Chapter Fifteen: Revelations of Relations
It was only three days before the next attack. Harry was sparring with Rose Wilkes, using fighting staffs - watched by Jason Draper - when he was distracted by a telepathic call from Jonas Johnson. He winced as his opponent's staff slipped through his guard and rapped him on the shoulder, then he held up his hand for a halt and then answered the Order's resident Psychomens. «What is it, Jonas?»
«We have another Priority Three Emergency,» he replied. «Another girl has been found injured on the third floor, in the restricted corridor. Dr Chrystan, Professors Ambrose and McGonagall and I are on the scene. Can you join us?»
«Give me ten minutes,» Harry told him. «I'm on my way.» He returned his staff to its wall and turned to Draper. "There's been another attack, get everyone you can spare up to the Infirmary. Let's try and get something this time."
"We're on it," Draper promised as the two Guardians headed for the door. Harry strapped his wand back onto arm and put his jumper and dragonhide jacket back on before heading out of the DA classroom himself.
----
"What's up, Harry?" Ginny asked, as she and Luna entered his office a few hours later.
"I'll tell you as soon as the others arrive," Harry told her. "Both of you take a seat." They did and were joined within ten minutes by 'the others': Ron, Hermione, Neville, Civis, Susan Bones (who had returned only an hour before), Romulus Moon and Blaise Zabini, and the four Guardians. Harry turned to Civis and Draper, who were standing to the right of his desk. "Is everyone protected?"
Civis nodded, "Jamie and Mark will be fine, Johnson and the Bash Brothers are with them."
"Jarred handed Anita off to Smith, Abbott and MacMillan before he came up," Draper replied, glancing at Jarred for conformation. The blond Animorphmagus nodded. "Davies, Padma Patil and Goldstein are in the Infirmary, as per your instructions."
"Has there been another attack?" asked Susan, hesitantly.
Harry nodded, "Yes, a second-year Ravenclaw, Lilith Portland. She was found a couple of hours ago in the restricted corridor, on the third floor."
"Is she okay?"
"She's stable, Gin," Harry replied. "One of her broken ribs punctured her right lung and she also has some fairly serious abdominal wounds too. From a knife?" he said, looking at Draper.
"That's what Thomas thought," Draper replied. "He left her about half an hour ago."
"Jonas said you found a hair sample?" Harry prompted.
"Yes, we did, trapped in her clenched fist," admitted Draper. "Blond. Professor Snape stills maintains there isn't enough evidence to implicate Malfoy."
"Damn that man!" snarled Harry. "What does he want... a confession?!" Harry was furious, he was so angry that he was shaking and his breathing was quite ragged.
At first no-one knew what to do, then Ginny - who was more comfortable with Harry's rages than most of the others - got up from the chair she sitting on and moving to his side took his hand in hers and looked him straight in the eyes. "We'll get them, Harry. Malfoy and Snape."
After a minute or two, Harry stopped shaking and his breathing returned to normal. "Thanks, Gin."
"Anytime, Harry," Ginny assured him, and still keeping hold of his hand she moved to perch on his desk.
"What have we got?" asked Hermione.
Harry paused a moment, "Well, there have been three attacks: Jamie, on September 1st; Anita, on October 30th; and Lilith Portland, earlier today."
"Evidence?"
Harry didn't reply, so Draper took the question. "A statement from Jamie Clayton saying that she was attacked by four students, who she was unable to identify; a Slytherin Prefect's badge; and the hair sample found earlier today."
"Do we know if Jamie, Anita and Lilith Portland have anything in common?" Ginny asked. "Something that links them? A reason why Malfoy - or anyone else - would pick them particularly?"
"They're all redheads," offered Ron.
"I doubt that's it," Harry told him. "But you have a point."
"Jamie and Anita are first-years, but Lilith Portland's a second-year," Hermione reminded them. "So their age isn't a factor. And they're all from a different Houses, so that can't be it either."
"You're a pureblood, right?" Romulus Moon asked Susan.
"Mostly, my family's been pure for four or five generations, as far I know."
At a glance from Harry, Civis nodded confirmation. Harry sighed. "But Jamie's a Muggle-born and Lilith's a quarter-blood - her father's mum was a Muggle. So that doesn't help us either."
"There's something we're not thinking of..." Civis said. "Something we're missing..."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Civis said. "I should know... It's like something's stopping me from remembering..."
"A Memory Charm?" suggested Hermione.
"No, spells like 'Obliviate' or 'Perturbare' don't work on my kind."
