The days passed like a dream. Harry's abilities in Occlumency steadily improved with Dumbledore as mentor, and he no longer required advance warning before Dumbledore struck him with Legimency. He was now capable of keeping Dumbledore out of his thoughts for over three minutes, always using the same technique to clear his mind - which for some reason seemed to amuse the ancient wizard to no end.
Then there was duelling training with either Lupin, Tonks or Mad-eye. Harry was surprised to learn that Lupin was actually an accomplished duellist. After a week he confided to Harry that he, Harry's father and Sirius used to practise duelling well into the night during their time at Hogwarts. Take his werewolf-enchanted reflexes into account and Lupin was a formidable opponent, not to mention Tonks and Mad-eye. In the beginning, Ron had also been very interested in learning to duel, until he took one look at Harry being thrown around the room by Mad-eye and muttered something about having homework to do.
Between Occlumency and duelling training, Harry didn't have much spare time left. However, that didn't prevent him from sitting bent over potions books when he could. Ron complained that Hermione had brainwashed him, until Harry pointed out that Snape would love to drop him from NEWT Potions.
The nightmares became less and less frequent, with the effect that Harry was now able to actually get a good night of sleep. He still grieved over the loss of Sirius, but now he was at least dealing with it.
The booklist from Hogwarts arrived near the end of the month, among with a few more letters from DA members - but not from Cho, which Harry had half hoped and half feared. Unlike Ron and Hermione, he had already bought all books necessary for the NEWT level, except Herbs You Didn't Know Existed, And Where To Find Them Now That You Have a Clue for Herbology. Mr Weasley offered to buy it for him, but Harry decided he wanted to go with Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna anyway.
Since each had different things that needed doing, they decided to split up and meet at the Leaky Cauldron after two hours.
"Of course they wouldn't let me go without a babysitter," Harry thought resigned as he exited the shop with Mr Weasley close behind. Harry had grown quite a bit during the previous year, which had made necessary the purchase of new robes from Madam Malkin's.
"Where to next, Harry?" Mr Weasley said while looking suspiciously at passers-by.
Harry thought for a moment. He had already been at the Apothecary and restocked with potion ingredients, so he had only left to buy that Herbology-book. Before he could do that, however, he needed to visit his vault at Gringotts. He only had a couple Sickles left.
"Gringotts, and then Flourish & Blotts."
Diagon Ally was not as Harry remembered it. Instead of the busy cheerfulness it was something subdued about the way people behaved. They glanced nervously over their shoulders as they hurried up and down the street, and when they stopped to greet an old friend they talked in low voices. The presence of Aurors and members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad did nothing to lighten the mood. That didn't keep Harry from hearing the whispers as he went past them, however.
"Hey, isn't that the Potter-boy? The one beside the red-haired man?"
"Blimey, you're right!"
"To think that he has survived encountering You-Know-Who - how many times is it, now? Four, five times?"
Harry ignored them as best he could, and breathed out in relief when he and Mr Weasley finally entered Gringotts. He supposed he should be glad that people didn't think he was an attention seeking child or a nutcase anymore, but all the whispers and the stares was getting on his nerves - and he hadn't even returned to Hogwarts yet!
"I'll be waiting here," Mr Weasley said. "I'm not allowed down into the vaults unless I'm are going to make a deposit or withdrawal." Harry nodded.
"I wish to make a withdrawal from vault 687," Harry told one of the goblins behind the counter and handed him the key.
The goblin examined the key thoroughly. "It seems to be in order. Griphook!" he shouted, and the very same goblin that had served as a guide for Harry and Hagrid the first time he came to Gringotts suddenly popped up of nowhere. "Escort the customer to the vaults along with the other one." The goblin bowed and motioned for Harry to follow him.
"Hello, Griphook," Harry said to the goblin. "Nice seeing you again."
The goblin nearly missed a step from sheer surprise. "Have we met before, young sir?"
"Yes, it was you who escorted me to my vault back in '91."
Griphook stared strangely at Harry. "And you have been remembering me all these years?" he said surprised.
