A/N: Thanx for all the reviews. You keep me going or else, I already know what is gonna happen in my story, I don't have to write it. Lots of you guys have been asking about Hagrid since forever. Finally, your question will be answered. The pairing for Harry will remain a mystery for….I don't know how long.
To answer a question, Harry seemed submissive to the Dementors in the first chapter because, see he didn't have a wand or any way to defend himself. He knew any physical fighting was just pointless and the dementors would take him anyway so he just went along instead of fighting. Dementors only recognized him as a prisoner, not as the guy who just killed Voldemort or anything.
He still hates his friends. I made up the fairy-tale that contained the tigercats' namesakes.
Yes, the man running after the car was Mr. Granger.
Chapter Nine: Hogwarts Express
Harry was sitting at the window seat in the business class of the plane, on his way back to London. The tigercats were stowed away wherever all the pets were supposed to be stowed away in the plane. His thoughts were flitting over various subjects and now they returned to the Denvers. He was going to miss them. They had made his life seem normal for some time, although they had questioned him on his past a few times. He couldn't help but snort when he remembered the times Mrs. Denver kept insisting he see a shrink. He had said very little since the meeting with his ex-best friend. Thankfully they left the topic alone when they sensed his reluctance to speak about it.
Harry arrived in London fairly early in the morning on 1st of September. He was undecided on what to do. He could go to King's Cross early, find a compartment and stay there to avoid the crowd but if he was discovered there by any of the students the whole platform would probably find out and do God knows what. He still didn't know what to expect from them though he had a fair idea. On the other hand, he could go at the last possible minute, put up with a little staring and jostling but avoid spending too much time listening to what the other students' parents had to stay. In the end he decided to go just a little earlier than eleven.
At the same time, a last minute staff meeting was being held at Hogwarts. Dumbledore was sitting in his customary chair at the head of the table surveying the staff. There had been a few changes more than usual to the teachers' ranks over the last term.
Professor Sprout finished her report on the condition of the greenhouses and the plans for Herbology in the new term. Dumbledore turned to Professor Sirius Black for the report on the Care of Magical Creatures subject. Sirius was lost in thought and had to be elbowed by Professor Lupin. He gave a short report in a very subdued voice, his expression gloomy. The other teachers – except 'the bat with greasy hair' – were full of sympathy for him. Both Professor Black and Professor Lupin would be starting to teach in the new term. Sirius Black had chosen this job even when he had been offered a senior position as Auror for the Ministry as had Remus Lupin.
The Dark Curse at the end of the Triwizard Tournament had killed many people. Among them were two teachers. Hagrid and Madam Hooch. It was one of the reasons the teachers had been in such a rage on that night rather than trying to keep the situation calm. Both teachers were on patrol duty in the Quidditch pitch to avoid any loitering students or interference in the Tournament by any of the spectators. Both had been killed on the spot since they were very near the area where Harry port keyed back with the Cup. Professor Grubby-Plank had taken over Care of Magical Classes temporarily but since no suitable replacement could be found, she agreed to stay until the end of term. The Quidditch practices and matches were supervised and refereed by the teachers in turns. Now Professor Black would be taking over the subject as well as Madam hooch's position as Flying Instructor and Quidditch referee.
Professor Lupin was now famous as a hero in the wizarding world. Just a year ago, he had been declared a Death eater by the Prophet. He had been one too, in a way. When Voldemort had returned at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, he had begun to gather an army at once. Voldemort had been researching a dangerous hybrid spell to control werewolves over fourteen years ago. He had been very close to perfecting the Luscar, a charm that set the beast free in a werewolf at all times and not just on the full moon. On his return, it was one of the first spells he worked on. In a matter of days Voldemort achieved the balance of the spell. Once mastered and cast properly, it made the beast inside a werewolf dominant at all times even when the werewolf was in his human form. Voldemort had Lupin captured immediately and cast the charm on him to gain a spy among the Order during Harry's trial. The wolf inside Lupin was prepared to serve Voldemort. Remus was unable to fight off the charm even for a moment to warn Dumbledore since it was more powerful than even the Imperious. It took the Order a few months to find out about the Luscar and Lupin managed to escape back to Voldemort before the Order members could trap him.
