As usual, I flatline on getting chapters for this fic moving and I just gaze dumbly at the screen unless I'm writing chapters for my other fics. Well, I have managed to force myself to get a new chapter of this out after incorporating the advice of a stoic on the act of beginning being half the process.
But to be candid, a random reviewer is the main reason I got this chapter out a month or two earlier. Shout-out to Big. Daddy. Dudders. for having a hilarious name that had the voice chat laughing when I brought it up and convinced me to write some more.
Also, I've now made my own Discord channel after thinking about it for awhile. If you want to join and talk about my fics and get some heads up on my future projects, just hop on in. Still a little rough, but it won't be for too long.
This is the link: /2XN2rzuFpM
This chapter got split because several hectic irl things are holding up the last 1-2k words that need written. Dropping the first half right now because it's been six months since I updated this.
(If the format is jacked up, it's because I uploaded the chapter file differently.)
Anyway, here's the chapter.
Albus Dumbledore quietly absorbed the news he had just received from Alastor, removing his spectacles for a moment and massaging the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
Following the chaotic events of the discovery of multiple Horcruxes, Dumbledore had immediately sent a Floo message for Alastor to relieve Arthur of his guard duties on the prophecy, and then tossed a less than legally made portkey through the fire and await further orders.
If Voldemort had felt any of his soul fragments get destroyed and went to steal the prophecy in response, Alastor was the only one other than himself that could fight him in a duel long enough for help to arrive.
It was now nearly three in the morning and his friend had just informed him that he was attacked by an extremely large and uncommonly intelligent snake.
"The damn thing knew how to avoid spells, Albus." Alastor growled, his right hand bandaged as he downed another dose of what Dumbledore assumed was anti-venom for snake bites. "It went for my leg first, bit my fake one." A brief bark of laughter came from the grizzled ex-auror as he said that. "And then it went for my wand arm."
"How did you drive it off?" Dumbledore asked, knowing it could have been a myriad of different things his friend was capable of.
"Stabbed it with my boot knife." The man shrugged, "And don't prattle on about getting treatment. I pulled a sizable amount of blood from the wound to get the venom out. This is a Blood Replenishing potion." He gestured at the vial in his hand, before putting it back in his coat pocket.
Dumbledore hummed at that, resigned to the veteran of multiple fights being more than a little rough in how he treated his injuries.
"Now that I've given you the events, what the bloody hell convinced you to send me?" Moody demanded, keeping his tone steady.
"I discovered precisely how Voldemort survived 14 years ago." Dumbledore said simply, taking the wind out of his sails. "The possibility of him going to fetch the prophecy himself was too great for me to have anyone other than you there."
After a long silence as Alastor Moody absorbed the gravity of Dumbledore's discovery, he nodded in understanding.
"Hah," Moody barked, "No wonder you insisted on me having an illegal portkey. Is that all or can I go now?"
It was not missed by Dumbledore that his friend didn't seem to care about the details of Voldemort's survival. If he did, which was likely, he probably trusted that the lack of initial sharing was for a reason.
"Have Poppy look at your injury." Dumbledore requested. "There is no harm in ensuring it is properly healed."
Moody nodded and limped towards the door, exiting the office and turning down the corridor that would lead to the infirmary.
Once Moody was gone, Dumbledore stood up from his chair and promptly walked back to his quarters, his shoulders sagging as he willed the door open with a flick of his hand.
Without even bothering to switch back into his nightclothes, Dumbledore got back into his bed and fell right back to sleep, relieved that Arthur had not been at the Ministry and that he could have a few days of relative silence in the castle from the Christmas holidays.
Harry struggled to keep his breathing steady as his heart hammered in his chest, digesting what Ron had just told him.
He'd forgotten that Arthur had been attacked in the night, before he ended up back in the past. He hadn't had the vision because he no longer had a shard of Voldemort's soul attached to him.
By whatever providence there was, Dumbledore had switched Arthur with Moody.
"You okay, mate?" Ron asked, looking unnerved as well from what he'd been told by Fred and George.
"Yeah," Harry swallowed thickly, shaking his head, "Sounds like your dad dodged a bullet."
At Ron's look of confusion, Harry groaned slightly.
"Muggle saying," He explained, glancing at Hermione as she came down from the girl's dormitory with her trunk in tow, "Means he avoided a bad situation."
"You two have everything?" Hermione asked as she reached them, her eyes focusing on the two shrunken trunks of theirs. "And why do you constantly do that?" She pointed at the state of their luggage.
"Magic is fun, Hermione." Harry shrugged, "No other reason's needed."
The resident bookworm didn't look particularly enthused by the response, but she took the answer for what it was and looked at Harry intently.
"Do you have everything planned for speaking with Lord Greengrass?" Hermione asked quietly, making sure everybody had cleared out.
Everybody had already left, so it was just the three of them.
"Hermione," Harry sighed, having heard her ask this more than once, "Everything's going to be fine. Sirius and I spoke at length about it." He reminded her.
Ron stood silently while the two of them spoke, waiting patiently for them.
"I," Hermione paused, pursing her lips, "I know I've asked you before, but I just want you to do well. This could help the Order if you have their support."
Harry nodded, knowing his friend was doing it out of apprehension and care for him.
"I'll be alright," He placated her, "And don't worry, it'll go perfectly fine."
Harry left out that he knew quite a bit on how to not antagonize Cyrus or the rest of Daphne's family, given that he knew them very well.
"Well, we ready to leave?" Ron cut in, drawing a snort of amusement from Harry.
