I'm going to say it again, everything Harry Potter related doesn't belong to me.
And still . . .
Work
In
Progress
WIP (just in case ya didn't know!)
Harry Potter and the Last Black Shadows of the Grave
At breakfast Harry was tempted to tell Hermione and Ron about the dream he'd had the previous night, but thought better of it. He didn't want Hermione to think that someone or something was getting into his dreams again, and he really didn't want Ron to think that Harry had too much stress with Quidditch and all. Besides, Sirius might have trying to reach Harry, and Dumbledore was the last person who should find out about the dreams, and knowing Dumbledore, Harry was positive he would find out if Harry told anyone about the dream. So Harry sat silently, eating his way through breakfast.
Then it hit him.
He had been so stupid; why not just write to Star? He'd of course know what the dream meant. Harry was fairly positive of that.
Immediately Harry pulled out some parchment and a quill and began to write.
Star,
Last night I had this dream. It was really strange. I dreamt that I was walking down to the Quidditch Pitch when a black wolf that I'd seen, jumped out in front of me. I talked to it too, and it told me to trust it. Then it turned into a human! Do think this could be a Magusapian? Or do you think that it was an Animagus? I'm really confused, because I was certain that when it took human form, it was-
Harry wasn't sure what to write. Should he tell Star he thought it had been Sirius. What if Star was Sirius? Oh well, Harry thought, this might make him think that I'm not on to him yet.
Sirius Black, my Godfather.
What do you make of this dream?
Harry
Harry sealed the letter, and tucked it in his pocket.
"I'm going to go see Hedwig. See you both in Defense Against the Dark Arts." Harry said, getting up from the table.
Ron reached out for Harry's arm, "Wait a second Harry."
Harry looked at Ron, "What?"
"Last night," Ron looked around the Great Hall, "last night Harry I heard you talking to someone."
"I wasn't talking to anyone. I was asleep." Harry said, looking annoyed.
Ron bit his bottom lip, "I know Harry. You were talking to them, in your sleep."
"You mean I was talking in my sleep." Harry snapped.
"No Harry, I mean you were talking to someone. I heard your conversation." Ron's ears turned slightly red.
"What?" Harry looked at Ron, then grabbed his arm and pulled him away from everyone. Hermione followed the pair out the doors of the Great Hall to a quiet, unused classroom.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, closing the door behind her.
Harry looked at Hermione. He'd been so preoccupied with Ron that he hadn't even noticed that she had followed them.
"Nothing," Harry said in a low voice.
"Something is going on, and you're going to tell me." Hermione crossed her arms and stared at Harry, "Ron, tell me what's going on."
Ron glanced at Harry and then at Hermione, "Well, erm. . ."
"Go on, tell her, I can't stop you." Harry said sharply.
"Harry―"
"Tell her." Harry ordered.
"Okay," Ron sighed, "Last night I heard Harry talking to someone, in his sleep."
"Talking in his sleep? What's weird about that?" Hermione asked.
"No, I mean he was talking to someone in his sleep!" Ron corrected her, "I heard someone else talking to him!"
Hermione gasped, "You mean someone was in the boys' dormitory last night?"
"No, the guy's voice was sort of misty. It was like he was talking telepathically, but not." Ron said, his ears turning bright red.
"Ron, you couldn't have―" Hermione started to say, but Harry cut in.
"What did I say? Do you know who I was talking with?"
"You, you told him to go away, but he said that if he did go away you'd be a target for them. You seemed really confused about that, but the guy said to trust him. You asked who he was, and suddenly this blue light shone in the room, and then. . ." Ron trailed off.
"And then what? Did you see who it was?" Harry asked, looking desperately at Ron.
Ron shook his head, "No, I sort of hid under the covers until I fell back asleep."
Hermione turned to Harry, "Harry what's going on? Do you remember any of this?"
Harry looked at the floor, "I wasn't going to tell you guys, but I guess I have to now." He drew a breath, "Last night I had this really strange dream that I was walking down to the Quidditch Pitch, when all of a sudden this big black wolf with blue-gray eyes jumped out in front of me, and I basically had the conversation that Ron said, with him. Then when I asked who he was, he began to transform into a human. He, he kind of looked like. . ." Harry stopped, he wasn't really prepared to tell them of his suspicions about his godfather.