Once the Death Eater attacks became commonplace again and the wizarding folks began to be on the lookout for themselves and their families, Voldemort decided that the Luscar was better than the Imperious. He had over a dozen werewolves by then and planned a major werewolf attack on Hogsmeade the full moon two months away. Voldemort had captured one of the few wealthy pureblood wizarding families that were all out against him, the Arquette family. At their refusal to cooperate, he locked them in a cell with Remus on the night of the full moon. The wolf was more than pleased to taste human flesh for the first time however something unexpected occurred.
As the wolf was dominant when he was in human form, Remus found himself more in control in the wolf form. When the transformation was over, the wolf prowled the cell and growled angrily at the human huddled together in a corner. Remus was screaming inside, not wanting to hurt these innocent, brave people who had stood up to Voldemort but the wolf wanted their blood. The beast pounced on the wizard standing in front of his family and brought him to the ground. After giving him a deep gash in the chest, he jumped on the witch who was trying to get him off her husband. A deep scratch to her face was enough. The beast turned to the two children who were crouching near the wall crying. The beast sniffed at them but Remus was filled with dread. He looked at the little girl, crying against her brother's arm. She was so young, about the same age he was when he was first bitten. It was so unfair to be a werewolf since such a young age. No one deserved it. At that moment, Remus realized that he or rather his wolf form was licking the girl's face. He still felt the beast's urge to bite at the back of his mind but when he thought to turn his head the wolf body obeyed.
Somehow, that night he and the Arquettes managed to escape. Dumbledore and some Order members were there the moment a spy notified them of the escape. Remus went with Dumbledore willingly in his wolf form but he had to be locked up in a room once in human form where the beast was dominant. After a lot of study and experiments, Dumbledore came up with a Potion that could reverse the charm. It was only a few days before the planned werewolf attack but it was enough. On the night of full moon, The Order of Phoenix with Remus and the Arquettes was prepared to face the werewolf attack on Hogsmeade. They managed to capture almost all the werewolves with the traps that had been set up. After that, Dumbledore made sure Remus got most of the credit for the rescue mission and the Arquettes were reported to have become werewolves in the Prophet. Ever since then, Remus was famous and hailed a hero. People who lived or had relatives who lived in Hogsmeade always came up to shake his hand and thank him. Though werewolves were still disliked generally and there were people who hated Remus, there were not too many protests when Dumbledore declared that Remus had accepted his old teaching job again. Now he was back at Hogwarts to teach Defense against the Dark Arts.
Once the various reports by the teachers were completed, Dumbledore began the discussion that was the main focus among them all. The return of Harry Potter. Dumbledore had already spoken to each teacher about the extra classes for Harry and now he announced the plan to help Harry pass his OWLS as well as his Sixth Year exams by the end of term. Some teachers had questions.
"Is Harry going to be re-Sorted now since he is a new student?" Professor McGonagall asked worriedly.
"No, I'm afraid that cannot be an option. If Harry is re-Sorted to a different House, he will probably never have anything to do with his former friends. Harry needs to forgive them as much as they need his forgiveness. Without it, none of them will ever heal completely. Harry will also carry bitterness inside him forever. Impossible as it may seem, Harry needs to befriend them again" Dumbledore said solemnly.
"Will Harry be joining the Quidditch team again? Gryffindor already has a Seeker right now" Professor Sprout asked.
"I met and spoke to Harry shortly after his release from Azkaban. From what I have seen, Harry does not wish to mingle at all with any wizarding folks. I doubt that his attitude has changed over the summer. For now he has to attend school but after that, if his feelings still didn't change, we might never see Harry Potter again. It is essential that we try our best to get him to mix with the other students because it is unlikely he will do so out of free will. He is still too deeply wounded by our actions a year ago. I cannot say I blame him but I do not wish to see him live in resentment for the rest of his life because of us. That is why I suggest that he should join the Quidditch team. I'm sure Mr. Reed will Understand and give his place on the team willingly. Group work and assignments in classes would also be good for interaction between Harry and the other students" Dumbledore looked at the nodding assembly of teachers.