"Yeah, let's get out of here." The three fifth years exited the common room and left Gryffindor Tower, heading towards where the other students were headed to the train.
Harry remained silent as they made their way there, thinking of how he was going to need to pretend he didn't recognize the inside of Greengrass Manor and the grounds, but that was the least of his worries in covering himself.
The main concern was if Cyrus suspected that they were in a relationship.
It was going to be an awkward several hours of interaction with Daphne whenever anybody was present with them, including Sirius. Harry had neglected to inform his godfather that he and Daphne were officially a couple, and he didn't trust the man to not harass him about it if discovered.
Shaking his head, Harry continued walking with Hermione and Ron to their destination.
Daphne and Tracey sequestered themselves in a compartment to themselves, the brunette looking at her best friend speculatively.
"Daph, are you okay?" She asked, glancing at the abnormally pale visage of the other girl.
Daphne remained silent for a moment, trying to not feel nauseous from worry.
"I think I'm going to be sick." She said weakly, starting to internally freak out again about the impending meeting with her parents.
Harry and Lord Black would be meeting her family the day before Yule, which was tomorrow, and the intentional avoiding of Harry on the train was already negatively affecting her nerves even more so.
It was one thing to know that Harry was going to meet her parents, but actually acknowledging it as they were on the train was taking toll on her.
Tracey evidently thought of something particularly amusing as Daphne was struggling, because she snickered under her breath.
"Already worked that fast?" She asked, raising a brow.
Daphne didn't understand what her friend was getting at, so Tracey explained.
"You said you think you're going to be sick, so you might be genuinely ill. You're dreading talking with your parents, and it's all related to your new boyfriend." Tracey cooed, drawing a faint glare from Daphne at the slight taunting, "I didn't realize this alliance rested upon popping out the next Potter heir."
Daphne's face flushed red in both anger and embarrassment at what Tracey was insinuating.
"Tracey!" She almost shouted, glaring daggers at the giggling brunette. "Don't joke about that."
"Well, do you deny it?" Tracey asked mischievously.
"Yes, I deny it." Daphne huffed, crossing her arms and giving her absolute best death glare possible. "I'm already freaking out about the meeting, so I don't want to hear your attempts at aggravating me."
"Uh," Tracey frowned, looking offended, "I don't get why it's bothering you. I'm just joking, it's not like you're in a relationship with him, or anything."
Daphne couldn't help but shrink into herself, having not told Tracey about her and Harry yet.
"Ohhhhh," Tracey's eyes widened, "You're actually a couple?!"
Daphne visibly recoiled at how loud her friend was, her eyes flicking towards the door.
"Try saying it a little louder," Daphne almost growled, "I think the conductor didn't hear it."
"Sorry." Tracey muttered sheepishly, awkwardly shifting in her seat. "But... uh, so what's going on with you and Harry?"
Daphne fought down her instinct to clam up and say nothing, the time between her and Harry being personal to her. But, she needed help grappling with her nervousness and Tracey was the only one she could really talk with. Harry was probably dealing with it in his own way and she didn't want to impose on him.
So, Daphne explained how she and Harry got together, the dinner he prepared for her birthday, and finally, her kissing him.
"No wonder you're nervous." Tracey said uncomfortably, looking regretful, "I didn't realize there's a legitimate reason for you worrying. So, uh, sorry."
"Don't worry about," Daphne waved it off, "You didn't know."
Daphne knew Tracey didn't mean anything by it. She'd make a jape about something if it wasn't that serious.
The brunette then seemed to perk up.
"Is it true that he has a hippogriff tattoo?" She asked suddenly.
"I..." Daphne almost choked on an intake of air. "I don't know!"
"Just checking." Tracey said, scratching the side of her face with her left hand. "But is there anything you really can do other than just play it off as you two just being friends?"
"You have no idea how perceptive my father is." Daphne said seriously. "All those jokes about dads not understanding their daughters are complete and utter nonsense when it concerns mine."
And her mother was even more perceptive about it.
"Then... why did you get with Harry?" Tracey wondered, a perplexed expression evident in her features.
Daphne couldn't really put into words why she did. It wasn't like she planned on getting so close to him, nor did she expect to make the first move. It just felt right to do.
"I don't think you'd understand." Daphne sighed, knowing how cliche it sounded the moment she said it.
"If Blaise caught a hint, I might." Tracey muttered irritably, tucking her legs up against herself and setting her chin on her knees. "Idiot."
Daphne saw the opening to switch the subject of her own new relationship to Tracey's lack of one, so she took it.
"How fares the attempted ensnaring of the Widow's son?" Daphne asked amusedly, smirking when Tracey's eyes narrowed.
"He either is incapable of telling me he isn't interested, can't tell that I'm making hints, or he likes guys."
Honestly, Tracey sometimes made it too easy for Daphne at times.
"Maybe he likes blonds." Daphne mused, wanting to poke at Tracey like she did to her.
The brunette tried to burn a hole in her head with the amount of wrath in her gaze.
"I'm talking about Draco, not me." Daphne said lightly, snickering at Tracey's skeptical look.
"You know you aren't as funny as you think you are, Daph." She deadpanned.
"I already have the looks, so that's why you have the humour."
The last several weeks of Tracey messing with her about Harry was being paid in full, and her friend was not enjoying it.
Tracey sighed and let her legs drop back to the ground. "I hate that you're just like your dad."
"And don't you forget it." Daphne laughed, hopping up and sitting next to Tracey to let her know it was all in good fun. "But I think I might have an idea on how to get Blaise's attention."
