Chapter 7
Harry glanced quickly at Dumbledore, sitting placidly in his chair behind the desk. His eyes behind the half-moon spectacles sparkled as he watched the exchange and Harry relaxed, realizing that Dumbledore must have convinced Professor McGonagall that Sirius was innocent.
She was still gazing at Sirius as though he were back in school, in trouble for mischief making. "Albus has informed me of your innocence, Mr. Black." She drew herself up and somehow managed to give the impression of looking down at him from a great height even though Sirius was fairly tall himself.
"Although I must say…" Sirius winced, waiting for the scathing reprimand. "That I've never been more pleased when I heard that you were here to help us." Sirius looked up, surprised. Professor McGonagall smiled and held out her hand. "Welcome back."
Sirius grinned and shook her hand, looking relieved. "Thank you, Professor."
Professor McGonagall shifted her gaze from Sirius to Harry. "I hear that you are to help around at Hogwarts as well, Mr. Potter. I trust your journey from Surrey was uneventful?"
"Yes, Professor. It went well enough," he replied, heading for the extra chair that Dumbledore had conjured for him.
After they were all settled, Dumbledore spoke. "As your godfather has undoubtedly informed you, Harry, the professors with the help of Remus Lupin and Sirius himself are to help repair and strengthen the magical wards that protect Hogwarts. This means that the professors will be unable to organize their classrooms for next year. Normally, the house-elves are the ones who clean up after the school year but they decided earlier last term to clean Hogwarts from top to bottom during the holiday, one of a few thorough cleanings each century. Also, we will be taking a number of house-elves to help us with the wards." At Harry's surprised look he smiled, "House-elves have a very powerful magic of their own and we will doubtless need all the help we can get."
"Professor," Sirius started, leaning forward with a slightly confused frown. "Surely wards of this nature are much too advanced for Harry…" He trailed off as Dumbledore smiled reassuringly.
"Harry will be taking the place of the house-elves in cleaning and organizing the professors' classrooms and, if permitted, their offices."
Harry's face fell. He came to Hogwarts to clean up messes made by other people? He should have stayed with the Dursleys; it would have been no different there. Dumbledore continued as if sensing Harry's train of thought.
"I do not discharge this seemingly trivial occupation lightly, Harry. There are precious few students whom I trust enough to be by themselves in a professor's classroom and use magic responsibly." Harry flushed from the praise but nodded, resolving not to complain further; after all, he had asked to come.
"Now," Dumbledore said, transferring his gaze to Sirius. "We can't have you running about as a dog, Sirius, otherwise you'd be of no use to us. Therefore, I took the liberty of borrowing an aging potion from Severus. We don't want you doddering but certainly older than the infamous Sirius Black is supposed to be…"
Dumbledore rose and walked to his cabinet, searching through it, muttering to himself until he finally withdrew a bottle about the size of Uncle Vernon's expensive brandy in his hand. He conjured a cup and poured just enough of the murky liquid to cover the bottom of it and handed the cup to Sirius who accepted it with a dubious expression.
"Drink up, my boy. The bad taste soon fades," said Dumbledore cheerfully.
Sirius smiled. "I remember what it tastes like-" He stopped himself with a cough, not looking at Professor McGonagall whose gaze had gone stern again. "Bottom's up." He emptied the cup and, grimacing at the taste, settled back in his chair. After a few moments Harry was wondering if Sirius had taken enough when finally he saw the hair around his temples turn grey, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes grow more pronounced, his skin slacken so it was not as firm as youth had held it.
Dumbledore nodded and handed Sirius the whole bottle. "If I remember my potions correctly you'll have to take it every ten hours to ensure its lasting effects. Be sure to take the same size dose. But even aging potion is not quite enough… I have another idea also." His eyes twinkled as he drew out his wand. "Do you mind, Sirius?"