"It would be best if all the teachers treated him as if he was a normal student. Any apologies will only get on his nerves and further alienate him. We can only hope that in time his wounds will heal. I will insist that you award him House points and detentions like every other student" his half-moon glasses shone as he surveyed his staff of teachers.
Unaware of Dumbledore's interfering intentions, Harry was making his way towards King's Cross in a cab. The closer he got, the more dreadful he felt. This was one time he was absolutely not looking forward to going to Hogwarts. He wondered what he would do if it all became too much. He hadn't been aware just how much seeing his former friends could upset him until he met her. A half-growl brought his attention to the cage beside him. Siyaa was clawing at the cage restlessly. As the cab stopped at King's Cross, Harry got the cage out first before taking his trunk. After loading the trunk on the trolley and the cage on top of it, Harry set out towards the barrier. He was still dresses in casual muggle clothes.
The crowd was no worse than usual as Harry made his way to the barrier. There were other Hogwarts students who noticed Harry at once but he wasn't paying attention to them. Once he was across the barrier, he took a deep breath and staring straight ahead, set out to find a compartment with space near the front rather than back as was usual for him in the past. He wanted to find a compartment with some First or Second Years so that his Year-mates wouldn't find him. He was so busy looking into the compartments that he didn't notice the red-haired family until they were face to face.
There were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with their children minus the trunks. There was Ron standing beside Ginny in front of Bill and the twins. Harry had paused automatically at the unexpected sight of them though now he wondered just why it was unexpected. Now he turned his face away and pushed his trolley on its way. It was then that Mrs. Weasley put one hand on his hand at the trolley handle. He might not have expected them but they had come here fully expecting to run into him.
"Harry dear, please hear me out. We know that we should have believed you and stood by last year but can't you see how it was? You remember how badly Fred was injured in that blast. We were half mad with grief when Madam Pomfrey told us he might not make it. I know that is not an excuse for blaming you and betraying you like this but surely you can sympathize-" Mrs. Weasley's plea was interrupted by Harry's angry voice.
"NO, I can't sympathize. Now if you will please get out of my way, I have nothing further I wish to say to you" he stated coldly as he snatched his hand away from hers.
"Harry, please. Please try to understand. We never meant to hurt you. We thought you had gone over. Even Dumbledore believed it…." Ginny was making no attempt to stop her tears.
"You never meant to hurt me? And what were all those damning testimonies supposed to do for me in the trial? Get me admitted to a mental institution? You never realized they would send me to Azkaban? I thought of you as my family. I thought you knew me. I thought that no matter what the rest of the world thought, you would always know the truth and stay by my side. I know now that I was wrong. You were not even prepared to hear me out. You judged me without listening to my side, just like the rest of the world. Why should I listen to you now? I don't care what excuses you have to give. I never want to see or speak to any of you ever again. Just stay away from me."
"Harry, please don't say that. We have realized our mistakes. We know you are still hurt but please give us a second chance" Mr. Weasley spoke up.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. There is no way your son will ever be my best friend again. There is no way I will ever even consider him a friend again. And so I see no reason why we should ever have to see each other again" his reply was filled with venom. Harry ignored their calls and moved on.
Harry found a compartment filled with what looked like Second and Third Years. He sat down, thankful that no other seats were empty. One icy glare at the other occupants ensured that they were intimidated enough not to speak to him and only speak to each other in hushed whispers.
