The Hero Hidden Beneath A Traitor's Clothing
Summary: Voldemort is at the height of his power once more, terrorizing both the Muggle and Wizarding World's he is considered unstoppable and ruthless. There is only one person left who can truly defeat him, a boy that the world has set on a pedestal. In his seventh year the boy is now a man and single handedly taking on the dark forces but are the people truly grateful to this mysterious warrior, or will he have to depend on another girl several years younger than him and a complete stranger to believe in him.
Rated: R (for adult content and some violence)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the talented Ms. Rowling does, and the WB has some rights to the series. I just write for the hell of it all, so don't sue. I don't have anything worth taking me to court over.
Chapter 4: Cutest Rear Of The Year
Looking at him with her large blue/silver eyes she tried to keep the tears that pushed to leak out away. "I want revenge Harry. I want them to pay for what they did to my family and friends. I want you to teach me to fight like you; I can help you if you let me. Please." She begged.
All Harry could do was stare at her blankly. Absolutely nothing went through his mind as he continued staring at her. Taking into account her desperate watery eyes, her fragile body, her tear stained face, and her trembling lip. And like a ton of bricks it smashed him upside the head and he already knew his answer.
"No." he said clearly enough for everyone in the room to hear and stern enough in the hopes that Gabrielle would drop her silly idea. But that was not the case as she continued to beg.
"Please Harry. You know you can't keep fighting by yourself; sooner or later you'll get out numbered and then what? And if you're not there for me what am I supposed to do if You-Know-Who comes after me? We could make a good team. I learn fast, very fast. Please." She kept begging and at one point she made the foolish and desperate mistake of using her Veela charm on him. Although she was young and wasn't able to control it as well she knew the basics and her magic level was high so it boosted the charm up more.
Within seconds Harry's eyes started glazing over and all he could see was Gabrielle and her pleading eyes, her inviting lips, her creamy skin, her soft hair. His thoughts were mixed up and set to the back of his mind as he continued to stare at her. But then her image changed in his mind, he saw her fighting along his side, he saw her being struck by curses and falling. He saw her dieing, her life wasting away and finally she was gone. He couldn't let that happen so he roughly shook his head.
Veela's charm could at times be more powerful than the Imperius Curse and that's the reason there were so few of them in the first place. The Ministries of the magical countries would slay them and now the only full blooded Veelas were treated like animals locked up in cages and put on display.
"Gabrielle Delacour if you try that on me one more time I won't even think about helping you." He scolded her and was met by curious glances from the two other men in the room and one guilty one from the blonde who immediately looked down not daring to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry." She responded then broke off and Harry could hear a sniffle come from her direction. She was crying, or at least holding back tears. Now he regretted ever reprimanding her.
"Gabby come on please don't start crying, I know you were desperate and you want your revenge but using your Veela charm is no way to get anything. Of course I believe you should use your gifts to your own advantage but use judgment, think things through before you do it." Sighing he shook his head asking himself if he was crazy for doing what he was about to do.
"Lesson one," he began. "If you want something badly then strive for it, never look down or away and use any means necessary to get it short of killing, of course." Before she could comprehend what all this meant Harry went on to another important topic.
"Lesson two, call him by his name. Lord Voldemort, or Tom Riddle. Fear of the name will only raise fear of the actual being. He doesn't deserve to be feared or given as much respect by being called You-Know-Who. Besides it adds to his bloated ego." He smirked at her excited expression as she nodded rapidly taking everything he was saying in before launching herself at him.
"Merci Beacoup! Thank you Harry! You don't know how much this means to me." As she clung to him she murmured thanks to him over and over again until he pried her off a bit. Her arms were still around his neck but now she was staring him in the face.
"This is going to be hard you know. I don't want you complaining about the amount of work you have to do because you'll be doing a lot as soon as you're healthy enough. For now I think I'll just teach you from the books but when you get your strength up I'm going to push you to your breaking point. It took me two years to become what I am but I barely had any help, now you have help and I expect you to be ready in a year. Understand?"
"I understand Harry, and I'll try my hardest, I won't let you down, and I won't let my family down either." She smiled as her eyes shone with unshed tears that soon began to run down her face again.
Reaching up he wiped her tears away with his thumbs and brushed her hair out of her face combing it behind her ear. "For now go get some rest. Do you think you could make it back to bed?"
"I don't want to go yet though. Can't I stay? I might have some ideas concerning your theory about the connection you share with You-Kn.er.Vo- Voldemort." She breathed a sigh of relief once she said the name and casually looked around as if expecting the Dark Lord to pop out of thin air upon mention of his name. Seeing that nothing happened she got up off Harry's lap where she was sitting earlier to her chagrin and returned to her own chair.
"Harry you can't be serious! You can't put her in danger like that!" Remus yelled. It was bad enough the boy had to go around risking his life like that but to involve a young girl was just crazy he reasoned with himself.
"No I'm Harry, he's Sirius." The young man used the age old joke and pointed to his godfather whom despite being on his friend's side in the argument had to snicker behind his palm earning himself the roll of Remus' eyes.
"You know what I mean Harry James Potter, I can understand you becoming a ninja mage, you have a reason, a destiny, but Gabrielle is too young. You can't put her life on the line like that."
At first Harry had been against Gabrielle becoming his apprentice as well but she was determined and he couldn't make those kinds of choices for her, she had to make them herself and he found himself defending the young girl's desire.
"Remus I wouldn't put her in any kind of danger until I was certain she could handle it, and even then I'd be by her side. I became a ninja mage because I was tired of being defenseless, now I'm helping her for the same reason. She's a smart girl she knows what all this means and if not she always has the choice to drop it. I can't make these decisions for her."
"Why is everyone talking like I'm not here?!" the aggravated blonde chorused. "I have a right to be heard as well. I mean no disrespect Mr. Lupin but Harry is right this is my choice and my choice alone. I want revenge and I will get it by any means necessary." Although the girl seemed so frail and harmless in her condition she had a glare to kill on the spot and the only thing visible in her expression was anger and determination.
Remus and Sirius both knew it would be impossible to stop the pair from achieving whatever heights they planned for. In a way, they both thought with a shiver trailing down their spines, the two looked ready to lead an entire army to war. Now they both knew why the hat wanted to put James Potter's son in Slytherin, he was ambitious and sly to the end. But the bravery in the boy's heart exceeded all, so much that he could carry the courage of 100 Gryffindors.
"Alright." The two older men agreed to cease their argument but not their worries.
Changing the subject to break the tense silence Harry turned back to the blonde girl sitting in front of him and asked. "So you said you had some kind of theories or ideas about the connection Riddle and I share?" ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ````````````````````````````````````````````````````` "Yes but I don't know how good they are, after all I just came up with them so they might seem silly." She apologized before hand but Harry still urged her on.
"Well I figured that seeing as you were connected from that night you survived, what if you went back before it even happened when the connection was non-existent and kill Voldemort then." She said slightly uncertain of herself with the idea.
For a moment Harry had to admit to himself the idea was brilliant but the change that could occur if he went to the past and turned everything around could be too great and some things and people could cease to exist.
"Out of the question Gabrielle. We can't change the past it's too dangerous even if the idea is good. You said you had other ideas though?" Sirius said quickly. He did not want his godson doing something as dangerous as time travel, especially a leap into the past that large and without him there to watch over the boy.
Harry was still thinking over the possible ways that things could go wrong or right in that situation. Weighing the pros and cons on an imaginary scale and deducing what he would have to do and whether such a thing would actually work. He was so caught up that he didn't notice Sirius objecting then later Remus giving the same negative input about it.
Slightly defeated that what she suggested was no good the blonde went on to tell him the other one. "Well since you're pretty much bound to the Dark Lord by your life force what if you bound yourself to someone else? Then you could kill him and not worry about dying yourself because you could feed off the other person's power temporarily until you get your full strength back."
Another brilliant idea, Harry realized. //Where does this kid get all of these from? I don't remember being this smart at her age.\\ he thought to himself.
Sitting there he looked for some kind of loophole that could rule that suggestion out but he couldn't find one and soon he heard Sirius speak to him.
"She's right you know it's a good idea Harry, you should consider it." He said then Remus added.
"He's right you should, it's a lot less dangerous this way. I know we all want to change the past and that's probably what's running through your head right now but we can't. What's done is done and that's the end. But if you do bind yourself to this one person it could save your life and possibly other lives in the process."
"I think," Harry said softly still a bit dazed from the possibilities. "I could consider both of them. I mean I know traveling to the past is dangerous and so is changing anything but think about it. If I bind myself to someone then bring the person with me to the past, then whatever I change back there wouldn't reflect on me because I wouldn't really be me, I'd have another part of someone in my soul so even if I go back to when I was just born there wouldn't be two Harry Potters at the same time. I can make so many things better this way and if I die then Harry Potter will still live and there would technically be no loss. I could stop Peter's betrayal, my parents' deaths, Sirius being framed, the death of rest of the quarter families, deaths and injuries of others. I could meet your parents too." He said almost on the edge of his seat with excitement with all the things he could achieve, all the dreams he could make come true.
The younger man's godfather shook his head again feeling so lost now. "No you can't because you could never come back Harry, you'd be stuck in the past. And what about binding yourself to someone? Who would this person be? Who would want to bind themselves to another person and come back into the past risking death and being trapped there to live in that time? Believe me when I say if I was given the chance to change things around then I'd probably consider taking it as well but come on, be reasonable this can't possibly happen."
Sirius must have thought that he was getting through to Harry because the boy's face began to light up into a small smile and he grinned himself feeling proud of himself for making such a break through, through his godson's stubborn head. But that feeling slowly diminished when he caught Harry take a side long glance at the blonde girl sitting in front of him then go back to thinking with the same grin on his face. It was a day dreaming sort of smile that Sirius had seen many times on himself; normally either meaning "another brilliant idea" or "a prank to top all pranks" had come to him. This wasn't good and he quickly figured out what the little look was all about before he began to strongly protest.
"No!" he yelled startling the other three occupants of the room. " Harry I know what you're thinking but you can't do that! Haven't you heard a word I said before, its too dangerous and you can't do that to her no matter how well you think you'd be able to protect her."
"What?" Gabrielle asked, she was completely lost in what the man was talking about; the only thing that was obvious was that she was the main subject. "I thought that we already agreed that Harry would help train me, that it's my decision if I want to participate in it."
"No," the tawny haired lyncanthrope across the room answered and filled her in on what was going on in a tired voice. "Sirius thinks that Harry wants to bind himself to you, if you were willing." Even though it wasn't confirmed yet Remus knew it was most likely true but he didn't argue. Perhaps it would be a good idea, even if it weren't the two would go ahead and go through with it regardless of what they said.
"If that's so then I'm willing. Gabrielle joined in persuading Harry whom seemed a little unsure still. "Bind yourself to me, I'm willing. I can go back to the past with you and I'll help you fight there. I'll do anything I can to see my family again. You know you want to Harry, you know that it's possible and convenient. Think of it, you could go as James Black posing as your godfathers brother, you look alike enough for that people would believe such a thing. You could get to know the Marauders and your mother, you could stop Voldemort, keep the coming Harry Potter from having to go through what you did. You could give him a normal life, be there for him, you could do so many things." Then in a slightly more excited voice she said, " And I could stop my family from perishing. I could get to know them as well, I can see Fluer again."
The offer was more than tempting. He couldn't simply turn his back on it. Getting to know his parents and giving himself a normal life. There couldn't be anything more tempting in the world, and giving Gabrielle so much happiness by saving her family. The young man sat slumped over on the side of Sirius' bed with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin set on his fists. He regarded the members of the room, what they each had said did get to him but now he had to battle with his conscience.
