trunk on his bedroom floor, flipped the locks and dug into his trunk with great speed. He thrust his firebolt on to floor as he shifted through his old clothes. A dull ache formed at his temple as he searched.
He had avoided touching his old trunk because of all that it stood for, but more than that, some memories were still too fresh for him. He pushed aside a golden egg and the memories that flashed in his mind.
He snatched the parchment and quickly rose to his feet. He unfurled the brown sheet on his bed and reached for his wand. He pressed his wand against the paper.
"I solemnly swear, that I'm up to no good." he spoke and blots of ink began to grow over the sheet. The map soon came to life and name tags pattered across the sheet. He searched each name carefully, where they were, what they were doing and who they were with. He had to check, there was the possibility that Kite was in Hogwarts that would not leave him. It nagged at him. Pettigrew had been able to do it, perhaps Kite was an animagus as well.
Harry observed carefully as students sat in the Great Hall, eating dinner, others were in the library or in their respective dorms. Hagrid was in his hut. Professors who weren't eating in the hall were in their offices or quarters. He checked and double-checked the names as his eyes wandered over the map but nothing came up.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly aware he had been holding his breath.
His relief was short-lived as the uncrumpled newspaper clipping fluttered in front of him.
Who? But more than that, why?
His hand smoothed over the frown lines between his eyes. He removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When he resettled the glasses over his eyes, his gaze fell on his old broomstick.
…
Harry tapped the iron handle against the door twice. A dull and heavy thud radiated through his hand and the door with each bang. He looked over his shoulder for no reason and suppressed the urge to check his reflection. He hoped he didn't look nearly as awful as he felt. And then he began to wonder if it was rude to show up so late. He checked his watch, it was half past six in the evening. Children sleep by that time, right?
Before he had a chance to disapparate. He heard a loud shout from inside the home, then the heavy thud of feet running down a staircase and then the door swung open with incredible force.
"Harry!" the child screamed and flung himself into Harry's arms. Harry dropped everything he held in his hands in order to hug the child. Teddy wrapped his arms around his neck and squeezed.
Harry rested his head against the child's head. Wisps of his blue hair began to glow against Harry's cheek.
"You've gotten big." Harry groaned with a smile. Through the open door, he watched Andromeda approach. She wiped her hands on her apron with a warm smile.
Harry settled the grinning child on the ground and extended his hand towards Andromeda.
"Oh, stop," she chuckled and pulled him in to her for a hug, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "How have you been, dear?"
Harry returned her kiss with a smile as the woman pulled from his arms. She was shorter than he remembered seeing her, and fine lines had begun to form at the corner of her eyes
"I-"
"Woah!" Teddy chimed from the ground. He was crouched with his hands under his chin. His lips twisted into a bright grin and his eyes shone like diamonds when he looked up at Harry. "Can I fly it? Please, Harry?!"
Harry picked up the object of Teddy's amusement: his old firebolt. He stood it upright. It was an old model and far slower in comparison the newer ones but Teddy didn't know that.
"Well, you'd have to ask your grandmother," Harry turned to Andromeda. Teddy flung himself into his grandmother, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Please!" he chanted into her belly. Andromeda narrowed her eyes on Harry.
"Oh, alright." She conceded with a pat on his head.
"Yes!" He shouted and jumped away from her and attached himself to Harry's leg.
"Be back before dinner," Andromeda touched his shoulder and Harry nodded. "That means half an hour."
It wasn't long before they were thousands of feet above London and under the night sky. Teddy's eyes were wide and the amusement never wore off the boys face as they flew. Harry maintained his arm around the boys midriff, lest the part of him that was his mother take over and he accidentally thrust himself off the broomstick. Teddy pointed to sights with a grand enthusiasm, and his hair glowed a shimmery blue with each burst of excitement.
There was a purity to his joy that made Harry's heart ache. He should've done more to be there for Teddy. He had sworn to Lupin he would do his best. And for a while, he'd failed at that. Teddy tapped his hand and pointed at something beneath them before laughing to himself. Harry smiled with him.
His grip on Teddy tightened.
He was here now.
"Do you want to go faster?"
Teddy nodded enthusiastically. Harry wrapped his free hand tightly around the broomstick.
"Hold on tight,"
Teddy wrapped his hands around the handle and braced with a grin.
When they finally settled on the ground again, Andromeda had been waiting for them at the door. Harry was glad they'd touched down before the clouds began to roll in from the distance. He could hear rumbles in the distance. Harry rubbed Teddy's head as they approached. Teddy immediately began telling his grandmother about all the things he'd seen.
