Chapter 15 - A Birthday Party
A few days had gone past since Harry had come out of hospital. Sirius crept upstairs every night while Harry was asleep to check on him. He walked back down to the kitchen after one of these instances and found that Mel was the only person in the room. They hadn't spoken since the incident in the drawing room and Sirius felt a little uncomfortable. He hovered in the doorway for a moment wondering whether it would be alright to enter when she looked up over her mug of tea.
"You can come in. I won't bite" she said softly, turning once again to look at the wall.
Sirius sighed and walked in to get himself a cup of tea. When he had finished making it, he sat down opposite Mel and slowly sipped it. There was silence for a few moments.
"It's Megan's birthday next week" Mel said softly.
Sirius looked up with raised eyebrows. He realised that he had never known her actual birthday.
"On Monday. She'll be 15." Mel added.
Sirius nodded, going back to his drink.
"Maybe we could have a little party. I'm sure Molly wouldn't mind baking a cake. Harry missed his birthday too, maybe we could have a joint party" Sirius said.
Mel nodded and looked the other way, towards the wall. She reached up to her neck and pulled the chain out from under her robes. She began to play with the objects on the end thoughtfully again, a habit that she had developed over the years. Sirius noticed and looked at it curiously. Mel didn't seem to notice. She was looking the other way. Sirius stared intently at the necklace. His eyes widened in surprise and he gasped when he realised what was on the chain.
Mel heard the gasp and looked over at him. It took only a moment for her to register what he'd been looking at. She flushed slightly and got up to leave the room. Sirius got up and grabbed her arm before she could get out the door.
"You kept them? All this time?" he asked in disbelief.
Mel folded her arms and looked away. Sirius reached towards her neck and pulled out the chain with two rings hanging off it.
"How long have you been wearing these around your neck?" he asked softly.
Mel looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Since you were sent to Azkaban. They sent me your ring, and I put them both on the chain" she said very softly.
A tear ran down her face and Sirius raised a hand to wipe it off her cheek, but she pulled away from him.
"Have you told Harry?" she asked.
Sirius sighed.
"No, not yet. I was planning to tell him when he wakes up" Sirius said.
"About Megan too?" she asked.
"About everything" Sirius replied.
Mel nodded, looking at her watch.
It was 6 am.
"I have to go somewhere this morning" she said softly, not looking him in the eye.
"Will you be alright to look after Megan and Harry by yourself? Molly's out shopping and I can't find Sera or Emily. Everyone else is doing things for the order" She added.
"I'm sure we'll be fine. Where are you going?" he asked.
"Does it matter?" she asked coldly.
Sirius was taken aback.
"Just in case there's a problem and I need to contact you" Sirius said slowly.
Mel expression softened and she shook her head.
"You won't. You'll be fine. I have to go, I'm late" she said, and walked out the door.
Sirius stared after her for a few moments before heading upstairs.
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Mel sat blankly looking at her hands. She tried in vain to calm the nerves in her stomach. She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest, as if it were trying to escape her rib cage. Waiting had to be the hardest thing in the world, she thought to herself as she once again, took the wedding rings out of her robes and toyed with them.
"Melarin Malfoy" came a voice from the counter.
Her heart gave a jolt as she stood up and made her way over to the woman.
"This room here" the woman instructed.
Mel obediently entered the room that the woman had pointed to. A mediwizard was sitting in the room. Mel held her breath as she sat down. He gave her a faint smile, but it was not reassuring. The smile didn't reach his eyes, and it quickly turned grim. She felt her heart plummet.
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"Good morning" Sirius said brightly as he entered Harry's room carrying a tray.
Harry grunted in reply and rubbed his eyes sleepily and gazed at the clock. It was 8 am.
"How'd you sleep?" Sirius asked, giving Harry a concerned look as he placed the tray on the bedside table and sat down.
"Fine" Harry said, looking at the tray. "Can I get up today? I'm sick of staying in bed!"
Sirius looked at Harry for a moment. He had colour in his cheeks again and had put on a little weight in the last few days. Sirius smiled.
"I guess it won't hurt to get you out of bed for a while. Just make sure you eat that first" Sirius said, nodding towards the tray of food.
Harry looked at the humongous meal laid out on the tray and grimaced.
"Alright" he said reluctantly as he picked up a slice of toast and stuffed it in his mouth.
Sirius was silent for a moment while Harry ate.
"Harry I need to talk to you about some things" he said.
Harry looked up at him questioningly.
"What things?" He asked, before grabbing a second piece of toast.
"Mel and Megan for one" Sirius said.
