*comes in, dodging flying vegetables* Hey, everyone! Miss me? By the
tomatoes, I guess you'd like me to shut up and get on with the chapter, eh?
May I first give a note? My muse went into a coma, leaving this on my hard-
drive, I apologize if it seems to lack something but I promise that the
next one will be fresh and much, much come faster.
Sequel to Harry Potter and the Emerald Eye. (I suggest you read that first, but you don't have to, it's just a good idea.) Harry's in for quite a year when he starts seeing things that no one else can, is it a dream? Or is he really going crazy? Questions start arising like what did Voldemort do to his victim after he killed them? This has it all; mystery, insanity, a lot of Sirius and Remus, and everyone calls Harry a lunatic at least once! ;)
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS KEPT UP WITH THIS STORY. I really do appreciate it! You guys are what have kept me going, even when I was about to give up. Thank you so very much!
Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own the plot and a few original things. Elven itself all belongs to the master himself J. R. R. Tolkien.
Chapter 13: A Long Awaited Chapter
Harry was having a very odd dream. He was surrounded by graves that were made of, if he was not mistaken, donuts. Somewhere nearby there was the sound of chanting. Low and rhythmic. His hearing heightened, trying to discern it.
"Mornie utúlië! Mornie utúlië!" the shapeless voice chanted.
Harry felt the ground beneath him begin to quake, knocking him off balance. He fell, his head landing in front of a headstone. He looked up, and gasped. The chocolate frosting words that were carved into the headstone were not in English but in Elvish.
BANG!
Harry jumped. He blinked once or twice, fumbling for his glasses. He found them on the end table behind him. He put them on and looked around. He was on a red couch, and was covered up with a light blue blanket, but where was he? It was much too messy to ever be the common room or even his dorm room.
He could hear faint voices in the next room.
"I know I'm right."
"But . . ."
"I know it!" whoever was speaking slammed their fist down on something, and Harry knew instantly what had woken him.
"But Sirius!"
"Yeah, Moony?"
"Sirius, maybe this is part of their plan. It just doesn't make any sense- in which case it makes perfect sense."
"Perfect sense is right! I mean didn't you feel it too last night?"
"Of course I did. I am a werewolf you know." Lupin said indignantly.
"Along with that, Harry said he saw a wolf."
"A wolf?" Lupin said dubiously.
"Yes. That's why he screamed. He said it was coming at him." Sirius answered.
"Er, Sirius . . ."
"Hmm?"
"You know that Harry has been hallucinating quite a bit lately and . . ."
"What has that got to do with anything?" Sirius replied a bit louder than he intended. He quickly looked to the adjoining room door in fear he might have an awaken Harry in the next room.
Harry lied back down just in the nick of time.
"It has quite a lot to do with it Padfoot," Lupin said delicately, getting Sirius's attention again.
"Last night, I didn't pick up any wolf scent whatsoever. Werewolf or Muggle."
"So what exactly are you trying to say Moony?" Sirius whispered as he opened the door to peek inside. He breathed an inward sigh of relief as he saw Harry was still asleep.
"Er . . . ah . . . I think Harry might be going a little . . . umm . . . batty?"
"Not you too, Moony. First Snape, now you. Look, I say there has to be some sort of reason. I mean his dreams where his scar hurts are indicators for Voldemort right?" Sirius said crossing back over to his friend.
"So can't these as you call them hallucinations be something like that?" Sirius asked desperately. He didn't want to believe that his godson was going batty.
"I said _think_ Sirius, not I believe with all my heart and soul. And don't look at me like that, for all we know it could be something else. Perhaps you're right. I just know that there was no wolf scent."
"All right. Then what jumped out at him Moony. We all heard that scream. He genuinely saw something. I know he did. I heard all kinds of screams in Azkaban. This was one of absolute and sheer terror." Sirius said shaking his head. "I just don't know what to think anymore." he added softly.
