Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).
A/N: A tad faster than before. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and do review. I'm pleased with the development of the story so far and hope you find it so too. Thanks for all your encouragement so far.
Revelations
"Arabella Figg?" Harry repeated, the name not registering in his mind.
"Yes, she is part of the group of us who had tried to stop Voldemort before and it now seems that we would have to again," Dumbledore replied.
With that, Harry remembered something Dumbledore had mentioned at the end of last year, "She's part of the 'old crowd', right? But how is she related to me?"
"A flicker of a smile crossed Dumbledore's somber expression, "I thought you would have guessed by now, Harry. She's that old lady living next to you."
"You must have got it wrong Professor, the lady in my dream was young and beautiful, not old and haggard."
Suddenly Sirius spoke up, trying to lighten the atmosphere, "You thought she was beautiful. What about -?"
"She was a beautiful older woman," Harry interrupted sharply, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Back to the topic," Dumbledore started saying while both Harry and Sirius grinned apologetically, "That old woman was actually a young woman in disguise. She is a powerful witch, and a close friend of your parents, and Sirius and Remus here. As neither of these two were capable of looking after you, she took over the job."
"Then why couldn't she have taken care of me instead of the Dursleys?" Harry asked, frustration evident in his voice.
"I'm afraid that is something I can't tell you yet, Harry."
"But -," Harry began to protest.
Remus said gently, "Listen to Dumbledore, Harry. He will tell you when you are ready to know."
Harry wanted to protest some more but stuffed the words down his throat as he saw the pleading expression in Remus eyes. He just felt that he couldn't disappoint Remus.
"Now that you know that part of history, let me also add that Arabella being captured by Voldemort was how the death eaters managed to invade the Dursleys residence."
"Why? How?" Harry was confused at this but of information. If Dumbledore had used the Fidelus charm on him, whatever happened to Arabella would not affect him.
As if Dumbledore knew what he was thinking, the question in his head was answered almost immediately. "We did a tricky piece of ancient magic on you, requiring the love of a person to keep you from being detected. Alas, this spell would not work if the person's more than a hundred meter radius away from you. We could have used the Fidelus on you as we had on your parents but Voldemort anticipated it after remembering that we had used it before and did the counter-spell before we could put the spell on you."
"So now that Voldemort's captured Mrs. Figg, I'm vulnerable to him." Harry stated.
"It's not Mrs. Figg. It's Ms. Figg." Sirius piped up, before sobering, "You are not vulnerable to him at Hogwarts. And I did the spell on myself to protect you too."
"So that's why you are staying at Hogwarts," Harry said rather accusingly.
"I also stayed because I wanted to be with you." Sirius added, his love for his godson sparkling in his eyes.
Harry was touched by what he saw and was glad that he had Sirius though he still said, "But you might be sacrificing your life, like Mrs.-Ms. Figg."
"She isn't dead yet, Harry. In fact, both Remus and I are trying out best to save her. And I don't think I'll die either. My godson will save me before anything could happen to me."
"You're putting a lot of weight on my shoulders," Harry teased, though the rest sensed a grain of truth in his words, "You can't save Ms. Figg. She is with Voldemort and he will kill you if he finds you."
"No, most likely he'll use me for bait first. And we have to find her. She is my-our close friend." Sirius stated adamantly.
"No Sirius. You can't put yourself in danger. If you find her, I'll go and get her. It's my duel with Voldemort anyway." Harry said just as stubbornly.
Sirius sighed, "You are just like James, stubborn as a mule. Anyway, our dear friend Severus here had already told us where Arabella is. We just haven't figured a way to save her."
A little shocked that Sirius addressed Snape by his name, Harry realized that this confirmed that Snape was indeed working as a spy for Dumbledore against Voldemort. Thinking that if he could not stop Sirius now, he could at least stall for time in the future, Harry said, "If you have to go to Voldemort's lair, tell me first all right. I don't want you, and Remus too, to suddenly disappear."
