Chapter 3: Old Enemy and Healing

Harry nearly threw the sleeping cat off his lap when he noticed Dumbledore's head in the fire. The Headmaster smiled gently at him, his eyes dark and his face paler than normal. The disgruntled cat hissed at Harry and jumped off his lap, trotting into the kitchen.

"Professor!" Bella had also jumped at the Headmaster's voice, and had pulled out her wand in shock. She put it away hastily, flushing in embarrassment.

"Good evening Arabella. I'm sorry to pop in unannounced. I was wondering if I might talk with Harry for a moment?"

Harry had not even had time to greet his Headmaster, so just nodded mutely.

"Yes, yes, of course," Bella said quickly, "I'll be upstairs if you need me."

She got up and walked out, closing the door behind her. Harry had the feeling Bella and the Headmaster had spoken recently, hence the lack of conversation between the two.

There was a short, not uncomfortable silence between the two. Harry could feel Dumbledore's gaze piercing the top of his head.

"It may not be the most appropriate question to ask in the current circumstances, but I shall nonetheless ask how you are?"

Harry raised his bowed head and looked into the fireplace, giving a wry smile, "I've been better, sir."

"No doubt. I hear there was a…incident."

Harry nodded, "I had another vision, and something happened after I woke up," he stared at the fire hesitantly.

The blue eyes held his gaze. He could see concern and concentration shining from under the bushy white eyebrows.

"Could you tell me what happened in the vision?"

He did. He said that he had been running through woodland, he saw Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eaters; they talked to the woman, tortured and killed the man. There was a child, a little boy, and he told how the woman had killed her son, then herself.

He stopped for a minute, and took a deep breath before continuing.

"The Death Eaters took out daggers…then they put some curses that…ripped-"

Harry stopped abruptly, not wanting to go into detail. He assumed from the grim look on Dumbledore's face that he understood.

"I'm sorry you had to see it," the Headmaster sighed heavily, "The woman's name was Sarah Crew and her son was Matthew, she was a student here at Hogwarts about ten years ago. Unfortunately her fate was sealed when she began training as an Auror and married a muggle, but I'm afraid that fate was brought about quickly after Voldemort found out she had a half-blood child."

Harry frowned, "How do you…?"

"We sent somebody out immediately after the bodies were found by a local muggle farmer, we knew what had happened already, and assumed they must be the victims."

"Voldemort killed one of his Death Eaters as well," Harry remembered, "because he didn't take all the wands. Well, he didn't actually kill him…there was someone there with two massive dogs that did it."

Dumbledore nodded, obviously knowing this too.

"Then you had a visit?"

Harry looked up sharply, surprised Dumbledore knew this too. Bella hadn't mentioned it so he had assumed she didn't know, just like she didn't seem to know about Sirius.

"Yeah…" Harry replied slowly, "…I saw a rat with a silver paw from my window. I ran outside and chased him, but he was too quick," he paused, "I know it was really stupid…"

The Headmaster nodded solemnly, "You shouldn't have gone outside, no. I trust that you'll learn from this, though, I'm not going to tell you what could have happened because I'm sure you already know. Now, from what you could tell, did Pettigrew see you once you were out of the house?"

"No, he was already running when I got outside."

"Right, that would explain why he did not try to take you to Voldemort…I'm afraid if he had seen you outside the protective wards, things may have been different. It is strange…."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone after him like that," Harry whispered quietly, feeling guilty for putting everything Dumbledore had done for him into jeopardy.

"I know you're sorry, which means you have learnt, so we will not speak of it again. For now, I need to find out more about Pettigrew's little escapade. Unfortunately this has been brief, but I will hopefully be seeing you soon, Harry."

"Goodbye, sir."

Dumbledore's head disappeared.

Harry continued to stare into the fire, what was Pettigrew up to?

If there had been a serious plot to kidnap him, he expected it would have been more successful. For one, Harry doubted Voldemort would allow Pettigrew to come alone like he had done.

Sighing in exasperation, he remembered Bella was upstairs waiting for him to finish with Dumbledore, so he got up and went up to let her know he had gone.

Harry got to the top of the stairs and frowned as he heard voices. He knew Bella didn't have any TV's upstairs, and besides, one of the voices was Bella's.

