Chapter 18
Sirius' Choice
They were sitting in the library when Malfoy approached them. Ron glared at him, while Hermione ignored him and continued reading. "Is there something you want, Malfoy?" Ron sneered.
"Not with the likes of you, Weasel."
"If you have something you want to say, Draco, get it over with and quit the dramatics," Ginny said, not looking up from her book either. She didn't have any O.W.L.s to study for, so her book was not a text book, but that didn't make it any less interesting.
"I don't appreciate your mouth, Rose."
"I never asked if you did," she answered with a grin.
He turned away from her to face Harry. "Well, Harry Potter, we have quite a trial coming up in class. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared."
"What do you care, Malfoy?" Ron snapped.
"Don't speak of what you don't know, Weasel. This affects both our Advanced Curses grades. I want to make sure he's ready to be a worthy partner."
"I thought that it was canceled," Harry said, his eyes telling Malfoy he'd understood what he was talking about.
"Canceled?" Malfoy asked, looking genuinely surprised. After a moment his eyes narrowed. "Not to my knowledge, Harry Potter. And believe me, If it had been, I would know."
He turned and walked away. Harry felt suddenly sick, and excused himself.
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Harry walked into Professor Cameron's office quietly. Luckily Remus was already there, which let him breathe easier. He didn't like being in here alone with Cameron. Usually she wasn't around when Harry was supposed to have his class with Remus, and that suited him just fine.
"Good afternoon Harry. Are you ready for class?"
Harry shut the door. "Don't you think it's weird we haven't heard from Sirius again yet?"
Remus blinked. "Obviously not. No, I don't, why do you ask?"
"It's been a week and a half. He'd have done something by now. Something should have happened. He should have wrote us."
Remus sat down and instructed for Harry to do the same. "He's about to make a move that will affect the rest of his life, Harry. He can't afford to mess this up. He's probably taking his time. He and Heather are going to work out every possible plan they can, and attempt to capture Wormtail."
Harry stomach knotted. He couldn't explain to Remus the real reason he was worried. Tomorrow was the first day of Easter break. Sirius knew that Wormtail was planning to attack the school at some point during Easter break. So he would never have waited until Easter to capture him. He would have gotten to Wormtail before then so there was no chance the school would be attacked. According to Malfoy, that attack was still following schedule.
"I just, I have a really bad feeling, Remus. Something is really wrong."
Remus leaned forward and gave Harry a hug. "It'll all be fine Harry. You'll see."
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Harry left Remus' office just as worried as he'd entered it. Instead of turning left toward the Gryffindor tower, he turned right. He intended just to wonder in hopes to cool his heated nerves.
When he heard Samantha's voice around the corner he cringed and nearly turned on heel in hopes to avoid her. But when Malfoy's voice answered her he quickened his steps, turning the corner at nearly a run.
Malfoy was walking and Samantha was right beside him, following without watching where they were going. She staring up at Malfoy and talking. As a result, when Malfoy spotted Harry and stopped, she was confused until she followed Malfoy's gaze to see what he was looking at.
"Good evening, Potter," Malfoy said as he and Harry kept eye contact.
Samantha was torn for a moment, glancing between the two of them. After a moment she made her decision and grabbed onto Draco's arm. "What do you want?" she asked Harry, attempting to sound condescending but failing.
The question shifted Harry's attention to her, and the fact that she was touching him made Malfoy glare at her.
"Malfoy and I need to work on our Advanced Curses project. If you don't mind, Sam?"
Her eyes widened and she blinked, looking up at Malfoy as if to see if this was true. But the blonde wouldn't look at her, he was focusing again on Harry. Slowly, she let go of his arm and removed herself. "I guess I'll see you later, Draco, good luck." She walked away slowly, passing Harry without looking up at him.
Harry turned to make sure she was leaving, while Malfoy walked up to stand next to him.
"I suppose I owe you for that one, Potter," he drawled.
"She's has to have some redeeming qualities. She's a Gryffindor."
Malfoy snorted, and Harry turned to face him. "So was Pettigrew. And it's probably that same delusion that got him to where he is today."
