Thanks to Moon Fairy2 and V-Gin. Your encouragement is all I need to keep this baby going. That and, of course, I just can't resist the lure of good old angsty slash. Oh, and I'm not above receiving bribes either, so bribe away! ^_^
Additional disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of the Sipstrassi stones mentioned here. Those belong to one of the finest heroic fantasy writers that walk this planet, David Gemmell.
*
Harry groaned as he received his timetable at breakfast the next morning. Double Potions, Transfiguration, Remedial Potions, Charms and, at the end of a crowded day, the blessed relief of a Study Period. Students were meant to use those periods for doing research in the library, but, especially in the Sixth Year, they mostly used it for relaxing in the common room, and Harry could see why. Three hours of Snape on a Monday morning? What on Earth could he have done to deserve that?
Having not quite achieved the mark he'd needed for Potions in his OWL, Snape had only agreed to take Harry in his NEWT class if Harry agreed to extra lessons twice a week to bring his potion-making up to scratch. Normally Harry would have refused, but ever since the events at the Department of Mysteries his desire to become an Auror burned stronger than ever.
And he had that meeting with Dumbledore at lunchtime. Harry seriously doubted that he would get five minutes to himself before that last lesson.
"What have you got, mate?" asked Ron, peering down at Harry's timetable, and grimacing. "You must have really upset someone."
"Don't I know it," mumbled Harry. Ron hadn't achieved the marks required to take the same subjects as Harry so he had turned his attentions on Care of Magical Creatures, reasoning that if nothing else presented itself he could always go and help Charlie with the dragons. Although they still had Defence Against The Dark Arts, Charms and Transfiguration together, Harry fervently wished that either Ron or Hermione were taking Potions with him.
Harry finished his breakfast, wished his friends goodbye, and made his way down into the dungeons. Dean Thomas joined him and they stood with their backs to the wall while they waited for the others to arrive. Harry caught sight of Malfoy at the other end of the corridor and forced himself to look down at the flagstones, an unpleasant feeling squirming in his stomach. The door opened and he quickly moved into the room, taking a seat in the corner and forcing himself to concentrate on Snape at the front of the classroom.
"Good morning, and welcome to the start of the most important phase of your education," began Snape in his customary silky whisper. "The skills you will learn in these next two years will be instrumental in whichever careers you choose after Hogwarts. Most of you have received quite excellent marks in your OWL examinations, and I commend you for it. A few however," Snape's eyes met Harry's, a sniggering rose from the Slytherins, and Harry found himself gritting his teeth, "are here on my sufferance. I will warn you now that if you do not perform up to my standards, I shall remove you from my class. Today we will be making an Invisibility Draught. The instructions, as usual, are on the board. You have ninety minutes. Start!"
Harry read each line of instructions carefully, determined to do well in Snape's class. If he performed well, he reasoned, then he would be able to drop the extra lessons. After some work, he glanced down at his potion. It was the right consistently, but the colour – which should have been a shimmering silver – was more a dull, slate grey. He tensed as Snape passed by and closed his ears to the professor's withering comments, carefully adding a pinch of powdered unicorn horn. The mixture began bubbling ominously, and Harry, peering through the smoke at the instructions, cursed; he had forgotten to take the potion off the fire first. He quickly removed the cauldron, wishing he had Hermione to help him, and added a tiny speck of moonstone. The potion began to settle and Harry relaxed – quite the wrong move, as the potion suddenly burst out of the cauldron, splashing him and a couple of Slytherins.
"Dear me, Potter, it seems as though I was mistaken in thinking you would prove to be adequate in my classes. No matter, we shall have plenty of opportunity to rectify your abysmal skills this coming year. All who have been splashed, please come to the front for the antidote."
Harry moved to the front of the class, slightly disconcerted by the fact that his body where the potion had splashed him seemed to be flickering in and out of focus. He glared at Snape's malicious sneer as he received his antidote. And to go through all this again in just a couple of hours? Harry couldn't wait for the day to end.
Professor McGonagall also started the lesson with the standard lecture on how important the next two years would be on their careers, before going on to explain about Sipstrassi, small golden stones with a certain amount of magic contained in them that could be used to Transfigure anything, and also aided rejuvenation of ruined tissue. They were remnants of an age before the Founders of Hogwarts, before even the great Merlin, when the sorcerer-king Pendarric had ruled. Very few of these stones were left, and while in their pure form they were able to be used for healing and other good works, they also had their dark side. McGonagall then produced a very small stone, that appeared to be black with small veins of gold, and Transfigured her desk into a bunch of flowers and back. Harry thought that the black in the stone seemed to swell after the spell.
They spent the remainder of the lesson taking notes on the Sipstrassi and their dark counterparts, the Bloodstones. At the end of the lesson Harry crammed his things into his school bag, promised Ron that he would see him soon at lunch and, ignoring the growls of hunger coming from his stomach, made his way to Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore was waiting for him at the stone gargoyle entrance. He flashed Harry a warm smile, and sighed.
"Thank you for coming, Harry. I have something important to discuss with you and it will not be easy." Dumbledore led the way into his office and Harry followed silently, a knot of apprehension forming in his stomach after hearing those words. Dumbledore sat down behind his desk and surveyed Harry above steepled fingers.
"Please sit down." Harry did so, trying his best not to ignore the squirming feeling in his stomach. Dumbledore was giving him such a piercing gaze, it was difficult not to feel as though there was something wrong.
"I know you have had a difficult summer after what happened last year, and it is partly about that that I wanted to talk about. I know this will come as a bit of a shock, and believe me I wish you didn't have to hear this."
"Is it about Sirius?" demanded Harry. The knot in his stomach seemed to tighten and he felt as though he could hardly breathe.
"Stay calm, Harry. I will explain as best I can." Dumbledore continued to stare at Harry over the tops of his fingers, and sighed heavily.
"Some interesting information has recently come to light with regards to the veil in the Department of Mysteries. We have long known that it is a portal to the Spirit World; however, it transpires that the veil has another, more sinister secret. It's function is to separate the soul from the body, leaving the soul to wander the Netherworld. However, sometimes the process can be . . . tampered with. It is not merely a gateway into the Spirit World but a gateway into a host of other worlds."
"But what's that got to do with Sirius?" demanded Harry impatiently. Dumbledore's old, sad eyes met Harry's bright, determined ones, and Harry was once again struck by how old and tired Dumbledore looked. When he next spoke, the old man's voice was tinged with sorrow.
"Sirius Black is not dead."