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A Different Life
Chapter 39 - Friends
"It's about time you were let out of here." Ron said over his shoulder as he was walking Harry out. It had been two days since Harry had woken up and talked with his father, and since then he had been inundated with people coming to visit him.
"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey had a good reason to keep Harry here so long." Hermione spoke up.
Harry had been more then shocked when both Hermione and Ron had come to visit him and Draco, and they were both being civil to each other, which Harry dared not question why for fear that they might stop.
Draco wasn't allowed out until later that day, which he had been quite vocal about, which then ended with him being given a sleeping drought to shut him up. Harry smiled as he saw Draco fast asleep in his bed, he would definitely be annoyed when he found out.
"Yeah right, Harry has been fine for the past two days; there was no reason to keep-"
Ron was cut off as harsh coughing interrupted him from behind the curtains of where McGonagall was.
Harry motioned them over.
"Are you alright Professor?" He asked tentatively as be poked his head through the gap in the curtains.
"I'm fine Mr. Potter. I see you get to leave here." She said kindly, taking a long sip of water that was beside her bed.
Harry nodded and looked down at his feet, looking like a school boy who was in trouble.
"Professor McGonagall." Hermione said from behind Harry, walking past him and over to the transfiguration teachers bed.
"How are you Miss. Granger?"
"I'm fine thank you Professor. I just finished reading 'A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration' again, I found it far more fascinating the second time as I understood a lot more of it. I am anxious to learn how to-"
"Hermione, I doubt that Professor McGonagall really cares-"
"Ron! Just because you don't care doesn't mean-"
"It's just a book Hermione, only you and Harry seem to care about-"
"Just a book! It's more then just a-"
"Guys!" Harry said loudly. "Can I have a moment alone with Professor McGonagall please?"
"Of course Harry." Hermione said pleasantly, forcing a calm smile onto her face, which turned into a glare when she looked at Ron. "I hope you feel better soon Professor. Come along Ron. We'll wait for you outside Harry." Hermione grabbed Ron's sleeve and dragged him out of the hospital wing. Harry could hear their argument starting up again.
"I have to wonder if I was wrong trying to get them to be friends..."
"What is it you want Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked nicely, but Harry could tell she was getting tired again.
"I just wanted to apologize, it's my fault you were hurt-"
"How is it that you concluded that it was your fault?"
"They were here for me, not to hurt you."
"Harry, none of this was your fault, you didn't ask for this to happen and I certainly don't blame you for what happened. So please don't blame yourself."
"Will you come back to teaching once you are better?"
"I don't know Harry, I think its time I had a break."
"A break? But Professor, we need you here."
She smiled at him, but there was a touch of sadness to it. "I'm sure you all will do fine without me Mr. Potter, but you never know your luck. I remember the first time I saw you, you were six and you had gotten lost. I remember thinking that you were such a wonderful boy, and I'm sorry to say that I may miss seeing you turn into the fine man that you are sure to become."
"Thank you Professor." Harry smiled at her and walked forwards, taking her hand and giving it a small squeeze before quickly hurrying away and walking back out of the hospital wing to find both Ron and Hermione glaring at each other.
***
It was easy for Harry to catch up to everyone with his classes, since he had been in the hospital wing when their lessons had started again. It only took him a week and he was up to the same place as everyone else.
Today was Tuesday and that was the day Harry was able to sleep in. Everyone else in first year Gryffindor had Potions and since he never normally needed his free lessons to do homework, he usually just stayed in bed and slept until lunch. But Harry felt restless, and after about halfway through what everyone's Potion lesson would be, he sat up and pulled his hangings from his bed back.
Sitting there he tried to think of something to do. He looked over at Ron's bed and smiled. He had spent half of the previous night helping Ron do his holiday homework for Potions. He couldn't believe how much his father had set for everyone. Even through he didn't find it hard, the quantity of it was enormous.
He moved onto looking at the next bed, Neville Longbottom's bed, and saw that the bed hangings were drawn shut. Normally if you wanted your bed made you would leave the hangings open, if they were shut then the house elves would leave it.