"Yes, yes," Andromeda smiled as she ushered him inside, "Go wash your hands, dinner is ready."
Harry watched the boy run towards the kitchen, he smiled warmly and stepped back. Andromeda rounded on him with a quirked brow.
"Aren't you staying for dinner?" she tilted her head.
"Oh, no. I wouldn't-"
"You're staying for dinner," she said with finality and ushered him in by the shoulder. Any protests ceased on his lips as he gently shut the door behind them.
Andromeda had prepared a hearty shepherds pie with vegetables. Teddy picked around the vegetables, groaning to himself until his grandmother reminded him there would be no dessert if he didn't finish his plate.
"Harry, check this!" Teddy pulled his sleeve from across the table and forced his attention. When Harry turned to him, the boy twisted his face, giving a constipated expression. Three seconds later, his ears shot out and dropped to his chin with a flap, while his front teeth joined together and elongated. His nose shrunk and rounded itself.
"I'm a rabbit!" he slurred. Harry chuckled and ruffled his head.
"That's amazing," he said to both Teddy and Andromeda. When he looked to the woman, he whispered. "He hasn't been doing this among muggles, has he?"
"Thankfully not," Andromeda sighed and forked some shepherds pie into her mouth. Harry watched with great amusement as the boy began to show him the album of faces he could pull. "They tend to ignore the hair, probably think I'm a quirky grandmother." she chuckled to herself.
When they had finished eating, Harry cleared the dishes while Teddy hurried upstairs with Andromeda, to bathe and prepare for bed.
While he waited, his eyes wandered through the living room. He smiled fondly of pictures of Remus and Tonks. In one, she wrung her arms around him with a loving smile while he stared down at her, fairly exhausted but pleased. In another, she held an infant Teddy in her arms and gazed down adoringly at him before looking up to kiss her husband.
His smile faltered.
The only window he had ever had to know his parents had been through the singular picture he'd had of them, dancing blissfully. He hated that this too, was the only way Ted would ever truly know his parents. But at least, he would see them beautiful, happy and whole.
And not as the corpses that flashed in his mind.
"You're starting to look like a lot like Remus," Andromeda smiled sadly. Harry jolted and settled the picture where he found it. He turned to her with an apologetic smile. She approached him and gathered his hands in hers. Her touch was warm and kind. "You're far too young to look so weathered."
"Work," he reassured the woman with a shrug. She narrowed her eyes on him knowingly and sighed. She released him and stroked his cheek.
"You should take better care of yourself, you're practically skin and bone," She pinched his cheek, "You shouldn't let your looks go to waste,"
He smiled at that, "I'll do my best," he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "May I say goodnight to him?"
"Of course,"
Harry apparated outside the boys bedroom door and knocked twice.
"Come in," he sang. Harry twisted the knob and poked his head through. Ted was tucked securely with only his head poking from the sheets. He grinned a toothy grin from his place.
"I came to say, goodnight." he approached the boy's bedside. Teddy shuffled under the sheets to make space for him and Harry took his proffered seat. Teddy's grin faltered and his hair began to grey. Harry ruffled the child's hair and when he pulled away, Teddy caught his hand with his tiny ones.
"Will you come again soon?"
"Sooner than you think," he held the boys hand. Rain began to patter above them in soothing ticks. "I promise,"
"That's what you said last time," his voice broke.
His words felt like a blow to his chest, "I know-" he sighed, "But this time, if I forget to keep my promise, you'll write me a letter and I'll be here in an instant."
In his mind, he envisioned a hundred letters at his door each morning. Teddy smiled, and he thought he saw Remus.
"Get some sleep," He prepared to stand when Teddy bolted upright and wrapped his arms around him. The child nestled his head in the crook of his neck and squeezed tightly. Harry raised a hand to pat his back but stilled. He felt his godsons tiny beating heart against his own as the boy leaned into him.
'I'll do better,' he raised his tentative hand and softly patted Teddy's back. 'I swear…'
Harry held the boy until he was sure he had fallen asleep and then tucked him into the sheets. He watched Teddy for a while, taking in the parts of him that resembled his mother and father and smiled.
When he stood up, he noticed an owl hovering outside the window, in the downpour. He frowned as he approached the window and lifted it, he made a backwards glance, careful not to let in the cold and wake the sleeping boy. A rumble of thunder echoed through the rain.
