YourSide, Their Side and the Truth
Part III - Another Side (3.45)
Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, this is a fan fiction, by a fan for the fans. No money has exchanged hands during its production.
Draco lurched upwards, rubbing at his eyes furiously.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Twisting so he could face the raven-haired youngster, he glared menacingly at the intruder.
"I don't know," Harry whispered. "I just..."
"You just what? Like seeing me vulnerable?" Draco let out a growl of frustration and buried his head back into his pillow. "Just leave me alone."
"Is that what you want?" Harry's voice lowered to a whisper and Draco had to suppress the tears that wanted to leak out when he felt Harry's weight leave the bed.
"What I want is to be normal! What I want is to lead a normal life where my parents are dead and I don't have these disgusting feelings for you! What I want is for you to be out of my life completely!" Draco managed to scramble off the bed, and to his feet.
"Fine," Harry whispered; stumbling backwards. "Fine. And maybe when you've thought this through you'll wonder why I went to all the trouble to see you. And then maybe you'll realise it's too late now."
Draco just stared wordlessly at Harry as he retreated, and for a long while just sat there with his mouth open and eyes raw.
"Too late," he whispered. The words hung in the air and echoed in his ears. "Too late..."
Harry stormed into the dining hall for breakfast, the tip of his ears pink. Joining Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table, he helped himself to toast and eggs; savagely ignoring the pointed looks and whispers directed at him.
"Harry, are you all right?"
Harry lifted his head up to say he was all right, and stopped. "No. No, I'm not." He bent down, and pulled out a scrap of parchment. Hermione and Ron took the parchment and looked at it.
"I'll kill him," Ron growled fiercely, pushing away from the table. Harry bent forwards and grabbed Ron by the elbows, forcing the lanky redhead back down onto the bench.
"Sit down, Ron," Hermione urged; warm brown eyes wide with concern for both of her friends.
"He thinks it's disgusting," Harry said hollowly. "I knew he hated me before but I never guessed he'd think I was disgusting…"
Ron played with his cutlery for a second looking embarrassed and Hermione looked upset. Pushing past Ron, she put her hand on Harry's. "Everything's going to be all right," she comforted.
"How?"
Hermione just shrugged.
"Because it has to be."
Harry sighed as he walked down the corridor, yet again ignoring some of the third years who walked past him snickering. Ron was next to him, and Hermione was re-reading the letter Draco head sent Harry.
"I'm just so fed up of this," Harry said eventually, eyes fixed forwards and fists clenched. Ron nodded sympathetically. "It's just so confusing especially after last night --" Suddenly remembering that he hadn't told Hermione and Ron
"What happened last night?" Surprised, Ron stopped abruptly in the corridor. Still immersed in the letter, Hermione didn't notice and crashed into Ron, and it took a few moments for Ron to stop blushing.
"Then what happened?" Hermione took hold of Harry's elbow and he looked at her unflinchingly before turning away.
"Nothing."
"What nothing happened and you're reacting like this? Come on, Harry, I wasn't born yesterday!" Ron said, folding his arms and glaring at his best friend.
"I…" Harry stood there in the doorway; looking uncertain. "I have to go, I left my Divinations homework on my bed."
"Harry, just…" Hermione started; then let her arms drop to her sides as she stared out concernedly after him. "He doesn't even take Divinations any more.."
"He'll snap out of it," Ron said dubiously.
"You sure about that?" Hermione asked, doubtful. Ron turned to look at her, brown eyes deadly serious for once.
"Right now, Hermione, I'm not sure of anything."
Snape looked up as he saw Harry Potter brush passed him. The boy's eyes were slightly red and he was clearly upset. The professor smirked, taking some small sadistic pleasure in seeing James Potter's son agitated. Of course, it only helped things that a Slytherin was the one causing him so much anguish.
"You know it has been a long time, shouldn't you put some things behind you?" Snape's brain suggested at him. Snape told his brain to shut up and continued along the corridor. Once in the safety of his office, he busied himself with the pile of homework on the desk. He'd instructed his fifth year class to write two parchments on the use of dried herbs in thirteenth century witchcraft and wizardry, so of course there was about a hundred rolls of parchment on the desk waiting to be marked.