Harry remembered thinking about how he saw Neville as a lot like Pettigrew. He had kept an eye on him during his classes since he had returned and during meal times and the boy normally kept to himself, not disturbing too many people. Harry felt a bit bad at how he hadn't made an effort to get to know him.
Harry stood and grabbed some robes, planning on going to the boy's bathroom and getting ready for his lessons that would be coming up soon. He walked past the beds and just as he passed Neville's he heard a sob from in it.
He froze in shock and looked at the bed. He listened intently and he couldn't hear anything else. Did he just imagine it? "Hello?"
The hangings were suddenly pulled back and Harry was face-to-face with a tearful Neville Longbottom. His eyes were puffy and tears were still leaking out of his eyes.
"Neville?" Harry gasped. "Are you alright?" Harry dropped his robes that he was holding onto the floor and walked up to Neville, sitting on his bed next to him.
"H-Harry?" Neville cried out, covering his face with his hands and bringing his legs up to his chest, his body vibrating as he cried.
"Neville, what's wrong? Shouldn't you be in potions-" Harry stopped as he saw Neville look at him in fear. "Neville? Do you want me to go get someone? Professor McGon- I mean, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry quickly corrected himself. Professor Dumbledore had so far taken over McGonagall's classes, and most of the teachers were filling out for the head of house duties. But his father had said that he was still looking for someone to fill the duty permanently.
Neville shook his head.
"Can you tell me what's wrong then? Maybe I can help?"
Neville mumbled something and looked away.
"Sorry Neville, I didn't quite hear you there."
Neville sighed and looked up at Harry. "You'll laugh."
Harry smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging way. "I promise Neville, whatever you say here, I won't laugh."
Neville looked up at Harry. "Promise?"
"I promise Neville."
"Okay, it's just-" Neville hesitated for a moment. "It's Professor Snape."
"What about him?" Harry's curiosity just peaked a bit higher.
"He scares me."
"He scares most people Neville." Harry dismissed.
"But he hates me especially." Neville said despairingly.
"Oh Neville, I'm sure he doesn't mean-"
"You don't understand Harry; he's always picking on me. I haven't been able to brew a correct potion all year. I've lost more cauldrons then I can count and I feel like he is always staring at me. I can't concentrate during lessons and I've ended up in the hospital wing six times already due to accidents that I have caused. Not to mention all the points I've lost."
Neville's talk all came out in a rush and it took Harry a moment to process all he had just said. He realized that Neville must have been holding on to all of that since the start of all this, which seemed to be the start of September. He really didn't have anyone else to talk to.
"Do you want me to talk to him? Ask if he will let up on you a bit?" Harry asked, feeling a bit angry that his father had terrorized someone to this extent. He wasn't blind, he knew how his father was, and Harry couldn't see him as teaching any other way, but if what Neville was saying was true, then he was taking it to the next level here.
"No, please don't say anything to him." Neville looked pleadingly into his eyes.
"Neville, I'm sure he doesn't realize what he is doing to you is upsetting you so much. If you let me talk to him I'm sure he would stop-"
"It would be worse. Please Harry, don't."
"You don't know him like I do Neville." Maybe that was the problem. Ron had known his father for many years and he sometimes even got scared around him. But Neville seemed petrified of him. "Okay, I won't talk to my dad. But will you let me help you?"
"Help me how?" Neville asked nervously, wiping the remaining tears away from his eyes.
"Well, you said you hadn't brewed a correct potion at all." At Neville's nod he continued. "Well maybe I can help with that. I know all the first year potions; I can help you prepare for them. Perhaps if dad will let us, I can help you make a few of them after class sometime."
Neville smiled brightly at Harry. "You would do that for me?"
"Of course I would Neville, friends help each other out." Harry couldn't believe the happiness that crossed Neville's face when he said that.
"Friends?" Neville smiled at Harry.
"Sure. Now what else is there?" Harry thought back to what else Neville had said. "Now getting over the fear of my dad isn't going to be easy. I would say that if you were to spend time with him you would slowly become more comfortable with him, but I doubt you would be up for that." Harry watched as Neville's smile turned into a look of horror at the idea. "Exactly. Well let's see, when you see him what do you feel?" Harry asked.
"Scared."