"Of course I have," Harry said and frowned. "Something wrong?"
"No, no, it's just that not many wizards bother to remember goblins," Griphook explained. "Not to mention actually greeting one."
Harry shrugged. "Guess you haven't met many decent wizards, then."
"Maybe so, Mr Potter," Griphook said as he opened one of the many doors in the chamber. "Maybe so."
"That's about time - Potter?" said an all to familiar voice. Harry groaned inwardly in dismay as he saw Draco Malfoy standing in the entrance to the stone cavern. Out of all people in the world, this had to be the other customer the goblin had mentioned.
"Well, Potter," Malfoy snarled. "I didn't expect to see you here. Have you come to withdraw your last remaining Sickle?"
Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. As always Malfoy had to flaunt the wealth of his family. "Are we going to do what we came here for, or are we going to keep talking?" he asked calmly.
Malfoy looked furious when Harry refused to take the bait. "You, goblin," he said rudely. "Take us to my vault first - number 806."
"Yes, sir," the goblin said stiffly and whistled for a cart.
Harry suddenly felt a presence in his mind. Instinctively he knew who it was: "So this is Malfoy," Lightning said with distaste. "What a pile of snot!" Harry couldn't help but snicker over the remark and Malfoy gave him a funny look.
The journey through the narrow caverns was done in total silence. Malfoy glared at Harry, while Harry himself just ignored the Slytherin. He would not let Malfoy bait him this time. Griphook seemed to have been deeply insulted, and didn't say a word except when he asked for Malfoy's key when they arrived at vault 806.
The pile of Galleons behind the door was significant, and Harry estimated that it was at least the size of his own. Malfoy seemed to take pleasure in scooping up more gold than he could possibly need for buying school supplies.
"Dad set up a trust fund for me when I entered Hogwarts," Malfoy said arrogantly as the cart began moving again. "It's only a tiny part of the family fortune, of course."
"Very smart of him considering recent events," Harry said innocently.
Malfoy's eyes narrowed in anger. "Why, you-!"
"Vault 687," Griphook called out, and Harry jumped out of the cart and handed the gnome the key before Malfoy could complete the sentence. He wasn't going to childishly compare his savings with Malfoy's.
Harry had barely completed the thought when the door to his vault opened and revealed a virtual mountain of Galleons. For one shocked moment Harry thought he had somehow managed to open the wrong vault, but then he remembered that Sirius had left him more than half of the Black family fortune. The memory of Sirius' death brought a pang of sorrow, but unlike four weeks ago he no longer broke down when thinking about it. Yet, he could still feel the aching place in his heart where a giant had once lived.
Giving himself a shake, he bent down and picked up a few Galleons. Not nearly as much as Malfoy, but enough to last him until next summer. Malfoy seemed to take it as a personal insult that Harry had more money than he did, and he scowled at him all the way back. Harry just looked back with a carefully neutral expression.
"Is everything okay with the mudbloods and bloodtraitors you are keeping around?" Malfoy sneered as they disembarked. "Because I heard your little dog got killed!"
Harry had promised himself not to let Malfoy get under his skin, but the verbal assault was so sudden, so cruel, he reacted without a thought. Quidditch-honed reflexes spun him around in a blur, and pain lanced up his arm as his knuckles impacted on Malfoy's jaw with a sickening crack. Harry had always been rather small for his age, but the punch still carried enough force to knock the Slytherin on his back. Malfoy's head rebounded from the impact on the stone floor.
Griphook bent down to study the unmoving Malfoy. "Hm. He's out cold," he gloated. "Nice job."
"Thanks," Harry said and pulled out a handkerchief to tie around his split and bleeding knuckles. "But I guess I've put you into trouble now, haven't I?"
Griphook grinned up at him. "Not at all, young sir. This particular costumer was silly enough to stand up in a moving cart, with the unfortunate consequence that he collided rather violently with a stalactite."
Mr Weasley was still waiting patiently for him in the main hall. "Ready to go?" he asked, but then frowned as he saw the handkerchief Harry had wrapped around his hand. "What happened to you?"