"What about some sort of secrecy charm?" suggested Draper.
Civis nodded, "That could work."
"We could try the counter-charm for the Arcanus Charm, that one used to be quite popular."
"Okay, what's the incantation?" said Harry, taking out his wand.
"'Facere Verum Notus'."
Harry nodded, then he turned to Civis. "May I?"
"Of course."
Harry pointed his wand at his companion. "Facere Verum Notus."
Civis quivered for a moment, then shook his head to clear it. "Thank you, Harry. I think I have the information we need."
"Well?"
"The connection is you, Harry."
"Me? How am I connected to Jamie? We're friends but..."
"Apparently, you are more than that. Clayton is not her real name, her father was born George Samuel Potter, son of Tiberius Algernon Potter, and brother to James Tiberius Potter, your father. He was disowned and banished to the Muggle world in the late 1960s when he was identified as a Squib."
Harry was silent for several minutes as he tried to process this new information. "Okay. So Jamie's my cousin, that's good. obviously Anita's a third cousin. But what about Lilith?"
"I believe that her mother's name is Petunia?" Harry nodded, he'd met the woman earlier when McGonagall told her the news via Floo. "You have a descendent called Petunia Portland, a great-grandmother back in the 1800s, the connection is remote, but it is there."
"How does that help us?" asked Ron.
"It gives a connection we can use," Draper told him. "How many other relatives of Harry's are there at Hogwarts at the moment?"
"Six that I can think of..." Civis replied. "The four who've been attacked; plus Rose Brampton, another Gryffindor first year; Annette Fielding, another Ravenclaw second year, and Seeker Scott Summersby of Hufflepuff."
"So if we guard those three. then everyone should be safe?" Harry asked.
"If you're right... yes." confirmed Draper.
"I'll clear it with Albus," said Harry. "Can you get some extra people together? After we get back from the holiday should be time enough, Malfoy's going home for Christmas this year."
"I'll get on it," declared Draper, and headed out of the room, with the other Guardians right behind him. Susan and the Slytherins excused themselves and left too. Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna chatted with Harry and Ginny for a bit, then left too.
Sensing they wanted to be alone, Civis disappeared with a pop.
For a while neither of them said anything, Harry was still reeling from the revelation that Jamie was his cousin, and Ginny was content to just be there for him. Eventually, Harry broke the silence. "Well, this changes things."
Ginny - though she agreed - wasn't sure why Harry thought so. "In what way, Harry?"
"Well, I've finally got what I've wanted for as long as I can remember... a relative, an actual blood relative, that I care for and that cares for me too."
"I think I understand, Harry."
"As much as I love Sirius, Tonks, Professor Lupin, and your family... you are all. borrowed, I guess you'd say. Jamie is mine completely, and that's something that means a lot to me."
"I know, Harry," Ginny told him. "And I'm sure it will to Jamie too. Remember, she's always been alone, she hasn't even had the 'borrowed' family you have."
"No, she hasn't," Harry agreed. "And I'm going to do my best to make sure that she has all the family she wants from now on."
"How?"
"By bringing her home," Harry replied. "To me."
Disengaging from Ginny's hand, he crossed to the fireplace and took a handful of Floo Powder from its pot and tossed it into the fire. "Gryphon's Eyrie!"
After a minute, a head appeared in the fire. "What is it, Harry?"
"Is Sirius around, Antonia?" Harry asked the chalky-skinned energy- sculptor.
"Yeah, do you want me to get him?"
"Please," Harry confirmed. "Professor Lupin and Tonks too if they're with you."
"They are," she told him as disappeared.
Moments later, three heads appeared in the fireplace. "What's up, Harry?" Sirius wanted to know. "Hi, Ginny."
"Hi, Sirius."
"Sirius, I've just found out something that I thought you might want to know. And I thought Professor Lupin and Tonks would like to be on it too."
"Okay. What?"
"I'm not the last of the Potters."
There was a pause, and then Sirius spoke. "Ummm, Harry. Do I need to go and see a Healer? Because. I'm fairly sure I heard you say that you're not the last of the Potters."
"No, Sirius, you heard me correctly."
"How? Who?"
Harry sighed. "It's a long story."
"Perhaps just the short version," suggested Lupin. "And call me Remus, Harry. Or Moony if you prefer."
"Good idea, Prof. Remus," Harry agreed. "Okay, as you know some old wizarding families have a habit of sometimes. disowning people that they disapprove of." All three nodded. "Well, occasionally they go one step further. My grandfather, Tiberius Potter, had another son once, called George. When it turned out he was a Squib, has disowned. I suspect this was a fairly typical reaction." Again the three adults nodded in agreement. "When he was disowned, all memory of his very existence was erased. We managed to find out about by breaking an Arcanus Charm on Civis."
