The Darkness Of Harry potter
Chapter Two
Partnerships: Ron/Hermione, Remus/Sirius (implied and in the past) Remus/Kail, possible Harry/Draco in future chapters.
Disclaimer (forgot about it in chapter 1): Any regular Harry Potter characters are not mine. Any original characters are. Crap, I just broke a nail.
A/N: Reviewer Responses:
~M~ (And Justin) Thank you! And Jus, you can have my autograph if I can have yours ^_^
Rayvern: See above.
Kira6: Thank you very much, keep checking for updates.
Clogsy: As ever, I appreciate you reading my stuff. Thanks for your encouragement!
***
Hermione and Ron arrived early, and Remus answered the door. They both stared at his tear-streaked face in horror.
"Are you alright?" asked Hermione, automatically reaching towards him.
"I'm ok," Remus said quickly, taking an involuntary step backwards. "There was just. . .I think I may have. . .Oh, I don't know. Come on in, you two."
"Is Harry ok?" Ron asked automatically.
Remus hunted for words to describe what had just passed between himself and his adopted son, but was saved by Hermione, who had been watching the expressions flit across his face.
"You had an argument."
Remus nodded, running his fingers through his hair again. "It was. . .He'll tell you. He's upstairs."
Ron and Hermione took the hint and raced up the stairs to Harry's room. Ron knocked on the door, then shoved it open without waiting for an answer. "Hiya, Harry!"
Harry had been sitting at his desk, reading something, but forced a smile onto his face when his friends entered.
"Harry, guess what!?" Hermione squealed, suddenly unable to contain herself any longer. She thrust something in front of his face - a shiny, shield- shaped badge with 'Head Girl' in tiny little letters. "I'm Head Girl!" she added, just in case Harry couldn't read.
Harry, who had forgotten even to wonder who had got the positions of head boy and girl this year, grinned at her. "Well done, Hermione," he said with genuine warmth. He glanced at Ron, who shrugged.
"No idea who got Head Boy," said Ron.
Harry stood up and picked up his coat. "Let's get out of here," he said.
It was a short walk from Remus' house to Diagon Alley, and when they got there they all took out their equipment lists.
"Nothing different this year," Ron observed. "Just the texts for out NEWT finals."
"JUST?" Hermione exclaimed incredulously. "Ron, this year is going to be one of the most important in our lives! I hope you're going to take school seriously this year. Say something to him, Harry."
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, work harder, Ron."
Ron scowled. "Quit nagging, Hermione. We all know how important this year is."
"Yes, well, just make sure you do better than Fred and George."
"Hermione!"
"Well, I'm sorry but I know you can do much better than they did, Ron."
Ron's nose went pink at the complement, and he stared at his feet. Harry couldn't help a small smile as he noticed this. But with the ease of years of practice, Ron swiftly changed the subject before it had a chance to arise.
"So what's up with you Harry? You're being very quiet?"
"Nothing."
"Oh come on!" said Hermione. "You and Professor Lu. . .Remus had an argument, didn't you?"
Harry nodded. He was silent for a moment, then blurted out; "He's got this stupid new boyfriend and invited him round last night and it's so obvious he's trying to replace Sirius, he's hardly been dead a year and -"
"Woah!" Hermione held up her hands for Harry to slow down. "You're mad because Remus is over Sirius' death?"
"Yes! Last year, after Sirius died, Remus gave me this touching speech about how in love they had been and that he was finding it hard to deal with the fact that Sirius wasn't there any more. Well obviously it was all lies!"
Harry had stopped walking and was obviously trying very hard but unfortunately rather unsuccessfully not to make a scene, but was nevertheless attracting a few stares. Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance.
"Harry, you've just found the answer yourself. Remus finds it hard to carry on without Sirius, he obviously needs the help of this new man."
"Yeah, who is it?" asked Ron.
"A bloke named Kail. Don't know his last name," said Harry sulkily.
"Well, what do you know about him?" asked Hermione.
"Nothing at all!"
"Well maybe you should get to know him, Harry, if he's so important to Remus."
Harry felt a tinge of guilt as he remembered what Remus had said "I wanted you to meet him, that's all!" He'd been given the chance to get to know Kail, but had thrown it back in Remus' face. He was still angry with his adopted father, but he began to realise what a selfish child Kail must have thought he was.