Sirius shook his head, looking a bit confused and even more so as Dumbledore pointed his wand straight at Sirius's chin and muttered: "Barbatus." Instantly a dark growth of a beard appeared on Sirius's face and didn't stop growing until Dumbledore said: "Confuto." Sirius reached up to feel the new facial hair, grown out just enough to cover the lower half of his face.
"Wow," said Harry, staring, "I'm not even sure I recognise you now, Sirius. You should be all set."
"The real test will be when I see Snape," Sirius said still fingering the new hair on his face. "Although, I suppose you'll let him in on the secret?" He turned to Dumbledore expectantly.
"Eventually, yes," he replied calmly, "I see no reason to leave Severus in the dark especially when he already knows that you've been running around the country exposing yourself to high risk during these dark times."
A sudden knock interrupted any further conversation. Dumbledore waved the door open with a hand. "Ah! I was wondering when you would show up. Please, everyone find a seat." The rest of the Hogwarts professors had just made their entrance into Dumbledore's now crowded office. He conjured a few more seats while Harry glanced around quickly but didn't see the tall, hooked-nose potions master among those shuffling chairs around to make enough room for all.
"Harry, you may leave now," called Dumbledore from his desk, "Dobby will show you where to start…" Harry waved goodbye to Sirius and made his way through the flurry of black robes. Just as he was closing the door behind him, he heard Dumbledore introduce someone who could only be Sirius. "Professors, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine, Wideric White. He's been out of the country researching werewolves…"
Harry headed down the corridor with no real direction in mind. Dobby wouldn't be in the kitchens would he? The house-elves must have some kind of dormitory for themselves… With no alternative in sight, Harry eventually found his way to the kitchen portal and tickled the pear. With a surprised giggle, the painting swung aside and allowed Harry to enter. The kitchens looked drastically different from the last time Harry had been there; empty except for one lone house-elf mopping the floor in front of the fireplace.
"Er… Hello there," Harry started uncertainly.
The house-elf looked up. All house-elves looked more or less the same but there was something familiar about those large brown eyes and round nose…
"Winky?"
Harry glanced quickly at Dumbledore, sitting placidly in his chair behind the desk. His eyes behind the half-moon spectacles sparkled as he watched the exchange and Harry relaxed, realizing that Dumbledore must have convinced Professor McGonagall that Sirius was innocent.
She was still gazing at Sirius as though he were back in school, in trouble for mischief making. "Albus has informed me of your innocence, Mr. Black." She drew herself up and somehow managed to give the impression of looking down at him from a great height even though Sirius was fairly tall himself.
"Although I must say…" Sirius winced, waiting for the scathing reprimand. "That I've never been more pleased when I heard that you were here to help us." Sirius looked up, surprised. Professor McGonagall smiled and held out her hand. "Welcome back."
Sirius grinned and shook her hand, looking relieved. "Thank you, Professor."
Professor McGonagall shifted her gaze from Sirius to Harry. "I hear that you are to help around at Hogwarts as well, Mr. Potter. I trust your journey from Surrey was uneventful?"
"Yes, Professor. It went well enough," he replied, heading for the extra chair that Dumbledore had conjured for him.
After they were all settled, Dumbledore spoke. "As your godfather has undoubtedly informed you, Harry, the professors with the help of Remus Lupin and Sirius himself are to help repair and strengthen the magical wards that protect Hogwarts. This means that the professors will be unable to organize their classrooms for next year. Normally, the house-elves are the ones who clean up after the school year but they decided earlier last term to clean Hogwarts from top to bottom during the holiday, one of a few thorough cleanings each century. Also, we will be taking a number of house-elves to help us with the wards." At Harry's surprised look he smiled, "House-elves have a very powerful magic of their own and we will doubtless need all the help we can get."
"Professor," Sirius started, leaning forward with a slightly confused frown. "Surely wards of this nature are much too advanced for Harry…" He trailed off as Dumbledore smiled reassuringly.
"Harry will be taking the place of the house-elves in cleaning and organizing the professors' classrooms and, if permitted, their offices."