The two girls talked the remainder of the trip, completely undisturbed by anybody else on the train.
The train came to a halt, the magically enhanced brakes making a faint keen sound from pressing up against metal.
Best to go before everybody rushes out. Harry thought, standing up and opening the door.
Harry exited the compartment with Ron and Hermione behind him, the three of them already having muggle clothes on underneath their robes so they didn't have to change.
Harry almost got out of the train unscathed, but a flash of familiar blonde hair in front of him had him flinching.
Bollocks.
Daphne gave a look of forlornness, hiding it under a mostly neutral expression. But he could see right through it with ease.
"Potter." She nodded politely, mindful of Ron and Hermione behind him.
"Greengrass." He nodded in response, equally as polite.
Tracey was flanking Daphne, and she looked between Ron and Hermione, grimacing visibly.
Daphne stepped forward and turned right, exiting the train without looking back.
"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, seeming to notice something was off.
Before Harry could lie and say he was fine, Neville came within view and gave Harry a wide smile.
"I hope you have a great winter break, Harry." The teen smiled brightly. "Thanks for all the DA lessons and... you know," He added a bit awkwardly, alluding to the private lessons, "I'll be back for sure."
"Good." Harry nodded, letting Neville exit next before he himself did.
Now that he was clear, Harry got off the train and onto the ground of the platform, eying the exit.
Sirius was standing next to said exit, Remus and Moody present as well.
Even if they had spoken through the mirror, Harry still had to take a moment to absorb how much better Sirius looked since they'd last seen each other in person a few months ago.
His face had filled out more, showing the aristocratic features characteristic of the Black family, and he didn't look as thin as he once did, even when compared to his trial.
Sirius walked straight up to Harry, not caring if anybody was looking closely, and pulled him into an embrace.
"Glad you're looking better, Padfoot." Harry returned the hug, letting go once Sirius did.
"I feel better," Sirius laughed, looking positively elated as his eyes flicked upwards, "Hermione, Ron, come on and hurry up." He barked, a toothy grin flashing on his face.
Harry's two friends caught up to him and they exited the magical side of the platform, Moody and Remus separately grabbing ahold of them.
"Deep breath." Sirius warned, apparating with Harry to their destination.
Harry grimaced at the slightly rougher apparition as they appeared in a crack, Sirius obviously being a little out of practice with it.
Twin crack sounds came a moment later, revealing Moody and Remus with their own charges.
"Sorry." Sirius apologized, letting go of his shoulder. "It's been a little while since I side along apparated someone."
I can't wait until I can do it myself again. Harry grumbled internally, not liking others doing it for him. It felt unpleasant and he preferred to have at least a degree of self-sufficiency.
"Two more points to jump to, Sirius." Moody barked, causing Sirius to scowl.
"Paranoid old man." Sirius said under his breath, flinching when a stinging hex struck his arm, courtesy of the heavily scarred older man's disturbingly fast reflexes.
"Heard it and learn to dodge, Black!" Moody scoffed, stowing his wand away. "Youthful stupidity." He added with a grumble, before grabbing a suddenly pale Ron and apparating again.
Remus followed suit with Hermione, who also looked a bit apprehensive, and vanished with a crack.
Before Sirius could mimic what the other two men had done, Harry shot him a look.
"You are teaching me how to apparate before the break is over." He said flatly, not brokering any refusal from his godfather.
He didn't fancy not being 'able' to apparate, being a 'fifth year'. Sometimes, Harry disliked the faint undertones of paranoia that laced most of his actions as of late.
"It's not legal." Sirius replied with a faint grin, grabbing his shoulder.
"Neither is becoming an unregistered animagus." Harry managed to say before they apparated to the next two points.
All six of them reached the small park that was next to Grimmauld Place, Harry's gut uneasy from the two side along apparations chained together.
"Let's get inside." Sirius said, the group walking across the street and to the door, while Moody had his wand partially in his hand, magical eye covering all directions.
With a flick of his wand and a muttered spell in what Harry recognized as Ancient Greek, Sirius pushed the door open and entered, followed by everyone else.
"Food should be ready right around now," Sirius turned to look at Harry, then Ron, "Molly fixed stew, I think."
Ron looked pleased by that and he and Hermione moved towards the kitchen, but Sirius stopped Harry from following.
"We need to talk." Sirius said, pointing towards the entrance into the basement down the hall. "Heir business, the meeting with Cyrus Greengrass, and something Snape said."
Bugger. Harry hissed internally, suspecting what it was Snape had decided to spill to his godfather; probably him being less than focused on lessons when Harry wanted to help Neville out.
"You too, Remus." Sirius added almost absentmindedly, drawing a groan from the werewolf.
"I haven't eaten today, Padfoot." Remus said like he was reminding Sirius of something already mentioned earlier.
"There's a sandwich or two with preservation charms on them downstairs." Sirius countered without missing a beat, training his gray eyes back on to Harry.
Something felt a little off about the two of them interacting, almost like they had a bit of an argument recently. The tone in their voices were a little less warm, bordering on flat.
"Lead on then." Harry said absentmindedly, following the raven haired man that he was a bit concerned for to the basement.
A flick of Sirius' wand had the door opening, the three of them walking down the steps and into the already lit room.
Sirius turned around and looked at Harry while Remus went towards the table, grabbing one of the sandwiches from earlier and wolfing it down.
"I'll just get straight to the point," Sirius said, looking rather vexed as he spoke, "Snape said you stopped with duelling lessons to help out Frank and Alice's son."