"Gabby even though I want to do this I think Sirius might be right I can't put you through that. You have a life here in the future."
Scowling she answered back to him forcefully. "What kind of a life is this?! Without my family?! Then if you leave I'd be without you?! What kind of half-life would I be leading?! My life wouldn't be worth living then. Don't you understand I need to fight, I need to win and I need to do it by your side."
"You don't know what you want yet Gabrielle, you're still blinded by a cloud of blood over your sisters death. Don't let that cloud blind you any further than it already has. It's not as simple as it may all seem. And don't offer to be bound to someone so quickly, you don't know what that entails much less the circumstances behind it in order for such a thing to work." He said and realized this quarrel was hurting him as much as it was hurting the blonde girl.
For a 14-year-old Gabrielle was very unrelenting Harry had to admit as she continued to argue with him.
"I know perfectly well what it entails and don't tell me otherwise. I know you have to be matched properly with the person, I know that it is like a marriage, I know what I'd have to do." She said.
" Do you really know what this includes?" Sirius began to interfere again trying to dissuade her. It doesn't just include a simple marriage, this marriage would be eternal, and not only would you need to be matched up correctly but the physical part would be necessary to combine fluids and create a strong enough magical reaction. I don't think you'd want to be tied down to anyone like that. Once you realize what all this means you'll regret proposing it." He said giving her a look that said 'think about it' before adding in as an after thought. "Plus you're only fourteen you have your whole life set ahead of you, I think you're a bit young to get married aren't you?" he chuckled at the scowl on her face. He had no doubt she still wouldn't relent although her pale skin was covered in a light flush from the time he mentioned "the physical part" of the marriage.
"I'm mature for my age!" she argued. "And it wouldn't matter what age we were if we matched in our magical compound would it? I'm only three years younger than Harry. I understand if you don't want it to be me though. I'm sure there are plenty of other girls you'd want to be with your godson, you don't have to go calling me a child." She sulked and pouted slightly.
"Will you please stop arguing already? Nothing is decided yet so calm down, and Sirius by the way you're acting it seems you're more a child than anyone else in this room." Remus stepped in preventing further disagreements.
Glaring at the lyncanthrope Sirius snapped at him. "Moony let me ask you a question. How would you feel if your godson was gallivanting around killing Death Eaters by his lonesome self while maintaining a secret identity? Then he brings on a fourteen year old apprentice and wants to basically marry her so he can go back about 20 years into the past and change it for the better when he might just change it for the worse."
"I'd be proud of him." The other man answered. "And believe me I am proud of him for doing so much, for taking this kind of responsibility and for being brave and clever enough to achieve such a thing. He's an adult Paddy, Harry knows what he's doing, plus aren't you the one that mopes over the past every single day of your life? How you keep saying you wished you could change it, well here's a chance."
"Bollocks Remmy I might lose my godson in this." He grumbled, the said in a quieter note. "James appointed me his godfather so I could be there for him. How am I supposed to be there for my godson, no practically my own son when I can't talk to him or see him, or even write to him? I've missed to much already I just don't want to lose Harry."
Feeling the need to interfere and bring the man's spirits up Harry placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can be there by believing in me Paddy. And you don't have to worry about me going anywhere any time soon. I said it would take a year for Gabby to train, right? Well I want her ready before we go anywhere especially if we go to the summer of 1978." He grinned and ruffled the older man's hair despite being the younger one. "Besides," he added. "There won't be a wedding yet so don't get yourself worked up over it. Either way either you'd be there or your past self would."
Chuckling Sirius admitted defeat and nodded trying to untangle the not in his hair that Harry created. "Sure Smokey." He said and the younger man gave him a bemused look.
"What?" he asked and Sirius pointed to the exposed tattoo of the wolf on his arm.
"You actually thought you could hide your little secret from me for long?" the older man laughed and patted the tattoo. "It seems we have the first Marauder of the new generation Moony maybe he could join us during the full moon. What do you say?" he asked his friend.
"Harry you're an animagi?" the lyncanthrope's eyes widened incredulously as the Gryffindor nodded an affirmative answer. "Since when?"
"Well I started researching and practicing at the beginning of fifth year then I finished the transformation at the beginning of sixth."
"Just one year?" Sirius asked. "It took us two years to get it down, but I should have guessed after all you are Prong's son, he was the best out of all of us at transfiguration. I'm not even surprised that you did it, I'm just surprised you're not a horse or stag, something with hooves like James."
"Not fair! How'd you know Sirius?" the boy grumbled.
"Easy," the other man grinned. "I have a tattoo of Padfoot too."
"Where? I don't see it."
"That's because you weren't meant to see it Harry." Remus started to answer for Sirius and snickered as if remembering an old joke. "It's on his arse." He finished and went into guffaws of laughter along with everyone else except for Padfoot himself whom turned a bright red but grinned non-the- less.
"Oh my god." Harry gasped for air. "That's who's behind that was in the gallery!" and continued laughing until he was forced to explain. "There is a gallery back at Boss, the company that I model for and at one time where Paddy here did as well. The gallery is made up of sections of pictures dedicated to each model that ever worked there. I remember walking around and I saw that tattoo on someone's bare behind and I thought to myself that it looked just like a particularly friendly Grim that I know. Well I thought that was absurd but I should have known!"
"It's still up there?" the older man asked obviously pleased.
"Yeah and its up amongst the cutest rears voted on at your time. They started compiling pictures of those and putting them all together on one wall."
"Harry?" asked a slightly concerned Remus Lupin.
"Hmm?"
"Why pray tell were you looking at pictures of men's bare bottoms in the first place?"
"Oh.." He lapsed into silence and blushed hiding his head in his hands before mumbling a muffled "because my agent gave me the heads up that my naked bum was up there too."
"Oh!!" squealed Gabrielle. "Is it in the magazine?!"
"I have no idea, I don't remember how many photos of me they put in there." He answered lying right threw his teeth and slowly rising to snatch the magazine from the bedside table where the young blonde was already reaching for.
"Remus I think it may be a good idea to confiscate this magazine. Don't you think? After all it is distracting the students and you are the teacher so it would be proper to take it away." He suggested but before handing it over he was tackled by the pale fourteen-year-old whom giggled playfully and reached for it.
Toppling over onto the floor Harry stretched out and held it out of the girls reach the whole time laughing as she struggled to slither up his body which she'd fallen on top of to reach it as he held her by the shoulder with one hand to keep her down the young animagi thrust the magazine to his DADA professor whom not only seemed highly amused but when he caught it started leafing through the pages.
"No!" Harry yelped when Remus victoriously found the right page and handed it to Gabrielle whom had gotten off of him and in the process accidentally shoved her knee into his stomach.
"Serves you right for displaying your arse like that." The older man laughed as Gabby stared at the picture and giggled herself silly.
Completely embarrassed by now Harry got up off the floor and sat down heavily in the chair Gabrielle vacated. "Funny ha ha." He said rolling his eyes. "Enjoying the view Gabby?" he asked sarcastically.
"Indeed." She answered and closed the magazine. "It seems you really have earned the right to have your bum in those pages."
From there on the conversation continued on a lighter note at which point Remus told him of the meeting the Order of the Phoenix would be having around eight o'clock in the evening. They spent the next hour and a half telling funny stories and jokes among them was the one Sirius was telling now with Remus clutching his stomach and laughing hysterically remembering that certain event.
".and then after James bought the ring, he kept sneaking out of Gryffindor Tower at night and he'd go practice his proposal with a suit of armor somewhere on the third floor." Sirius grinned recalled it and continued. "One night Moony and I followed him and snuck behind the suit he was practicing on. We used the invisibility cloak and starting talking back to him." This time he chuckled as his eyes twinkled merrily at the memory.
"To say the least your father was pissed after he nearly wet his pants. Wouldn't talk to us for a few days until he actually proposed and your mother accepted."
At that point Remus had calmed down some and wiped the tears out of his eyes before taking over the story. "Well I can't say you were all happy either Padfoot you were mad at James for being mad at you." He snickered at the absurdity of the whole thing before going on. "They forgave each other believe it or not after James asked Sirius to be his best man."
"That reminds me!" Sirius exclaimed smiling. "Harry?" he asked innocently. //A little too innocently to be for my good\\ Harry thought to himself before acknowledging him.
"What Padfoot?"
"Can I be the best man at your wedding?" he grinned cheekily and in return got the pillow stolen from under his head by the young man and received a smack in the face with it.
"There isn't going to be a wedding." Harry rolled his eyes at him. "At least not yet." And he immediately knew that he shouldn't have said the last part because Remus automatically picked up and started teasing him again.
"Aww did you hear that Padfoot he said not yet, means Harry here is planning on something!" then turning to Gabrielle he said. "Gabrielle if he's anything like his dear old father then I'd follow him at night and see if he talks to any suits of armor." The girl blushed uncontrollably and hid her face in her face but resurfaced laughing when Harry smacked his DADA teacher with the pillow as well before handing it back to his godfather.
"I think perhaps I should stay silent." The young girl said. "For I fear the wrath of the pillow."
"Nah!" the Gryffindor's godfather said. "I doubt our Smokey here would do something as ungentlemanly like as pummel his future bride with a downy pillow." Smirking as the young man glared at him the dog animagi childishly stuck out his tongue at him.
"Would you shut up Sirius otherwise I'll do something very drastic in the past." Harry couldn't believe he had the gall to say that. There they were talking about carefree things and having a swell time and he had to go and ruin it by bringing up a subject they argued about only an hour or so ago.
Surprisingly Sirius didn't have as much of a negative input on it, as he would have thought, actually Harry was shocked by what the man told him.
"You better Harry, I'll be expecting my big brother there. Just promise me you'll make things better, I know I shouldn't be putting this much responsibility on your shoulders, you're already loaded up with the weight of the world but I think it's time I believe in you some more."
The room was lapsed in silence as all four people absorbed every aspect of what this meant.
"You always did believe in me, you were one of the only people that never questioned my loyalty or my ability. And for all it means, which is a lot, you were always my father, ever since third year when we practically saved each other, you save me from the dark side while I saved you from the light. Ironic isn't it?" Harry smiled recalling his third year and shivered at the thought of the Dementors. They were horrid creatures; it was only too bad they were immortal.
"Thanks kiddo that does mean a lot. And for what its worth, you're the only thing that kept me from going mad in Azkaban, the thought of you. I thought you were safe and happy all those years so I didn't act sooner, but I wish I had, I wish I escaped earlier and convinced Dumbledore of my innocence. Then maybe I wouldn't be an escaped convict now, maybe I'd have you as a son legally."
"I don't know if that will ever happen with us but I promise that Harry Potter will know his godfather." The Gryffindor said to the other man indicating that he was planning to do something about their situation.
As Gabby listened silently to their conversation she really understood how close the two were and how wrong everyone is about Sirius Black, including how wrong she used to be. He was not barbarian, criminal, murderer, or traitor. The man didn't possess one single traitorous bone in his body. He could definitely be more a Hufflepuff than she could ever be herself. And putting such a noble man into a hell like Azkaban was horrible and that led her to think about how they could prevent it in the past. That is if Harry planned on bringing her, he still seemed a bit awkward and unsure around her. Deciding to ask her question the young blonde spoke up.