He padded quietly across the hall, dodging the creaky floorboards he knew to be there. A few seconds passed and his frown deepened as he heard Dumbledore's soft voice emitting from the same bedroom Bella's was. He strained his ears to listen.

"…Hogwarts tomorrow," Dumbledore, "I fear it is not safe for the two of you to be there at the present time. Don't worry, it is just a precaution…but I don't want to be taking any unnecessary risks. I will explain all when you arrive, this is not something I can disclose whilst my head is in a fireplace."

"Of course, sir. What exactly do you want me to tell Harry?"

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary. He has heard most of what I just said."

Harry straightened from his bent over position. He thought about running down the stairs for a second, but then realised how stupid that was and stood on the other side of the door awkwardly.

I should have known…he thought, knowing a mere wooden door would never stop Dumbledore from seeing things others couldn't.

There was a moment's pause, before footsteps crossed the room and Bella's face appeared in front of him. She stood aside to let him in and he smiled sheepishly at her.

"Come on in Harry. No point in eavesdropping when you can be in the centre of it, is there?" He could see the smile in her eyes.

"Yeah…sorry, didn't mean to…" he tried, lamely.

"Yes, well, never mind," Bella dismissed his apology, before smiling again, "the fact is Harry, we're going to be spending the remainder of the holidays in Hogwarts."

Harry stared

. . . . . . . . x. . . . . . . . .

Fortunately, he was spared having to see any of Lord Voldemort's night time antics…there were no murders, but from the painful ache he had in his scar when he woke, he suspected some sort of punishment had been given. The immense relief he felt at the prospect of being back at Hogwarts lifted some of the weight from his shoulders, he would be close to Dumbledore, and he could be informed of whatever happened with the Dark Lord without having to rely on biased, misinformed newspapers.

Harry now stood with all his bags packed, ready to floo to Diagon Alley. Bella was furiously trying to get her three cats into their individual baskets, but Bianca was defiantly refusing to budge from her favourite place by the fire. Harry laughed at the sight of Bella on her hands and knees in front of the cat, waving her arms and swearing under her breath; Bianca merely looked at her and yawned widely.

"Bloody, stubborn cat," she growled, "Harry, you just go and I'll follow in a minute or two," Bella said, turning to him. He picked a pinch of powder from the mantle piece, and prepared to throw it in.

He grabbed his feather light trunk and Hedwig's cage, threw the powder into the roaring fire around him, and cried, "Diagon Alley!" as clearly as he could. Green flames roared about him and the last thing he saw was Bella shoving Bianca in, who then darted through her legs and hissed loudly. The rush in his ears was deafening, his stomach rolled as fireplace after fireplace whizzed past his vision, making him dizzy.

Once he was sure he was at the right one, in The Leaky Cauldron, he tumbled out….

…and collided with someone.

The someone jumped back with a growl of disgust, carefully wiping the dust from the perfectly tailored, dark green, robes.

Harry looked up very slowly, already dreading what he would see. He saw the finely polished black shoes, the long, soft dark robes, the diamond incrusted snake clasp that held it around the person's shoulders.

Lucius Malfoy stood in front of him; a sneer plastered on his pale, pointed face.

The Third Task, the dreams and visions came back to him in full force. He had managed to avoid thinking about it when he was at Bella's, but now there was no stopping the chilling screams and countless terrified faces that raced through his head.

Something in him drew away the fear, replacing it with anger and nerve. Harry stood tall, and held his head high, not once flinching at the murderous flash in Malfoy's stony eyes. His hand automatically strayed to his wand on his right thigh and he gripped it tight, looking back at the enemy with equal hatred. This was the first time they had met since the third task; they both knew it, and they both wanted to curse each other on the spot.

They glared for a few seconds; Harry's lip curled involuntarily in loathing. Malfoy raised one slender blond eyebrow, as if challenging him to do something in the middle of the busy pub.

Harry vaguely heard the rushing of wind behind him.

"Sorry Harry, Bianca eventually gave in, she realis…."

She fell silent as she took in the scene before her. The stench of hate was unbearable.

"Is there a problem?" She asked, her voice very cold.

Malfoy turned his head in her general direction, not once taking his icy, grey eyes off Harry.

"No problem. I think Mr. Potter here," he spat the name like poison, "needs to learn how to walk after travelling," the mocking in his voice was clear.