"I did." Harry acknowledged, his brow raised as he kept his eyes on Sirius' expression.
He didn't exactly look happy. It wasn't anger or even annoyance, but it wasn't positive either.
"You understand that Snape is one of the better duelists amongst Voldemort's inner circle?" Sirius asked, his tone carrying a bit of irritation in it, probably from having to compliment Snape, "Training with him is extremely important when at school."
Harry could understand that Sirius became very easily agitated when pertaining to certain subjects and his apprehension could get the better of him at times, but he needed to learn to keep his mouth shut on a subject Harry was more than acquainted with.
Neville was a close friend, at least a close one a few years in the future, but he was currently a friend still. If there was a main point of Harry's personality that he could admit was exploitable, it was his loyalty.
As if that supposed 'flaw' mattered to him in the slightest though.
"One small issue," Harry countered, adopting a leading tone so it stuck in Sirius' head, "My friend needed help, and I'm not an arsehole that is selfish."
His godfather visibly winced, while Remus looked like what just happened had reassured him.
"I'm, uh, sorry that I needed to bring that up," Sirius massaged the back of his neck awkwardly, "But Dumbledore wanted me to ask because it would have been a bit strange if he had."
Of course. Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes, unsurprised that Dumbledore would press for clarification.
"Still an idiot for thinking it was a wise choice to ask." Remus cut in, before taking another bite from the second beef sandwich.
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah," Sirius waved Remus off, looking annoyed at him being proven wrong, "Sorry for sounding like a bastard, just felt like I should ask."
"Whatever." Harry shrugged, knowing his godfather could get that way sometimes. "But what's this business about heir stuff and the meeting?" He asked, trying to steer the subject away from the awkward one.
Sirius launched into an explanation on certain types of etiquette expected of him whenever he would be acting in his official capacity as heir Black, deferment towards Sirius when they were both together in an official setting, and a few other things mixed in.
"It won't be too much of an issue if you miss a step when we meet the Greengrass'." Sirius clarified, probably thinking he needed to put Harry at ease, "I can handle most of the talk with Cyrus Greengrass, you just need to not do anything stupid."
"Don't be you, understood." Harry nodded obediently, unable to refrain from taking a jab at Sirius after he acted like a berk.
"I swear." Sirius rolled his eyes, a faint snort coming from Remus as he finished his food. "Just like James half the time."
This was something he wished he had done more often years prior, before Sirius had died. More time with the two men he considered uncles more than what Vernon ever was was priceless, and he wasn't letting them go just yet.
"Well, are you going to ask him or do we just need to go upstairs?" Remus gave Sirius a pointed look, the werewolf vanishing the crumbs on the plate with his wand a moment later.
"Ah, right," Sirius glanced at Harry, gray eyes gleaming, "Fancy a quick duel to see how your progress is?"
Harry saw it for what it was. Sirius was itching to test himself after their previous duel and Harry at the same time.
Harry nodded an affirmative. "Sure."
Remus backed away from the two of them to the corner and put up a transparent shield spell, spectating what was sure to be entertaining.
Sirius flicked his wand into his hand, Harry mirroring the action as the two backed away from one another.
The last remaining son of House Black initiated the first exchange by flinging a silent cutting curse at Harry, who sidestepped it partially and flicked it the rest of the way from him with his wand.
The speed that Sirius moved had almost caught Harry off guard. He'd obviously been training more often, and it showed in his sharper movement.
"Surprised?" Sirius grinned, sending a flurry of curses and jinxes at Harry, his wand weaving through pattern after pattern, unnerving the younger of the two somewhat.
Harry withstood the onslaught of multicolored spells that crackled and hissed as they passed by his head, finally casting one of the stronger shields he could when he wasn't able to dodge or bat aside anymore.
Predictably, Sirius followed up with a blasting curse to crack the shield which withstood it despite the sizzling sound made from the two spells impacting.
A brief window for a counter was open and Harry took it, flicking his wand and dropping the shield while sending a piercing hex at Sirius, followed by a couple of cutting curses and a bone breaker.
Sirius rolled with it and deftly pushed the first hex aside into the wall with his wand, deflecting another in the opposite direction and dodging the other.
The one that got deflected struck a few feet away from where the edge of Remus' shield was at, the scarred man making an unimpressed snort.
A brief lull in the duel followed, the two appraising one another.
"You're faster now," Sirius observed, his wand tip glowing a faint silver colour, "Your preferred type of dueling hasn't changed much, but it's gotten better."
It was an accurate assessment. Harry had excelled at the more fast-paced and quick type of duelling over the more steady but environment altering kind that charms and transfiguration masters typically used.
He had power to spare that few others could boast, but Harry wasn't Dumbledore in how he approached threats. He was a fighter, not a scholar. Action drove him more than academic excellence or brilliance, and that manifested in how he fought.
"I'm surprised the old dog found his bite." Harry grinned, realizing he could have some fun now. "Try and keep up." A silently cast stunner came from his wand at a lightning pace, followed by a seamless transition into the wand flourish of a cutting curse and a blasting curse right after.
Sirius shielded against all three, his wrist wavering from the impact of the last one, a predictable boom coming from the two spells clashing.
The next two minutes was a non-stop blur of spells and curses being exchanged, both combatants evading, casting, and blocking where necessary.
Sirius was the first to be hit, a cutting curse nicking his arm through a partially cast shield.
But Sirius' bludgeoner struck Harry in the shoulder, staggering him and sending him off balance.