"Looked like whom?" Hermione asked, taking a step towards Harry.
"Never mind. . ." Harry said softly.
"No, Harry, please tell us. Did he look like Sirius?" Ron asked.
Harry looked sharply at Ron, then nodded his head, "Yeah, but I only saw a glimpse of him. I can't be sure."
"Oh Harry, it couldn't have been Sirius. He's, he's dead Harry. We both know that." Hermione said in barely a whisper.
"I know that, but still. . .What if he wasn't really dead. I mean, I didn't see him actually die." Harry pointed out.
"Harry, it can't be true." Hermione looked sadly at her hands, "Besides Harry, we know that, well that that isn't what Sirius looked like when he transformed into an animal. He was a black dog Harry, not a wolf and his eyes weren't blue-grey."
Ron glared at Hermione, "Well, what if that veil thing he fell behind changed some of his magical properties?"
Hermione sighed, "That isn't possible."
Harry glared at Hermione as well, "You sound as if you almost don't want Sirius to be alive."
"No that's not it. It's just that I don't want to get my hopes up, that's all." Hermione replied, "It sounds to me as if someone is messing with your mind again Harry. Maybe it's Voldemort again."
"Fine, don't believe me then." Harry said as he stormed past her.
Ron looked at Hermione, "Good going, now look at him, you've gone and upset him before we've even had a week of school."
Hermione looked sadly at Ron, "It just can't be true. Can it?"
Ron shrugged, "I'm not sure."
Hermione sighed, "I'm going to the library."
Ron looked at her, "Why?"
"I'm going to go look up the magical properties of Magusapians. I think that Harry might have had an encounter with one last night."
"But they aren't smart enough to do that, are they?"
"They are like dogs, they can be trained to do anything that is physically possible of them." Hermione turned quickly and walked out the door, leaving Ron standing all alone.
Harry was walking so quickly up the stairs to the owlry, that he didn't see Sara walking down the stairs, carrying a large stack of books. He collided with her, and the books fell crashing to the ground, as well as his letter to Star.
"I'm so sorry Professor," Harry said as he knelt to help her pick up the books, "I wasn't paying attention."
"It's alright Harry, no harm done." Sara smiled at him.
Suddenly Harry heard a loud growl from behind him. He turned around to find himself face to face with the large black wolf that had saved him only nights before.
"Whoa, nice doggy." Harry said, backing away from the animal.
"Eclipse," Sara said sharply.
The wolf lowered its head, and then reached its paw out towards Harry, wagging its tail.
"Take his paw Harry, he's just trying to be friendly." Sara instructed.
Harry reached out and took the animal's paw, "Hi there, Eclipse."
Eclipse wagged his tail and barked playfully.
"Professor, what kind of animal is he?" Harry asked.
"He's half dog, half wolf." Sara replied, standing up and patting him on the head.
"How do you know that?"
"I did some test on him. I had a speculation that he was a Magusapian, because of his eyes, but he's just a regular animal." Sara said, something in her voice seemed disappointed.
"Oh I see," Harry gazed into the animal's eyes, "they are like a Magusapian's."
"That night, when we were attacked, he saved us. It's funny really, it seems like ever since I brought him here to Hogwarts, he won't let me go anywhere without him at my heels." Sara glanced at Eclipse, "It's rather annoying really, because it's hard to get work done when you've got an animal at your feet all the time."
Eclipse whimpered at these words and looked up at Sara with an almost apologetic look on his face.
"He's one smart animal, I'll give him credit for that." Harry glanced at the animal, "It's almost like he's an Animagus."
Sara laughed, "I know. After the Magusapian tests proved negative, that was the next thing I checked for, but no matter how many times I tried to force him to reveal his true form, he just stayed as is. So it's without a doubt that he is in fact, just a normal animal."
Harry handed Sara the last of her books, "Here you go Professor, and I am sorry for bumping into you."
"It's no problem at all, in fact, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Sara replied, taking the books from Harry's arms.
"Er, sure Professor, what is it?" Harry asked.