Lupin sighed heavily. "I don't know either Sirius. I just don't."
Harry swallowed hard in the next room. Add another one to the list, he thought bitterly. Rumors of what he had seen during the Christmas break had been circulating lately, and whispers of "Potter's off his rocker" was beginning to follow him. He bit his lip in thought.
"I'm going to go check on him," he heard Sirius say just in time to pull his glasses off and the blanket back over him.
Sirius came into the room and saw his godson sleeping or at least what he thought was sleeping. He walked over to the couch and fixed the covers around his godson. Then he looked up at the ceiling and said softly "James, I hope you find this amusing up there, but could you stop your laugh-a-thon for one minute because I need some guidance here." He looked at Harry before his eyes went back to the ceiling. "I know I'm not the greatest at this parenting gig, but I . . . I want to be. I really want to. It's just . . . just . . . just I'm talking to a ceiling." Sirius plopped down in a chair, running a hand through his hand. "He's not in the ceiling Black, the stone isn't going to talk back to you . . .and Remus thinks Harry is off, geez . . ."
Harry cracked an eye open and squinted. He watched as Sirius's blurry form rubbing his eyes sleepily. He wondered if Sirius had gotten any sleep at all, he couldn't remember what had happened when they arrived back at the castle early that morning. For what he could tell, and it wasn't very much, Sirius looked as if he hadn't seen a bed in a good 48 hours.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty awakens."
Harry smiled blearily. "Morning Sirius, I think." he said sitting up and fumbling around for his glasses.
"Late afternoon is more like it," Sirius said with a smile.
"Did you sleep at all?" Harry said finally locating his glasses and put them on his face.
"My brain wouldn't let me. I've been cursing it since noon."
"Noon yesterday?" Harry questioned. He couldn't believe Sirius was still standing and coherent. But then again he couldn't believe a lot of what was going on in his life.
"Noon today," Sirius corrected.
Harry just looked at him like he had grown a second head "What did I just miss?"
"You literally slept the day away."
Harry just groaned as he thought aloud "They are gonna kill me."
"Who is?"
"Ron and Hermione. They must be worried when I didn't turn up today. Probably think I went off and got myself in loads of trouble without them."
"No need to worry, Professor Dumbledore knows that you were asleep. You got out of classes today," Sirius said.
"Really? Can I go back to sleep then?" He really didn't want to face anyone especially after the conversation that he had overheard the night before. It was also bound to be known that he had seen something the night before.
"Sure," Sirius said, stretching his arms over his head. "If that's what you want to do."
"Yeah, I do." said Harry flopping down on Sirius's bed "Unless you want to talk or something" he added.
"Well, off my bed and back on the couch where you belong is always a good conversation starter," Sirius grinned playfully.
"Haha," Harry shot back. "Fine, I'll go to the couch if you really want me to. Besides that is where loons belong isn't it? The padded places."
"Yeah, Harry you're as loony as they come. You refused a perfectly good donut after a tiny trip to the morgue," Sirius said cockily. "Never met a crazier frood in my life."
Harry just looked at him. "Always thinking of food aren't you?"
"Not food, _frood_," Sirius repeated.
"Frood? Is that a word in Elven I haven't learned yet?" Harry asked quizzically.
Sirius laughed. "No, no, it's just slang for an amazingly all together guy."
"Why don't I quite believe you?" Harry said quietly.
"You shouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't slept in thirty-six hours and my sanity level is at an all time low."
"Really? " Harry grinned deviously.
"Don't even think about it."
"I wasn't."
"Liar."
"Sirius!"
Sirius leaned forward. "Look into my eyes and say that."
Harry raised his head to confront Sirius's unnerving eyes. He opened his mouth and turned away laughing.
Sirius leaned back, placing his hands behind his head with a satisfied smirk.
"I liked that."
Harry looked up. "Liked what?"
"That," Sirius said as though it was obvious.
Harry's expression remained blank.
"You, laughing. You should do it more."
