Here's chapter 13. Enjoy!
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Harry groaned and opened his eyes a few hours later. He saw that he was sitting in a bed in the Hospital Wing. Looking around, he saw that Ashley was awake in the bed next to him. She was sitting up and reading a book.
"What time is it?" he asked yawning. He sat up in bed and propped himself up with his pillows.
"About 5 o'clock," Ashley answered. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I was hit in the head with a bat," Harry responded rubbing his head.
Ashley smiled a little but said, "That's not funny, you know."
"But that's how I feel," Harry said.
"How's your throat and back?" Ashley asked remembering where Harry was cut.
"My back is fine but my neck is bothering me." He got out of bed and headed towards a mirror on the other side of the room. He was still wearing the same clothes. Once at the mirror, he lifted his head. "No wonder why it's bothering me. It's still there!" Harry saw a cut run along his throat. It wasn't bleeding but it was there. He looked down at his clothes. His shirt had blood on it.
"There's more clothes in the bathroom," Ashley said sensing what he was looking at. Harry turned to her and saw that she was dressed in a pair of black pants and a cranberry tank top.
"Muggle clothes?" Harry asked heading to the bathroom. He saw a pair of khaki shorts and a dark blue T-shirt by the sink. Harry changed into them. "Where's the nurse?" Harry asked. Usually Madam Pomfrey was always by them.
"She went out. I don't know where," Ashley responded. "See? You don't have to use magic to make clothes fit!"
Harry looked down at himself. His clothes weren't baggy but weren't tight. "I guess not," he said smiling. "What do we do now?"
"What do you want to do?" Ashley asked getting out of bed. She stretched before putting on a pair of black shoes that were lying by the bed.
Harry's stomach growled. "I guess to dinner."
"I'm glad you picked that. I'm hungry myself." They started to pack up their things to leave when the nurse came in. She quickly checked over Harry's wounds before letting them go. They walked to the Great Hall and walked in. Several people looked up. They sat at the Gryffindor table like normal. They had to answer millions of questions. The most popular one was, 'Are you okay?'. Stacy made Harry show her his cut along the throat. She checked it out to make sure it wasn't terrible before letting Harry go back to his dinner.
From then on the days went by fast until finally, to the horror of some people, Halloween had arrived as well as the dance to take place that afternoon, which started in a few minutes.
"Harry, how do I look?" Ron asked. He changed his hair to black and his eyes to blue. He was going as an Auror. He was wearing a long blue robe.
"You look fine Ron," Harry responded. It was the tenth time Ron had asked. Harry quickly put on his costume. It was a big tan shirt with a V-neck. It was made to look like a pheasant's shirt. He wore brown pants and shoes.
"That's all?" Jake asked walking into the room. He was in long black robes. He looked the same except for his piercing silver eyes and long fangs. He transformed into a vampire.
"No," Harry answered. "Not really."
"This looks strange," Matt said from the mirror. Harry turned to him. He was wearing a tan shirt but a green vest and pants. He was going as an elf. Many people thought they were short people but they really were as tall as regular people but held powerful magic.
"It looks fine," Jake said before heading out the door. They had agreed to meet the girls in the common room. Ron, Matt followed him. Harry was about to follow them when something caught his eye. It was a picture of his parents and today was the anniversary of their passing. Harry started at the photo for a while until he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked up to see Ron looking down on him.
"You okay, mate?" he asked worried. Harry looked once more at the picture before nodding and heading down to the common room.
They all sat on the couches talking until they heard someone walking down from the girl's dormitories. They looked up to see Hermione. She was wearing a long shimmering blue dress. Her hair was smooth and laid at her sides. It was cut at an angle. She wore a beautiful necklace on her neck and a few bracelets on her wrists.
"Wow, Hermione," Ron said.
"You look great Hermione," Harry replied. "What are you going as?"
Hermione thought for a moment. "I don't know. It was just an idea to dress up. Its just something that I don't normally wear."
"Nice choice," Jake remarked.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, boys, I have to meet my date," Hermione said as she started to head out through the portrait.
"Who is it?" Ron asked. Hermione turned back and smiled.
"He's name is William Herald and he's a sixth year Hufflepuff."
"You're not taking a Gryffindor?" Ron asked surprised.
"I don't have to only pick from my house," Hermione said sternly.