"Scared, okay, so the opposite of feeling scared would be for you to feel fearless, secure. Something like that."
Neville slowly nodded. "How am I supposed to feel that around Professor Snape?"
"I'm not sure, perhaps if I told you a story, something that would make you laugh when you saw him rather then feel scared?"
"What story would that be?"
Harry thought for a moment. He hadn't a clue. "Well how about you let me think on it for a while okay?"
"Sure Harry, thank you so much."
"Think nothing of it Neville. Now I better go get ready, it's almost lunch time." Harry stood up and retrieved his robes from the ground and headed towards the bathroom.
***
Harry arrived at lunch early and he immediately saw Owl waiting for him with the Daily Prophet. Harry smiled at her and gave her some bacon that appeared on his plate as soon as he sat down.
"Here you go girl." Harry fed her and stroked her head. She cooed at him in response.
Finally it started to get more and more crowded as classes finished and Owl left. Harry watched until she was gone and then picked up the Daily Prophet. He looked from front to back and didn't see one thing on Sirius Black. It was covered with articles about the return of Voldemort, but nothing on a possible trial for Sirius Black, or anything about his innocence. He couldn't understand why. He made a mental note to ask Remus at their special defense classes that night. There were extra defense classes that were being offered for each year level since Voldemort was back, and although Harry would have signed up for it anyway, he wasn't given the choice. His father had told him that he would be going and nothing Harry could say would change that.
He had been to one already, and found it a bit disappointing. Since they were only first years, they were learning the theory behind most of the curses and such. But it was still interesting and important enough to make Harry want to go back for more. And he had to admit, that what they were learning could prove to come in handy one day.
***
Harry was able to drag himself though another day and found himself anticipating his lesson with Remus. He only had to get through this dinner and then he would be joining his other classmates that had also signed up for the lesson.
"Hey Harry, what's up with your dad?" Ron asked just before he took a large bite out of his chicken.
"Harry looked up and saw his father glaring at everyone. But there seemed to be something different about him. And he certainly looked angrier then Harry had seen him in a long time.
"I don't know, maybe something happened in one of his classes?"
"He didn't seem any different in class this morning and I didn't think he had a class after lunch." Ron mumbled through his food.
"Perhaps he had the funeral today?" Hermione spoke up from beside Harry.
"What funeral?" Harry asked, already lost by what Hermione was saying.
"For his father."
"His father? Why would he go to his father's funeral after what he did to Harry?" Ron asked, forgetting the food he had brought halfway up to his mouth.
"Because he was still his father and he did spare Professor Snape." Hermione replied. She had been told all the details of what happened by both boys.
"How nice of him." Ron said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, if he did go to his father's funeral, he wouldn't have had the service almost two and a half weeks after he died."
Hermione shrugged. "Well Harry would know."
Both Hermione and Ron turned to face Harry and he could only shrug at them. He truly had no idea if his dad had gone to his father's funeral. The thought hadn't even entered his head.
Hermione huffed and turned back to the book she had in front of her and Ron shrugged and went back to his food.
Harry decided that after he spoke with Remus that night, a visit to his father would be in order.
***
Harry sat in his single desk; on either side of him were Draco and Ron. He was busy writing notes down on the parchment in front of him, oblivious to the looks Ron and Draco were sending each other.
Harry was halfway through writing about the effects of the 'Flobra' curse when Draco tapped his shoulder.
"What?" Harry whispered, not looking up from what he was writing.
"Harry, can you see that over there?" Draco whispered back.
Harry looked up and moved over to the edge of his seat, and then leaned closely to Draco's desk and looked down the aisle of desks and seats, looking for what Draco was talking about. "What did you see?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it. I think it was just the light." Draco whispered calmly to Harry, but something seemed off to Harry. He was acting... strange.
Harry sat back properly in his seat and went back to finish writing on the parchment when he saw that it was no longer there. He looked around him and then at the ground but saw nothing. Snickering caught his attention and he saw both Draco and Ron laughing quietly at him.
Figuring Draco was the distraction and Ron was the culprit, Harry glared at Ron and quietly demanded he give his notes back.
Ron shook his head at Harry and poked his tongue out at him.
"Ron!" Harry said loudly, attracting the attention of the whole class.
