Chapter Five
Saturday was the day of the Quidditch Trials. Harry as captain of the Gryffindor team had to select a new chaser and keeper. Harry went down to the Quidditch Pitch on his own with his Firebolt before anyone else had even woken up. Sirius had bought him the broomstick for Christmas two years before. As Sirius hadn't left a note saying who the broom was from, and the entire country thought Sirius wanted Harry dead, the broom had been confiscated and Harry hadn't got it back until it had been through rigorous anti-hex checking.
Harry hadn't been down to the Quidditch pitch since Cedric had died, the place held too many memories. Harry suddenly heard a bark from behind him, guessing who it was he said.
"Checking up on me again Sirius?" Harry turned round to see Sirius standing behind him.
"I am not checking up on you Harry." Harry grinned at him.
"Yeah sure."
Harry heard the voices of other Gryffindor students coming down to the pitch. Sirius had obviously heard them too as he transformed back into a dog. The other Gryffindors turned out to be the other members of the team, Fred and George Weasley, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson.
"Hey Harry." Fred said to him "Got any good strategies for winning the Quidditch cup this year?"
"Not yet" Harry replied.
Ten minutes later about twenty students were on the pitch each holding a broom. Among them were Ron and his sister Ginny. Harry also saw Dean and Seamus from his year. Harry sorted them out into groups of those who wanted to be just chasers and those who just wanted to be keepers. There was also a group of students who didn't care either way.
Harry made all of them do a short flying test and eliminated about five who couldn't even work out which end of a broom was which. He then tested the ones who wanted to be chasers by making them score into the hoops at each end of the course and throw the Quaffle to each other. He tested the Keepers by seeing if they could stop the chasers scoring. After about two hours Harry had got a short list of five students. Two for the Keeper position, Ron and a sixth year girl called Rachael Howe. There were three for the chaser position Ginny, Colin Creevey and a seventh year boy called Mark Lovejoy. Harry told them he would tell them whom he had chosen for the team, tomorrow. Four of them went back up to the castle with the team, Ron however stayed behind.
"Ron go up to the castle I need to talk to Sirius."
"Sirius is here, where?" Harry indicated at the stands where he had seen Sirius go earlier.
"Oh okay, do you want me to take your Firebolt?" Harry nodded and handed Ron the broomstick. Ron then headed back to the castle. Harry walked up the stairs to where Sirius was sitting. He changed into human form.
"Hi again, so who do you think for the team?" Harry asked Sirius sitting down next to him.
" Ron for keeper and Colin for chaser. Ginny should be reserve though, she is good but Colin was better." Harry had to agree with Sirius. It was the only time Harry had seen Colin without his camera and the boy had talent at flying.
"Colin seemed to like you, Harry." Sirius was right the forth year boy hero-worshipped Harry. "What's wrong?" Sirius asked looking concerned. Harry was sitting there frowning.
"If I pick Ron everyone is going to think it's because his my best friend."
"But he's better than that girl, he's a good flyer and good at stopping goals, isn't that what counts."
"You're right." Said Harry
"Harry, are you sure you're feeling better after that whole Voldemort thing?" Sirius asked changing the topic quickly in the hopes of actually getting an answer out of him. Harry had almost forgotten about Voldemort during the Quidditch trials and he snapped back at Sirius.
"Yeah why wouldn't I be, I've got homework better go, bye." Harry got up and ran down the stairs back to the castle. Sirius sat there stunned for a minute at Harry's sudden change of mood before jumping up, transforming, and running after Harry.
***
In what felt like no time at all it was Halloween. Ron had been so pleased Harry had picked him for Keeper he had let Harry copy all his homework for a month. Hermione, of course, disapproved of this. Sirius had still not got to the bottom of what was making Harry so withdrawn, he had given up asking Harry what was wrong due to the fact every time he did he had his head bitten off.
Harry was running late for the feast because Snape had given him a detention giving in his homework five minutes late. The fact that Malfoy gave his in two days late and he had got ten points to Slytherin for an excellent essay was just unfair.
Harry went down to the common room and came face to face with Sirius.
"Sirius I'm running late can I talk to you tomorrow."
"No, what's wrong?"
"Sirius I need to go to the feast." Harry started to walk towards the portrait hole.
"Is it to do with your parents?" Harry stopped and turned round to face him.
"No."
"Well it's obviously to do with Voldemort you go pale every time someone mentions him."
"It's not to do with him." Harry lied.
"You're lying Harry."
"How do you know I'm lying?" He asked
"Because you're using exactly the same tone your father used to use when he was telling a teacher that his homework had been eaten by a rampaging hippogriff."
"Nothing is wrong." Harry insisted, aware that his voice didn't sound that sure.
"Well it obviously is because you're lying to me."
