Disclaimer: don't own it.
I am extremely sorry for the long delay for this chapter. Right now I'm getting really stressed from schoolwork, projects, etc, and it's just impossible for me to sit down for half an hour and type out chapters for my story, as much as I'd like to. Anyway, I did try my hardest to type out this chapter despite the fact that it took me forever and a day. Please don't kill me just yet, because I'm really sorry for the longest delay ever known to man of this story. Hope you enjoy it.
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Lily woke up with her hands clamped over her ears. Her palms were sweaty and her ears felt warm. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up at her bedside table.
"NINE O'CLOCK ALREADY?"
Leaping out of bed, Lily hurriedly jumped into her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair before she realized her friends were all still asleep. Deirdre groggily raised herself on her elbow, her braids swinging in front of her face.
"Wadcha doin' Lily? Izz on'y nine o'clogg..." With that she fell face down on her pillow with an "Ughhhhh..."
"But...it's nine o'clock! Classes started at quarter-to nine!" Lily protested as she hopped into her shoes.
Deirdre's reply was muffled by her pillow. "Ish smurderday..."
Lily looked at Deirdre incredulously. "Murder day?"
Deirdre groaned before lifting her head about a centimetre from her pillow. "Saturday..."
"Oh." Lily felt very silly. "Right."
A soft 'thwump' from Deirdre's head hitting her pillow was her only response.
Harry sat up in his bed. He still couldn't believe what he said last night. How could he have told James that he was married to Lily? He groaned as he settled his head into his hands. He heard Ron stir.
"Wassa time Harry?"
Harry glanced over at the bedside table.
"NINE O'CLOCK???"
Ron groaned. "Ugh. Too early."
Harry sprung out of his bed. "What do you mean, it's early?? CLASSES STARTED AT QUARTER TO NINE!"
Ron glared at Harry. "Mate, today's Saturday. We don't have classes today. Just think, five years of Hogwarts and you're still not used to it." He shook his head.
Harry blushed and threw at pillow at Ron. "Shut up."
Ron groaned again. "Oh Merlin...now I've fully woken up. Thanks Harry."
"No problem." Harry grinned.
"That was sarcasm..."
Harry and Ron stepped out of the portrait hole to make their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. The school seemed oddly empty at half-past nine on a weekend. Their footsteps echoed throughout the corridors, and just as Harry was wondering if the growling of his hungry stomach was actually echoing or if it was just his imagin-
"What are you doing up, Weasley?" The cold voice came from around the corner. Harry stopped Ron from walking ahead, and flattened himself against the wall.
"I have the right to be here, Malfoy. I am a prefect." Another voice spoke up placantly. A poke in his stomach from Ron diverted his attention.
"Harry! That's my dad's voice!"
"Shh! I know!" He reprimanded Ron while he listened intently.
"A prefect?" The malicious sneer evident in Lucius' voice unwillingly reminded Harry of Malfoy. "That's all you'll ever be, isn't that right Weasley? Proud to be a prefect, aren't you? Well, you've amounted to more than your whole family put together. A prefect, really..."
Harry couldn't help but peek around the corner. A red-headed boy who looked almost the same as Ron was facing a sneering, blonde Slytherin. Lucius was wearing a proud smirk on his face.
"From all the stories I've heard, Malfoy, you haven't amounted to anything that your family should be proud of. I mean, sixth year already and you still haven't taught yourself the Unforgivable Curses. I'm disappointed in you."
The smirk disappeared off Lucius' face. "You think you're so smart, don't you? Always associating yourself with mud-bloods and half-bloods...you're a disgrace to the wizarding race...mud blood-lover."
Harry had to restrain Ron from jumping out from behind the wall and pounding Lucius to a pulp. Unfortunately, Harry's efforts weren't enough.
Ron leaped out from their hiding spot, whipping his wand out. "Take that back!"
Lucius seemed unperturbed by Ron's sudden appearance. Instead he turned back to Arthur and raised his eyebrows. "Bringing in your comrades?"
Ron's dad flushed furiously and whispered to Ron. "Get out! What do you think you're doing? You do know I'll have to put you in detention for this?"
Ron looked surprisingly at Arthur. "Er..."
Harry rolled his eyes.
