A/N: xblackenedsoulx has drawn another picture for my story. Check out my bio page to find the link. This time she illustrated what was going through Harry's mind as he retold Remus about the rape.
Chapter 25- Celtic Gods and Slytherin Monsters
For the first time, in a long time, Harry felt he could almost move on in his life. The horrors of his past were slowly becoming distant memories and it seemed as if his life was getting on track. He hadn't cut himself again even though he had felt the need several times. Remus's unwavering support had been a godsend these last few weeks, and he had grown to depend on him more and more. He was closer than ever with Ron and Hermione, and things had been going well with Draco as well. In addition, his studies continued to improve and he even found himself having an appetite for the first time in a long time.
The only thing that was still seemed to be a problem was the unending gossip about him. Most of the students now had the presence of mind to whisper behind his back, rather than openly. Thankfully, Harry's fellow Gryffindors eventually came to their senses and began to defend him fiercely, stating that it "was none of their business" whenever a member of the other three houses tried to defame him. Harry later learned that McGonagall had talked some sense into them, but he appreciated their support anyway. He was no longer wary of hanging out in the common room with his friends.
A few days had already passed since his soul unburdening session with Remus, and the Boy-Who-Lived was desperately trying to get some much needed rest. Although his life had seemingly improved, sleep was still an issue. He had already tossed and turned on his four poster bed a dozen times until he found a position in which his body found suitable to finally fall asleep. He slipped fitfully most of the night, slipping in and out of consciousness; waking at the smallest sound. When he did finally fall to sleep, he found himself oddly aware that he was dreaming again. It had been a long time since he had relived one of Sirius's memories in his dreams, almost a month now, and he was having trouble understanding what he was seeing. As the dream unfolded, it all began to make sense.
Through the darkness Padfoot could see a patch of dim light through a small opening ahead. Though he could not see much of anything, he was aware that he was in a tunnel of some kind as the walls around him felt close and the air stank of a certain dankness that only a subterranean cavern could hold.
Despite the tiredness he felt in his bones, he charged ahead on all four legs with renewed determination. His sense of purpose had not wavered since his escape from Azkaban. He knew what he had to do, and nothing would stop him from succeeding at his goal. While he continued his swift pace, he carefully half-dragged, half-tugged the large body that limped and struggled behind him. Despite the thrashing the young man was making, the black dog kept the boy's arm firmly between his teeth. He made sure to apply enough pressure to keep his arm in place, but not enough to pierce the sensitive freckled skin.
The boy was certainly putting up a good fight despite his grievous injury. He had tried unsuccessfully to pry his arm loose while managing to hold onto his beloved pet, who was also thrashing about in the most peculiar manner. Foul language spewed from his mouth in anger, fear, and pain, but Padfoot ignored his comments as he continued on his mission.
The darkened tunnel suddenly began to rise upwards at a steep incline before twisting slightly. Upon reaching the ever growing light, the large black dog used one of this front paws to push a door forward, entering a very disorderly and dusty room. It was obvious that this run down shack had not been cared for in a very long time. Paper was peeling from the walls and there were stains all over the floor. Every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it in an angry fury. The windows were all boarded up from the inside. It was rather difficult to determine if the boards had been used to keep the villagers out of the old house, or to keep something inside the house from leaving. He almost smiled fondly, despite the flesh between his teeth, when his canine eyes saw his surroundings once again. He knew this place well, as did the boy's rat.
Padfoot moved quickly up the creaky old stairs still tugging the struggling boy. Upon hearing the squeal of pain, he darted his eyes sideways to catch a glimpse of his captive. The tall red headed boy was still holding onto the squirming rat. His face showed the true terror that he was feeling inside, but his actions made it clear that he was not willing to give up so easily. There was something else in his eyes as well; defiance. Sirius would later learn that this strong willed boy beside him was his godson's best friend Ron Weasley.
Padfoot continued their ascent at a feverish pace until they happened upon an old bedroom. The large black dog quickly transformed back into his human form, frightening his captive greatly. Sirius grabbed the boy roughly and discarded him onto the floor by the bed. The red-head began to writhe in pain as he clutched at his broken leg, which was now sticking out at a strange angle. Seeing that Sirius was now standing over him menacingly, Ron quickly deposited the squirming rat into a pocket of his robes and reached for his wand instinctively. Fortunately, Sirius seized the boy's wand before he could fire off a hex. Although the wand was not his own, it felt good in his hand. It had been a long time since he had held one and the subtle power that it emitted was now coursing through his veins, empowering him to do what needed to be done.
He approached the boy again hoping to seize his prize but his cat friend distracted him momentarily. Crookshanks, Hermione's bushy tailed cat, must have followed them up there because he suddenly appeared from the shadows. He leapt up onto the four poster bed and curled up, purring happily. A noise alerted Sirius that someone was in the hallway. Wanting to have the element of surprise when the intruders appeared, he waited quietly behind the door.
He curiously watched as "Harry" and Hermione burst into the room seeing their friend in pain. Harry was once again disconcerted by the fact that he was watching himself in one of Sirius's memories. Ron tried to warn them of Sirius's presence, but they were too late. Sirius quickly disarmed them and tried to explain to "Harry" everything that had happened up until that night. Harry observed himself in wonder, as he boldly stood up to Sirius defending his parent's honour. Hermione tried to hold him back, but the other Harry wasn't having it.
