A/N: Well, chapter six was posted a few days ago, but it never seemed to appear on the main updates page. Let's hope that this one makes it there. One thing I've been wanting to say: please pardon my Latin, if you're a scholar. I don't know anything about stems or gender of Latin vocabulary, so I just do the best I can. Most of you have probably noticed how JKR names her spells; they usually describe what it does – in Latin. Mine are named in the same way.
Chapter 7: A Real Summer Vacation
As soon as the party entered the house, Dumbledore took his leave. "I must leave you all for now," he said. "There is much to be done in Hogsmeade yet." He shook hands with the men and nodded to Professor Thornby. Finally he turned to Harry. "I want you to know that I am completely at your disposal, Mr. Potter," he said. "Feel free to contact me about anything at all." Harry assured the headmaster that he understood, and Dumbledore was soon gone.
Harry spent most of the day exploring the house and grounds with Sirius and Lupin. His father's old friends filled him in on what they had been doing for the past month.
"Dumbledore has had us hopping all over Britain," Sirius said. They were strolling through a gallery, and he seemed half absorbed in the portraits of headmasters and headmistresses of the past. Like the paintings in Dumbledore's office, most of the people in them were asleep. "I have to travel in disguise to avoid starting another manhunt for me, but Remus goes as himself."
"We found the graveyard where Voldemort was reborn, of course," Lupin put in. "There were no clues there as to his present whereabouts, though. Most of the time I feel as if we're blind mice chasing the cat about. Every now and then we find some leads, but they don't get us very far. I'm afraid we're only going to be able to move forward after he strikes again."
They did not focus on such dark topics for long. The house was full of wonderful things, and the sunlight streaming in through the windows was too cheerful. The music room contained volumes and volumes of musical scores and instruments that played themselves upon command. There was a library, full of fat, leather-bound tomes, and a potions laboratory, where one wall was completely lined with vials of every size, shape, and color. The solarium on the first floor was full of rare and delicate magical plants. Blossoming orchids on vines climbed everywhere, and the air was full of the smell of damp earth. One of Harry's favorites was a domed room where the walls, ceiling, and floor all vanished once the door was shut, making it seem to the occupants that they were standing in midair. The large brassbound telescope in the very center gave away the purpose of that room. Harry, Sirius, and Lupin were all impressed by the ballroom, with its lavishly decorated walls, delicate chandeliers, and dark wood floor that had been polished until it shone. Hours passed unmarked by any of them as they discovered one curiosity after another.
Later that evening, after dinner, a snowy owl came soaring in through an open window clutching two letters in her claws. "Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed. He stroked her feathers and untied her small bundle. Hedwig hooted gratefully while he fed her some bits of a wheat roll. She soared off through the same window to hunt for a more filling dinner, and Harry retreated to a solitary couch in the next room to read his letters.
The first one had the word "Harry" written on the envelope in Ron's sprawling hand, but it was even messier than usual. Harry excitedly tore open the envelope and pulled out the parchment inside, which looked like it had just been stuffed in any which way it would go.
Dear Harry,
I don't know what you're on about, but I burned your letter like you asked. Fred and George said I was sneaking around and thought it was a love letter, the stupid gits. They chased me all over the Burrow before I got it in the kitchen fire. Then they saw me writing back to you and they thought I was answering the love letter and I had to run off to get this done. The clock says I'm bloody lost and Mum is probably losing her head right now, so I hope you're happy. Well, whatever happened to you, I hope you're really okay. Hey, you don't have to stay with the Dursleys anymore, so it can't be all bad, can it? Maybe Dumbledore will let you stay with us for the rest of the summer! We can all play Quidditch and Bugger I hear Fred and George
Ron
Harry laughed and folded up the crumpled paper neatly. Poor Ron. Somehow he always managed to look guilty at the worst times. Hermione's letter, by contrast, was neat and tidy as always.