"Mr. Potter, is there something the matter?" Remus asked, he looked as though he had just stopped mid sentence.
"No sir, Draco and Ron were just telling me that they thought you should show us the curse, to see the effects of it in person rather then from a book." Harry lied smoothly, one thing he had learned from his father was to always be prepared for anything.
"Really, well perhaps they won't mind coming up here and letting me demonstrate for the rest of the class then." Remus smiled kindly at Ron and Draco who looked at him in horror.
Harry grinned evilly at Ron and Draco.
***
Harry almost fell off his seat from laughing so hard when Draco and Ron were turned into babies. Of course, Remus only transfigured them, being excellent in Transfiguration. To use the 'Flobra' curse would cause immense pain and was irreversible without the correct potion to undo the effect, it was almost considered an unforgivable.
Ron was crying and Draco had his whole hand stuck in his mouth sucking it. Finally after a few minutes of embarrassment Remus transfigured them back. Draco was horrified to find his hand stuck in his mouth and Ron quickly wiped all the tears that were all over his face.
Soon the class was let out and Ron and Draco gave Harry dirty looks as they hurried away. Harry laughed to himself and was almost out the door when he was called back, and as he was walking towards Remus he remembered that he had wanted to talk to him anyway.
Harry stood by the desk and waited for Remus to start talking. Once every student was out of the classroom Remus walked over to the door and shut it, then he walked back over to the front of his desk and leaned on it, he was only a few inches away from Harry now.
"Harry, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind meeting a friend of mine?" Remus asked, his eyes wondering from Harry to something at the back of the room quickly before returning to Harry's again.
Harry narrowed his eyes slightly at Remus, but he kept quiet and nodded.
Remus smiled at him and put his hands on Harry's shoulders, turning him around so his back was now to Remus. There was a man that Harry could now see standing in the shadows.
Harry felt Remus whisper in his ear. "Are you sure you are ready for this?"
Harry nodded and looked closely at the man. He seemed a bit familiar.
"Harry" Remus spoke louder now. "I would like to introduce you to, Sirius Black."
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A Different Life
Chapter 39 - Friends
"It's about time you were let out of here." Ron said over his shoulder as he was walking Harry out. It had been two days since Harry had woken up and talked with his father, and since then he had been inundated with people coming to visit him.
"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey had a good reason to keep Harry here so long." Hermione spoke up.
Harry had been more then shocked when both Hermione and Ron had come to visit him and Draco, and they were both being civil to each other, which Harry dared not question why for fear that they might stop.
Draco wasn't allowed out until later that day, which he had been quite vocal about, which then ended with him being given a sleeping drought to shut him up. Harry smiled as he saw Draco fast asleep in his bed, he would definitely be annoyed when he found out.
"Yeah right, Harry has been fine for the past two days; there was no reason to keep-"
Ron was cut off as harsh coughing interrupted him from behind the curtains of where McGonagall was.
Harry motioned them over.
"Are you alright Professor?" He asked tentatively as be poked his head through the gap in the curtains.
"I'm fine Mr. Potter. I see you get to leave here." She said kindly, taking a long sip of water that was beside her bed.
Harry nodded and looked down at his feet, looking like a school boy who was in trouble.
"Professor McGonagall." Hermione said from behind Harry, walking past him and over to the transfiguration teachers bed.
"How are you Miss. Granger?"
"I'm fine thank you Professor. I just finished reading 'A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration' again, I found it far more fascinating the second time as I understood a lot more of it. I am anxious to learn how to-"
"Hermione, I doubt that Professor McGonagall really cares-"
"Ron! Just because you don't care doesn't mean-"
"It's just a book Hermione, only you and Harry seem to care about-"
"Just a book! It's more then just a-"
"Guys!" Harry said loudly. "Can I have a moment alone with Professor McGonagall please?"
"Of course Harry." Hermione said pleasantly, forcing a calm smile onto her face, which turned into a glare when she looked at Ron. "I hope you feel better soon Professor. Come along Ron. We'll wait for you outside Harry." Hermione grabbed Ron's sleeve and dragged him out of the hospital wing. Harry could hear their argument starting up again.