Harry rolled with the momentum and ended up avoiding the stunner Sirius flung at him by happenstance, his wand being raised up to his face as he formed a shield around him in one smooth motion, his breathing a little more laboured.
Sirius rubbed his arm, swearing under his breath as he inspected his sleeve.
"Always landing damned cuts on me." His godfather muttered irritably, pressing his wand against his arm and stopping the bleeding.
"Then don't get hit." Harry snarked, drawing a huff from the older man.
"Cheeky wanker, like James." Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically, stowing his wand away. "Proud of you, Harry. You've gotten better." He said brightly, his eyes glinting.
Harry knew the man was happy about two things without hearing him outright say it. Harry had indeed started to get back into his proper stride that he had been in when he was fresh out of the auror academy, and Sirius was significantly faster and in better condition compared to a few months ago.
Sirius hardly broke a sweat and wasn't breathing heavily at all, for Merlin's sake!
"Let's head back up and talk some more over supper." Sirius offered, rolling his shoulders and glancing at the torn sleeve, "Bugger, I'll change later."
A scoff came from the corner where Remus was at, the scarred man looking at the other Marauder.
"Must I always remind you that you're a wizard and can fix things with magic, Sirius?" Remus asked flatly, looking profoundly disappointed in his friend.
"These clothes aren't meant to be mended with magic, Remus." Sirius returned the near deadpan tone of voice. "I'm an aristocrat." He said like he was mocking himself. "Not a pauper."
"Ah, yes. You have never failed to let your shortcomings be known, I know." Remus gave that final parting shot, before heading up the stairs to go to the kitchen presumably.
Harry thought he heard Sirius mutter the word twat, but he couldn't be certain. But the older of the two sighed and turned to look at Harry, before shrugging.
"Ready to eat and quietly dread tomorrow?" Sirius asked nonchalantly, stowing away his wand and walking towards the stairs.
Harry rolled his eyes and followed his godfather out of the basement, not exactly liking that Sirius' joke hit a little closer to home than he would have preferred.
"The Dark Lord grows impatient at my lack of... information." Severus Snape paced in front of the Headmaster's desk, gazing at said Headmaster's blue eyes neutrally.
"I sense it is of a particular subject." Dumbledore replied, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.
A quill and half finished letter were set aside next to the old man's hand that Snape briefly recognized as the same type of parchment used when sending messages to Order members, but he put that thought aside for now.
"He wishes for me to appraise Potter's skill and how he has changed overall since the end of the previous school year." Snape responded to the man's unasked question, his eyes flicking towards the Phoenix lounging on its perch. " And Mr Malfoy is known as a less than stellar source for unbiased information, so the Dark Lord has levelled his want of knowledge towards me."
Despite his noted skill in reading people, Snape could not decipher a hint of what Dumbledore was thinking as he revealed the details of the requested subject. It was all just an all around unpleasant set of circumstances he was seemingly singled out to be caught in.
"Do you believe that Voldemort suspects you have been giving Harry lessons and is testing whether you will reveal such information?" Dumbledore asked, still radiating a calm demeanor.
"No." Snape replied simply, his dark eyes tracing across Dumbledore's face. "My latest meeting with him would have been far shorter, and messier by a magnitude more."
Snape would rather this conversation draw to a close sooner rather than later. It was officially winter break now and he could be doing preferred things such as brewing potions or pursuing more research that he would otherwise not have the time to do from playing the role of spy.
"Being in Voldemort's good graces is a must," Dumbledore said, adjusting his spectacles to sit higher on his nose, "But avoid sharing Harry's interest in more combative forms of magic if you can. I dare say a surprise like that may help at some point."
The potions master and head of Slytherin House opted to not respond cynically to what he saw as an old man's misguided optimism. The Dark Lord would not play with his food a second time. Instead of being killed from the first curse sent, Potter might stretch it out to the second, perhaps third one, if he were caught in a trap.
Although, and it still pained him at times to admit it, Potter had a natural skill for duelling and the forms of magic that complimented such talent. But a skilled teenager won't match the likes of Dolohov, Rookwood, or 'dear' and 'sweet' Bellatrix, let alone their master.
"If that is all, Headmaster..." Snape voiced aloud, giving a leading glance to the older of the two men in the room.
"Ah, yes. I'm sure you have other matters you wish to attend to. I'll disturb you no longer, Severus." The tone Albus Dumbledore used was both a dismissive kind as a superior giving a subordinate leave and of an old man wishing a pleasant temporary farewell to a much younger acquaintance.
Snape bowed his head slightly in a respectful manner. "Headmaster."
The black haired potions master then turned on his heel and left the office, the door opening automatically as he continued walking back to his quarters.
Finally arriving back there and unlocking his door, Snape's face curled into a sneer as his thoughts went back to Potter and the chaos that always seemed to follow the teen.
The Dark Lord possessing Quirrel. The Chamber. Black and Pettigrew. The Tournament and the Dark Lord's return. Now Azkaban and everything else that transpired in the last six months. And Hogwarts wasn't any sort of reprieve from it. Having to chaperone ill-trained brats while Potter taught them proper duelling stances and the right techniques...
All so juvenile compared to what Potter displayed against him when they had duels.
The only thing Snape could do was ride the storm through and hopefully survive it all intact, if it was even possible.
Two individuals were currently by a bus stop, seemingly on their own doing nothing whatsoever. Despite the chilliness of the air and snow upon the ground, neither of them appeared to be bothered by it as the few people walking around did not act as if they noticed them.