All signs of happiness left Harry's face. "Well," he said his voice sullen. "There's not much to laugh about is there?"
His godfather sighed, shaking his head. "No there isn't. But right now things can go either way. And you stand at a crossroads. You decide your road by how you act. You can be serious all the time but it's a drop-dead dull way to live, and we know which way things will go if you do that. Or you can have a little fun every now and then and forget about your worries for awhile, and you also know which way things will go for you if you do that."
Harry nodded, working his way through his godfather's words.
"Sirius?" he asked after a minute. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, shoot."
"It's completely hypothetical, but let's say that two people you can't see your life without after you got to know them say things about you. What they say is not meant to be hurtful but it is. Do you tell them or do you just shrug it off?"
Sirius rubbed his forehead before answering. "That depends. If it's something really important you should tell, you know like if it was life threatening, you know like the stuff you hear about in school. But if it's just something that you can shrug off than I wouldn't say so. Why turn molehills into mountains?" He looked Harry up and down. "Everything is fine with Ron and Hermione, right?"
Harry gave him a questioning look. "Oh! Nothing, nothing at all, I said it was hypothetical didn't I?"
"Aye, you did."
Inside Harry's mind a small but fierce battle was taking place. Millions of questions were shouting to be heard above the others. Should he tell Sirius about what he overheard? He struck that one down. Hadn't his godfather just lectured him about eavesdropping last night? The last thing he needed was another lecture, especially a Sirius one. He looked up as he felt Sirius run a hand through his hair.
Sirius shot him an easy grin. "I didn't mean to doubt your word."
"I know." Harry looked away again. His mind willed him to just come out and say it. Just say it! Sirius isn't going to strike you, he's not like that.
No, he shot back. Sirius was angry with me last night. I don't want him angry at me ever again.
He'll understand. He cares for you more than anyone else in the world.
Really?
Yeah, even if you _are_ a little batty in the head.
Oh bugger off, will you?
"Sickle for your thoughts."
Harry raised his head. "Nothing, it's just . . . never mind."
"Harry."
Harry sighed. "I was just wondering why you're so keen to talk even though you haven't slept in thirty-seven hours."
"That's very simple to explain . . ."
"Oh, is it?"
"Yes," said Sirius. "The reason is that I'm a member of the triple I."
"The what?"
"Insane Insomniacs' Institution. And not only am I a card carrying member but I'm also the founder." He flashed a cheesy smile, waving an imaginary card before completely cracking up.
Harry watched amused as his normally composed godfather toppled off his chair, rolling back and forth across the floor cackling at his own terrible joke.
"Did anyone tell you that you need help more than I do?" Harry asked as he cracked a smile. Sirius's laughter could be contagious
"I don't need help I need sleep, "cried Sirius covering his face with his hands, "I need it BAD!" He said, rolling back and forth howling. "Sleep is a GOOD thing! A very good thing! Sleep is the best!" He turned on his side, pounding the floor with his fist. "This is me when I don't get enough sleep! I babble pointlessly while cracking up!"
Harry just started full out laughing at this sight. "Yep, attention Loony Bin shoppers, the Bin is open. Potter and Black party of two right this way."
"On sale for twelve galleons and seven sickles," Sirius added. "A real bargain."
"Hey!" Harry cried indignantly. "That's kind of cheap for the both of us, wouldn't you say?"
"Lack of sleep decreased our value," Sirius said, standing up. He yawned, shaking his head in a doggish way. "I'm sure I'm setting a great example right now."
"Because you're currently on a sugar high and cracking up?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, flopping down next to Harry on the bed. "How come it sounds worse when you say it?"
"Because he's right?"
"Professor," Sirius jumped, compulsively straightening his T-shirt (which appropriately had "A Hard Day's Night" printed in black lettering across the chest) as he addressed Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked the pair up and down. "Well rested I trust Harry?"
Harry nodded, suddenly very conscious that he was in his boxers.