Harry replied steadily, "Not really. Sometimes you have to get to places so quickly, you don't think about your landing. As long as you can beat others to it, nothing else matters."

It was obvious he was referring to his escape during the Third Task. Something he knew everyone associated with Voldemort was very, very sore about.

Malfoy's jaw clenched.

"Just watch where you're going," he snarled, leaning close to Harry, "There'll be no second chances next time."

Before Harry had time to retort, Lucius Malfoy was already out the pub door.

Bella had gone slightly pale, and there was a twinge of fear in her eyes. Coming that close to a powerful Death Eater like Malfoy was unnerving, and brought everything about their situation home.

"Hopefully the next time I have to look into his face again…he'll be dead," Harry spat, his voiced laced with anger.

Bella looked at him, her expression desperate, "Harry, avoid him at all costs. Just as you would Voldemort."

He frowned lightly at her, how much does she really know? He wondered, nothing about Sirius or Pettigrew…what about everything that happened in the graveyard? There must be a huge chunk missing from what she does know….Pettigrew played a big part in it all.

Bella interrupted his thoughts, "Anyway, shall we get started?"

She shrunk all their luggage so it could be pocketed, then they made their way through the pub and into Diagon Alley. As soon as the familiar sights and sounds of the wizarding world came back to him, Harry felt a huge thrill race through him; it was both comforting but unsettling to be back with magic. The Alley wasn't nearly as busy as it was nearer term time, but wizards, witches, hags and even a banshee were shuffling in and out of each shop, their money bags getting lighter and shopping bags heavier.

"So, where to first Harry?"

He took out the items list that had been owled to him earlier that day and scanned it quickly.

"Well, we could go to Flourish and Blotts to get the books, then the apothecary for more potion ingredients, then go from there?"

"Sure, Flourish and Blotts it is."

After purchasing the necessary textbooks and potion ingredients, Bella turned to him, "What about robes?"

They steered over to Madame Malkin's, barely having time to step over the threshold before they were pounced on.

"Mr. Potter!" called Madame Malkin shrilly, "how nice to see you dear, I don't usually until nearer term time."

"I, erm, thought I would get a head start, avoid all the crowds," Harry lied.

"Right, right, intelligent thinking. So how can I help you?"

Harry purchased two sets of plain black school robes, and new green dress robes.

Bella needed some fittings for dress robes of her own, so Harry suggested he pop into the Quality Quidditch Supplies until she was finished.

He stopped on the way to go into the pet shop where he had first met Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, to buy some treats for Hedwig.

As he walked to the back of the shop to pay, he noticed a tank in the corner. Inside was a small snake, coiled in a bowl filled with water. It was about ten inches long and was a mossy green colour with thick, orange rings around its body, and a yellow tipped tail.

Harry approached the tank, knowing he shouldn't really, but not being able to resist. The creature was sleeping, with its head resting on the curled body. Even in sleep, the snake's senses forced it to notice it was being watched. The small black eyes opened, and it raised its head to look at Harry.

The small tongue flicked out of its mouth for a brief second, drinking in Harry's scent. It tilted its head slightly.

"Strange," it hissed quietly to itself, "…familiar."

It didn't seem to know Harry could understand it, just knew it felt a connection with him. Harry looked over his shoulder to check no one was watching him; there weren't many people who saw parseltongues as respectable people, and to be seen talking into a snake in the middle of a pet shop would do more than raise eyebrows.

"Am I familiar?" He hissed, once again finding it amazing he could speak a language he didn't, in a sense, know.

The snake regarded him with more interest and slight shock. It searched Harry's face before it answered.

"Perhaps. Our only familiarity is the language connection, I suspect."

"Yes, you wouldn't have talked to a human before."

"No," the snake replied, "but I have heard you calling me, though I am aware you do not really want, or need me."

What? Harry thought, bewildered.

"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Are you not the voice that summons?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never answer a question with a question, human. The voice that summons comes from a wizard like you. It calls for all snakes, though only the big, powerful and worthy are needed."

"Needed for what?" Harry suspected he knew where this was going, and his stomach dropped.

"To make history, aid the rebirth of the Dark Lord's reign."

Harry's head spun for a few horrible seconds, before he was brought back harshly by the shop keeper.

"Can I help you, sir?" He was oblivious to the conversation that had unfolded.