Dear Harry,
That was quite a strange letter I just got. There hasn't been anything in the Daily Prophet about you. Whatever has happened, Professor Dumbledore must be trying to keep it quiet. Not that he'd have to try too hard – everyone's still talking about Hogsmeade. I put a match to your letter, so don't worry. I hope you can tell us more soon, and that wherever you are, it's nicer than being at the Dursleys'. Can we really come and see you? It would be great to spend the summer together! Please write whenever you can.
Love, Hermione
"Letters from your friends?"
Harry looked up. Bellaton stood in the doorway, filling it with his height and his presence. "Ron and Hermione," Harry said.
Bellaton nodded. "Celeste and I had a talk with Albus while you were still recovering. We're only going to be able to keep you entertained for so long. Within a few weeks, we may be able to arrange for them to come and visit you."
Harry felt as if someone had been reading his thoughts. "How did you know –" he began.
"A young man your age, stuck in a house with his teachers for the rest of the summer? It wasn't hard to figure out." Bellaton smiled broadly, his perfect white teeth framed by his jet-black mustache and short, thin beard. "Albus is going to start making the preparations as soon as possible. With luck, they'll be able to stay here until the start of term."
Harry let out a whoop; he couldn't help himself. Bellaton merely grinned again and continued. "We may have to let all the resident Weasleys in on the goings-on after all, but Albus thinks that they can all be convinced of the need for secrecy. After all, if we tell them he's off to visit you, no one will buy it. They know what the Dursleys are like. Pity that I do, too," he added dryly.
"Something exciting going on in here?" Lupin said, trying to peek over Bellaton's shoulder.
"We'll never know, not with this great lump in the way," said Sirius' voice.
"If you two old dogs want to get by, all you need do is sit nicely and wag your tails," Bellaton said, turning to let them through.
"Padfoot will roll over and play dead for treats," Lupin said, elbowing Sirius in the ribs.
"Moony's not very domesticated," Sirius retorted. "He'll just make a mess of the carpet."
"Shut up, Padfoot, or I'll have Ardoc here leash you and take you for a walk." Bellaton roared with laughter.
"Really, now," Sirius said, "all I want is to see if Harry wants to play some Quidditch."
"Coming!" Harry said eagerly, jumping up from his chair.
"Are you in, Ardoc?" Sirius asked.
"I played Keeper for the Gryffindor house team during my time at Hogwarts," the big man said.
"Smashing," Sirius said. "Then you're Keeper, and Harry's Seeker. Moony?"
"I'll be a Chaser," Lupin said.
"Oi, Celeste!" Bellaton boomed, looking back into the other room.
A few moments passed before she came walking up to them. "Can't you ever just come looking for me? It's much more polite," she said peevishly.
"Sorry - Quidditch brings out the ruffian in me. Do you want Chaser or Beater?" Bellaton said.
"Chaser, of course," she said. "You know I'm no good with those little sticks. I always seem to miss the Bludgers."
"That makes me the Beater," Sirius said in tones of deepest satisfaction.
"Have some pent-up emotion to thrash out, Padfoot?" Lupin asked.
"Capital!" Bellaton said, leaving Sirius with an open mouth and an indignant expression. "Front lawns in five minutes."
Harry was the first one to set foot on the grass. He mounted his Firebolt and kicked off as hard as he could, luxuriating in the feel of the cool evening air rushing past his face. One of the things he missed most during the summer was flying; it was wonderful to be off the ground again. He flew a few laps around the lawn, getting reaccustomed to his broom.
"You look like a duck in water," Sirius said, soaring up beside Harry.
"That's what everybody says," Harry replied.
"Don't get too cocky. I hear Ardoc was nicknamed "The Wall" when he was at Hogwarts, and I'm a fair Beater, if I do say so myself."