"Find anything?" Sirius asked, tossing Harry a blanket.
"I'm afraid not. Although a Mr. Bennington sent me an owl this morning asking if I had seen a pair of "loons" running around, one calling himself Detective White, the other simply "his assistant," said the mage lightly. "Otherwise I do believe that Davey's sister has given us the slip."
"I guess Fudge wasn't much help, if that owl was for him."
"It was," answered Dumbledore. "And no, he wasn't. Only restated what we already knew."
"That being?"
"Ms. Gudgeon's body has been missing for a year, and the surrounding areas will be searched." Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "They are still wary of my warnings."
"Things don't change, do they?"
"I'm afraid not Sirius."
Harry watched his godfather shrug feebly.
"You will keep me informed," he said, running a hand through his hair again.
"I will," promised the Headmaster. He turned to Harry, the twinkle had returned, adding, "And I trust to see you _both_ in classes again tomorrow."
Harry nodded, replying, "Yes, sir" over Sirius's groan.
Dumbledore chuckled.
"No rest for the weary Har'," Sirius said, getting to his feet. "I'll see you out Albus." The two left the room, and Harry could head the sound of low whispering but could not make anything out.
~~
The following day the news of Harry's adventures had circulated throughout the school. Harry struggled through his classes, trying desperately to avoid the seething looks from his fellows. "Figures this would happen to Potter, everything exciting happens to him." Harry shrugged it off. He doubted half of them wanted to face Voldemort on a regular basis. But the whispers became more frequent. The tales grew, and the taunts started to sting.
"It's all rubbish," Hermione said briskly one night while doing homework in the common room. Athena was reading a pint-sized copy of Hogwarts: A History, Thor was trying to steal it from her.
"Easy for you to say," grumbled Harry. "They're not about you."
"True, but don't you think they effect us? We don't like it either. Ron's serving detention for punching Crabbe on you behalf right now."
"And speaking of Ron," Harry added as the red-head stomped into the room, some sort of jiggling substance bedecking his robes.
"That little son of a-" "Ron?" Hermione said mildly. "Well, he is." "You had Snape then?" Harry guessed.
Ron raised an eyebrow. "No, Gudgeon. Snape's positively giddy over this whole thing. He's started a pool according to Lupin. How Many Days until Potter is Expelled, I think he said was the name."
Harry buried his face in his arms.
"It isn't any worse than our second year, Harry," Hermione tried. "And we lived through that just fine."
"True," Harry said raising his head. He felt something tugging on his hair. Reached up to free whatever it was, his hand brushed something cold and wet. "Apollo!"
"I think he's found a new chew toy, mate," Ron laughed. "Your hair."
~*~
As the last rays of twilight faded from the sky, Katie called the Quidditch team in. She lined them up in height order, pacing in front of them. "Well," she said finally. "I've noticed that some of us have been lacking in our . . . seriousness about the game." "Meaning that?" Fred prompted. Katie went to him, bringing her face close to his. She poked his belly sharply. It jiggled a little. "You should cut back on the canary creams, Weasley," she snapped, eyes flashing. "As should we are. We were never like this when Wood was here. There's so much flab on this team, it's pathetic." Spinning on a heel, she stomped to wear the box of Quidditch balls stood; only the Quaffle was out. Katie picked it up. "So before we even touch this," she tossed the large red ball. "We will run this." She pointed to the long thin white line that ran around the perimeter of the huge pitch. "Six times." Harry and Longo traded apprehensive looks. ~*~
The next morning the Great Hall was louder than usual when a very sore Harry, a brisk-looking Hermione and a yawning Ron arrived. Most of the students had forgotten their breakfast and were crowding around a large announcement. "Please let it say that Snape's retiring," Ron prayed as they fought their way through the throng. "Doubtful," Harry said, elbowing past a Hufflepuff. "Oh, no," Hermione groaned, the first to arrive at the notice. "They're starting another dueling club." Ron's eyes widened as a Ravenclaw pointed out, "Well, at least this one we'll see an actual duel." "Between whom?" he asked. "Professors Snape and Black!"