Severus tapped his wand thoughtfully on the desk, wondering if he should use the old back up charm that totalled up the student's scores automatically.
Snape grinned; the hook-nosed professor preferred marking them himself. That way he could make sure none of the stuffy stuck up students got the marks they deserved. Sighing, he put his head down got out his favourite quill and began to mark them. Thankfully he knew his subject of Potions so well inside and out that he could read the essays and mark them and still let his mind wander…
Smirking, he remembered when a trembling and extremely pissed off Malfoy revealed his feelings for the Potter boy to him… So ironic really, two bitter enemies being attracted to each other… So… commonplace. Snape snorted. Not that it made any difference of course. Harry Potter was such a snivelling ungrateful brat and didn't deserve any of the lenience he got. Draco, on the other hand, deserved so much better. A fine young wizard like him…
The hook nosed professor swept a hand through his unruly mess of dark hair, cursing his memory for dwelling on such things. Of course he'd agreed to Draco's request that he back off Harry a bit. He had been rather harsh on the young Potter… A little tiny amount of lenience wouldn't be so bad after all… Besides it gave him more time to scrutinize that Granger's work. That girl was too stuck up for her own good, Snape decided. Finding some errors with her work would certainly bring her down a few notches. Possibly make her a nicer person over all and more sociable.
He didn't mean to have favourite students and least favourite students. Draco reminded him of himself when he was at Hogwarts; strong, in control, powerful, and having the same, complete problem of falling for the wrong person.
Snape's stomach tightened slightly and he scowled.
Damn him.
Damn his memory still haunting him after all this time.
Snape knew very damn well why he hated Harry Potter so much. It was every time the boy moved. Every time he looked at him. The stuck up celebrity may have his mother's eyes, but every other part of him was so remarkably like James… Snape brushed his hands over his eyes rapidly and sighed; deciding to actually used the Charm after all. After marking Miss Granger's papers. He didn't want her to get 450 like last time he'd used the Charm. Wouldn't want that at all, would we now? Snape decided, scowling fiercely.
It was more than a week later when Draco Malfoy returned to classes like normal. He seemed almost unchanged by his experiences. If anything his scowls were darker and jabs more spiteful, but all in all he remained the same bitter boy he always had been.
He also continued to ignore Ron, Hermione and Harry like they didn't even exist.
Hermione commented on this softly to Ron.
"Well I suppose it's better than being treated like mud," she sniffed in Transfiguration as she attempted to turn her pencil into a mug. Ron waved his wand half heartedly at the pen, and then grimaced as it transfigured into a delicate pink little tea cup. Unfortunately that was the exact moment Professor McGonagall decided to walk past their desk.
"Very cute, Mr Weasley," the strict teacher said; a note of humour in her voice. "Something a little bigger though, don't you think?"
Ron blushed furiously under the teacher's stern glare. He waved his wand half-heartedly and the cup started to tap dance. The entire class turned, giggling, to watch the delicate cup tap dance across the desk and almost fall off. Hermione caught it, muttered and the cup transfigured into the right mug. Ron flushed darkly and scowled as everybody else turned away laughing.
"Show off," Ron muttered. "Bet you're the only one who can do it properly."
"Not at all," Hermione replied grumpily, tossing her hair and turning away.
"Well who else can do it-" Ron started before seeing Harry turn his pencil into a mug and back again. "Great!" The redhead sighed and tried again. "How do you do this?" He complained.
Harry rolled his eyes, and proceeded to show the redhead again exactly how it was done.
Ron collapsed at the Gryffindor dining table half an hour after Transfiguration had finished. Professor McGonagall had kept him back until he had done the transfiguration successfully. Harry looked at Ron over the edge of a goblet of Pumpkin juice and laughed at the indignant look on Ron's face.
"Stupid transfiguration," Ron muttered darkly, helping himself to sandwiches and salad.
"You do realize you'll need to get good grades in Transfiguration, it is the OWLs we're doing this year after all," Hermione said primly, tossing her hair and fixing Ron with a sceptical glance.
"I know, I know," Ron said grumpily. "It's Seamus and Dean I'm worried about more, they completely mess around for the first few months of the year.."
"They'll do fine," Harry broke in. "I've never seen anyone except Hermione work so hard in the last few weeks."