"So you'll bring me to the past with you?" Gabrielle asked sounding hopeful as she clutched at his warm arm with her cool hands. The touched caught the Gryffindor by surprise and he jumped a foot off the bed. Gabrielle's hand trembled as she pulled it back startled by his sudden action.
Harry stared at her with his eyes widened by that simple touch. He wasn't expecting that, he wasn't used to intimate touches anymore than he was used to his Aunt Petunia hugging him or Uncle Vernon praising him for just being himself.
"S-sorry I didn't mean to do that." She whispered seeing the shock in his green eyes. "Maybe I should just leave." Unsteadily she raised herself from the edge of the hospital bed where she'd been sitting and bolted from the room barely managing to open the door before crashing into it. Although staying on her feet was a bit harder as she slipped and fell trying to get up, her weak limbs wouldn't support her and her head was still in a rush, everything spun and she just sat there before a warm pair of arms picked her off the floor.
She fought numbly against the pair of arms and beat her fists against the hard chest that she was leaned against until she heard a faint whisper by her ear. "Shh. Don't be afraid Gabby, it's only me."
"Leave me be! You don't want me!" she struggled as tears threatened to escape her and Harry continued to keep hold of her. He stepped into the nearest empty hospital room and shut the door lying the flailing blonde down on the bed and sitting by her.
"I never said I didn't want you." He told her and reached for her pale hand only to have it snatched away out of his grasp.
"You implied it." She argued and roughly yanked the blankets over her shivering body and sulked there.
Getting tired of her childish behaviors Harry was just about to rip his own hair out in frustration when he reminded himself the girl just went through a lot and probably wasn't thinking as clearly as she should.
"I never implied it Gabrielle. This is coming on to fast and I don't even know where you got these ideas but what you're looking for is revenge. Pure and simple revenge. I want you to cool down and think about what's even more important in this war. You're a smart lass and I know you'll figure it out soon. Once you do that, think about what we'll be risking if we bind ourselves and go into the past."
"I already know what this war is all about and I know what risks we'd be taking." She stood her ground on the subject stubbornly.
"I thought you wanted to learn here? I'm training you and this is part of your training. Thinking things through is sometimes more important than being able to pull off some impressive stunt or curse. Understand?"
"Yes." She murmured looking down at her hands avoiding his eyes in fear of seeing hate, disgust, annoyance, or simply disappointment. She expected him to leave, to go back to his godfather and professor but he didn't instead he slumped down in the chair by her bed and groaned. For the first time Gabrielle realized he must be tired, he never received any medical attention in fear of being found out, and the little rest he did get must have been fitful. She knew hers was.
"You're tired." She said. "Why not go to your dorm and sleep?" she suggested in a way trying to get rid of him and spare embarrassing herself any further.
Chuckling he stretched his long legs out and sighed dropping his head back to lye on the back of the chair. "Now who doesn't want whom?" he joked.
"I never said I didn't want you." She answered and he shot right back. "You implied it." And Gabrielle realized he was teaching her a lesson. She had said the same thing to him and it was tiresome to hear such a thing.
"I'm sorry." The blonde ended up apologizing. "I was acting like a child I don't know what came over me." Staying silent for a few moments she added almost incoherently. "Maybe it's because I am a child."
"You were upset." The dark haired young man corrected her and forgave her for her previous behavior at the same time. "And you couldn't possibly have all your wits all about you at the time. Rest a little will you already. Madame Pomfrey's probably already sick with worry wondering where you are and you might as well get better."
"And what about you? You're tired too."
"Don't worry about me I'll just take a short little nap." Yawning he stretched his muscular frame out before resting his cheek on his fist and closing his eyes but Gabrielle interrupted once more.
"That's hardly comfortable." And taking two of the three pillows from under her head she laid them by hers ad patted the one on top invitingly. "Here lye down for now."
Albeit he was a little hesitant the need to relax and sleep as comfortably as possible and at the same time guard Gabrielle won over. Letting her move over a little before laying down beside the blonde he tried to keep a good distance between them despite being separated by the quilt that Gabrielle was using. However the narrow bed did not permit much of a distance and he was forced to scoot closer so he wouldn't end up sprawled on the floor.
Now that they lay back-to-back Harry was able to close his eyes for a moment, it was chilly in the hospital wing but at least it was quiet unlike Gryffindor Tower. As soon as he was ready to drift off Gabrielle spoke up letting forth a question she had been dying to ask.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?"
"If you had the chance and everything was right, there was nothing that could go horribly wrong and it was your last resort, would you go back to the past to fix things?" What she left hanging in the air was 'Would you take me with you to the past to fix things?' and Harry knew that what she wanted was reassurance. Gabrielle had to know she was needed.
"Yes Gabby I'd take you with me if you wanted to too. Now go to sleep before you go anywhere you need to be ready Cherie." He answered using one of the French words he knew causing her to giggle. 'Cherie' he knew meant 'my darling.'
"What? Was my pronunciation wrong?" he complained only causing her to laugh harder. He had to admit to himself she did have a beautiful laugh, like a song almost.
"Non," she said. "Your pronunciation was magnific! I have just never heard you speak francais. Do you speak much of it?"
Grunting almost bitterly he answered affirming her question. "Yes, my cousin Dudley has to take it in his muggle school and when I come home from Hogwarts my relatives make me do most of his homework for him. I don't complain, it just gives me something to do besides spy on people, fight, and work out and do my own homework."
"You lead a busy life, a dangerous one too. I am sorry about your family though, I never knew they would be that way." The blonde apologized and turned over to face his back, timidly reaching out and placing a hand over it. Once she noticed he did not jump at her touch she rubbed in small circles.
"What are you doing?" He questioned her perplexed at her actions and receiving her answer of "I'm helping you fall asleep." He rolled over and faced her.
"You could help me sleep is by going to sleep yourself and letting me know you're getting better, the only way to do that is to sleep as well."
"Will you still be here when I wake up?" She pleaded with her eyes.
"I don't know, maybe, maybe not. But if I'm not I promise to leave a note."
It only took minutes for both exhausted teenagers to fall asleep in and in their sleep gravitate toward each other and embrace in their slumber. Half an hour later while doing a routine check on the hospital ward Madame Pomfrey found both in that same position. With Gabrielle under the covers enveloped in Harry's arms who lay atop the blankets.
It was a rare sight indeed to witness but the old medi-witch smiled to herself and exited the room closing the door behind her and putting up a protective shield around it so no harm would come to its occupants.
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When early evening came Gabrielle slowly awoke letting herself adjust before opening her eyes a crack to see that the room was dark and she lay up against something warm. Stretching her legs slightly trying not to move her upper body, which felt enveloped in a pair of arms she shifted a little onto her side. Her eyes went wide for a moment at the site before her.
There breathing serenely and holding her in his arms was Harry Potter. His soft breathing could faintly be heard and the even movement of his chest rising and falling was evident to her. The blonde started to relax as she took in the situation and stared at the young man in front of her, mapping his features with her eyes.
As she gazed at him she concluded that he was not handsome or devilishly good looking like she thought before, no not in this state, in this state he was beautiful. He looked so innocent and trouble free, or at least as innocent as Harry could ever look at this age. And if Gabrielle didn't know any better she'd say that the possibility of him being a darker toned male Veela was very likely if such a thing existed.
She knew from the moment that she saw the magazine he was featured in that the dark haired boy really did belong among those pages. With his olive skin that stretched over nicely shaped and sculpted muscles, quite impressive muscles she added. Abs and chest that were to die for, legs to kill for, arms and back to do the most ridiculous things for, and the rest were too hard to explain. His strong jaw and high cheekbones. His finely shaped dark eyebrows that stood over almond shaped emerald eyes from which extended long dark eyelashes. His tall strong frame, and thick dark hair that reached the young man's broad shoulders, Harry was indeed every girl's fantasy compared to the lanky thirteen year old he had been a few years back. Yet he still never used his looks or his fame to get any special treatment, in a way Gabrielle wondered if this boy, no man was human. Perfection was not supposed to be possible there it was right in front of her eyes, the perfect man holding her in his arms.
Lazily she ran a finger along his arm tracing a visible vein all that way up to his bicep where she examined the wolf tattoo on his arm. The wolf itself was larger than average size and she had her own suspicion of what it might be, the tattoo although a bit unnerving was nicely done and gave a mental image of great power. //A powerful animal representing a powerful person. How fitting.\\ she thought to herself and disregarding the illustrations of the screaming faces depicted in the smoke along the animals feet she kept tracing her his arm up to shoulder feeling the heated skin under her finger tips.
It was horribly chilly in the infirmary even under her quilt and in Harry's arms but the young man despite being dressed sparsely remained hot to the touch, even in his sleep when people were said to lose much of their body heat, it was a strange but comforting feeling having her cool body against his heated one.
In somewhat of a trans Gabrielle traced his face with her hand now feeling his cleanly shaven skin and marveling at how fetching the boy was. Sadly she thought about how he must be able to get any girl he wanted, in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. Why would he want her when he could have someone older and more experienced?
The smell and feel of nighttime was evident to him as his mind thought it right to bring him back to consciousness. Harry stifled a yawn as he awoke to a feeling of content. //What could be greater than my dream?\\ he grumbled mentally after waking from a delightful dream. It unsettled him to have the same repeating dream for two nights in a row already though. Ever since he rescued young Gabrielle Delacour his dreams were filled of her. He always dreamt she stayed with him at night, in his arms and snuggled against his chest.
This time she was running a hand over his arms and face as if tracing him for a mental picture. The feeling was so real that it surprised him when he felt fingers on his face. Running along his brow, over his nose, tracing his lips and cupping his cheek.
//I must be dreaming.\\ he thought. //But I can't see the owner of these hands.\\ The Gryffindor dared not move just in case this really was real somehow but instead continued his normal breathing pattern and kept back a smile that threatened to push its way to the surface.
For his efforts he was rewarded, the hands were still there mapping his face and running through his long hair.
Gabrielle's clairvoyance wasn't the only thing that made her stand out but in this case it came in handy. Knowing he was waking even before his shuddering breath and the disturbance in his breathing pattern Gabrielle didn't stop what she was doing. He seemed to like it, she felt his arms tighten around her waist and smiled taking a risk and reaching over to plant a small kiss on is cheek.
He didn't stir yet she could feel his pulse quicken as his heart beat faster against his chest. A little braver this time she ducked her head and pushed her lips to his. She felt his muscles flex and tighten in surprise but didn't move away, instead nipped at his bottom lip.
Harry felt the pressure against his lips and realized it was too real to be a dream but it had to be one. He didn't know whether to do anything or just lay motionless hoping it would never stop. //If it's a dream then it wouldn't matter what I do, it always ends sooner or later.\\ he thought and started responding and opened his mouth slightly to slip his tongue through and trace it along the seem of her lips asking for entrance which he was granted. As his own tongue explored the girl's mouth he heard her moan and place a cool hand on his chest rubbing in circles.
//Wait a minute!\\ Harry thought in surprise. //She never made a sound in my dreams.\\ Thinking back to earlier he recalled falling asleep in the hospital wing NEXT TO GABRIELLE!! //Oh god this is real.\\ he panicked and pulled back a little to meet half lidded slightly dazed blue/gray eyes staring back at him.
"Gabrielle." He whispered.
"Why'd you stop?" her concerned question followed, "You still don't want me do you?" she sounded defeated and rejected he noticed and shook his head.
"I told you that I never said I didn't want you."
"Prove it." She challenged him and met his eyes with her. //She has beautiful eyes, like the sky during midday, blue and a bit hazy with clouds.\\ he thought and without further ado he leaned forward kissing her like last time except this time with more fervor and supporting her head with his hand. The need for air soon became demanding and both drew apart breathing heavily.
