"What did Snape want?" Hermione asked tentatively, not sure how Harry would react.
"Nothing important," Harry answered casually, not looking at her and returning his empty gaze to the wall.
Hermione looked at Madame Pomfrey, and exchanged a fleeting glance, full of worry and uneasiness, as they took one last glance at Harry, before returning to tending to Hermione's injuries. After having her cut healed, Poppy said she could go back up to the Common Room, but called her back just as her and Harry were about to leave.
"Here," she said, handing Hermione a small tube of ointment. "In about half an hour, rub it into your bruises. It won't take them away, but it will make them heal a bit faster."
"How much faster?" Hermione asked curiously, taking the tube.
"Well, for example: Those bruises should be a motley yellow by morning, instead of purple like they are now."
"Thanks," Hermione smiled weakly.
Poppy waved a hand casually. "Think nothing of it. I can tell that his year is going to be a busy one anyway…" Poppy stopped abruptly and she covered her mouth with her hand, as she realized what she'd just said. She fleetingly took a worried glance at Harry, and was visibly relieved when he didn't seem angry with her.
However, Hermione could see a small amount of hurt, beneath the emptiness, just before Harry turned and started walking toward the doors slowly. She took one last look at Poppy, who was looking apologetic, and shook her head.
"It's OK. He'll be fine," she said kindly, before nodding her farewell, and quickly catching up to Harry.
"She didn't mean anything by it, Harry," Hermione explained tentatively, still feeling very put off by Harry's iciness. He didn't answer or react to her in any way, as they walked through the corridors, on their way back up to Gryffindor Tower, and it was making the trickle of worry and fear Hermione had felt in the Ward, slowly turn into a river. Just before they got to the Fat Lady, Hermione stopped when she felt Harry's hand on her shoulder.
Slowly, she turned to face him, and forced herself to look into his expressionless eyes.
"We aren't telling Ron what happened either," he said bluntly. "I'm going to give him the same story I gave Snape, and that will be the end of it."
Without waiting for a response, Harry walked on to the Portrait Hole and gave the password, before disappearing into the Common Room, leaving Hermione out in the corridor with her thoughts. Was this just another side effect from the Bond Harry held with Voldemort? Or could taking someone's life, change his very personality so grossly?
Hermione fought back her tears, as she tried to shake the way Harry made her feel when he was around now. Hermione settled down a bit, before entering the Common Room, deciding to wait until morning to see if the Harry she'd come to know and love like a brother, was really gone or not.
The first thing Hermione saw upon entering, was Ron standing next to the couch, looking confused as he stared at Harry's back, as he walked briskly up the Boy's dorm steps.
"What's the matter with him?" he asked, still facing the stairs, seeing Hermione in the corner of his eye. "He didn't say anything. Didn't even look at me. Where have you two been?" he asked finally, turning toward Hermione, only to have him swear as he spotted her face. "What happened?" Ron exclaimed, approaching Hermione and bending slightly to look at the bruise more closely.
"Nothing huge," she answered, giving a hollow laugh as guilt ripped through her. Why would Harry not want to tell Ron about what had happened? Not telling him about Remus would be worse than when he didn't tell them about being an Animagus, and they all knew how badly that had turned out. "Harry just copped me a good one again. Kind of like he did with Malfoy this morning."
"Is that why he seemed so different?" Ron asked gently, though frowning slightly in thought. "Because he'd hit you again? It seemed like something more important than that though, just by looking at him – "
"Oh well thank-you very much," Hermione interrupted, feeling hurt by Ron's words, even though she knew he didn't mean it that way.
"No!" Ron said apologetically, holding his hands in front of him. "No … I'm sorry, it's just – He seemed so distant. Like something was really troubling him…"
Hermione nodded and gently took hold of one of his hands. "I'll put it in perspective for you Ron," she said softly. "Imagine that you were a prisoner inside your own mind, being forced to watch as your own hands struck Harry, over and over. How would you feel?"
Ron lowered his eyes, as he contemplated his answer for some time. "I guess I'd feel pretty lousy," he answered, grimacing slightly.
Hermione nodded. "Exactly. Now, that's what Harry feels when he attacks you … but when it's me, it's different. Example … Instead of hitting Harry, imagine that you were hitting Ginny."
Hermione could see the torment in Ron's eyes merely by thinking about it, much less doing it. She felt him shudder involuntary, and grimace, before looking at her and sighing. "And that's only using your mind," she said gently. "He has to go through it. Don't even try to understand how it makes him feel, because you'll never come close."
Ron sighed, but still nodded in mild understanding. After Hermione's example, at least now Ron knew a sliver of how Harry felt. Seeing Ron glance at her bruise again, before flicking his gaze up to where his dorm was, Hermione spoke once more.
"Ron? No matter what Harry does, please don't think any less of him. It's hard enough on him at the moment, and he doesn't need us judging him for what he doesn't intend to do."
"I wasn't about to," Ron commented lightly. Suddenly, a grin flashed across Ron's face, which he quickly tried to hide, but Hermione had spotted it, and was curious at what he might find humorous at the moment.
"What?" she asked slowly, fighting off her own unexplainable smile. "What's so funny?"
Ron cleared his throat, and tried to give Hermione a truly curious look. "Are … um. Are you going to where purple eye shadow tomorrow? Because it would go well with your blush – OW!!"
Ron rubbed his arm where Hermione had playfully hit him, but still grinned, happy that she wasn't insulted. She still glared at him, but Ron could see her fighting off a smile as she did.
"For your information, Ronald Weasley, Madame Pomfrey gave me some stuff to heal them faster. Now if you'll excuse me, I believe it's time for some well deserved sleep. Goodnight."
"Well, before you go," Ron started, "Did you find Hank at all? Was he all right?"
Hermione stopped, midway across the room and didn't move. Ron frowned at this, but soon after, Hermione turned around, giving him a weak smile.
"Yeah. Yeah we found him all right. He was fine. See you tomorrow."