Harry wanted to retort, but then realized that Malfoy was right, and changed his reply. "She is a pureblood, you know," Harry said, half feeling that the two might deserve each other.
Malfoy smirked at him. "There's but one female pureblood in that house that I'd be willing to fuck, Potter, as soon as I manage to convince her you aren't worthy of her time."
Hearing Ginny talked about that way made Harry's blood boil, but he suppressed the desire to lash out. Malfoy and Ginny were friends, he remind himself, if it was in a rather unorthodox way. Despite his words the slime ball respected her a lot more then that. He was only saying it in attempt to anger him. "I needed to ask you if what you said in the library today was true."
Malfoy's smirk dropped and he became serious. "Of course it is, Potter, what's this bullshit about it being canceled?"
"Have you heard anything else?" Harry asked urgently. "Anything about somebody trying to stop it?"
Alarmed by Harry's desperation, Draco took a step back. "No, Potter, nothing like that," he answered, almost gently.
"Do you know where he is?"
"No," Draco lied easily.
Harry's arms fell to his sides and he felt sick. He stared at Malfoy for a moment. There was nothing he could do. "Thanks," he managed to say, before turning and walking away.
Draco watched him leave with curiosity. Something was seriously wrong if Potter wanted to know where Wormtail was located in order to go after him himself. Potter tended to be self sacrificing, but only when it involved somebody he loved. Something must have changed, which meant this wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped.
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Even though very few students actually went home over Easter, the school still got quieter. It was assumed that if you stayed you stayed to study, and if you didn't well then you better keep quiet anyway because several very stressed students were looking for a vent for their frustration.
Three days into break Harry was still attempting to study potions. It was easily his worst class. But he couldn't keep his mind on the book. Something was very wrong. He knew it, and slowly even Ginny was beginning to admit it. Ron and Hermione had agreed with him a while ago.
He could send Sirius a letter, but somehow he doubted that would help. It might even make it worse. So he was in a state of not knowing, his mind coming up with a dozen worst case scenarios.
Ginny walked over and sat on the desk, practically on top of Harry's book. "You're not actually getting any work done, so it won't hurt to take a break for dinner. Hermione and Ron are coming, and finally Fred and George are going to eat too."
Fred and George both had N.E.W.T.s coming up, and were panicking at the last minute. Katie and Alicia were not happy with their boyfriends ignoring them, but figured they could let it slide just this once.
Harry sighed. Ginny was right. He leaned forward and laid his head beside her leg. "I'm making myself sick with nerves, Rose,"
Ginny knew that he wasn't talking about his O.W.L.s. "I don't know what to tell you, Harry," she said, running a hand through his hair. "Just take it one day at a time. Right now, let's just go to dinner, okay?"
He sighed, then said reluctantly, "I'll be there in a minute."
Satisfied, she jumped down off of the desk he was working at.
"She'ss jusst ass worried ass you are, you know."
"I know," he answered, sitting up and closing his book. "She's acting strong for me, like she always does."
"One of thesse dayss, Harry, she'ss going to overwhelm hersself attempting to ssave you all the time."
"Between you and me, Sal, I think we'll keep her from doing that. Are you coming to dinner?"
"That'ss alright. I'm going to go try to find my own."
"Good luck," he said, as she slithered away from him.
Harry caught up to his friends at the portrait hole, and followed them down to dinner. He noticed that Ron's walk seemed to be more of a drag, and Hermione's eyes had dark circles. He couldn't imagine how they felt right now. They had all the same worries as he did, plus all of their O.W.L.s.
As they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Harry fought the feeling that itched between his shoulder blades. He knew what that feeling meant. It meant something was wrong. But he already knew something was wrong.
Their mood wasn't shared by the school. After long hours of quite study, the Great Hall was a chance to break free of that repression. Chatter and laughter surrounded them. Harry first sought out Remus at the staff table, in his usual seat beside Cameron. As soon as their eyes met Remus shook his head and gave Harry a smile. Remus still wasn't worried. That alone made Harry's stomach turn with guilt. He struggled daily with himself, wondering if he should tell Remus the truth. But there would be nothing Remus could do either, so there was no point making him feel the same dread that Harry already did.