Harry stopped as he was about to take a bite out of the toast and looked at Sirius curiously.
"What about them?" he asked.
"Mel and I knew each other a long time ago" Sirius started.
Harry nodded, still eating his toast.
"We were married" Sirius blurted out suddenly.
Harry choked on the toast. Sirius hit him on the back as he coughed. When Harry stopped coughing he spoke.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Harry asked, curiously.
"Never came up" Sirius said honestly. "Before I came back here, I hadn't laid eyes on her since a few weeks before your parents died. We had a fight before I left"
Harry thought about this for a moment.
"What made you fight?" Harry asked.
"She wanted me to stay in Ireland with her. Away from all the fighting. I wanted to help my friends" Sirius explained.
Harry thought for a moment.
"So Megan's your daughter?" he asked tentatively.
Sirius nodded, watching Harry closely to gage his reaction.
"So why didn't you go see her when you got out?" Harry asked, confused.
"I didn't know she existed until I came here. Mel didn't tell me she was pregnant before I left" Sirius explained.
Harry nodded his understanding.
"Anything else I should know?" he asked.
"Not for now" Sirius said, relieved that Harry wasn't mad at him.
Harry smiled.
"I've finished eating now, can I get up?" He asked.
Sirius nodded and left the room so that Harry could get changed.
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That day, Dumbledore came over to talk to Emily. Harry thought that it was quite strange, but spent most of the day on the lounge in the sitting room. Sirius had told him he could get up, but demanded that he rest. After Dumbledore had finished speaking to Emily in private, they both came to see Harry.
"How are you feeling Harry?" Dumbledore asked, concerned.
"I'm fine Professor" Harry said. Dumbledore nodded his head.
"Good." He said and paused for a moment. "Harry I want you to learn something different"
Harry looked at him bewildered.
"I want you to learn legilimens" Dumbledore said, staring down at him expectantly.
Harry raised his eyebrows slightly.
"But I couldn't learn occlumency. How am I supposed to learn Legilimens?" Harry asked, confused.
"Emily is going to teach you" Dumbledore said. Harry raised his eyebrows. "Has anyone told you who Emily is?"
Harry shook his head slowly.
"Emily is your father's sister Harry. Your Aunt"
"Why is it that I couldn't live with her then?" Harry asked.
"Emily has been on the run from the ministry of magic since before you were born Harry" Dumbledore replied
"Why?"
"Because I was an unspeakable, and I know too much. When I quit the ministry they assumed that I had joined with You know who and put a bounty on my head, dead or alive" Emily said with a sad smile.
"We'll start lessons this afternoon if you're up to it. We'll need to go through occlumency first though, but that shouldn't take long" she explained.
"But I couldn't learn occlumency with Snape"
"Professor Snape, Harry" Professor Dumbledore said quietly.
"You haven't learnt it the way I teach it. I think you'll do quite well" Emily said with a smile.
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That afternoon, Harry was back in his room looking over his homework. There was a soft knock on the door and he looked up.
"Come in" he said.
The door opened and Emily walked in.
"Hello Harry" she said softly.
Harry sighed as he put down his work and looked at her.
"Anything wrong?" she asked.
"Why didn't anyone tell me about you?" He asked bitterly.
She sighed.
"A matter of necessity I'm afraid" she said softly. "I had to lose contact with everyone that I knew. Even my secret keeper had to stay away in case someone found out she was hiding me" she added sadly.
"But why did you have to stay hidden? What makes you so important?" he demanded a little more angrily than he intended.
"Calm down Harry. Anger won't make this any easier" she replied softly. "Once you have mastered occlumency, I will explain everything"
Harry sighed and nodded resignedly.
"Now get up" Emily instructed. Harry obeyed. "You'll find that I will start off much gentler than Professor Snape. We will progress to that level gradually, when you are ready"
Harry nodded.
"Pick up your wand" she said.
Harry looked at her quizzically. She sighed.
"Professor Dumbledore arranged with the minister of magic for you to have these lessons. You are able to use magic outside of school provided that it is within the time frame of your lessons. Understand?"
Harry nodded and picked up his wand.
"But how can the ministry know? I thought they were after you?" Harry asked, a little confused still.
Emily sighed.
"Naturally Professor Dumbledore didn't tell them who would be teaching you. They assume that he is teaching you himself" she replied wearily.
"So why isn't he?" Harry asked.
"Same reason as before. Now are we going to spend this whole time playing 20 questions or are we going to get to work?" she asked, slightly exasperated.
Harry nodded reluctantly.
"Now then, clear your mind. When the memories begin to play, I want you to try and force me out"
Harry nodded, but looked a little worried.