Harry forced himself to talk, knowing he had to get more information from the animal.

"How much is this snake?"

"The Medeor?" The man sounded surprised, "errr….that would be five Galleons."

"I'll take it," Harry reached into his pocket.

"Are you…sure? I mean, they can be very…aggressive."

Harry raised his eyebrows. That was a first: a shop assistant hesitant to sell something.

"Positive."

Would Hogwarts allow Harry to have a snake? He doubted it, it was the symbol of Slytherin, and Harry was in Gryffindor. He suspected the other Gryffindor's would not be thrilled.

The snake seemed confused when it was taken out of its tank. The shop keeper did so wearing Dragon-hide gloves, and Harry realised why when the snake sunk it's fangs into the think glove, moving its head from side to side.

"It's not poisonous…is it?"

"No, no, just a biter," the shopkeeper struggled to get it in a wooden box, but Harry told him to stop and said he would take it as it was.

The man looked at him as though he was completely insane, and after some reassurance, he held the snake out to him.

Harry nervously stretched his hands out, waiting for a tear at his flesh any moment. The snake looked at him in curiosity, before sliding off the man's hands and into Harry's, without ripping at his skin.

The man looked thoroughly confused, but nonetheless took the money.

Harry made his way out of the shop, and when he looked out the window he could see Bella paying for her robes.

"Why did you bite him?" he asked curiously.

"It is in my nature to bite, so I do."

"You didn't when I took you."

"There is no need. You communicate with me, therefore I talk to you, not bite you."

"Fair enough," Harry appreciated the honesty, and bluntness.

After hiding the snake in a large pocket in the inside of his robes, and asking it to keep its presence secret to anyone until he got to Hogwarts, he reunited with Bella.

"Right, thanks for waiting. Let's make a move," she said excitably, steering back to the pub.

...x...

His stumble out of the fireplace was no less graceful then when he had bumped into Malfoy: his bags flew everywhere and his glasses nearly fell off.

Once he had regained his composure, he took notice of which fireplace in which room he had landed in. He recognised the tall, dark red curtains hanging from the large windows surrounding the circular room, the tapestry of a lion standing gallantly on a cliff edge hanging over the fireplace. The comfortable red armchairs and dark, ornate wooden tables for homework, the staircases ahead of him leading to the boys and girl's dormitories, the blood red, gold lined rugs lying on the carpeted floor: he was in the Gryffindor common room. Once his mind had registered where he was, he became aware that he was not alone; the Headmaster was sitting in one of the cosy armchairs, a bowl of sherbet lemons on the chair's armrest. When Harry looked over, Professor Dumbledore raised his eyes to meet his, they looked tired and…old. Behind this, though, the old sparkle seemed to flare: like the sun on a warm day, merely obscured by misty, dark clouds.

"Good day Mr. Potter, I trust you had a comfortable journey?" he asked politely.

"As comfortable as travelling by floo can get, sir," he replied.

"Yes, yes, I never did enjoy that certain mode of transport, makes your head spin dreadfully…"

Harry nodded and stood awkwardly on the hearth. He was about to ask the Headmaster where Bella had got to, when he felt a stirring in his pocket. He could feel the snake crawling around, about to stick his head out. Harry hurriedly picked up his bags and made his way to the dorms, muttering to Dumbledore that he would be back in a minute.

Arriving at the top of the stairs, he looked down the corridor towards his room; it had "5th years" plated on the door. Putting his bags down, he turned the door handle and pushed it open. Familiar sights and smelled filled his senses as he entered the room, the perfect view of the Hogwarts grounds shimmered through the window and the light shone on his scarlet pillow through the bed hangings. The smell of freshly polished wood, clean bedding and lavender drew him in further.

Picking up his bags, he placed them at the foot of his bed, along with Hedwig's cage. He than took his robes off carefully and placed them on the bed, watching as the snake popped his head out and slithered onto the bed.

"This is where you will be staying. You can sleep under the bed, and at the moment you can roam around here as much as you want, but there will come a point when other people are here, and they can never know you are here…do you understand?"

The snake looked around in interest, flicking its tongue out repeatedly.

"I understand."

Harry quickly ran back downstairs, slightly embarrassed about his quick exit from the common room.