"We'll meet you there, Hermione," Harry said. He knew they would start fighting again if he didn't break them up now. Hermione walked out through the portrait. A few minutes later, Lavender walked down the staircase. Like Ron, she was an Auror. She was wearing long, deep red robes. Ron and Lavender headed down to the Great Hall. The next one to come down was Caroline. When she walked up to them, Harry saw her silver eyes and fangs. She too was a vampire.
"You didn't change your hair color?" Jake asked.
"No, I liked the red color," she replied. They headed down to the Great Hall, receiving glares from many of the other students.
"Ah," Matt said. "Here comes Liz. Ashley's taking a lot of time. Wonder what she's wearing. I can't get much from your costume." Harry looked up and saw Liz come down. Her long blond hair was straight. Her clothes were just like Matt's except that she was wearing a dress instead. They headed down to the dance leaving Harry alone which he insisted was fine by him.
A few minutes later, Harry heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked and saw Ashley. She was wearing a beautiful Renaissance dress. It was light purple. He hair was curled and put up on top of her head surrounded by lilac flowers and a ribbon that hung down her back to the floor. Her eyes were the color purple as well as her make up. She had made the dress herself. When she finally reached the landing, she walked over to Harry, smiling at his reaction.
A few feet away from him, wings spread out from her back. Harry and her had planed to go as fairies. Her wings were a beautiful shimmering purple, thus the reason of the color of the dress. Harry had let his own wings spread. Female fairies have wings of one color. Male fairies are different. They hold many colors. Harry's were a mixture of soft blue, green, and purple.
"You look gorgeous," Harry complemented as Ashley stopped in front of him.
"Thank you," she said blushing. "Sorry for the wait but I didn't want the other girls to see me yet. I wanted you to be the first. I take it that the others don't know what we're going as?"
"They don't have a clue about the wings part. Just about my clothes," Harry responded taking her hand and bringing her down to the Great Hall, their wings flapping occasionally.
The Great Hall was dark inside but lit up by fewer candles than usual for the spookier effect. The tables were pushed back to make room for dancing. Most people were standing and talking to others. They walked in and looked around. Finally seeing Caroline, they made their way towards them. Before they made it, Liz caught sight of them.
"And who do we have here?" she asked excited. She caught the attention of the rest of the group.
"Ashley," Caroline said. "Did you make that dress?" Liz and Caroline fussed over Ashley's dress while Harry talked to Jake and Matt.
"A fairy huh?" Jake asked. "Never would've came up with that one."
"It wasn't my idea," Harry said folding his wings down in the back. "It was Ashley's idea. She was so excited about it."
"You two look great," Matt complemented. Harry thanked him as he looked around the room and saw the other students' costumes. Many were dressed as animals. Others just wore dress robes. Most of the parents didn't dress up. They just wore dress robes. Harry saw Stacy talking to Professor Dumbledore. She had to be the only teacher wearing a costume. She was wearing cat ears on her head. It was small but enough for the occasion. Harry continued to look around until he spotted his Godfather walking up to them. He was wearing muggle clothes and had a pipe in his mouth.
"Why, good evening, lads!" he said walking up to them. He sounded very wise. "Wonderful costumes, might I add."
"I always knew that Jake would pick the vampire," someone said from the side of Harry. He turned and saw Stacy walk up to them. She had finished her talk with Dumbledore. "And Matt, you and Liz make wonderful elves. But, Sirius, can you guess what Harry is dressed as?"
Sirius looked down at Harry who smiled back, challenging him. Harry had his wings folded in the back making them impossible to see. "A muggle?" he asked sounding more like himself. Harry shook his head. 'I don't know," he said.
"Harry, show him the rest of your costume," Stacy said smiling. Harry smiled to Sirius before spreading his colorful wings.
"Wow," Sirius responded, wide eyed. He made Harry turn around to check if the wings were real and not glued on, or as muggles do, strapped on. He couldn't find glue or straps. "How did you do that?"
"I transformed into a fairy. I am a shapeshifter remember?" Harry asked laugh at Sirius' face as he realized his mistake.
"Well sorry for forgetting," he said. He started looking around. 'So, where's your date?"
Harry looked around. "She's over there by Hermione, Liz and Caroline, which reminds me. We should go meet Hermione's date." They made their way over to the group on the other side of the room.
"Hey guys!" Hermione exclaimed seeing them walk over. She pulled the hand of a guy next to her. "This is Will. Will, these are my friends Harry Potter, Jake Malon, Matt Keper and Sirius Black." They shook hands. Will was a bit taller than Harry was and had short brown hair and brown eyes. Ashley walked over to Harry and stood next to him. Without even realizing it, their hands intertwined.