"So is George Potter still alive?" asked Sirius.
"Apparently not," Harry told him. "However, you have met his daughter."
Sirius frowned, then smiled as the answer came to him. "Not. Jamie?"
"Yep."
"Whoa, that's. not as surprising as I thought it would be."
"That was kinda my reaction," Harry admitted. "But it's still pretty intense."
"Does she know yet?"
"No, I'm going to tell her in the morning."
"Make sure you tell her before anyone else does."
"I will, Remus," Harry assured him. "I really wanted to ask you something. It's connected."
"What?"
"Jamie lives in Muggle orphanage, I wouldn't like that idea even in normal times. But, these times are not normal. I'd feel much better if we could. adopt her, I guess, and have her live with us. Would that be possible?"
"It should be," Sirius replied after a moment. "What do you think, Tonks?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Tonks agreed. "I'd check it with Dumbledore first, but I doubt he'll mind. I've a useful contact at the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee, Tilly Moiraill. She's a Muggleborn and has had some dealings with their adoption agencies and those sort of people in the past She should be able to fix it."
"Could she get a decision by Friday?"
"If, someone would. vouch for Jamie's ancestry I think she could probably manage it."
"I'll get my, butler, to send you one by morning."
"Then I'll get on it."
"I take it Jamie'll be coming for Christmas?"
"Yes, if you move Hermione into Ginny's room, Jamie can have hers. If that's okay with you, Gin?"
"Of course, Harry."
"And make sure that rooms are ready for Mark, Anita and Susan on the twelfth floor."
"Will do."
"Has anything much been happening?"
"There have been a few attacks on Muggles," Sirius admitted. "But nothing against wizard or Muggleborn families since the Bones attack."
"How's Helena?"
"Sirena says she'll be out of hospital in time for Christmas."
"Good."
"See you then, Harry. You too, Ginny."
"Bye, Sirius, Tonks, Professor."
The three heads disappeared with a pop and Harry and Ginny were alone again in the dark room.
"I think I'll go tell Jamie now actually," Harry decided after a while.
"Okay, do you want me to come with you?"
Harry shook his head. "I think this is something I need to do by myself. But thanks for being with me. Not just today. over the summer too. It really helped me."
"No problem, Harry. See you in the common room, later?"
"It's pretty late, and what I need to say to Jamie may take a while. I'll see you at breakfast."
"Okay, bye," said Ginny, hopping off Harry's desk and walking out.
Jonas?
«Yes, Harry?»
«Locate Jamie Clayton, please.»
«Give me a minute.»
«No hurry.»
«She's in the Astronomy Tower.»
«A lesson?»
«Confirmed, there are nine students present - all Gryffindors - and one teacher, tagged as 'Serena Sinistra, Astronomy Professor'.»
«Thanks, Jonas. I'll talk to you again soon.»
«Goodbye.»
Harry grabbed his cloak from behind his chair then headed out of the room, reactivating the locking spell on the door as he pulled it too.
Despite the late hour, Harry strode through the corridors with no attempt to hide his presence, after several late night run-in's with Filch since the beginning of term, the crotchety old caretaker knew better than to try and give Harry a detention and now avoided him where possible. He reached the base of the Astronomy Tower about five minutes before the scheduled end of the midnight class, deciding not to disturb the class he found a convenient niche across the hall from the entrance to the Tower and waited.
About seven minutes later, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs as the class was dismissed. As he expected, Jamie and Mark were the last ones out and were absorbed in a conversation with Rose Brampton, another of Malfoy's potential targets.
"Hi, Jamie."
"Harry! What are you doing here?!"
"I have something I need to tell you and I didn't want to wait," Harry told her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Something private."
Taking the hint, Mark hurried off after the rest of his class dragging Rose with him.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
"Nothing's wrong, Jamie," Harry assured her. "I just found out something which will probably change both of our lives forever."
"Something bad?"
"Surprisingly enough, no," said Harry. "At least I didn't think so. I hope you'll agree."
"Well?"
"I'm your cousin."
A/N: Just a point of clarification, Psychomens are born with the talent of Psychomency - a combination of Occulmency and Legilimency - which allows them to read and shield minds, create mind-to-mind links between one or more people, and also use mental energy to attack their enemies. The Psychomens Jonas Johnson is also a Metamorphmagus like Tonks.