"Okay, fine I'll tell you, I've got a crush on Snape."
"Harry," Sirius said in an exasperated tone, " That is not what's wrong with you. What is wrong you're not leaving this room until you tell me, so why make it so long winded?" Harry said nothing but looked at the floor. He had never noticed how pleasant the red and gold carpet was until just now.
"Harry," Sirius said, "I want the truth, now!"
"Well you're not going to find out are you." Harry made a sudden dash for the portrait hole, but Sirius was to quick for him and grabbed his arm.
"Harry what is wrong, you're worrying me." All the weeks of worrying and keeping everything bottled up inside him had built up. Suddenly Harry burst into tears. Sirius looked shocked for a second before walking over to him and putting his arms around him.
"Harry, please, what's wrong?"
"It's Voldemort he's my, my grandfather." Harry eventually said in between sobs. Sirius went quiet and pulled Harry onto one of the couches, still hugging Harry.
"Shh," he said trying to make Harry stop crying, it wasn't working. Harry now had his head buried in Sirius's shoulder. "What happened?" Sirius was told the entire story. Harry finished with:
"So I'm the heir of Slytherin." Harry was still crying, despite Sirius's desperate attempts to make him stop.
"It's okay, shh, we'll tell Professor Dumbledore in the morning." To Sirius's great surprise this made Harry worse.
"You can't tell anyone, please Sirius." Harry said.
"But."
"Please or I'll never forgive you."
"But Harry."
"No Sirius."
"Okay I promise I won't tell anyone except if he tries to kill you again or threatens you." Harry nodded, still crying. Sirius sat there for about half an hour with Harry's head on his shoulder. Sirius suddenly realised Harry had stopped crying.
"Harry, are you okay?"
There was no reply. Sirius looked down at Harry and realised he had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Sirius sat there trying to decide whether or not he should wake Harry up for about five minutes, before picking him up and carrying him up to his dormitory. He laid Harry under the covers and removed his glasses and shoes. He sat there stroking Harry's hair, when he heard a voice from downstairs.
"Harry are you in here?" It was Hermione.
Sirius ran downstairs.
"Sirius where's Harry?"
"He's upstairs he had a headache so I told him to go to bed." Sirius lied.
"Oh, so is he okay?"
"Yeah he's fine. Go back to the feast Hermione."
Okay, see you." She left.
Sirius sat down. Harry wasn't the only one who had to lie to avoid suspicion.
Saturday was the day of the Quidditch Trials. Harry as captain of the Gryffindor team had to select a new chaser and keeper. Harry went down to the Quidditch Pitch on his own with his Firebolt before anyone else had even woken up. Sirius had bought him the broomstick for Christmas two years before. As Sirius hadn't left a note saying who the broom was from, and the entire country thought Sirius wanted Harry dead, the broom had been confiscated and Harry hadn't got it back until it had been through rigorous anti-hex checking.
Harry hadn't been down to the Quidditch pitch since Cedric had died, the place held too many memories. Harry suddenly heard a bark from behind him, guessing who it was he said.
"Checking up on me again Sirius?" Harry turned round to see Sirius standing behind him.
"I am not checking up on you Harry." Harry grinned at him.
"Yeah sure."
Harry heard the voices of other Gryffindor students coming down to the pitch. Sirius had obviously heard them too as he transformed back into a dog. The other Gryffindors turned out to be the other members of the team, Fred and George Weasley, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson.
"Hey Harry." Fred said to him "Got any good strategies for winning the Quidditch cup this year?"
"Not yet" Harry replied.
Ten minutes later about twenty students were on the pitch each holding a broom. Among them were Ron and his sister Ginny. Harry also saw Dean and Seamus from his year. Harry sorted them out into groups of those who wanted to be just chasers and those who just wanted to be keepers. There was also a group of students who didn't care either way.
Harry made all of them do a short flying test and eliminated about five who couldn't even work out which end of a broom was which. He then tested the ones who wanted to be chasers by making them score into the hoops at each end of the course and throw the Quaffle to each other. He tested the Keepers by seeing if they could stop the chasers scoring. After about two hours Harry had got a short list of five students. Two for the Keeper position, Ron and a sixth year girl called Rachael Howe. There were three for the chaser position Ginny, Colin Creevey and a seventh year boy called Mark Lovejoy. Harry told them he would tell them whom he had chosen for the team, tomorrow. Four of them went back up to the castle with the team, Ron however stayed behind.
"Ron go up to the castle I need to talk to Sirius."
"Sirius is here, where?" Harry indicated at the stands where he had seen Sirius go earlier.
"Oh okay, do you want me to take your Firebolt?" Harry nodded and handed Ron the broomstick. Ron then headed back to the castle. Harry walked up the stairs to where Sirius was sitting. He changed into human form.