"Believe me now?" The Gryffindor panted combing back a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"Yes I believe you Harry."
"Good." He exclaimed and started getting up. "It's late I should be going, the Order meeting will be starting soon and Smoke needs to make an appearance."
"Will you tell me about it later then?" she asked and through her quilt aside and getting up still a little shakily but not as much as earlier.
"Of course but most likely tomorrow." He held out his hand to steady her and she took it leaning against him as he led her out the door. To his right Harry noticed light shining through the crack in the door to Sirius' hospital room.
"Hey I want to go check on Padfoot before I bring you back to your room." Nodding her consent they went forward and entered where Harry noticed Remus helping Sirius up out of bed. They must have been leaving for the meeting he realized.
"Padfoot how am I supposed to get you to the Northern tower like this without being seen?" Remus asked bewildered before noticing the two teens at the door.
"Look who's woken up." The DADA teacher proclaimed. "It's about time. Harry can you get this great lug to the Order meeting while I go help young Miss Delacoure to her room? And don't even try to deny anything I know you know where the room is and I know what you've been doing since you left here." The werewolf said seeing the innocent look Harry put on which slipped away and the boy nodded.
Asking everyone to stand back Harry stood up straight and took his lightening pendant in hand whispering "Transformatus." And a black cloud of smoke and soot engulfed him as he changed and transformed into the faceless man known as Smoke. As the cloud started to recede it revealed a ninja mage in full uniform and a shadow cast on his face.
"Merlin!" Sirius murmured "try not to do that in front of me." As the younger man supported him around the waste and with his pendant transported them away leaving the lyncanthrope and Gabrielle to fend for themselves.
"Well then shall we get going?" the man asked and held his hand out to her.
Up in a large stone circular room in the northernmost tower in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where the members of the Order of the Phoenix were starting to gather a large cloud of Smoke started to issue and many of the members taken by surprise stepped back and drew their wands before remembering the warning about the new member.
There in front of their eyes stood two men one covered in black taller than the other whom seemed weak but stood tall and remained head strong. They all watched as the mysterious Smoke led Sirius Black to a chair letting him sit before taking another near him.
Shortly after both he and Sirius were seated Harry took a look at everyone in the room seeing familiar faces all around, some he knew before he started spying on them and others when he'd just started.
Amongst the crowd that was made up of at least fifty people were mostly Aurors, Unspeakables, war tacticians, potion makers, herbology specialists, and many other experts from different fields that would be crucial in such a war.
Of course the whole Weasley family was there, minus Ron and Ginny of course since they hadn't graduated yet. The there were the Hogwarts course teachers, minus Professor Trelawny, Professor Vector, Professor Sinistra, and of course Argus Filch whom was only the care taker.
After a few moments of silence where the members of the Order stared at him Harry began to make idol chat with his godfather until Remus arrived and right behind him a slightly red faced and panting Hermione Granger whom looked around curiously before her eyes landed on him and grew as wide as saucers. It was quite obvious that the girl was nervous as Remus gently led her to the seat by him before sitting on the other side of Sirius.
Hermione, now sitting between the ninja mage Smoke and Professor Snape was not feeling to comfortable and after a while edged more into the Potions Masters direction in fear of the faceless man talking idly with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. She had moved so far over that the poor girl was practically leaning against the former death eater who's expression only conveyed anger and annoyance before he barked at her.
"Granger would you kindly sit upright instead of leaning on my shoulder. I am not a cushion just incase you didn't notice!"
With a bewildered expression she uneasily gulped but nodded and obediently scooted over a little, just enough to get off of Snape but not enough to get out of what he liked to call his personal space.
Fully annoyed now Snape's calculating gaze went from the brunette's nervous glances toward the ninja mage that she was seated next to and back to him. As discreetly as possibly she edged away from Smoke in hopes that her Potions Master wouldn't notice too much.
//Now what comes of the brave little Gryffindor?\\ the former Death Eater thought to himself and rolled his eyes sighing. She would continue to lean towards him if he didn't do anything and introducing her to the mage wouldn't be such a good idea as he didn't know well either much less know his true loyalties.
"Get up Granger." He ordered getting up from his own seat.
Although confused she stood only to have the man sit down in the seat she just vacated and gestured to his own. She blushed slightly feeling like a ninny for not showing a backbone but took the proffered seat gratefully.
Thank you Professor." She murmured and blushed at her own shyness at that particular moment.
"Think nothing of it Ms. Granger."
Hermione nodded but couldn't help smiling at her Potions Master. It seemed he was not at all uncaring and she silently had always known that beneath that wall of ice he stayed hidden behind there was a descent person underneath. Well.as descent a person as Severus Snape could get.
Although the man did sound rather stressed he tried not to show any of it as he kept his back as rigid as a rod and his cold dark eyes roaming from face to face scrutinizing each one and sometimes even making fully trained Aurors squirm under his penetrating stare.
Switching seats with Hermione wasn't completely for her comfort. Severus would never completely go out of his way to make people feel comfortable. Actually it was the exact opposite, he strived to make them fidget. Instead he wanted to try and listen in on the conversation Black, Lupin, and Smoke were currently holding. Straining his ears above the murmur that ran across the whole room due to the many voices that spoke Severus was only able to hear a select few words.
"So," he heard Black say in an amused whisper. "How did things with Ms. 'I'm ready for anything so just throw it at me' go?" and next to him he heard Lupin laugh and Smoke cough slightly.
"Gabrielle is fine. Although she was a little worried that I didn't want her or something I tried not to make the impression that she was a bit young carry over to loudly. But I think that by the time she's trained and we're ready to go the binding will have to take place. I've thought a lot about this and I figured it was a pretty good idea to stop things before they ever started."
Confused Snape tried to place where he heard that voice before. He had listened to the ninja mage talking before the other night but this time it was more familiar. Perhaps he had talked to this person unmasked today and hadn't even realized it. //Now who did I talk to today that could be considered a suspect?\\ he wondered.
//Well there was most of the staff but no one from the staff could be Smoke because they were all present at the time the ninja mage was out on his escapades. There were a few students. Weasley, Granger, but Granger is sitting right next to me and Smoke is obviously male. Hmmm.there was Malfoy but he's too much of a ninny to be able to pull anything like this off. Potter, Finnigan, Creevey, Crabbe.Wait a moment!!! POTTER!!!\\
The Potions Masters eyes widened to the size of saucers by now and he nearly leapt up in his chair with his wand at ready to hex the ninja mage beside him into the next century when a better idea came to him. He wasn't really sure it was Potter anyways and who better to recognize his voice than one of his best friends Hermione Granger?
"Granger?" he asked as politely as possible turning to the young woman whom was currently looking around the room like a twit in his opinion.
"Yes Professor?" she jumped clearly startled to be disturbed by the man's voice so suddenly yet softly.
Trying to suppress the role of his eyes the man smirked and asked his question. "Granger could you possibly lean over and tell me whose voice the ninja mage's resembles?"
Feeling slightly bewildered by the man's strange request she complied by leaning over on the table resting her chin on her hand and moved as close to the figure in black as possible catching fragments of his conversation with Sirius and Remus.
Sirius smirked at Smoke and chuckled lightly. "So I guess you'll be going through with it after all. I wonder if it's time to have a certain talk about the birds and the bees?" the man inquired and Hermione almost choked but managed to stay quiet enough to hear the figures response. She even vaguely wondered why Sirius was asking a fully-grown man, or what seemed like a fully-grown man if he knew about sexual intercourse.
Coughing lightly into his closed fist with amusement Harry answered his godfather in mute laughter. "I think you about missed that boat mate."
"No!" the other man gasped and she heard Remus laugh quietly slapping his friend on the shoulder. "By how long?" the darker haired man inquired.
"About two years." Smoke answered and that was all it took for the lyncanthrope to break into a full round of giggles while his friends face was not only defeated but flaming red. "Damn" Sirius muttered followed by Remus' amused statement.
"Oh Paddy it seems out dear Smoke is more like you than we thought."
"Hey! I did not sleep around since I was fifteen!" the dog animagi grumbled giving Hermione the clue that Smoke was around the age of seventeen meaning he must be going to Hogwarts since his presence was known to mostly the United Kingdom.
"No Padfoot you started when you were fourteen if I'm not mistaken." Her DADA teacher countered and Smoke's highly amused laugh followed.
Hermione listened with half amusement and half curiosity but it wasn't until the ninja mage laughed did she recognize that unique voice and both her and Snape whom had been listening also soflty murmured in unison.
"Harry."
"Potter."
"Meeting eyes with the former Death Eater they each nodded to affirm their suspicions and sat back in their chairs, but not without going unnoticed by Harry whom swiftly ended his conversation with Sirius and Remus hearing his name said and snapped his neck around so suddenly that each of them were afraid he would get whip lash.
Now with the faceless man was no longer name less and turned to them whispering as menacingly as possible.
"I am doing this to protect you so if you value your life I advise you to keep your mouths shut about this."
That was all the confirmation they needed and Hermione finally understood why Harry had been so secretive since the beginning of their fifth year. Her was doing this to keep them all safe and she regretted all the hurtful accusations and words she had conveyed about him. She was just so desperate to find any kind of explanation and now that she had it she was fearful for her life.
If anyone found out she even vaguely knew the ninja mage Smoke's true identity she would be hunted far and wide. She wouldn't give up the information willingly but through force she didn't know how long it would take her to break and without even thinking about it she launched herself at her long time friend.
Harry easily caught her in his arms but couldn't help but let out a soft "Oomph" at the sudden pressure against his chest. He could hear Hermione pleading for his forgiveness over and over again while sobbing uncontrollably.
"Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry. God I'm so sorry forever doubting you. I was scared, I didn't know what else to think and you were closing up, you wouldn't talk to me about anything anymore. I know how hard you're trying to protect all of us now. Please forgive me." She murmured into his chest and Harry was relieved she didn't use his name. It was bad enough everyone was staring at them and Snape was now glaring openly at him with a hate that he could only feel for Voldemort.
"Herm you're drawing attention to us. I forgive you now please wipe your face and calm down I can't have anyone else figure it out now."
Feeling as if he resented her still the girl was surprisingly tugged away by Snape who hissed sharply in her ear sitting her down, "Are you out of your mind? I don't like Potter but even I know that was a stupid move. You're just lucky Dumbledore isn't here yet otherwise the old man would have figured it all out by now."
"I-I-I" the girl gasped for air between her sobs barely able to get a word in between and sighing heavily the man sat down next to her and nervously reached over with one of his pale hands and awkwardly patted her back while rolling his eyes. And as she started to calm down a bit due to his rubbing her back in circular motions Snape wondered if the war was actually making him soft.
Just as Hermione was getting used to the hand on her back and cautiously leaned against the man's firm shoulder hoping that perhaps he would give her some kind of comfort she was largely mistaken as he pulled back completely and repeated.
"I told you once Granger I am not your personal cushion. Now sit up and stop sniveling girl. Honestly you emotional Gryffindors." He sneered and turned back to the front of the room where the door opened and in stepped Albus Dumbledore his usual twinkle in his light blue eyes and a small smile on the old man's lips accenting some of his wrinkles.
"Ah it is good to see that everyone is here." The old man clapped his hands once making a sweep around the room with his eyes and went to sit at the head of the table.
"Now that I am here I would like to begin our meeting of The Order Of The Phoenix." With that the old man sent a series of golden sparks into the air from his wand and the meeting commenced.