Lucius straightened his sleeves. "Well, have your little chit-chat. I suppose I'll be seeing you, Weasley."
Ron snapped around. "Oh no you don't!" He raised his wand.
Lucius rolled his eyes. "Let me guess. Another mud blood lover? Well, it doesn't matter how many of you there are. You'll all be dead once my father-"
Harry closed his eyes. He didn't want to witness another slug-burping session, but he felt slightly guilty that he wasn't there with Ron.
"Fernunculus!"
Harry opened one eye. Lucius staggered backwards, his hands over his face. Harry was disgusted at the sight when he lifted his head.
Arthur cleared his throat. "Ahem...I don't usually take points off for magic in the corridors but-"
Completely ignoring the redhead, Malfoy directed his wand at Ron.
As Ron fell to the floor, Harry felt his blood go cold. Unable to bear watching them any longer, he stepped out from around the corner as Ron unsteadily propped himself on his elbows.
Harry watched as Lucius flicked a strand of his sleek blonde hair out of his eyes with contempt. Remembering the fight last year in the Department of Mysteries, Harry raised his wand.
"Stupe-"
"MR. PORTER!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice rang down the corridor.
Harry felt as if his senses had just become uncomfortably alert. Here he was, with his wand raised, pointing at Malfoy, and 'Stupefy' had been halfway out of his mouth. He cursed his stupidity.
"What in the name of Merlin are you doing? Magic being used to fight in the corridors?" She was breathing heavily, and the hat on her head was askew.
Ron shakily stood up. "Er...it was me, Professor, I-"
Professor McGonagall cut him short. "Detention, Porter, Waters, Malfoy."
With that, she turned on her heel and stalked away.
A moment of silence passed before Harry turned to Ron.
"Great."
Ron nodded.
Arthur peered at them through his glasses. "What are you two doing?" Harry looked around for Lucius. Unsurprisingly the Malfoy had left as soon as possible.
"Erm..." Harry looked at Ron. Ron looked at Harry.
Arthur shook his head. "Well, thank you anyway, both of you." He said, shaking their hands.
Grrrr. The collective rumble of three hungry stomachs echoed down the hall.
Ron grinned sheepishly. "Ouch. Let's go down to breakfast, shall we?"
Harry and Arthur nodded.
Harry had just gotten a spoonful of cereal into his mouth when the post started to arrive. Owls swept in through the rafters, dropping letters and packages for various students in the Great Hall. He was surprised when a tawny barn owl landed gracefully in front of him, ruffling its feathers. A similar owl landed in front of Ron. Harry quickly untied a small scroll of parchment from the owl's leg before the feathered creature flapped its wings and soared away.
Harry Porter, (the parchment read)
Your detention will be served on the school grounds, tonight, at half-past six.
Sincerely,
Professor M. McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Ron looked at Harry's note over his shoulder. Wrinkling his nose he said, "That's what mine says too." Harry shrugged his shoulders and slipped the parchment into his shirt pocket. His mind was so busy thinking about what he had said last night and the dream he had had a couple of nights ago that he didn't notice a disgruntled Lily absent-mindedly buttering her cereal and pouring milk onto her toast; nor did he notice James missing his mouth each time he brought his spoon up to his mouth.
The day passed by rather uneventfully; after Transfiguration with McGonagall, Herbology with Professor Pickle-weed and the Ravenclaws, the usual dreaded Potions with the Slytherins, and finally dinner, Harry checked his watch for the time. Twenty-past six.
Elbowing Ron in the ribs, Harry stood up and shrugged on his bookbag. Ron followed suit, standing up with a crust of bread still dangling out of his mouth. They made their way out of the castle to the school grounds, and towards Hagrid's hut. A figure bent over a patch of soil straightened as they reached him, dusting off his shirt.
"Righ' then...Porter an' Waters wasn' it?" They nodded mutely. "Well then, tonigh' yeh'll be goin' in ter the Forbidden Forest..." Harry exchanged a glance with Ron. "...an' yeh'll be collectin' wood fer wands, all righ', an' you should know which trees tha' an' we've got a coupla trees with Bowtruckles in them, so -" Here he handed them a small bucket of tiny brown moving things - "Here's some lice to distract them. I'll be expectin' you two back at abou' half past eigh'." Obviously distracted, he turned back to the patch of soil, muttering something about slugs and pumpkins.
