Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters. This story was written for fun and I'm making no money off of it.
Author's Note: I'm reposting The Hogwarts Fugitive parts 1-3 under this new name. I disappeared from this site for two years, and didn't have the same e-mail, password, etc, to simply add my fourth part of the story. Enjoy!
The Hogwarts Fugitive, Part One
"Hedwig!" Harry Potter called into the Owlery, glancing around for his snowy white owl. He walked up and down, searching the rows of perches. A few of the resting owls glared at him with one eye, angry at their slumber being interrupted. After not seeing Hedwig, Harry headed out of the owlery and back down to the Gryffindor common room. He felt a sense of foreboding. She had been gone so long, delivering a message to Sirius Black who was staying at Remus Lupin's house. She ought to have been back a week ago. Harry knew that the two men were probably just busy, but he needed and wanted an update on what was going on outside of Hogwarts.
The wizarding world was in a frightful state. Lord Voldemort had recently regained his form and had banded together his followers, the Death Eaters. Soon he would most likely try to free Azkaban prisoners and get the dementors on his side. Throughout the summer things had begun to tense up with Voldemort's old followers (the ones who hadn't been imprisoned) disappearing. Now everyone was becoming panicked with the fear that Voldemort would try to gain power once again, as he had tried to do so many years before.
After what happened following the third task of the Tri-wizard Tournament, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, sacked Albus Dumbledore and took over the headmaster position at Hogwarts himself. Fudge said that he did it out of concern for the students, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione secretly thought he became headmaster so that he himself would be in less danger from Voldemort and wouldn't have to deal with the wizard community. No one seemed to know where Dumbledore was at present.
Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room and was greeted immediately by Ron and Hermione, eager for information.
"Any news?"
"Nope." Harry shook his head. "This waiting is crazy! Hedwig should've been back long ago."
Just then, the door to the common room opened with a bang. Argus Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, strode in with gleaming eyes and a wide smirk.
"Potter, you're needed in the headmaster's office," he said, making a gesture toward the door.
Harry looked uncertainly at his friends. "What's this about?" He asked, not moving.
"You'll find out," Filch replied, eyes narrowing. "Come along."
Harry walked out of the common room; very aware of the stares he was getting from his fellow Gryffindors. Filch closed the door and walked with Harry, whistling a little tune softly. Harry had never seen Filch so happy and knew that this was going to be bad, as Filch didn't like him one bit. He didn't dislike him nearly as much as Snape, but just the same Harry became worried.
"Here you are, Potter, headmaster's office." Filch whispered a word to the gargoyle that stood in front of Dumbledore's old office and the passage swung open. "Good luck," Filch told Harry sarcastically, giving him a shove inside and up the stairs.
Cornelius Fudge was holding a piece of paper in his hand and was pacing when Harry first came in. His face was contorted in fury as he turned around.
"What is the meaning of this? A student at Hogwarts! And you, of all people! I never would have believed...." Fudge bellowed.
"What, sir?" Harry asked nervously, fearing the answer.
Fudge thrust the parchment into Harry's hands. "Read."
Harry,
We're fine here. We've been traveling which is why I haven't answered sooner. We've been hearing a lot of news, all of it bad. It's hard to tell what is rumor and what is fact. Your news about Dumbledore being fired & whereabouts unknown worries me. Write and tell me what's been going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig this time, it might look suspicious, and she didn't seem too well when she arrived here. Look after yourself.
Snuffles
Harry dared to glance up at Fudge after he had silently read the letter. He appeared to be in danger of exploding; a large vein was bulging in his forehead.
"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Harry didn't have any idea how he would get out of this one. There was no way to defend himself. Anything he tried to say would only make Fudge angrier. He blurted out the first safe question that came to mind. "Is Hedwig here?"
Fudge let out a disbelieving chuckle. "You have been communicating with a murderer—this Snuffles is obviously Sirius Black—giving out information about Hogwarts, risking everyone's safety, and you want to know about your owl?" He shook his head. "Your owl is in your room now. She collapsed in the Owlery on the way in with this message. Filch found her, read the letter, and brought it to me, thank goodness. He will be getting a large increase in pay. You, on the other hand, will be expelled from Hogwarts as of tomorrow morning. I never want to see your face at this school or anywhere else again."
Harry's heart dropped into his stomach and he gazed at Fudge, mouth ajar, not sure he was comprehending this.
Fudge's face tightened as he continued, "Yes, Potter, expelled. You have committed a crime unworthy of any witch or wizard, one that I never would have expected from you especially. This event has made me change my mind about you completely. I thought you had a bright future. Instead, you now have no future, at least in the wizarding world. Give me your wand. What I'm about to do isn't pleasant but you have forced me to do it."
Harry knew that Fudge was going to break his precious wand in half. Luckily, he didn't have it with him. It would give him time to...."Sir," Harry said, thinking fast, "I don't have my wand right now. It's in my room."
"Go get it. I'll keep the door open. I'll give you five minutes to get back here, no more."
Harry walked out of there fast-paced then broke into a run in the hall. What did he care if he got in trouble with a teacher now? Expelled! Not him, Hogwarts had been the happiest place he'd known. It wasn't exactly happy now with Fudge here and Voldemort loose and with him now being expelled, but at least he had his friends and he could still study magic. What would he do now? Where could he go?
He hissed the password at the Fat Lady and rushed into the Gryffindor common room, finding Fred and George Weasley immediately.
"All right, Harry? You look sort of odd."
"No time to explain now. I need one of your fake wands, one that sort of looks like mine if you can find one. Also, it has to be able to break in half without turning into something odd right away."
"Did you get expelled, Harry?" Fred asked, color gone from his cheeks.
"Do you have a wand like that? I have to hurry!" Harry insisted, ignoring the question.
"C'mon, Fred, we'll find one!" The twins dashed to their room, skidding in the hall, Harry at their heels. Once inside, they turned a trunk over and searched through a large stack of colorful wands.
George grabbed one and tossed it to Harry. "That'll break! Just make sure that you keep the pieces or they're thrown away or he'll know it's a fake wand within three minutes. I can't believe you're expelled!"
Harry didn't reply and ran straight past Ron and Hermione back up to Fudge's office. He nearly collided with Snape around a corner but kept going. He heard Snape's yells and footsteps behind him but didn't care. He was running out of time.
Trying to regain control of himself, Harry darted up the spiral staircase into Fudge's office; heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap from his body.