Summary: Voldemort is at the height of his power once more, terrorizing both the Muggle and Wizarding World's he is considered unstoppable and ruthless. There is only one person left who can truly defeat him, a boy that the world has set on a pedestal. In his seventh year the boy is now a man and single handedly taking on the dark forces but are the people truly grateful to this mysterious warrior, or will he have to depend on another girl several years younger than him and a complete stranger to believe in him.
Rated: R (for adult content and some violence)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the talented Ms. Rowling does, and the WB has some rights to the series. I just write for the hell of it all, so don't sue. I don't have anything worth taking me to court over.
Chapter 4: Cutest Rear Of The Year
Looking at him with her large blue/silver eyes she tried to keep the tears that pushed to leak out away. "I want revenge Harry. I want them to pay for what they did to my family and friends. I want you to teach me to fight like you; I can help you if you let me. Please." She begged.
All Harry could do was stare at her blankly. Absolutely nothing went through his mind as he continued staring at her. Taking into account her desperate watery eyes, her fragile body, her tear stained face, and her trembling lip. And like a ton of bricks it smashed him upside the head and he already knew his answer.
"No." he said clearly enough for everyone in the room to hear and stern enough in the hopes that Gabrielle would drop her silly idea. But that was not the case as she continued to beg.
"Please Harry. You know you can't keep fighting by yourself; sooner or later you'll get out numbered and then what? And if you're not there for me what am I supposed to do if You-Know-Who comes after me? We could make a good team. I learn fast, very fast. Please." She kept begging and at one point she made the foolish and desperate mistake of using her Veela charm on him. Although she was young and wasn't able to control it as well she knew the basics and her magic level was high so it boosted the charm up more.
Within seconds Harry's eyes started glazing over and all he could see was Gabrielle and her pleading eyes, her inviting lips, her creamy skin, her soft hair. His thoughts were mixed up and set to the back of his mind as he continued to stare at her. But then her image changed in his mind, he saw her fighting along his side, he saw her being struck by curses and falling. He saw her dieing, her life wasting away and finally she was gone. He couldn't let that happen so he roughly shook his head.
Veela's charm could at times be more powerful than the Imperius Curse and that's the reason there were so few of them in the first place. The Ministries of the magical countries would slay them and now the only full blooded Veelas were treated like animals locked up in cages and put on display.
"Gabrielle Delacour if you try that on me one more time I won't even think about helping you." He scolded her and was met by curious glances from the two other men in the room and one guilty one from the blonde who immediately looked down not daring to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry." She responded then broke off and Harry could hear a sniffle come from her direction. She was crying, or at least holding back tears. Now he regretted ever reprimanding her.
"Gabby come on please don't start crying, I know you were desperate and you want your revenge but using your Veela charm is no way to get anything. Of course I believe you should use your gifts to your own advantage but use judgment, think things through before you do it." Sighing he shook his head asking himself if he was crazy for doing what he was about to do.
"Lesson one," he began. "If you want something badly then strive for it, never look down or away and use any means necessary to get it short of killing, of course." Before she could comprehend what all this meant Harry went on to another important topic.
"Lesson two, call him by his name. Lord Voldemort, or Tom Riddle. Fear of the name will only raise fear of the actual being. He doesn't deserve to be feared or given as much respect by being called You-Know-Who. Besides it adds to his bloated ego." He smirked at her excited expression as she nodded rapidly taking everything he was saying in before launching herself at him.
"Merci Beacoup! Thank you Harry! You don't know how much this means to me." As she clung to him she murmured thanks to him over and over again until he pried her off a bit. Her arms were still around his neck but now she was staring him in the face.
"This is going to be hard you know. I don't want you complaining about the amount of work you have to do because you'll be doing a lot as soon as you're healthy enough. For now I think I'll just teach you from the books but when you get your strength up I'm going to push you to your breaking point. It took me two years to become what I am but I barely had any help, now you have help and I expect you to be ready in a year. Understand?"
"I understand Harry, and I'll try my hardest, I won't let you down, and I won't let my family down either." She smiled as her eyes shone with unshed tears that soon began to run down her face again.
Reaching up he wiped her tears away with his thumbs and brushed her hair out of her face combing it behind her ear. "For now go get some rest. Do you think you could make it back to bed?"
"I don't want to go yet though. Can't I stay? I might have some ideas concerning your theory about the connection you share with You-Kn.er.Vo- Voldemort." She breathed a sigh of relief once she said the name and casually looked around as if expecting the Dark Lord to pop out of thin air upon mention of his name. Seeing that nothing happened she got up off Harry's lap where she was sitting earlier to her chagrin and returned to her own chair.
"Harry you can't be serious! You can't put her in danger like that!" Remus yelled. It was bad enough the boy had to go around risking his life like that but to involve a young girl was just crazy he reasoned with himself.
"No I'm Harry, he's Sirius." The young man used the age old joke and pointed to his godfather whom despite being on his friend's side in the argument had to snicker behind his palm earning himself the roll of Remus' eyes.
"You know what I mean Harry James Potter, I can understand you becoming a ninja mage, you have a reason, a destiny, but Gabrielle is too young. You can't put her life on the line like that."
At first Harry had been against Gabrielle becoming his apprentice as well but she was determined and he couldn't make those kinds of choices for her, she had to make them herself and he found himself defending the young girl's desire.
"Remus I wouldn't put her in any kind of danger until I was certain she could handle it, and even then I'd be by her side. I became a ninja mage because I was tired of being defenseless, now I'm helping her for the same reason. She's a smart girl she knows what all this means and if not she always has the choice to drop it. I can't make these decisions for her."
"Why is everyone talking like I'm not here?!" the aggravated blonde chorused. "I have a right to be heard as well. I mean no disrespect Mr. Lupin but Harry is right this is my choice and my choice alone. I want revenge and I will get it by any means necessary." Although the girl seemed so frail and harmless in her condition she had a glare to kill on the spot and the only thing visible in her expression was anger and determination.
Remus and Sirius both knew it would be impossible to stop the pair from achieving whatever heights they planned for. In a way, they both thought with a shiver trailing down their spines, the two looked ready to lead an entire army to war. Now they both knew why the hat wanted to put James Potter's son in Slytherin, he was ambitious and sly to the end. But the bravery in the boy's heart exceeded all, so much that he could carry the courage of 100 Gryffindors.
"Alright." The two older men agreed to cease their argument but not their worries.
Changing the subject to break the tense silence Harry turned back to the blonde girl sitting in front of him and asked. "So you said you had some kind of theories or ideas about the connection Riddle and I share?" ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ````````````````````````````````````````````````````` "Yes but I don't know how good they are, after all I just came up with them so they might seem silly." She apologized before hand but Harry still urged her on.
"Well I figured that seeing as you were connected from that night you survived, what if you went back before it even happened when the connection was non-existent and kill Voldemort then." She said slightly uncertain of herself with the idea.
For a moment Harry had to admit to himself the idea was brilliant but the change that could occur if he went to the past and turned everything around could be too great and some things and people could cease to exist.
"Out of the question Gabrielle. We can't change the past it's too dangerous even if the idea is good. You said you had other ideas though?" Sirius said quickly. He did not want his godson doing something as dangerous as time travel, especially a leap into the past that large and without him there to watch over the boy.
Harry was still thinking over the possible ways that things could go wrong or right in that situation. Weighing the pros and cons on an imaginary scale and deducing what he would have to do and whether such a thing would actually work. He was so caught up that he didn't notice Sirius objecting then later Remus giving the same negative input about it.
Slightly defeated that what she suggested was no good the blonde went on to tell him the other one. "Well since you're pretty much bound to the Dark Lord by your life force what if you bound yourself to someone else? Then you could kill him and not worry about dying yourself because you could feed off the other person's power temporarily until you get your full strength back."
Another brilliant idea, Harry realized. //Where does this kid get all of these from? I don't remember being this smart at her age.\\ he thought to himself.
Sitting there he looked for some kind of loophole that could rule that suggestion out but he couldn't find one and soon he heard Sirius speak to him.
"She's right you know it's a good idea Harry, you should consider it." He said then Remus added.
"He's right you should, it's a lot less dangerous this way. I know we all want to change the past and that's probably what's running through your head right now but we can't. What's done is done and that's the end. But if you do bind yourself to this one person it could save your life and possibly other lives in the process."
"I think," Harry said softly still a bit dazed from the possibilities. "I could consider both of them. I mean I know traveling to the past is dangerous and so is changing anything but think about it. If I bind myself to someone then bring the person with me to the past, then whatever I change back there wouldn't reflect on me because I wouldn't really be me, I'd have another part of someone in my soul so even if I go back to when I was just born there wouldn't be two Harry Potters at the same time. I can make so many things better this way and if I die then Harry Potter will still live and there would technically be no loss. I could stop Peter's betrayal, my parents' deaths, Sirius being framed, the death of rest of the quarter families, deaths and injuries of others. I could meet your parents too." He said almost on the edge of his seat with excitement with all the things he could achieve, all the dreams he could make come true.
The younger man's godfather shook his head again feeling so lost now. "No you can't because you could never come back Harry, you'd be stuck in the past. And what about binding yourself to someone? Who would this person be? Who would want to bind themselves to another person and come back into the past risking death and being trapped there to live in that time? Believe me when I say if I was given the chance to change things around then I'd probably consider taking it as well but come on, be reasonable this can't possibly happen."
Sirius must have thought that he was getting through to Harry because the boy's face began to light up into a small smile and he grinned himself feeling proud of himself for making such a break through, through his godson's stubborn head. But that feeling slowly diminished when he caught Harry take a side long glance at the blonde girl sitting in front of him then go back to thinking with the same grin on his face. It was a day dreaming sort of smile that Sirius had seen many times on himself; normally either meaning "another brilliant idea" or "a prank to top all pranks" had come to him. This wasn't good and he quickly figured out what the little look was all about before he began to strongly protest.
"No!" he yelled startling the other three occupants of the room. " Harry I know what you're thinking but you can't do that! Haven't you heard a word I said before, its too dangerous and you can't do that to her no matter how well you think you'd be able to protect her."
"What?" Gabrielle asked, she was completely lost in what the man was talking about; the only thing that was obvious was that she was the main subject. "I thought that we already agreed that Harry would help train me, that it's my decision if I want to participate in it."
"No," the tawny haired lyncanthrope across the room answered and filled her in on what was going on in a tired voice. "Sirius thinks that Harry wants to bind himself to you, if you were willing." Even though it wasn't confirmed yet Remus knew it was most likely true but he didn't argue. Perhaps it would be a good idea, even if it weren't the two would go ahead and go through with it regardless of what they said.
"If that's so then I'm willing. Gabrielle joined in persuading Harry whom seemed a little unsure still. "Bind yourself to me, I'm willing. I can go back to the past with you and I'll help you fight there. I'll do anything I can to see my family again. You know you want to Harry, you know that it's possible and convenient. Think of it, you could go as James Black posing as your godfathers brother, you look alike enough for that people would believe such a thing. You could get to know the Marauders and your mother, you could stop Voldemort, keep the coming Harry Potter from having to go through what you did. You could give him a normal life, be there for him, you could do so many things." Then in a slightly more excited voice she said, " And I could stop my family from perishing. I could get to know them as well, I can see Fluer again."
The offer was more than tempting. He couldn't simply turn his back on it. Getting to know his parents and giving himself a normal life. There couldn't be anything more tempting in the world, and giving Gabrielle so much happiness by saving her family. The young man sat slumped over on the side of Sirius' bed with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin set on his fists. He regarded the members of the room, what they each had said did get to him but now he had to battle with his conscience.