With that, Hermione spun around and dashed up the Girls Dorm stairs, out of sight, leaving Ron rather confused. Why would that one question make her act so vague? Plus, she looked about as uncomfortable as Ron had ever seen her. Deciding to leave it go for the night, thinking that it might've had something to do with Harry again, Ron walked up the stairs and quietly entered the Fifth Year Dorms.
He took one glance at the closed hangings around Harry's four poster, before heading to his own, changing quickly and climbing into bed……
"Harry you look terrible!" Ginny exclaimed, when he went down to visit her the following morning. She was right too. Harry had circles under his eyes and looked drawn and pale. He hadn't gotten to sleep until around four in the morning, and even then, he'd been plagued with nightmares and visions of Remus falling to his death.
Not wanting to talk to either Ron, nor Hermione, Harry had woken early and left the Common Room to see if he could visit Ginny and Sirius, before classes that day. As Sirius was still in bad shape, Madame Pomfrey had told Harry that he could see Ginny, but Sirius needed to rest.
"Don't worry about it," Harry reassured her, smiling weakly. "I just didn't get that much sleep last night. Not that that's unusual," he remarked, trying to sound light-hearted for Ginny's benefit. "You'd think I'd be used to living on a few hours sleep a night by now, wouldn't you?"
"Come on now Harry," Ginny scolded, smiling widely. "Even the great Harry Potter must get some rest sometimes. Your going to make yourself sick, and I'm sure you don't want to be a patient in here again so quickly?"
"Well, that's true," he answered, grinning faintly. "I guess It'll just take a little time to readjust to living in the school, and all that." Ginny was smiling softly at him, but there was something in her eyes that told Harry that she knew he wasn't being completely honest with her about something. Hastily, Harry searched for a change in subject. "Anyway, enough about me. What did you and Ron talk about last night?"
"Not that much actually," Ginny answered, sounding a little put out. "We didn't really talk or anything, and if we did, it was usually Ron trying to tell me to be more careful or something. I think he still feels bad about what happened, and that he couldn't really do anything to stop it…"
"He's not the only one," Harry said softly, after an awkward pause. Ginny looked up and held Harry's gaze, reaching out and grasping his hand when she saw the hidden torment in his eyes. "I felt so helpless Ginny," he continued, choking down the lump forming in his throat. "We weren't allowed to help until Kahn signalled to us. I was forced to watch that thing, as he burnt your legs and struck you. I should have done something!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, squeezing Ginny's hand tightly. "Anything would've been better than having you put through that!"
Seeing the barely suppressed tears in his eyes, and hearing the desperation in his voice, Ginny could sense that this was something deeper and more troubling to Harry than her kidnap. Ginny sat up straighter, and gently tugged on Harry's hand. Reading the gesture like a book, Harry bent forward and enveloped Ginny in his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he started to weep openly.
In turn, Ginny gently slipped her arms around Harry and held him close, whispering quietly to him as he cried away whatever was troubling him so deeply.
"How could I?!" Harry choked, in between racking sobs. "How could I do that??!! I should've just let it go! I should've been able to stop myself!! It shouldn't've happened at all!!"
Ginny let her own tears spill forth as Harry tightened his hold on her, with an almost suffocating desperation. She asked no questions, for she knew that Harry would tell her in his own time. But her heart went out to him, as she halted all attempts to perceive what would make Harry crumble so severely. Whatever it was, it had wounded him deeply, and all she could do, was help calm and soothe him, having faith that it would help him heal. ………
"I can't believe he didn't wait for us!" Ron fumed, as he and Hermione walked down to breakfast.
Hermione just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Ron, give it a rest. He might've left early for a reason, you know? He could be in the Hospital Wing, seeing either Ginny or Sirius, or he might even have gone to see Dumbledore about last night? We don't know."
Ron sighed and nodded, accepting Hermione's reasoning for the time being. Hermione however, was silently hoping that Harry wasn't telling Dumbledore about the previous night, for she wanted to be there as well, to give her own account of what had happened, seeing how Harry's state of mind at that time wasn't too reliable. And to tell him what had triggered the explosion in the first place.
Hermione shook her head, almost in wonder, at how Hank – with all his intelligence – could do something so foolhardy? He'd been so careful at the start of the year, but as he grew more comfortable here, he'd become sloppy and careless. Now, he'd have to find a way to explain himself to Harry, and she didn't really want to be around for that.
As soon as they entered the Great Hall, Ron took one glance at the Gryffindor table, and scowled.
"He's not here," he growled, starting to leave but being held back by Hermione. "Let go."
"No," Hermione answered flatly. "Your not leaving, your not going to look for him. You're going to sit down, eat your breakfast, and wait for him to show up, if he so chooses. Otherwise, we'll see him at Herbology. If he doesn't show up there, that's when we can start worrying."
Ron scowled at her, but Hermione held his gaze, pointing at the chair she dragged him to. "Sit," she ordered, trying to fight off a smile as some of the other Gryffindor boys snickered at the way she was treating him.
His ears turning red, Ron huffily plonked down on the bench and crossed his arms, as Hermione sat beside him. She glanced up at the Teachers table, and felt her stomach turn at what she saw.
Remus's chair was obviously empty, and Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were all visibly worried by his absence. Hank was at the table, and looking as dejected as Hermione had ever seen him, throwing glances at Remus's empty chair every so often. She saw him look at Dumbledore fleetingly, before returning his gaze to his barely touched breakfast.
Dumbledore seemed to have noticed his strange behaviour, and was trying to catch his eye, but Hank wasn't cooperating. Snape seemed to be giving Hank calculating looks as well, but didn't try to put in his two bits.
Dumbledore caught her eye, and asked her silently, "Where's Harry?" She shrugged and shook her head in response, telling him she didn't know, but spotted the Headmaster looking toward the Double Doors, as was Snape.
Turning, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and nudged Ron in the ribs, nodding in the direction she was looking, when he turned to scold her. Frowning, Ron turned as well, and saw Harry walking toward them, a small smile on his face.
Although she was happy to see him, Hermione could see that he didn't get much sleep that night, and he wasn't a energetic as he normally might've been. But at least he wasn't the cold hearted and icy person he'd been the previous night.
"Hey Harry, where've you been?" Ron asked, as soon as Harry had taken his seat opposite them.