Sequel to Harry Potter and the Emerald Eye. (I suggest you read that first, but you don't have to, it's just a good idea.) Harry's in for quite a year when he starts seeing things that no one else can, is it a dream? Or is he really going crazy? Questions start arising like what did Voldemort do to his victim after he killed them? This has it all; mystery, insanity, a lot of Sirius and Remus, and everyone calls Harry a lunatic at least once! ;)
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS KEPT UP WITH THIS STORY. I really do appreciate it! You guys are what have kept me going, even when I was about to give up. Thank you so very much!
Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own the plot and a few original things. Elven itself all belongs to the master himself J. R. R. Tolkien.
Chapter 13: A Long Awaited Chapter
Harry was having a very odd dream. He was surrounded by graves that were made of, if he was not mistaken, donuts. Somewhere nearby there was the sound of chanting. Low and rhythmic. His hearing heightened, trying to discern it.
"Mornie utúlië! Mornie utúlië!" the shapeless voice chanted.
Harry felt the ground beneath him begin to quake, knocking him off balance. He fell, his head landing in front of a headstone. He looked up, and gasped. The chocolate frosting words that were carved into the headstone were not in English but in Elvish.
BANG!
Harry jumped. He blinked once or twice, fumbling for his glasses. He found them on the end table behind him. He put them on and looked around. He was on a red couch, and was covered up with a light blue blanket, but where was he? It was much too messy to ever be the common room or even his dorm room.
He could hear faint voices in the next room.
"I know I'm right."
"But . . ."
"I know it!" whoever was speaking slammed their fist down on something, and Harry knew instantly what had woken him.
"But Sirius!"
"Yeah, Moony?"
"Sirius, maybe this is part of their plan. It just doesn't make any sense- in which case it makes perfect sense."
"Perfect sense is right! I mean didn't you feel it too last night?"
"Of course I did. I am a werewolf you know." Lupin said indignantly.
"Along with that, Harry said he saw a wolf."
"A wolf?" Lupin said dubiously.
"Yes. That's why he screamed. He said it was coming at him." Sirius answered.
"Er, Sirius . . ."
"Hmm?"
"You know that Harry has been hallucinating quite a bit lately and . . ."
"What has that got to do with anything?" Sirius replied a bit louder than he intended. He quickly looked to the adjoining room door in fear he might have an awaken Harry in the next room.
Harry lied back down just in the nick of time.
"It has quite a lot to do with it Padfoot," Lupin said delicately, getting Sirius's attention again.
"Last night, I didn't pick up any wolf scent whatsoever. Werewolf or Muggle."
"So what exactly are you trying to say Moony?" Sirius whispered as he opened the door to peek inside. He breathed an inward sigh of relief as he saw Harry was still asleep.
"Er . . . ah . . . I think Harry might be going a little . . . umm . . . batty?"
"Not you too, Moony. First Snape, now you. Look, I say there has to be some sort of reason. I mean his dreams where his scar hurts are indicators for Voldemort right?" Sirius said crossing back over to his friend.
"So can't these as you call them hallucinations be something like that?" Sirius asked desperately. He didn't want to believe that his godson was going batty.
"I said _think_ Sirius, not I believe with all my heart and soul. And don't look at me like that, for all we know it could be something else. Perhaps you're right. I just know that there was no wolf scent."
"All right. Then what jumped out at him Moony. We all heard that scream. He genuinely saw something. I know he did. I heard all kinds of screams in Azkaban. This was one of absolute and sheer terror." Sirius said shaking his head. "I just don't know what to think anymore." he added softly.
Lupin sighed heavily. "I don't know either Sirius. I just don't."
Harry swallowed hard in the next room. Add another one to the list, he thought bitterly. Rumors of what he had seen during the Christmas break had been circulating lately, and whispers of "Potter's off his rocker" was beginning to follow him. He bit his lip in thought.