"Gabby even though I want to do this I think Sirius might be right I can't put you through that. You have a life here in the future."
Scowling she answered back to him forcefully. "What kind of a life is this?! Without my family?! Then if you leave I'd be without you?! What kind of half-life would I be leading?! My life wouldn't be worth living then. Don't you understand I need to fight, I need to win and I need to do it by your side."
"You don't know what you want yet Gabrielle, you're still blinded by a cloud of blood over your sisters death. Don't let that cloud blind you any further than it already has. It's not as simple as it may all seem. And don't offer to be bound to someone so quickly, you don't know what that entails much less the circumstances behind it in order for such a thing to work." He said and realized this quarrel was hurting him as much as it was hurting the blonde girl.
For a 14-year-old Gabrielle was very unrelenting Harry had to admit as she continued to argue with him.
"I know perfectly well what it entails and don't tell me otherwise. I know you have to be matched properly with the person, I know that it is like a marriage, I know what I'd have to do." She said.
" Do you really know what this includes?" Sirius began to interfere again trying to dissuade her. It doesn't just include a simple marriage, this marriage would be eternal, and not only would you need to be matched up correctly but the physical part would be necessary to combine fluids and create a strong enough magical reaction. I don't think you'd want to be tied down to anyone like that. Once you realize what all this means you'll regret proposing it." He said giving her a look that said 'think about it' before adding in as an after thought. "Plus you're only fourteen you have your whole life set ahead of you, I think you're a bit young to get married aren't you?" he chuckled at the scowl on her face. He had no doubt she still wouldn't relent although her pale skin was covered in a light flush from the time he mentioned "the physical part" of the marriage.
"I'm mature for my age!" she argued. "And it wouldn't matter what age we were if we matched in our magical compound would it? I'm only three years younger than Harry. I understand if you don't want it to be me though. I'm sure there are plenty of other girls you'd want to be with your godson, you don't have to go calling me a child." She sulked and pouted slightly.
"Will you please stop arguing already? Nothing is decided yet so calm down, and Sirius by the way you're acting it seems you're more a child than anyone else in this room." Remus stepped in preventing further disagreements.
Glaring at the lyncanthrope Sirius snapped at him. "Moony let me ask you a question. How would you feel if your godson was gallivanting around killing Death Eaters by his lonesome self while maintaining a secret identity? Then he brings on a fourteen year old apprentice and wants to basically marry her so he can go back about 20 years into the past and change it for the better when he might just change it for the worse."
"I'd be proud of him." The other man answered. "And believe me I am proud of him for doing so much, for taking this kind of responsibility and for being brave and clever enough to achieve such a thing. He's an adult Paddy, Harry knows what he's doing, plus aren't you the one that mopes over the past every single day of your life? How you keep saying you wished you could change it, well here's a chance."
"Bollocks Remmy I might lose my godson in this." He grumbled, the said in a quieter note. "James appointed me his godfather so I could be there for him. How am I supposed to be there for my godson, no practically my own son when I can't talk to him or see him, or even write to him? I've missed to much already I just don't want to lose Harry."
Feeling the need to interfere and bring the man's spirits up Harry placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can be there by believing in me Paddy. And you don't have to worry about me going anywhere any time soon. I said it would take a year for Gabby to train, right? Well I want her ready before we go anywhere especially if we go to the summer of 1978." He grinned and ruffled the older man's hair despite being the younger one. "Besides," he added. "There won't be a wedding yet so don't get yourself worked up over it. Either way either you'd be there or your past self would."
Chuckling Sirius admitted defeat and nodded trying to untangle the not in his hair that Harry created. "Sure Smokey." He said and the younger man gave him a bemused look.
"What?" he asked and Sirius pointed to the exposed tattoo of the wolf on his arm.
"You actually thought you could hide your little secret from me for long?" the older man laughed and patted the tattoo. "It seems we have the first Marauder of the new generation Moony maybe he could join us during the full moon. What do you say?" he asked his friend.
"Harry you're an animagi?" the lyncanthrope's eyes widened incredulously as the Gryffindor nodded an affirmative answer. "Since when?"
"Well I started researching and practicing at the beginning of fifth year then I finished the transformation at the beginning of sixth."
"Just one year?" Sirius asked. "It took us two years to get it down, but I should have guessed after all you are Prong's son, he was the best out of all of us at transfiguration. I'm not even surprised that you did it, I'm just surprised you're not a horse or stag, something with hooves like James."
"Not fair! How'd you know Sirius?" the boy grumbled.
"Easy," the other man grinned. "I have a tattoo of Padfoot too."
"Where? I don't see it."
"That's because you weren't meant to see it Harry." Remus started to answer for Sirius and snickered as if remembering an old joke. "It's on his arse." He finished and went into guffaws of laughter along with everyone else except for Padfoot himself whom turned a bright red but grinned non-the- less.
"Oh my god." Harry gasped for air. "That's who's behind that was in the gallery!" and continued laughing until he was forced to explain. "There is a gallery back at Boss, the company that I model for and at one time where Paddy here did as well. The gallery is made up of sections of pictures dedicated to each model that ever worked there. I remember walking around and I saw that tattoo on someone's bare behind and I thought to myself that it looked just like a particularly friendly Grim that I know. Well I thought that was absurd but I should have known!"
"It's still up there?" the older man asked obviously pleased.
"Yeah and its up amongst the cutest rears voted on at your time. They started compiling pictures of those and putting them all together on one wall."
"Harry?" asked a slightly concerned Remus Lupin.
"Hmm?"
"Why pray tell were you looking at pictures of men's bare bottoms in the first place?"
"Oh.." He lapsed into silence and blushed hiding his head in his hands before mumbling a muffled "because my agent gave me the heads up that my naked bum was up there too."
"Oh!!" squealed Gabrielle. "Is it in the magazine?!"
"I have no idea, I don't remember how many photos of me they put in there." He answered lying right threw his teeth and slowly rising to snatch the magazine from the bedside table where the young blonde was already reaching for.
"Remus I think it may be a good idea to confiscate this magazine. Don't you think? After all it is distracting the students and you are the teacher so it would be proper to take it away." He suggested but before handing it over he was tackled by the pale fourteen-year-old whom giggled playfully and reached for it.
Toppling over onto the floor Harry stretched out and held it out of the girls reach the whole time laughing as she struggled to slither up his body which she'd fallen on top of to reach it as he held her by the shoulder with one hand to keep her down the young animagi thrust the magazine to his DADA professor whom not only seemed highly amused but when he caught it started leafing through the pages.
"No!" Harry yelped when Remus victoriously found the right page and handed it to Gabrielle whom had gotten off of him and in the process accidentally shoved her knee into his stomach.
"Serves you right for displaying your arse like that." The older man laughed as Gabby stared at the picture and giggled herself silly.
Completely embarrassed by now Harry got up off the floor and sat down heavily in the chair Gabrielle vacated. "Funny ha ha." He said rolling his eyes. "Enjoying the view Gabby?" he asked sarcastically.
"Indeed." She answered and closed the magazine. "It seems you really have earned the right to have your bum in those pages."
From there on the conversation continued on a lighter note at which point Remus told him of the meeting the Order of the Phoenix would be having around eight o'clock in the evening. They spent the next hour and a half telling funny stories and jokes among them was the one Sirius was telling now with Remus clutching his stomach and laughing hysterically remembering that certain event.
".and then after James bought the ring, he kept sneaking out of Gryffindor Tower at night and he'd go practice his proposal with a suit of armor somewhere on the third floor." Sirius grinned recalled it and continued. "One night Moony and I followed him and snuck behind the suit he was practicing on. We used the invisibility cloak and starting talking back to him." This time he chuckled as his eyes twinkled merrily at the memory.
"To say the least your father was pissed after he nearly wet his pants. Wouldn't talk to us for a few days until he actually proposed and your mother accepted."
At that point Remus had calmed down some and wiped the tears out of his eyes before taking over the story. "Well I can't say you were all happy either Padfoot you were mad at James for being mad at you." He snickered at the absurdity of the whole thing before going on. "They forgave each other believe it or not after James asked Sirius to be his best man."
"That reminds me!" Sirius exclaimed smiling. "Harry?" he asked innocently. //A little too innocently to be for my good\\ Harry thought to himself before acknowledging him.
"What Padfoot?"
"Can I be the best man at your wedding?" he grinned cheekily and in return got the pillow stolen from under his head by the young man and received a smack in the face with it.
"There isn't going to be a wedding." Harry rolled his eyes at him. "At least not yet." And he immediately knew that he shouldn't have said the last part because Remus automatically picked up and started teasing him again.
"Aww did you hear that Padfoot he said not yet, means Harry here is planning on something!" then turning to Gabrielle he said. "Gabrielle if he's anything like his dear old father then I'd follow him at night and see if he talks to any suits of armor." The girl blushed uncontrollably and hid her face in her face but resurfaced laughing when Harry smacked his DADA teacher with the pillow as well before handing it back to his godfather.
"I think perhaps I should stay silent." The young girl said. "For I fear the wrath of the pillow."
"Nah!" the Gryffindor's godfather said. "I doubt our Smokey here would do something as ungentlemanly like as pummel his future bride with a downy pillow." Smirking as the young man glared at him the dog animagi childishly stuck out his tongue at him.
"Would you shut up Sirius otherwise I'll do something very drastic in the past." Harry couldn't believe he had the gall to say that. There they were talking about carefree things and having a swell time and he had to go and ruin it by bringing up a subject they argued about only an hour or so ago.
Surprisingly Sirius didn't have as much of a negative input on it, as he would have thought, actually Harry was shocked by what the man told him.
"You better Harry, I'll be expecting my big brother there. Just promise me you'll make things better, I know I shouldn't be putting this much responsibility on your shoulders, you're already loaded up with the weight of the world but I think it's time I believe in you some more."
The room was lapsed in silence as all four people absorbed every aspect of what this meant.
"You always did believe in me, you were one of the only people that never questioned my loyalty or my ability. And for all it means, which is a lot, you were always my father, ever since third year when we practically saved each other, you save me from the dark side while I saved you from the light. Ironic isn't it?" Harry smiled recalling his third year and shivered at the thought of the Dementors. They were horrid creatures; it was only too bad they were immortal.
"Thanks kiddo that does mean a lot. And for what its worth, you're the only thing that kept me from going mad in Azkaban, the thought of you. I thought you were safe and happy all those years so I didn't act sooner, but I wish I had, I wish I escaped earlier and convinced Dumbledore of my innocence. Then maybe I wouldn't be an escaped convict now, maybe I'd have you as a son legally."
"I don't know if that will ever happen with us but I promise that Harry Potter will know his godfather." The Gryffindor said to the other man indicating that he was planning to do something about their situation.
As Gabby listened silently to their conversation she really understood how close the two were and how wrong everyone is about Sirius Black, including how wrong she used to be. He was not barbarian, criminal, murderer, or traitor. The man didn't possess one single traitorous bone in his body. He could definitely be more a Hufflepuff than she could ever be herself. And putting such a noble man into a hell like Azkaban was horrible and that led her to think about how they could prevent it in the past. That is if Harry planned on bringing her, he still seemed a bit awkward and unsure around her. Deciding to ask her question the young blonde spoke up.
"So you'll bring me to the past with you?" Gabrielle asked sounding hopeful as she clutched at his warm arm with her cool hands. The touched caught the Gryffindor by surprise and he jumped a foot off the bed. Gabrielle's hand trembled as she pulled it back startled by his sudden action.