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"So Harry, are you and Cho… um… a couple now?" Ron teased as the trio walked to breakfast the next morning.
Harry who had still been thinking about the conversation in Dumbledore's office last night was stunned out of his thoughts. "What?"
Ron grinned devilishly, "I asked, are you and -," while Hermione berated good-naturedly, "Ron!"
"Okay, I got it the first time. I was just shocked."
"So are you and -?" Ron repeated jokingly.
"No," Harry exclaimed, flushing a little.
"How sad. I was about to congratulate you after seeing both of you so cosy in the library." Ron smiled mischievously.
"What? You saw us in the library?" Harry was given one shock after another.
"Erm… Blame it on Hermione. She wanted to get a book."
"Now it's all my fault, huh?" Hermione remarked sarcastically.
"Okay, okay. We share the blame." Ron gave way, while Harry was a little amused at how the conversation was going. Ron never gave way to Hermione and now…
"Oh, do we?" Hermione questioned mockingly.
Ron turned to water under Hermione's gaze. "It's all my fault?"
"No, silly. It's Harry's fault. He didn't tell us where he was going and just disappeared." Hermione turned her eyes to Harry, looking at him with accusation obvious in it. "And that's not the first time."
Relieved that it had nothing to do with him, Ron joined Hermione in the questioning of their friend's frequent vanishing these days. "Er, I…" Harry stuttered.
Now teasing, Hermione said kindly, "If you wanted to see Cho, it's all right with us, you know," before yelling, "But couldn't you have at least told us first."
Looking around to see if anyone was staring, Harry muttered, "Next time I will, okay? Now just stop creating a scene."
"Um, was I?" Hermione asked meekly, just realizing what gossip people could spread, had they seen her like that.
"Hermione's back all right, with her reputation in first priority." Ron chuckled.
"Yup, I agree." Harry added with a laugh, while Hermione just fumed silently beside them.
As they approached the breakfast table, Harry noticed that the Gryffindor Quidditch players were all huddled in a corner and wondered what they were discussing. As if on cue, they looked up and saw him, pausing a moment before beckoning him across. Ron and Hermione started to follow him but they motioned for him to come alone. As he explained this to Ron and Hermione, he did not miss the flash of jealousy on Ron's face and thought how lucky it was that Ron did not know of his powers too though he also felt guilty for hiding such a big secret from his best friends.
"Slept late, Harry?" Fred asked him innocently, "You must have dreamt of something pleasant, or someone whose name is G-."
Before Fred could continue, Harry cut in, "Shut up Fred, it's not that late anyway and I did not even dream last night," before lowering his tone, "So what are you guys so secretive about anyway?"
"Quidditch," Fred replied.
"Of course I know it is Quidditch. That's the only thing we all have in common." Harry exclaimed exasperatedly.
"Actually we were deciding on a captain and also holding try-outs for a keeper." Angelina interrupted before those two started arguing even more.
"Yes ma'am, Head Girl ma'am." Fred kidded.
Angelina scowled at him and George teased, "You should think twice before saying that. Now your girlfriend's angry. How could you, Fred?" before turning to Angelina, "I told you I was the better of the two. You should have chosen me instead."
"Now that you mention is George, how about I announce -," Fred said rather loudly before George clamped his hand over Fred's mouth.
Even Angelina had to laugh as they watched the catfight between the twins, before saying, "And as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we were choosing a captain, and we all decided that it should be you, Harry."
"Huh… What?" Harry was confused, but he soon got a grip on himself, "I mean, I can't be captain. You guys would be better than me and don't I get a say in this?"
Smiling, Alicia added her two-cents worth, "We are older so you have to listen to us, and anyway, majority wins. You are captain."
"But -," Harry objected.
"No buts, Harry. You are the best choice. We all have our NEWTs this year and you'll be captain next year even if you aren't this year so you can't escape." Katie chimed in.