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" the younger Harry roared as he lunged towards Sirius, forgetting the fact that he was a short and skinny thirteen year old kid standing up to a full grown wizard. He looked ready to kill!
Sirius didn't do anything as one of Harry's hands grabbed his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away. He then struck the side of Sirius's head with the knuckles of his other hand.
Hermione and Ron were screaming in the background as a blinding flash of light emitted from the three wands Sirius was holding. A jet of sparks soared through the air and missed Harry's face by mere inches. Harry held onto Sirius as he began to struggle. Having no other choice, Sirius reached out with his free hand and clutched Harry's throat tightly.
"No," Sirius hissed, "I've waited too long --" His fingers tightened, choking Harry fiercely. His glasses were now askew on his pale face. A look of horror stared back at him through emerald eyes… eyes that revealed an old soul who had known such pain and fear in his past.
Soon Hermione and Ron joined the scuffle, each one punching and kicking until Sirius finally let go of Harry with a grunt of pain. By now the man was sporting a black eye and his nose was bleeding freely. Crookshanks had also joined the fray; sinking both sets of front claws into the younger Harry's arm, protecting the older man. The bushy orange cat jumped atop Sirius, who now lay sprawled on the floor against the wall.
Harry approached him again cautiously, wand in hand. The look in his eyes bore so much hatred that the grown man was truly frightened. If looks could kill he would already be dead. Just when it seemed that he would be doomed to his fate, a noise alerted them to a presence in the hallway…
As usual, Harry was startled awake from his dream. He sat up quickly and saw the curtains around his four poster bed hanging limply all around him. He listened quietly in the dark to see if he had awakened any of his dorm mates. From the sound of the various breathing and snoring around the room, it appeared as if everyone were still sleeping.
Like most instances when he dreamed, he found himself shaking slightly as he remembered the events that had taken place. He ran his hands through his messy black hair and took some deep cleansing breaths. It was always a very surreal experience to view a memory from someone else's perspective, but tonight Harry found it more alarming than usual. Not because of what happened later that fateful evening when they discovered the true identity of Ron's pet Scabbers… no, that was something that Harry had already come to terms with. It was their actions towards each other that surprised him. Although the memory took place in the past, Harry found himself feeling scared. Terrified really… for mainly two reasons.
Before he knew the truth about Peter Pettigrew, Harry saw the look in his own eyes when he wanted to kill Sirius. What if he hadn't been so reserved? What if he had taken things too far and jumped into action without thinking, like he was known to do? This thought was very unsettling, and Harry couldn't help but feel guilty for wishing any ill will towards his godfather.
Secondly, he experienced Sirius's actions through his memory and couldn't shake the look in the other "Harry's" eyes when Sirius had wrapped his hands around his throat. He had been truly terrified, but he never realized how much so until now. It was oddly reminiscent of what his uncle did to him last summer. Harry reached up and gently caressed his neck, thinking about both men wrapping their large hands around his throat, cutting off the supply of oxygen. Couldn't Sirius have done something else to prevent the series of punches that the younger Harry had thrown at him? Did he have to nearly strangle him to protect himself? What if Sirius had really known what he had been doing to him?
Harry shuddered at the thought. It had always slightly disturbed him that Sirius had only intended to come back to Hogwarts to kill Peter Pettigrew. It seemed as if Sirius had only considered getting to know his godson better as an after thought. His behaviour had been so strange that night in the Shrieking Shack, so unlike the Sirius he would eventually grow to love. He had been hell bent on revenge, and it didn't matter who or what stood in his way of that, including his godson.
Later, Harry learned more about his father's best friend, and he found comfort and support in the man's presence. He soon forgot what happened in the Shrieking Shack and even jumped at the opportunity to live with him. He would do anything to get out of living in the Dursley's household. Unfortunately, living with his godfather was never a reality for Harry. Sirius was still a wanted man, and Dumbledore was convinced that Harry could only be protected from Voldemort in the "sanctuary" of his aunt's house. The headmaster had no way of really knowing at the time just how foolish that decision really was.
How would things be different if Harry had just told someone about his home life? Why couldn't he swallow his pride and admit the truth? Would he still have been able to get to know Draco if things had been different? Would they still have this undeniable connection? Part of Harry knew that deep down that they would have come together eventually. Their souls wouldn't rest until they were together again, even if it took decades for them to realize their feelings.
With Sirius on his mind, and no real possibility of being able to fall asleep again, Harry decided to have another look at the book he had borrowed from the library. Grabbing his wand from beneath his pillow, he cast the "Lumos" spell so that he could see properly. Fortunately, the heavy red curtains that draped around his bed were thick enough that his dorm mates shouldn't be awakened by the light. He picked his head out of his bed, and reached for his glasses on the bedside table. After placing the frames on his face, he saw that he had a good hour or so before the others would begin to rouse. He then reached beside the bed where he had last tossed his bag last night, and reached inside. He fumbled about in the darkness, pushing aside what felt like his school textbooks until he found a book that felt to be the proper width.
Pulling his arms inside his coverings he was relieved to see that he had selected the correct book. He quickly propped his pillows up behind his back so that he was more comfortable and leaned back. He then bent his knees and placed the thick book on his pyjama clad legs. He looked at the cover once more and sighed deeply. He hadn't yet told his friends about his discovery, because he still didn't know much more than before. Please let this book hold some answers to saving Sirius, he whispered to himself. I don't think I can spend a lifetime witnessing his memories and hearing his pleas for help.