"We were just admiring Ashley's work," Liz said.
"I love her wings," Hermione said. "Harry? Can I see yours?" Harry spread his wings and turned them to her. "I love yours too!" She exclaimed before Harry turned back.
"Have you seen Ron?" Harry asked looking around for his friend.
"Yea. He was hear for a while before being dragged off to some of Lavender's friends." Caroline responded. "Oh look! Here's Remus!" Harry turned to look and saw Remus walking through the crowds of people. He was dressed in muggle clothes as well as Sirius.
"Hello," he said, finally reaching them. They all greeted him back. He admired their costumes.
"Why didn't you dress up more?" Hermione asked.
Remus shook his head. "I'm too old for that."
Sirius nodded his head. 'Yea I guess so," He stopped short finally realizing what he was saying. "Hey! If you're too old, I'm the same age so I'd be too old. Oh Moony, you're still young. You have millions of years before you're too old," he said receiving smiles from everyone and a smack on the arm from Moony.
"Let's go sit down to eat," Stacy suggested. They agreed and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Will felt awkward for not being at his won table so Hermione agreed to sit with him at the Hufflepuff table.
They started eating until Harry asked a question that was on his mind for a while. "Have you decided whether or not to train everyone for future attacks?"
Remus, Sirius, and Stacy shifted in their seats uncomfortable. "Yes and no," Stacy answered.
"We don't know what would be most important nor if we can fit it in the schedules." Sirius answered.
"Let everyone drop the subjects to take training courses!" Jake said.
"But they still need to take the O.W.L. 's and N.E.W.T. 's!" Caroline exclaimed.
"It's not as simple as that Jake," Remus said. 'As Caroline said, those tests are important and must be taken. The time needed to teach what is needed is greater than what we can spare."
"Then have the teachers give less homework to those students who decide to take training up. The training should be in the free time. If they don't have homework to do, they could attend the training classes more," Liz explained.
"That's a good idea," Matt said. "They can use their free time to train instead of doing homework that's discussed in class."
"Or have teachers train students but incorporate what they need to learn in that class in the training such as Animagus transformation or incorporating what happened in the past to things we need to avoid in the future," Harry suggested. Everyone looked at him. "What?" he asked.
"That's a great idea," Stacy said. She looked at Sirius and Remus who nodded in agreement. "I'll be right back." She left and headed towards the staff table right to Dumbledore. They watched her explain what Harry had said. Dumbledore nodded at times until his eyes lit up. He talked back to Stacy brightly. Stacy nodded back before turning and heading back to Gryffindor table, a smile on her face. "He agrees. He'll inform the teachers tomorrow of the idea."
"I knew you'd get the smart and creative genes from your mother," Sirius commented. Harry began to smile but it soon disappeared. Sirius must've realized the same thing as well as Remus. They had also realized the sad occasion of the day. Harry looked down at his plate without saying a word until an arm snaked under his and pulled on it slightly. Harry looked up and saw Ashley's sad face looking down at him.
"Come on," she said softly pulling on his arm once more.
"Why?" he asked slowly rising.
"Just come on," she said again. Once Harry stood, she grabbed his hand and led him to the center of the Hall where the tables had been cleared. It was the dance floor and no one was on it although soft music was playing.
"What are we doing?" Harry asked as they approached the center of the floor.
Ashley stopped in the center and turned to Harry. "It's not good to dwell on the past no matter how sad it is." She put her arms around Harry's neck. "They love you and everything you do. Don't ever forget that or wonder how it would be if they were here." She said forcefully. "They are watching over you everyday. They are proud of you. They are the proudest they can be just to have you as their son. To have a son as great as you, who does what's right, who stands up for what's right. Who does great things just because it's what he seems he has to do. Ever hear those little voice in a quiet room? Voices in your head? They are watching you. Even though you can't see them they are there, they talk to you. They speak words of love and encouragement. Those are the words of someone who loves you. Someone who cares. Millions of people love you, Harry. Don't dwell on the past but live in the present." Harry looked down into her eyes. She held him close. He put his arms around her waist. Suddenly he gave a small smile.
"Where did you hear that?" he asked. She shrugged.
"My Mum told me some of it when my Grandmum died but the rest I came up with. Did it help?" she asked uncertain.
"Yes it did," Harry replied. "It helped a lot. Thank you." He leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the lips.
"Glad to be of service," she said back laughing. Harry laughed a little before realizing that they were the only ones on the floor and that many people where staring at them.