"Merlin, I don't know why you're this worked up, pup." Sirius said, glancing at Harry as they stood next to the designated area.
The younger of the two was suppressing his anxiety, which Sirius noticed, at the impending arrival of Cyrus Greengrass at the meeting point that the man had set up for them, and the wait was starting to play on Harry's nerves.
"Don't call me that." Harry hissed under his breath, fighting the intoxicating urge to punch Sirius for that damned nickname.
A jestful comment by Remus had given Sirius an idea about a Marauder nickname for Harry, which he abused constantly.
Prongslet and Pup were just two of the most egregious ones the wanker decided to aggravate him with.
"Your reaction makes it worth it," Sirius shrugged, a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes, "Even if you'll hex me later."
"A weak word to describe neutering." Harry shot back, his eyes still flicking around to both look for Cyrus and a potential ambush.
It wasn't that he distrusted Cyrus, the opposite really. But Harry wasn't the most... sane of people concerning his safety, and he'd admit that.
"Lily threatened something like that when I asked if she had any pretty cousins who liked aristocratic and charismatic blokes."
"A cad then, and a cad now." Harry sighed, injecting some admonishment into his voice like a scolding parent.
His godfather just snorted.
"I'm not the one worrying about going to a girl's house and meeting her father." Sirius said flatly, drawing a glare from Harry. "Actually, you didn't happen to take her virginity, did you? That why you're worried?"
Harry did a spit take and looked at Sirius, looking wide-eyed at him.
"The fuck?" Harry couldn't find any other words to voice his thoughts on what Sirius had just asked.
Sure, Harry actually did take Daphne's virginity, just around three or four years from now. So Harry couldn't exactly lie totally about sleeping with her, but it's not like it happened yesterday or anything like that.
Sirius barked a laugh, his eyes practically shining like two silver coins at his reaction. "The look on your face!" The Black continued snickering at his comment, throwing up his arm when Harry aimed a hit at his face.
"You're a right bastard, Padfoot." Harry scowled, drawing his coat closer in towards him.
"Hey," Sirius protested, looking affronted, "You're the one that acted weird about it. As if you could bag an heiress after just a few months anyway."
And Dad was supposed to be the biggest wanker of you lot. Harry could hardly believe how seamless his godfather was at insulting him like that.
"And you were better?" Harry raised a brow, wanting Sirius to actually say it.
He was going to step on him when he bragged.
"Let's just say my Excalibur has been planted in many a stone." Sirius grinned predictably, looking pleased with himself at the analogy. "The muggle world had plenty of beauties I could charm with my rugged looks."
"I didn't realize they'd let you into the dog shelter, Sirius." Harry hummed thoughtfully, "Your form came in handy with the 'ladies', didn't it?"
Sirius visibly recoiled at the comment, his face turning an impressive shade of green.
Check. Mate.
"Don't ever say that again." Sirius groaned, shaking his head. "I might be a Black, but I don't shag dogs."
"Yeah, you shag your cousins instead." Harry twisted the knife further, grinning as Sirius scowled, "Toujours Pur and all that, although you could call Bellatrix a bitch, so you sti-."
Sirius kicked at Harry's shin and missed, kicking up some snow in the process. He then growled something under his breath, his eyes glinting dangerously as he glared at Harry.
"Bella is almost as bad as a dog, she would have gone for me if she thought I was even remotely interested." Sirius shuddered visibly, "And why couldn't you be the wide-eyed little sprog you were in your third year?" The Marauder added ruefully, having that look on his face that meant he was sulking at losing their little back and forth. "Cheeky little arse nowadays."
Harry just snorted at the response, exhaling and looking at the air fogging from his breath.
"Let's make a deal. You stop calling me Prongslet and whatever baby names you had for me, and I won't make dog jokes. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Sirius nodded an affirmative almost immediately, his hands going into his pockets as he went silent after that.
The silence stretched on for a few minutes, nothing but the faint rustling of the wind being heard as the two listened for any sign of Cyrus.
"So," Sirius broke the silence that had settled over them, "How have the DA meetings gone?"
Harry lifted his hand up in an iffy gesture, keeping a neutral expression.
"I had no idea that so many OWL and NEWT students were as far behind as they are." Harry said, not faking the annoyance in his voice. "If it isn't a lack of spell knowledge, it's a lack of proper technique or no situational awareness. I know why Snape hates some students now."
Sirius shook his head as he chuckled. "Dear old Snivelus finally starting to make sense, is he?"
Harry ignored Sirius trying to get a rise out of him, not wanting his godfather to get any enjoyment from it.
"More like I realized how much Hogwarts is either inhabited by idiots or DADA teachers are shite. Probably a mix of both, come to think of it."
The DA was much more grating on him than last time. Before, when he actually was fifteen instead of around nineteen and having gone through proper Auror training, he had just been very intelligent about and capable of good defensive magic. Now though, he had the greater context of how to actually fight, and it made a more glaring gap in knowledge between himself and those he was helping.
"My deepest sympathies." Sirius said gravely, a faint smirk still fixed on his face.
Right as Sirius said that, Harry frowned and looked around.
He's still not here yet.
"Harry?" Sirius' voice rang out, noticing his sudden change in demeanor.
Starting to wonder what was taking so long, Harry turned to Sirius.
"Daphne said he'd be here at 4." He said, checking his watch again. "It's five after."
It probably wasn't anything nefarious, but Harry didn't survive this long by being stupid. As such, Harry flicked his hand and let his wand fall from where he had it in his sleeve to his hand.
Sirius grunted his understanding, his right hand leaving his pocket with his wand peaking from his sleeve.