"On the count of three" Emily said. Harry nodded again. "One. Two. Three. Legilimens"
Harry felt something brush the edge of his consciousness. Suddenly, the room wasn't visible to him anymore. Memory after memory flashed in front of him, he tried to resist and the room came back into focus. He was surprised to see that he was still standing, but he was shaking very badly. He looked over at Emily as she muttered something and pointed to her hand to cure the boils that had sprung upon it.
"Good for a first try Harry. Let's try again shall we?" she said softly.
He nodded.
"One. Two. Three. Legilimens" she said.
Harry felt the brush on his conscious and the memories began to play again. This time was different though. He felt an inner strength he didn't know he had. He pushed the brushing sensation into a dark corner of his mind and felt the spell being lifted. Emily was beaming at him.
"Well done Harry. I knew you could do it" She said, walking over to him and looking up at his face.
It occurred to Harry how short she was as he looked down at her. She barely came up to his shoulders.
"Rest now. The next lesson is scheduled for Monday afternoon" she said and walked out of the room closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Harry felt slight pain in his scar and though it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been with Snape, he laid on the bed and was grateful to fall asleep.
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Monday came quickly and Sirius barged into Harry's room with a huge grin. Harry woke with a start and looked groggily up at his godfather.
"Time to get up" Sirius said, beaming.
Harry furrowed his eyebrows.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"The other kids are over today. They're waiting for you downstairs" Sirius said as he threw some clothes at Harry and walked out of the room.
Harry sighed as he got changed and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen he let out a gasp of surprise. There was a banner up in the kitchen saying "Harry Birthday Harry and Megan" that was enchanted to change colours every 10 seconds. There was a huge cake on the table and all his friends were standing around looking at him.
"Sorry it's a little late" Sirius apologized. "I wasn't here for your birthday so we decided that we'd have a little party for you now. It's Megan's birthday today too, I hope you don't mind sharing"
Harry grinned as his other friends came over and welcomed him. He noticed that Megan was sitting in a corner by herself. Her knees were drawn close to her and her arms were clasped around them. She was still wearing the purple scarf.
"Why's Megan by herself?" Harry asked.
"Cause she doesn't like socialising much. I came over to say hello to you and she decided to stay over there. Plus, Mel isn't back yet." Ginny said.
"Where did Mel go?" Harry asked curiously.
Ginny shook her head.
"She didn't tell anyone. She's left like that 3 times in the past week. I think she might have a new boyfriend" Ginny said with a crooked grin.
Sirius walked past and overheard, but didn't say anything.
Harry went over to Megan.
"Hi" he said.
"Hi" she said softly, not moving from the little ball that she had drawn herself into.
"You going to join in the party?" Harry asked.
She looked around for a moment, but drew her head back and shook her head, her face flushed slightly.
"Megan" came a voice from behind Harry.
It was Sirius.
"I've got something for you. You need to get up though"
Megan looked at him warily for a moment before drawing out of her ball and walking over to him. Everyone in the room had stopped talking to watch them. Sirius pulled out a small wooden box.
"To make up for all the birthdays I've missed" he said.
He held the box out to Megan and she stared at him for a moment, before slowly taking the box out of his hand. She looked down at it in awe.
"Open it" he said softly.
She bit her lip and didn't move for a moment, then slowly, she opened the box. She looked inside and gasped. Her eyes went wide and she looked back at her father who was smiling broadly. Everyone in the room came closer to see what he had given her. She slowly pulled it out of the case.
It was a necklace. On the end of the fine gold chain was a heart that was covered in diamonds. It shone brightly in the light. Megan stared at it, unable to speak. She had never in her life received such an extravagant gift. She looked back at Sirius, who took it from her hand and made to put it on her, but she froze and shrank back from him. He looked at her confused and their eyes met for a moment. Sirius was puzzled to see fear in her eyes. She immediately closed her eyes and stood back up straight so that he could put the necklace on her. Sirius stood back and she opened her eyes again. She looked down at the necklace and then back to Sirius. She smiled softly, and he returned the smile. She pretended not to notice that the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Thankyou" she murmured, before moving away and sitting down in the corner again.
Sirius stared after her for a moment, wondering what had happened before sighing and turning to Harry.
"Your turn" he said with a crooked grin and handed Harry a parcel.
Harry opened it eagerly. It was a large, thick book. It had a leather cover and looked very old. Harry read the title. Advanced Transfiguration techniques. Harry looked back at Sirius.
"Um, thanks" he said with a forced smile.
"I'll tell you about it later" Sirius said with a wink.