"I went to visit Ginny. Why?" he answered, as he served himself some scrambled eggs and toast.
"No reason really," Ron shrugged. "Just that you'd left early and I was wondering where you were, when you weren't in here?"
Harry nodded and started eating. "Fair enough," he remarked lightly. "What's first?" he asked, turning to Hermione.
"Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione responded promptly, taking a swig of pumpkin juice, and seeing Harry's eyes darken almost immediately. He looked up at the Head Table and searched it, pausing for a moment on Remus's empty chair, before continuing along and letting his eyes stop on Hank.
Hermione's stomach twisted, for she knew that Harry had remembered Hank's acrobatic show from last night, and he no doubt wanted to interrogate him over it. Leaning forward slightly, Hermione took a chance and said, "Ask him about it when you're alone in class, or wait until just afterwards, please? He'll explain it, I know he will."
Harry shot her a sceptical look, but still nodded and went back to eating his breakfast, completely ignoring the baffled expression Ron was shooting them both……
"Well, Mr Potter seems to be himself this morning, Severus?" Dumbledore commented lightly, leaning around an interested Minerva to look at the Potions Master. "Whatever it was that was affecting him last night, seems to have passed?"
"Thankfully," Severus replied dryly. "I'm telling you it gave me the chills…" He shuddered involuntarily as he recalled the eeriness that had washed over him while in Harry's presence the previous night. He hoped to never experience it again. "Do you think we should put up some extra precautions for my afternoon class? Considering it has both Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy in it, I'm not really willing to risk anything."
"Well after what you told me about yesterday morning, Severus, I truly believe that Mr Malfoy will not be a problem," Dumbledore answered, sounding rather amused. "And even if something small does occur, I willing to bet that you won't get involved this time?"
Severus scowled and turned back to his breakfast. "No. Actually, I think a different approach would work better than just trying to break them up…"
"Yes … I'm quite sure your nose agrees, Severus," Minerva remarked, trying her best to look innocent and meaning nothing by her words, as Severus glared at her. "How is it, by the way? I can't really see a difference, so – "
Minerva suddenly stopped and turned, as did most of the staff and students, when Hank angrily slammed his knife and fork onto his plate, sending a resounding "clang" echoing through the hall. He took one withering glance at Minerva, before standing abruptly and stalking from the Hall without a word to anyone, much to their confusion.
Severus, was the only one who didn't seem surprised by Hank's odd behaviour, and it was a fact Dumbledore didn't fail to miss. Harry, he spotted, seemed to be giving Hank a hard stare as he passed by his location, frowning deeply at Hank's retreating back. Only after Hermione had spoken to him, had he returned to his normal demeanour.
Seeing this, Dumbledore decided to use the small amount of Morphie magic he knew, and sent a beam of thought out, toward Harry's mind. He wanted to know what had made him react to one of his favourite teachers in such a way. Trying to be subtle, Dumbledore started to search Harry's surface thoughts, only to be caught by surprise when Harry startled, before turning and staring at him incredulously.
Feeling more than a little startled, Dumbledore hastily withdrew, but not before saying silently, "My apologies…". Dumbledore held Harry's gaze, until the younger man's face softened and nodded, accepting the repent, as he turned back to wave off any inquiries his sudden obliviousness had perked.
"I must be getting rusty?" Dumbledore mumbled curiously, still staring at Harry thoughtfully.
"What was that Albus?" said Minerva, finally shaking herself of the shock Hank's departure had derived.
Dumbledore turned to face her. "Hmm … Oh nothing. Just thinking out loud…"
"Good," she replied, gesturing to the Entrance Hall. "Because you can explain to me what that was all about?" ……
"Wonder what the matter with Hank is?" Ron asked as he, Hermione and Harry got ready for their Herbology lesson. "I think that's the first time I've seen him in a bad mood without a reason?"
"Ron, no one can get in a bad mood, without something to cause it in the first place," Hermione stated simply. "And I doubt he'd tell us if we asked him about it, so I wouldn't dwell on it. Let's just hope he's in a better mood by the time we get there…"
Any other talking was put on hold, as the lesson was called in by Professor Sprout. That lesson, they learned about Fairy Cauldrons; which were actually mushrooms that were upside down, forming a sort of cup. When water was pored into them, they changed the water into a mild healing potion, which could be drunk. If the mushrooms were eaten, they were able to help fight off any poison or toxin that may be effecting the eater.
They only worked this way though, when freshly picked. If left unused for a couple of days, they spoil, and instead of healing, they themselves can be a poison if eaten or drunk from. The school actually had a small planting of the strange fungus, out behind the Greenhouses, that Madame Pomfrey would use in cases of extreme emergency.
"Well that was an interesting lesson, wasn't it?" Hermione said excitably, as they strode toward Hagrid's Hut for CoMC. "I had no idea that they even existed, let alone they had a small crop of them. They'd come in rather handy, wouldn't they? Especially if you got hurt out in the middle of nowhere…"
"Hermione," Ron interrupted. "Didn't you here what Professor Sprout said? They're really rare. Your not going to find them just anywhere."
"My God!" Harry exclaimed, looking at Ron and feigning extreme shock. "Ron Weasley! You mean to say that you actually paid attention in class?? Plus you picked up on something before Hermione did! Miracles do happen after all…" he grinned, laughing and raising his hands, as Hermione swatted him on the shoulder.
"Hey Harry," said Ron. "Do you think Malfoy'll give you trouble today? I mean, after drilling him yesterday, you think he'll pick a fight?"
Harry shrugged and heaved a heavy sigh. "I really don't know. If he has a brain, no, he won't … but I wouldn't hold out on that," he grinned. "He hasn't shown any evidence of possessing a brain in four years, so I doubt he'd've grown one over the summer…"
They all arrived at the Hut laughing heartedly, drawing Hank's attention.
"Well, we are a happy lot today, aren't we?" he chuckled, pausing when he saw Harry eyeing him searchingly. Deciding to ask him about it later, Hank didn't query him about it. "Ready for today's lesson? It's not too difficult, considering how Wednesday's one went…"
"That was Malfoy's fault!" Ron said heatedly. "It wouldn't've happened if he didn't curse Diego in the first place!"