And Harry found himself playing Quidditch on the front lawns of Alverbrooke on a beautiful summer's evening. Professor Bellaton proved that he had earned his nickname; Lupin and Professor Thornby had a hard time getting anything past him, even though she was nimble on her broom and Lupin dodged Sirius' Bludgers with a practiced air. Sirius' skill stopped Harry from catching the Snitch more than once. The tiny golden ball led him a merry chase, soaring all over the lawns, around trees and skimming along the ground. When Harry finally caught it, he was amazed to see that it was nearly dark.
"How can you see that thing in this light?" Lupin said as he landed gently on the grass.
Harry shrugged. "I just keep my eye on it."
Bellaton snorted. "And it's just that easy!"
They headed back inside, Bellaton, Lupin, and Sirius sparring all the way.
**********
Three days passed at Alverbrooke with little excitement, which was just fine with everyone. Harry spent nearly every waking moment with Sirius and Lupin. Celeste Thornby joined them for a short while every day, getting to know Harry. She would spend at least an hour with them, but not much more; she claimed not to want to spoil Harry's reunion with his godfather.
During their walks through the gardens together, Harry had already learned a great deal about Professor Thornby. Voldemort had killed her family shortly before his curse on Harry backfired. Like Harry's own parents, they had been marked for execution, and had chosen to stand their ground and fight rather than flee. She had been seventeen at the time, and just ready to graduate from Hogwarts. The shock had crushed her, and Dumbledore provided a willing ear and a shoulder to cry on. It wasn't long before she was completely devoted to him, and found herself living at Alverbrooke.
"The murder of my family inspired me to study defense and combat spells," she said to Harry one afternoon. They were sitting in the breakfast room having tea with Sirius and Lupin. "I discovered that I was born to be a soldier. I don't mean to boast when I say that I am very good at it. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. When I felt that I had learned all the modern spells I could, I started digging through dusty old books looking for more. We've amassed quite a collection of those around here."
"Hermione Granger is going to like you," Lupin said over his teacup.
"I learned quite a bit during those years," she continued. "Take Donum Vitae, for example. Ardoc was my study partner and my mentor most of the time; he's quite good with the same type of magic himself. Hence our selection by Albus as protectors of you and the rest of the students," she said to Harry. "I hope we can be useful to you, should the occasion arise. We know spells that have been long forgotten by the wizarding world."
"It's nice to know spells that no one knows the counterspell for," Sirius said with a wicked grin.
"Absolutely. But I wouldn't count on that; Voldemort has allies who delight in the same sort of study. Our strongest asset is still surprise. We don't think that the Dark Lord is aware of the four of us. I don't know when you'll meet John and Christabel. They're the others I told you about."
Harry was leaning forward in his chair, intrigued. "Will you teach me?" he asked.
She smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Ardoc and I were going to suggest that," she said. "We will be teaching your classmates a good deal of defensive magic, but it won't hurt for you to start early." She paused for a moment before speaking again, her face grown serious. "You have effectively put your life in my hands, Harry, so I feel that you should know everything important about me before I begin teaching you. There is something else, but I'm not sure how to say it."
Sirius and Lupin exchanged glances and sat up a little straighter.
Professor Thornby suddenly seemed very interested in her teacup. "During our study of archaic spells, Ardoc and I discovered that we both have a very unique ability," she said.
There was a pause. "Which is...?" Sirius said, gesturing with one hand.
She looked up from her tea at Harry. "I am a Singer," she said.
Harry had no idea what she was talking about, so he looked to Lupin and his godfather for clues. They sat in nearly identical positions, heads tilted at exactly the same angle, mouths open exactly the same amount. One of Lupin's eyebrows was arched. "Okay," Harry said.
She smiled in amusement. "I gather you don't know what a Singer is," she said.
"No," Harry said. "But then again, people seem to forget that I grew up with Muggles and don't bother to tell me about these things."
"Singers," Sirius said shortly, "aren't exactly common anymore, and that might be a very good thing."
Professor Thornby's mouth tightened. "That would depend on the Singer," she said.