"I ran into Malfoy junior," Harry said and shrugged. "He mentioned Sirius and I, well-"
"Let me see that. You can't just walk around punching people, you know," Mr Weasley scolded half-heartedly as he removed the handkerchief and began studying Harry's knuckles.
"No?" Harry looked up at Mr Weasley with the most innocent expression he could muster. "I seem to remember you and Malfoy senior meeting in Flourish & Blotts-"
"That's enough, thank you," Mr Weasley interrupted, but he did so with a grin.
"You got into a fight?" I wasn't the first time Harry wondered how Mrs Weasley managed to look so intimidating. One moment she was sitting by the table along with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, in the next she was standing with her firsts on hips and looking frighteningly much like a dragon with a toothache.
"Blimey, mate!" Ron exclaimed and slapped Harry's back. "Good job!"
"Absolutely not!" Mrs Weasley said. "How can you say such a thing-!"
"Molly, please," Mr Weasley said, who now looked like he regretted telling her about it. "Sit down, you're making a scene."
Mrs Weasley looked around at all the heads turned in their direction and sat down quickly. "What were you thinking, Harry? A public fight-!"
"It was no fight," Harry said defensively, and shied away from Mrs Weasley's and Hermione's disapproving stares. Ginny contented herself to rolling her eyes. "I mean, he never punched me back-"
"That's not the point-" Mrs Weasley suddenly interrupted herself, looking at something behind Harry.
"Excuse me. May I talk to you one moment, Harry?" came a familiar female voice.
Harry turned in his chair to find Cho Chang standing behind him with a nervous expression on her face. She looked nearly exactly as he remembered her; the same shiny black hair and the same dark eyes. Although she seemed to have grown a lot during the summer, Harry was still half a head taller than her.
"Sure," Harry said and got up. "At least she isn't crying this time."
They walked over to a table in the corner of the dining room and sat down. Cho didn't meet his eyes, which Harry could understand. He felt rather awkward himself. "Well... I- I'm waiting for Michael," she stuttered. "We were supposed to meet here."
Harry nodded and frowned. Had she dragged him here just to tell him that she was going out with someone else? He already knew that, thank you very much!
Cho seemed to pull herself together. "Listen, if you decide to continue with the DA, we'll be seeing a lot to each other. So... I was hoping we could burry the hatchet, so to speak. You know, become friends?" she finished hopefully.
A feeling of immense relief flooded through Harry. Ever since he had received her letter he had dreaded meeting her and Michael Corner if he chose to continue the DA, and now the problem solved itself.
"That's a deal," Harry grinned and held out a hand. She took it. "I'm sorry about last year, Cho-"
Cho waved the apology away. "It's okay. Sometimes things just doesn't work out-"
"What's going on here?" someone asked in a stone-hard voice. Harry turned to find Cho's current boyfriend, Michael Corner, standing there with firsts on hips and glaring daggers on Harry.
"Oh, great," Harry thought. "Jealous boyfriend. Hurray."
"Harry and I was just talking about the DA," Cho said annoyed. "Besides he was just about to leave. Right, Harry?"
"Right," Harry said and got up. "Bye, Cho."
Neville and Luna had arrived while Harry was talking with Cho, and Neville was busy showing Ron his new wand as Harry sat down beside them. "Eleven inches, made of oak with a unicorn tail hair in the core. Ollivander said it's excellent for charm work- oh, hi Harry."
"Hi, Neville," Harry said. "Your grandmother didn't give you too hard a time after you broke your previous wand, did she?"
"No, she barely mentioned it," Neville said proudly. "Once she got over the shock, she began ranting about how I've proven myself to be a true Longbottom and that she'd never doubt me again."
"Good for you," Harry said, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Mrs Weasley, Hermione and Ginny all wore that completely innocent expression that made Harry sure they had stopped talking about him about half a second before he sat down. "Have I mentioned the Perspicus Jinx that Tonks taught me?" Harry asked lightly. "It turns the clothes of the victim transparent. If any of you continue to discuss my private life I might be inclined to use it." Their blushing told him everything he wanted to know.