Harry looked at him puzzled, but didn't say anything further. After about an hour of chatting to everyone, Harry got quite tired. He excused himself and went outside for a little fresh air. As he walked out onto the back veranda he noticed a small figure sitting on the chair.
It was Megan. She was curled up into a small ball, staring out into the yard. She hadn't noticed Harry in the doorway.
"What are you doing out here?" Harry asked.
Megan jumped.
"You scared me" she said quietly.
"I didn't mean to" he said. She shrugged and looked back at the yard. "Can I sit down?"
Megan looked up at him. She studied him for a moment as if deciding whether he was a threat. Apparently deciding there was no immediate danger, she nodded and moved over a little to let him sit beside her.
"So what are you doing out here?" Harry asked her.
"I don't like being around lots of people" she said quietly. "I much prefer to be invisible"
Harry laughed.
"Why would you want to be invisible?" He asked curiously.
She looked at him for a moment.
"You can't tell me that you never wished that no one could see you when everyone stares at your scar can you?" she asked, placing a finger on his scar for a moment for emphasis.
After she pulled in away, he felt a tingling sensation where her finger had been. He thought for a moment.
"But that's hardly the same is it?" he asked slowly.
She smiled without a trace of happiness.
"My last name is Black" she said. "Remember the trouble when my father escaped? No one knew that he was my father, but everyone knew that I had to be related to him in some way."
"But what does that matter?" Harry asked, confused.
Megan stared at him coldly.
"Do you remember how people treated you when they thought you were the heir of slytherin?" she asked.
He nodded slowly.
"Well they treated me the same way. Everyone in the corridors that knew who I was stared at me, they talked behind my back. Most of my friends abandoned me" Tears were beginning to well in her eyes. She stopped talking and took a deep breath.
She became calm and her expression became unreadable. Harry could tell that this wasn't a good topic. He thought desperately for something else to talk about.
"I didn't see Mel in there. Where's she at the moment?" he asked.
Megan's eyes suddenly filled with concern.
"I don't know. She left early this morning and wouldn't tell me where she was going" Megan said.
"I'm sure she's fine" Harry said softly.
Megan looked up into his eyes and smiled faintly.
"I hope so" she said.
Harry smiled down at her and put his arm around her comfortingly. She stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed. She looked up into his eyes and he smiled down at her. Without thinking, Harry drew her closer and kissed her quickly on the lips. She jumped and he drew back. She was staring at him with wide eyes. She licked her lips nervously.
"I'm sorry" Harry said immediately.
She blushed slightly.
"No, it's alright" she said softly and smiled shyly at him.
He grinned at her and then hugged her close to him. They sat there for a few minutes before Ginny stuck her head out the door.
"What are you two up to?" she asked with a mischievous grin.
Harry groaned.
"Not what you're thinking, put it that way" he said.
Megan flushed crimson at the thought and moved slightly away from Harry. Harry felt a little disappointed, but didn't show it.
"Everyone's looking for you. Maybe you should both come inside" Ginny said with a wink and left.
Harry looked at Megan for a second. She was looking at the ground.
"We should go in" she said softly, and walked towards the door, trying not to look at him.
Harry sighed and followed her. Sirius gave them both a quizzical look when they entered together, but didn't say anything.
The morning went quickly, and before Harry knew it, people began to leave. He was saying good bye to the order members when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around and saw Ginny and Hermione putting on their jackets. He looked at them quizzically.
"We're going back to my house" Hermione said. "My parents are taking us out to an amusement park tomorrow"
"Oh" Harry said, a little disappointed.
He didn't realise that the girls wouldn't be staying.
"Ron's staying though" Hermione added quickly, seeing the disappointment in Harry's eyes.
This seemed to brighten him a little. He said goodbye to the girls and they left with Tonks.
Harry looked around the room for Ron, and noticed that he was fast asleep on the couch. Harry smiled faintly and his eyes wandered around the room. Sirius was talking softly to Megan, who was still sitting in the corner, huddled in a ball. Harry sighed when he saw her. He knew that something had happened to make her act that way, but couldn't figure out what it was. He remembered how she had been in the hospital. Comparing her behaviour here and her behaviour there seemed like comparing two completely different people. He didn't understand how two personalities that were so very different managed to co exist in the same person. He sighed again and continued to look around the room.
Harry saw Emily out of the corner of his eye and made his way over to her. She smiled.
"Ready for that lesson now?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Good, follow me"
Harry followed her upstairs to his bedroom. Once they were in his room, Emily did something she had not done the previous time. She used her wand to lock the door. Harry gave her a quizzical look and she smiled down at him. He shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze.
"Why did you lock the door this time?" he asked.