"Well, at least you know enough to follow some rules, Harry," Fudge said grimly. "You know, while you were gone I realized that perhaps two years ago you helped Sirius Black escape from here. You and Miss Granger told that crackpot story about him being innocent. Maybe he's bewitched you to think that way; however, believe me, Mr. Potter, you would be in the wrong to think it. I'm going to arrange a questioning tomorrow morning before you take the train out of here and with the help of a truth potion, we'll find out where your Sirius Black is and put him straight back into Azkaban where the murderer belongs. What do you think of that?"
Harry wisely didn't respond, but his heart skipped a couple of beats at the thought of what could happen to Sirius if he was forced to tell where he was.
Fudge gave Harry a firm glare. "Give me your wand, Harry."
Harry tried to imagine this was his real wand so he would appear upset enough. "No, sir, please."
"Well, what's happening here?" An unforgettable voice asked from the open doorway. "Potter being punished?"
"Expelled, Severus," Fudge answered firmly. "He's been a spy for Sirius Black, telling him what's been going on at Hogwarts. They've been communicating back and forth for who knows how long. His owl was found with a letter from Black. Harry Potter is a traitor to us all and will be leaving tomorrow morning after an inquiry. Would you mind making a batch of Vertiserum for tomorrow?"
"Of course not," Snape said. He didn't have the look of happy revenge that Harry assumed he would. In fact, he gave Harry a look that was unreadable but not nasty. "May I see the letter?"
"Yes, we're almost done here, merely one more item of business. The wand, Potter."
Harry handed it over, trying to appear reluctant.
Fudge took the wand firmly, raised it over his right knee and snapped it in two with a loud crack. Harry winced at the sound and now knew how Hagrid must've felt when he had been expelled from Hogwarts and his real wand had been snapped.
Fudge handed them back to Harry. All his anger must have been taken out on the wand, for he now sounded drained and disappointed. "I don't have to give you these back, but I will," he stated. He gave the pieces to Harry, who put them into the robes of his pockets. "I also don't have to let you spend one last afternoon with your friends, but I will. At six o'clock tonight when everyone goes to dinner, you will go directly to the caretaker's office where you will be locked in until morning under his watch. Take your things with you, you won't have time tomorrow before the train comes." He paused and looked into Harry's eyes. "No one else will know of this until tomorrow morning. I am so disappointed in you, Harry. You had potential to be great. Stay out of trouble and stay away from Hogwarts. Don't even think another wizarding school will take you in, for they won't. Until tomorrow, Mr. Potter." He turned his back on Harry, signifying the end of the expulsion ceremony. Harry glanced once more at Snape, who was looking at him with that same unreadable expression. Leaving the office, Harry knew he had to get to Ron and Hermione before they went to Charms. They had to know and he needed to talk to them. He had to escape Hogwarts somehow that night before morning came and Harry would be forced to reveal Sirius's location.
He made it down to the Gryffindor common room again, only to find everyone gone. He was too late. Suddenly realizing it didn't matter a bit what he did now, he hurried off to Charms and went straight over to Ron and Hermione who had been watching the door anxiously. They both stood up when they saw him. They huddled in the back of the room.
"Harry, what happened?" Hermione whispered.
"Fred and George said they thought you were expelled!"
"Tell us what's going on!"
"I can't talk in here," Harry hissed back to them. "Let's go."
"We'll miss Charms," Hermione started to say. One more look at Harry's face, nevertheless, told her that this was beyond Charms. "Okay." Both she and Ron gathered their bags and wands and left the classroom, ignoring Professor Flitwick's squeaks of protest and the students' whispers.
Harry led the way down the hall silently and into Gryffindor Tower, mumbling "Schnitzel Noodles" to the Fat Lady. He led Ron and Hermione into his dormitory room. Spotting Hedwig sound asleep in her cage next to Harry's bed, Harry felt a mixture of concern and relief. He hoped she wasn't too ill, but at least she was back. They all sat down in the middle of the floor.
Harry sighed and told them, "Yes, I'm expelled." He went on to tell them the events that had taken place in Fudge's office.
"You still have your real wand, though?" Hermione asked to confirm this was true.
"Yes."
"I can't believe Fudge would do this!" Ron exclaimed angrily, rising from the floor and raking a hand through his hair.
"Just think about how it looks, Ron," Hermione said. "He doesn't know Sirius is innocent or anything. We know Harry shouldn't be expelled because we know things Fudge doesn't and wouldn't even believe if we tried to tell him. Harry, what are you going to do? You have to get away before the morning."
"I know," Harry replied. "Filch is going to be there all night and the door will be locked." They all sat there, thinking hard about what they could do.
"I've got it!" Ron yelled so loudly that Harry and Hermione shushed him.
He joined them on the floor again. "Fred, George, and I will make the biggest racket you ever heard outside the door. Fred does a great Peeves imitation, Filch will think it's Peeves out there, he'll rush out and hopefully leave the door open so you can make a run for it!"
"Ron, that's crazy!" Hermione snapped. "You'll all be expelled too!"
"Nah, the Weasley boys are masters at this stuff. It'll be okay; Fred and George love any chance to rile Filch. Come on, Hermione, it's for Harry." Ron's eyes pleaded her to give her support.
"All right," she hedged. "But only if I can come too!" For the first time, Ron was the one who looked like he could've hugged Hermione.
"Thanks, you guys," Harry managed over the lump forming in his throat.
The three planned that Harry should bring his invisibility cloak and stuff it under his robes. After Filch was out of the office, Harry would cast a newly learned shrinking spell on his trunk so it could be placed in Harry's pocket. His Firebolt would be waiting for him not too far from Hagrid's cabin hidden in some bushes.
Hermione and Ron grew somber again. "Harry," Hermione said, "he can't do this to you. You're a fifth year, a good student; O.W.L.s are this year. Hogwarts won't be the same without you at all! What are we going to do?"
"Who am I going to complain about Hermione to now?" Ron asked with a forced grin.
"Who am I going to turn to every time Ron infuriates me and makes fun of me?" Hermione asked, shooting daggers at Ron. Her eyes suddenly lit up as a new thought came to mind. "Where are you going to go?"
"I guess I'll have to try and find Professor Lupin's house and stay with him and Sirius. I have no idea where he lives is the problem."
"Maybe Hagrid knows!" Ron mentioned.
"We can't tell Hagrid about my being expelled or the plan. He can't be involved or know anything; otherwise, he'd be in real trouble. He doesn't know about Sirius anyway. You two can clear everything up with him after I'm gone," Harry instructed seriously.
"Yeah, I guess that's best," Ron replied, looking slightly doubtful. "We could maybe still ask if he knows, though. Say we want to write to him or something."
"That sounds all right," Hermione approved. "Harry?"
"Okay. I should hurry and pack and I have to try the shrinking spell to make sure I can do it later. Help me out, it'll go faster."