Professor Dumbledore was now standing in front of the fire, one arm propped on the fireplace, the other fiddling with his long robe sleeve. As Harry came back down the stairs, the Headmaster seemed to awaken and he turned towards him with a smile etched across his face.

"Now, Harry, I think it best we wait for Arabella to get here before we get started on explanations," he said, winking at him.

"Yes sir."

There was a moment's pause as the Headmaster scrutinised Harry carefully, seemingly checking everything was in place. When it seemed he was finished, he looked back at Harry's eyes and his face grew serious.

"When I talked with Arabella, she told me about the problem concerning your uncle. Sit down please, Harry."

Harry's eyebrows shot up slightly, he hadn't expected that. He nonetheless walked over to his favourite chair near the fire and climbed into it, revelling in the comforting feeling. He rubbed his eyes and passed a hand over his brow – suddenly tired.

He felt Dumbledore's piercing gaze and was powerless to do anything but meet it.

"It's not important," he grumbled, "We just got angry at each other and had a scuffle. He just really provoked me…I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to punch him."

Liar, he thought to himself. He realised his voice sounded anything but remorseful. It had been very satisfying at the time, but he wasn't prepared to share that particular detail with Dumbledore.

"Harry, believe me I have no concerns over your uncle's welfare. From what Arabella told me, you could have experienced a nasty assault from the man if she had not intervened when she did. I must ask, has he ever been violent towards you, your aunt or cousin before?"

Harry looked at his hands, "Not like that. We've never got on…their family hate everything about our kind. He's never been violent; he just gets angry and shouts a lot, maybe throws a plate once in a while. He's never done anything like that to my aunt or Dudley though, just wizards and witches."

Dumbledore nodded, and Harry was sure most of what he said was nothing new to him.

"Nevertheless, whether he did it before is irrelevant, the fact is he meant to do more damage to you than he was able thanks to Arabella's interference. We cannot afford for you to be put in that position again, I will have to make arrangements for you to spend your future summers with Arabella. Is that alright with you?"

Harry looked up and slowly felt a grin stretch across his face. It was everything he had ever wanted…and dreamt of since he was young - getting shot of the Dursleys for good. He looked hard at the Headmaster to make sure he hadn't imagined him saying it…then realised he was waiting for him to answer the question.

He swallowed hard, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, where…ah! Here she is-"

The portrait swung open to reveal a glowing Arabella Figg. She grinned broadly as she looked at the Headmaster, a skip nearly apparent in her step as she walked over.

"Oh, Headmaster the room is wonderful! It's just like being back in Gryffindor again…I love it, the colours are perfect!"

"Good, good. I thought you might like it…I'm sure it brought back fond memories."

She nodded eagerly, then frowned slightly, "I believe you wanted to see me in here about something important, sir?"

"Yes, please take a seat."

She moved into the seat opposite Harry, her back now facing the entrance to the common room. Her head cocked to one side as she sat, "It seems strange you being in here with me Harry, it's just like being back seventeen years in the common room with James."

Harry smiled to reassure her as her eyes became distant, but she was quickly brought back when Dumbledore sat down and leaned back in his chair to talk to them.

"I'm sure both of you are curious as to why I insisted you came to Hogwarts early," he said slowly, "…there is a good reason, which I will explain as best I can. Harry, when we spoke of the night you ended up in Arabella's home, I became concerned. It was obvious that the attempt to get close to you had not been on Voldemort's orders from the way it was done, it seemed to me that the Death Eater responsible first wanted to test the protective wards around your house, then try to capture you. Foolish, yes. I am sure the Death Eater in question received a somewhat…cold reception when he returned to his master. There was a very prominent risk of him being captured and forced to reveal where Voldemort is…something which the Dark Lord would not appreciate in the slightest.

"Now, I brought you here because recent information has given me no choice. It is likely, of course, that nothing will come of what we have heard, but I am not willing to take that risk. You are safer here, both of you."

Bella spoke up, "Professor, you referred to the Death Eater as a man…does this mean we know who it was?"

"It does, indeed" he said simply, before turning to Harry, "…I would like to see you in my office some time tomorrow please, Mr. Potter. Good day to you both."

He left without another word, leaving Bella speechless.

She turned to Harry after he had gone, "I don't understand, neither you or him have really explained what happened that-"

She stopped abruptly as a deep voice gave the password to the Fat Lady. It swung open so fast it banged against the wall, and the Fat Lady cried out angrily.