"Seriously," George started to say before the others shocked faces - nobody expected him or Fred to ever be serious, "You should be captain, Harry. It was you who won us every match except for one which was due to unforeseen circumstances."
"Yeah, Harry," Fred cut in when he saw that Harry wanted to protest more, "You know that we are right. And you don't expect George or me to be captain, do you? Angelina has extra head girl duties and as Katie said, we all have our NEWTs. You can still remember mum's reaction over our OWLs right?"
Knowing that all they said made sense, Harry grudgingly agreed, "All right," and the whole team cheered and whooped, "But you all have to help me. I have never done anything like this before and I won't know what to do."
"Anything, Harry."
"We'll do as you ask."
"No problem, Harry."
The team members were all delighted that Harry agreed and were willing to agree to anything he said.
And then George whispered something to Fred before they announced to the rest of the Gryffindors at the table, "Now, let us hail our new Quidditch captain - Harry Potter," and the rest of the Gryffindors joined the team in celebration.
Harry scanned the table to see how Ron and Hermione reacted to the news. He had forgotten about Ron's sensitive nature when he took hold of the captainship but what happened after his name was called out from the Goblet of Fire now came back to him again. To his surprise and elation, Ron and Hermione were both yelling together with the rest of the house and he was ecstatic that he had the captainship and also his friends' support, which were equally important to him.
Students from the other tables were all curious about what happened at the Gryffindor table that had erupted in applause, and the word soon spread that Harry was elected captain of the Quidditch team. People from other houses came up to congratulate him except the Slytherins who were jeering as loudly as they could, and Cho mouthed a congratulations to Harry when he caught her eye, making him blush a little. Even the teachers, including Snape, looked happy for Harry. Noticing that, he promised himself that he would have a talk with Snape soon though he did not know how to approach him.
As Harry finally managed to settle down beside Ron and Hermione, Ron grinned, "I haven't had the chance to personally congratulate you but I think you're perfect for captain."
Harry blushed at Ron's words and muttered, "Thanks."
"So do you think I have a chance for keeper?" Ron asked cheerfully.
"Definitely, but we're going to have try-outs so you will have to compete with other hopefuls." Harry replied.
"But you and my brothers will root for me right?" Ron grinned devilishly.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Um, I was just kidding. So when are the try-outs and what trials are you going to put poor me through," Ron ended dramatically.
Harry snorted before moaning, "Oh no, I'm captain so that means I have to plan the try-outs and I have no idea about that."
Fred who was listening in on the conversation, chortled, "Yes you have to, Harry. And you better hold it soon. We need to practice."
"Hmm, now I think about it, I'm captain so I can delegate responsibility and I say that Fred Weasley is in charge of the Gryffindor try-outs." Harry mused aloud triumphantly.
"You can't do that, Harry. The captain is in charge of the try-outs. Anybody will tell you that." Fred laughed in return.
"I can change the tradition, right."
"No, you can't." Fred replied as Harry sighed in despair.
As the trio walked to class, the impact of what was discussed in Dumbledore's office came back to him again. Someone else could die because of him and was in danger because of him. When Cedric died last year, he vowed that he wouldn't let anybody else die because of him. But he couldn't think of how to reverse the situation. Voldemort would kill Arabella Figg sooner or later, if she was not saved from Voldemort's clutches, and he couldn't let Sirius or Remus go into Voldemort's lair. He did not think that they would be able to come out alive.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, jolting Harry out of his gloomy thoughts.
Harry noticed that both Ron and Hermione were looking at him with great concern. Realizing that he could not hide all these things from them any longer, he decided that regardless of what Dumbledore said, he had to tell them. Anyway, Cho already knew most of it. "I think you guys should know what's been going on lately."
"Oh, so you've finally realized that we're your best friends, who you should share your problems with," Ron said sarcastically.
"Ron, let him talk," Hermione chided.