"Could you start to spread the word that I am going to be putting together a Defense Against the Dark Arts club? Tell everyone interested to meet me in my classroom at six in the evening on Saturday." Sara smiled, then turned to leave, "Thanks Harry."
Harry smiled, "Sure, no problem. Glad to be of service."
Sara laughed, "Come on Eclipse, can't let you wander the halls on your own."
Eclipse whimpered.
Sara stared down at the animal, and then looked up at Harry, "Harry, could you do me another huge favor?"
"Erm, sure, what is it?"
"Could you please take Eclipse back up to my office? It seems as though he has become rather attached to you as well." Sara smiled at Harry.
"Sure, I was just going up to the Owlry, I'll drop him off on the way."
"Thank you Potter," Sara grinned, "how about we say, eh, fifty house points for each task you're doing for me? I believe that is a total of one hundred house points towards Gryffindor."
Harry's face lit up, "Thank you Sara, er, I mean Professor." Harry smiled at her.
"I'll see you in class later, alright?" Sara said, starting in make her way down the stairs again.
"Alright, bye." Harry too continued on his way. Eclipse followed behind him closely, wagging his tail as he walked with Harry.
"You know Potter, student teacher relationships aren't allowed." said someone from the shadows.
Harry turned to find Malfoy leaning against a suit of armor, "Oh really, I guess that puts you out of the running, eh Malfoy?"
Malfoy glared at Harry, "Like I'd want to be in the running. She isn't my type."
"Right, I almost forgot. What is your type Malfoy? Ugly and stupid? Like Pansy?" Harry sneered.
Malfoy clenched his fist, "Shut up, I don't like that pug Pansy. But you like Sara, don't you?"
Harry laughed, "Right. She's a great Professor. Other than that, I'm not interested."
"Don't lie, Potty, it isn't becoming. You know you like her. Why else would you run around doing errands for her, like some sort of lap dog?"
Eclipse growled loudly. Harry's hand went to the wolf's head, "Shh, Eclipse."
"What is that thing?" Malfoy said, looking frightfully at Eclipse.
"It's a half wolf, half dog, nothing to worry about. It isn't a Magusapian." Harry said with a smirk.
Malfoy gulped, "Just watch it Potter. If I see even a hint that you are coming onto her, I swear, I'll go straight to Dumbledore."
"Even if it means Sara gets sacked?"
Malfoy froze for a moment, "Like I'd care if that hag got sacked." Malfoy turned on his heels and strutted off.
Harry laughed, "He's such a coward."
Eclipse barked in response, and then bounded up the flight of stairs, Harry following after him.
Eclipse ran past Sara's room, and straight up to the Owlry.
"Hey," Harry said as he finally caught up to the wolf, "I was supposed to let you off at Sara's room. Why did you come with me to the Owlry?"
Eclipse wagged his tail and ran to the window and looked out it. Harry chuckled at the sight. Seeing Eclipse act that way brought back memories of Sirius, and for a moment Harry almost felt as if Sirius was back with him.
"Sirius?" Harry said, calling to the wolf. But the animal did do anything, it just sat there, staring out the window, "Ah, what am I thinking?" Harry said as he began to search for Hedwig. He found her on one of the top most perches. He called to her and she came flying down to him.
"Hey girl, would you take a message to the edge of the Forbidden Forest for me?" Harry asked the snowy owl.
Hedwig hooted in response, then stuck out her leg. Harry reached into his cloak for the letter, but it wasn't there. Harry looked all over his person for it, but couldn't find it.
Then it hit him, he must have dropped it when he ran into Sara on the stairs, "I'll be right back Hedwig. Eclipse, come." Harry said as he rushed from the Owlry. Eclipse ran after him, "Okay, I'm going to drop you off at Sara's room, and then I'm going to go see if I can find my letter."
When they arrived at Sara's classroom, Harry let Eclipse in, and walked in after him.
Eclipse ran over to a mirror and laid in front of it. Harry looked at Eclipse and then at the mirror. Instead of reflecting Eclipse and the room, the mirror reflected a dark graveyard, almost identical to the one Harry had seen Lord Voldemort resurrected in two years ago.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be the same one, could it? He took a step closer to the mirror, and then, as if caught in a whirlwind, Harry felt himself get sucked into the mirror.