"I know Ron, I know," said Hank placidly. "And don't worry … he'll get his comeuppance, when the time is right." A ghost of a smile flicked over Hank's face, as he glanced up toward the Main Entrance.
Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to look, and saw that the Slytherins were beginning to make their way across the clearing; Malfoy and his cronies in the lead.
"Err, and Harry?" Hank added cautiously. "Not that I doubt your self-control … but maybe you should try to avoid Mr Malfoy? I know that he should've learned something from yesterday," he added hastily. "But let's face it, he's not the brightest of people."
Harry remained even faced for a moment, before he let his face spit into a wide grin. "Hey, it's not like I go looking for his company you know? I actually would like to go a day without losing my head…"
"Amen to that," Hermione remarked dryly, grinning slightly as Harry knocked her lightly on the shoulder, though smiling. "Though I'm not really worried about Malfoy in your class, Hank. I'm going to be on the edge of my seat this afternoon though."
Hank frowned. "Why?"
Hermione grimaced, "We've got Double Potions with them."
"Ahh … right. Well, at least you have Severus as your teacher, so he'll probably try to keep Mr Malfoy in line. He may not be fair all the time, but he's smart enough to know that you don't place a match to the oil."
They all stood in reflective silence for a moment, as the rest of the students started to arrive and mingle, waiting for Hank to begin the lesson for the day.
"Hey Harry?" said Seamus, approaching the three friends, looking mildly confused. "I was wondering if you'd seen Professor Lupin today at all? 'Cause he wasn't at breakfast, and it's not a full moon yet, so – "
Harry stiffened slightly and shook his head. "No I haven't seen him – "
"Professor Lupin has been unavoidably detained, for the next few days," Hank suddenly interrupted, a trifle sternly. "Not to worry though … he'll be back when he's finished his business."
Seamus looked a little iffy about Hank's sudden harshness, but still nodded and went back over to Dean, while Harry and Hermione simply stared at each other, bewilderment and fear mixed in with each other.
"What – what do you mean?" Harry asked tremulously, looking at Hank with extreme scepticism. "He hasn't gone on some sort of trip?"
Harry looked down as Hank gazed at him searchingly. Silently, Harry scolded himself for his big mouth, hoping that Hank wouldn't question him on his earnestness.
"Remus had some business to take care of, and it has held him up for a few days," Hank repeated, this time, his voice was laced with something that Harry perceived to be warning.
"Um … Can I ask, when he was supposed to have left?" Hermione put in timidly.
Hank gazed down on them, almost suspiciously. He noted how Hermione and Harry were looking beyond nervous about something, but Ron was looking confused past endurance.
"Why do you want to know?" he responded, after some time.
Hermione glanced at Harry fleetingly, before answering, "We were, um … we were just wondering what time he was supposed to have left?"
Hank shook his head and frowned down at them. "Uh uh. What's the real reason you want to know when he left? I know you're not telling me the truth so you're better off just telling me."
"We need to know," Harry started quietly, "when Remus was believed to have left Hogwarts? That's all we can tell you."
"Harry, what's – ?" Ron began, but was silenced by Hermione raising her hand, and motioning for him to be quiet.
Hank continued to stare at them, before finally replying, "Last night."
"When?" was Harry's short response.
Hank hesitated again, only now it was with concern. He opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off.
"Excuse me Professor?" Parvati Patil spoke up from a small distance away. "But what are we doing today?"
Hank returned his gaze to Harry for a brief moment and said, "We'll continue this later," before addressing the whole class, while walking toward the front of the clearing.
"Today, Miss Patil, we will be studying – "
"When!?"
Everyone turned toward Harry, fixing him with an incredulous stare, except for Hank, Hermione and Ron. Harry's gaze was hard, and currently his eyes were fixed on Hank, completely unwavering as he held his gaze.
Knowing how this would end if he didn't pacify Harry, Hank reached out with his mind, so he could surrender to Harry's demand, without losing the illusion of authority with the rest of the class.
"All right, Harry. I'll tell you."
Harry nodded, though his eyes remained defiant. "When?" he repeated, though not as harshly.
"He was supposed to have left sometime around dinner last night…"
The effect these words had on Harry startled Hank to no end. All of a sudden, he found his senses overwhelmed with an unbridled sense of despair, all the while trying to leave Harry's mind, in an attempt to escape it.
Hank shook his head slightly, once he'd returned to his own mind fully, still feeling traces of Harry's torment echoing through it. On the outside though, Hank was surprised that Harry looked as calm as he'd ever seen him before, despite the torrent of emotion under the surface.
Seeing that Harry had calmed down now, Hermione making sure of that fact quietly, Hank turned back to the rest of the class, and resumed where he left off.
Harry was no problem for the rest of the class, where Hank had them take notes as he dictated to them, while they observed a small gathering of Spriggans. They were short and stumpy little people, standing about twenty inches tall, and they lived in family groups. For some reason, these little people had quite the obsession with building things out of stone, and took great pleasure in having unofficial competitions with rival groups, in who could build the better wall, or bridge, or just a structure that stood there for no real purpose.
What everyone found intriguing about them however, was their unique ability to create stone from the air, and have the ability to mould it like clay, yet to anyone else touching it, would be as rigid and hard as the stone that it was. It was for this reason, that stonework made by Spriggans, was some of the finest in the world.
The loud bell echoed across the grounds, signalling the end of morning classes. Hank didn't set any homework for them this week, for which most of the students were grateful (except Hermione, obviously) and held Harry, Ron and Hermione back as they began to leave for lunch.
"All right Harry," Hank started cautiously. "Why the sudden need to know when Remus departed last night?"
"I just needed to know … that's all," Harry answered quietly, looking at the ground. "It's nothing important…"
"Forgive me, but I don't believe you," Hank replied. "If it wasn't important, than you wouldn't've gotten worked up over it, would you? Why can't you just tell me the truth?"
At this, Harry stopped gazing avidly at the ground, and raised his eye line to Hank's sharply, his gaze icy.