"You think he's late because of-" Sirius was cut off on what he was going to say when a very familiar blond man walked past the alley and spotted them, coming to a stop.
"Harry." Sirius said unnecessarily, but the teen already knew that it was him.
Cyrus Greengrass was a serious looking blond man a little taller than Sirius, and he was currently wearing a grey jacket, thick trousers, and his head uncovered.
The very first time Harry had met Cyrus, he saw it clear as day that Daphne's hair and eyes came from her father, and said pair of icy blue eyes currently peered at him from the entrance of the alley.
"I mistook which alley was which." Cyrus said as he walked towards them. "I was looking on the other side of the street."
As if we've never met. Harry thought grimly, not liking another reminder. It really was kind of surreal to Harry that Cyrus didn't recognize him and saw this as the first time they've ever met.
Sirius started to speak as Cyrus reached them, but the blond man shook his head.
"What was the name that Daphne mentioned you needed to know?" Cyrus demanded quietly, his wand at the ready.
Harry had been given the answer to a security question just a couple of days ago by Daphne to prevent any imposter from getting brought into there property.
"Isabella." Harry replied simply, "Daphne's grandmother on your side of the family."
It also happened to be Daphne's middle name.
At the response to the question, Cyrus lowered his wand and visibly relaxed, his eyes flicking between the two of them.
"Pleasure to meet the both of you." Cyrus said, focusing on Sirius, "but let us save the formalities until we get somewhere warm, Lord Black." Cyrus requested, pulling out a portkey that he tapped with his wand, "Warming charms only do so much."
Sirius shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Works for me."
The portkey then began to glow in Cyrus' hand moments after he activated it, the object being a pewter plate that wasn't anything special by the looks of it.
Without any thought to it, the Lord of House Greengrass held it out for them.
"Three. Two. One... Grab." Cyrus instructed, both Harry and Sirius doing so.
Right as they touched it, the three of them were whisked away in a blur of colour, typical of magical travel.
After several long moments of it and a very uncomfortable chill that came from them crossing the ward line of the property, they arrived. Harry felt his feet hit solid ground, shivering slightly at the chill that went up his spine as the ward defense settled around him, detecting him as a foreigner that was playing guest.
Just like the first time. He grimaced, remembering when Daphne had first invited him to the manor. It was just as unpleasant then.
Sirius outright hissed aloud, his face tightening into a grimace. "Bugger."
"Apologies if the wards feel less than hospitable." Cyrus said, probably noticing their reaction. "Give it a minute or two and the sensation will disappear."
Harry at least had preparation for it, but Sirius was sideswiped by the sensation. But after waiting for around a minute or so, it slowly subsided until Harry could draw a full intake of air without it feeling oppressive.
Now that the feeling was gone, Harry looked around at precisely where they were and let out a sigh of contentment.
'My ancestor, Alwin Greengrass, had this manor built after the first one our family had was destroyed back in 1395.' Daphne's voice echoed in his head as he absorbed the sight of the all too familiar property.
It looked almost exactly as it had when he saw it for the first time. A rolling field covered in snow that stretched on for quite some time, but was lush and green during the summer. Greengrass Manor itself though was several hundred meters away, being mostly made of white marble and dating back to the 1400s.
In addition, two greenhouses with plants for potion ingredients were on the west side of it and the entire surrounding area was wooded rather thickly.
In the time it took for Harry to look around the property, most of the discomforting sensations from the wards scoping him out had faded.
"Has it passed?" Cyrus asked, looking at them appraisingly.
"Yes." Sirius replied, meeting the gaze of his fellow lord. "And that wasn't exactly a pleasant experience."
"The wards weren't designed to be flexible to guests." Cyrus explained, not elaborating any more on the details. "But let's get inside." The blond man flicked his wand at the ground, causing a corridor of grass to appear as the snow was removed by the controlled vanishing charm for them to walk to the manor.
The three of them walked the not insubstantial distance from where they appeared and the front door of the manor, remaining silent. They reached it and Cyrus pushed the door open, gesturing for both Harry and Sirius to enter.
"Welcome to Greengrass Manor." Cyrus said, stepping into the entrance hall and letting them in.
Harry's eyes swept across the room, his breath catching as he looked at every small detail. The ornate staircase that spiraled upstairs, the marble floor that had runes etched throughout the stone to cushion it, and an illustrious chandelier glistening above them with faint sparks of silver flashing through the crystal from charms embedded in the stone.
Nothing is different. He gulped, nervously clenching his fingers and unclenching them as he suppressed any outward expression of discomfort.
It was so damned uncanny. Even the traditional decorations they used during Yule were the exact same in how they hung from the ceiling and glittered.
"Now that we're in a far better environment than the snow," Cyrus said, flicking his wand at his clothes to remove what was revealed to be a transfiguration on an excellent set of dark blue dress robes, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Black and Heir Potter." He finished his sentence with a slight bow.
"The feeling is mutual, Lord Greengrass." Sirius bowed in turn, going slightly further as deference for the lord playing host. "I must say, you home is quite beautiful."
"The credit should go to my wife." Cyrus replied, cracking a smile as he turned to look at Harry. Instantly, his expression changed when their eyes met. "Heir Potter." He nodded his head respectfully.
"Lord Greengrass." Harry bowed his head, straightening up after he finished with the basic greeting. "I too notice how breathtaking your home is. My compliments to the Lady Greengrass."
Cyrus let out a short laugh, looking at Harry amusedly.