A few days had gone past since Harry had come out of hospital. Sirius crept upstairs every night while Harry was asleep to check on him. He walked back down to the kitchen after one of these instances and found that Mel was the only person in the room. They hadn't spoken since the incident in the drawing room and Sirius felt a little uncomfortable. He hovered in the doorway for a moment wondering whether it would be alright to enter when she looked up over her mug of tea.
"You can come in. I won't bite" she said softly, turning once again to look at the wall.
Sirius sighed and walked in to get himself a cup of tea. When he had finished making it, he sat down opposite Mel and slowly sipped it. There was silence for a few moments.
"It's Megan's birthday next week" Mel said softly.
Sirius looked up with raised eyebrows. He realised that he had never known her actual birthday.
"On Monday. She'll be 15." Mel added.
Sirius nodded, going back to his drink.
"Maybe we could have a little party. I'm sure Molly wouldn't mind baking a cake. Harry missed his birthday too, maybe we could have a joint party" Sirius said.
Mel nodded and looked the other way, towards the wall. She reached up to her neck and pulled the chain out from under her robes. She began to play with the objects on the end thoughtfully again, a habit that she had developed over the years. Sirius noticed and looked at it curiously. Mel didn't seem to notice. She was looking the other way. Sirius stared intently at the necklace. His eyes widened in surprise and he gasped when he realised what was on the chain.
Mel heard the gasp and looked over at him. It took only a moment for her to register what he'd been looking at. She flushed slightly and got up to leave the room. Sirius got up and grabbed her arm before she could get out the door.
"You kept them? All this time?" he asked in disbelief.
Mel folded her arms and looked away. Sirius reached towards her neck and pulled out the chain with two rings hanging off it.
"How long have you been wearing these around your neck?" he asked softly.
Mel looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Since you were sent to Azkaban. They sent me your ring, and I put them both on the chain" she said very softly.
A tear ran down her face and Sirius raised a hand to wipe it off her cheek, but she pulled away from him.
"Have you told Harry?" she asked.
Sirius sighed.
"No, not yet. I was planning to tell him when he wakes up" Sirius said.
"About Megan too?" she asked.
"About everything" Sirius replied.
Mel nodded, looking at her watch.
It was 6 am.
"I have to go somewhere this morning" she said softly, not looking him in the eye.
"Will you be alright to look after Megan and Harry by yourself? Molly's out shopping and I can't find Sera or Emily. Everyone else is doing things for the order" She added.
"I'm sure we'll be fine. Where are you going?" he asked.
"Does it matter?" she asked coldly.
Sirius was taken aback.
"Just in case there's a problem and I need to contact you" Sirius said slowly.
Mel expression softened and she shook her head.
"You won't. You'll be fine. I have to go, I'm late" she said, and walked out the door.
Sirius stared after her for a few moments before heading upstairs.
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Mel sat blankly looking at her hands. She tried in vain to calm the nerves in her stomach. She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest, as if it were trying to escape her rib cage. Waiting had to be the hardest thing in the world, she thought to herself as she once again, took the wedding rings out of her robes and toyed with them.
"Melarin Malfoy" came a voice from the counter.
Her heart gave a jolt as she stood up and made her way over to the woman.
"This room here" the woman instructed.
Mel obediently entered the room that the woman had pointed to. A mediwizard was sitting in the room. Mel held her breath as she sat down. He gave her a faint smile, but it was not reassuring. The smile didn't reach his eyes, and it quickly turned grim. She felt her heart plummet.
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"Good morning" Sirius said brightly as he entered Harry's room carrying a tray.
Harry grunted in reply and rubbed his eyes sleepily and gazed at the clock. It was 8 am.
"How'd you sleep?" Sirius asked, giving Harry a concerned look as he placed the tray on the bedside table and sat down.
"Fine" Harry said, looking at the tray. "Can I get up today? I'm sick of staying in bed!"
Sirius looked at Harry for a moment. He had colour in his cheeks again and had put on a little weight in the last few days. Sirius smiled.
"I guess it won't hurt to get you out of bed for a while. Just make sure you eat that first" Sirius said, nodding towards the tray of food.
Harry looked at the humongous meal laid out on the tray and grimaced.
"Alright" he said reluctantly as he picked up a slice of toast and stuffed it in his mouth.
Sirius was silent for a moment while Harry ate.
"Harry I need to talk to you about some things" he said.
Harry looked up at him questioningly.
"What things?" He asked, before grabbing a second piece of toast.
"Mel and Megan for one" Sirius said.
Harry stopped as he was about to take a bite out of the toast and looked at Sirius curiously.