Harry stared at her with his eyes widened by that simple touch. He wasn't expecting that, he wasn't used to intimate touches anymore than he was used to his Aunt Petunia hugging him or Uncle Vernon praising him for just being himself.
"S-sorry I didn't mean to do that." She whispered seeing the shock in his green eyes. "Maybe I should just leave." Unsteadily she raised herself from the edge of the hospital bed where she'd been sitting and bolted from the room barely managing to open the door before crashing into it. Although staying on her feet was a bit harder as she slipped and fell trying to get up, her weak limbs wouldn't support her and her head was still in a rush, everything spun and she just sat there before a warm pair of arms picked her off the floor.
She fought numbly against the pair of arms and beat her fists against the hard chest that she was leaned against until she heard a faint whisper by her ear. "Shh. Don't be afraid Gabby, it's only me."
"Leave me be! You don't want me!" she struggled as tears threatened to escape her and Harry continued to keep hold of her. He stepped into the nearest empty hospital room and shut the door lying the flailing blonde down on the bed and sitting by her.
"I never said I didn't want you." He told her and reached for her pale hand only to have it snatched away out of his grasp.
"You implied it." She argued and roughly yanked the blankets over her shivering body and sulked there.
Getting tired of her childish behaviors Harry was just about to rip his own hair out in frustration when he reminded himself the girl just went through a lot and probably wasn't thinking as clearly as she should.
"I never implied it Gabrielle. This is coming on to fast and I don't even know where you got these ideas but what you're looking for is revenge. Pure and simple revenge. I want you to cool down and think about what's even more important in this war. You're a smart lass and I know you'll figure it out soon. Once you do that, think about what we'll be risking if we bind ourselves and go into the past."
"I already know what this war is all about and I know what risks we'd be taking." She stood her ground on the subject stubbornly.
"I thought you wanted to learn here? I'm training you and this is part of your training. Thinking things through is sometimes more important than being able to pull off some impressive stunt or curse. Understand?"
"Yes." She murmured looking down at her hands avoiding his eyes in fear of seeing hate, disgust, annoyance, or simply disappointment. She expected him to leave, to go back to his godfather and professor but he didn't instead he slumped down in the chair by her bed and groaned. For the first time Gabrielle realized he must be tired, he never received any medical attention in fear of being found out, and the little rest he did get must have been fitful. She knew hers was.
"You're tired." She said. "Why not go to your dorm and sleep?" she suggested in a way trying to get rid of him and spare embarrassing herself any further.
Chuckling he stretched his long legs out and sighed dropping his head back to lye on the back of the chair. "Now who doesn't want whom?" he joked.
"I never said I didn't want you." She answered and he shot right back. "You implied it." And Gabrielle realized he was teaching her a lesson. She had said the same thing to him and it was tiresome to hear such a thing.
"I'm sorry." The blonde ended up apologizing. "I was acting like a child I don't know what came over me." Staying silent for a few moments she added almost incoherently. "Maybe it's because I am a child."
"You were upset." The dark haired young man corrected her and forgave her for her previous behavior at the same time. "And you couldn't possibly have all your wits all about you at the time. Rest a little will you already. Madame Pomfrey's probably already sick with worry wondering where you are and you might as well get better."
"And what about you? You're tired too."
"Don't worry about me I'll just take a short little nap." Yawning he stretched his muscular frame out before resting his cheek on his fist and closing his eyes but Gabrielle interrupted once more.
"That's hardly comfortable." And taking two of the three pillows from under her head she laid them by hers ad patted the one on top invitingly. "Here lye down for now."
Albeit he was a little hesitant the need to relax and sleep as comfortably as possible and at the same time guard Gabrielle won over. Letting her move over a little before laying down beside the blonde he tried to keep a good distance between them despite being separated by the quilt that Gabrielle was using. However the narrow bed did not permit much of a distance and he was forced to scoot closer so he wouldn't end up sprawled on the floor.
Now that they lay back-to-back Harry was able to close his eyes for a moment, it was chilly in the hospital wing but at least it was quiet unlike Gryffindor Tower. As soon as he was ready to drift off Gabrielle spoke up letting forth a question she had been dying to ask.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?"
"If you had the chance and everything was right, there was nothing that could go horribly wrong and it was your last resort, would you go back to the past to fix things?" What she left hanging in the air was 'Would you take me with you to the past to fix things?' and Harry knew that what she wanted was reassurance. Gabrielle had to know she was needed.
"Yes Gabby I'd take you with me if you wanted to too. Now go to sleep before you go anywhere you need to be ready Cherie." He answered using one of the French words he knew causing her to giggle. 'Cherie' he knew meant 'my darling.'
"What? Was my pronunciation wrong?" he complained only causing her to laugh harder. He had to admit to himself she did have a beautiful laugh, like a song almost.
"Non," she said. "Your pronunciation was magnific! I have just never heard you speak francais. Do you speak much of it?"
Grunting almost bitterly he answered affirming her question. "Yes, my cousin Dudley has to take it in his muggle school and when I come home from Hogwarts my relatives make me do most of his homework for him. I don't complain, it just gives me something to do besides spy on people, fight, and work out and do my own homework."
"You lead a busy life, a dangerous one too. I am sorry about your family though, I never knew they would be that way." The blonde apologized and turned over to face his back, timidly reaching out and placing a hand over it. Once she noticed he did not jump at her touch she rubbed in small circles.
"What are you doing?" He questioned her perplexed at her actions and receiving her answer of "I'm helping you fall asleep." He rolled over and faced her.
"You could help me sleep is by going to sleep yourself and letting me know you're getting better, the only way to do that is to sleep as well."
"Will you still be here when I wake up?" She pleaded with her eyes.
"I don't know, maybe, maybe not. But if I'm not I promise to leave a note."
It only took minutes for both exhausted teenagers to fall asleep in and in their sleep gravitate toward each other and embrace in their slumber. Half an hour later while doing a routine check on the hospital ward Madame Pomfrey found both in that same position. With Gabrielle under the covers enveloped in Harry's arms who lay atop the blankets.
It was a rare sight indeed to witness but the old medi-witch smiled to herself and exited the room closing the door behind her and putting up a protective shield around it so no harm would come to its occupants.
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When early evening came Gabrielle slowly awoke letting herself adjust before opening her eyes a crack to see that the room was dark and she lay up against something warm. Stretching her legs slightly trying not to move her upper body, which felt enveloped in a pair of arms she shifted a little onto her side. Her eyes went wide for a moment at the site before her.
There breathing serenely and holding her in his arms was Harry Potter. His soft breathing could faintly be heard and the even movement of his chest rising and falling was evident to her. The blonde started to relax as she took in the situation and stared at the young man in front of her, mapping his features with her eyes.
As she gazed at him she concluded that he was not handsome or devilishly good looking like she thought before, no not in this state, in this state he was beautiful. He looked so innocent and trouble free, or at least as innocent as Harry could ever look at this age. And if Gabrielle didn't know any better she'd say that the possibility of him being a darker toned male Veela was very likely if such a thing existed.
She knew from the moment that she saw the magazine he was featured in that the dark haired boy really did belong among those pages. With his olive skin that stretched over nicely shaped and sculpted muscles, quite impressive muscles she added. Abs and chest that were to die for, legs to kill for, arms and back to do the most ridiculous things for, and the rest were too hard to explain. His strong jaw and high cheekbones. His finely shaped dark eyebrows that stood over almond shaped emerald eyes from which extended long dark eyelashes. His tall strong frame, and thick dark hair that reached the young man's broad shoulders, Harry was indeed every girl's fantasy compared to the lanky thirteen year old he had been a few years back. Yet he still never used his looks or his fame to get any special treatment, in a way Gabrielle wondered if this boy, no man was human. Perfection was not supposed to be possible there it was right in front of her eyes, the perfect man holding her in his arms.
Lazily she ran a finger along his arm tracing a visible vein all that way up to his bicep where she examined the wolf tattoo on his arm. The wolf itself was larger than average size and she had her own suspicion of what it might be, the tattoo although a bit unnerving was nicely done and gave a mental image of great power. //A powerful animal representing a powerful person. How fitting.\\ she thought to herself and disregarding the illustrations of the screaming faces depicted in the smoke along the animals feet she kept tracing her his arm up to shoulder feeling the heated skin under her finger tips.
It was horribly chilly in the infirmary even under her quilt and in Harry's arms but the young man despite being dressed sparsely remained hot to the touch, even in his sleep when people were said to lose much of their body heat, it was a strange but comforting feeling having her cool body against his heated one.
In somewhat of a trans Gabrielle traced his face with her hand now feeling his cleanly shaven skin and marveling at how fetching the boy was. Sadly she thought about how he must be able to get any girl he wanted, in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. Why would he want her when he could have someone older and more experienced?
The smell and feel of nighttime was evident to him as his mind thought it right to bring him back to consciousness. Harry stifled a yawn as he awoke to a feeling of content. //What could be greater than my dream?\\ he grumbled mentally after waking from a delightful dream. It unsettled him to have the same repeating dream for two nights in a row already though. Ever since he rescued young Gabrielle Delacour his dreams were filled of her. He always dreamt she stayed with him at night, in his arms and snuggled against his chest.
This time she was running a hand over his arms and face as if tracing him for a mental picture. The feeling was so real that it surprised him when he felt fingers on his face. Running along his brow, over his nose, tracing his lips and cupping his cheek.
//I must be dreaming.\\ he thought. //But I can't see the owner of these hands.\\ The Gryffindor dared not move just in case this really was real somehow but instead continued his normal breathing pattern and kept back a smile that threatened to push its way to the surface.
For his efforts he was rewarded, the hands were still there mapping his face and running through his long hair.
Gabrielle's clairvoyance wasn't the only thing that made her stand out but in this case it came in handy. Knowing he was waking even before his shuddering breath and the disturbance in his breathing pattern Gabrielle didn't stop what she was doing. He seemed to like it, she felt his arms tighten around her waist and smiled taking a risk and reaching over to plant a small kiss on is cheek.
He didn't stir yet she could feel his pulse quicken as his heart beat faster against his chest. A little braver this time she ducked her head and pushed her lips to his. She felt his muscles flex and tighten in surprise but didn't move away, instead nipped at his bottom lip.
Harry felt the pressure against his lips and realized it was too real to be a dream but it had to be one. He didn't know whether to do anything or just lay motionless hoping it would never stop. //If it's a dream then it wouldn't matter what I do, it always ends sooner or later.\\ he thought and started responding and opened his mouth slightly to slip his tongue through and trace it along the seem of her lips asking for entrance which he was granted. As his own tongue explored the girl's mouth he heard her moan and place a cool hand on his chest rubbing in circles.
//Wait a minute!\\ Harry thought in surprise. //She never made a sound in my dreams.\\ Thinking back to earlier he recalled falling asleep in the hospital wing NEXT TO GABRIELLE!! //Oh god this is real.\\ he panicked and pulled back a little to meet half lidded slightly dazed blue/gray eyes staring back at him.
"Gabrielle." He whispered.
"Why'd you stop?" her concerned question followed, "You still don't want me do you?" she sounded defeated and rejected he noticed and shook his head.
"I told you that I never said I didn't want you."
"Prove it." She challenged him and met his eyes with her. //She has beautiful eyes, like the sky during midday, blue and a bit hazy with clouds.\\ he thought and without further ado he leaned forward kissing her like last time except this time with more fervor and supporting her head with his hand. The need for air soon became demanding and both drew apart breathing heavily.