They sat down beside George and Fred, who were too tired to join much of the ruckus, making them good company for the somber group. Ron had even brought his work with him, and was bent over his Transfiguration book instead of eating.
"You know Harry," Ginny said about halfway through the meal. "After Easter break you and I are having a baby." It was another attempt at a conversation starter, most of which fell flat and died.
He stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend what she'd just said, before he realized what she was talking about. "Oh, the parenting final. I forgot about it." He looked at her, but was unable to think that far ahead. After Easter seemed an eternity away.
There was a large bang on the door, like somebody dropped a ham onto a hollow box, the sound of flesh on wood. The sound wasn't loud enough to penetrate the entire Hall, but being closest to the door this year, the Gryffindor table heard it easily. They turned to look at it in time to see it fly open as a result of the bang.
Through the opening stumbled a dog, slumping against the other door as the one he'd pushed open closed beside him.
Harry swore violently as he practically jumped out of his seat. "Hide him," he said, as Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and even Fred and George followed. The twins had never met Sirius before but after last year the entire Weasley family had learned who and what he was, and they were able to figure it out fast enough.
Harry fell to his knees beside his godfather, muttering a cloaking spell as fast as he could get the words out, which would at least hide Sirius even if it would raise questions later. A part of him noticed that Malfoy had managed to include himself in their group and stay inside of the gray fog that hid them from the rest of the school, but nobody else could see them.
"Sirius," he whispered, hoping but not daring to believe that the liquid matting his godfather's fur was not blood. "You can change back, it's safe."
Sirius didn't waste any time. A heartbeat later he was human again, laying on his left side on the floor. His right side had a particularly large gash in it. Harry swore again. "Fred, go get Madam Pomfrey, George, I need Remus. Hurry."
"Harry," Sirius said, looking up at the sound of his godson. The twins had run outside of the spell and were therefore no longer visible to Harry.
"It's alright Sirius, you're going to be fine."
"Harry, he's got Heather. Harry," he cut himself off with a groan and clutched his side. "Harry, he's coming. He's right behind me. He has Heather, Harry. Peter has Heather."
Harry stared at Sirius, his mind trying to figure out how to handle what he'd just heard. Sirius was trying to sit up and Harry moved to help him.
"Harry," Ginny said urgently.
"What?" he asked sharply, looking up at her.
"It's too quiet," she answered hardly above a whisper. "Something's wrong out there."
"He's here," Draco answered.
Harry's heart beat in his throat. "Petal," he said, "you have to hide. He's after you."
Draco stepped in between Ginny and Harry, blocking her from his view. "I'll take care of her. You worry about him. Drop the damn spell."
Harry nodded and dropped the spell, and felt like he'd stepped into a nightmare.
Despite only seeing the man for a total of two days in his lifetime, Peter's face was engraved into his memory like a bad song. Instinctively, Harry moved in between Peter and Sirius, who was still on the floor. Malfoy, Hermione, and Ron were moving away, Ginny hidden behind them.
In the several second lull that their sudden appearance had caused, Harry noticed several key factors. Heather, very much alive and kicking, was held by Peter in some type of magical binding. A cloaked man stood behind Peter, his face hidden, but Harry knew the senior Malfoy right away. He also noticed the shield that was keeping the staff and rest of the school out, and he realized with a plummeting heart, Ginny and the others in.
Upon recognizing him, Peter's face split into a disgusting mockery of a smile. "Harry!" he practically squeaked. "Well that makes this easier!"
Harry saw the spell a heartbeat before it hit him. His attention focused on Peter, he'd ignored Malfoy for one moment too long. He tried to reflect it, but it was too late, and ducking would have caused it to hit Sirius.
He blinked as no pain followed. For a moment there was nothing. Then all at once, he felt his power start to slip away, like a piece of rope starting to unravel, leaving you holding onto only a string that would break at the slightest pull. He fell to his knees, attempting to stop the seepage but unable too.
After another moment, the change was so drastic that it began to hurt. Like somebody was sucking out his insides. He started to scream, and felt a pair of hands drag him away from where he was protecting Sirius but couldn't fight them.