"People are staring at us," He noted.
"So let them stare," she said back. They danced in the small area to the music. Ashley laid her head on his shoulder.
"In a small, quiet whisper she said, "We love you Harry."
Harry looked down at her. "I knew that was you."
Ashley lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Did I fool you a little?" she asked. Harry thought for a moment. The whisper sounded like a stray voice in the room for a second.
"Yes you did," he said truthfully. 'But I knew it was you."
Ashley lifter her hand to smack him in the arm "See, I did fool you even if it was fake." She rested her head back on his shoulder before looking up at him again. "Just to tell you, the wind carries many messages. Listen to some of them. Most of the time its not me," she stated before putting her head back. Harry danced with her while thinking. Voices in the wind. Maybe his parents do talk to him. He closed his eyes and danced with Ashley song after song. After a few songs, more people took to the dance floor.
"Look at them," Remus said looking in the direction of Harry and Ashley.
"I wonder what Ashley was saying to him before," Sirius wondered.
"By the looks of it, words of encouragement."
"I really shouldn't have brought up the whole smart and creative genes thing," Sirius confessed. "I wasn't even thinking."
"It wasn't your fault," Remus said. "I thought it was actually nice. He's never really met his parents but I think it made him happy to know that he really is his parents' son and they are alive inside him."
"Yea but it had to be on the anniversary of the day of their passing?" Sirius asked putting his face in his hands. Remus shook his shoulders.
"Look at his Padfoot. He looks happy. Now when he comes up with an idea, he'll think of his mother. It helps him to know more about them. We should really start telling him about the other traits. He already knows about his looks and eyes."
"He has the body of his mother though," Sirius observed. "He's thin, flexible and will be short but continue growing when everyone else has stopped."
"His sense of humor is from his father," Remus said. Sirius agreed to that with a nod.
"He's definitely as smart as his mother. I'm surprised that he doesn't show Hermione how well he does. He'd amaze her. He's right behind her in class rank."
"He's sensitive like Lily."
"He doesn't do pranks," Sirius said annoyed. Remus and Sirius looked at each other before saying "Lily," and breaking out laughing.
"He has great friends," Remus said observing the other students.
"Great friends and a great Girlfriend," Sirius said still watching the two dance. "Where did he learn how to dance?" Sirius and Remus looked at each other laughing as they remembered James' horrible dancing. "Lily," they said still laughing.
"Thank Merlin!" Remus said. They were laughing.
Sirius remembered his first crush as he watched the couples dancing. It was to a girl named Stacy Jennings. She was gorgeous. They went to a dance once but Stacy moved away. They never saw each other again. Sirius sighed at the memory.
"Hey Sirius?" He turned to see Stacy walk up to him. "Would you like to dance?" He looked at Remus who gave an encouraging nod. He wasn't doing anything else more exciting so he agreed. Stacy put her arms around Sirius as the danced As they danced, something hit Sirius like a lightning bolt. The dance felt familiar. The way Stacy was holding onto him was familiar.
"What's wrong?" Stacy asked worried.
Sirius shook his head. "Just remembering a childhood crush."
"Oh really?" she asked smiling.
"Yea to a girl named Stacy Jennings."
Stacy smirked. "Did you happen to think that this Jennings person changed her last name during any time during her life?" Sirius began to shake his head until his eyes went wide.
"No," he said quietly looking down at Stacy. It couldn't be.
'It is Sirius," she said smiling.
"But how?" he asked.
"After school I got married to a guy named Greg Miller. We were together for about a year before we divorced. I wasn't exactly over you," she explained.
"You're kidding!" Sirius exclaimed. Stacy shook her head.
"I finally came back to Hogwarts," She said. In Sirius' eyes, everything seemed to turn back a few years. He was a few years younger and was dancing with a younger looking Stacy. He looked for similarities between the two. There was no doubt about it. It was the same Stacy. They talked about old times and about everything they could think of. They told Remus and everyone else. Everyone was amazed and happy. They danced together for the rest of the night.
All being tires, they all headed back to the common room where they talked more until they could barley keep their eyes opened. They all made their way to their rooms and changed before falling asleep in bed.
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Hey guys. I know this is short for me but I wanted to get this out. I typed ten pages in a one and a half hours in one sitting just for you guys. I have to start school tomorrow, which is the reason for this early update. Enjoy it anyway and review your ideas for future adventures, travels, classes of training for everyone, attacks, anything. I'm running out of ideas so this will be a story by my reviewers who send ideas that I'll be glad to use.