It was only three days before the next attack. Harry was sparring with Rose Wilkes, using fighting staffs - watched by Jason Draper - when he was distracted by a telepathic call from Jonas Johnson. He winced as his opponent's staff slipped through his guard and rapped him on the shoulder, then he held up his hand for a halt and then answered the Order's resident Psychomens. «What is it, Jonas?»
«We have another Priority Three Emergency,» he replied. «Another girl has been found injured on the third floor, in the restricted corridor. Dr Chrystan, Professors Ambrose and McGonagall and I are on the scene. Can you join us?»
«Give me ten minutes,» Harry told him. «I'm on my way.» He returned his staff to its wall and turned to Draper. "There's been another attack, get everyone you can spare up to the Infirmary. Let's try and get something this time."
"We're on it," Draper promised as the two Guardians headed for the door. Harry strapped his wand back onto arm and put his jumper and dragonhide jacket back on before heading out of the DA classroom himself.
----
"What's up, Harry?" Ginny asked, as she and Luna entered his office a few hours later.
"I'll tell you as soon as the others arrive," Harry told her. "Both of you take a seat." They did and were joined within ten minutes by 'the others': Ron, Hermione, Neville, Civis, Susan Bones (who had returned only an hour before), Romulus Moon and Blaise Zabini, and the four Guardians. Harry turned to Civis and Draper, who were standing to the right of his desk. "Is everyone protected?"
Civis nodded, "Jamie and Mark will be fine, Johnson and the Bash Brothers are with them."
"Jarred handed Anita off to Smith, Abbott and MacMillan before he came up," Draper replied, glancing at Jarred for conformation. The blond Animorphmagus nodded. "Davies, Padma Patil and Goldstein are in the Infirmary, as per your instructions."
"Has there been another attack?" asked Susan, hesitantly.
Harry nodded, "Yes, a second-year Ravenclaw, Lilith Portland. She was found a couple of hours ago in the restricted corridor, on the third floor."
"Is she okay?"
"She's stable, Gin," Harry replied. "One of her broken ribs punctured her right lung and she also has some fairly serious abdominal wounds too. From a knife?" he said, looking at Draper.
"That's what Thomas thought," Draper replied. "He left her about half an hour ago."
"Jonas said you found a hair sample?" Harry prompted.
"Yes, we did, trapped in her clenched fist," admitted Draper. "Blond. Professor Snape stills maintains there isn't enough evidence to implicate Malfoy."
"Damn that man!" snarled Harry. "What does he want... a confession?!" Harry was furious, he was so angry that he was shaking and his breathing was quite ragged.
At first no-one knew what to do, then Ginny - who was more comfortable with Harry's rages than most of the others - got up from the chair she sitting on and moving to his side took his hand in hers and looked him straight in the eyes. "We'll get them, Harry. Malfoy and Snape."
After a minute or two, Harry stopped shaking and his breathing returned to normal. "Thanks, Gin."
"Anytime, Harry," Ginny assured him, and still keeping hold of his hand she moved to perch on his desk.
"What have we got?" asked Hermione.
Harry paused a moment, "Well, there have been three attacks: Jamie, on September 1st; Anita, on October 30th; and Lilith Portland, earlier today."
"Evidence?"
Harry didn't reply, so Draper took the question. "A statement from Jamie Clayton saying that she was attacked by four students, who she was unable to identify; a Slytherin Prefect's badge; and the hair sample found earlier today."
"Do we know if Jamie, Anita and Lilith Portland have anything in common?" Ginny asked. "Something that links them? A reason why Malfoy - or anyone else - would pick them particularly?"
"They're all redheads," offered Ron.
"I doubt that's it," Harry told him. "But you have a point."
"Jamie and Anita are first-years, but Lilith Portland's a second-year," Hermione reminded them. "So their age isn't a factor. And they're all from a different Houses, so that can't be it either."
"You're a pureblood, right?" Romulus Moon asked Susan.
"Mostly, my family's been pure for four or five generations, as far I know."
At a glance from Harry, Civis nodded confirmation. Harry sighed. "But Jamie's a Muggle-born and Lilith's a quarter-blood - her father's mum was a Muggle. So that doesn't help us either."
"There's something we're not thinking of..." Civis said. "Something we're missing..."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Civis said. "I should know... It's like something's stopping me from remembering..."
"A Memory Charm?" suggested Hermione.
"No, spells like 'Obliviate' or 'Perturbare' don't work on my kind."
"What about some sort of secrecy charm?" suggested Draper.