He opened the book to the index in the back and searched for the word "Veil" once again. Finding what he was looking for, he thumbed through the pages looking for the next reference to the mysterious veil. What he found was a quite lengthy analysis of a Celtic God that Muggles called Donn. The accompanying black and white picture depicted a rather old wizard standing before an archway, casting what looked like a spell. He seemed to be quite powerful, and the image reminded Harry of Professor Dumbledore because the man wore a beard as long and as white as the headmaster. Intrigued by what he saw, Harry began to read to himself quietly.
The House of Donn
It is amazing how Muggles have created a belief system like Celtic Mythology, to help understand the practices of witches and wizards around them. Instead of embracing the magical folk living among them, they concocted stories and scenarios to explain that which they do not understand.
For example, Muggles have long believed that Donn was the god of the dead in Ireland. In actuality, he was a powerful sorcerer who lived over two millennia ago, whose magic still defies our current understanding of what wizards are capable of. Many witches and wizards, who both feared and were awed by his power, joined his army of Milesians. He had many followers in his day, but he was not what was considered to be a dark wizard.
His house, Tech Duinn, otherwise known as the "House of Donn," was said to exist on an island located to the southwest of the Irish coast, and was a temporary resting place for the dead before they crossed into the Otherworld. Muggles believed that within his home there was a portal that led the dead from this world to the next.
Magical brethren know that Donn wasn't a god at all; he was just a misunderstood wizard. Through careful research it was revealed that the "portal" to the Otherworld was really a result of a spell that back fired on him. Donn was merely trying to contact his long lost love, Mira, in the Otherworld Mag Mell through a series of magical spells and charms, when he accidentally punched a hole through our world leading to the next. Like a needle piercing cloth, two holes in the fabric of our existence were created. One was produced in his home in Ireland, the other in the heart of what is now present day London. Both were located in subterranean caverns, deep beneath the Earth's surface. Thankfully, not many knew of their existence. Realizing the seriousness of what he had done, Donn erected two archways, each covered with a cloth like veil, to protect the living from accidentally crossing through to the beyond.
From that point forward, Donn charged himself with the position of guarding the two veils. Through a series of enchantments and potions, he prolonged his own life as much as possible so that he could oversee what he had inadvertently created. If a soul did not pass directly to the Otherworld, Mag Mell, upon death because of unfinished business here on earth, they sometimes needed some help finding their way. He watched over the veils carefully, ensuring that only lost souls that had already passed away could cross over into the Otherworld. Donn tried to find a suitable replacement for him when he passed away, but no wizard he found ever seemed worthy enough of such an honor; so no apprentice was ever appointed.
It is unclear in wizarding history what caused the eventual death of Donn. One Muggle story tells of how the lovely goddess Eiru, whose name was later given to Ireland, destroyed Donn. According to Muggle legend, Donn became restless and wished to go an adventure. When Donn and his ban of Milesians left their island and arrived on the mainland shore of Ireland, they were greeted by Eiru. She promptly asked if she might have the honor of lending her name to the land that they had planned to conquer. Donn dismissed her request, scorning the goddess. For his mistake, Donn paid dearly. The god of the sea, Manannan Mac Lir, caused a storm to engulf the Milesians per Eiru's request, drowning Donn off the coast of Ireland.
Muggles do not understand the seriousness of his death, however it was really caused. Donn regrettably did not realize that his death would have huge implications for what happened to the veils next. Many lost souls would later come to the portal in hopes of passing through to the Otherworld, but without Donn there to correctly guide them, they passed through the veil of death into a Limbo like world. They had no way of returning to the land of the living or passing on to the Otherworld, and they were lost forever. Their fate was to relive their memories for eternity. Many other lost souls learned about the difficulty of crossing into the Otherworld and decided not to take a chance. That is why we have so many ghosts haunting wizarding homes today. There is no way for a lost soul who has unfinished business here on earth when they die to ever make the crossing successfully.
Centuries later, magical folk who learned of their existence decided that the two veils could be used for some good. They had struggled for a long time to find a way to contain dark wizards who had committed horrendous crimes. Before they discovered the usefulness of Dementors, they had no way of preventing dark wizards from breaking out of their prisons. Sending these criminals to a place where they could never harm anyone again was an appealing idea. A courtroom of sorts was carved around the subterranean rock protecting one of the veils and was used for many centuries to punish the worst wizarding criminals. Later the Ministry of Magic was built around the Veil to protect its existence after they learned how to control the Dementors in their newly built prison, Azkaban. The true nature of the veil's existence remains a mystery to most wizards and witches who work for the Ministry.
The location of the other portal remains hidden to this day. It is said that many centuries after Donn's death; Merlin himself erected wards around the second veil's location off the coast of Ireland to protect its existence. Only the true of heart are said to be able to enter the confines of the subterranean temple…
Harry turned the page, but found that there was no further information about the House of Donn or the veil itself. He quickly reread the section of text again, amazed at what he had found. This seemed to be the answer he was looking for! He knew that if he wanted to save Sirius that he was going to have to go back to the Veil, but it had seemed impossible before seeing that it would be difficult to go the Veil room again unnoticed. Now it appeared as if there may be a second Veil still in existence off the coast of Ireland.