Harry was doing his homework in the living room when he heard the front door bang open and voices in the hallway. One of the voices was Remus, and he sounded genuinely happy for the first time in months. The other voice was unfamiliar, but seconds later Remus opened the living room door, beaming.
"Are we interrupting?"
Harry shook his head and rolled up the parchment he had been writing on. "I was just finishing anyway."
"Good," said Remus. "Harry, there's someone I want to introduce to you. . ."
And Kail followed Remus into the room. He was a tall man, a little taller than Remus, and had long, thick, wavy blond hair. His face was broad and open, and he smiled jovially at Harry, bright blue eyes twinkling. He wore magnificent yet simple dark green robes which were made of something very like silk, only more so. Harry would later learn Kail had been in the same year as Remus, Sirius, and Harry's father, James at school, but he looked far younger than the werewolf because his face was smooth and free of lines, and he seemed to have a youthful liveliness about him which initially caused Harry to warm to him. He held out a hand, and Harry shook it.
"Hi, I'm Kail," said the newcomer. "And you're Harry. You must get this all the time, but you don't have to introduce yourself to me. Nice to meet you at last, I've heard so much about you from Remus."
"Er. . .Thanks." As usual, Harry was slightly spooked to meet someone who already knew everything about him. He looked to Remus for help, but the laughter had gone from the werewolf's face, leaving him looking rather anxious.
"Harry," said Remus, "you should know that . . .Well, er, look, I'll get us some tea and then explain the situation." And he swept into the kitchen, leaving Harry with the newcomer.
Kail was looking around at the living room, smiling faintly. "Just as I remember it," he chuckled. "Remus doesn't change, does he?" he grinned at Harry, and Harry immediately thought he could trust the wearer of such a grin. There was something about Kail which made it impossible to believe he could ever hide anything from you.
"Sit down," said Harry, acting the welcoming host. "I, er. . .I'll just put these things away." He shoved all his homework back into his school bag and darted up the stairs to dump it in his bedroom. When he came back down, Remus was sitting in his tattered old chair, and a cup of tea was waiting for Harry on the table. Kail was sitting in the chair nearest Remus, sipping his own tea. He looked quite at home, but Harry could tell from Remus' expression that something awkward was about to take place.
"Harry," said Remus. "I'm not going to beat about the bush. Let me just say it. Kail and I are. . .Er -"
Kail finished the sentence for him; "in love. Remus and I are in love."
Remus flashed a half-relieved, half-nervous smile at him, then went back to focusing on Harry, who's lower jaw was hanging loosely.
"I hope you're okay with -" Remus began, but he didn't finish once more. Harry interrupted.
"You're in love with someone else?" he asked in a disbelieving whisper.
"No, just with Kail -"
"WHAT ABOUT SIRIUS?" Harry leaped to his feet, his fists clenching. "You told me you loved him!"
Remus tried to remain calm. "Sirius died a year ago."
"That means nothing! Imagine if he knew you were already seeing someone else? He'd be furious!"
"No he wouldn't," said Remus and Kail at the same time. They shared a glance, then both looked back at Harry.
"Kail was at school with us. We both knew Sirius very well indeed. Do you think we'd be doing this if we thought he wouldn't want us to?" Remus was doing a good job at keeping his cool, and gazed steadily at Harry.
"I don't know!" Harry screamed. "All I know is you can't have really loved Sirius!" And before anyone could say anything else, he stormed upstairs, slammed his door shut, and locked it against the rest of the world.
***
"Oh Harry," sighed Hermione.
"Don't start," snapped Harry, starting off down the street again. Hermione and Ron exchanged another long glance, then ran after him.
"Let's go for an ice cream, shall we, Harry?" Ron suggested, trying desperately to change the subject to something more light-hearted.
"No," said Harry. "Let's just get what we came for then go home."
"Home? We thought you were mad at Remus."
"I am, but he's exaggeratedly nice when we've been arguing."
Hermione's face paled, but Harry was walking away from them again, Ron trotting at his heels like a puppy. Hermione's attention was distracted from them when they came to Flourish and Blotts. A familiar figure was lurking outside the bookshop, and stepped in front of them. It was Draco Malfoy, and he grinned at them in what Hermione saw as a very suspicious way.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron growled, stepping in front of Harry and Hermione, and balling his fists as he glared at the smaller, blond boy.
