Disclaimer: Neither Pilot Candidate/Candidate for Goddess nor Harry Potter belongs to me. Pilot Candidate/Candidate for Goddess is the property of Yukiru Sasagiri, Wani Books, Bandai Visual Entertainment, and TCFG Committee. Harry Potter is the property of J. K. Rowling.

Curriculum Harry Potter

Chapter Two

By Ronin S. Oath

Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard if as he had been in a race. He had just awoken from a vivid dream. One which he knew was true… One which he truly saw happen a little less than a year ago…

At first, he had tried to think that it was just a dream… And that his godfather was still alive. But after countless nights of restlessness and pestering from Hermione and Ron, he had finally accepted the facts how they stood…

Sirius Black was dead…

There was no way of changing that, no matter how hard he wished he could.

Harry turned on the lamp beside him, put on his glasses, scrambled out of bed, crossed the room, opened his wardrobe, and peered into the mirror on the small shelf. It had been a gift from Sirius, before…

He shook his head roughly, trying to concentrate on his own image.

A skinny boy of sixteen looked back at him, his dull green eyes full of sadness under untidy black hair, and a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.

With a sigh, Harry crossed the room, walked to the windows, and drew the curtains back.

Privet Drive looked exactly as a respectable suburban street would be expected to look on an early Saturday morning.

Harry went restlessly back to his bed and sat down, running his hand through his unkempt hair.

'It's my fault he's dead… If I hadn't listened to that stupid dream-'

Harry shook himself mentally, tears already forming in the corners of his eyes…

By the time Harry arrived at the kitchen table, the three Dursleys were already seated around the table. None of them looked at him as he entered or when he sat down. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were too busy trying to calm Dudley down…

Dudley looked furious at the idea of being given just 40 gifts for his birthday, and was doing his best to complain.

The doorbell rang.

Uncle Vernon laid aside his paper with a deep sniff from a coming cold, heaved himself out of his chair, and set off down the hall.

Harry heard some talking from where he was seated, and the sound of someone entering.

"Harry," Uncle Vernon called.

Harry stood, and followed the sound of Uncle Vernon's voice into the hall, stopping when he laid eyes on the just who was standing beside his uncle.

Standing there, out of placed as she was in his home, was Hermione Granger!

Hermione, noticing Harry, smiled sincerely at him. "Harry, it's so good to see you!"

"H-Hermione?"

Uncle Vernon looked to Harry, and then gestured at the girl. "They've came to take you back to that school of yours."

Harry gaped at Hermione.

"Well?" Uncle Vernon questioned, his voice rising slightly. "What are you standing there for, boy? Get your things!"

Harry wasted no time, and after a moment, he and Hermione were outside, loading his trunk and Hedwig's cage into the back of Hermione's parents' car.

Once they were seated in that car, Hermione turned to Harry. "You've met my parents before, Harry. We were on our way to meet Mr. Weasley at a coffee shop down town, and I decided that you'd might like to come as well… Ron says they've got a surprise for us. Hope they don't mind that you've come as well… Now that I think about it, Mr. Weasley may have wanted to pick you up himself…"

"Surprise?" Harry asked, looking at his friend.

Hermione shrugged. "Ron didn't tell me what it is… He just said that it was for both of us." Then after a moment of silence, Hermione added, "Mrs. Weasley is going to take us to get our school supplies this year, since my parents can't make it."

"Sorry about that," interrupted Mrs. Granger said from the passengers' seat. "We've have to work that day."

"So we'll be staying with Ron's family until beginning term," Hermione finished.

Hardly half an hour later…

Harry and Hermione were crammed into another car with Mr. Weasley and Ron.

"Hello, Ron," both Harry and Hermione greeted.

"Hello, Harry. Hello, 'Mione," Ron answered with an excited tone. "Just wait until you see!"

"See what, Ron?" Harry asked, looking at his red-haired friend.

"There's a small surprise waiting for you, mostly Harry of course, at old Grimmauld Place," Mr. Weasley replied from the front.

"At G-Grimmauld Place?" Harry questioned, looking at the back of Mr. Weasley's red head.

"That's right!" answered Ron.

A few hours later, Mr. Weasley parked his car and the four began walking in the direction of Grimmauld Place.

"You'll be so excited when you see!" Ron repeated for the thousandth time. "Just you wait!"

"You've said that already, Ron."

Ron smiled at Hermione's comment. "But you're going to be so excited!"

Harry watched Ron dully. "What's so important, Ron?"

"I can't tell you," Ron said sadly, glancing at his father who were a bit ahead of them. "Mom said to keep it a surprise…"

"Keep what a surprise?" Hermione questioned from Ron's other side.

"That's just it!" Ron exclaimed. "I can't tell you! You have to see it for yourselves! But you'll be so happy to see!"

"Here we are," Mr. Weasley said, stopping between two houses (Numbers eleven and thirteen of Grimmauld Place).

A door emerged from between the two houses, followed swiftly by the walls and windows of Sirius Black's former house, pushing the houses on either side out of its way.

Harry still wondered how the Muggles inside the other two houses hadn't noticed anything as he entered…

"Come on," Ron called, pulling both Harry and Hermione through the hallway.

Mr. Weasley smiled to himself as he shut the door behind him. "Three… Two…"

Ron left go of Harry and Hermione's arms just as he led them into the kitchen, and turned back to smile at them.

"H-Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Do… Do you see what I see or have I gone insane?"

Standing in front of them, wearing normal Muggle clothes, and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes was none other than Sirius Black!

"Hello, Harry."

"S-S-S-"

"Now don't tell me you've already forgotten about me, Harry."

"Sirius!" Without warning, Harry ran up to Sirius, nearly knocking the man down when he flung his arms around him.

"Told you that you'd be surprised to see him," Ron said, turning to Hermione who had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, 'Mione?"

Hermione wiped her tears, a smile spreading across her face at the sight in front of her.

"I thought you were dead," Harry cried into Sirius's shoulder.

Sirius gently patted Harry on the back. "Thanks to Remus and Dumbledore I'm back."

"Don't forget Professor Snape," Remus J. Lupin added, he was now standing in the doorway, a smile on his face as he watched the scene unfold.

"But… How did you come back?" questioned Hermione.

"Well, you see-" Remus was suddenly cut off by shouting voices coming from upstairs.

"Don't ever touch me, Enna!"

"You… You jerk!"

Sirius pulled away from Harry, his sky blue eyes meeting Remus's golden ones. "I think our other guests have awaken, Moony."

"I believe you are correct, Padfoot."

"We better stop them before they kill each other."

With that, Sirius and Remus left the room, running up the stairs with Harry, Hermione and Ron following them.

To Be Continue…