Harry was feeling rather excited about his discovery at first, but then he realized that he now had more unanswered questions than he did before. Where was the second veil exactly? How was he going to get there? When should he go? When he did get there, would he be able to get past Merlin's wards? If he did, how was he going to bring Sirius back? Would he be able to do all of this alone? Were there dangers involved? What about the Death Eaters who seemed to be getting closer and closer to Britain? What would he do if he were caught by Voldemort? What would his friends say about all of this? What if Harry failed his mission? What would this do to Remus? If he succeeded, would Sirius ever be the same?
Harry pulled at his hair in frustration as he thought more and more about his predicament. He knew that he was "looking for trouble" again, but he couldn't live with himself if he didn't at least try to save Sirius from the torturous hell he was in right now. He was about to grab his journal to write down his thoughts when he heard Dean and Seamus begin to awaken from their sleep. Wanting to get in the showers before the others, Harry quickly hopped out of bed and gathered the things he would need. A hot shower sounded really appealing right now, and he still wanted some time to think before he had to face his friends. Their eyes seemed to be able to see right through him lately, and Harry knew that it was inevitable that they would drag whatever was bothering him out into the open.
Fortunately, Harry had an extremely busy day and he managed to avoid any serious conversations with his friends for most of the day. They seemed to know something was on his mind, but they didn't press the issue for the time being. In fact, he was having a rather good day for once. He found his classes today to be fairly easy, even Potions, and his peers had seemingly stopped staring at him whenever he walked through the halls.
Even Quidditch practice went well that day. Everyone was on top of their game, executing difficult maneuvers with the greatest of ease. And Harry was able to catch the golden snitch a total of eight times during the course of their hour and a half long practice. A team record even for him. The Gryffindors couldn't wait to play against the Slytherins in the upcoming match.
Harry was in high spirits walking back to the castle with Ron and Ginny. There was a slight bounce in his step as he talked about trying out some new diversionary tactics he read about in Quidditch Weekly. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the smirk on both of the red heads' faces at his apparent jubilation, but he didn't care. He was having a good day for once, and nothing was going to spoil it. It had been a long time since he had felt this good. Just as it seemed as if the day couldn't get any better, another moment of good fortune seemed to shine down upon him.
Ron was just about to open the door to the castle for his best mate and little sister when he noticed that Ginny had stopped in the middle of the stone staircase. "What is it, Gin?"
"Oh… I can't believe how stupid I am…" said the younger sibling, cursing under her breath. She hung her head in her hands. Her hair was still slightly slick with sweat and it made her look even more distraught than she really was.
"Hey, what is it?" asked Harry with concern.
"Well, I just realized that I forgot to an assignment for Muggle Studies this weekend, and it's due tomorrow," she moaned looking up at them.
"How could you have possibly forgotten?" asked Ron in a parental like tone. Harry eyed him in disbelief. Ron was notorious for doing assignments at the last minute or forgetting about them altogether.
"Well, Neville and I were… you know… kind of occupied… all weekend… and we forgot," she said shyly. "It's an honest mistake." She sank down onto the stone steps as she realized what she had slipped out. She held her head in embarrassment.
"What do you mean!" asked Ron. Harry gave him a look that clearly sent the message about what they had been up to. "Wait, you mean… no… I don't want to know… ewww… my little sister… yuck… bad mental image…" Ron began to hit the side of his head trying to dislodge the image of his sister snogging Neville out of his head.
"Okay, so you forgot to do the assignment. Big deal! Why can't you just do it now?" asked Harry as he slid down next to her.
"I guess I could… it's just that, well… I'm not even sure what we're supposed to do. I tried to ask Dad about it when I owled him last week, but he didn't seem to know the answer," she replied.
"Why didn't you ask me or Hermione for help?" asked Harry. "We both have lived as Muggles."
"Well, I was kind of embarrassed. I feel like I should know this stuff by now, but it doesn't make any sense to me. And Neville doesn't really have a clue, even though he had the same class last year. I didn't want you guys to think I was stupid or anything," she replied.
Ron sat down beside them. "Are you kidding? Don't you remember all the stuff that Harry had to learn about our world his first year? He didn't know anything!"
"Thanks, Ron," Harry replied mockingly. He rolled his eyes, and continued again. "Okay what's the assignment?"
Ginny sighed deeply and said, "Well, we're supposed to watch something called a Vid-eeh-oh… and write an essay on what we thought of it. The professor gave me a 'tape' to watch. Well, I tried watching it, but it didn't do anything. It didn't even move when I set it on the table! I don't even really know what is or what to do with it."
"A video?" asked Harry. "Is that all?" He chuckled out loud over the silliness of the situation. He could picture the red head staring at the VHS tape on her desk waiting for something to happen. Ginny had no idea how much fun her assignment really was. Seeing that the other two were annoyed by his outburst, he quickly squashed giggles.
"What's the video called?" asked Harry smiling from ear to ear.
"Liar Liar" she replied. Harry couldn't believe his luck. He had heard about that movie before, and had always wanted to see it. Of course the Dursleys would never allow him to go to the movies or watch a rented one for that matter. A good comedy would do them all some good right about now.
"Brilliant! Listen, you two get Hermione and Neville. I'll get Draco and see if Blaise wants to join us. Meet me in the Room of Requirement once you get a chance to shower," Harry said excitedly as he rose from his seat. "Oh… and don't forget to bring the video tape."