Malfoy's grin widened, and he looked incredibly smug. "I hope you three are having a good summer, I really do," he said silkily. "Because when we get back to Hogwarts, you're going to have the worst year of your lives. Even you, Potter, and we all know what *you've* been through."
"What're you talking about?" Ron snapped.
"You'll find out soon enough, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. He swirled his cloak around him as he sauntered away.
"Well," said Hermione, blinking in bewilderment. "I wonder what he's so please about."
"Can't be anything good," grunted Harry, leading the way into Flourish and Blotts. Within was another unpleasant surprise - another Malfoy.
Lucius, Draco's father, was pouring over some text books when Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the shop. He looked up immediately and fixed them with his cold, blue-eyed stare. Ron immediately tried to turn round and leave again, but Lucius Malfoy was suddenly in front of them, blocking their way to the exit.
"Ah," he said, eyes glinting dangerously, "Potter, Weasley and Granger. What a surprise. Out buying your school books are you?"
Hermione nodded mutely but politely.
"Checked your lists carefully, have you? I doubt it, or you would have noticed you have not been set a Defence Against The Dark Arts text this year. The rest of the school will receive that information tomorrow, but as you're here now, I may as well let you know I have reached my decision." He grinned nastily. Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at him, wide-eyed, but he chuckled. "Don't be alarmed, I will not be teaching you. I could never teach in an establishment which allowed so many. . ." his gaze lingered on Hermione for just a moment too long, "filthy little half-breeds," he finished, disgustedly. "No, indeed, I was given the pleasurable task of appointing someone the position of Defence Against The Dark Arts professor by the Minister for Magic himself. The teacher I chose asked me to help him with a few last minute arrangements. I'm sure you'll like him, he's an old, old friend of mine." Lucius Malfoy picked up a book from the display behind him and threw it at Ron. "I doubt you can afford a brand new copy, Weasley, but you can have a go at memorising it while you're here."
He sneered at them all one last time, and swept from the shop. Ron swore.
"A friend of the Malfoys teaching us? It's going to be hell!"
"Well, we'll just have to make the best of it," said Hermione, taking the text book and moving away to look for the items on their lists.
Harry was almost silent as they completed their shopping. His mind was spinning furiously. He kept seeing that open, smiling face as Kail introduced himself, the look of hurt disappointment Remus wore when Harry shouted at him, the malicious glint in the eyes of Malfoy. . .He was angry, but he wasn't sure why. Or maybe there wasn't a single reason . . . just a lot of small reasons.
Whatever it was, he knew that if he spoke to anyone, it'd come out as a retort or an insult, so he kept his mouth shut. For once, he was thankful that Hermione and Ron were more interested in each other than in him. He managed a small smile. It had taken six years for the two of them to realise they saw each other as more than just friends, and it was taking even longer for them to finally do something about it. Harry himself had given up on all things romantic after his relationship with Cho Chang frazzled out. There were simply no girls who caught his attention like she had, and he didn't have a clue where she had gone after finishing Hogwarts that year. Part of him wanted to say good riddance: she had caused him more pain than happiness, but he knew he was becoming lonely, isolating himself, even shunning Hermione and Ron at times.
And on top of all this anger and frustration was the heavy, dark cloak of guilt. He was not blind to what his temper was doing to other people, people he loved, people he needed. Subconsciously he was driving them away, but consciously he was clinging to them for his very sanity.
He shook his head to dislodge these thoughts. He didn't need romance, he was fine. All he needed to do was control his temper, and that would be easy as long as he wasn't antagonised.
Hermione and Ron walked back home with him, where they discovered Remus cooking lunch. Even Harry had to smile at this scene; Remus was not a good cook. The small kitchen was a complete mess, food everywhere and pots and pans strewn at random. Remus was darting about, trying unsuccessfully to organise everything, occasionally mopping sweat from his brow with his sleeve. He smiled with relief as Hermione took the saucepan she was holding away from him.
"Go and sit down," she advised the werewolf, and handed the pan to a startled Ron. "We'll take care of all this. . .Um, what were you trying to make here?"
Remus handed her an open recipe book, showing the instructions for making spaghetti bolognaise. "I just thought I'd try something different for lunch," he said apologetically.
"You can do this magically, you know," she said, laughing.
"That usually turns out worse, I'm afraid, Hermione," sighed Lupin. "So did you all get everything you needed?"