"I have to wonder if I was wrong trying to get them to be friends..."
"What is it you want Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked nicely, but Harry could tell she was getting tired again.
"I just wanted to apologize, it's my fault you were hurt-"
"How is it that you concluded that it was your fault?"
"They were here for me, not to hurt you."
"Harry, none of this was your fault, you didn't ask for this to happen and I certainly don't blame you for what happened. So please don't blame yourself."
"Will you come back to teaching once you are better?"
"I don't know Harry, I think its time I had a break."
"A break? But Professor, we need you here."
She smiled at him, but there was a touch of sadness to it. "I'm sure you all will do fine without me Mr. Potter, but you never know your luck. I remember the first time I saw you, you were six and you had gotten lost. I remember thinking that you were such a wonderful boy, and I'm sorry to say that I may miss seeing you turn into the fine man that you are sure to become."
"Thank you Professor." Harry smiled at her and walked forwards, taking her hand and giving it a small squeeze before quickly hurrying away and walking back out of the hospital wing to find both Ron and Hermione glaring at each other.
***
It was easy for Harry to catch up to everyone with his classes, since he had been in the hospital wing when their lessons had started again. It only took him a week and he was up to the same place as everyone else.
Today was Tuesday and that was the day Harry was able to sleep in. Everyone else in first year Gryffindor had Potions and since he never normally needed his free lessons to do homework, he usually just stayed in bed and slept until lunch. But Harry felt restless, and after about halfway through what everyone's Potion lesson would be, he sat up and pulled his hangings from his bed back.
Sitting there he tried to think of something to do. He looked over at Ron's bed and smiled. He had spent half of the previous night helping Ron do his holiday homework for Potions. He couldn't believe how much his father had set for everyone. Even through he didn't find it hard, the quantity of it was enormous.
He moved onto looking at the next bed, Neville Longbottom's bed, and saw that the bed hangings were drawn shut. Normally if you wanted your bed made you would leave the hangings open, if they were shut then the house elves would leave it.
Harry remembered thinking about how he saw Neville as a lot like Pettigrew. He had kept an eye on him during his classes since he had returned and during meal times and the boy normally kept to himself, not disturbing too many people. Harry felt a bit bad at how he hadn't made an effort to get to know him.
Harry stood and grabbed some robes, planning on going to the boy's bathroom and getting ready for his lessons that would be coming up soon. He walked past the beds and just as he passed Neville's he heard a sob from in it.
He froze in shock and looked at the bed. He listened intently and he couldn't hear anything else. Did he just imagine it? "Hello?"
The hangings were suddenly pulled back and Harry was face-to-face with a tearful Neville Longbottom. His eyes were puffy and tears were still leaking out of his eyes.
"Neville?" Harry gasped. "Are you alright?" Harry dropped his robes that he was holding onto the floor and walked up to Neville, sitting on his bed next to him.
"H-Harry?" Neville cried out, covering his face with his hands and bringing his legs up to his chest, his body vibrating as he cried.
"Neville, what's wrong? Shouldn't you be in potions-" Harry stopped as he saw Neville look at him in fear. "Neville? Do you want me to go get someone? Professor McGon- I mean, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry quickly corrected himself. Professor Dumbledore had so far taken over McGonagall's classes, and most of the teachers were filling out for the head of house duties. But his father had said that he was still looking for someone to fill the duty permanently.
Neville shook his head.
"Can you tell me what's wrong then? Maybe I can help?"
Neville mumbled something and looked away.
"Sorry Neville, I didn't quite hear you there."
Neville sighed and looked up at Harry. "You'll laugh."
Harry smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging way. "I promise Neville, whatever you say here, I won't laugh."
Neville looked up at Harry. "Promise?"
"I promise Neville."
"Okay, it's just-" Neville hesitated for a moment. "It's Professor Snape."
"What about him?" Harry's curiosity just peaked a bit higher.
"He scares me."
"He scares most people Neville." Harry dismissed.
"But he hates me especially." Neville said despairingly.