"Why? How is this going to help me with my assignment?" asked Ginny curiously. She and Ron stood up beside him and looked at Harry suspiciously.
"You'll see," said Harry cryptically. "Just be there as soon as possible. We are going to need at least a couple of hours."
"Well, then you can count Hermione out," said Ron in frustration. "She won't want to do anything that will take her away from her precious studying that long."
"Trust me, Ron. Once you tell her what Ginny's assignment is, she will be there in a heartbeat."
"Alright, if you say so," said the taller boy, as they followed each other inside the castle.
Approximately half an hour later found the six friends on comfy cushions and couches in front of a large screen TV and a killer sound system. It amazed Harry to no end just how useful the Room of Requirement really could be. Fortunately, everything ran on magic instead of electricity so they didn't have to worry about the set up going haywire from all the magic in the air.
"Where's Blaise?" asked Ron. "I thought you were going to ask him to join us."
"He had a hot study date with some Ravenclaw," replied Draco as he made himself more comfortable on the overly large couch. "Wouldn't tell me who it was."
"Ahhh…." said Hermione smiling. They had all become fond of Blaise as they had gotten to know each other over these last few months. He was just about the only one in Slytherin who still accepted Draco as one of their housemates, and he had been a good friend to him. Especially after all the hell the two had been put through by their peers. They were all glad that he had finally found someone as he had been quick to point out on several occasions that he hated hanging out with them when he was the only single one.
"What's all this?" asked Ginny, eyeing the various food set out before them.
"This is what Muggles eat when they watch a video," said Harry matter-of-factly. "It's tradition."
"Oh," said Ron, helping himself.
In front of them were a giant bowl of popcorn and an assortment of candies. The house elves even managed to find some cans of Coca-Cola for the festive event. Hermione was watching her boyfriend with a disgusted look. Ron was currently grabbing large handfuls of popcorn and stuffing his face. All the while he was eyeing Draco carefully, who was also scowling at him. Although the pair had found a truce when it came to Harry, they were no less civil to each other than necessary. Harry had the distinct impression if they ever found themselves in a room alone that an argument would immediately erupt. Giving each a meaningful look, Harry grabbed the video that Ginny had brought and popped it into the VCR that had magically appeared in the room along with the telly and stereo.
"Oohhh… I'm so excited," said Hermione, biting into a piece of licorice. "I love this movie."
"You've already seen it?" asked Harry.
"Yup. Last summer my Mum and Dad took me to see it," she replied. "It's hilarious."
"What's a moo-vee?" asked Ron, through a mouthful of popcorn.
Draco sighed heavily as if he were annoyed by Ron's question. "Moving pictures… hello… duh!"
Harry grinned and suppressed a giggle that wanted to escape. He knew that Draco had only just learned what a television was when he visited him at the cabin, but he was trying to do his superiority act almost as if he were his old self. It was weird how Ron brought out that side of him.
"Well, I knew that much… we're sitting in front of a felly-physician for Merlin's sake!" said Ron as he threw a piece of popcorn at Draco. The blond eyed the popcorn that had landed on his chest thoughtfully, and then popped in his mouth, crunching the kernel longer than necessary. He smirked as he had somehow won the battle.
Harry was pretty sure that the Weasleys had never seen a television set used before, despite their father's fondness for all things Muggle. Neville looked equally lost about the whole situation. Harry and Hermione caught each other's eye, and quickly covered their mouths to suppress their laughter. It wouldn't be nice to laugh at their friends' ignorance about Muggle things, especially since they were both in their shoes at one time learning about the wizarding world.
"Harry… can we at least get started… it's getting late," said Ginny worriedly.
"Sure, no problem," said Harry as he grabbed the remote control. He turned the telly on, cranked up the surround sound on the stereo, and pressed play on the VCR. He then fast forwarded through the previews and commercials until he found the beginning of the movie. All the while he explained what he was doing as best he could so that Ginny would understand.
Harry and Hermione watched in amusement as their pure-blooded friends stared at the large screen in wonder. Even Draco, who had watched shows with Harry before, still seemed to be amazed.
"It's like a painting… but better," said Neville in awe.
Two gut-busting hours, and several popcorn fights later, Harry was finally able to turn off the movie and rewind the tape. His friend's eyes were still glassy from laughing so hard and they were all smiling merrily.
"That, Ginny, was a movie… did you like it?" Harry asked. He felt quite proud that he was able to expose his friends to something like this. He had never been ashamed of the fact that he was raised as a Muggle, but it certainly didn't get you very far when you are surrounded by a school full of pureblooded wizards who inadvertently look down upon Muggles.
"Yes, that was amazing… Muggles watch this kind of thing often?" she asked.
"All the time… in fact many become couch potatoes!" said Hermione.
"They turn into vegetables? Is that some kind of Muggle magic?" asked Ron seriously.
"Never mind," said Harry laughing at his friend.
"Are all movies always this funny?" said Ginny.
"No… there is quite a variety… kind of like books. In fact some are based on books that Muggle authors have written. They can be funny, suspenseful, romantic, scary, or dramatic," he replied, hoping that he was being helpful.
"Well, this has been lovely, but Ginny still has a paper to write. Thanks everyone for helping her with the assignment!" said Neville, pulling his girlfriend up by the hand to a standing position. They walked out hand in hand to go write their essays.