"I'm going to go check on him," he heard Sirius say just in time to pull his glasses off and the blanket back over him.
Sirius came into the room and saw his godson sleeping or at least what he thought was sleeping. He walked over to the couch and fixed the covers around his godson. Then he looked up at the ceiling and said softly "James, I hope you find this amusing up there, but could you stop your laugh-a-thon for one minute because I need some guidance here." He looked at Harry before his eyes went back to the ceiling. "I know I'm not the greatest at this parenting gig, but I . . . I want to be. I really want to. It's just . . . just . . . just I'm talking to a ceiling." Sirius plopped down in a chair, running a hand through his hand. "He's not in the ceiling Black, the stone isn't going to talk back to you . . .and Remus thinks Harry is off, geez . . ."
Harry cracked an eye open and squinted. He watched as Sirius's blurry form rubbing his eyes sleepily. He wondered if Sirius had gotten any sleep at all, he couldn't remember what had happened when they arrived back at the castle early that morning. For what he could tell, and it wasn't very much, Sirius looked as if he hadn't seen a bed in a good 48 hours.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty awakens."
Harry smiled blearily. "Morning Sirius, I think." he said sitting up and fumbling around for his glasses.
"Late afternoon is more like it," Sirius said with a smile.
"Did you sleep at all?" Harry said finally locating his glasses and put them on his face.
"My brain wouldn't let me. I've been cursing it since noon."
"Noon yesterday?" Harry questioned. He couldn't believe Sirius was still standing and coherent. But then again he couldn't believe a lot of what was going on in his life.
"Noon today," Sirius corrected.
Harry just looked at him like he had grown a second head "What did I just miss?"
"You literally slept the day away."
Harry just groaned as he thought aloud "They are gonna kill me."
"Who is?"
"Ron and Hermione. They must be worried when I didn't turn up today. Probably think I went off and got myself in loads of trouble without them."
"No need to worry, Professor Dumbledore knows that you were asleep. You got out of classes today," Sirius said.
"Really? Can I go back to sleep then?" He really didn't want to face anyone especially after the conversation that he had overheard the night before. It was also bound to be known that he had seen something the night before.
"Sure," Sirius said, stretching his arms over his head. "If that's what you want to do."
"Yeah, I do." said Harry flopping down on Sirius's bed "Unless you want to talk or something" he added.
"Well, off my bed and back on the couch where you belong is always a good conversation starter," Sirius grinned playfully.
"Haha," Harry shot back. "Fine, I'll go to the couch if you really want me to. Besides that is where loons belong isn't it? The padded places."
"Yeah, Harry you're as loony as they come. You refused a perfectly good donut after a tiny trip to the morgue," Sirius said cockily. "Never met a crazier frood in my life."
Harry just looked at him. "Always thinking of food aren't you?"
"Not food, _frood_," Sirius repeated.
"Frood? Is that a word in Elven I haven't learned yet?" Harry asked quizzically.
Sirius laughed. "No, no, it's just slang for an amazingly all together guy."
"Why don't I quite believe you?" Harry said quietly.
"You shouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't slept in thirty-six hours and my sanity level is at an all time low."
"Really? " Harry grinned deviously.
"Don't even think about it."
"I wasn't."
"Liar."
"Sirius!"
Sirius leaned forward. "Look into my eyes and say that."
Harry raised his head to confront Sirius's unnerving eyes. He opened his mouth and turned away laughing.
Sirius leaned back, placing his hands behind his head with a satisfied smirk.
"I liked that."
Harry looked up. "Liked what?"
"That," Sirius said as though it was obvious.
Harry's expression remained blank.
"You, laughing. You should do it more."
All signs of happiness left Harry's face. "Well," he said his voice sullen. "There's not much to laugh about is there?"