They nodded, then Harry told the story of their encounters with the Malfoys. Harry saw a familiar look come over Remus' face - it was exactly the expression he'd worn three years ago, just before admitting to Harry that he had known his father and Sirius Black. Remus had obviously heard this story before.
"Don't worry too much about it," he said. "You new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor is. . .A well-learned man. He'll certainly help you pass your NEWTS."
"Who is he?" asked Ron.
"From what I've heard from Professor Dumbledore, his name is Professor Rinaldi. I know him. He's a year or so older than me."
Harry's eyes widened. "How do you know a friend of Lucius Malfoy?"
"I used to work with him somewhere," said Remus, but he had hesitated a moment too long, and Harry knew this wasn't the whole truth. He didn't bother to ask any further questions, but joined Ron and Hermione in the kitchen, where he got in the way for a while before finally the guilt was too much, and he joined Remus once more in the living room. The werewolf had his feet up and was reading the Daily Prophet, but when Harry sat beside him on the couch, he put the paper down and regarded his adopted son with an almost expression-less gaze.
Harry swallowed heavily. "I'm sorry," he muttered, staring at his hands. "I shouldn't be angry at you, it's not your fault. . ."
"Don't worry, Harry," said Remus softly. "I didn't expect you just to welcome a stranger into our home. To be honest, I didn't expect you to be so rude to him either, but I'm sure Kail will forgive you. He knows a lot of what you've been through. I know it isn't easy for you. It isn't easy for me either, believe me."
"I know, and I'm really sorry."
Remus smiled at him, and Harry felt a weight lift from his heart. He was forgiven. He had known all along Remus would not stay angry with him for long, but now he knew he hadn't cut his mentor too deep. Harry spontaneously did something he had seldom done; he gave Remus a tight hug, which after a brief hesitation was returned, then they both grinned foolishly at each other.
"Aren't we a pair?" laughed the werewolf. Harry nodded mutely. He could hear Ron and Hermione talking together in the kitchen, and smell the distinct, comforting, slightly canine scent of his mentor around him. In a fleeting blissful moment he knew he was here with the most important people in his life. It was indeed a fleeting moment.
To Be Continued. . . ?
***
A/N: R&R or I'll eat your souls. Mmm, Souls.
Chapter Two
Partnerships: Ron/Hermione, Remus/Sirius (implied and in the past) Remus/Kail, possible Harry/Draco in future chapters.
Disclaimer (forgot about it in chapter 1): Any regular Harry Potter characters are not mine. Any original characters are. Crap, I just broke a nail.
A/N: Reviewer Responses:
~M~ (And Justin) Thank you! And Jus, you can have my autograph if I can have yours ^_^
Rayvern: See above.
Kira6: Thank you very much, keep checking for updates.
Clogsy: As ever, I appreciate you reading my stuff. Thanks for your encouragement!
***
Hermione and Ron arrived early, and Remus answered the door. They both stared at his tear-streaked face in horror.
"Are you alright?" asked Hermione, automatically reaching towards him.
"I'm ok," Remus said quickly, taking an involuntary step backwards. "There was just. . .I think I may have. . .Oh, I don't know. Come on in, you two."
"Is Harry ok?" Ron asked automatically.
Remus hunted for words to describe what had just passed between himself and his adopted son, but was saved by Hermione, who had been watching the expressions flit across his face.
"You had an argument."
Remus nodded, running his fingers through his hair again. "It was. . .He'll tell you. He's upstairs."
Ron and Hermione took the hint and raced up the stairs to Harry's room. Ron knocked on the door, then shoved it open without waiting for an answer. "Hiya, Harry!"
Harry had been sitting at his desk, reading something, but forced a smile onto his face when his friends entered.
"Harry, guess what!?" Hermione squealed, suddenly unable to contain herself any longer. She thrust something in front of his face - a shiny, shield- shaped badge with 'Head Girl' in tiny little letters. "I'm Head Girl!" she added, just in case Harry couldn't read.
Harry, who had forgotten even to wonder who had got the positions of head boy and girl this year, grinned at her. "Well done, Hermione," he said with genuine warmth. He glanced at Ron, who shrugged.
"No idea who got Head Boy," said Ron.
Harry stood up and picked up his coat. "Let's get out of here," he said.
It was a short walk from Remus' house to Diagon Alley, and when they got there they all took out their equipment lists.
"Nothing different this year," Ron observed. "Just the texts for out NEWT finals."