"No problem," called Ron, who seemed to think that he had played a big role in helping them. Draco looked at him curiously but kept his mouth shut.
Harry collapsed beside Draco on the couch, feeling very content. The blonde's arms wound their way around his boyfriend, pulling him closer. All in all, today was one of the best he had had in a while. He should have known that it wouldn't last for long.
"Well, that was fun," said Hermione. "We should have thought of doing that a long time ago."
"I agree," said Harry. "We need to do this again soon."
They sat in relative silence for a few moments enjoying the comfort of the soft couches and enjoying each others presence.
"Alright, Harry," said Ron finally. "I can't take it anymore. What's going on?"
"W-what do you mean?" Harry stammered in confusion.
"You know what I mean. You have been acting like you wanted to say something to us all day, but haven't. It's like you know something but you aren't letting on," the red head replied truthfully.
"Am I that obvious?" Harry asked his boyfriend. Draco looked at him thoughtfully, and then nodded in agreement.
"So what's up?" asked Ron again.
Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair a few times, as he often did when he was trying to think of what he wanted to say.
"I had another dream about Sirius last night..." he began. "This time it was his memory about the night at the Shrieking Shack in our third year." Hermione and Ron both shared looks of understanding, but Draco looked completely confused so Harry explained.
"That was the night I met my godfather and learned of his innocence. We found out that Ron's family pet, Scabbers, was really an animagi called Wormtail, a.k.a. Peter Pettigrew… the traitor that gave Voldemort the location of my family's home all those years ago," Harry spat out angrily. "Sirius escaped from Azkaban and came to Hogwarts in order to kill Peter for what he had done. It's kind of a long complicated story, but that's the gist of it."
"I wondered how all of that went down… it's a shame that he didn't kill Pettigrew when he had a chance," said Draco.
"Well… that would be my fault too… I stopped Sirius from killing him so that he could be brought to justice and my godfather's name would be cleared. I had no idea that he would escape and eventually help Voldemort rise to power again."
"Harry…" Hermione said softly. "You were only doing what you thought was right. Don't beat yourself up over things that you can't change."
"Well, I can change something… at least I'm going to try …"
"What do you mean?" asked Draco. Hermione and Ron looked at one another, concern written all over their faces.
"I'm going to bring Sirius back if it's the last thing I do…"
"Oh, Harry…" said Hermione, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't think it's even possible."
"But I have to try… I can't live the rest of my life dreaming his memories and hearing his voice in my head begging for help…"
Draco looked away in frustration, realizing that Harry's suffering was something that as much as he tried, he couldn't help him with. Ron paled and swallowed visibly. Harry wondered if he was thinking about the night he had found Harry slicing his arms to pieces in an attempt to quell the voices in his head. He knew that he could never put his best mate through that again. He took a calming breath to rid his thoughts of Wormtail and tried to focus on the task at hand. He found himself drawing off the good time they had that day and using it for energy to say what he need to next.
"I have found some information about Sirius and the Veil…" Harry began.
"You did! That's great… Was it in the library? Because I swore we checked that place at least a dozen times, but we were never able to find anything," said Hermione.
"That's because we were looking in the wrong places… oh by the way, I know something you don't know… I know something you don't know…" Harry said in a sing song voice, as he rose from the couch to fetch his bag from across the room.
"What?" asked Hermione with a bit more attitude than she had intended to use. She hated anyone knowing something she didn't. Her eyes followed Harry across the room has he grabbed what he was looking for.
"Did you know that when you're having difficulty locating information in the library, all you have to do is ask Madame Pince for her reference tome?" asked Harry. He joined the others again, resting the green book he found on his lap. He had decided earlier to bring the book in case he felt like telling the others what he had learned.
"Reference tome? I've never heard of that before… and I spend more time in that library than anyone else. I'm sure I would have known about it…" Hermione tried to reason.
"Well, have you ever asked Madame Pince for help before?" asked Harry. Ron smiled at his girlfriend in amusement. He loved the fact that she was getting put in her place for once.
"Well, no… I can almost always find what I'm looking for on my own…"
"Than you can't possibly know about it, because the librarian only lends it to those who ask for help. You know… we wasted a lot of time in there…"
Hermione sat back huffily as she listened with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance to Harry describe how he had used the library's search engine.
"Alright… so you know something I don't, big deal… so what did you find?" she asked in an irritated tone.
"Celtic Mythology," said Harry as he placed the thick green book on the table in front of them.
"A Wizard's Analysis of Celtic Mythology, by Theodore Waterbane…" Ron read the cover aloud to the others. "Isn't that some ancient Muggle belief… what does this have to do with the Veil?"
"Yeah… I don't get it…" said Draco.
"I didn't either at first, and I almost didn't give this book a second thought. But it was literally the only book in the library that made reference to the Veil at the Ministry of Magic."
Harry quickly turned to the pages he read so far and explained what he had learned about the two veils. The others listened with fascination as he told how the veils came into existence and where they were said to be located today.
"This is wonderful, Harry… but we still have a lot of unanswered questions," said Draco, trying to sound positive.
"I know, I know… but at least this is something to go on," Harry explained.
"What do you mean exactly? What do you plan to do?" asked Draco.