Harry looked at them remorsefully, "Sorry, but Dumbledore told me not to say anything and…"
Ron interrupted, "And when has anything Dumbledore said stopped you before?"
Hermione opened her mouth to berate Ron again but Harry beat her to it, "You know what Ron? You don't know anything yet so don't jump to baseless conclusions."
"And whose fault is it?" Ron started shouting.
"Fine, don't say I didn't want to talk about it. I was trying to tell you something important and you didn't want to listen." Harry shouted in return.
"Like I wanted to listen to anything you say, you big-headed snob, Quidditch captain, prefect and whatnot." Ron forgot all tact and let his jealousy take control while Harry looked browbeaten. Ron knew that he had gone too far. "Look…"
But before he could make amends, Harry cut in, mumbling, "I didn't know you felt like that. Sorry."
With that parting shot, Harry walked into class alone, all the joy he had felt at being made Quidditch captain earlier forgotten. Hermione glared at Ron before walking in after Harry. Seeing that glare, Ron felt another surge of anger at Harry, for stealing the girl he liked, totally forgetting that Harry liked someone else. Any thoughts of apologizing left his mind as he sat as far away from Harry as possible. For the first time in class, neither of the trio sat together and none of them were able to concentrate on the lesson, each lost in their own thoughts.
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Over the next few days, Hermione had a tough time trying to be mediator between Harry and Ron. Neither of them would give way. Harry was hurt by Ron's comments and would not think otherwise even though Hermione tried to convince him that Ron did not mean what he had said. Ron was mad at Harry, and Hermione assumed that it was because Harry did not confide in them, when it was actually because of her. Therefore, she tried to give reasons about Harry's refusal to confide in them earlier that only fueled Ron's anger as he thought that she was siding with Harry, and thus refused to budge from his position and apologize to Harry.
Left alone when Hermione left to find Ron that Saturday, Harry decided to look in the library, hoping to find something that will be able to help in saving Arabella Figg before Sirius and Remus decided to take matters into their own hands and go after her themselves. After all, she had looked after him while he was at the Dursleys and he did not want Sirius and Remus to be in danger too. Both of them had noticed the hostility between Harry and Ron and though they tried to interfere at first, they stopped after both boys snapped at them, realizing that it would be better for Harry and Ron to resolve the matter alone. Instead, Sirius tried to get Harry's mind away from the problem with Ron by cracking jokes and trying to coax a smile out of him each time they were together. Remus was just there, steady and dependable, offering silent support. They had gone through their own fights themselves when they were in Hogwarts, and also out of Hogwarts, and they knew the strong bond of friendship between the boys would not be broken so easily.
Pulling out some Defense Against The Dark Arts books from the shelves, Harry settled down in one corner of the library and began focusing on reading the books. While looking, he also learnt a few spells himself which he believed would be useful for future battles. Without realizing it, he skipped lunch and would have skipped dinner too if not for an interruption.
"Wow, studying over the weekend. I wouldn't believe that Harry Potter would become a bookworm but I've just witnessed it with my own eyes." A familiar voice, laced with amusement, sounded behind him.
Harry smiled when he realized who it was. "It's all due to your bad influence."
"And how come it's now my fault? I don't remember encouraging you to study." Cho shot back at him, scanning the titles of the huge pile of books set in front of her.
"Hmm, there's the fact that you're a Ravenclaw so…" Harry started to relax in her company, realizing how comforting it was.
But he didn't finish his sentence before she exclaimed, "What are you doing? Studying Defense over a nice and sunny Saturday afternoon." As Mrs. Pince looked towards them, she said softer, "There must be a reason behind this. What's happening, Harry?"
Admiring how astute she was, Harry replied, "Nothing. I'm just doing extra reading, seeing if there's anything to be learnt from these books."
"Harry, both you and I know that only Hermione does extra reading," Cho retorted before grinning weakly, "And maybe some Ravenclaws too."