The three tossed all of Harry's possessions into the trunk, leaving only the invisibility cloak and the Firebolt on the bed.
"Let's fold up the cloak. It's got to be small or Filch might find it," Ron suggested. It took a quarter of an hour for the friends to get the cloak folded into the size of a galleon. It kept unfolding and slipping from their grasp. When the deed was done, Harry placed it carefully into the pocket of his robe. He took the fake wand pieces out of his other robe pocket and, after taking his wand from the trunk, set them on fire in the wastebasket to destroy the evidence of them. He put the fire out with water from his wand and turned to his trunk. "There! Let me try the Shrinking Spell now." He took a breath and yelled, "Pequito gradualmenta!" The trunk got smaller and smaller and when it reached the right size for a pocket, Harry tapped it with his wand. He grinned and raised his wand once more. "Engorgio gradualmenta!" When the trunk was its normal size, Harry tapped it again and put his wand in between two of his school robes on top of the trunk's contents.
"I can't believe they're expelling you," Hermione murmured. "You know the only way you're going to be able to get back into Hogwarts?"
"How?"
"Find Pettigrew."
Harry snorted but not rudely. "That's easy enough. I'd just have to get past Voldemort, the Death Eaters, possibly a dementor or two, and kidnap him."
"If anyone could do it, you could, Harry," Hermione said encouragingly.
Ron added, "If you need help, we're here. If Fudge expels us for leaving, he'll have to reinstate us along with you because we were helping bring in a criminal and proving a man innocent."
Harry smiled at his friend. "I will definitely remember that. I'll get back into Hogwarts somehow."
"You'll get through this, Harry," Hermione told him with tears brimming in her eyes. "We'll send owls and tell you about new stuff we learn. It'll be like a correspondence course or something."
"Hermione, we're his friends, not his teachers," Ron reminded.
Harry looked at his watch. "Whoa, we'd better get to Hagrid's if we're going at all."
In the hall going out to the common room, some of the Gryffindor boys sniggered at Hermione's presence in their dormitory. The three ignored them and continued out.
Ginny was out there and ran over to them when she saw them. "Harry, is what Fred and George told me true? Are you expelled?"
"Yes," Harry replied directly.
Ginny gasped and she grabbed his hand. "You can't leave, how did this happen?"
Harry looked at her and said, "Ginny, I can't explain now. Ron and Hermione will tell you and I promise I'll keep in touch." He started to continue walking but Ginny kept her grip on his hand.
"I promise, Ginny."
She burst into tears and scurried to the girls' dormitory.
"She'll be okay," Hermione told Harry. "We have to get to Hagrid's or you'll never make it to Filch's on time."
The three walked down to Hagrid's, very depressed and tense with thoughts about the evening that lay ahead.
Ron knocked on the door and Hagrid opened it right away. His face broke into a grin and Harry felt a pang, not knowing when he'd see that grin again.
"Hello, you three," Hagrid greeted kindly. "I was hopin' I'd see yeh today. Haven't seen yeh fer a bit."
"We can't stay long, Hagrid," Hermione replied. "Actually, we have a question to ask you." Hermione was not one to dance around a subject.
"Well, come in, then. How abou' some rock cakes? Made 'em fresh today."
"That's okay, Hagrid," Ron answered hastily, settling on the couch. "Dinner's coming up."
"I might have one," Harry added. He didn't know when he'd get a rock cake again, and this was his last chance for a while.
Hagrid handed him one eagerly from a large stack and sat down by the fire. "So what did yeh want ter ask me?"
"Do you know where Professor Lupin lives?" Ron asked. "We want to write to him and say hello."
Hagrid thought for a moment, wrinkling his large forehead. "I'm sorry, I don't really know. Somewhere in South London."
"You don't know a street name or anything?" Hermione pressed.
"Nah. I remember it was a small house with a green door, in the middle of a field, but that's all."
Harry groaned inwardly. He was going to be doing a lot of flying around tonight. He knew an owl would never get to Sirius in time and he couldn't risk the message being caught or the situation would become much worse.
"Well, thanks anyway, Hagrid," Hermione answered, sounding disappointed.
"What do yeh need his address for anyway?" Hagrid asked, puzzled. "An owl would get ter him all righ'."
"Hedwig isn't feeling well, any jobs I give her have to be easy ones." Harry explained.
"Pig would get lost," Ron chimed in.
"What abou' the school owls?" Hagrid asked.
Suddenly, Hermione stood up. "Er, we have to get back in for dinner. We'll visit you again tomorrow."
"All righ', see yeh then," Hagrid replied, looking a bit confused.
"See you," Ron and Hermione said together and turned toward the door.
"Bye, Hagrid," Harry said, trying to talk over that lump in his throat that had appeared again. He, too, turned toward the door but was stopped by Hagrid's massive hand on his shoulder.
"Somethin' wrong, Harry?" His kind eyes were full of concern.
"Well, yeah, but I can't talk about it right now. You'll hear about it all tomorrow."
"If that's what yeh want."
"Yeah. Well, er, see you, Hagrid." Harry walked quickly to the door before Hagrid could stop him again and the three headed toward the castle.
"Harry, you'd better get your stuff and get to Filch's office now. There's not much time left before six," Ron informed him. The three stopped walking and looked at each other.
Hermione lost it first, eyes spilling over. "Harry, you just can't go! This isn't right!" She hugged him so tightly he felt his face would pop.
He managed to grunt, "I'll be back." He tried to sound more convinced than he felt.
Ron said, "All right, Hermione, don't break his ribs now." She released her death grip on Harry and wiped at her eyes. Ron appeared a tad bright-eyed and he thumped Harry on the arm. "Send owls, okay?"
Harry nodded solemnly all three of them speed-walked into the castle, unable to speak further.
Hermione disappeared into the girls' dormitory and Ron joined Harry in their dorm room. Harry left his Firebolt on the bed for Ron to hide for later that night. Ron didn't say anything as he picked up Hedwig's cage to carry to Filch's office.
In the hall, however, as they got closer to the office, Ron whispered, "Maybe you can go to The Burrow. Mum and Dad would keep quiet."
"I can't get your family in trouble, Ron. Fudge basically ordered me to never be found in the wizarding world again and everyone would be in trouble if I went to your house."
"I guess you're right," Ron murmured. He changed the subject to hide his disappointment. "Be ready for the plan to take place. If something goes wrong, just stay in the office and we'll come for you."
"Thanks, Ron. Thanks a lot. You'll explain to everyone for me, right?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it." They reached Filch's office and set down Harry's things in front of the door. "Harry," Ron began hesitantly, "you're the best friend I've ever had."
"You're mine too," Harry replied sincerely. He and Ron looked at each other for a moment.