Civis nodded, "That could work."
"We could try the counter-charm for the Arcanus Charm, that one used to be quite popular."
"Okay, what's the incantation?" said Harry, taking out his wand.
"'Facere Verum Notus'."
Harry nodded, then he turned to Civis. "May I?"
"Of course."
Harry pointed his wand at his companion. "Facere Verum Notus."
Civis quivered for a moment, then shook his head to clear it. "Thank you, Harry. I think I have the information we need."
"Well?"
"The connection is you, Harry."
"Me? How am I connected to Jamie? We're friends but..."
"Apparently, you are more than that. Clayton is not her real name, her father was born George Samuel Potter, son of Tiberius Algernon Potter, and brother to James Tiberius Potter, your father. He was disowned and banished to the Muggle world in the late 1960s when he was identified as a Squib."
Harry was silent for several minutes as he tried to process this new information. "Okay. So Jamie's my cousin, that's good. obviously Anita's a third cousin. But what about Lilith?"
"I believe that her mother's name is Petunia?" Harry nodded, he'd met the woman earlier when McGonagall told her the news via Floo. "You have a descendent called Petunia Portland, a great-grandmother back in the 1800s, the connection is remote, but it is there."
"How does that help us?" asked Ron.
"It gives a connection we can use," Draper told him. "How many other relatives of Harry's are there at Hogwarts at the moment?"
"Six that I can think of..." Civis replied. "The four who've been attacked; plus Rose Brampton, another Gryffindor first year; Annette Fielding, another Ravenclaw second year, and Seeker Scott Summersby of Hufflepuff."
"So if we guard those three. then everyone should be safe?" Harry asked.
"If you're right... yes." confirmed Draper.
"I'll clear it with Albus," said Harry. "Can you get some extra people together? After we get back from the holiday should be time enough, Malfoy's going home for Christmas this year."
"I'll get on it," declared Draper, and headed out of the room, with the other Guardians right behind him. Susan and the Slytherins excused themselves and left too. Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna chatted with Harry and Ginny for a bit, then left too.
Sensing they wanted to be alone, Civis disappeared with a pop.
For a while neither of them said anything, Harry was still reeling from the revelation that Jamie was his cousin, and Ginny was content to just be there for him. Eventually, Harry broke the silence. "Well, this changes things."
Ginny - though she agreed - wasn't sure why Harry thought so. "In what way, Harry?"
"Well, I've finally got what I've wanted for as long as I can remember... a relative, an actual blood relative, that I care for and that cares for me too."
"I think I understand, Harry."
"As much as I love Sirius, Tonks, Professor Lupin, and your family... you are all. borrowed, I guess you'd say. Jamie is mine completely, and that's something that means a lot to me."
"I know, Harry," Ginny told him. "And I'm sure it will to Jamie too. Remember, she's always been alone, she hasn't even had the 'borrowed' family you have."
"No, she hasn't," Harry agreed. "And I'm going to do my best to make sure that she has all the family she wants from now on."
"How?"
"By bringing her home," Harry replied. "To me."
Disengaging from Ginny's hand, he crossed to the fireplace and took a handful of Floo Powder from its pot and tossed it into the fire. "Gryphon's Eyrie!"
After a minute, a head appeared in the fire. "What is it, Harry?"
"Is Sirius around, Antonia?" Harry asked the chalky-skinned energy- sculptor.
"Yeah, do you want me to get him?"
"Please," Harry confirmed. "Professor Lupin and Tonks too if they're with you."
"They are," she told him as disappeared.
Moments later, three heads appeared in the fireplace. "What's up, Harry?" Sirius wanted to know. "Hi, Ginny."
"Hi, Sirius."
"Sirius, I've just found out something that I thought you might want to know. And I thought Professor Lupin and Tonks would like to be on it too."
"Okay. What?"
"I'm not the last of the Potters."
There was a pause, and then Sirius spoke. "Ummm, Harry. Do I need to go and see a Healer? Because. I'm fairly sure I heard you say that you're not the last of the Potters."
"No, Sirius, you heard me correctly."
"How? Who?"
Harry sighed. "It's a long story."
"Perhaps just the short version," suggested Lupin. "And call me Remus, Harry. Or Moony if you prefer."
"Good idea, Prof. Remus," Harry agreed. "Okay, as you know some old wizarding families have a habit of sometimes. disowning people that they disapprove of." All three nodded. "Well, occasionally they go one step further. My grandfather, Tiberius Potter, had another son once, called George. When it turned out he was a Squib, has disowned. I suspect this was a fairly typical reaction." Again the three adults nodded in agreement. "When he was disowned, all memory of his very existence was erased. We managed to find out about by breaking an Arcanus Charm on Civis."