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Harry groaned and opened his eyes a few hours later. He saw that he was sitting in a bed in the Hospital Wing. Looking around, he saw that Ashley was awake in the bed next to him. She was sitting up and reading a book.
"What time is it?" he asked yawning. He sat up in bed and propped himself up with his pillows.
"About 5 o'clock," Ashley answered. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I was hit in the head with a bat," Harry responded rubbing his head.
Ashley smiled a little but said, "That's not funny, you know."
"But that's how I feel," Harry said.
"How's your throat and back?" Ashley asked remembering where Harry was cut.
"My back is fine but my neck is bothering me." He got out of bed and headed towards a mirror on the other side of the room. He was still wearing the same clothes. Once at the mirror, he lifted his head. "No wonder why it's bothering me. It's still there!" Harry saw a cut run along his throat. It wasn't bleeding but it was there. He looked down at his clothes. His shirt had blood on it.
"There's more clothes in the bathroom," Ashley said sensing what he was looking at. Harry turned to her and saw that she was dressed in a pair of black pants and a cranberry tank top.
"Muggle clothes?" Harry asked heading to the bathroom. He saw a pair of khaki shorts and a dark blue T-shirt by the sink. Harry changed into them. "Where's the nurse?" Harry asked. Usually Madam Pomfrey was always by them.
"She went out. I don't know where," Ashley responded. "See? You don't have to use magic to make clothes fit!"
Harry looked down at himself. His clothes weren't baggy but weren't tight. "I guess not," he said smiling. "What do we do now?"
"What do you want to do?" Ashley asked getting out of bed. She stretched before putting on a pair of black shoes that were lying by the bed.
Harry's stomach growled. "I guess to dinner."
"I'm glad you picked that. I'm hungry myself." They started to pack up their things to leave when the nurse came in. She quickly checked over Harry's wounds before letting them go. They walked to the Great Hall and walked in. Several people looked up. They sat at the Gryffindor table like normal. They had to answer millions of questions. The most popular one was, 'Are you okay?'. Stacy made Harry show her his cut along the throat. She checked it out to make sure it wasn't terrible before letting Harry go back to his dinner.
From then on the days went by fast until finally, to the horror of some people, Halloween had arrived as well as the dance to take place that afternoon, which started in a few minutes.
"Harry, how do I look?" Ron asked. He changed his hair to black and his eyes to blue. He was going as an Auror. He was wearing a long blue robe.
"You look fine Ron," Harry responded. It was the tenth time Ron had asked. Harry quickly put on his costume. It was a big tan shirt with a V-neck. It was made to look like a pheasant's shirt. He wore brown pants and shoes.
"That's all?" Jake asked walking into the room. He was in long black robes. He looked the same except for his piercing silver eyes and long fangs. He transformed into a vampire.
"No," Harry answered. "Not really."
"This looks strange," Matt said from the mirror. Harry turned to him. He was wearing a tan shirt but a green vest and pants. He was going as an elf. Many people thought they were short people but they really were as tall as regular people but held powerful magic.
"It looks fine," Jake said before heading out the door. They had agreed to meet the girls in the common room. Ron, Matt followed him. Harry was about to follow them when something caught his eye. It was a picture of his parents and today was the anniversary of their passing. Harry started at the photo for a while until he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked up to see Ron looking down on him.
"You okay, mate?" he asked worried. Harry looked once more at the picture before nodding and heading down to the common room.
They all sat on the couches talking until they heard someone walking down from the girl's dormitories. They looked up to see Hermione. She was wearing a long shimmering blue dress. Her hair was smooth and laid at her sides. It was cut at an angle. She wore a beautiful necklace on her neck and a few bracelets on her wrists.
"Wow, Hermione," Ron said.
"You look great Hermione," Harry replied. "What are you going as?"
Hermione thought for a moment. "I don't know. It was just an idea to dress up. Its just something that I don't normally wear."
"Nice choice," Jake remarked.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, boys, I have to meet my date," Hermione said as she started to head out through the portrait.
"Who is it?" Ron asked. Hermione turned back and smiled.
"He's name is William Herald and he's a sixth year Hufflepuff."
"You're not taking a Gryffindor?" Ron asked surprised.
"I don't have to only pick from my house," Hermione said sternly.
"We'll meet you there, Hermione," Harry said. He knew they would start fighting again if he didn't break them up now. Hermione walked out through the portrait. A few minutes later, Lavender walked down the staircase. Like Ron, she was an Auror. She was wearing long, deep red robes. Ron and Lavender headed down to the Great Hall. The next one to come down was Caroline. When she walked up to them, Harry saw her silver eyes and fangs. She too was a vampire.