"It's really nothing. Um, Ron and I had a fight and now I'm alone so… here I am at the library trying to pass time by reading." Harry told her a half-truth.
"I believe that you and Ron had a fight - everybody in the whole school can see that," to which Harry was relieved that she believed him but she hasn't finished yet, "But what I don't believe is that you'd be in the library to pass time. Tell me what is really going on, Harry or we're not leaving the library."
Wondering what he had got himself into, Harry grinned, "You might not want to leave the library but I do and I can just walk out."
"Really?" Cho raised her eyebrows at him, "And don't try to change the subject, Harry."
"Are you going to bug me until I tell you everything?" Harry sighed.
"Definitely, now that you've admitted that there's something in the first place." Cho smirked playfully at him, earning a groan in return.
"Why don't we get out of the library? I'm starving." Harry replied.
"Well, you did miss lunch. But we're not leaving until…" Cho started to say.
"Suit yourself. Gosh, did I really miss lunch. No wonder my stomach's growling. And I did think of telling you about it on the way to the kitchen but then… you'd rather stay in the library." Harry teased before standing to leave the library, a little disappointed that he had not learnt anything particularly useful to save Arabella Figg from the books.
"Harry, " Cho smiled in exasperation.
As Harry led the way to the kitchen, he started telling Cho about his dream and Arabella Figg - how he had to find a way to save her before more people put their lives in danger. He had already resigned himself to the fact that she could make him tell her anything. He hid the fact about Sirius and Remus being the ones to save Arabella Figg but he should have known by now that she would notice the holes in his story.
"You want to save her because you don't want anyone else to die for you. Gosh Harry, how big-headed can you get?" Cho tried to process what he had told her. Seeing Harry's grin fade, she knew that she had said something wrong, "Hey, I didn't mean it that way."
"It's all right. Ron said it too." Harry muttered, his face pale.
"What? How could he? I meant it that Voldemort would kill people whether there is you or not. And you are in fact trying to save these people, who are not dying because of you but because Voldemort wants to kill them."
"He captured Arabella Figg so that he could breach the spells guarding the Dursleys house to kill me. I have to save her or I'll feel guilty, like…"
"Don't tell me you're still thinking of last year. You promised not to." Cho said angrily.
"I'm trying not to all right and it's not easy when Voldemort wants to capture anybody and everybody who are close to me or can provide information about me." Harry burst out, not trying to hide his feelings anymore.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I never realized all this."
"Nah, I should be sorry, letting go all my frustrations on you. It's just that I tried to tell Ron and Hermione but he exploded before I could say anything and Si- my godfather and Re- Professor Lupin might be sending themselves to die if they go and save Arabella Figg as they had said they would." Harry threw all caution to the wind.
"Your godfather? You mean Sirius Black?" Cho inquired curiously.
"Er…yes. How did you know?" Harry was shocked.
"I subscribe to the Daily Prophet and there was an article about him when he was pardoned by the Minister of Magic. It stated that he was your godfather though I did not realize that you had contact with him so soon after he was released. Hmm, now I think of it, he had barely been pardoned and you're already trying to save his life." Cho stared questioningly at Harry.
"Um… " Harry racked his brains, "Dumbledore… He gave him a home at Hogwarts and we've met each other since."
"Have you forgotten what I told you before Harry," Cho giggled at his blank stare, "Don't try lying to me. You won't succeed."
"It was worth a try and it's really true that he's living at Hogwarts now," Harry defended himself.
"But there's more to it, right?" Cho's eyes twinkled.
"Well…" Harry knew that he would tell her eventually but he wasn't sure how she would react and he did love keeping her in suspense.
"How about I take a lucky guess? The dog which follows you or Professor Lupin around is Sirius Black." Cho had had her suspicions but she had never asked, but seeing Harry's shocked face now, she now knew that her suspicions were not baseless.
"How did you know?" Harry asked as the shock wore off.