A huge black dog bounded in, not noticing Bella in the chair, and ran straight up to Harry. It scrambled at his face eagerly, licking him all over his cheeks and yapping in a puppy-like, excitable way.

Harry laughed and tried to push him off. At that moment all thoughts of Bella's knowledge of Sirius completely slipped away, all that mattered was his godfather was with him…safe. Padfoot changed in an instant to be replaced by Sirius, whose face was flushed and grinning. He had shaved, but still had a shadow of stubble, and his hair was about the same length as Harry's. His blue eyes danced as he looked at his godson, but behind the happy demeanour, Harry could still sense the darkness behind his eyes.

Harry stood and hugged him tightly, Sirius held him at arms length.

"Bloody hell, Potter, I thought the muggles didn't feed you? You're nearly as tall as me, for Merlin's sake!"

"Sorry…but you know that as you age you shrink," it was pointless banter, but that's what Harry loved most about his godfather...despite everything, he still managed to be entertaining and somewhat cheerful, much like Ron.

"Oi! Watch it…I am not old, and I don't shrink. I think you need to learn how to respect your elders, young man" he grinned, reaching into his robes, "I've got a wand now so-"

"Expelliarmus!"

The wand flew straight from Sirius hand, and into Arabella Figg's.

Bella's face was sickly pale, her hand shook as she pointed her wand at Sirius and the other shook at her side as she held the other wand tightly. As she stood her legs seemed to buckle beneath her, Harry watched as Sirius moved to catch her, but she supported herself on the armrest of the chair and pointed her wand at his heart. An unexplainable pain shone through her piercing eyes as she stared at the dark haired man in front of her. Sirius arms remained outstretched as though he wanted to reach forward and support her as she leant on the armchair.

"Bella-" Sirius started in desperation, his voice agonised.

"Move away from him, now," although her body quivered as she spoke, her eyes remained on Sirius' face without blinking.

Harry placed himself in front of Sirius and took out his wand, placing it in Sirius' hand.

"Bella, please sit down. Let me explain" said Harry.

"Harry do you know who this is? He killed your parents!" The hand holding her wand wavered slightly as Harry positioned himself between his godfather and the wand point.

"No, he didn't," he spoke quickly, "Please, you don't understand. Dumbledore didn't tell you about him…look, he's holding my wand and hasn't done anything. You have to believe me, he's innocent," Bella's teeth clenched and Harry spoke faster, "The Death Eater, last night…it was Pettigrew, Peter Pettigrew. In his animagus form, the rat, he was standing outside the house and when I tried to run after him he dove down the drains…Bella please, I know it's hard, but it's all true."

Sirius walked slowly towards the armchair behind Harry, and lowered himself in it. He flicked Harry's wand onto the floor at his feet and leant back, closing his eyes.

"It would have been nice to tell me that Arabella Figg was in the room, Harry. Trust Dumbledore, he told me to come straight in…" he murmured softly.

Harry too went to sit in his chair, picking up his wand as he passed Sirius.

Bella remained standing, "I don't understand," she whispered, her voice had lost its anger and fear, replaced with desperation and anguish.

"……how could Dumbledore just let me walk in like that? He could have least warned us; told the truth for a start," Sirius continued to murmur to himself.

Harry spoke up, "Bella, please sit down, I swear it's completely safe," she sat very slowly, her eyes did not leave Sirius and her wand remained in her hand, "…now, I know we owe you an explanation, but it will probably take a while, and I think it's better coming from Sirius."

He looked over at his godfather, who still had his eyes shut. His breathing was deeper than usual and he paused before looking over at Harry, then Bella. The cheerful smile that had been on his face earlier had vanished, his mouth was set in a grim line and his eyes became consumed by the darkness that Harry had seen lurking behind the earlier smiles. He bowed his head.

The story began painfully slowly, as though Sirius was trying hard to remember what he had attempted to forget . But after a few moments, his voice and manner became monotone, as though he were in a trance. Bella tried to interrupt a few times, as though desperate to prove that it was all wrong, that Pettigrew hadn't betrayed them like he had done and that she had not spent twelve years grieving because she thought Sirius had betrayed them. He told of Pettigrew being made Secret Keeper without telling anyone, him going to the house to find Lily and James dead, baby Harry being taken away by Hagrid. He told of him being framed by Pettigrew, laughing hysterically at the irony, complete and utter grief and doom he was facing. He stopped there; looked away from both of them and blinked rapidly. Harry could see the trace of a tear glistening on his thick black eyelashes.