"What about them?" he asked.
"Mel and I knew each other a long time ago" Sirius started.
Harry nodded, still eating his toast.
"We were married" Sirius blurted out suddenly.
Harry choked on the toast. Sirius hit him on the back as he coughed. When Harry stopped coughing he spoke.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Harry asked, curiously.
"Never came up" Sirius said honestly. "Before I came back here, I hadn't laid eyes on her since a few weeks before your parents died. We had a fight before I left"
Harry thought about this for a moment.
"What made you fight?" Harry asked.
"She wanted me to stay in Ireland with her. Away from all the fighting. I wanted to help my friends" Sirius explained.
Harry thought for a moment.
"So Megan's your daughter?" he asked tentatively.
Sirius nodded, watching Harry closely to gage his reaction.
"So why didn't you go see her when you got out?" Harry asked, confused.
"I didn't know she existed until I came here. Mel didn't tell me she was pregnant before I left" Sirius explained.
Harry nodded his understanding.
"Anything else I should know?" he asked.
"Not for now" Sirius said, relieved that Harry wasn't mad at him.
Harry smiled.
"I've finished eating now, can I get up?" He asked.
Sirius nodded and left the room so that Harry could get changed.
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That day, Dumbledore came over to talk to Emily. Harry thought that it was quite strange, but spent most of the day on the lounge in the sitting room. Sirius had told him he could get up, but demanded that he rest. After Dumbledore had finished speaking to Emily in private, they both came to see Harry.
"How are you feeling Harry?" Dumbledore asked, concerned.
"I'm fine Professor" Harry said. Dumbledore nodded his head.
"Good." He said and paused for a moment. "Harry I want you to learn something different"
Harry looked at him bewildered.
"I want you to learn legilimens" Dumbledore said, staring down at him expectantly.
Harry raised his eyebrows slightly.
"But I couldn't learn occlumency. How am I supposed to learn Legilimens?" Harry asked, confused.
"Emily is going to teach you" Dumbledore said. Harry raised his eyebrows. "Has anyone told you who Emily is?"
Harry shook his head slowly.
"Emily is your father's sister Harry. Your Aunt"
"Why is it that I couldn't live with her then?" Harry asked.
"Emily has been on the run from the ministry of magic since before you were born Harry" Dumbledore replied
"Why?"
"Because I was an unspeakable, and I know too much. When I quit the ministry they assumed that I had joined with You know who and put a bounty on my head, dead or alive" Emily said with a sad smile.
"We'll start lessons this afternoon if you're up to it. We'll need to go through occlumency first though, but that shouldn't take long" she explained.
"But I couldn't learn occlumency with Snape"
"Professor Snape, Harry" Professor Dumbledore said quietly.
"You haven't learnt it the way I teach it. I think you'll do quite well" Emily said with a smile.
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That afternoon, Harry was back in his room looking over his homework. There was a soft knock on the door and he looked up.
"Come in" he said.
The door opened and Emily walked in.
"Hello Harry" she said softly.
Harry sighed as he put down his work and looked at her.
"Anything wrong?" she asked.
"Why didn't anyone tell me about you?" He asked bitterly.
She sighed.
"A matter of necessity I'm afraid" she said softly. "I had to lose contact with everyone that I knew. Even my secret keeper had to stay away in case someone found out she was hiding me" she added sadly.
"But why did you have to stay hidden? What makes you so important?" he demanded a little more angrily than he intended.
"Calm down Harry. Anger won't make this any easier" she replied softly. "Once you have mastered occlumency, I will explain everything"
Harry sighed and nodded resignedly.
"Now get up" Emily instructed. Harry obeyed. "You'll find that I will start off much gentler than Professor Snape. We will progress to that level gradually, when you are ready"
Harry nodded.
"Pick up your wand" she said.
Harry looked at her quizzically. She sighed.
"Professor Dumbledore arranged with the minister of magic for you to have these lessons. You are able to use magic outside of school provided that it is within the time frame of your lessons. Understand?"
Harry nodded and picked up his wand.
"But how can the ministry know? I thought they were after you?" Harry asked, a little confused still.
Emily sighed.
"Naturally Professor Dumbledore didn't tell them who would be teaching you. They assume that he is teaching you himself" she replied wearily.
"So why isn't he?" Harry asked.
"Same reason as before. Now are we going to spend this whole time playing 20 questions or are we going to get to work?" she asked, slightly exasperated.
Harry nodded reluctantly.
"Now then, clear your mind. When the memories begin to play, I want you to try and force me out"
Harry nodded, but looked a little worried.