Ron cleared his throat and said, "We'll write to Sirius right after dinner's over to tell him you're coming. It ought to get there by tomorrow morning. Good luck." With one last glance at his friend, he took off down the hall in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
Harry watched him disappear and then reluctantly knocked on Filch's door. Filch flung it open and smiled nastily at Harry.
"Welcome, Potter. Glad you could make it. Bring in your things." He glanced at Hedwig. "What's wrong with your owl?"
"I don't know, she's sick with something."
"I guess we'd better give her your dinner tonight then. She looks like she needs it." Filch placed Hedwig's cage on his desk and stuck a plate of hot, wonderful-smelling food inside.
Harry's mouth almost started watering; it had been a while since lunch. He knew Filch wanted him to complain so he kept quiet. Hedwig probably needed food more than he did anyhow.
"Move your trunk more in the corner, I don't want your things cluttering up my office. I worked hard to get where I am today," Filch nagged pompously.
Harry almost sniggered despite the situation but stopped himself in time.
"Well, Potter, I have to go start the evening clean-up. Just to make sure you don't get loose, I'm going to have to use these," Filch said, a mad gleam in his eye, gesturing toward chains on the wall.
"I won't try to escape," Harry insisted.
"Somehow I don't believe you. You're a tricky one and it's about time you got expelled." He jammed Harry's wrists into the chains that forced him to hang from the wall, the tips of his toes barely touching the floor. "Have a good evening," Filch chortled as he left the room.
Harry spent the evening trying to focus on the plan for the evening and what he had to do. If Filch left him in chains, how would he get away? He'd have to reach his wand, which was in the left inside pocket of his cloak. This was not looking good. He'd have to convince Filch that he was trustworthy enough to be allowed to sleep on the floor. A few hours later, Filch came back to the office. Harry's wrists were raw from the tight chains and his stomach was rumbling. Hedwig had eaten all of the food and had fallen into a deep sleep.
"So, Potter, how are we?"
Harry didn't reply, which Filch seemed to think amusing. "I ought to just leave you like that all night."
A voice came from the doorway. "Enjoying yourself, Filch?" Snape stepped into the room, eyes on Harry. "I agree that is a worthy position for Mr. Potter and he deserves nothing better to be stuck that way, but bruised wrists and exhaustion won't be good for the hearing in the morning. He's better off on the floor under your watch."
"Since you put it that way, Professor," Filch said, using a key to unlock Harry's shackles. Harry's legs were like spaghetti noodles and they wobbled underneath him when his feet completely touched the floor.
Snape ordered, "Leave me alone with him for a moment."
"Of course." Filch left his office at once, closing the door behind him.
Snape pointed a glare at Harry. "Sit, Potter." Harry sat, rubbing his wrists, wondering what Snape was going to do.
Professor Snape put his hands behind his back and stood before Harry. "You know, Potter, that I would love to see you expelled for your normal tricks. However, Dumbledore has informed me that Sirius Black is not a murderer and is no real harm to Hogwarts," he sneered unpleasantly. "Minister Fudge wouldn't exactly understand that, so you can see that your being expelled is the only choice you have. I wish it were under different circumstances. I wish you were being punished for something you deserved."
Harry wasn't sure what to make of all this. He knew nothing would normally make Snape happier than for Harry to be expelled.
Snape continued, "Potter, your being expelled is going to take you away from the protection of Hogwarts. I don't want you doing anything stupid and messing up the mission. Stay out of the wizarding world. Understand?"
Harry answered coolly, "I can't promise to stay out of the wizarding world. It's where I belong. I can promise that I won't do anything to mess up the mission, though. No one wants this to succeed more than I do." He hesitated to ask this next question, but thought Snape might know the answer and couldn't resist. "Sir, do you know where Professor Dumbledore is?"
"Why? Are you going to run to him crying about the unfairness of it all?"
"No," Harry retorted, "I'd just like to know how he is."
Snape simmered down fractionally. "He's fine. I don't know where he is, but he sends owls from time-to-time asking for updates on the school. Is that all, Potter? If so, I'd like to go and prepare tomorrow's lesson for those who are still students here." He left Filch's office with a bang of the door.
Harry was marveling over the fact that this was as nice as Professor Snape had ever been to him. He paced the room to get his legs back in working order until Filch came back in.
"You can sleep next to your trunk in the corner there," Filch directed. "No tricks, I'll be watching."
"No, sir." Harry lay down flat on the hardwood floor but wasn't about to go to sleep. He closed his eyes anyway and tried to keep his face blank. He felt Filch's eyes resting on him smugly.
What seemed like only a few minutes later, Harry heard loud crashes in the hall and what sounded like Peeves laughing. Fred Weasley/Peeves taunted, "Catch me if you can, Filchy!"
Filch leapt from the chair and opened the door wide just as a vase hit the floor and shattered. "I'll get you this time, Peeves!" He shouted, disregarding his duty to guard Harry and running down the hall.
Harry sprang to his feet, collected his wand, and performed the Shrinking Spell on his trunk, putting it in his pocket. He grabbed Hedwig's cage and threw the invisibility cloak over himself and Hedwig. He dashed outside onto the school grounds and called hoarsely, "Accio Firebolt!" It soared toward him and he clambered on, hooked Hedwig's cage handle over the stick, adjusted the invisibility cloak to cover the broom, and flew into the sky above Hogwarts. Harry hovered for a moment, gazing down at the place he thought of as "home". When would he see it again? Would he ever walk down the halls and go to classes there again? He sighed and flew away from the school.
Harry's thoughts turned to finding South London. He decided he would fly close to the Hogwarts Express tracks and get to Kings Cross that way. For one wild moment, he thought he could take the Muggle train into South London, but reconsidered when he realized that he had no Muggle money and would look quite strange with an owl and a broom on the train. No, Harry was by far safer flying.
He allowed the tracks to lead him on the long way to Kings Cross. He was nearly overpowered with fatigue, it was nearly two o'clock in the morning and he hadn't eaten since lunchtime, unless you counted his nibbling at Hagrid's rock cake, which he didn't. Hedwig awoke and hooted sleepily, looking at the surroundings with vague interest. Harry stopped outside the train station to hide Hedwig's cage and the Firebolt under the invisibility cloak. He wanted to find a map and a bathroom so he could splash some cold water on his face. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Hedwig. Be quiet." Hedwig suddenly hooted urgently. Harry shushed her before he discovered what she'd been hooting at. He was still in his robes! Harry sighed, taking off his robes, revealing a Weasley sweater and a pair of Muggle jeans.