Harry let the tigercats out of their cage and they settled next to him quietly for most of the ride as he stared out of the window. I thought of you as my family. His memories came back to haunt him. Harry remembered the monthly visits at Azkaban. How he would sit in his cell, his face pressed against the bars in an attempt to catch a first glimpse. Every time his heart would thump painfully in anticipation if he caught sight of bushy hair or what looked like red hair darkened by the poor lighting. He would almost stand up whenever he thought he could see his godfather's tall frame. He was disappointed each time. Even the craziest most far gone prisoner there received visitors. But no one ever came to see Harry. He waited and waited. So many nights he stayed up hoping, praying that someone would realize their mistake and come to see him. He began to speak to himself to keep the nightmares and dark memories at bay. Sirius would come for him. He would realize that Harry was innocent, just like him. He would take Harry away from this hell. Professor Lupin would come. He knew dementors were Harry's worst fear. He was very smart, he would figure out the truth. Dumbledore would come. Once he had time to sit back and look at all the phony evidence clearly, he was bound to find out about Harry's innocence. Hermione would come to visit him. To reassure him that she had found some evidence and he would be out of here soon. At least the Weasleys would come. He had been like family to them. They would come to visit him on Christmas. Surely Fred was alright by now. Surely they didn't hold it against him. Yes, they would come to visit him for Christmas even if they thought he was responsible for the dark curse. Mrs. Weasley might bring him some fudge and the twins would bring him some pranks. And maybe Ron would get him a Chudley Cannons' poster for his cell. And Sirius would come with them. He was still Harry's godfather and he would want to see him. Come see me at least once before I lose my mind, Harry thought desperately.
On Christmas day, Harry was woken up by a horrible nightmare, but he forgot it in a moment. He straightened his clothes and tried to pat down his hair to make it more presentable. He finished all of his meal so that he wouldn't be too tired when they came. He tried to straighten up his cell as best as he could. And then he waited. And waited and waited and waited. But no one came to see him. There were so many people who came to visit. Not just family but also friends and buddies to the other prisoners. The crazy old man who had been in Azkaban for many years and had no family was visited by a friend who tried his best to cheer him up and have two sane words with him. The death eater in the cell beside Harry's was visited by his wife and two young daughters.
"Daddy, daddy I drew so many pictures for you. See, here's one with me and Kimmy in front of the house. And this one is of the park in front of the house. And see I drew the neighbor's dog. And this one…." the five year old girl kept showing pictures to her father.
When her parents began to speak, she turned her attention to Harry. She tiptoed towards his cell carefully. Harry noticed her and turned away from his futile attempt to strain to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. Even the little girl could see the sadness and despair in his eyes. She offered him a picture of her and her sister that she had drawn for her father. Before Harry could raise his hand to accept it, her mother called her back and gave him a poisonous look.
And that was how Christmas day ended for Harry in Azkaban. He wasn't going to forget it in a hurry. In fact, he was going to remind himself of it on purpose every time he felt like being friendly towards anyone at Hogwarts. There was no way he would give them a second chance to hurt him like that. Each and every one of them had disliked or even hated him at some point. The Slytherins naturally hated him, the Gryffindors when he lost points, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs when he was considered the heir to Slytherin. He was sick of proving himself to them. They could all go and rot. He wasn't going to smile and 'That's okay' every time one of them apologized. He was going to Hogwarts because he had to, not to relieve them of their guilt.
"Time to change" one of the boys announced and Harry realized they were almost there.
Taking his new uniform out of his trunk, he noticed the robes were plain without any badges the way Madam Malkin always made them. He didn't think much of it. It didn't make any difference to him whether he was in Gryffindor or any other House. None of them were his friends. Whoever his dorm mates were, they would soon learn to leave him alone.
Harry tried to separate himself from the flow of First Years going toward the boats and found a carriage as far from the train as possible. He had seen familiar faces, heard their gasps of shock at his appearance, but he certainly didn't want to hear what they had to say. Harry barely noticed who the other people in the carriage were, just that he didn't know them. His carriage was one of the first to arrive. He got out and made his way over to the Entrance Hall so that he could have his choice of where to sit for the Feast. He was stopped in the Entrance Hall by Professor McGonagall who pulled him to a corner.
"Here is your Gryffindor badge, Mr. Potter. Let me fix it to your robes" she swished her wand without looking him in the eye.
She hadn't changed at all since the last time he saw her and he had changed completely. He was no longer intimidated by her, this thought made him feel better.
At that moment, the Head Boy from Ravenclaw joined them. After greeting Harry, he handed over a permission letter from the Headmaster that allowed Harry to keep his tigercats. Professor McGonagall took it and informed them that the other teachers would be notified of it. The Head Boy smiled at Harry and Harry muttered thanks to him.