"You didn't change your hair color?" Jake asked.
"No, I liked the red color," she replied. They headed down to the Great Hall, receiving glares from many of the other students.
"Ah," Matt said. "Here comes Liz. Ashley's taking a lot of time. Wonder what she's wearing. I can't get much from your costume." Harry looked up and saw Liz come down. Her long blond hair was straight. Her clothes were just like Matt's except that she was wearing a dress instead. They headed down to the dance leaving Harry alone which he insisted was fine by him.
A few minutes later, Harry heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked and saw Ashley. She was wearing a beautiful Renaissance dress. It was light purple. He hair was curled and put up on top of her head surrounded by lilac flowers and a ribbon that hung down her back to the floor. Her eyes were the color purple as well as her make up. She had made the dress herself. When she finally reached the landing, she walked over to Harry, smiling at his reaction.
A few feet away from him, wings spread out from her back. Harry and her had planed to go as fairies. Her wings were a beautiful shimmering purple, thus the reason of the color of the dress. Harry had let his own wings spread. Female fairies have wings of one color. Male fairies are different. They hold many colors. Harry's were a mixture of soft blue, green, and purple.
"You look gorgeous," Harry complemented as Ashley stopped in front of him.
"Thank you," she said blushing. "Sorry for the wait but I didn't want the other girls to see me yet. I wanted you to be the first. I take it that the others don't know what we're going as?"
"They don't have a clue about the wings part. Just about my clothes," Harry responded taking her hand and bringing her down to the Great Hall, their wings flapping occasionally.
The Great Hall was dark inside but lit up by fewer candles than usual for the spookier effect. The tables were pushed back to make room for dancing. Most people were standing and talking to others. They walked in and looked around. Finally seeing Caroline, they made their way towards them. Before they made it, Liz caught sight of them.
"And who do we have here?" she asked excited. She caught the attention of the rest of the group.
"Ashley," Caroline said. "Did you make that dress?" Liz and Caroline fussed over Ashley's dress while Harry talked to Jake and Matt.
"A fairy huh?" Jake asked. "Never would've came up with that one."
"It wasn't my idea," Harry said folding his wings down in the back. "It was Ashley's idea. She was so excited about it."
"You two look great," Matt complemented. Harry thanked him as he looked around the room and saw the other students' costumes. Many were dressed as animals. Others just wore dress robes. Most of the parents didn't dress up. They just wore dress robes. Harry saw Stacy talking to Professor Dumbledore. She had to be the only teacher wearing a costume. She was wearing cat ears on her head. It was small but enough for the occasion. Harry continued to look around until he spotted his Godfather walking up to them. He was wearing muggle clothes and had a pipe in his mouth.
"Why, good evening, lads!" he said walking up to them. He sounded very wise. "Wonderful costumes, might I add."
"I always knew that Jake would pick the vampire," someone said from the side of Harry. He turned and saw Stacy walk up to them. She had finished her talk with Dumbledore. "And Matt, you and Liz make wonderful elves. But, Sirius, can you guess what Harry is dressed as?"
Sirius looked down at Harry who smiled back, challenging him. Harry had his wings folded in the back making them impossible to see. "A muggle?" he asked sounding more like himself. Harry shook his head. 'I don't know," he said.
"Harry, show him the rest of your costume," Stacy said smiling. Harry smiled to Sirius before spreading his colorful wings.
"Wow," Sirius responded, wide eyed. He made Harry turn around to check if the wings were real and not glued on, or as muggles do, strapped on. He couldn't find glue or straps. "How did you do that?"
"I transformed into a fairy. I am a shapeshifter remember?" Harry asked laugh at Sirius' face as he realized his mistake.
"Well sorry for forgetting," he said. He started looking around. 'So, where's your date?"
Harry looked around. "She's over there by Hermione, Liz and Caroline, which reminds me. We should go meet Hermione's date." They made their way over to the group on the other side of the room.
"Hey guys!" Hermione exclaimed seeing them walk over. She pulled the hand of a guy next to her. "This is Will. Will, these are my friends Harry Potter, Jake Malon, Matt Keper and Sirius Black." They shook hands. Will was a bit taller than Harry was and had short brown hair and brown eyes. Ashley walked over to Harry and stood next to him. Without even realizing it, their hands intertwined.