"So is George Potter still alive?" asked Sirius.
"Apparently not," Harry told him. "However, you have met his daughter."
Sirius frowned, then smiled as the answer came to him. "Not. Jamie?"
"Yep."
"Whoa, that's. not as surprising as I thought it would be."
"That was kinda my reaction," Harry admitted. "But it's still pretty intense."
"Does she know yet?"
"No, I'm going to tell her in the morning."
"Make sure you tell her before anyone else does."
"I will, Remus," Harry assured him. "I really wanted to ask you something. It's connected."
"What?"
"Jamie lives in Muggle orphanage, I wouldn't like that idea even in normal times. But, these times are not normal. I'd feel much better if we could. adopt her, I guess, and have her live with us. Would that be possible?"
"It should be," Sirius replied after a moment. "What do you think, Tonks?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Tonks agreed. "I'd check it with Dumbledore first, but I doubt he'll mind. I've a useful contact at the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee, Tilly Moiraill. She's a Muggleborn and has had some dealings with their adoption agencies and those sort of people in the past She should be able to fix it."
"Could she get a decision by Friday?"
"If, someone would. vouch for Jamie's ancestry I think she could probably manage it."
"I'll get my, butler, to send you one by morning."
"Then I'll get on it."
"I take it Jamie'll be coming for Christmas?"
"Yes, if you move Hermione into Ginny's room, Jamie can have hers. If that's okay with you, Gin?"
"Of course, Harry."
"And make sure that rooms are ready for Mark, Anita and Susan on the twelfth floor."
"Will do."
"Has anything much been happening?"
"There have been a few attacks on Muggles," Sirius admitted. "But nothing against wizard or Muggleborn families since the Bones attack."
"How's Helena?"
"Sirena says she'll be out of hospital in time for Christmas."
"Good."
"See you then, Harry. You too, Ginny."
"Bye, Sirius, Tonks, Professor."
The three heads disappeared with a pop and Harry and Ginny were alone again in the dark room.
"I think I'll go tell Jamie now actually," Harry decided after a while.
"Okay, do you want me to come with you?"
Harry shook his head. "I think this is something I need to do by myself. But thanks for being with me. Not just today. over the summer too. It really helped me."
"No problem, Harry. See you in the common room, later?"
"It's pretty late, and what I need to say to Jamie may take a while. I'll see you at breakfast."
"Okay, bye," said Ginny, hopping off Harry's desk and walking out.
Jonas?
«Yes, Harry?»
«Locate Jamie Clayton, please.»
«Give me a minute.»
«No hurry.»
«She's in the Astronomy Tower.»
«A lesson?»
«Confirmed, there are nine students present - all Gryffindors - and one teacher, tagged as 'Serena Sinistra, Astronomy Professor'.»
«Thanks, Jonas. I'll talk to you again soon.»
«Goodbye.»
Harry grabbed his cloak from behind his chair then headed out of the room, reactivating the locking spell on the door as he pulled it too.
Despite the late hour, Harry strode through the corridors with no attempt to hide his presence, after several late night run-in's with Filch since the beginning of term, the crotchety old caretaker knew better than to try and give Harry a detention and now avoided him where possible. He reached the base of the Astronomy Tower about five minutes before the scheduled end of the midnight class, deciding not to disturb the class he found a convenient niche across the hall from the entrance to the Tower and waited.
About seven minutes later, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs as the class was dismissed. As he expected, Jamie and Mark were the last ones out and were absorbed in a conversation with Rose Brampton, another of Malfoy's potential targets.
"Hi, Jamie."
"Harry! What are you doing here?!"
"I have something I need to tell you and I didn't want to wait," Harry told her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Something private."
Taking the hint, Mark hurried off after the rest of his class dragging Rose with him.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
"Nothing's wrong, Jamie," Harry assured her. "I just found out something which will probably change both of our lives forever."
"Something bad?"
"Surprisingly enough, no," said Harry. "At least I didn't think so. I hope you'll agree."
"Well?"
"I'm your cousin."
A/N: Just a point of clarification, Psychomens are born with the talent of Psychomency - a combination of Occulmency and Legilimency - which allows them to read and shield minds, create mind-to-mind links between one or more people, and also use mental energy to attack their enemies. The Psychomens Jonas Johnson is also a Metamorphmagus like Tonks.