"Oh Neville, I'm sure he doesn't mean-"
"You don't understand Harry; he's always picking on me. I haven't been able to brew a correct potion all year. I've lost more cauldrons then I can count and I feel like he is always staring at me. I can't concentrate during lessons and I've ended up in the hospital wing six times already due to accidents that I have caused. Not to mention all the points I've lost."
Neville's talk all came out in a rush and it took Harry a moment to process all he had just said. He realized that Neville must have been holding on to all of that since the start of all this, which seemed to be the start of September. He really didn't have anyone else to talk to.
"Do you want me to talk to him? Ask if he will let up on you a bit?" Harry asked, feeling a bit angry that his father had terrorized someone to this extent. He wasn't blind, he knew how his father was, and Harry couldn't see him as teaching any other way, but if what Neville was saying was true, then he was taking it to the next level here.
"No, please don't say anything to him." Neville looked pleadingly into his eyes.
"Neville, I'm sure he doesn't realize what he is doing to you is upsetting you so much. If you let me talk to him I'm sure he would stop-"
"It would be worse. Please Harry, don't."
"You don't know him like I do Neville." Maybe that was the problem. Ron had known his father for many years and he sometimes even got scared around him. But Neville seemed petrified of him. "Okay, I won't talk to my dad. But will you let me help you?"
"Help me how?" Neville asked nervously, wiping the remaining tears away from his eyes.
"Well, you said you hadn't brewed a correct potion at all." At Neville's nod he continued. "Well maybe I can help with that. I know all the first year potions; I can help you prepare for them. Perhaps if dad will let us, I can help you make a few of them after class sometime."
Neville smiled brightly at Harry. "You would do that for me?"
"Of course I would Neville, friends help each other out." Harry couldn't believe the happiness that crossed Neville's face when he said that.
"Friends?" Neville smiled at Harry.
"Sure. Now what else is there?" Harry thought back to what else Neville had said. "Now getting over the fear of my dad isn't going to be easy. I would say that if you were to spend time with him you would slowly become more comfortable with him, but I doubt you would be up for that." Harry watched as Neville's smile turned into a look of horror at the idea. "Exactly. Well let's see, when you see him what do you feel?" Harry asked.
"Scared."
"Scared, okay, so the opposite of feeling scared would be for you to feel fearless, secure. Something like that."
Neville slowly nodded. "How am I supposed to feel that around Professor Snape?"
"I'm not sure, perhaps if I told you a story, something that would make you laugh when you saw him rather then feel scared?"
"What story would that be?"
Harry thought for a moment. He hadn't a clue. "Well how about you let me think on it for a while okay?"
"Sure Harry, thank you so much."
"Think nothing of it Neville. Now I better go get ready, it's almost lunch time." Harry stood up and retrieved his robes from the ground and headed towards the bathroom.
***
Harry arrived at lunch early and he immediately saw Owl waiting for him with the Daily Prophet. Harry smiled at her and gave her some bacon that appeared on his plate as soon as he sat down.
"Here you go girl." Harry fed her and stroked her head. She cooed at him in response.
Finally it started to get more and more crowded as classes finished and Owl left. Harry watched until she was gone and then picked up the Daily Prophet. He looked from front to back and didn't see one thing on Sirius Black. It was covered with articles about the return of Voldemort, but nothing on a possible trial for Sirius Black, or anything about his innocence. He couldn't understand why. He made a mental note to ask Remus at their special defense classes that night. There were extra defense classes that were being offered for each year level since Voldemort was back, and although Harry would have signed up for it anyway, he wasn't given the choice. His father had told him that he would be going and nothing Harry could say would change that.
He had been to one already, and found it a bit disappointing. Since they were only first years, they were learning the theory behind most of the curses and such. But it was still interesting and important enough to make Harry want to go back for more. And he had to admit, that what they were learning could prove to come in handy one day.
***
Harry was able to drag himself though another day and found himself anticipating his lesson with Remus. He only had to get through this dinner and then he would be joining his other classmates that had also signed up for the lesson.
"Hey Harry, what's up with your dad?" Ron asked just before he took a large bite out of his chicken.
"Harry looked up and saw his father glaring at everyone. But there seemed to be something different about him. And he certainly looked angrier then Harry had seen him in a long time.
"I don't know, maybe something happened in one of his classes?"