"JUST?" Hermione exclaimed incredulously. "Ron, this year is going to be one of the most important in our lives! I hope you're going to take school seriously this year. Say something to him, Harry."
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, work harder, Ron."
Ron scowled. "Quit nagging, Hermione. We all know how important this year is."
"Yes, well, just make sure you do better than Fred and George."
"Hermione!"
"Well, I'm sorry but I know you can do much better than they did, Ron."
Ron's nose went pink at the complement, and he stared at his feet. Harry couldn't help a small smile as he noticed this. But with the ease of years of practice, Ron swiftly changed the subject before it had a chance to arise.
"So what's up with you Harry? You're being very quiet?"
"Nothing."
"Oh come on!" said Hermione. "You and Professor Lu. . .Remus had an argument, didn't you?"
Harry nodded. He was silent for a moment, then blurted out; "He's got this stupid new boyfriend and invited him round last night and it's so obvious he's trying to replace Sirius, he's hardly been dead a year and -"
"Woah!" Hermione held up her hands for Harry to slow down. "You're mad because Remus is over Sirius' death?"
"Yes! Last year, after Sirius died, Remus gave me this touching speech about how in love they had been and that he was finding it hard to deal with the fact that Sirius wasn't there any more. Well obviously it was all lies!"
Harry had stopped walking and was obviously trying very hard but unfortunately rather unsuccessfully not to make a scene, but was nevertheless attracting a few stares. Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance.
"Harry, you've just found the answer yourself. Remus finds it hard to carry on without Sirius, he obviously needs the help of this new man."
"Yeah, who is it?" asked Ron.
"A bloke named Kail. Don't know his last name," said Harry sulkily.
"Well, what do you know about him?" asked Hermione.
"Nothing at all!"
"Well maybe you should get to know him, Harry, if he's so important to Remus."
Harry felt a tinge of guilt as he remembered what Remus had said "I wanted you to meet him, that's all!" He'd been given the chance to get to know Kail, but had thrown it back in Remus' face. He was still angry with his adopted father, but he began to realise what a selfish child Kail must have thought he was.
Harry was doing his homework in the living room when he heard the front door bang open and voices in the hallway. One of the voices was Remus, and he sounded genuinely happy for the first time in months. The other voice was unfamiliar, but seconds later Remus opened the living room door, beaming.
"Are we interrupting?"
Harry shook his head and rolled up the parchment he had been writing on. "I was just finishing anyway."
"Good," said Remus. "Harry, there's someone I want to introduce to you. . ."
And Kail followed Remus into the room. He was a tall man, a little taller than Remus, and had long, thick, wavy blond hair. His face was broad and open, and he smiled jovially at Harry, bright blue eyes twinkling. He wore magnificent yet simple dark green robes which were made of something very like silk, only more so. Harry would later learn Kail had been in the same year as Remus, Sirius, and Harry's father, James at school, but he looked far younger than the werewolf because his face was smooth and free of lines, and he seemed to have a youthful liveliness about him which initially caused Harry to warm to him. He held out a hand, and Harry shook it.
"Hi, I'm Kail," said the newcomer. "And you're Harry. You must get this all the time, but you don't have to introduce yourself to me. Nice to meet you at last, I've heard so much about you from Remus."
"Er. . .Thanks." As usual, Harry was slightly spooked to meet someone who already knew everything about him. He looked to Remus for help, but the laughter had gone from the werewolf's face, leaving him looking rather anxious.
"Harry," said Remus, "you should know that . . .Well, er, look, I'll get us some tea and then explain the situation." And he swept into the kitchen, leaving Harry with the newcomer.
Kail was looking around at the living room, smiling faintly. "Just as I remember it," he chuckled. "Remus doesn't change, does he?" he grinned at Harry, and Harry immediately thought he could trust the wearer of such a grin. There was something about Kail which made it impossible to believe he could ever hide anything from you.
"Sit down," said Harry, acting the welcoming host. "I, er. . .I'll just put these things away." He shoved all his homework back into his school bag and darted up the stairs to dump it in his bedroom. When he came back down, Remus was sitting in his tattered old chair, and a cup of tea was waiting for Harry on the table. Kail was sitting in the chair nearest Remus, sipping his own tea. He looked quite at home, but Harry could tell from Remus' expression that something awkward was about to take place.