Harry laid his robes under the invisibility cloak as well and walked toward the station. It was nearly empty. He found the bathroom right away and was amazed at how refreshing a mere bit of water could be. He studied a map on the wall; trying to ignore two rough-looking Muggles dressed in rags down the corridor.
"Hey, ickle boy, where's yer mum & dad? They leave yeh alone?"
"Got any money?"
"Yeh lost in big bad London?"
Harry used his finger to trace a route into South London that seemed promising. Once he arrived there, the only problem would be locating Lupin's house. He wondered if it was in a wizard community or not. Suddenly, Harry had an idea! He didn't know how he'd ever forgotten about the Knight Bus! He could simply go into a London street and stick out his wand hand and the bus would pick him up. Surely that would be much better than trying to find his way by air. Just as suddenly as the idea had come, Harry's plan lost its momentum. No one was supposed to know where he was. That was part of running away. "Get some sleep, Potter," he thought. "You're not thinking straight." He turned to head back toward the wooded area next to the station where his things were when a rough hand grabbed his shoulder, swinging him around.
"I asked yeh, do yeh have any money? Yeh look like one o' them pretty boys with lots of money in yer pockets," a squinty-eyed man challenged.
"No, I don't," Harry replied. It was mostly true; he had no money that would be of use to the man.
"Well, I think yeh got some and we're going to find it!" The man continued, grabbing Harry's other arm to hold him steady. His sniggering friend came over and started digging in Harry's pockets. When Harry tried to struggle, he received a hard punch in the stomach that made him double over.
"Yeh just try that again, boy," the squinty-eyed man threatened.
"No money on this one," another man reported.
"Let's do it," the squinty-eyed man ordered. He and his friend began to beat him, kicking and hitting him hard. Harry struggled but was basically helpless, weak from not eating and without his wand; he didn't have much of a chance against the two men who were much bigger than he was. Suddenly, something sharp was plunged into Harry's stomach and then ripped back out. He caught glimpse of a long knife with a jeweled handle. Harry fell flat on his face, panting and in excruciating pain. He'd had worse, but this was pretty bad.
"That's why yeh always bring money with yeh," one of the men said. He and his friend ran down the corridor chortling. Harry could only lay on the floor, he hurt so badly. He knew his stomach wound was a serious one. He could see his own blood streaming out from under him and the Kings Cross station hall was becoming dimmer and dimmer. After all he'd been through with Voldemort and survived, was he going to die by the hand of a Muggle? Just as everything was going black, he saw the shadow of someone rushing toward him.
The next afternoon, Harry woke up to a lot of noise. He opened his eyes slowly and tried to sit up. That was a mistake, however. Even as he began to raise his head, he fell back against the pillow. The events of the night before came back to him and he realized the reason he was so sore. He felt bandages covering him all over and noticed an I.V. sticking into his arm. Looking around the room he was in, Harry figured that he was in the hospital. "It must be a Muggle hospital," he thought, catching glimpses of Muggle doctors and nurses hurrying through the hall outside his open door.
A blonde woman poked her head into his doorway. "So, I see you've decided to come back to the living. How do you feel?"
"Sore," Harry croaked. He started to ask a question, but the woman went on.
"I'm sure you are, you're in a sorry state. For one, you were badly beaten, which would have been enough. On top of that, you were stabbed in the stomach, the worst place to be stabbed, at that. We had to perform immediate surgery to repair the stomach wall. Miraculously, the knife didn't harm any of your other organs." The woman paused. "I'm Doctor Wheeler. I was at Kings Cross last night to meet someone, and that's when I found you. Too bad I didn't find the ones who did this to you." She shook her head. "The violence these days is terrible." She came farther into the room and poured a glass of water for Harry from a pitcher. "When did you eat last?"
"Not since lunch yesterday," he replied, his stomach growling at the thought of food.
"It's not safe for you to eat solid foods right now, but you can sip water every now and then," the doctor said, setting the glass at his bedside, going out into the busy hall for a moment to talk to a nurse. She re-entered and sat down on Harry's bed, taking out a notepad.
"I have several questions for you, young man. First of all, what's your name?"
"Harry Potter." He hoped giving his real name wasn't a mistake.
"Age?"
"Fifteen."
"Where are you from?" Harry didn't reply to that one, and the doctor raised her eyebrows. "I see...." Her eyes moved down to his bruised wrists from the chains in Filch's office, and she frowned at him. "Were you catching a train last night?"
"No, I just stopped there to look at the map and those two guys attacked me when they found out I didn't have any money."
Dr. Wheeler tsked. "Is there someone waiting for you somewhere?"
Harry realized suddenly that Sirius would probably have gotten Ron and Hermione's owl by now. He would wonder where Harry was. What if he went out to look for him? He'd be caught and it would all Harry's fault. Harry struggled to sit up, even though pain burned through him.
"Whoa, what do you think you're doing?" Dr. Wheeler exclaimed, holding him back down on the bed.
"I have to get out of here! My godfather needs to know where I am," Harry said, still fighting.
"Lie back, we'll take care of it. Where does he live?"
"Er, I don't exactly know right now; I was on my way to find him." Harry did lay back against the sheets. His stomach and chest ached even more from his efforts and dizziness washed over him.
"See, I told you, just lie there and be still. All right, you were on your way to find him, where were you going?"
"I was going to try parts of London," Harry half-explained.
"Which parts?"
"Different parts," Harry said evasively.
The doctor threw back her head and laughed. "You are a very interesting young man, Mr. Potter. I take it that you're not going to tell me anymore at the moment."
Harry gave a crooked smile in response.
"Well, that's fine for now. Don't worry about your godfather; either he'll find you or you can find him in a few days. You need to stay here a while so we can care for you, you really are in bad shape. I'll be back in to see you in a few hours. You're going to get fresh bandages put on and some medication. Remember," she said, rising to her feet, "don't move from that bed."
He drank small amounts of water absentmindedly, his mind was full of worries about Sirius, Hedwig, his wand, and his trunk still in the woods at Kings Cross covered with the invisibility cloak. A while later, a nurse came in and gave Harry something that sent him into dreamless sleep.
At Remus Lupin's house, Sirius Black was pacing the floor anxiously holding a piece of parchment in his hand and looking out the window every few seconds.
Remus Lupin was sitting in a chair nearby with a worried expression on his face. He broke the tense silence. "Sirius, perhaps he simply got lost."
Sirius stopped pacing and stared at Remus. "He's been gone from Hogwarts nearly twenty-four hours now. Harry should've gotten here by this morning. Even if he didn't know for sure where you lived. He would've just had to use the Four-Point spell and look for a green door. It would've taken a while, certainly, but he should have gotten here by this time. Something's happened, I feel it. I can't believe Fudge would risk sending Harry out of Hogwarts where he's no longer protected. It's bad enough he fired Dumbledore, but now this," Sirius mused disgustedly.