"The truth?" he said coldly. "Why should I tell you the truth, when you don't show me the same courtesy? Hmmm? You lied to me! You told me that humans couldn't use Feline magic as efficiently as a Feline could, yet I saw you with my own eyes, playing Spiderman on the castle walls last night!!!"
Hank stared at Harry, thunderstruck. "What?" he whispered. "You – you saw me?"
"Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me you were a Feline!!???" Harry yelled, the insult he was feeling, clearly evident in his voice as he fought to keep it steady.
"What!!???" Ron exclaimed, goggling up at Hank as though he were an alien. "You're a Felanade!!"
"Both of you, keep your voice down!" Hermione snapped, though looking between Hank and Harry almost fearfully. "It's not exactly public information!"
"You knew???" said Harry, staring at Hermione, wide-eyed and obviously hurt. "You knew he was a Feline, and you didn't tell me?"
"I'm not the only one who knew what he was, Harry," Hermione tried to explain calmly, taking a quick glance at Hank, who for his part was looking very put out. "Dumbledore knows, Snape knows, Madame Pomfrey knows, Remus knew, Sirius knows … and they all kept it from you. They kept it from all of us, and it was only by luck that Hank told me…"
"But why wouldn't they??" Harry pressed earnestly, "Why wouldn't you tell us?" he repeated, turning to Hank.
"Harry," said Hank quietly, his mien ashen, "I – I never told any of you, because I wasn't sure on how you would react. I mean, look at how Hermione here took it when she found out that Dumbledore associated with Feline's, let alone hiring one to teach here?"
"But I never thought that way from the start," Harry replied. "Ever since I met Kahn, I liked him. I never saw anything wrong with him, even after Hermione tried to convince me otherwise, and you knew that. You could've told me……" Harry hung his head and looked at the ground, trying to push down the burning at the back of his throat, and the dampness in his eyes.
"I wanted to, Harry. Truly I did," said Hank, gently placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, only to have him jerk away from it. "There were so many times I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to give you anything more to trouble you, when you already had so much to deal with."
When Harry still made no motion of recognition to Hank's word's, he sighed heavily and knelt down, bringing him to just on Harry's shoulder height. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was a Felanade, Harry. Your forgiveness would mean more to me than I think you realize, but if you choose not to, I'll understand."
Harry still made no move, so Hank looked at his hands dejectedly, and straightened up to his full height. He glanced at Ron and Hermione, who were gazing at Harry sadly, before he stepped around them and started back toward the school, forgetting about the issue concerning Remus.
"If it will help me gain your forgiveness, Harry – I'll even permit you to tell Ginny about me," Hank called from over his shoulder, his deep voice echoing on the breeze. "I pray you can one day … and I'll wait forever if I have to…" ……
Although Hermione was ecstatic that Hank had finally told Harry he was a Feline, she was also worried over the fact that he'd allowed Harry to believe Kahn was someone else. At no point had Hank corrected Harry's assumption Kahn was a different person, and tell him that he was one and the same Felanade.
Although, as she looked at Hank's retreating back, she was very surprised that Harry was holding a grudge against him for it. Hank had given him the opportunity to forgive him for hiding it from him, and had apologized more than once … yet Harry hadn't accepted the offered repents.
"I'm going for a walk," Harry spoke up suddenly, startling Hermione from her thoughts.
She turned in time to see Harry turn, and stride off in the opposite direction from the school, heading toward the Lake.
"Harry wait!" she called. "We need to talk about this!"
"There's nothing to discuss!" he shot back, over his shoulder before turning forward again and continuing his trek.
Both Ron and Hermione stood between the two retreating figures, Ron with confusion, and Hermione with concern.
"Did I miss something?" said Ron, his bewilderment clearly visibly on his face. "Why did Hank only apologize to Harry? And why do they only behave like that around each other?"
"I think we are missing something," said Hermione, watching Harry vanish into the shrubbery. "Something important. They don't treat each other like a student and Professor …… It's more like a – I don't really know … Like a Nephew and Uncle, maybe?" She turned and watched Hank disappear through the Main Doors, curious as to why they behave in such a way toward each other, when they only met just over a month ago?
"I can't believe that Hank's a Felanade!" Ron grinned, as he started to walk up to Lunch. "I wish he'd've told us earlier though … When did he tell you?" he turned to Hermione, walking beside him silently.
"Me? Why do you want to know? It's not like it's important information…"
"I just wanted to know how long you've kept this a secret?"
Hermione looked up at Ron sharply. "It's not as if I wanted to keep it from either of you, you know? It wasn't my secret to tell, and Hank asked me not to tell anyone anyway – "
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down … I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound that way," Ron said apologetically, resting his arm across Hermione's shoulders. "I was only curious about how long you've actually known, that's all?"
Looking up at him, Hermione saw that Ron was genuinely sorry for upsetting her. Sighing lightly, she answered, "I've known since Wednesday…"
"Only two days ago?" said Ron, sounding surprised. "When Wednesday? As I recall, that was a rather busy day?" he grinned.
"He told me during Lunch," she answered, after shooting him a small grin. "Right before I … Umm …"
"Right before you were nearly killed…" Ron finished for her, though his voice had hitched a little as he spoke of it.
"Yeah," Hermione nodded, though still slipped her arm around Ron's waist reassuringly, as she heard the sadness in his voice. "Well, my whole outlook on Feline's change after that, because he saved my life using his healing … the least I could do was keep my promise to stay silent…"
Neither spoke for the rest of the walk toward the castle, until Ron asked suddenly, "What did Harry mean when he told Hank he saw him playing "Spiderman" last night? What on earth is a Spiderman?" ……
"Albus, may I have a word?"
Dumbledore looked up from his lunch, to see an uncharacteristically serious Hank, standing beside him. Seeing that it was something important, Dumbledore nodded and stood, accompanying Hank into the small room behind the Head Table.
"I have to tell you something, Albus," Hank said as soon as Dumbledore closed the door fully. "I don't know whether it's a good thing, or a bad thing that this happened, but I suppose that I only have myself to blame for it…"
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the constant overstepping of the boundaries we set in place at the start of the term, would it? With regards to your Felanade talents?" said Albus, raising an eyebrow.
