A/N- Forgot this in the first chappie… won't here… J. K. Rowlings owns Harry Potter et al. I only own my original plotline and my one original character.
A Welcome Ally-
Chapter 2-
Heather was good to her word. She kept Dudley too busy to even notice Harry was around. The Dursleys were too busy worrying over Dudley and what "that woman" was doing to him, to wonder about Harry's whereabouts or doings. They breathed a sigh of relief when the night before her departure came.
The dinner that night was uncomfortable and silent. Dudley was sullen and quiet. He picked at the food on his plate (mostly vegetables and a bit of broiled fish) and just heaved great sighs as if he were so downtrodden.
Harry was anxious. He wanted to know how Heather planned to get him out of this place. Tomorrow was his birthday and he really didn't want to spend it here.
Heather was eating her way through a large plate of vegetables and looking very happy. "Now don't forget tomorrow you must take Dudley to see that specialist. He's expecting you and the school insists on it." Heather slid a very covert wink at Harry and he sighed in relief. He would be leaving soon. Finally he had something to look forward to!
Dinner was finally over and Dudley slunk off to his room, where Harry suspected he had sweets and snack foods squirreled away. Harry went to his own bedroom to work on his own homework. Heather hadn't paid him any attention either except to snag his Daily Prophet most mornings.
Her owl, whom he had learned was Nodin, had taken up residence in his room when not flying letters for Heather. The larger owl was no trouble for him. Since the Dursleys never entered his room, it was no hardship to hide him there.
Harry went to sleep that night, happier than he had been in a long time.
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The next morning Heather left with smiles and waves for everyone. Once she was gone, Aunt Petunia took Dudley inside and got ready to leave to see the specialist. In less than an hour they were gone, leaving Harry alone. He sighed and went up to his room to pack. He hoped it wouldn't be long before Heather returned.
A loud CRACK! shook his room and startled the life out of him. "Sorry Harry. Had to get back fast. Let's pack up and then we'll go. Taking the Knight bus." Harry groaned. Heather nodded and rubbed her stomach. "Tell me about it," she muttered. "Scourgify!" She cast the quick spell cleaning Hedwig's empty cage. His owl would be waiting for them wherever they were going.
The trunk was packed and she reduced it so they could carry it without worry, along with the cage and then led the way out of the house, propping a note on the kitchen table for the Dursleys to find. She winked at Harry. "Not written by me of course. May need the persona for next year, so Remus took the liberty." She glanced around and shuddered "I'll tell you I'm not sorry to see the last of this place. Alright Harry, let's go."
Both walked out and she flung out her right hand quickly. With a loud bang! the Knight bus arrived. "Welcome to the Knight bus… Harry! Good to see you!"
Heather shoved him on, growling in a very Mad-Eye type way, "Good, we all know each other. We're going to London. And we're getting off first!"
Stan Shunpike, the conductor, backed up hastily and gulped, nodding. "Yes, ma'am. First thing." Heather nodded, smiling sweetly and paid their way.
Harry found a seat and looked at her oddly. "What was that about?" he whispered urgently.
Heather just winked and refused to answer. She sat back and prepared herself for the shift.
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BANG! The purple, triple-decker bus was soon careening through the crowded streets of London. They stopped at an address Harry gulped at seeing. He couldn't go back there. He felt his face pale and his hands begin to shake. How could she bring him back to this place? This was Grimmauld Place. The ancient home of the Black family and where his godfather, Sirius, had been trapped until he'd run to the Ministry of Magic and died, trying to save Harry.
Harry gulped and remained in his seat until Heather came back and hauled him out of his seat bodily. She was rather strong for such a small woman. She shoved him down the stairs. Once they were clear, the Knight Bus disappeared with another bang!
Harry looked up grimly and saw the door appear for number twelve, shoving its flanking houses out of the way. No one else seemed to notice anything. Heather took his arm and dragged him into the house.
Inside, many things had changed. The house-elf heads were now gone. The curtains were still drawn over where the portrait of Sirius's mother was. The ugly troll leg umbrella stand was gone too.
Harry looked around dully. He did not want to be here. It brought back too many memories. He closed his eyes over the pain being here was causing to cascade through his heart. He fought back the tears as the sight of Sirius dying replayed through his mind.
Heather saw him open his eyes, looking compassionate. "I'm sorry Harry. I wouldn't have brought you here, but there really is no other place." She put an arm around his shoulders. "Truly I know how much it hurts."