"Hi again, so who do you think for the team?" Harry asked Sirius sitting down next to him.
" Ron for keeper and Colin for chaser. Ginny should be reserve though, she is good but Colin was better." Harry had to agree with Sirius. It was the only time Harry had seen Colin without his camera and the boy had talent at flying.
"Colin seemed to like you, Harry." Sirius was right the forth year boy hero-worshipped Harry. "What's wrong?" Sirius asked looking concerned. Harry was sitting there frowning.
"If I pick Ron everyone is going to think it's because his my best friend."
"But he's better than that girl, he's a good flyer and good at stopping goals, isn't that what counts."
"You're right." Said Harry
"Harry, are you sure you're feeling better after that whole Voldemort thing?" Sirius asked changing the topic quickly in the hopes of actually getting an answer out of him. Harry had almost forgotten about Voldemort during the Quidditch trials and he snapped back at Sirius.
"Yeah why wouldn't I be, I've got homework better go, bye." Harry got up and ran down the stairs back to the castle. Sirius sat there stunned for a minute at Harry's sudden change of mood before jumping up, transforming, and running after Harry.
***
In what felt like no time at all it was Halloween. Ron had been so pleased Harry had picked him for Keeper he had let Harry copy all his homework for a month. Hermione, of course, disapproved of this. Sirius had still not got to the bottom of what was making Harry so withdrawn, he had given up asking Harry what was wrong due to the fact every time he did he had his head bitten off.
Harry was running late for the feast because Snape had given him a detention giving in his homework five minutes late. The fact that Malfoy gave his in two days late and he had got ten points to Slytherin for an excellent essay was just unfair.
Harry went down to the common room and came face to face with Sirius.
"Sirius I'm running late can I talk to you tomorrow."
"No, what's wrong?"
"Sirius I need to go to the feast." Harry started to walk towards the portrait hole.
"Is it to do with your parents?" Harry stopped and turned round to face him.
"No."
"Well it's obviously to do with Voldemort you go pale every time someone mentions him."
"It's not to do with him." Harry lied.
"You're lying Harry."
"How do you know I'm lying?" He asked
"Because you're using exactly the same tone your father used to use when he was telling a teacher that his homework had been eaten by a rampaging hippogriff."
"Nothing is wrong." Harry insisted, aware that his voice didn't sound that sure.
"Well it obviously is because you're lying to me."
"Okay, fine I'll tell you, I've got a crush on Snape."
"Harry," Sirius said in an exasperated tone, " That is not what's wrong with you. What is wrong you're not leaving this room until you tell me, so why make it so long winded?" Harry said nothing but looked at the floor. He had never noticed how pleasant the red and gold carpet was until just now.
"Harry," Sirius said, "I want the truth, now!"
"Well you're not going to find out are you." Harry made a sudden dash for the portrait hole, but Sirius was to quick for him and grabbed his arm.
"Harry what is wrong, you're worrying me." All the weeks of worrying and keeping everything bottled up inside him had built up. Suddenly Harry burst into tears. Sirius looked shocked for a second before walking over to him and putting his arms around him.
"Harry, please, what's wrong?"
"It's Voldemort he's my, my grandfather." Harry eventually said in between sobs. Sirius went quiet and pulled Harry onto one of the couches, still hugging Harry.
"Shh," he said trying to make Harry stop crying, it wasn't working. Harry now had his head buried in Sirius's shoulder. "What happened?" Sirius was told the entire story. Harry finished with:
"So I'm the heir of Slytherin." Harry was still crying, despite Sirius's desperate attempts to make him stop.
"It's okay, shh, we'll tell Professor Dumbledore in the morning." To Sirius's great surprise this made Harry worse.
"You can't tell anyone, please Sirius." Harry said.
"But."
"Please or I'll never forgive you."
"But Harry."
"No Sirius."
"Okay I promise I won't tell anyone except if he tries to kill you again or threatens you." Harry nodded, still crying. Sirius sat there for about half an hour with Harry's head on his shoulder. Sirius suddenly realised Harry had stopped crying.
"Harry, are you okay?"
There was no reply. Sirius looked down at Harry and realised he had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Sirius sat there trying to decide whether or not he should wake Harry up for about five minutes, before picking him up and carrying him up to his dormitory. He laid Harry under the covers and removed his glasses and shoes. He sat there stroking Harry's hair, when he heard a voice from downstairs.
"Harry are you in here?" It was Hermione.
Sirius ran downstairs.
"Sirius where's Harry?"
"He's upstairs he had a headache so I told him to go to bed." Sirius lied.
"Oh, so is he okay?"
"Yeah he's fine. Go back to the feast Hermione."
Okay, see you." She left.
Sirius sat down. Harry wasn't the only one who had to lie to avoid suspicion.