"Harry," said Remus. "I'm not going to beat about the bush. Let me just say it. Kail and I are. . .Er -"
Kail finished the sentence for him; "in love. Remus and I are in love."
Remus flashed a half-relieved, half-nervous smile at him, then went back to focusing on Harry, who's lower jaw was hanging loosely.
"I hope you're okay with -" Remus began, but he didn't finish once more. Harry interrupted.
"You're in love with someone else?" he asked in a disbelieving whisper.
"No, just with Kail -"
"WHAT ABOUT SIRIUS?" Harry leaped to his feet, his fists clenching. "You told me you loved him!"
Remus tried to remain calm. "Sirius died a year ago."
"That means nothing! Imagine if he knew you were already seeing someone else? He'd be furious!"
"No he wouldn't," said Remus and Kail at the same time. They shared a glance, then both looked back at Harry.
"Kail was at school with us. We both knew Sirius very well indeed. Do you think we'd be doing this if we thought he wouldn't want us to?" Remus was doing a good job at keeping his cool, and gazed steadily at Harry.
"I don't know!" Harry screamed. "All I know is you can't have really loved Sirius!" And before anyone could say anything else, he stormed upstairs, slammed his door shut, and locked it against the rest of the world.
***
"Oh Harry," sighed Hermione.
"Don't start," snapped Harry, starting off down the street again. Hermione and Ron exchanged another long glance, then ran after him.
"Let's go for an ice cream, shall we, Harry?" Ron suggested, trying desperately to change the subject to something more light-hearted.
"No," said Harry. "Let's just get what we came for then go home."
"Home? We thought you were mad at Remus."
"I am, but he's exaggeratedly nice when we've been arguing."
Hermione's face paled, but Harry was walking away from them again, Ron trotting at his heels like a puppy. Hermione's attention was distracted from them when they came to Flourish and Blotts. A familiar figure was lurking outside the bookshop, and stepped in front of them. It was Draco Malfoy, and he grinned at them in what Hermione saw as a very suspicious way.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron growled, stepping in front of Harry and Hermione, and balling his fists as he glared at the smaller, blond boy.
Malfoy's grin widened, and he looked incredibly smug. "I hope you three are having a good summer, I really do," he said silkily. "Because when we get back to Hogwarts, you're going to have the worst year of your lives. Even you, Potter, and we all know what *you've* been through."
"What're you talking about?" Ron snapped.
"You'll find out soon enough, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. He swirled his cloak around him as he sauntered away.
"Well," said Hermione, blinking in bewilderment. "I wonder what he's so please about."
"Can't be anything good," grunted Harry, leading the way into Flourish and Blotts. Within was another unpleasant surprise - another Malfoy.
Lucius, Draco's father, was pouring over some text books when Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the shop. He looked up immediately and fixed them with his cold, blue-eyed stare. Ron immediately tried to turn round and leave again, but Lucius Malfoy was suddenly in front of them, blocking their way to the exit.
"Ah," he said, eyes glinting dangerously, "Potter, Weasley and Granger. What a surprise. Out buying your school books are you?"
Hermione nodded mutely but politely.
"Checked your lists carefully, have you? I doubt it, or you would have noticed you have not been set a Defence Against The Dark Arts text this year. The rest of the school will receive that information tomorrow, but as you're here now, I may as well let you know I have reached my decision." He grinned nastily. Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at him, wide-eyed, but he chuckled. "Don't be alarmed, I will not be teaching you. I could never teach in an establishment which allowed so many. . ." his gaze lingered on Hermione for just a moment too long, "filthy little half-breeds," he finished, disgustedly. "No, indeed, I was given the pleasurable task of appointing someone the position of Defence Against The Dark Arts professor by the Minister for Magic himself. The teacher I chose asked me to help him with a few last minute arrangements. I'm sure you'll like him, he's an old, old friend of mine." Lucius Malfoy picked up a book from the display behind him and threw it at Ron. "I doubt you can afford a brand new copy, Weasley, but you can have a go at memorising it while you're here."
He sneered at them all one last time, and swept from the shop. Ron swore.
"A friend of the Malfoys teaching us? It's going to be hell!"
"Well, we'll just have to make the best of it," said Hermione, taking the text book and moving away to look for the items on their lists.