Hank nodded and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Albus, really I am. I couldn't help myself, I was so relieved that Sirius would live, I just walked out on Harry and Ginny, and Orbed out onto the roof so I could think. I didn't know that Harry would see me while I was letting loose – "
"Wait," Dumbledore interrupted, holding up a hand. "Harry saw you? When exactly were you doing your acrobatics, and where?"
Frowning by the sudden change in demeanour, Hank stammered slightly as he replied, "Um … I was sliding around near North Tower, around about nine-ish, maybe? Why?"
"I sent Remus looking for you at Dinner, so I could remind you about our agreement, and I haven't heard from him since, and no one has seen him. Now last night at around midnight, Severus came into my office, saying that Mr Weasley had told him, that Harry and Hermione had followed Remus because they'd surmised he was going to look for you, after your rather unusual response to Harry telling you Sirius was going to be fine. At that time, they hadn't been seen since they left the Great Hall as well.
"After a short space of time, Severus returned to my office, saying that Miss Granger was currently being treated in the Hospital Wing, with Mr Potter close by. The reason he knew this, was because when he'd gone in search of all four of you, he found a broken window in one of the corridors that overlook the area you just said you were letting fly in. Upon closer inspection, Severus found some blood on the floor and identified it as Miss Grangers.
"Seeing how Hermione was supposed to be with Harry, Severus feared the worst and went down to the grounds to check it out, but he strangely found no body, yet there was clearly one there, and it had been dragged a distance before simply vanishing. Now when Severus told me this, he said that Harry had seemed very cold and emotionless. Apparently Harry told him that he'd lost his cool again and attacked Hermione, which is why her blood was on the floor, and that the window in the corridor was like that when they got there."
"So you're saying," Hank started, when Dumbledore didn't continue, "Is that Harry saw me, and it somehow started him off, the closest target being Hermione?"
Dumbledore nodded. "However, there is still the subject of Remus seemingly vanishing off the face of the planet? Plus, we have an unexplained disappearing body? There is something amiss, but I don't know enough to be able to pinpoint it…"
They stood in silence for a moment, when Hank spoke up again saying, "May I finish telling you what I started?"
"Oh, forgive me. Please continue," Dumbledore answered, now paying attention.
"Well, as I said earlier, Harry saw me last night, and by what you've said, I assume Hermione must've been with him. Well, during class he confronted me about it … and he'd figured out that I was indeed a Felanade…"
"How did he take it when you confirmed it?" Dumbledore replied after a short pause.
"He took it to heart, that I didn't tell him earlier. He asked why I didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth. I tried to apologize, but he didn't answer me," Hank said heavily, visibly upset that Harry wouldn't accept his apology.
Dumbledore sighed. "I am sorry, Hank, but I tried to tell you he would be offended. He's taken a great liking to you, and he expects trust from his friends, not deceit. Did you tell him you and Kahn are one and the same as well?"
"No," Hank answered, grimacing. "I hurt him enough for one day, so I thought it would be best to save crushing his spirits for another day…"
Dumbledore smiled kindly and patted Hank on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. He'll come around, once he's had time to think it over. He'll understand why you had to keep it a secret, eventually. Just be patient."
Hank grinned down at his old friend. "Albus, I'm a Felanade. Patience is something I needed to learn at a very young age, and that was a very long time ago. Remind me how old I was when we first met again?"
"I honestly can't remember," Dumbledore chuckled. "But seeing how I couldn't've been any older than Thirty … now I'm guessing you're probably near on what? Eight, Nine Hundred?"
"Could be," Hank replied airily. "I sometimes wish my memories lasted as long as my life … but some things are best forgotten." ……
"Wow, climbing walls would be so cool!" Ron exclaimed for the umpteenth time, while he and Hermione sat and ate their lunch. "Wouldn't have to worry about taking the stairs again, that's for sure."
"Keep your voice down," Hermione repeated again, in a hushed tone. "Remember that no one is supposed to know what he is, or what he can do."
"Oh yeah, sorry," said Ron, a mite sheepishly. "So, do you think Harry will turn up for afternoon classes? Or will he decide to skip them, after what happened just before?"
"He won't skip it, Ron," Hermione answered curtly. "He knows he'll get into trouble for it, even if he could most likely get away with it. He just needs to cool off a bit, that's all. He'll show up by the start of class … don't worry."
"Well, how about we go up and try to visit Ginny?" he suggested instead. "We could tell her about Hank then, couldn't we, instead of waiting until dinner, when Madame Pomfrey lets her out?"
Hermione almost immediately shook her head. "No, I think it'd be better if we waited for Harry, before doing that. He'd want to be there as well…"
"All the more reason to go and tell her now," Ron retorted, a touch harshly.
"Oh Ron give it a rest!" Hermione exclaimed exasperatedly. "You can't stop them from feeling the way they obviously feel. One would think you'd be happy for your sister, instead of trying to push away the one person she actually fancies, who just happens to be your best friend?"
"Don't start on me with this Hermione," Ron warned. "Yes, she is my sister, and I don't want to see her get hurt ever again. And with the way Harry's been going about things, that's all he's going to do to her."
"Ron, you're only going to make them mad at you, for trying to keep them apart," Hermione reasoned gently. "And all things considered, I'd think that you'd be the first person to make sure that Harry doesn't get mad at you?"
"I know, I know," Ron sighed, looking defeated. "But … I can't think of them like that! I mean, come on! It's my best friend, and my SISTER!!"
Hermione had to stifle the laugh that was threatening to escape her lips, when she saw the absolutely disgusted look Ron was making, at the very thought of Harry paired up with Ginny. When she regained her composure, she patted Ron on his hand reassuringly, while still fighting off a grin.
"Ron, your baby sister is growing up. Get over it."
Ron scowled at her good naturedly. "Thanks for the moral support. I really needed it."
"Any time," Hermione smiled. "So, do we agree that we tell Ginny about Hank after dinner tonight? With Harry there?" she asked, now serious.