Harry just nodded glumly. Just then a ginger, bandy-legged cat streaked out of the door to their right and curled around his ankles. "Hello, Crookshanks." He told Hermione's cat. If the cat was here that meant his friends were as well.
Sure enough, bushy hair flying, Hermione came out of the door and barreled into him. "Harry! Oh Merlin its good to see you! I thought you'd never get here!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She threw a look at the chuckling Heather. "Thank you Professor!"
Heather nodded and smiled. "Let's get your stuff upstairs, Harry and then I can report in." Harry trudged up the stairs, trying not to show how much being here hurt. He walked into the room he and Ron had shared the summer before and took out Hedwig's cage and his trunk. Heather quickly returned them to natural size and then left to "report in."
Harry sat dully on his bed, Hermione perching on Ron's bed across from him. "How are you, really?"
Harry just shrugged and scratched Hedwig, who'd floated down from atop the wardrobe to sit on his knee. He looked up and saw Hermione just watching him. Then something occurred to him. "Professor?" He asked, puzzled.
Hermione nodded. "She's our new DADA Professor." Then she smiled, "Though a lot of the others are not happy about that. " Harry just looked his question at her and she shrugged. "All I know is what I've heard. Professors Lupin and Moody are not enamored of the idea of her being the new teacher. I haven't figured out why."
Just then the tall, gangling figure, topped by bright red hair, of his friend Ron came running into the room. "Harry! Mate, I'm glad to see you!" Ron clapped him on the shoulder and then turned to Hermione. "They're at it again." She sighed and stood, taking out a long pale string from her pocket.
Harry, Ron and Hermione snuck out onto the landing where they could hear everything coming out of the kitchen. It didn't take long for Harry to learn what Ron meant.
"Dammit Molly! Stop hovering! I'm fine." The voice of Heather floated up to them. Hermione held onto her Extendable Ear just in case.
"You should be more careful," Mrs. Weasley admonished gently. Harry looked a question at his two friends who just shrugged. "You have to-"
"Take care of myself! Yes, I know!" Harry had never heard Heather sound so snappish. Even when Dudley was at his worst, she had kept her calm. "I'm not made of glass and I'm just fine!"
"Molly's right, you know." That was the voice of Professor Lupin, werewolf and former teacher at Hogwarts. "You need to take better care."
"Remus! Not you too? I am just fine! There's no reason to worry," Heather sounded extremely determined to make both of them believe this. "I know what I'm doing."
"You should take better care and take it easy. Taking that teaching post…" Remus's voice trailed off.
Harry could hear the eye rolling in her sigh. "I'll be fine! There really isn't a better place for me to hide this. Cursed post or not. I don't have much choice. Hide here or there. I'd rather it be at Hogwarts. There at least I will be doing something."
Harry heard Mrs. Weasley's rather gusty sigh. "You sound just like him." Harry had no doubt she was talking about Sirius. He'd been confined to this house for too long and had been slipping slowly into insanity.
Heather snorted. "Surprise there. Now, can I please have something to eat? I'm starved!"
Ron and Hermione pulled Harry back into his and Ron's room, shutting the door quietly. "See what I mean?" Hermione said, plopping into a chair. "There's nothing to hear once she asks for something to eat. Then Mrs. Weasley usually just chuckles and feeds her. They're hiding something. Heather Stone most of all."
"Another werewolf?" Harry asked, his mind working. His two friends just shook their heads.
"No, we thought of that too." Ron said, flinging himself onto the bed. "But she was here during the full moon."
Harry nodded, quickly dismissing that idea. Hermione was the next one to speak up. "I think it has something to do with Sirius." Harry looked at her startled and she ducked her head, sorry to have brought it up. "Well, from what I know, unless someone of the family blood is willing to take up residence within two moons, these old wizarding family homes disappear. I think she might be related to him."
Harry shook his head remembering the family tapestry that Sirius had shown him a year ago. "Her name wasn't on the tapestry and it wasn't blasted off."
Hermione sighed and nodded. "I'd forgotten about that. You're sure that there isn't anyway Sirius missed her or her mother or father?" Harry nodded, remembering how Sirius had carefully told about all the ones removed from the tapestry. "Well, there goes that then. So, what's left?" The two guys looked blank. They had no idea.
Just then someone knocked on the door and the bright red hair of Ron's sister Ginny poked in. "Here you are!" She came in and plopped next to her brother. "Hello, Harry. So I take it you heard?" Everyone nodded. "I wonder what it is they are hiding."