"Simple logic and lucky guessing. Sirius means 'dog star' and there's also the fact on why Professor Lupin's dog was with you. And you did seem attached to the dog who was pretty smart too." Cho said in a flourish, pleased that she had been right.
"I…er…well…" Harry did not know what to say.
Cho teased, "Just admit it. I'm an intelligent person."
Harry regained his composure, "Really, then how come you did not voice your suspicions earlier? You would have been so sure you would be right."
"At least I got it right." Cho grinned good-naturedly, "And what are we doing outside a portrait of fruit."
"I told you we were going to the kitchen right." Harry replied with a smile.
"But -," Cho was confused.
"Give it up. It's my turn to show my ingenuity." Harry tried to conceal his laughter at Cho's confusion.
"All right, expert. As long as you get us in the kitchen, I won't kill you." Cho kidded.
Harry tickled the pear and the kitchen beckoned, "Here we are. Ladies first."
Cho had to admit that she was surprised that the kitchen was so accessible, "And how did you know how to get into the kitchen?"
"Call it a stroke of genius," Harry grinned at Cho's disbelieving face, "Okay, someone told me."
Cho was about to ask more but the house-elves had gathered around them and Harry was already asking for food. As they left to fulfill his orders, Cho noticed that one house-elf had remained and was chatting rather animatedly with Harry.
"Come on Cho, meet Dobby." Harry called to her.
As Cho approached, Dobby said, "Dobby is pleased to meet with a friend of Harry Potter sir," before scurrying away to check that Harry's food would be prepared to his liking.
Cho narrowed her eyes, "When did you become a Sir? And it's a wonder that you have fans in the kitchen as well."
"Dobby is like that. I saved him in my second year from the Malfoys and he has been here since. And it's useful to have fans in the kitchen. Don't you think so too?" Harry teased while Cho swatted playfully at him.
"And don't think you can change the subject. You haven't told me about Sirius."
Harry groaned, "All right. I'll tell you but…"
"But I can't tell anyone else about it." Cho finished for him. "When have I told anybody anything you have told me?"
As Harry enjoyed his meal in the kitchen, he also tried to tell her about his third year at Hogwarts and also how Sirius and Remus knew his parents. She did not interrupt once and just listened understandingly. She really was a marvel. "Remember, both of you are just friends." Harry told himself. Maybe he had stopped thinking of Cedric as an obstruction to a relationship with Cho but the fact that she only thought of him as a friend. So many guys from Hogwarts liked her. How would he stand a chance against so many?
She admired how he had lived since the third year, having his godfather nearly pardoned and then again having to live in hiding. She was happy for him the his godfather was finally pardoned and a little embarrassed at treating Sirius like a dog - she had thought that he was a real dog at first - at Diagon Alley. The pains and sufferings Harry had gone through in his fifteen years was more than what a normal person would in a lifetime and she knew better than to ask him, to make him dwell over it instead of move on. She was slowly but surely falling for him and she did not know what to do about it. Sometimes, it seemed that he had more than friendship in mind through the way he looked at her but she was never sure. All the girls at Hogwarts wanted him and she was just one in many. Would he choose her over them? She wanted to laugh at herself. She just realized that she liked him and she was already thinking so far. She promised herself that she would take one step at a time and see how it goes. (A/N: All right. Cho likes Harry back. Where will it go from now? Just wait and see.)
"So are you done eating?" Cho asked after a while.
"Why?" Harry was confused that she had not asked more about his third year instead. She had just heard about it and she was suddenly talking about something totally different.
"I thought you might want to play Quidditch. Eating and not exercising might make you grow fat," Cho teased.
"Who are you calling fat?" Harry growled, everything else forgotten but the radiance of the vision in front of him.
"Hmm…you…" Cho replied as he chased her out of the kitchen with the house-elves all staring at them. Dobby was smiling, realizing that Harry Potter sir had found love just as he had in Winky. (A/N: I had nothing better to do so I just added that in for fun =))
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