His godfather sighed, shaking his head. "No there isn't. But right now things can go either way. And you stand at a crossroads. You decide your road by how you act. You can be serious all the time but it's a drop-dead dull way to live, and we know which way things will go if you do that. Or you can have a little fun every now and then and forget about your worries for awhile, and you also know which way things will go for you if you do that."
Harry nodded, working his way through his godfather's words.
"Sirius?" he asked after a minute. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, shoot."
"It's completely hypothetical, but let's say that two people you can't see your life without after you got to know them say things about you. What they say is not meant to be hurtful but it is. Do you tell them or do you just shrug it off?"
Sirius rubbed his forehead before answering. "That depends. If it's something really important you should tell, you know like if it was life threatening, you know like the stuff you hear about in school. But if it's just something that you can shrug off than I wouldn't say so. Why turn molehills into mountains?" He looked Harry up and down. "Everything is fine with Ron and Hermione, right?"
Harry gave him a questioning look. "Oh! Nothing, nothing at all, I said it was hypothetical didn't I?"
"Aye, you did."
Inside Harry's mind a small but fierce battle was taking place. Millions of questions were shouting to be heard above the others. Should he tell Sirius about what he overheard? He struck that one down. Hadn't his godfather just lectured him about eavesdropping last night? The last thing he needed was another lecture, especially a Sirius one. He looked up as he felt Sirius run a hand through his hair.
Sirius shot him an easy grin. "I didn't mean to doubt your word."
"I know." Harry looked away again. His mind willed him to just come out and say it. Just say it! Sirius isn't going to strike you, he's not like that.
No, he shot back. Sirius was angry with me last night. I don't want him angry at me ever again.
He'll understand. He cares for you more than anyone else in the world.
Really?
Yeah, even if you _are_ a little batty in the head.
Oh bugger off, will you?
"Sickle for your thoughts."
Harry raised his head. "Nothing, it's just . . . never mind."
"Harry."
Harry sighed. "I was just wondering why you're so keen to talk even though you haven't slept in thirty-seven hours."
"That's very simple to explain . . ."
"Oh, is it?"
"Yes," said Sirius. "The reason is that I'm a member of the triple I."
"The what?"
"Insane Insomniacs' Institution. And not only am I a card carrying member but I'm also the founder." He flashed a cheesy smile, waving an imaginary card before completely cracking up.
Harry watched amused as his normally composed godfather toppled off his chair, rolling back and forth across the floor cackling at his own terrible joke.
"Did anyone tell you that you need help more than I do?" Harry asked as he cracked a smile. Sirius's laughter could be contagious
"I don't need help I need sleep, "cried Sirius covering his face with his hands, "I need it BAD!" He said, rolling back and forth howling. "Sleep is a GOOD thing! A very good thing! Sleep is the best!" He turned on his side, pounding the floor with his fist. "This is me when I don't get enough sleep! I babble pointlessly while cracking up!"
Harry just started full out laughing at this sight. "Yep, attention Loony Bin shoppers, the Bin is open. Potter and Black party of two right this way."
"On sale for twelve galleons and seven sickles," Sirius added. "A real bargain."
"Hey!" Harry cried indignantly. "That's kind of cheap for the both of us, wouldn't you say?"
"Lack of sleep decreased our value," Sirius said, standing up. He yawned, shaking his head in a doggish way. "I'm sure I'm setting a great example right now."
"Because you're currently on a sugar high and cracking up?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, flopping down next to Harry on the bed. "How come it sounds worse when you say it?"
"Because he's right?"
"Professor," Sirius jumped, compulsively straightening his T-shirt (which appropriately had "A Hard Day's Night" printed in black lettering across the chest) as he addressed Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked the pair up and down. "Well rested I trust Harry?"
Harry nodded, suddenly very conscious that he was in his boxers.
"Find anything?" Sirius asked, tossing Harry a blanket.