"Sirius, we don't know what's happened, you're merely concerned for Harry and imagining the worst. He'll turn up." Remus hoped he sounded more positive than he felt.
Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "James was my best friend, I'm Harry's godfather; he's practically my son now. He ran off so that he wouldn't be forced to tell where I was, and it'll be my fault if anything happens to him." Sirius resumed pacing and looking out the window.
Remus didn't know what to say, so he sat back in his chair silently, dreading what might have happened to Harry. As long as Voldemort was back and the Death Eaters active once more, Harry was in danger, and, unprotected....
At the hospital later that evening, Harry woke up only to find Dr. Wheeler and two nurses in his room. He felt hot and feverish.
"Harry," Dr. Wheeler began, "your wound has become infected. You have a high fever. We're going to give you some medicine, so just lay back a minute.
Harry obeyed, too sick to do anything else. The doctor's and nurses' face swam before him and as he felt an injection into his arm, he slipped into unconsciousness.
At Hogwarts late that night, Ron was lying awake in his dorm, wondering if Harry had made it to Remus's all right when he heard a soft but urgent barking coming from the grounds below. He tiptoed over to the window and saw Sirius, in his dog form.
"Just a minute," Ron whispered loudly out the window. He threw on his robes and ran outside quickly. If Sirius was here, that meant something had gone wrong.
The black dog, seeing Ron outside, led him at top speed over to the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. The dog transformed himself back into human form.
"Sirius, what are you doing here? Is Harry okay?"
"I don't know," Sirius replied grimly. "He hasn't shown up yet. Tell me, Ron, do you have any idea what he was planning to do, how he was going to get to Remus's?"
"I'm not sure, he could have followed the Hogwarts Express tracks, though. That would probably be the best way."
"Then, he may not have used the four-point spell the entire time," Sirius mused. "I'll try following the tracks, then. I'll be in touch." He transformed back into a dog and ran off toward the train tracks.
Ron stood there, mystified. What had happened to Harry?
Nurses had been in and out of Harry's room all night long. It was now the following afternoon. "His fever is so high, nothing we've done has brought it down at all," one nurse told Dr. Wheeler outside the room. "He's delirious, I think."
Harry was mumbling and tossing his head side to side. He was having the strangest dreams, but they seemed so real. Voldemort was standing in the center of hundreds of Death Eaters, all chanting something in unison that Harry couldn't make out. The next thing, Voldemort was standing beside his bed, reaching down, tracing a finger over Harry's scar, making it disappear. Suddenly Harry was floating in the air, floating up to the sky. Visions of his father and mother standing on clouds came into focus. "Mum! Dad!" He called out loud, in the dream and in real life.
Dr. Wheeler felt his forehead and found the boy's scar was much hotter than anywhere else. "How strange," she mused. She walked down the hall to find a nurse to resume trying to bring Harry's fever down.
A black dog wandered into a wooded area next to Kings Cross at daybreak. He jumped into a small stream of water to help his tired and blistered paws. The dog lapped up water for a few minutes, and, after he finished, felt tremendously better. He climbed back onto the bank and went in the direction of the station. Suddenly, he paused, hearing a muffled noise. Had that been an owl? Was it Hedwig? Was Harry nearby?
The black dog took off like a shot and almost immediately, crashed into something invisible that caused a loud squawking. Turning back into human form, Sirius felt for the invisibility cloak's edge, finding Harry's robes, Firebolt, and his owl, Hedwig. "Where's Harry?" He asked Hedwig, even though he knew she could not answer. She was staring at him indignantly for knocking her cage over, feathers ruffled. Sirius took off his robes to reveal Muggle clothing. He covered Harry's things and his robes once more with the invisibility cloak and walked briskly toward the station.
Sirius went straight to the ticket desk, ignoring the line of people. He barged in front of a short, balding man and asked the ticket seller, "Have you seen a young boy here since last night? Fifteen, black hair, green eyes, glasses?"
"Good Lord," the Muggle said, "is he yours? A boy was attacked here last night and was taken to St. James Hospital."
Sirius's heart moved into his throat. Harry had been attacked? By who? It was an interesting coincidence that he'd been taken to St. James Hospital. Perhaps too interesting of a coincidence.
"Is he all right?"
"Don't know. I haven't heard from the hospital."
"How do I get there?"
"Go left down this road four blocks, turn right at the first chance, then left. Go straight six more blocks, and you'll be there."
Harry stirred in his sleep, moaning. Dr. Wheeler was watching him carefully. The young man's fever had actually risen and there was nothing the medical staff could do for him but wait. "Sirius!" Harry yelled suddenly. The doctor shook her head, stood up, and taking one more glance at Harry, entered the hall holding her clipboard tightly.
Harry was having another dream. He was walking toward a large house that looked familiar somehow. All of a sudden, Death Eaters began pouring out the front door. Harry went for his wand, but it wasn't there. He heard the Death Eaters laughing cruelly as they came closer. Just then, Sirius Black came up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Harry."
Harry became aware of himself being shaken and a voice saying, "It's okay, Harry. I'll get you out of here. Wake up."
"No, no," Harry groaned.
"Harry, come on. You're not safe here," the voice urged. "Open your eyes and look at me."
Harry wanted to obey, come out of his sleep, but he couldn't. It was as if a barrier was keeping him from reaching the voice.
Sirius had sneaked into the hospital and found Harry rather by accident, he heard him say his name during what must have been a dream. Upon entering the room, he had gasped when he saw Harry. He was covered in cuts and bruises, bandages all over, and tubes going into his arms. "Whoever did this will pay," he thought. Later. Now, he was simply trying to waken Harry enough to get out of the hospital.
Harry realized that the voice was Sirius's and he tried desperately to break through the barrier that kept him from reaching consciousness. "Sirius!" He called aloud. "Sirius, help me!" Harry was now partially having another dream. He was slowly walking toward a huge brick wall, when he saw the figure of his father. "Dad," he whispered.
Sirius started when he heard Harry's whisper. "Harry, is James with you?" He was afraid that Harry's seeing James might mean Harry was close to death.
James Potter smiled at his son as he came nearer. "My son, your mother and I are so proud of you. We love you and wish we could be with you. However, our lives on Earth have ended and you're still alive, with much to do. All you need to do is climb this wall, and you can go back to do the things you are meant to do. You're not ready to leave Earth yet, Harry. Go back. Climb the wall."
"Dad, I want to stay with you," Harry said.
James smiled. "No, son. Not yet. You must go back. Sirius is waiting for you on the other side, he'll take care of you."