Harry entered the Great Hall to see all the teachers sitting at their places. Everything was exactly as he remembered it. As if the last year didn't happen, he thought. Yeah, right. Harry sat at the very end of the Gryffindor Table closest to the huge doors. The students were pouring in and taking their respective places. Everyone that passes near him would fall silent, staring, then some would return to speaking and whispering and some would remain silent. Harry kept his gaze fixed on the goblet in front of him. He looked angry and scary and so not like the Harry they had been used to. Only when most of the Gryffindor table was filled did some students sit next to him. He smirked. At least his old friends were smart enough not to come and sit near him. He hadn't looked up to see where they were. They could be in Iceland for all he cared. Now if only they were intelligent enough to stay away from him for the rest of term and the next year and the rest of their miserable lives.
The First Years were sorted and Dumbledore gave his customary speech. It was all the same except the last bit.
"Tonight I have the pleasure to welcome two teachers to our ranks. Professor Remus Lupin is once again going to teach Defense against the Dark Arts" Dumbledore's voice was drowned by cheers from three tables.
"And also, since Professor Grubby-Plank resigned at the end of last term, we have a new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Professor Sirius Black" the cheers that accompanied this announcement were every bit as loud as the last ones.
Harry finally looked away from the goblet and turned his head towards the teachers' table. He had not been expecting this. He saw Professor Lupin and Sirius Black sitting side by side, their wary eyes were fixed on him. Harry's expression was unreadable to everyone even as most eyes were fixed on him. Even the other teachers couldn't fathom what he was thinking as he stared at the two new teachers. Harry was trying to decide who he would murder first if he ever decided to go Dark. The nerve of Dumbledore to take these two as teachers. And he was supposed to take extra classes in the evening with both of them? Not if he could help it. Maybe he could change his electives since he hadn't taken his OWLs yet. Hey, you left me to rot in Azkaban for a year. The least you could do is let me re-pick my electives. My sanity is already in danger and between Trelawney and Black, I don't think I'll last the term. Somehow he didn't think Dumbledore would agree to his demand.
He stewed over the matter throughout the dinner. He wondered whether he should speak now or in the morning. There would be the rush to classes and McGonagall wanting to prepare for her first lesson. Maybe he should see her after the feast, Harry thought, glancing at the teachers' table. Many teachers were looking right back at him, half-smiling, and half-grimacing. No, that wasn't an option, he decided as he saw Professor Black ready to leap up and rush to him if it weren't for Professor Lupin's restraining hand. He certainly wasn't prepared to deal with his dear godfather right now. Could you disown a godfather, he wondered turning back to his meal. He hated being watched when he ate, he thought idly. He didn't have to look up to see the entire student body's attention focused on him. Harry took his time eating dinner so that he would be finished exactly when they would all leave the Hall. Maybe he should set his alarm for three a.m. then wake up and go to Dumbledore's office. He could Reducto! the stupid gargoyle and enter. See if Dumbledore's quarters were somewhere up there, break a few things around the office, not that the blue-eyed headmaster would mind. In the end he decided to discuss the matter with Dumbledore the next morning. Talking to McGonagall would be pointless since she'd refer him to the Headmaster any way.
And now it was time to return to Gryffindor Tower and begin his two-year long sentence of studying at Hogwarts by seeing his buddies in the dorm and having two extra nightmares tonight all thanks to them. At least Siyaa and Tawreek would be there. He'd better put them to guard his stuff, he thought bitterly. Never in a million years would he forgive them for burning the few things he had of his parents.
Harry climbed up the numerous stairs and crossed the Common Room without giving anyone the chance to speak. The conversation inside the dorm ended the moment he walked in. Harry stopped to stare at the four boys who had once been his close friends. They were all standing up now, eyes fixed on him. His face was expressionless as he crossed Ron's bed, where they were gathered to get to his own bed. The tigercats were in their cage, clamoring to get out after being cooped up for so long. With a pang he remembered the times he let Hedwig out of her cage after the feast. As he released the cubs, they leaped onto his bed. Harry sat on the bed and instantly the cubs came to him, purring and rubbing their faces to his arm, trying to comfort him. They sensed the turmoil of his thoughts and they wanted to help.
"Harry……..we need to talk" surprisingly it was Dean who spoke up to him.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
There, it's not even a cliffhanger!