"I'm afraid not. Although a Mr. Bennington sent me an owl this morning asking if I had seen a pair of "loons" running around, one calling himself Detective White, the other simply "his assistant," said the mage lightly. "Otherwise I do believe that Davey's sister has given us the slip."
"I guess Fudge wasn't much help, if that owl was for him."
"It was," answered Dumbledore. "And no, he wasn't. Only restated what we already knew."
"That being?"
"Ms. Gudgeon's body has been missing for a year, and the surrounding areas will be searched." Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "They are still wary of my warnings."
"Things don't change, do they?"
"I'm afraid not Sirius."
Harry watched his godfather shrug feebly.
"You will keep me informed," he said, running a hand through his hair again.
"I will," promised the Headmaster. He turned to Harry, the twinkle had returned, adding, "And I trust to see you _both_ in classes again tomorrow."
Harry nodded, replying, "Yes, sir" over Sirius's groan.
Dumbledore chuckled.
"No rest for the weary Har'," Sirius said, getting to his feet. "I'll see you out Albus." The two left the room, and Harry could head the sound of low whispering but could not make anything out.
~~
The following day the news of Harry's adventures had circulated throughout the school. Harry struggled through his classes, trying desperately to avoid the seething looks from his fellows. "Figures this would happen to Potter, everything exciting happens to him." Harry shrugged it off. He doubted half of them wanted to face Voldemort on a regular basis. But the whispers became more frequent. The tales grew, and the taunts started to sting.
"It's all rubbish," Hermione said briskly one night while doing homework in the common room. Athena was reading a pint-sized copy of Hogwarts: A History, Thor was trying to steal it from her.
"Easy for you to say," grumbled Harry. "They're not about you."
"True, but don't you think they effect us? We don't like it either. Ron's serving detention for punching Crabbe on you behalf right now."
"And speaking of Ron," Harry added as the red-head stomped into the room, some sort of jiggling substance bedecking his robes.
"That little son of a-" "Ron?" Hermione said mildly. "Well, he is." "You had Snape then?" Harry guessed.
Ron raised an eyebrow. "No, Gudgeon. Snape's positively giddy over this whole thing. He's started a pool according to Lupin. How Many Days until Potter is Expelled, I think he said was the name."
Harry buried his face in his arms.
"It isn't any worse than our second year, Harry," Hermione tried. "And we lived through that just fine."
"True," Harry said raising his head. He felt something tugging on his hair. Reached up to free whatever it was, his hand brushed something cold and wet. "Apollo!"
"I think he's found a new chew toy, mate," Ron laughed. "Your hair."
~*~
As the last rays of twilight faded from the sky, Katie called the Quidditch team in. She lined them up in height order, pacing in front of them. "Well," she said finally. "I've noticed that some of us have been lacking in our . . . seriousness about the game." "Meaning that?" Fred prompted. Katie went to him, bringing her face close to his. She poked his belly sharply. It jiggled a little. "You should cut back on the canary creams, Weasley," she snapped, eyes flashing. "As should we are. We were never like this when Wood was here. There's so much flab on this team, it's pathetic." Spinning on a heel, she stomped to wear the box of Quidditch balls stood; only the Quaffle was out. Katie picked it up. "So before we even touch this," she tossed the large red ball. "We will run this." She pointed to the long thin white line that ran around the perimeter of the huge pitch. "Six times." Harry and Longo traded apprehensive looks. ~*~
The next morning the Great Hall was louder than usual when a very sore Harry, a brisk-looking Hermione and a yawning Ron arrived. Most of the students had forgotten their breakfast and were crowding around a large announcement. "Please let it say that Snape's retiring," Ron prayed as they fought their way through the throng. "Doubtful," Harry said, elbowing past a Hufflepuff. "Oh, no," Hermione groaned, the first to arrive at the notice. "They're starting another dueling club." Ron's eyes widened as a Ravenclaw pointed out, "Well, at least this one we'll see an actual duel." "Between whom?" he asked. "Professors Snape and Black!"