"I'm not really sure, but I'm going to try to reach that second Veil and bring Sirius back…"
"Harry, I'm usually the first to jump at the opportunity for an adventure, but this sounds really dangerous… Isn't the other veil somewhere off the coast of Ireland? We have no idea how to even go about doing this…" Ron interjected.
"We? I never said anything about any of you going…" Harry said softly.
"You don't honestly think we would let you go alone, do you?" asked Hermione.
"Granger's right Harry… if you are doing this, then we are coming with you…" said Draco.
"NO! This is my fault that this even happened and I will fix it… without you! I couldn't bear it if anything happened to anyone one of you…" Harry said jumping up from the couch. "I'm doing this alone!"
Hermione jumped up to meet him, "No you are not Harry! What you are proposing is dangerous! Have you even thought about telling Remus any of this? What if something happened to you? He wouldn't forgive himself!"
"Hey, settle down," said Draco, stepping between the two. "We don't even know enough information for this mission to even seem like a possibility. Why don't we all wait until Harry knows more information about the veil? We can continue this pointless argument then."
"Pointless?" yelled Ron. "I don't call this argument pointless. Harry is intending on doing something that could possibly get himself killed, and I refuse to stand by and do nothing about it." His face was turning beat red with suppressed anger, clearly showing that he thought he knew better when it came to Harry's welfare than the blond did.
"I agree!" yelled Draco. "Harry knows that we won't let him do this alone… he just has to realize that the only way this will happen is if we come with him…"
"What? Wait… no, I…" Harry tried to explain, but Draco covered his mouth, and whispered in his ear, "We love you… you stupid git. Don't think for a second we are ever letting you out of our sights again…"
Harry's eyes watered at the sentiment and he backed down from the argument for the time being. He was just going to have to think of way of doing this without them. The task seemed impossible, however… seeing that they already knew so much about it. Their support about the whole situation had been remarkable. Maybe he needed them more than he thought.
"Alright everyone, calm down. It's been a long day and we are all pretty tired. Why don't we turn in for the night and talk about his when we have had a chance to sleep on it," Hermione offered.
"I don't think I can go to sleep…" Ron moaned.
"Why not?" asked Hermione.
"Well, my body's tired, but I am still feeling pretty wound up. I know if I try to sleep now my mind will be racing all night thinking about everything," said Ron.
"Yeah, me too," Harry admitted. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who was thinking about another sleepless night.
"I have an idea," said Hermione. "Why don't we go down to the kitchens and get a glass of warm milk. That's what my mum always gave me when I was having trouble sleeping."
"Sounds great!" said Draco. The others looked at him in surprise. "What? I had a house elf that always brought me warm milk when I was little and couldn't sleep…"
"Can we have some cookies too?" asked Ron, as they gathered their things and stepped out into the hallway.
"Do you ever stop eating?" asked Hermione.
"Hey, I'm a growing boy…" Ron said defensively.
A few minutes later the foursome found themselves outside the kitchen doorway. Loud noises were erupting behind the door. Harry looked at the others in alarm.
"Wands out, you reckon?" They nodded and fetched their wands from inside their robes.
Carefully Harry opened the kitchen doorway to find chaos on the other side. Four or five house elves were shrieking as they scrambled around the kitchen desperately trying to clean the mess that the two Slytherins goons were making. Winky was in the corner of the kitchen looking wide-eyed at the scene before her.
"Please sirs," pleaded Dobby. "We can fix you what you like… just don't throw anything else."
"How dare you tell me what to do!" shouted Goyle, who was munching on a cupcake with one hand and knocking pots and pans down with another. "Do you know who I am?"
One of the house elves had just got done filling a tray full of sweets for them on one of the counters, when Goyle ran across the large kitchen to it. The big oaf knocked her out of the way, and began to stuff his face. He was completely unaware that they were being watched.
Crabbe was ransacking one of the cupboards searching for more treats, discarding anything that appeared healthy with a toss over his shoulder. He narrowly missed hitting a couple of house elves, who were still scattering all over the place. A few of them made a dash under the table and were shaking like a leaf at what they were watching. The two large boys were quite menacing despite being utterly brainless.
The four teens in the doorway watched what appeared to be a late night snack that had gone horribly wrong. "Hey!" yelled Harry. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Shut up Potter and get the hell out of here if you know what's good for you!" yelled Goyle, raising his wand at Harry.
"I will not… you have no business coming down here and trashing the kitchens like this. Leave them the hell alone!" he yelled aiming his wand at Goyle.
"Oh look, Crabbe. Potter here is threatening us. And look he brought his friends to help him. He's too scared to face us alone."
"Yeah and he brought his fruity boyfriend… the Slytherin traitor!" said Crabbe.
"Shut up you idiots and get out of here before we hex you into oblivion!" said Draco, standing beside Harry with Ron and Hermione.
"How dare you treat innocent creatures this way…" Hermione began in a fury. She was more opposed to the maltreatment of house elves than anyone else here in school, and seeing this scene was breaking her heart.
Crabbe, knowing that the foursome wasn't going to back down, grabbed Dobby by the throat and hoisted him up into the air. "Come one step closer and I will make sure that this 'innocent creature' wishes that it had never been born!"
"Yeah," said Goyle in agreement. He then began to chase a few of the other house elves who were left so that he could torture one too.
"Eek!" shouted Winky as she disappeared with a loud POP.
"You wouldn't…" Harry muttered through his teeth.