"I miss you," Harry told James. "Let me come with you."
James shook his head sadly and he and Harry embraced for a long time. "I'll give you a boost, but you have to climb on your own." He knelt down, one knee out for Harry to step up on. "Up you go."
Harry put a foot up reluctantly. "When can I be with you and Mum?"
"Someday," James answered. "But not now."
Harry struggled to reach the top of the wall with his hands to pull himself over. He managed to get on top of the wall. He paused and looked down at James and said the three words he'd never been able to. "I love you."
Lily Potter appeared next to James, taking his arm. They said together, "And we love you." Harry stared at them until they vanished, then vaulted the wall.
His eyes opened suddenly, blurry with tears. He saw Sirius on his knees next to the bed, head down on the covers. "Sirius?"
Sirius's head jerked up quickly. "Harry!" He leapt to his feet and hugged Harry fiercely, causing Harry to cry out in pain. "Oh, sorry, sorry. I thought you were dying, you said James's name and I thought that meant you were going to him in death."
"I saw him! We talked to each other! I said I wanted to stay with him, but he wouldn't let me. There was this wall he told me I had to climb and come back here. He said you were waiting for me on the other side. I didn't want to, but he made me. I got to the top of the wall and then Mum came. I actually had a conversation with my father," Harry gibbered urgently even though he was in pain. He hurt worse than before and the pain in his stomach was suddenly so intense that he leaned over with an anguished shout.
Sirius became immediately alarmed. "Harry, what--?"
He was interrupted by the door to Harry's room being flung open wide. Dr. Wheeler stepped in, eyes on Sirius. "What are you doing here?"
Sirius ignored the question and replied, "Help him, he's in pain!"
Dr. Wheeler stepped closer, eyes glowing strangely. "He should be," she said. Then, she shocked them both by transforming her doctor's coat to Death Eater's robes.
Harry and Sirius gasped in surprise. "Harry, get out of here now!"
"I can't! I can't move," Harry groaned, hand frozen to his stomach, which had begun to bleed again.
"Mr. Potter is absolutely correct," the Death Eater said from under her cloak. "He cannot move. He was stabbed with a poisoned knife tip last night and is even now letting the poison into his bloodstream. He's nearly completely helpless now. I thought he would have submitted to the poison earlier, but I guess I underestimated him." The Death Eater walked over to Harry's bedside and grabbed a handful of his hair.
Sirius drew his wand and was about to curse the Death Eater when he suddenly was frozen by the full body-bind curse uttered by the hooded figure. He watched, helpless, as she jerked Harry's head up so that he had to look up at her.
"Not so strong now, are you? And you don't have your wand this time either. My master will reward me inconceivably for capturing you. Prepare to meet with the Dark Lord for the final time."
To Sirius's horror, the Death Eater disapparated with Harry. What could he do now? He was a wooden statue with his eyes the only working body parts. Nothing could have surprised him more than what happened next. Remus Lupin walked in the hospital room door, held his wand at Sirius, and said the countercurse to free Sirius from his wooden state.
"They've taken Harry! We have to find them!" He cried urgently the moment he could speak.
"I know where they've gone. Come on, here's a portkey," Remus instructed. The two friends grabbed onto the stapler at the same time and wound up in a grassy meadow. "Get down, there they are," Remus hissed, pulling Sirius to the ground.
Harry was on a magical stretcher, chains magicked around his body. He didn't appear to be moving. Sirius and Remus crawled through the tall meadow grass on their hands and knees. "Do you have a plan?" Sirius asked Remus.
"Not really."
"Great."
Remus thought for a second. "Come, let's disarm her. Voldemort's not in the vicinity right now, I don't think. The Death Eater must be headed to a hiding place. I'll disarm her, you stun her, and we'll get Harry and use the portkey to get out of here. Sound all right?"
"As long as it works," Sirius agreed grimly.
"Expelliarmus!" Remus yelled, he and Sirius running to get closer. The Death Eater spun around, her wand flying through the air. Sirius stunned him, while Remus took control of Harry's stretcher.
"Grab the portkey...now!" Remus ordered. The two men plus Harry were transported back into the hospital room.
"Alohomora," Sirius said, pointing his wand at the padlock that locked the chains around Harry. The lock sprung open and the chains slipped off.
"Harry, wake up! Come on, we have to go, now." Sirius said, gently but urgently shaking Harry's motionless form. "Blast it, what did the Death Eater say, he was receiving the poison even now in his bloodstream? Poison from a knife tip?"
Remus Lupin studied Harry for a moment, in deep thought, before he ripped the already bloody bandage from over the stab wound in his stomach.
"What are you doing?" Sirius asked, on the verge of panicking. Harry's chest was just barely rising and falling anymore.
Remus took a knife out of his robes and tore open the stitched-up wound without a moment's hesitation.
"Remus, what the devil are you doing?" Blood gushed from the newly opened slash.
"We have to apparate now," Remus said, ignoring Sirius's questions. "Take my arm and hold onto Harry."
Before Sirius knew what was happening, they were in a small cabin. He saw Albus Dumbledore sitting in a chair, who immediately jumped up and rushed to Harry's side.
"Poisoned?" He asked, face pale.
"Yes," Remus replied.
"How long?"
"Nearly twenty-four hours."
Dumbledore took out his own wand, pointed it at Harry's bleeding wound, laid a hand on Harry's forehead, and closed his eyes, murmuring in a foreign language.
A strange, gold light filled the room, making Sirius squint. It grew so bright that Sirius had to close his eyes completely. When the light faded and Sirius re-opened his eyes to look down at Harry, the stab wound was completely gone as were his other cuts, bruises, and bumps. He goggled down at Harry and then at Dumbledore in amazement.
Dumbledore looked suddenly feeble, like he might pass out. Remus and Sirius noticed this at the same time and grabbed his underarms, leading him back to his chair.
They let him catch his breath before Sirius asked, "What did you do to him? Is he cured?"
"I performed an old charm on him that took some of my life energy and transferred it into his body in order to heal him completely and quickly. He ought to be unconscious for a while yet, he's been through quite a bit of trauma, but he'll be fine." Dumbledore's color returned and he looked like his normal self again.
Glancing between Sirius and Remus, he asked, "What are you going to do with Harry now since he's been expelled?"
"What do you recommend?" Sirius asked. He, personally, wanted to keep Harry with him.
"His uncle and aunt are out of the question. He's no longer any safer there than anywhere else, and I want Harry in the wizarding world, for reasons that I cannot reveal to you." Dumbledore stroked his beard for a moment. "If he stays with you, you'll have to take him into hiding and keep an eye on him day and night, but I daresay neither of you are about to let anything happen to him. He'd be safe with me, but I never know where I'll have to go or what I'll have to do. Harry is better off staying with you for the time being. Is that agreeable to you both?"