"You can share your sentiment with my lady wife yourself." The man looked to the right on the second floor, causing Harry to turn and look as well.
Roxanne Greengrass was at the top of the second floor and seemed to glide down the stairs, looking positively radiant in a pair of scarlet robes that suited her quite well. All in all, she looked every bit of the Lady of a pureblood house.
But what was behind her was where most of Harry's attention was focused on.
Both Daphne and Astoria were walking behind their mother, the two of them also in pristine robes. They both had on light blue robes, and Harry just kept staring at Daphne as they walked down the stairs.
The three reached them and Sirius greeted Roxanne, gently taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Greengrass." Sirius looked up, displaying all the charm he had learned from his upbringing as the heir of House Black. "You do your house credit."
"Thank you." Roxanne smiled politely, her eyes flicking to Harry. "And this must be your heir and godson, Harry Potter."
The look she gave him reminded him of Daphne when she tried to dissect something he said to see if he was lying or keeping a secret. And he noticed Daphne's face tensing minutely from behind her mother, her eyes quickly switching from Harry to Roxanne.
Thanks for the boost of optimism, Daph.
"I've been looking forward to this meeting, Lady Greengrass." Harry smiled, genuinely happy at being reacquainted with what was to be family. "Daphne spoke of how beautiful her home was, but it doesn't compare to truly seeing it in person."
Harry then gave Daphne a nearly imperceptive look after saying that, before looking back at Roxanne.
The brunette had a curious expression on her face, her eyes narrowing by a fraction. Harry hoped she didn't read into it and accurately deduce what was going on.
I don't like that look.
Well, then you must see the rest of it." Roxanne said brightly, gesturing for Daphne to step forward. "Daphne, would you be a dear and show Harry around? There are plenty of things I'm sure your friend would love to see."
Daphne looked like she got caught doing something, her face flushing slightly to a faint shade of pink, before she schooled her features in a rather impressive display, even by her standards.
"I would love to show him around." Daphne said, giving Harry a soft smile. "Come on, let's start with the hall and the sculptures." The blonde turned on her heel and walked towards the base of the staircase, turning right to head out of the front room.
Harry sort of let his feet carry him along the way, feeling the gaze of everyone else on him as he watched Daphne's back until they were out of sight of her family and Sirius.
Once they got to one of the hallways that led to where the few marble sculptures House Greengrass owned were displayed, Daphne wheeled around and looked up at him with her trademark icy expression.
"I didn't do anything." Harry held up his hands in a placating manner. It was clear as day to him that she was annoyed, but he didn't know about what.
"Not you," Daphne scowled, setting her hands against her face and groaning into her palms before looking back up at him, "My mother is reading into things. You noticed how she said 'friend', right?"
Harry did indeed notice how she said it. The worst part was that she wasn't wrong. He and Daphne were more than friends, but there was a snowball's chance in hell that he'd reveal that at the moment to either of Daphne's parents.
"Daphne," Harry said her name gently, flicking his hand discreetly to cast a local silencing charm wandlessy so it wouldn't register, "There's nothing to worry about. Nothing's going on, remember?"
Daphne looked visibly unimpressed at him saying that, her hand going up to fidget with her hair like she did when she was nervous.
"Unlike you, Harry, I have to live with them. They notice things." She crossed her arms and huffed. It looked like she was pouting now, but he valued his life too much to point that out.
Divert her attention.
"And what if Sirius notices something, huh?" Harry asked in response, stifling a grin as he reached out and cupped her cheek in an action that made her freeze. "He might notice that I'm entranced by your flowing hair and beautiful eyes and ask for a betrothal contract to be drawn up to cement an alliance."
Daphne's face turned a bright shade of red and her eyes widened along with her breath catching. It paid to know exactly what comments were disarming to her.
"D-don't say that! That's not funn- stop laughing!" She hissed, backing away and pushing his hand away as Harry lost the battle with containing his snicker at her reaction.
"You're distracted from panicking now." Harry pointed out, stepping a bit closer to her to close the distance again. "Feel better?" The raven haired teen couldn't help but wince as his tone was undoubtedly going to aggravate her.
"No." Daphne huffed, crossing her arms petulantly, "It makes me want to punch you."
Yep, she's not happy.
"You can punch me after you've shown me around the place like the wonderful host you are," Harry offered, looking around to signal he was ready for her to guide him for the tour, "And after Sirius finishes up the contract details with your father when we get back."
Shifting Daphne's mood from near panic at overthinking her mother's obvious small joke to the slight competitive rivalry they had in verbal jousting wasn't easy to do, but he was trying for all his worth.
It seemed to work as Daphne gave him a predatory smile, wrapping her arm around his and gripping so hard her nails dug into his skin.
"This is a warning, Potter," She whispered his name, making him wince as she gripped just a little bit harder, "And don't think I didn't notice you cast that little spell to give us privacy."
The reveal that she'd known all along about the silencing charm sent a faint chill up his spine, especially when he saw that familiar gleam in her eyes.
"Hopefully I don't misplace you in one of the old torture chambers that haven't been used for 300 years." Daphne giggled dangerously, guiding him through different rooms and giving very unsettling descriptions of some heirlooms and other things collected by her family.
Thank Merlin I know her, because she sounded honest about that. Best to use flattery though.
"Have I told you that you look lovely in those robes?"
End chapter:
I'm in psychological pain right now from cutting the chapter cleanly in half while still in the middle of an interaction, but this is the half mark. Hopefully I can get the other half out within a week. Hope you all have a pleasant one.
Raging.