Harry's face fell. He came to Hogwarts to clean up messes made by other people? He should have stayed with the Dursleys; it would have been no different there. Dumbledore continued as if sensing Harry's train of thought.
"I do not discharge this seemingly trivial occupation lightly, Harry. There are precious few students whom I trust enough to be by themselves in a professor's classroom and use magic responsibly." Harry flushed from the praise but nodded, resolving not to complain further; after all, he had asked to come.
"Now," Dumbledore said, transferring his gaze to Sirius. "We can't have you running about as a dog, Sirius, otherwise you'd be of no use to us. Therefore, I took the liberty of borrowing an aging potion from Severus. We don't want you doddering but certainly older than the infamous Sirius Black is supposed to be…"
Dumbledore rose and walked to his cabinet, searching through it, muttering to himself until he finally withdrew a bottle about the size of Uncle Vernon's expensive brandy in his hand. He conjured a cup and poured just enough of the murky liquid to cover the bottom of it and handed the cup to Sirius who accepted it with a dubious expression.
"Drink up, my boy. The bad taste soon fades," said Dumbledore cheerfully.
Sirius smiled. "I remember what it tastes like-" He stopped himself with a cough, not looking at Professor McGonagall whose gaze had gone stern again. "Bottom's up." He emptied the cup and, grimacing at the taste, settled back in his chair. After a few moments Harry was wondering if Sirius had taken enough when finally he saw the hair around his temples turn grey, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes grow more pronounced, his skin slacken so it was not as firm as youth had held it.
Dumbledore nodded and handed Sirius the whole bottle. "If I remember my potions correctly you'll have to take it every ten hours to ensure its lasting effects. Be sure to take the same size dose. But even aging potion is not quite enough… I have another idea also." His eyes twinkled as he drew out his wand. "Do you mind, Sirius?"
Sirius shook his head, looking a bit confused and even more so as Dumbledore pointed his wand straight at Sirius's chin and muttered: "Barbatus." Instantly a dark growth of a beard appeared on Sirius's face and didn't stop growing until Dumbledore said: "Confuto." Sirius reached up to feel the new facial hair, grown out just enough to cover the lower half of his face.
"Wow," said Harry, staring, "I'm not even sure I recognise you now, Sirius. You should be all set."
"The real test will be when I see Snape," Sirius said still fingering the new hair on his face. "Although, I suppose you'll let him in on the secret?" He turned to Dumbledore expectantly.
"Eventually, yes," he replied calmly, "I see no reason to leave Severus in the dark especially when he already knows that you've been running around the country exposing yourself to high risk during these dark times."
A sudden knock interrupted any further conversation. Dumbledore waved the door open with a hand. "Ah! I was wondering when you would show up. Please, everyone find a seat." The rest of the Hogwarts professors had just made their entrance into Dumbledore's now crowded office. He conjured a few more seats while Harry glanced around quickly but didn't see the tall, hooked-nose potions master among those shuffling chairs around to make enough room for all.
"Harry, you may leave now," called Dumbledore from his desk, "Dobby will show you where to start…" Harry waved goodbye to Sirius and made his way through the flurry of black robes. Just as he was closing the door behind him, he heard Dumbledore introduce someone who could only be Sirius. "Professors, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine, Wideric White. He's been out of the country researching werewolves…"
Harry headed down the corridor with no real direction in mind. Dobby wouldn't be in the kitchens would he? The house-elves must have some kind of dormitory for themselves… With no alternative in sight, Harry eventually found his way to the kitchen portal and tickled the pear. With a surprised giggle, the painting swung aside and allowed Harry to enter. The kitchens looked drastically different from the last time Harry had been there; empty except for one lone house-elf mopping the floor in front of the fireplace.
"Er… Hello there," Harry started uncertainly.
The house-elf looked up. All house-elves looked more or less the same but there was something familiar about those large brown eyes and round nose…
"Winky?"