"He didn't seem any different in class this morning and I didn't think he had a class after lunch." Ron mumbled through his food.
"Perhaps he had the funeral today?" Hermione spoke up from beside Harry.
"What funeral?" Harry asked, already lost by what Hermione was saying.
"For his father."
"His father? Why would he go to his father's funeral after what he did to Harry?" Ron asked, forgetting the food he had brought halfway up to his mouth.
"Because he was still his father and he did spare Professor Snape." Hermione replied. She had been told all the details of what happened by both boys.
"How nice of him." Ron said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, if he did go to his father's funeral, he wouldn't have had the service almost two and a half weeks after he died."
Hermione shrugged. "Well Harry would know."
Both Hermione and Ron turned to face Harry and he could only shrug at them. He truly had no idea if his dad had gone to his father's funeral. The thought hadn't even entered his head.
Hermione huffed and turned back to the book she had in front of her and Ron shrugged and went back to his food.
Harry decided that after he spoke with Remus that night, a visit to his father would be in order.
***
Harry sat in his single desk; on either side of him were Draco and Ron. He was busy writing notes down on the parchment in front of him, oblivious to the looks Ron and Draco were sending each other.
Harry was halfway through writing about the effects of the 'Flobra' curse when Draco tapped his shoulder.
"What?" Harry whispered, not looking up from what he was writing.
"Harry, can you see that over there?" Draco whispered back.
Harry looked up and moved over to the edge of his seat, and then leaned closely to Draco's desk and looked down the aisle of desks and seats, looking for what Draco was talking about. "What did you see?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it. I think it was just the light." Draco whispered calmly to Harry, but something seemed off to Harry. He was acting... strange.
Harry sat back properly in his seat and went back to finish writing on the parchment when he saw that it was no longer there. He looked around him and then at the ground but saw nothing. Snickering caught his attention and he saw both Draco and Ron laughing quietly at him.
Figuring Draco was the distraction and Ron was the culprit, Harry glared at Ron and quietly demanded he give his notes back.
Ron shook his head at Harry and poked his tongue out at him.
"Ron!" Harry said loudly, attracting the attention of the whole class.
"Mr. Potter, is there something the matter?" Remus asked, he looked as though he had just stopped mid sentence.
"No sir, Draco and Ron were just telling me that they thought you should show us the curse, to see the effects of it in person rather then from a book." Harry lied smoothly, one thing he had learned from his father was to always be prepared for anything.
"Really, well perhaps they won't mind coming up here and letting me demonstrate for the rest of the class then." Remus smiled kindly at Ron and Draco who looked at him in horror.
Harry grinned evilly at Ron and Draco.
***
Harry almost fell off his seat from laughing so hard when Draco and Ron were turned into babies. Of course, Remus only transfigured them, being excellent in Transfiguration. To use the 'Flobra' curse would cause immense pain and was irreversible without the correct potion to undo the effect, it was almost considered an unforgivable.
Ron was crying and Draco had his whole hand stuck in his mouth sucking it. Finally after a few minutes of embarrassment Remus transfigured them back. Draco was horrified to find his hand stuck in his mouth and Ron quickly wiped all the tears that were all over his face.
Soon the class was let out and Ron and Draco gave Harry dirty looks as they hurried away. Harry laughed to himself and was almost out the door when he was called back, and as he was walking towards Remus he remembered that he had wanted to talk to him anyway.
Harry stood by the desk and waited for Remus to start talking. Once every student was out of the classroom Remus walked over to the door and shut it, then he walked back over to the front of his desk and leaned on it, he was only a few inches away from Harry now.
"Harry, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind meeting a friend of mine?" Remus asked, his eyes wondering from Harry to something at the back of the room quickly before returning to Harry's again.
Harry narrowed his eyes slightly at Remus, but he kept quiet and nodded.
Remus smiled at him and put his hands on Harry's shoulders, turning him around so his back was now to Remus. There was a man that Harry could now see standing in the shadows.
Harry felt Remus whisper in his ear. "Are you sure you are ready for this?"
Harry nodded and looked closely at the man. He seemed a bit familiar.
"Harry" Remus spoke louder now. "I would like to introduce you to, Sirius Black."