Harry was almost silent as they completed their shopping. His mind was spinning furiously. He kept seeing that open, smiling face as Kail introduced himself, the look of hurt disappointment Remus wore when Harry shouted at him, the malicious glint in the eyes of Malfoy. . .He was angry, but he wasn't sure why. Or maybe there wasn't a single reason . . . just a lot of small reasons.
Whatever it was, he knew that if he spoke to anyone, it'd come out as a retort or an insult, so he kept his mouth shut. For once, he was thankful that Hermione and Ron were more interested in each other than in him. He managed a small smile. It had taken six years for the two of them to realise they saw each other as more than just friends, and it was taking even longer for them to finally do something about it. Harry himself had given up on all things romantic after his relationship with Cho Chang frazzled out. There were simply no girls who caught his attention like she had, and he didn't have a clue where she had gone after finishing Hogwarts that year. Part of him wanted to say good riddance: she had caused him more pain than happiness, but he knew he was becoming lonely, isolating himself, even shunning Hermione and Ron at times.
And on top of all this anger and frustration was the heavy, dark cloak of guilt. He was not blind to what his temper was doing to other people, people he loved, people he needed. Subconsciously he was driving them away, but consciously he was clinging to them for his very sanity.
He shook his head to dislodge these thoughts. He didn't need romance, he was fine. All he needed to do was control his temper, and that would be easy as long as he wasn't antagonised.
Hermione and Ron walked back home with him, where they discovered Remus cooking lunch. Even Harry had to smile at this scene; Remus was not a good cook. The small kitchen was a complete mess, food everywhere and pots and pans strewn at random. Remus was darting about, trying unsuccessfully to organise everything, occasionally mopping sweat from his brow with his sleeve. He smiled with relief as Hermione took the saucepan she was holding away from him.
"Go and sit down," she advised the werewolf, and handed the pan to a startled Ron. "We'll take care of all this. . .Um, what were you trying to make here?"
Remus handed her an open recipe book, showing the instructions for making spaghetti bolognaise. "I just thought I'd try something different for lunch," he said apologetically.
"You can do this magically, you know," she said, laughing.
"That usually turns out worse, I'm afraid, Hermione," sighed Lupin. "So did you all get everything you needed?"
They nodded, then Harry told the story of their encounters with the Malfoys. Harry saw a familiar look come over Remus' face - it was exactly the expression he'd worn three years ago, just before admitting to Harry that he had known his father and Sirius Black. Remus had obviously heard this story before.
"Don't worry too much about it," he said. "You new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor is. . .A well-learned man. He'll certainly help you pass your NEWTS."
"Who is he?" asked Ron.
"From what I've heard from Professor Dumbledore, his name is Professor Rinaldi. I know him. He's a year or so older than me."
Harry's eyes widened. "How do you know a friend of Lucius Malfoy?"
"I used to work with him somewhere," said Remus, but he had hesitated a moment too long, and Harry knew this wasn't the whole truth. He didn't bother to ask any further questions, but joined Ron and Hermione in the kitchen, where he got in the way for a while before finally the guilt was too much, and he joined Remus once more in the living room. The werewolf had his feet up and was reading the Daily Prophet, but when Harry sat beside him on the couch, he put the paper down and regarded his adopted son with an almost expression-less gaze.
Harry swallowed heavily. "I'm sorry," he muttered, staring at his hands. "I shouldn't be angry at you, it's not your fault. . ."
"Don't worry, Harry," said Remus softly. "I didn't expect you just to welcome a stranger into our home. To be honest, I didn't expect you to be so rude to him either, but I'm sure Kail will forgive you. He knows a lot of what you've been through. I know it isn't easy for you. It isn't easy for me either, believe me."
"I know, and I'm really sorry."
Remus smiled at him, and Harry felt a weight lift from his heart. He was forgiven. He had known all along Remus would not stay angry with him for long, but now he knew he hadn't cut his mentor too deep. Harry spontaneously did something he had seldom done; he gave Remus a tight hug, which after a brief hesitation was returned, then they both grinned foolishly at each other.
"Aren't we a pair?" laughed the werewolf. Harry nodded mutely. He could hear Ron and Hermione talking together in the kitchen, and smell the distinct, comforting, slightly canine scent of his mentor around him. In a fleeting blissful moment he knew he was here with the most important people in his life. It was indeed a fleeting moment.
To Be Continued. . . ?
***
A/N: R&R or I'll eat your souls. Mmm, Souls.