"Believe me now?" The Gryffindor panted combing back a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"Yes I believe you Harry."
"Good." He exclaimed and started getting up. "It's late I should be going, the Order meeting will be starting soon and Smoke needs to make an appearance."
"Will you tell me about it later then?" she asked and through her quilt aside and getting up still a little shakily but not as much as earlier.
"Of course but most likely tomorrow." He held out his hand to steady her and she took it leaning against him as he led her out the door. To his right Harry noticed light shining through the crack in the door to Sirius' hospital room.
"Hey I want to go check on Padfoot before I bring you back to your room." Nodding her consent they went forward and entered where Harry noticed Remus helping Sirius up out of bed. They must have been leaving for the meeting he realized.
"Padfoot how am I supposed to get you to the Northern tower like this without being seen?" Remus asked bewildered before noticing the two teens at the door.
"Look who's woken up." The DADA teacher proclaimed. "It's about time. Harry can you get this great lug to the Order meeting while I go help young Miss Delacoure to her room? And don't even try to deny anything I know you know where the room is and I know what you've been doing since you left here." The werewolf said seeing the innocent look Harry put on which slipped away and the boy nodded.
Asking everyone to stand back Harry stood up straight and took his lightening pendant in hand whispering "Transformatus." And a black cloud of smoke and soot engulfed him as he changed and transformed into the faceless man known as Smoke. As the cloud started to recede it revealed a ninja mage in full uniform and a shadow cast on his face.
"Merlin!" Sirius murmured "try not to do that in front of me." As the younger man supported him around the waste and with his pendant transported them away leaving the lyncanthrope and Gabrielle to fend for themselves.
"Well then shall we get going?" the man asked and held his hand out to her.
Up in a large stone circular room in the northernmost tower in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where the members of the Order of the Phoenix were starting to gather a large cloud of Smoke started to issue and many of the members taken by surprise stepped back and drew their wands before remembering the warning about the new member.
There in front of their eyes stood two men one covered in black taller than the other whom seemed weak but stood tall and remained head strong. They all watched as the mysterious Smoke led Sirius Black to a chair letting him sit before taking another near him.
Shortly after both he and Sirius were seated Harry took a look at everyone in the room seeing familiar faces all around, some he knew before he started spying on them and others when he'd just started.
Amongst the crowd that was made up of at least fifty people were mostly Aurors, Unspeakables, war tacticians, potion makers, herbology specialists, and many other experts from different fields that would be crucial in such a war.
Of course the whole Weasley family was there, minus Ron and Ginny of course since they hadn't graduated yet. The there were the Hogwarts course teachers, minus Professor Trelawny, Professor Vector, Professor Sinistra, and of course Argus Filch whom was only the care taker.
After a few moments of silence where the members of the Order stared at him Harry began to make idol chat with his godfather until Remus arrived and right behind him a slightly red faced and panting Hermione Granger whom looked around curiously before her eyes landed on him and grew as wide as saucers. It was quite obvious that the girl was nervous as Remus gently led her to the seat by him before sitting on the other side of Sirius.
Hermione, now sitting between the ninja mage Smoke and Professor Snape was not feeling to comfortable and after a while edged more into the Potions Masters direction in fear of the faceless man talking idly with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. She had moved so far over that the poor girl was practically leaning against the former death eater who's expression only conveyed anger and annoyance before he barked at her.
"Granger would you kindly sit upright instead of leaning on my shoulder. I am not a cushion just incase you didn't notice!"
With a bewildered expression she uneasily gulped but nodded and obediently scooted over a little, just enough to get off of Snape but not enough to get out of what he liked to call his personal space.
Fully annoyed now Snape's calculating gaze went from the brunette's nervous glances toward the ninja mage that she was seated next to and back to him. As discreetly as possibly she edged away from Smoke in hopes that her Potions Master wouldn't notice too much.
//Now what comes of the brave little Gryffindor?\\ the former Death Eater thought to himself and rolled his eyes sighing. She would continue to lean towards him if he didn't do anything and introducing her to the mage wouldn't be such a good idea as he didn't know well either much less know his true loyalties.
"Get up Granger." He ordered getting up from his own seat.
Although confused she stood only to have the man sit down in the seat she just vacated and gestured to his own. She blushed slightly feeling like a ninny for not showing a backbone but took the proffered seat gratefully.
Thank you Professor." She murmured and blushed at her own shyness at that particular moment.
"Think nothing of it Ms. Granger."
Hermione nodded but couldn't help smiling at her Potions Master. It seemed he was not at all uncaring and she silently had always known that beneath that wall of ice he stayed hidden behind there was a descent person underneath. Well.as descent a person as Severus Snape could get.
Although the man did sound rather stressed he tried not to show any of it as he kept his back as rigid as a rod and his cold dark eyes roaming from face to face scrutinizing each one and sometimes even making fully trained Aurors squirm under his penetrating stare.
Switching seats with Hermione wasn't completely for her comfort. Severus would never completely go out of his way to make people feel comfortable. Actually it was the exact opposite, he strived to make them fidget. Instead he wanted to try and listen in on the conversation Black, Lupin, and Smoke were currently holding. Straining his ears above the murmur that ran across the whole room due to the many voices that spoke Severus was only able to hear a select few words.
"So," he heard Black say in an amused whisper. "How did things with Ms. 'I'm ready for anything so just throw it at me' go?" and next to him he heard Lupin laugh and Smoke cough slightly.
"Gabrielle is fine. Although she was a little worried that I didn't want her or something I tried not to make the impression that she was a bit young carry over to loudly. But I think that by the time she's trained and we're ready to go the binding will have to take place. I've thought a lot about this and I figured it was a pretty good idea to stop things before they ever started."
Confused Snape tried to place where he heard that voice before. He had listened to the ninja mage talking before the other night but this time it was more familiar. Perhaps he had talked to this person unmasked today and hadn't even realized it. //Now who did I talk to today that could be considered a suspect?\\ he wondered.
//Well there was most of the staff but no one from the staff could be Smoke because they were all present at the time the ninja mage was out on his escapades. There were a few students. Weasley, Granger, but Granger is sitting right next to me and Smoke is obviously male. Hmmm.there was Malfoy but he's too much of a ninny to be able to pull anything like this off. Potter, Finnigan, Creevey, Crabbe.Wait a moment!!! POTTER!!!\\
The Potions Masters eyes widened to the size of saucers by now and he nearly leapt up in his chair with his wand at ready to hex the ninja mage beside him into the next century when a better idea came to him. He wasn't really sure it was Potter anyways and who better to recognize his voice than one of his best friends Hermione Granger?
"Granger?" he asked as politely as possible turning to the young woman whom was currently looking around the room like a twit in his opinion.
"Yes Professor?" she jumped clearly startled to be disturbed by the man's voice so suddenly yet softly.
Trying to suppress the role of his eyes the man smirked and asked his question. "Granger could you possibly lean over and tell me whose voice the ninja mage's resembles?"
Feeling slightly bewildered by the man's strange request she complied by leaning over on the table resting her chin on her hand and moved as close to the figure in black as possible catching fragments of his conversation with Sirius and Remus.
Sirius smirked at Smoke and chuckled lightly. "So I guess you'll be going through with it after all. I wonder if it's time to have a certain talk about the birds and the bees?" the man inquired and Hermione almost choked but managed to stay quiet enough to hear the figures response. She even vaguely wondered why Sirius was asking a fully-grown man, or what seemed like a fully-grown man if he knew about sexual intercourse.
Coughing lightly into his closed fist with amusement Harry answered his godfather in mute laughter. "I think you about missed that boat mate."
"No!" the other man gasped and she heard Remus laugh quietly slapping his friend on the shoulder. "By how long?" the darker haired man inquired.
"About two years." Smoke answered and that was all it took for the lyncanthrope to break into a full round of giggles while his friends face was not only defeated but flaming red. "Damn" Sirius muttered followed by Remus' amused statement.
"Oh Paddy it seems out dear Smoke is more like you than we thought."
"Hey! I did not sleep around since I was fifteen!" the dog animagi grumbled giving Hermione the clue that Smoke was around the age of seventeen meaning he must be going to Hogwarts since his presence was known to mostly the United Kingdom.
"No Padfoot you started when you were fourteen if I'm not mistaken." Her DADA teacher countered and Smoke's highly amused laugh followed.
Hermione listened with half amusement and half curiosity but it wasn't until the ninja mage laughed did she recognize that unique voice and both her and Snape whom had been listening also soflty murmured in unison.
"Harry."
"Potter."
"Meeting eyes with the former Death Eater they each nodded to affirm their suspicions and sat back in their chairs, but not without going unnoticed by Harry whom swiftly ended his conversation with Sirius and Remus hearing his name said and snapped his neck around so suddenly that each of them were afraid he would get whip lash.
Now with the faceless man was no longer name less and turned to them whispering as menacingly as possible.
"I am doing this to protect you so if you value your life I advise you to keep your mouths shut about this."
That was all the confirmation they needed and Hermione finally understood why Harry had been so secretive since the beginning of their fifth year. Her was doing this to keep them all safe and she regretted all the hurtful accusations and words she had conveyed about him. She was just so desperate to find any kind of explanation and now that she had it she was fearful for her life.
If anyone found out she even vaguely knew the ninja mage Smoke's true identity she would be hunted far and wide. She wouldn't give up the information willingly but through force she didn't know how long it would take her to break and without even thinking about it she launched herself at her long time friend.
Harry easily caught her in his arms but couldn't help but let out a soft "Oomph" at the sudden pressure against his chest. He could hear Hermione pleading for his forgiveness over and over again while sobbing uncontrollably.
"Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry. God I'm so sorry forever doubting you. I was scared, I didn't know what else to think and you were closing up, you wouldn't talk to me about anything anymore. I know how hard you're trying to protect all of us now. Please forgive me." She murmured into his chest and Harry was relieved she didn't use his name. It was bad enough everyone was staring at them and Snape was now glaring openly at him with a hate that he could only feel for Voldemort.
"Herm you're drawing attention to us. I forgive you now please wipe your face and calm down I can't have anyone else figure it out now."
Feeling as if he resented her still the girl was surprisingly tugged away by Snape who hissed sharply in her ear sitting her down, "Are you out of your mind? I don't like Potter but even I know that was a stupid move. You're just lucky Dumbledore isn't here yet otherwise the old man would have figured it all out by now."
"I-I-I" the girl gasped for air between her sobs barely able to get a word in between and sighing heavily the man sat down next to her and nervously reached over with one of his pale hands and awkwardly patted her back while rolling his eyes. And as she started to calm down a bit due to his rubbing her back in circular motions Snape wondered if the war was actually making him soft.
Just as Hermione was getting used to the hand on her back and cautiously leaned against the man's firm shoulder hoping that perhaps he would give her some kind of comfort she was largely mistaken as he pulled back completely and repeated.
"I told you once Granger I am not your personal cushion. Now sit up and stop sniveling girl. Honestly you emotional Gryffindors." He sneered and turned back to the front of the room where the door opened and in stepped Albus Dumbledore his usual twinkle in his light blue eyes and a small smile on the old man's lips accenting some of his wrinkles.
"Ah it is good to see that everyone is here." The old man clapped his hands once making a sweep around the room with his eyes and went to sit at the head of the table.
"Now that I am here I would like to begin our meeting of The Order Of The Phoenix." With that the old man sent a series of golden sparks into the air from his wand and the meeting commenced.