"They wouldn't have had to work so hard if they hadn't messed around," Hermione sniffed, fixing Seamus who was further down the table with an icy stare.
"Well, at least they don't mess about too much any more, they just resort to teasing you about Dra-" Ron started, stopping at Harry's upset expression which the black-haired boy tried to mask immediately by savagely tearing at the sandwich in his hand.
"Ron," Hermione admonished gently.
Harry closed his eyes for a second before throwing the half-eaten sandwich back on his plate and standing up. "I'm not hungry any more," Harry declared before walking rapidly out of the hall. Hermione and Ron watched him go apprehensively, concerned for their friend and wanting to help him through whatever transition the young wizard was going through.
Harry swore under his breath as he brushed up the corridor; his rumbling stomach betraying the fact that he'd just lied to his friends.
"The other teachers don't want to hear language like that, young man," a young lady in a painting to his right piped up helpfully. Harry told her to get lost in language that made her redden furiously.
"Honestly, wizards these days!" Harry heard her complain, but shrugged it off as he made his way up to the Gryffindor area so he could get his stuff for the last lesson of the day - double Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Harry frowned. Professor Snape had been subbing the class until last week. Apparantly the new teacher was coming today. That was something to look forwards to… Grabbing his books and slinging them into his bag, Harry dropped off into the bathroom to wash his face again before dropping out into the corridor to begin the walk to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Of course it would be across the other side of school…
As he walked to Defence Against the Dark Arts along the Charms corridor, a couple of gossiping sixth years caught his attention.
"Did you hear, Black's innocent, it's all over the news, Dumbledore announced it at lunchtime…"
"Can you believe Pettigrew did that?"
"And apparantly Black's Harry Potter's godfather!"
Harry froze in shock in the middle of the corridor.
"What?"
The two sixth-year girls stopped their conversation to see Harry staring at them wildly in disbelief.
"Is that true?"
The two girls exchanged a glance.
"Yeah, we think he's your godfather…"
"No, I know that," Harry said impatiently. "I also know he's innocent, but… he's free?" The tallest of the girls nodded.
"Yes, Dumbledore announced it about ten minutes ago."
The two girls shared a glance as Harry nodded his thanks and took off at a run to get to Defence Against the Dark Arts and to talk to Hermione and Ron.
As he walked into Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry just couldn't stop grinning. The Slytherins, who took Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors this year, looked a little nonplussed at the grin on Harry's face and some looked a little scared. Ron had to admit, Harry did look a bit scary when he was grinning like that. Almost dangerous.
Hermione smiled at him as he sat down.
"Looks like I left the hall a few minutes too soon," Harry commented as he sat next to her, still grinning like a madman.
"You can say that again!" Ron high-fived Harry while Hermione just grinned at the two.
"Won't that mean you can stay with him instead of the Dursley's?" Hermione added softly. Harry gaped at her; his grin suddenly widening. Unfortunately they didn't have the chance to say anything more as the door opened, and all heads craned suddenly to try and see who the new teacher was.
"Dumbledore? Are you our new teacher?" Dean Thomas, sitting in the front row, scratched his head.
"No, Dean," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Sorry to say that, but if I subbed any class it would be Transfiguration." There were a few disappointed groans from the class, mostly from the Gryffindors.
"Our new teacher, though, is somewhat controversial. You will have all heard the news this lunchtime, about Sirius Black and how he was framed by Peter Pettigrew, and how he has been proved innocent of all charges." Here Dumbledore winked at the still grinning Harry. "Well, it just so happens he was in need of a job so –"
The entire class gaped as Sirius Black walked through the door. Harry couldn't believe it. He just had to be dreaming, right? Right?
"Hello, class, I'm your new teacher, it's my honour to teach such mature students to prevent against the horrors of the Dark Lord, his magic and his minions," he said; smiling. A few people still looked scared. "I can guarantee I won't be breaking into Hogwarts any more and my innocence has been quite proved."
"How?"
This stark question was from Draco Malfoy, of course. Sirius narrowed his eyes, before quirking one eyebrow at his godson's reaction. Harry had looked away for a second, pale.