Remus and Sirius nodded fervently without even looking at each other.
"Now," Dumbledore continued, "Sirius, I want you to take Harry, get his things from Kings Cross, and fly back to Remus's house. Pack warm Muggle clothing and many blankets. Remus, I have some instructions to give you, so you stay here a while longer, then join Sirius and Harry at your house."
Dumbledore rose from his chair and walked over to Harry's still form on the stretcher. He gazed at the boy for a moment before lifting him. He motioned Sirius over and set Harry on his feet, propping him up into Sirius's arms. Dumbledore raised his wand and placed it over Harry's head. "Enervate, gradualmenta," he said to Harry, who began to stir slightly. To Sirius he handed him a cassette tape and ordered, "Use this portkey to get to the Kings Cross woods. Good luck."
Back in the wooded area at King's Cross, Harry woke up, although groggy and achy. "What happened after the Death Eater?"
Sirius explained as briefly as he could.
"Wow, Dumbledore did that?"
Sirius nodded, thoughts full of worries and concerns about the Death Eaters, Voldemort, and Harry's safety. He uncovered his and Harry's cloaks, Hedwig and her cage, and the Firebolt. "Harry, where's your trunk?" He asked.
Harry grinned tiredly. "I shrunk it. It's in the pockets of my robes."
Sirius smiled back. "You are a fifth year, aren't you?" He gave Harry his robes and put his own back on over his clothes. Sirius picked up the Firebolt and puzzled over what to do. He didn't think Harry should fly, but he was a bit hesitant about flying the Firebolt himself. He hadn't flown in a long time.
Harry seemed to sense his reluctance and stepped forward, taking the broom from Sirius. "It's okay, Sirius. I think I can fly."
Sirius furrowed his brow. "Are you sure, Harry? You've been through a lot. You almost died tonight!"
"Almost. But I didn't," Harry corrected, thinking about seeing his mother and father. He'd had many dreams during the fever, but that was the only one he remembered clearly. He became quiet and, hooking Hedwig's cage handle back over the broomstick, Harry got on the broom. Sirius got on behind him, draping the invisibility cloak over them.
"Just go straight ahead until I tell you which way to turn," Sirius instructed, trying not to look at the ground moving speedily below.
"Sirius," Harry began, "why did Voldemort go after my parents like that, dead-set on it? I know he killed a lot of people, but why did he single them out?"
"Harry, I don't want to talk about this," Sirius stated firmly.
Harry spun around, making the broom swerve. "Why? I need to know! I want to know what they had to die for."
Sirius remained tight-lipped.
The Firebolt swerved again. "Sirius, please!" Harry turned to face forward once more. "In my dream, Dad basically said that their lives were meant to be over; how did he know? What did they do?"
The broom dived, making Sirius declare, "Harry, watch what you're doing for Merlin's sake!"
"Just tell me about it."
Sirius answered sharply, "I won't discuss this with you! Not now!"
"Fine," Harry said just as sharply. He then flew the Firebolt faster than it had ever gone before, wishing to speed away from his anger and heartache about his parents.
Sirius's own anger was wild inside him. He couldn't tell Harry about James and Lily. It wasn't the right time. When Harry needed to know, he would tell him. If the boy couldn't handle this, it was his own tough luck. A while later, his anger dissipated. Harry merely wanted to know why his parents had to die, why his life had been so messed up by Lord Voldemort. He felt a bit foolish at his reaction and said Harry's name to get his attention.
Harry ignored him, not trusting himself to speak and kept flying at light speed. Since seeing his parents, he was filled with an aching desire to be with them and was intensely curious about what happened to them before Voldemort.
Sirius's refusal to tell him anything was truly knawing at him. Here was a man who could tell him anything he wanted to know about James and Lily, yet he was as closed-mouthed as a clam. All of a sudden, his scar sent searing pain throughout his head then coursing through his whole body. He screamed in pain and the Firebolt took a downward plummet. Harry tried to grip the broomstick, but the pain was so fierce that he couldn't keep an intelligent thought in his head. He let go of the broom and fell down into blackness.
"Harry!" Sirius yelled, trying to hang onto the invisibility cloak, get control of the Firebolt, and recall the correct charm used to slow down action. "Despaciamenta!" He called, pointing his wand around the area he'd seen Harry fall. He had no idea if it had worked or not. He forced the broom to land, dropped it, and searched furiously for Harry. He heard anguished cries from somewhere, but he couldn't tell where they were coming from in the inky blackness. Sirius waded in tall grass toward the general sound of Harry's voice, but didn't see him.
"Harry!" He hissed. He didn't know how close Muggles were just then and couldn't risk their being spotted. If it got back to the Ministry, both he and Harry could quite possibly be thrown into Azkaban together.
"Over here. Thanks for slowing me down," Harry croaked from behind a rock. He'd scraped his head on it lightly when he fell, not helping the pain any. The scar had begun to hurt a bit less but was still throbbing.
Sirius dashed over to Harry, lying curled up in the grass, clutching his scar. The right side of his face was bloody from his contact with the rock.
"Your scar?"
"Yes."
"That must've been Voldemort finding out about his plan failing. He wants you back."
"But he won't get me back," Harry answered, breathing heavily. "I'll kill him before that happens."
Sirius gaped at Harry in surprise and anger. "If you think I'm going to let you fight Voldemort, you're very much mistaken! You're lucky to have escaped last time."
"I don't recall asking your permission," Harry retorted, struggling to sit up. "He killed my parents, I'll kill him. That's one thing I've decided for sure tonight. In my dream, I knew this was what I'm meant to do. I didn't die as a baby because I have to kill him, I have to." He grew increasingly upset, the intensity of his emotions making his head reel even more.
Sirius would've continued the argument, but saw that Harry was in no state to discuss anything rationally. He wasn't about to allow James and Lily's son to go on a kamikaze mission.
"We'll talk about this later." He reached down to pull Harry to his feet. Harry stood still for a moment before attempting to walk.
"I'm okay," he said.
"All the same," Sirius told him, "that's enough flying. I'll try disapparating us both to Remus's. It's been a while since I did the spell, so I hope this works. Stay here, I'll go collect your Firebolt and Hedwig." When he brought them back, he held onto Hedwig's cage and handed the Firebolt to Harry. "Hold on to me." A moment later, Sirius had apparated, but Harry was still there.
"Great," he muttered. "He didn't know where we were, so he won't be able to get back." He swung one leg over the broomstick and flew into the air, saying, "Point me" to his wand.