"On the count of three" Emily said. Harry nodded again. "One. Two. Three. Legilimens"
Harry felt something brush the edge of his consciousness. Suddenly, the room wasn't visible to him anymore. Memory after memory flashed in front of him, he tried to resist and the room came back into focus. He was surprised to see that he was still standing, but he was shaking very badly. He looked over at Emily as she muttered something and pointed to her hand to cure the boils that had sprung upon it.
"Good for a first try Harry. Let's try again shall we?" she said softly.
He nodded.
"One. Two. Three. Legilimens" she said.
Harry felt the brush on his conscious and the memories began to play again. This time was different though. He felt an inner strength he didn't know he had. He pushed the brushing sensation into a dark corner of his mind and felt the spell being lifted. Emily was beaming at him.
"Well done Harry. I knew you could do it" She said, walking over to him and looking up at his face.
It occurred to Harry how short she was as he looked down at her. She barely came up to his shoulders.
"Rest now. The next lesson is scheduled for Monday afternoon" she said and walked out of the room closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Harry felt slight pain in his scar and though it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been with Snape, he laid on the bed and was grateful to fall asleep.
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Monday came quickly and Sirius barged into Harry's room with a huge grin. Harry woke with a start and looked groggily up at his godfather.
"Time to get up" Sirius said, beaming.
Harry furrowed his eyebrows.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"The other kids are over today. They're waiting for you downstairs" Sirius said as he threw some clothes at Harry and walked out of the room.
Harry sighed as he got changed and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen he let out a gasp of surprise. There was a banner up in the kitchen saying "Harry Birthday Harry and Megan" that was enchanted to change colours every 10 seconds. There was a huge cake on the table and all his friends were standing around looking at him.
"Sorry it's a little late" Sirius apologized. "I wasn't here for your birthday so we decided that we'd have a little party for you now. It's Megan's birthday today too, I hope you don't mind sharing"
Harry grinned as his other friends came over and welcomed him. He noticed that Megan was sitting in a corner by herself. Her knees were drawn close to her and her arms were clasped around them. She was still wearing the purple scarf.
"Why's Megan by herself?" Harry asked.
"Cause she doesn't like socialising much. I came over to say hello to you and she decided to stay over there. Plus, Mel isn't back yet." Ginny said.
"Where did Mel go?" Harry asked curiously.
Ginny shook her head.
"She didn't tell anyone. She's left like that 3 times in the past week. I think she might have a new boyfriend" Ginny said with a crooked grin.
Sirius walked past and overheard, but didn't say anything.
Harry went over to Megan.
"Hi" he said.
"Hi" she said softly, not moving from the little ball that she had drawn herself into.
"You going to join in the party?" Harry asked.
She looked around for a moment, but drew her head back and shook her head, her face flushed slightly.
"Megan" came a voice from behind Harry.
It was Sirius.
"I've got something for you. You need to get up though"
Megan looked at him warily for a moment before drawing out of her ball and walking over to him. Everyone in the room had stopped talking to watch them. Sirius pulled out a small wooden box.
"To make up for all the birthdays I've missed" he said.
He held the box out to Megan and she stared at him for a moment, before slowly taking the box out of his hand. She looked down at it in awe.
"Open it" he said softly.
She bit her lip and didn't move for a moment, then slowly, she opened the box. She looked inside and gasped. Her eyes went wide and she looked back at her father who was smiling broadly. Everyone in the room came closer to see what he had given her. She slowly pulled it out of the case.
It was a necklace. On the end of the fine gold chain was a heart that was covered in diamonds. It shone brightly in the light. Megan stared at it, unable to speak. She had never in her life received such an extravagant gift. She looked back at Sirius, who took it from her hand and made to put it on her, but she froze and shrank back from him. He looked at her confused and their eyes met for a moment. Sirius was puzzled to see fear in her eyes. She immediately closed her eyes and stood back up straight so that he could put the necklace on her. Sirius stood back and she opened her eyes again. She looked down at the necklace and then back to Sirius. She smiled softly, and he returned the smile. She pretended not to notice that the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Thankyou" she murmured, before moving away and sitting down in the corner again.
Sirius stared after her for a moment, wondering what had happened before sighing and turning to Harry.
"Your turn" he said with a crooked grin and handed Harry a parcel.
Harry opened it eagerly. It was a large, thick book. It had a leather cover and looked very old. Harry read the title. Advanced Transfiguration techniques. Harry looked back at Sirius.
"Um, thanks" he said with a forced smile.
"I'll tell you about it later" Sirius said with a wink.