Harry looked over at Bella, her face was ashen and her lip trembling; she looked as if she could faint at any second. She was looking at Sirius in distress and with a grief–stricken expression.

Harry went to get up and go to Sirius, but Bella beat him to it. She walked over and kneeled before him, taking his hand in both hers and whispered softly to him. He didn't look back at her as she spoke, but when a sob escaped her lips, he looked back at her and pulled her into a tight embrace, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Harry felt extremely uncomfortable, two close friends had just discovered each other again for the first time in twelve years, one thinking the other had been responsible for all the hurt and pain she had suffered, then discovering he had been wrongly accused and was innocent…it was not the sort of moment that should not be interrupted by him. He got up quietly and walked towards the stairs, as he ascended them he thought about what sort of relationship they had had when they were at school and after, by the look on Sirius face when he saw Bella for the first time, he cared about her very deeply. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he was glad that they could have each other; Sirius needed all the people he could get to help him through the slow process of healing.

He walked into the fifth year dorms and saw his snake was still lying on the pillow, coiled up and asleep. Outside the sun had set, but it was still early, so Harry got out his homework and prepared for a long night.

. . . . . . . . x .. . . . . . .

The sun shone through his eyelids, making him groan and roll over, he was hot and his stomach was rolling painfully, so he pushed the covers down by his feet. Something tickled his ear, he went to swat it away, but it was persistent, Harry's eyelashes fluttered and he opened his eyes. Glasses were put in his hands, and he sat up to see a book and parchment next to him, he had fallen asleep whilst doing his homework. He turned with a glare to see what irritating creature had woken him up.

Sirius sat at his bedside smiling down at him affectionately. He said good morning, and when Harry asked how it had gone with Bella, his smile widened.

"It was hard at first, really hard, but once it had sunk in that I was there, I was innocent and I wasn't going to leave, she said it was as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. We talked all night."

He clapped his hands, "Now, do you feel like some breakfast in bed? I dunno about you, but I'm starving."

Before Harry could answer, a house elf came in like the speed of light, and deposited a tray full of orange juice, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, toast and beans right on his lap. The elf bowed to them both, then whizzed straight back out the room again.

Sirius licked his lips, "That's what I call servi-"

Harry cried out. The rolling in his stomach increased and the pain was sharp and sudden.

"What?" Sirius asked quickly, looking at his scar.

"My stomach…here….it hurts."

Pain. Harry wrapped his arms around his middle and shut his eyes tight, Sirius asked him what was wrong again…but after more failed attempts to help him, Harry opened his eyes to see Sirius transform and sprint out the door as Padfoot. He could hear the dog running along the corridor and assumed he had gone for Pomfrey.

After more groaning, Harry jumped as a scaly face appeared in front of his. The snake's tongue flicked out a couple of times and lightly touched Harry's nose.

"Point out the pain," he hissed.

Harry moaned as another surge of sharp pain grabbed him, and he pointed just above his pelvic bone.

The snake moved away from his face, and Harry felt him wrap his long body around his stomach. A warm feeling crept from his toes, up his legs and became hot at his abdomen…the pain eased. He looked down his body to see the snake wrapped tightly around his mid-section, a greenish yellow glow emitting from the long body and around the area where the pain was. Within a few seconds the pain was almost completely numbed, though there was still a soft, irritating throb. Whatever was happening was still happening, the pain had just gone.

Harry stared at the snake with his mouth open, "What…? What just happened?"

"You suffered pain," it hissed back.

Harry waved his hand, "No, I know. I meant what did you do to me?"

"I repaid my debt to you. You took me from the dark place; I took away your pain."

The snake's head bobbed in front of Harry, who assumed the 'dark place' was the pet shop. He was bewildered, he hadn't realised the snake had had any magical powers at all, let alone healing powers. In fact, he had never heard of a snake having healing powers …Harry thought it was time to find out a little more about what sort of snake he had brought to Hogwarts.