"We were just admiring Ashley's work," Liz said.
"I love her wings," Hermione said. "Harry? Can I see yours?" Harry spread his wings and turned them to her. "I love yours too!" She exclaimed before Harry turned back.
"Have you seen Ron?" Harry asked looking around for his friend.
"Yea. He was hear for a while before being dragged off to some of Lavender's friends." Caroline responded. "Oh look! Here's Remus!" Harry turned to look and saw Remus walking through the crowds of people. He was dressed in muggle clothes as well as Sirius.
"Hello," he said, finally reaching them. They all greeted him back. He admired their costumes.
"Why didn't you dress up more?" Hermione asked.
Remus shook his head. "I'm too old for that."
Sirius nodded his head. 'Yea I guess so," He stopped short finally realizing what he was saying. "Hey! If you're too old, I'm the same age so I'd be too old. Oh Moony, you're still young. You have millions of years before you're too old," he said receiving smiles from everyone and a smack on the arm from Moony.
"Let's go sit down to eat," Stacy suggested. They agreed and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Will felt awkward for not being at his won table so Hermione agreed to sit with him at the Hufflepuff table.
They started eating until Harry asked a question that was on his mind for a while. "Have you decided whether or not to train everyone for future attacks?"
Remus, Sirius, and Stacy shifted in their seats uncomfortable. "Yes and no," Stacy answered.
"We don't know what would be most important nor if we can fit it in the schedules." Sirius answered.
"Let everyone drop the subjects to take training courses!" Jake said.
"But they still need to take the O.W.L. 's and N.E.W.T. 's!" Caroline exclaimed.
"It's not as simple as that Jake," Remus said. 'As Caroline said, those tests are important and must be taken. The time needed to teach what is needed is greater than what we can spare."
"Then have the teachers give less homework to those students who decide to take training up. The training should be in the free time. If they don't have homework to do, they could attend the training classes more," Liz explained.
"That's a good idea," Matt said. "They can use their free time to train instead of doing homework that's discussed in class."
"Or have teachers train students but incorporate what they need to learn in that class in the training such as Animagus transformation or incorporating what happened in the past to things we need to avoid in the future," Harry suggested. Everyone looked at him. "What?" he asked.
"That's a great idea," Stacy said. She looked at Sirius and Remus who nodded in agreement. "I'll be right back." She left and headed towards the staff table right to Dumbledore. They watched her explain what Harry had said. Dumbledore nodded at times until his eyes lit up. He talked back to Stacy brightly. Stacy nodded back before turning and heading back to Gryffindor table, a smile on her face. "He agrees. He'll inform the teachers tomorrow of the idea."
"I knew you'd get the smart and creative genes from your mother," Sirius commented. Harry began to smile but it soon disappeared. Sirius must've realized the same thing as well as Remus. They had also realized the sad occasion of the day. Harry looked down at his plate without saying a word until an arm snaked under his and pulled on it slightly. Harry looked up and saw Ashley's sad face looking down at him.
"Come on," she said softly pulling on his arm once more.
"Why?" he asked slowly rising.
"Just come on," she said again. Once Harry stood, she grabbed his hand and led him to the center of the Hall where the tables had been cleared. It was the dance floor and no one was on it although soft music was playing.
"What are we doing?" Harry asked as they approached the center of the floor.
Ashley stopped in the center and turned to Harry. "It's not good to dwell on the past no matter how sad it is." She put her arms around Harry's neck. "They love you and everything you do. Don't ever forget that or wonder how it would be if they were here." She said forcefully. "They are watching over you everyday. They are proud of you. They are the proudest they can be just to have you as their son. To have a son as great as you, who does what's right, who stands up for what's right. Who does great things just because it's what he seems he has to do. Ever hear those little voice in a quiet room? Voices in your head? They are watching you. Even though you can't see them they are there, they talk to you. They speak words of love and encouragement. Those are the words of someone who loves you. Someone who cares. Millions of people love you, Harry. Don't dwell on the past but live in the present." Harry looked down into her eyes. She held him close. He put his arms around her waist. Suddenly he gave a small smile.
"Where did you hear that?" he asked. She shrugged.
"My Mum told me some of it when my Grandmum died but the rest I came up with. Did it help?" she asked uncertain.
"Yes it did," Harry replied. "It helped a lot. Thank you." He leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the lips.
"Glad to be of service," she said back laughing. Harry laughed a little before realizing that they were the only ones on the floor and that many people where staring at them.
"People are staring at us," He noted.