"Pettigrew confessed everything," Sirius explained lightly, his tone making sure they all knew Peter was no friend of his. "Seems like he managed to escape. His new hand had turned rather nasty and tried to kill him." Sirius paused, and looked around at the alarmed class. "No doubt you will hear the full story from your parents or the news. For now, I think we have some work to do."
Dumbledore smiled, and let his friend and fellow member of staff take over the class deftly.
Within half an hour of the class everyone was completely convinced that Black was innocent. He'd lost the haggard look he'd been wearing for the last couple of years, and was now smiling more often. Even the Slytherin students seemed to like him. The Professor and now innocent man had set them working in groups of three on Rynkels; small purple water pixies with a nasty disposition and the common defence of freezing its enemies. Sirius took this opportunity to talk to his godson.
"Harry."
Harry blinked, and smiled up at his godfather.
"I knew you'd be free sooner or later."
Sirius smiled and he leant against the desk. "I'd like to talk to you after class, can you meet me in my office at four o' clock?"
Sirius straightened and looked a bit scared that Harry might say no.
"Count on it."
Sirius relaxed visibly, and with a smile strode off to help Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, who between them had managed to get a Rynkel stuck up Blaise Zabini's nose.
Harry smiled happily, feeling for once in a long time that the course of justice was working and that light had a chance over dark for once and for all. Of course, his concentration was quickly averted when he had to help Ron unstuck his hands together while the Rynkel in their tank smirked at having frozen the redhead and shouted abuse at Hermione as she tried to approach it.
Feeling happier than he had for the last couple of weeks, Harry waited outside Sirius' door for a few seconds before lifting up his hand and knocking.
"Come in," he heard Sirius say, and he opened the door; slightly nervous. Would his godfather still want him to live with him? Was it at all possible?
"Harry."
Sirius was standing up at his desk and Harry was able to see his godfather properly for once. He was completely different to how he remembered him. His skin wasn't hanging off his bones, and was a healthy colour. His black hair was messy, something Harry suspected was a trait of both his father and Sirius. Probably of all four marauders, thinking of Remus…
Sirius nervously indicated that Harry should sit down on one of the chairs near the fireplace. Harry took one and Sirius moved around the desk to sit opposite.
"How are you?"
Sirius smiled finally. "I'm fine. I'm getting enough to eat," - Harry grinned again at this; remembering the horrible times 'Snuffle' had when he was scraping out a meagre living on the run – "everyone is starting to accept me, Albus gave me this fantastic job and I get to see you at normal times in normal places… It's a dream come true."
"It's nice to have you here finally. Where you belong." Harry blinked and took off his glasses to clean them on the edge of his robe.
Sirius smiled, his eyes slightly distant. "You can be so like James at time…" He coughed abruptly. "A fact that I am guessing is really pissing Severus off right now."
"He still has a grudge against James? After one silly joke?" Harry raised one eyebrow speculatively. "Do you think it was just that one thing?"
Sirius shrugged. "I don't know if it was just the joke that gets Severus so bitter sometimes. Mind you, he does hold a grudge. When I met him this morning and he heard the news I swear he was almost foaming at the mouth."
Harry grinned. "Wish I could have seen that."
"Harry…"
Harry looked sharply upwards at the tone in Sirius' voice, frowning at the blurred image before quickly remembering and replacing his glasses.
"Yes?"
"You know when I… I offered to… you know, after school has finished, I know you live with the Dursley's, yeah, and that's family but I have my own place now and I'm sure that maybe a period with someone from your own world would be much better and –"
"Sirius," Harry said flatly. Nervous, Sirius lifted his gaze to meet Harry's hesitantly. "I hate the Dursley's. They treat rubbish better than me. I would do anything to get out of that dump. And I would do anything in the world to live with you most of all."
Sirius slumped back, relieved. "Good. I was just so worried you wouldn't want to live with me after everything I did… I didn't want to lose you like I lost your father… OW!"
Sirius looked upward, hurt, and rubbed his cheek where it stung viciously where Harry had hit it. Harry looked incredibly surprised at what he'd done.