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Harry's scream drove away the darkness that was attempting to take over Sirius's sight and mind. He scrambled to his feet, trying to get his eyes to focus. Harry was being dropped on the floor near the left of the shield that now surrounded them. Heather had been left on the right side, still bound and still struggling.
"Padfoot, finally caught you. There's no way out of this shield. You're not getting anywhere this time."
Peter's voice caused Sirius' blood to boil. The man who was working with him came to stand behind the rat again. "You're weak, Sirius. On one side, James' son, suffering from a Drainer. A few moments more and he'll never use his magic again. On the other Heather, your little lover. Which one will you go to?"
Sirius glared. "That's a stupid question, Wormtail, and if you knew me at all you'd already know the answer to it." Trying not to stumble too much, he ran toward Harry, pulling out his wand on the way. Sending Lily a prayer of thanks for teaching him the counter curse, he shouted the words as he ducked, sensing rather than seeing the curse come at him from the wand of the cloaked stranger. That was all he knew though, as the world went black and he fell on top of Harry's now shaking body.
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"Stop!" Ginny screamed, darting out from behind the protection that Ron and Hermione were giving her. "I'm the one you want, right?"
Peter turned to look at her with a grin that was less than sane. She tried not to look into his eyes too long. Their black and shifty quality were counteracting the courage she'd managed to work up.
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Draco followed the edge of the shield. It was a dusty yellow in color, which meant it wasn't that neat of one. It would have been clear otherwise. This was a variation of the one they'd all had to perform on that first day of dueling class last year. There was probably a hundred weaknesses in it. Which had to be what the staff was desperately attempting to find.
When he walked past where Harry and Sirius lay, his father turned to look at him. Peter's attention was focused wholly on Rose, and would remain that way. "What are you doing here?" he asked, knowing that this shield kept sound in, which made his job just a little bit easier.
"He couldn't handle a hostage on his own, let alone two like he had originally. Plans changed. I should be asking the same of you."
Draco shrugged. "I was caught in Potter's little dust cloud. Now I'm just protecting my interests."
Though he couldn't see his father's face, he could imagine his eyes narrowing. "I thought I taught you not to have any interests that you'd need to protect."
Draco smirked. "You might have, but what are you going to do, beat me here in front of all these people?"
"You'll pay for it when you get home, Draco," he warned.
Draco nodded with a smirk. "Perhaps. But only because one of my interests is making sure you get there." The shield was beginning to shrink.
"What are you up to, Draco?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Draco saw Hermione and Ron charge from opposite sides and grinned. "I'm disappointed father. One of my first lessons was that distraction is the most effective way of disabling your enemy."
Malfoy stared for a moment, before what Draco was saying sunk in and he whipped around to face Wormtail, but the man was already down. Hermione was holding her wand above him while Ron continued to hit him with the book he'd used to knock him over the head in the first place.
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Hermione made no attempt to stop Ron, who was swearing and going on about sleeping in his room and getting fed all the time but never doing anything. Ginny raced over to Heather, magically breaking the spells that bound her at the same time that the shield broke.
"About time," Hermione muttered, as Ron moved on to kicking Wormtail in the side, still swearing.
"Rose!" came a shout from Draco, and everybody turned to see him dart over to her.
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Ginny turned when Draco shouted. He ran toward her and she took a step away from Heather, not wanting them to collide. He didn't stop when he reached her but rather grabbed her against him. She didn't even realize what he was doing before he was kissing her, deeply. Her eyes were wide in shock and that was all that allowed her to see a cloaked figure slip out the door of the Great Hall.
He was creating a distraction, at her expense, she realized. So his father could escape, like she'd promised. Everybody was watching them, just as shocked as she was. She allowed it to continue a breath longer, long enough she estimated for Malfoy to reach the entrance doors, before pushing him away from her.
He looked down and grinned. She frowned at him. "Who's side are you on, Draco?"
"Mine," he answered. "I suppose you and Potter are official now, despite your brother's denial?" She nodded. "Then I guess it's a good thing he was unconscious for that."