Harry looked back and forth between them. Sirius was clearly upset. "So what can you do?" he asked.
"There are some spells that can't be spoken. They are Songs, and only certain people can Sing them," Professor Thornby answered. "You have to be born with the ability to learn."
"Hullo," Bellaton said, walking into the room. "You won't mind if I join you?"
Sirius glared up at him, but Lupin gestured to an empty chair. "Sit," he said calmly, earning a second glare from Sirius.
Bellaton poured himself a cup of tea, added milk and sugar, and sat down. "Aaaahhh," he said, leaning back and stretching his legs out before him. "Just what the healer ordered." He looked at Sirius, who seemed to be trying to engage Professor Thornby in a staring match. "So you've told them, have you?"
"She told us," said Lupin.
"Sirius, what's wrong with you?" Harry said.
"We're not born evil, you know," Bellaton said.
Harry couldn't help his exasperation. "What are you talking about?"
"A long time ago, there was a Dark Lord named Atragar who managed to ally most of the existing Singers with him," Bellaton said. "There are some Songs that cannot be counteracted except with another Song. With so many dark Singers, there weren't enough uncorrupted ones left to fight them. History records a great slaughter at the Battle of Bishop's Lynn. Ever since then, people have remembered the destruction a Singer is capable of as opposed to the good deeds they can perform." Sirius shifted his frown back to Bellaton, but Bellaton affected not to notice.
"Oh," Harry said.
"Singers are widely distrusted," Professor Thornby said sadly. "Few people know what Ardoc and I can do. Most people wouldn't give us the time of day if they did."
Lupin was giving Sirius a very disapproving look. Sirius met his friend's eyes, sighed, and dropped his frown. "Stop looking at me like that, Remus, I know you're right," he said irritably. "I'm sorry. I can't help remembering the stories I heard growing up, but I have to admit that I don't think you're any danger to Harry. Why didn't you just tell us sooner?"
"That was my call," Bellaton said. "I thought you would refuse our help without even bothering to hear us out if you knew. Perhaps I should have given you the benefit of the doubt."
"It's all right," Sirius said wearily, waving the apology away. "I might have done just that."
"At least one of the Death Eaters is a Singer," Professor Thornby said. "I hope it will make you feel better to know that someone will be able to fight them."
Sirius nodded.
"You don't seem to be bothered by this," she said to Lupin.
He shrugged. "I'm a werewolf. I know what it's like to be reviled because of something you can't change."
"And you, Harry?" she asked.
"It sounds pretty neat to me, really," he said. "What's a Song like?"
Professors Thornby and Bellaton looked at each other. "I'm going to try and grow a Bristlebark tree in a few days," he said. "Perhaps you can see then."
"Okay," Harry said, though he didn't really understand.
At that moment, a rushing sound emanated from the fireplace at the other end of the room. A great cloud of soot puffed into the air, and Dumbledore stepped out of it, waving his hand in front of his face.
"Professor!" Harry said, surprised.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled down at him. "Hello, Harry."
"Back so soon?" Bellaton said, twisting around to look.
"I'll have the house-elves see to that fireplace," Professor Thornby said, wincing. She stood up and moved to brush at Dumbledore's blackened robes.
"Not to worry, my dear, it's quite all right. My own fireplace is terribly sooty itself. When I return to Hogwarts I am sure I will be truly filthy." He turned to Harry. "I have some good news. I have spoken with the Grangers and the Weasleys, and they have agreed to let them come here for the rest of the summer."
"When?" Harry exclaimed.
"On Saturday, at the end of this week," Dumbledore replied.
Harry was thrilled. "Thank you," he said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Not at all," Dumbledore said.
Harry barely listened as Dumbledore spoke to the others. He was already off daydreaming about how good it would be to have his friends around again. It occurred to him that his poisoning might have been a blessing in disguise; after all, it looked like this might turn out to be his first real summer vacation ever.