"Oh, wouldn't I? Do you think I'm too stupid? Well, let me assure you that I'm well trained when it comes to the dark arts. Maybe I will just use this house elf here as a test dummy," replied Crabbed aiming his wand at Dobby's throat.
"It's okay sirs… Dobby will be okay…" Dobby replied, urging Harry to leave before something bad happened to him.
"Shut up!" yelled Crabbe, shaking Dobby by the neck. "CRUC…." he tried to say.
"EXPELLARMUS!" shouted four people at once. The spells hit Crabbe squarely in the stomach causing him to fly across the table and smack into one of the kitchen counters. Dobby landed on his feet and ran towards his saviors hugging them about the knees.
Goyle turned around to find out what had caused all the commotion. He had been oblivious to everything as he chased the rest of the house elves under the table. "Stupefy!" yelled Ron, effectively bringing down the other boy. He landed with a heavy thud, a cupcake rolling out of his hand.
"Mr. Weasley!" said a loud voice from behind them. They all turned to find Snape standing in the kitchen doorway with an angry look on his face. Winky, was trying to hide behind his dark robes, away from their piercing stares.
"Professor Snape! You don't understand… Crabbe and Goyle…" Ron began.
"I know…." said Snape holding up his hand to silence them. "Winky came and got me when things got out of hand."
"Severus, they were going to use the cruciatus curse on them…" Draco started to say.
"I know that as well. I saw the whole scene from the doorway…"
"Oh great…" said Ron, thinking that he was getting in trouble.
"I wanted to see how you handled yourselves. As loathe as I am to admit… you did well," said Snape crossing his arms over his chest. There was a look in his eyes for a moment that seemed almost like pride. The professor eyed the damage in the kitchens and saw that the fearful house elves had already begun to come out of their hiding places. Seeing that they weren't in any danger, they used their magic to put their kitchen back as it was.
"What will happen to them sir?" asked Hermione, motioning towards the two unconscious teens. "This is only one of many incidents they have caused this year. I know they were supposedly punished for slipping Draco and Blaise that potion on New Year's, but surely their poor behavior can no longer be tolerated. They have been quite awful to Draco and Harry recently, spreading rumors about them throughout the school. And I know Draco doesn't want to admit it, but most of the Slytherins have been harassing him since the beginning of the year. I'm pretty sure that Crabbe and Goyle have been behind it all since Pansy left."
Draco shot her a dirty look. She knew that he had tried to deal with everything on his own, so that he wouldn't have to always rely on his godfather. Snape gave him a curious look before addressing Hermione's question. Draco hadn't told him everything that had happened this year.
"Thank you for bringing all of this to my attention. These two will be seeing the headmaster momentarily and I can assure you that they will inevitably be expelled. Hogwarts will not condone the practice of dark arts within its walls," the man said darkly.
"Thank you, Professor," said Hermione.
"Professor Dumbledore may wish to speak to you all, but for the time being I think you can all go back to your dormitories to rest. I will ignore the fact that you are all out your houses past curfew, as long as it does not happen again."
"Of course," said Hermione, smiling at their teacher. Harry knew that smile, and could reasonably assume that she knew that this wouldn't be the last time that they broke house rules. How he and Ron had corrupted her so, he would never know.
They watched as the Potions master levitated the two teens out into the hallway and directed them towards Dumbledore's office. His robes billowed softly behind him as he strode purposely down the hall.
"Thank you, thank you… for saving us," said Dobby dramatically, clinging to Harry's robe. "Can I get anything for Harry Potter and his friends?"
"How about some warm milk?" asked Draco. Dobby smiled up at him and tilted his head to the side as if remembering something. The small creature then quickly set off to fetch their glasses of milk. The trio looked at Draco carefully, smiling all the while. "What?" he asked in confusion.
"Was Dobby the house elf that used to bring little Draco his milk?" asked Harry in a playful voice. It was common knowledge among them that Dobby had been rescued from the Malfoys by Harry in their second year.
"Shut up, Harry," said Draco, pushing his boyfriend jokingly.
The friends talked quietly over the milk and cookies and then set off to bed. Harry had thought for sure that he would have difficulty sleeping, after everything that happened that day. It's not everyday you learn about Celtic Gods and duel with Slytherin monsters. But all in all, it was a good day. Harry drifted off to sleep fairly early and found that he slept soundly straight until morning. It's amazing what a little laughter can do to heal the soul.
A/N: Did you like it? I kind of got the idea about the "two holes in the fabric of our existence were created," from the movie Poltergeist. Not the words per, but the idea itself. Have you seen it? If you have, then you would know that my reasoning makes some sense. In the movie, there was an entry and exit point between our world and the ghost world. I wanted to set up an adventure, and going to the Ministry didn't really seem plausible or as exciting.
A/N2: Can you guys tell which parts of the Celtic Mythology are legends and which parts I made up. If you can, great! If you can't, even better! I was hoping that the melding of the two ideas would be almost flawless. The answers to all of Harry's questions will be revealed in time.
A/N3: I chose the Jim Carey movie "Liar Liar" because I think it's hilarious and it came out in 1997, which I thought would fit somewhat with the book's time frame. I might be a year or so off, but I don't care. I didn't use the term DVD only because it wasn't as popularly used back then.
Many thanks to all my reviewers and to my incredible beta Drae!