Ron didn't answer, for his attention had been drawn to behind the Head Table, as Hank and Dumbledore emerged from the back room, smiling broadly about something.
"What could they possibly find amusing at the moment?" he asked, pointing discreetly as Hermione shot him a confused look. "I mean … After what just happened between him and Harry, I'd've thought Hank wouldn't exactly be in a happy mood? Did he tell Dumbledore about it, you think?"
"Of course he would've told Dumbledore about it," Hermione answered, looking over her shoulder at the chuckling pair. "He'd have to tell him that now you and Harry know about him. Though what they're laughing about is completely evading me? Though, after what Madame Pomfrey told me about them, it could be any number of things?"
"What do you mean?" asked Ron, turning his attention back to his meal.
"Well, when I was in the Hospital Wing on Wednesday afternoon, Madame Pomfrey told me that Hank and Dumbledore have known each other for a very long time. Ever since Dumbledore was young, I think? Apparently they used to be trouble makers or something, like Fred and George, way back when. And seeing how old Dumbledore is, they could be having a chuckle about almost anything?"
"But, Hermione," Ron started, sounding confused. "How could Hank have known Dumbledore when he was younger? Look at him. He can't be any older than twenty-five or six?"
Hermione tutted and slapped herself lightly on the forehead, saying, "Silly me," before looking at Ron and explaining.
"Sorry, forgot to mention this. Um … Hank is older than Dumbledore is, Ron. Because of what he is, he has a much longer life span than we do. Apparently, Hank looked much like he does now, when Dumbledore first met him?"
Ron goggled at Hermione, before turning his eyes up to Hank, who was now sitting at his seat, eating his lunch.
"Wow," he said softly. "Imagine living for that long? Wouldn't it be cool?" he added, grinning.
"I'm quite sure I wouldn't want to," Hermione answered flatly, causing Ron's grin to falter.
"Why not?" he queried.
"Well, I'm sure that long lifespan has it's perks," Hermione started, "in that time is almost irrelevant; at least in the same way that we look at time. You could take things as they come, and not worry about how much longer you've got on this planet to accomplish what you want … but what about all the things you have to see, because you live for so long? You'd probably end up forgetting more than what most other's could ever hope to learn in a lifetime … and after a while, you'd seem detached and cold towards people. After all … why make friends when you're only going to lose them in the throngs of time?"
Ron seemed to be thinking about what Hermione had said, when she turned to look at Hank, a touch sadly.
"I mean, think about it, Ron," she continued quietly. "He's got to be at least a couple of hundred years old, and look how young he seems? Imagine how many mortal friends he's made and lost, as they aged and withered before his eyes, while to them he remains as youthful as he did the day they first met him?"
Hermione turned back to look at Ron, who now appeared deep in thought. "As far as I can tell … a long lifespan has a lot more downs than ups, and I'd consider it more of a curse than a blessing…" ……
Harry paced around the edge of the lake more times then he could count, trying to walk of the frustration inside as he thought of Hank's deceit. How could he keep that from him? He thought Hank never kept anything from him, but it turned out he was sorely wrong. He couldn't even trust him enough to tell him the truth.
And then there was Hermione. How could she not tell him something so important? She didn't even trust Feline's to begin with, and here she was, keeping one's secret.
"But you kept something important from them as well, remember?" a voice spoke at the back of Harry's mind. Harry grimaced, and stopped pacing, sighing heavily as he remembered lying to everyone when term started, about his being an Animagus.
Looking out over the calm murky water, Harry sighed again as he whispered, "Some things are better off as secrets…" Shaking his head as he recalled his rudeness toward Hank, Harry set off, back toward the castle, intent on apologizing to his friend before afternoon classes started.
As he grew closer to the castle, Harry started to feel the beginnings of shame. After everything that Hank had done for him, and the way he'd treated him ever since they first met in Diagon Alley … and this was how he'd repaid him. By turning his back on him as soon as he found out what he really was, even though Hank had given them a very valid reason why he didn't. He'd ignored his apology more than once, even though he could hear the sincerity in his voice, and the pleading … and he'd let him walk away, feeling downtrodden and cast aside.
Harry shook his head, disgusted with his own behaviour. He'd make it up to Hank, one way or another. Harry hurried through the Main Doors, and into the Entrance Hall, hearing the chatter of the other students as they were nearing the end of lunch. As he stood outside the Great Hall, Harry hesitated before walking in, now wondering if Hank would even talk to him?
Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened. Startled, Harry let his instincts take over, and quickly jumped out of sight, behind the hourglasses that measured the house points, waiting to see if lunch was finished, or if a teacher had decided to come out early? ……
"What were you two talking about?" Severus asked, as Dumbledore and Hank emerged from the back room behind the table, laughing lightly about something.
"Nothing much, Severus," Hank answered, heading over toward his seat. "I was just informing Albus that Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, now know about me."
"Is that a good thing?" he replied, flicking his gaze between the two contrasting men.
"Of course it is," Hank answered firmly. "Now, I don't have to lie to them anymore about it."
"How on earth did they find out? Did you decide to tell them?"
Hank sighed and shook his head. "No, I didn't tell them. Harry actually figured it out after he saw me doing my famous acrobatics on the roof last night, and confronted me just after class finished. Ron was present, so now he knows, and I told them that they could tell Ginny, if they wanted to."
Severus shook his head faintly and allowed a thin smile to touch his lips. "You know, Hank … with the way you've been going lately, the whole school will know about you by the end of term."
"How was I supposed to know that someone was watching me?" Hank countered. "I mean, it's not like the area around North Tower is a high traffic area, especially at that time of night?"
"What time would that have been, approximately?" Severus asked thoughtfully.
Rolling his eyes mentally, Hank then recounted the details of the previous night to Severus, as Dumbledore looked on; curious as to where this might be leading. When Hank finished his tale, Severus's brow was furrowed in thought.
"What would have taken them so long?" he mumbled distractedly.
"Pardon?" said Dumbledore.