The sound of someone running made him jump suddenly…he quickly picked the snake up and told it to stay under the bed and not make a sound.

He sat up just in time to see Madame Pomfrey and Padfoot rush though the door. Sirius transformed quickly and rushed to Harry's side, asking where the pain was. Worried about his snake being discovered, Harry held his stomach gingerly and said it hurt.

Madame Pomfrey clicked her tongue, "Dear, oh dear. He's only been here five minutes and already he's got me rushing after him," she said.

She bustled over to him and pulled out her wand, muttering an incantation as she held it over his abdomen. Harry watched as the wand tip glowed white, and suddenly changed to a shocking pink.

"Ah, it's only appendicitis," she said cheerfully, "hold still Mr. Potter…"

She said a couple more incantations, whilst prodding his abdomen gently. Within a few seconds the throbbing stopped and any indication of the pain that had been there disappeared.

"All done," Pomfrey said.

Harry stared at her, "I thought appendicitis was kind of serious…my cousin was in hospital for ages with it."

"Don't be silly Mr. Potter. Muggles do not have the resources we do to make it a minor thing…like a cold perhaps."

"Right……"

"Indeed. Now, if you are not about to explode or get battered and bruised by evil forces any time soon, I have some potions I need to brew."

"Thanks," Harry called as she walked out the door.

Once she had left, Sirius looked hard at Harry, "You didn't half scare me…don't do that again, yeah?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Okay, next time I'll look down at my appendix and say 'would you be so kind as to not do that?'…sorry don't think it will work somehow…"

"Whatever, Potter," Sirius growled, "…now get up and get ready, Dumbledore told me to remind you that he wants to see you in his office," he looked at his watch , "I better go too…I'm staying in Bella's quarters if you need me, alright?"

Harry nodded, resisting the urge to ask more about the accommodation.

Before Harry left, he told his snake to have whatever he wanted from the abandoned breakfast tray…and as he walked out he saw two surprisingly long fangs appear from the small mouth and devour a sausage.

. . . . . . . . x .. . . . . . .

The Gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office jumped aside before Harry uttered a word…he walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in," called the Headmaster.

Harry pushed the door open and felt the familiar warmth of Dumbledore's presence as soon as he stepped in. His Headmaster was sitting in his chair behind the desk, and Fawkes stood on his perch. He trilled as Harry walked in.

"Hey Fawkes," greeted Harry as he passed.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, thank you for seeing me so soon. I believe you had a visit from your Godfather last night?"

Harry smiled, "Yes sir, it was good to see him…safe."

"I'm sure. Now, I think we should discuss what you will do while you're at Hogwarts, I have arranged for you to have extra lessons three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Defence against the Dark Arts lessons. I think, giving recent events, it would be more than appropriate for you to be properly prepared for awkward circumstances, though I hope you will not be getting yourself into any. But given your previous record…." He trailed off.

Harry leaned back in his chair, trying not to smile too widely, finally…something useful.

"Will the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher be teaching me?"

"No, no, I'm afraid not. That particular privilege is mine."

Harry's eyes widened…being taught defence by Dumbledore was about as good as it was going to get.

"Right then, the same rules apply now as they do during term time…no wandering around after hours etc. I think that's about it…as long as you have no questions?"

"I do have one question, sir," Harry thought this was a good time as any, "Why did you not tell Bella about Sirius...and details of the third task?"

The old sparkle came back into the Headmaster's eyes, "Now that is a difficult one to answer. I'm afraid to say that was not entirely my choice…it was Sirius himself who asked that she not be told. And she need not know until he was ready to tell her, for she has not been to Hogwarts for years and rarely has time to speak to Mr. Lupin. Sirius and Arabella were very close friends during and after Hogwarts, and he knows her better than most, and therefore knew that he would have to tell her himself, when he was ready. I agreed that this was fair. I trust you will also?"

Harry nodded, sort of understanding the logic…but wondering if Sirius had been slightly selfish in his thinking. Then again, Harry thought he was entitled to a bit of selfishness.

"If that is all…I will see you tomorrow in the Defence Against Dark Arts classroom at 8 o'clock pm. When term stands this will be put back to 9 o'clock."

"Yes sir, thank you," he walked over to the phoenix, "See you, Fawkes." Harry stroked the long, glittering feathers, then turned to the door and left.