Harry shrugged. He had no clue and he'd lived with her for two weeks. "Last time they were hiding that thing in the Department of Mysteries. Couldn't be something like that could it?"
Everyone gathered thought about that for a moment, then Ginny shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Whatever it is, its about the Professor herself. Not something they are hiding."
Hermione nodded. "I remember the fight before she went after you Harry. Whatever it is, its her." There were nods all around, from everyone except Harry. He didn't have enough information to even make a guess. "So, what was it like having her living there with you and the Dursleys?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.
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The call for supper from Mrs. Weasley brought the laughing foursome down the stairs and into the kitchen. Heather was there still, sipping at what looked to be pumpkin juice. She smiled as the four Gryffindors all sat around the table. Mrs. Weasley came over and hugged Harry tightly. "Oh Harry! It's so good to see you! You need feeding up. We'll take care of that. Sit. Sit." She shooed all of them to seats and served their dinner.
As they were eating their shepard's pie and the students were arguing over Quidditch, Heather suddenly turned green and leapt up from the table. She rushed out of the room, getting odd looks from the students, an understanding one from Lupin and a sympathetic one from Mrs. Weasley. Harry looked after her, completely confused.
She was back in only a moment and sat down to finish her dinner, a blush on her cheeks. She picked at her food and only began eating again when Mrs. Weasley glared at her and then her plate. With several more pointed looks, Heather sighed and began eating again.
The students went back to their Quidditch discussion, while Hermione talked to Lupin about werewolf rights. Heather and Mrs. Weasley were both quiet, sharing pointed looks. When dinner was finally over, Heather held up her hands in surrender when Mrs. Weasley ordered her to bed. The four Hogwarts students exchanged surprised glances but didn't say anything when their new professor trudged up the stairs. Harry was surprised to see her open the door to the room Sirius had once used and go inside. He stood, anger surging through him. Only Lupin's hand on his arm stopped him. "She has a right to the room Harry, leave her be. Now tell me all about having her around for a fortnight. Did she hex Dudley at all?"
For the second time, Harry told of his last fortnight at the Dursleys. Again the kitchen was filled with laughter, as Harry told of all Heather had done to his massive cousin.
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The next month passed quickly. The morning after he'd arrived, he'd awoken to presents covering his bed. Seems, no one had forgotten his birthday after all. They had just put it off a day. "To let Professor Stone rest a bit," Mrs. Weasley had explained. That odd comment had earned her a glare from said professor, and glances from the students.
The students were sometimes relegated upstairs when other members of the Order arrived. The only ones who never seemed to leave were Mrs. Weasley and the new DADA Professor. Lupin rarely went out, and when he did it wasn't for long. He seemed to be hovering over Professor Stone as well. The one thing really enlightening during the month before term started was an argument overheard by the four Gryffindors between Snape and Professor Stone.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all sitting back from the landing, trying to hear with the Extendable Ears when the new Professor and Snape and stomped into the hall. Harry looked at their new Professor and whistled silently. She was furious! Her hands were shaking and her face was white. He wondered what old Snape had said to make her so angry. He wasn't long in waiting.
"Who the hell do you think you are, Snape?" Heather spat the words at the Potions Master and head of Slytherin House.
Snape got that familiar smirk on his face and sneered at Heather. "I think I am the one out there risking his life, Professor." The last word was almost a curse.
Heather crossed her arms and glared at Snape, matching him perfectly, despite her much shorter height. "Is that the argument you always used, Snivellus? Is that what drove him to his death?" She smirked now. "You better believe I blame you for his death."
"Black was a fool!" Snape snapped.
Heather's hand reared back and cracked across Snape's rather prominent cheekbones and nose. "Try it again Snivellus. I'll make you regret not being sent to Azkaban. I got this job on my own merits. Not for anything else. You would do well to remember that."
Her handprint was a livid red against his pale face. "Try that again when you are not so… indisposed and we will have a much better outcome." He swirled his cloak and strode out, shutting the door carefully.
Molly Weasley then came out into the hallway and looked at Heather worriedly. "You should not let yourself get so upset. Its not good for you."
"He called Sirius a coward! How could I not get angry? He thinks he's so big, out there playing both sides! Sirius…." Heather took a deep breath, visibly pulling herself together. She stalked back into the kitchen where other voices could be heard.
Ron shared glances with his sister and two friends. "What was that about?" Everyone just shrugged wondering the same thing.
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A/N- Don't have my books with me so if I miss major canon points please be sure to tell me and I will change them. Thanks to my reviewers…. Enjoy