"We weren't discussing your private life," Hermione said. "We were just wondering what's going on between you and Cho."
"Well, for your information there's nothing beyond friendship," Harry said with a note of finality in his voice.
"Oh? That boy over there doesn't seem to think so," Mrs Weasley said with a crocked brow. Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Cho and Michael in a heated discussion. He didn't need Legimency in order to guess who the subject of their conversation was.
"Yeah, well, I guess he's the jealous type," Harry said.
"That he is," Ginny said firmly, who had been dating Michael briefly. "And a sore loser I might add."
Mrs Weasley eyed her daughter strangely. "You know, Ginny, perhaps you and I need to have a little chat soon... about boys and stuff."
The absolutely horrified expression on Ginny's face was enough to make the entire table erupt into laughter.
But the day wasn't quite over yet, as Harry thought when he went to bed that night. For some reason he kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. After a couple hours he got up to get something to drink. The snores coming from the other bed announced that Ron was sound asleep, so Harry exited the room as silently as possible.
He had just closed the door softly behind him when he heard the front door opening and a voice that whispered: "Get in, quickly."
His curiosity perked, Harry peeked carefully over the banister. Tonks and Hestia Jones, who had been part of the 'advance guard' last year, were motioning for someone to come in. The man who entered was huge. Draped in a cloak, with a hood that hid his face, he towered head and shoulders over the two women. Although his robes hid every feature, Harry got the distinct impression that he could easily punch a hole in the wall. The huge man was shortly followed by a second man, this one dressed in black robes and with a Death Eater-mask that covered his face.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. A Death Eater? Here? That was impossible! His panic-stricken brain shouted for him to wake Ron and the others; they had to get out and warn Dumbledore. But then a tiny and oddly calm voice in his head told him that it actually was impossible. Dumbledore was the Secret-Keeper for Grimauld Place, which meant the Death Eater had to be-
Harry breathed out in relief as the Death Eater removed his mask, revealing the face of Severus Snape and confirming Harry's suspicion. He had long since deduced that Snape acted as a spy for the order.
"Alright, get him into the kitchen," Snape said curtly. "I'll go and inform Dumbledore the operation was successful."
"Not needed, Severus. I'm already here." Harry hadn't heard the kitchen doors opening, and now Dumbledore strode into the hall. The old wizard was fully dressed and had obviously been expecting them. He stopped in front of the huge man and looked smiling up into the hooded face. "No need to hide yourself anymore, Phelan Ravensdale. You are among friends, now."
The man who had to be Ravensdale seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, but then pulled his hood back. For a moment Harry thought he was still in bed and that all this was just a dream, either that or he was seeing things. For there was no mistaking the man for being anything else; the pointed ears, the muzzle, the dark fur that covered his face... he was a werewolf.
Harry had learned about werewolves in his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. They were creatures of rage and violence, to be feared almost as much as Dementors. Any unarmed human approaching a werewolf would be lucky just to be torn apart. The unlucky ones would get bitten and turned into the very same creature they feared. And this werewolf was just standing there, making no threatening gestures whatsoever.
"If you'd come with me?" Dumbledore said. "I've arranged a safe location for you to stay. I think you'll like it."
The werewolf nodded and followed Dumbledore across the hall. Just as they entered the kitchen, the creature cast a nearly casual glance up at Harry. It would have been casual if he hadn't looked Harry directly in the eyes and barred his fangs in something that was unmistakably a grin.
Author's notes: Keep in mind that the werewolves in my fanfic (and, I hope, in JK Rowling's books) are nothing at all like in the movie version of the Prisoner of Azkaban. I mean, the damn thing looked like it had Anorexia! So please, when you read the word 'werewolf' don't think they look like that.
adam: Psst! Are you out there? I sent you a mail about that beta reader thing, but didn't receive a reply. Since I'm trying not let more than a week pass between each chapter I just went ahead and posted it, but I'm still interested in getting a beta reader.
auditoriumnazi: Tonks isn't on good terms with Snape at all. 'Sevvie' is just a nickname she uses behind his back, kind of like 'Snivellus' but not that cruel.