The animal presented the note and then promptly flew off. With cold and wet hands, Harry gracelessly tore open the envelope.
'St Mungos. Now.
Ron.'
…
With a flash of lightning and a thunder clap, Harry swung the doors open. The nurse at the front jumped and then her look turned into one of annoyance. He couldn't have cared less. Over and above his racing heart, he was cold and wet from the rain, though he couldn't feel it. His hair hung over his face in dark tresses. He would have approached the woman but was instantly cut off by a taller figure.
He would've pushed the person aside when he was grabbed by the shoulder.
"Harry, it's me," Ron shook him and Harry finally looked into the familiar eyes of his best friend. His heart hammered against his chest.
"What's happened? I got your letter." He swallowed and frantically searched Ron's eyes. "Is Ginny-?"
"Ginny's fine," he answered worriedly.
His face twisted, still unable to relax. "Then-"
"-It's Hermione,"
If his heart had been hammering, it had stopped immediately. He felt an icy chill run up him. His eyes were wide and ached. He stared into Ron's eyes and shook his head.
"No-" he stepped away from Ron. He shook his head frantically. There was no way-
He walked towards the nurse at the front desk. He heard Ron speak but fell deaf to him. His eyes were wide and unseeing.
"Hermione Granger." he said to her. His voice sounded entirely foreign to him.
She stared at him with a mix of concern and something else. She swallowed and looked over his shoulder. Harry parted his lips to speak again but was caught in a vice grip by Ron. Ron made a gesture towards the nurse and ushered him down a corridor.
Ron led him to one of the rooms, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. He gestured for Harry to go in. His mind conjured images of Hermione staring lifelessly and suddenly his feet rooted themselves in place. He found himself unable to breathe, let alone think.
He swallowed and tore his feet from the ground. He exhaled deeply and steeled himself for whatever came next.
He soon learned he was not prepared for what he saw.
Hermione sat hunched on the bed, diligently reading a book. When she noticed them at the door, she smiled brightly.
"Harry!" she waved and then winced.
Harry snapped to Ron with a twisted expression.
"I thought she was-"
"-Should've let me finish." Ron replied and leaned against the door frame. Harry narrowed his eyes and swallowed the urge to punch him. His panic finally calmed, only to be replaced by something else.
He turned to Hermione. "What are you doing here?" He snapped irritably.
Hermione shut her textbook, "Well, It's not like I want to be here," she retorted. "In fact, I'd like to leave right this moment,"
"You'll do no such thing, Hermione," Ron cut dryly. Hermione parted her lips to speak again and they began to argue. Harry's eyes bounced between them as they exchanged words, a vein grew and throbbed at his temple. Something rose from within him and threatened to bubble over.
"Can someone tell me anything!" Harry finally erupted. The room fell into an abrupt silence as Ron and Hermione turned to him. They observed him and he was suddenly aware of his heavy breathing. Ron sighed and pulled away from the door. He gently shut it behind them.
Ron filled him in while Hermione lazily flipped through her book, chiming in with details here and there. As it were, she had been digging through the archives in the ministry and on her exit, she had been attacked from behind. The spell had hit her lower back, and she collapsed.
"Did you-?" Harry began.
"-Yes and no," Hermione replied and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She flipped through her book. "I had the feeling I was being followed and I turned around just before being hit, it was too dark to see any faces but I know there was a adult male, tall, gaunt, with long hair. He disappeared before people came to check on me. That's about all I can remember."
"Did you hear the spell he used?"
"It was non-verbal," she shook her head. "I suspect it might be the same that was used on Ginny, though I wonder why I'm not- you know-" she rambled.
"It was Kite," Ron changed the topic and rubbed his temple.
"Kite would've used a killing curse," Harry dismissed the idea. He pushed a wayward memory from his mind and ignored the dull ache that formed at his temple.
"Maybe that's not what he wants, " Ron spoke and turned to Harry, "at least not yet."
Harry bristled and furrowed his brows. His mind conjured the newspaper clipping he'd found on his desk.
"What are you implying?"
"I'm suggesting that Kite wants revenge," he replied, "I wouldn't put it past his sadistic nature to want you to watch the people around you get hurt before he makes his move."
Ron shrugged, "Hell, I might be next,"
Harry twisted his face and rounded on Ron, "Why would Kite want to take revenge on me? You had a hand in arresting him just as much as I did."
Ron and Hermione fell silent. They shared a look of concern before turning to him. "Why wouldn't he?" Ron asked in a patronising tone.
"Harry, you almost killed the man."