Harry and Ron trudged off towards the edge of the dark row of trees, buckets banging about their knees.
The silence pressed in on them as they methodically began stripping the bark from trees, occasionally throwing some lice to distract Bowtruckles that came out to see who was invading their home. Ron was the first to break the silence as he cleared his throat.
"Er...Harry, d'you think-"
But Harry never got to hear what Ron was going to say. A sudden commotion interrupted Ron in his sentence as Harry's head whipped up, almost dislodging his glasses from his face. Harry's eyes met Ron's, and they both drew their wands.
"Lumos!"
Through the thin beams of light from their wands, something large seemed to be thrashing around in the underbrush, sending leaves and twigs flying everywhere. Harry's breath hitched in his throat, and heard a strangled sort of choking sound coming from Ron.
They carefully stepped past the brush to get closer to the creature that was moving so violently, abandoning their buckets of lice and wood. In the dark of the forest, it was difficult to identify what the creature was. It seemed to be in pain, and they could see the whites of its eyes glinting in the few pale shafts of moonlight that had managed to get past the tops of the trees. From what Harry could make of it, it was covered in fur, though some patches had been viciously torn out. A wide strip of moonlight fell onto the creature's head, and Harry almost swallowed his own tongue.
He had seen that creature once before.
But the last time he had seen it, he had been in his third year.
The werewolf continued to struggle and howl, its eyes glowing. Harry suddenly realized that they were in Remus' direct path. Startled, he shoved Ron to the side, diving after him.
"Oof-Harry!"
Harry hissed at Ron to be quiet, but it was too late. Remus Lupin in his half-wolf form jerked his head towards them and snarled. Harry could feel Ron trembling beside him and could only try to scramble away. He watched in terror as the werewolf headed towards them. Just as he was preparing for certain death (or at least a severe mauling), Harry felt, rather than saw, something out of the corner of his eye.
A magnificent stag leapt out of some trees and landed in front of the werewolf, lowering his head and charging at Remus. He pushed him away from the two boys before glancing at them.
Harry could hardly breathe. "Prongs..." Time seemed to stop as Prongs' eyes widened considerably, like a deer caught in headlights (excuse the pun). That moment evoked something in Harry, and some sort of connection was formed between the stag and the boy. Before either of them could do anything, another animal crossed Harry's line of vision, breaking off the connection between the two. A large, shaggy black dog, resembling the dreaded Grim, danced playfully around the other animals.
Ron sat up, pushing Harry away from him. "Blimey, Harry, you knocked the wind out of me." He eyes traveled to the two animagi and the struggling werewolf. "That's..."
Harry nodded, his eyes still fixed on the stag that was his father. Harry felt Ron suddenly twist around.
"Scab-Pettigrew!" He hissed, his eyes narrowed. Sure enough, a quick movement proved Ron to be correct. A familiar fat rat scurried around the three larger animals, scampering around in a way that he would have never been able to do in his human form.
All of a sudden, the werewolf let out an anguished howl, his head shaking. He disappeared from sight as he bounded further into the forest. All thoughts of serving detention evaporated from Harry and Ron's minds as they followed the animagi and the werewolf to a small clearing.
Harry heard a sharp intake of breath from Ron as they surveyed the clearing. There appeared to be no trees bar one solitary sapling bathed in a wide band of moonlight, giving it an ethereal appearance. Harry knew enough from Herbology that it was a yew sapling, but he couldn't remember Professor Sprout saying anything about it growing in the Forbidden Forest. All noise around them seemed to stop, creating a great silence that seemed to press upon them, caused by the peace and tranquility that exuded from the tree. Harry felt the sudden urge to just touch the sapling and let it take away all his troubles as the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. He was unaware of the others around him moving toward the tree as well, and didn't notice that Remus had gone unnaturally quiet, even for the boy when he wasn't in his werewolf form. All that mattered at teh moment was that Harry had to touch that tree. Just as he reached the small sapling, he finally noticed another hand, a dog's nose, an antler, a wolf's claw, and a tiny rat's paw touch the tree as the same time.
Harry felt a nauseating jerk behind his navel, and got the terrible, sinking feeling in his stomach that everything had just gone terribly, terribly wrong...