Severus looked up at them again, still looking like he was thinking strenuously. "Hank said that what had set Mr Potter off, was his acrobatic stunt. Miss Granger was with him, and she already knew, and would have most likely tried to cover your tracks, which was most likely be the cause of Mr Potter's outburst. Now, you said that it was about nine o'clock when you did this, yes?" he asked, looking at Hank, who nodded. "Well, I inspected that hallway with the broken window at about midnight, then went down to the grounds to see if Miss Granger had been thrown from the castle as I'd originally feared. She wasn't, but there was still the issue that she had been injured, so I went up to the Hospital Wing to check … but Poppy was only just starting to treat the injury she had sustained from Harry's eruption. Now what I'm getting at, is why it would take them just on three hours to get down to the Ward to have the injury treated?"
Both Severus and Dumbledore sat back in their seats in thought, now pondering on the information Severus had brought to their attention … but Hank was not. He brought his hand to his forehead, as though just realizing something, but instead of looking relived about his new revelation, he appeared nervous and agitated.
He brought his eyes up, and suddenly began to search the Great Hall, looking for someone. He spotted Ron and Hermione talking about something, at the Gryffindor table, but he didn't see Harry anywhere near them.
"Excuse me," he said to no one in particular, earning a confused look from Dumbledore, and a searching one from Severus, as he rose from his seat, grabbing an apple from the table as he walked around it, heading toward Ron and Hermione.
"What on earth is he doing now?" Dumbledore muttered, watching as Hank stopped by the two students for a moment, before opening the doors to the Hall, and striding purposefully out them, heading for the grounds……
"Hey, what are they so serious about now?" Ron queried, glancing up at the Head Table, looking intently at Snape, Hank and Dumbledore, seemingly in deep discussion. "A second ago they were all laughing?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, would you stop spying on the teachers? They do have other issues to talk about you know, and you don't have to know all about them. They aren't only professors you know? Those three are probably the most involved in the fight against You-Know-Who … They could be talking about anything?"
"Well then what's Hank so worked up over?" Ron countered, still eyeing the Head Table. Hermione turned to look, and indeed, Hank seemed troubled about something, while Snape and Dumbledore seemed to be thinking. She saw Hank peruse the Hall, his eyes lingering on her and Ron for a moment, before searching the rest of Gryffindor Table.
He stood abruptly, and strode toward them, Hermione shooting Ron a curious glance as Hank grew closer. Ron shrugged slightly in response, but turned his attention to over Hermione's shoulder as Hank halted beside them.
"Do either of you know where Harry is?" Hank asked politely, though not completely concealing the worry underneath his deep voice. "I need to speak to him."
Hermione held up her hand, halting the question that Ron was about to ask. He shot her a confused look, but she shook her head before turning to face Hank and saying, "The last we saw him, he was heading for a walk around the Lake, so he could think and cool off a bit."
Hank smiled briefly and patted Hermione on the shoulder in thanks, before walking briskly to the Entrance Hall and exiting, turning toward the grounds and continuing.
"Don't ask," Hermione said as she turned back to her lunch, not even needing to look at Ron, to know that he was about to ask her what that was all about.
Ron shut his mouth and kept his eyes on Hermione for a moment, thinking. He looked out the Doors into the entrance, in time to see something dart from behind the door toward the grounds, following in Hank's wake……
In the shadows of the Entrance Hall, a hidden observer watched as the Feline strode out into the empty grounds, shortly followed by one of the students. A very special student. Smiling inwardly, she immediately set about sending a message to her higher ranking colleague, telling him of the opportunity……
Harry quietly moved from his hiding space, curious as to what Hank might be doing, until he saw him head out into the grounds. Harry quickly started after him, knowing that he was looking for him, and darted out into the fresh air, watching Hank stride swiftly toward the Lake.
Suddenly, Harry felt as though he was being watched, and spun around, his eyes darting everywhere in search of his observer … but spotted no one. Harry shook his head, believing that he was getting too paranoid for his own good, before turning again and setting off for Hank, who had just vanished into the trees surrounding the Lake.
Harry made his way through the undergrowth as quietly as he could, hearing Hank a ways in front of him, making no effort to quiet his steps. Finally, the noise ahead of him halted, and Harry surmised that Hank had finally come to the banks of the Lake. When Harry reached the edge of the shrubbery, he stopped and looked, as Hank strode around the outside of the murky water, his hands shoved in his tattered pockets as his bare feet kicked at the dirt.
Harry could see that Hank was disappointed that he wasn't there, and felt his guilt return in force. Still remaining hidden, Harry leant up against the tree by him, watching as Hank continued to stare over the rippling water. Suddenly, he seemed to shake his head, before taking Harry by surprise as he vanished in a swirl of white light.
Initially startled by this, Harry straightened up and emerged from his hiding place, looking around in the hope that Hank would reappear somewhere nearby. Harry walked out onto the banks and approached the place Hank had been standing moments beforehand, still seeing the imprints his bare feet had left in the dirt. Shaking his head in self reproach, for not approaching Hank when he had the chance, Harry sighed and mimicked Hank's behaviour, and stared over the vast water.
After standing there for some time, Harry glanced at his watch, and saw that afternoon classes had started. Cursing to himself, Harry turned and started back to the castle, hoping that Snape wouldn't get too upset with him.
A rustling in the bushes off to the side, made Harry stop and turn, his hearing sharpening as he strained to hear the noise again. Catching movement in his peripheral vision, Harry turned as a red fox emerged from the shrubbery, looking up at him curiously.
Harry didn't know why, but he felt an immediate disliking for the animal. It was just a tiny Red Fox … what's not to like? Harry thought. But something told him to stay away from it. The feeling grew even more pronounced as it started to walk nearer to him, gazing up at him with uncannily human eyes.
Feeling his nerves begin to jangle, Harry turned his back on the animal and started walking briskly through the undergrowth, on his way back to the castle. Harry stopped walking, his insides turning to lead, as a deep throbbing growl was resonating around him. Trying to steady his breathing, Harry tried to pinpoint the direction it was coming from, and decided that it was to his left.
Turning to look into the gloom the trees created, Harry's eyes widened as he saw a pair of eyes staring at him through the shrubbery … eyes that belonged to a hulking black wolf……