Harry looked at him puzzled, but didn't say anything further. After about an hour of chatting to everyone, Harry got quite tired. He excused himself and went outside for a little fresh air. As he walked out onto the back veranda he noticed a small figure sitting on the chair.
It was Megan. She was curled up into a small ball, staring out into the yard. She hadn't noticed Harry in the doorway.
"What are you doing out here?" Harry asked.
Megan jumped.
"You scared me" she said quietly.
"I didn't mean to" he said. She shrugged and looked back at the yard. "Can I sit down?"
Megan looked up at him. She studied him for a moment as if deciding whether he was a threat. Apparently deciding there was no immediate danger, she nodded and moved over a little to let him sit beside her.
"So what are you doing out here?" Harry asked her.
"I don't like being around lots of people" she said quietly. "I much prefer to be invisible"
Harry laughed.
"Why would you want to be invisible?" He asked curiously.
She looked at him for a moment.
"You can't tell me that you never wished that no one could see you when everyone stares at your scar can you?" she asked, placing a finger on his scar for a moment for emphasis.
After she pulled in away, he felt a tingling sensation where her finger had been. He thought for a moment.
"But that's hardly the same is it?" he asked slowly.
She smiled without a trace of happiness.
"My last name is Black" she said. "Remember the trouble when my father escaped? No one knew that he was my father, but everyone knew that I had to be related to him in some way."
"But what does that matter?" Harry asked, confused.
Megan stared at him coldly.
"Do you remember how people treated you when they thought you were the heir of slytherin?" she asked.
He nodded slowly.
"Well they treated me the same way. Everyone in the corridors that knew who I was stared at me, they talked behind my back. Most of my friends abandoned me" Tears were beginning to well in her eyes. She stopped talking and took a deep breath.
She became calm and her expression became unreadable. Harry could tell that this wasn't a good topic. He thought desperately for something else to talk about.
"I didn't see Mel in there. Where's she at the moment?" he asked.
Megan's eyes suddenly filled with concern.
"I don't know. She left early this morning and wouldn't tell me where she was going" Megan said.
"I'm sure she's fine" Harry said softly.
Megan looked up into his eyes and smiled faintly.
"I hope so" she said.
Harry smiled down at her and put his arm around her comfortingly. She stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed. She looked up into his eyes and he smiled down at her. Without thinking, Harry drew her closer and kissed her quickly on the lips. She jumped and he drew back. She was staring at him with wide eyes. She licked her lips nervously.
"I'm sorry" Harry said immediately.
She blushed slightly.
"No, it's alright" she said softly and smiled shyly at him.
He grinned at her and then hugged her close to him. They sat there for a few minutes before Ginny stuck her head out the door.
"What are you two up to?" she asked with a mischievous grin.
Harry groaned.
"Not what you're thinking, put it that way" he said.
Megan flushed crimson at the thought and moved slightly away from Harry. Harry felt a little disappointed, but didn't show it.
"Everyone's looking for you. Maybe you should both come inside" Ginny said with a wink and left.
Harry looked at Megan for a second. She was looking at the ground.
"We should go in" she said softly, and walked towards the door, trying not to look at him.
Harry sighed and followed her. Sirius gave them both a quizzical look when they entered together, but didn't say anything.
The morning went quickly, and before Harry knew it, people began to leave. He was saying good bye to the order members when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around and saw Ginny and Hermione putting on their jackets. He looked at them quizzically.
"We're going back to my house" Hermione said. "My parents are taking us out to an amusement park tomorrow"
"Oh" Harry said, a little disappointed.
He didn't realise that the girls wouldn't be staying.
"Ron's staying though" Hermione added quickly, seeing the disappointment in Harry's eyes.
This seemed to brighten him a little. He said goodbye to the girls and they left with Tonks.
Harry looked around the room for Ron, and noticed that he was fast asleep on the couch. Harry smiled faintly and his eyes wandered around the room. Sirius was talking softly to Megan, who was still sitting in the corner, huddled in a ball. Harry sighed when he saw her. He knew that something had happened to make her act that way, but couldn't figure out what it was. He remembered how she had been in the hospital. Comparing her behaviour here and her behaviour there seemed like comparing two completely different people. He didn't understand how two personalities that were so very different managed to co exist in the same person. He sighed again and continued to look around the room.
Harry saw Emily out of the corner of his eye and made his way over to her. She smiled.
"Ready for that lesson now?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Good, follow me"
Harry followed her upstairs to his bedroom. Once they were in his room, Emily did something she had not done the previous time. She used her wand to lock the door. Harry gave her a quizzical look and she smiled down at him. He shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze.
"Why did you lock the door this time?" he asked.