"So let them stare," she said back. They danced in the small area to the music. Ashley laid her head on his shoulder.
"In a small, quiet whisper she said, "We love you Harry."
Harry looked down at her. "I knew that was you."
Ashley lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Did I fool you a little?" she asked. Harry thought for a moment. The whisper sounded like a stray voice in the room for a second.
"Yes you did," he said truthfully. 'But I knew it was you."
Ashley lifter her hand to smack him in the arm "See, I did fool you even if it was fake." She rested her head back on his shoulder before looking up at him again. "Just to tell you, the wind carries many messages. Listen to some of them. Most of the time its not me," she stated before putting her head back. Harry danced with her while thinking. Voices in the wind. Maybe his parents do talk to him. He closed his eyes and danced with Ashley song after song. After a few songs, more people took to the dance floor.
"Look at them," Remus said looking in the direction of Harry and Ashley.
"I wonder what Ashley was saying to him before," Sirius wondered.
"By the looks of it, words of encouragement."
"I really shouldn't have brought up the whole smart and creative genes thing," Sirius confessed. "I wasn't even thinking."
"It wasn't your fault," Remus said. "I thought it was actually nice. He's never really met his parents but I think it made him happy to know that he really is his parents' son and they are alive inside him."
"Yea but it had to be on the anniversary of the day of their passing?" Sirius asked putting his face in his hands. Remus shook his shoulders.
"Look at his Padfoot. He looks happy. Now when he comes up with an idea, he'll think of his mother. It helps him to know more about them. We should really start telling him about the other traits. He already knows about his looks and eyes."
"He has the body of his mother though," Sirius observed. "He's thin, flexible and will be short but continue growing when everyone else has stopped."
"His sense of humor is from his father," Remus said. Sirius agreed to that with a nod.
"He's definitely as smart as his mother. I'm surprised that he doesn't show Hermione how well he does. He'd amaze her. He's right behind her in class rank."
"He's sensitive like Lily."
"He doesn't do pranks," Sirius said annoyed. Remus and Sirius looked at each other before saying "Lily," and breaking out laughing.
"He has great friends," Remus said observing the other students.
"Great friends and a great Girlfriend," Sirius said still watching the two dance. "Where did he learn how to dance?" Sirius and Remus looked at each other laughing as they remembered James' horrible dancing. "Lily," they said still laughing.
"Thank Merlin!" Remus said. They were laughing.
Sirius remembered his first crush as he watched the couples dancing. It was to a girl named Stacy Jennings. She was gorgeous. They went to a dance once but Stacy moved away. They never saw each other again. Sirius sighed at the memory.
"Hey Sirius?" He turned to see Stacy walk up to him. "Would you like to dance?" He looked at Remus who gave an encouraging nod. He wasn't doing anything else more exciting so he agreed. Stacy put her arms around Sirius as the danced As they danced, something hit Sirius like a lightning bolt. The dance felt familiar. The way Stacy was holding onto him was familiar.
"What's wrong?" Stacy asked worried.
Sirius shook his head. "Just remembering a childhood crush."
"Oh really?" she asked smiling.
"Yea to a girl named Stacy Jennings."
Stacy smirked. "Did you happen to think that this Jennings person changed her last name during any time during her life?" Sirius began to shake his head until his eyes went wide.
"No," he said quietly looking down at Stacy. It couldn't be.
'It is Sirius," she said smiling.
"But how?" he asked.
"After school I got married to a guy named Greg Miller. We were together for about a year before we divorced. I wasn't exactly over you," she explained.
"You're kidding!" Sirius exclaimed. Stacy shook her head.
"I finally came back to Hogwarts," She said. In Sirius' eyes, everything seemed to turn back a few years. He was a few years younger and was dancing with a younger looking Stacy. He looked for similarities between the two. There was no doubt about it. It was the same Stacy. They talked about old times and about everything they could think of. They told Remus and everyone else. Everyone was amazed and happy. They danced together for the rest of the night.
All being tires, they all headed back to the common room where they talked more until they could barley keep their eyes opened. They all made their way to their rooms and changed before falling asleep in bed.
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Hey guys. I know this is short for me but I wanted to get this out. I typed ten pages in a one and a half hours in one sitting just for you guys. I have to start school tomorrow, which is the reason for this early update. Enjoy it anyway and review your ideas for future adventures, travels, classes of training for everyone, attacks, anything. I'm running out of ideas so this will be a story by my reviewers who send ideas that I'll be glad to use.