Ginny sighed. She'd never understand Draco. "Sorry in advance," she said, before slapping him across the cheek. "But you asked for it."
His left hand came up to nurse his red cheek, but his eyes were still laughing at her and he was still smirking. "Your little friend Samantha will be thrilled."
Ginny threw her hands up in the air. "Draco, we've got more important things to do right now!"
Madam Pomfrey was dragged into the room at that moment by Fred, who stopped short at the sight of his younger brother being restrained from beating a man by Professor McGonagall. Pomfrey was not deterred, however, but rather made a beeline for Harry, whom she assumed would be where the problem was.
Remus had beat her there, and had separated Sirius from Harry. Heather and Ginny joined them, Heather waiting just long enough to make sure that Dumbledore had taken charge of Peter and relieved Hermione.
"Harry was hit with a Drainer, but the counter curse has already been performed. But Sirius is bleeding. I'm not sure if he was hit with anything or not."
"No I wasn't," Sirius grunted, his eyes clenching in pain. "Managed to duck it. That's counting on the fact that you can keep everybody in this room from killing me before she heals me."
"Heal you, Black?" Pomfrey asked. "I spent my first four years at this school healing you. What makes you think I'd stop now just because of some silly price on your head?"
Sirius chuckled weakly. "Is Harry okay?" he asked, pulling up his shirt so the wound was visible.
"He'll be fine," Pomfrey answered. "Nothing to be done for him until he wakes up. He'll be ravenous of course, but it won't be for another hour at least. Aren't you out to see the boy dead anyway?" she asked lightly, while instructing Remus to turn him onto the side that wasn't sliced.
"Never," Sirius answered vehemently.
"Then maybe you can convince him to give up that bloody Quidditch game."
Sirius grinned through the pain, and blinked his eyes open. "Heather?"
"I'm right here," she answered, kneeling down beside Remus so she was in Sirius' range of view.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she answered, reaching out to stroke Sirius' cheek.
"What happened?"
"After you went down, Ginny set herself up as bait. She kept Peter's attention on her while, what was his name, Malfoy it was, distracted whoever was working for him. Ron and Hermione came up from either side behind him. Hermione hit him with a spell that kept him from transforming, and Ron hit him with a text book in the back of the head."
Sirius laughed out loud, only stopping when Ron and Hermione walked over. He grinned up at them. "Nice team you two make."
Hermione grinned back while Ron colored. "Why isn't anybody helping Harry? He's not?" Ron let the question fade, not wanting to really ask it, and not really believing it was possible.
"Oh, heavens no, he's not dead, child, he's sleeping," Madam Pomfrey answered. "There, Black, good as new, though that quality remains questionable."
Sirius sat up slowly, testing the freshly healed flesh. "He caught me with a piece of glass. I expected magical attacks. I forgot the rat didn't have wand anymore."
Madam Pomfrey was conjuring a stretcher. "I'll be taking Potter to the hospital wing. Because it's just not the same there without him."
Sirius chuckled again as Remus helped him to stand. The moment he was vertical and stable, Ginny flew at him and grabbed him in a hug. Sirius was surprised at first, unsure what to do, then slowly wrapped his arms around her to hug her back.
She looked up at him. "That was from Harry. He damn near killed himself worrying about you. And this is from me, for damn near killing yourself worrying about him." Standing up on her very tiptoes, she kissed Sirius cheek, before running after Madam Pomfrey and Harry. Ron and Hermione followed her.
"He'll never forgive you, you know," Remus said lightly. "As soon as he finds out you chose him over Heather." They were slowly making their way over to where Dumbledore and McGonagall were binding Wormtail. But Remus and Heather had to work together to keep Sirius upright.
"Yeah, well, she would have never forgiven me if I had picked her over him. But I don't have to sleep with him like I do her." Remus laughed at him when Heather glared, and tightened his hold on Sirius' shoulders long enough to give him a one armed hug.
They'd managed to reach the rest of the staff, who were making a protective circle around the prisoner. They parted to allow them through. Once standing still, Sirius was able to lean just on Remus and Heather went back the way they came. She had no desire to see Peter, and didn't trust herself to be around him for too long.