"You didn't kill them," Harry said pointedly, frowning when Sirius tried to respond. "You did not. Did you point your wand and them and utter those two phrases?" Sirius shook his head mutely. "Exactly. You loved them so much you were willing to try and find the safest way possible to protect them. And you didn't know, there was no way you could have known about Peter, so I won't have you blame yourself! There wasn't anything you could have done! Now last year, with Voldemort, I could have done something and I didn't, I let him… I let Cedric…" Harry choked on the name and turned away swiftly, wincing.
"Oh Harry…" Harry heard his godfather whisper his name and for the first time, Sirius hugged Harry as a free man. Sirius pulled a way a little, looking at the boy with suspiciously moist eyes.
"I'm sorry for not being there enough last year," Sirius whispered thickly. "I'm sorry for not being there as you grew up."
"'s not your fault either," Harry sniffed; wiping his eyes with a large cotton hanky Sirius had passed him. Sirius grinned; his smile a little crinkled.
"But I'm here now, and I hope I can make it up to you," Sirius whispered.
Harry smiled too, his whole face lighting up.
"You've already made whatever it was up by being here now," he said, grinning.
"I just hope everyone else can be so accepting of me. Rumours take a while to die down," Sirius said resentfully.
"Don't I know it," Harry muttered, sinking back into the chair again. Sirius padded over to the fire and lifted off a kettle which had been boiling merrily away while they had been sorting things through.
"Do you want a hot drink?" Sirius offered. Harry nodded dumbly and accepted the cup of tea that was passed to him.
"You sound bitter about the rumour thing," Sirius suggested after a very pregnant pause.
"Yeah, it's got me in more than enough trouble this year," Harry sniffed, taking a sip of the tea and looking away angrily.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Harry shook his head then hurriedly tried to explain as he saw a glimmer of hurt in the older man's eyes. "I will later… Right now I'm just trying to sort my head out."
"Ah, love problems?" Sirius said, half-jokingly. Harry nodded briefly and Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Trust the voice of experience. Happens to everyone. Of course some people fall for the dumbest people…"
"Tell me about it," Harry sniffed. Sirius looked at Harry sharply.
"Let me guess, your friends don't really accept who you've fallen for?" Prompted by Harry's brief and cursory nod, Sirius laughed. "I completely understand. You know, my friends thought I was weird with having a werewolf as a boyfriend."
Sirius looked up in amusement as Harry sprayed tea everywhere.
"I believe you know Remus Lupin," Sirius continued, with a mischievous smirk. "So, what happened with Draco Malfoy, then?"
Harry's eyes widened even further.
"What?"
"Come on, Harry, it's pretty obvious," Sirius said, shrugging. "I mean you're showing the same signs Snape did at school. Went all weird whenever your father went past."
Harry stared some more, feeling like he was completely losing any control he had left. "Snape had a thing for my dad?"
Sirius nodded, laughing. "Yep. Poor James. Yet another reason why he was merrily pissed off when James saved his life."
"I see."
"So you see, whatever happened can't be as bad as it was back in our time," Sirius finished. "Did that help at all?"
"He kissed me out of the blue and then sent me a letter telling me he thought I was disgusting," Harry mumbled into his teacup. Sirius raised his eyebrows.
"Interesting," Sirius commented, raising an eyebrow.
"That's one way of putting it," Harry said sourly.
Across the school in another teacher's office, the same adjective was used.
"Interesting," Dumbledore remarked; a troubled expression creasing his features. Draco pulled the sleeve of his robe back over the dark red scar on his arm which was pulsating black.
Draco swallowed uncomfortably. "I guess… I didn't know how much up to his neck my dad was before he… Before he did this…"
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "It wasn't anything to do with you. You can't help doing what your parents teach you at a young age. I only thank goodness that you were able to see how evil the Dark Lord and his minions are before it's too late."
"So am I," Draco said; slumping his shoulders. "Thank you for believing me, I had trouble wondering if anyone would… After all, my attitude hasn't exactly been the most sunniest of everyone at Hogwarts. I have been rather arrogant thinking I was right and my way was the only way."
"Well," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "There are a lot of people going to rub your noses in this fact too… I only hope you don't let them get to you."
"Well that's partly why I'm here," Draco said softly. "I have a request… Well two actually… You can always say no."
Dumbledore looked at the blond curiously. "True. Fire away."
Draco swallowed and ignored his pride to ask his requests.