"Well, Sirius, it is certainly a surprise, if not a pleasant one."
Sirius grinned at Dumbledore. "What, not happy to see me?"
"You, I am very happy to see. The legal mess this is going to make, right before testing, I am not looking forward to."
Sirius' face fell. "There's no way they can make me go back, is there Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I wouldn't worry about it. To be on the safe side, we'll be taking Mr. Pettigrew to the Ministry and leaving you here. I believe you have a godson who would appreciate your presence when he wakes. And if you would seek out Mr. Longbottom? I believe Professor Sprout and he may be able to come up with something that will help Mr. Potter regain his energy in time for his approaching Quidditch season."
"Right," Sirius said, turning back around. "And after that I'll run a marathon." Professor Sprout walked over to join them. They followed Heather out to where she stood, away from the staff, facing an entire Hall of students.
"Well, this doesn't look good," Remus remarked.
"That's Sirius Black!" a student shouted. The lack of gasps showed that almost everybody had already picked up on that fact.
"Little slow on the uptake, that one," Sirius muttered, before Heather shushed him. A few students that were either very brave or had heard the story that Sirius Black would come get them if they didn't go to bed one too many times had raised their wands at them.
"Put those down, seriously kids, do you think Remus and I would just hang around with somebody who was of any threat to you?"
Everybody from second year up recognized Heather, and the few with raised wands lowered them slowly.
"Alright, I know that everybody in this school has a habit of never telling you poor kids anything, and just letting you find it all out for yourselves. Well, I'm going to tell you the whole story, so you don't get it pieces. Remus, you're going to take Sirius to the Hospital wing. Neville, come here please."
Slowly, but not nervously like she would have expected, Neville parted from the Gryffindor crowd and walked over to her. "Neville, Professor Sprout, Harry was hit with a Drainer. The only thing I can think of that might help him is a Starenergy plant. But even if you had the seeds, the new moon isn't for another," she glanced at Remus.
"Three weeks," he supplied.
"But Dumbledore seems to think you might be able to help him."
Neville looked thoughtful. "Professor, do you have any of the seeds?"
She nodded. "I do, but Neville, any amount of magical power will kill them instantly. You can't use your gift on them."
Neville's eyes lit up. "Professor, my gift doesn't use magic. And all they need help with is sprouting, right? Once they've sprouted they grow and flower within a few hours using their own energy as long as I stay in a dark room with it?"
"Go, away with both of you," Heather said, shooing them with her hands. "I haven't got the slightest clue what you're talking about but I'll figure it out later when I have time."
Without being asked, Neville moved over to help Sirius walk on the side Remus wasn't on, for which he received a grateful smile from a man an hour ago he thought was trying to kill his dorm mate. The four of them headed in the direction of the Great Hall doors.
Heather turned back to the rest of the student body. "Alright kids. I've missed you lot a whole bunch. Now, let's all crowd around so you can hear me, and sit down. This is going to take a while."
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On the way to the Hospital wing, just as it was occurring to Ginny that she should find Sally, the snake came out of nowhere.
"Rosse what'ss wrong with him!" she shouted, panic in her voice.
"He's fine," Ginny answered quickly, bending over to pick her up so she wouldn't have to keep up with them. "He's been hit with a Drainer, just like my mom was during the summer. He's just going to need a lot of sleep and a lot of food, and then he'll be alright."
"Ssomthing'ss wrong with hiss magic," Sally insisted. "Our bond, it'ss barely there. He wass pulling me, and then the pull faded. But it wassn't the ssame way it doess when he sstopss needing me. It wass like he couldn't pull anymore. Without hiss magic, we won't have a bond. Rosse, I'll die if that happenss."
Ginny hugged the snake against her. "I'm sure he knows that. He wouldn't allow you the privilege of being free of him. He's going to be fine. Is the bond getting weaker or stronger now?"
Sally was quiet for a moment. "It'ss very hard to tell. I know it'ss not getting weaker. But if it'ss getting sstronger, not quickly."
Ginny nodded. "It'll take a while for his magic to return. Probably the rest of the year and most of the summer."
Sally sighed. "Sso much for thiss being an eassy year."