For a moment, everything went black.
When sight had returned, Harry was no longer standing in Sara's room, but was in a graveyard. People in hooded figures stood in a circle around a grave with someone tied to it.
Harry hid behind a tombstone, he was back in the graveyard he's been in two years ago, but how'd he get there? The mirror? Was it some sort of portal to get to the rest of the Death Eaters? If so, why was it in Sara's office?
Harry moved forward, hiding behind different tombstones, until he was just an arm's length from one of the black robed people. Then, as if luck had turned on him, Harry sneezed. He covered his face and pressed himself to the tombstone that was hidden behind. He held his breath, heart racing. There was no possible way that the figure had not heard him sneeze.
But as Harry waited, nothing happened. Time drew on, and nothing happened, so he dared a glance at the Death Eaters again.
A Death Eater turned, and Harry froze. It was looking right at him, there was no way that it hadn't seen him, yet it turned back to face the inner circle. Harry let out a sigh of relief.
His eyes traced to where the Death Eater was looking, the person tied to the grave in the center of the circle. Harry moved closer, taking a daring leap closer the center. He stepped on a rock and it crunched under his feet as he fell forward into the nearest Death Eater. Harry put his hands out to try and balance, but he just kept falling, straight through the Death Eater.
Harry paused, he'd fallen through a solid object. Then it hit him, he wasn't in a physical realm, but a mental one. He was in a memory, but who's? This wasn't a pensive, but its properties were similar, no one knew he was there. He dared a step closer to the center, already knowing what he'd find.
Himself.
This was the night from two years ago when Voldemort was resurrected, but how did this memory end up here, in this mirror? Was this Sara's memory? Was she there that night?
Harry shook his head. Impossible, for her to have been there she would have had to have been a Death Eater, and Harry was fairly positive that Dumbledore wasn't dense enough to hire a Death Eater as a teacher.
A knot formed in his stomach. That year, two years ago, in his forth year, Dumbledore had hired a Death Eater. Well, sort of. Mad-Eye Moody had been captured by a Death Eater, and the Death Eater had taken Mad-Eye's roll as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. So it wasn't completely impossible for a Death Eater to sneak past Dumbledore's watchful eye.
Harry moved even closer to himself. He looked at himself, scared and bruised, trying not to show his fear. His heart raced, if he was really back in that night that meant that Voldemort had to be near. Harry looked around and found the place where Wormtail stood over a cauldron. Harry took a daring step towards Wormtail, but a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't Harry, you shouldn't be here." Sara said softly.
Harry jumped back, "Professor, what's going on here? What is this?"
"Let's leave this place, and then I will tell you." Sara reached out and grabbed Harry's arm.
"Wait, how do I know―"
"Know that you can trust me? Harry I am your Professor, I wouldn't endanger you."
"How do I know that?" Harry snapped.
Sara shrugged, "Potter listen to me, I am not going to harm you. Come with me, we're leaving this place."
"Not until you explain to what this is."
"Fine, if you want to know so bad, this is a memory. You've stepped into a memory. It's similar to a Pensive, yet different because it doesn't require you to put a memory in, it just reflects them."
"And how did a memory of this night get into your office?"
"Harry, this mirror reflects the memories of those who look into it. Obviously you were looking into it, and it took this memory from you, and you entered it." Sara sighed, "Harry, I am not a Death Eater if that's what you are thinking. Trust me, there are not many people out there that hate Death Eaters more than me."
Harry looked ashamed, "I'm sorry Professor, it's just that. . ."
"It's alright Potter, no need to apologize. If I was in your position, I'd be suspicious of everyone as well." Sara glanced around the graveyard, "Let's get out of this place.
Harry looked around, "How?"
"Like this," Sara grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him over to the area where he had appeared. A faint, distorted glow was barely noticeable. Sara walked up to it and stopped, "Walk through here."
Harry did as he was told, and suddenly his world went black again.
When Harry's sight had returned for a second time, he was back in Sara's office, "Professor―"
Sara soon emerged from the mirror, "Potter, if you don't mind my asking, what was that? Were those things― Death Eaters?"
Harry nodded his head slowly, "Yes. That was my memory from two years ago, the night Voldemort was brought back to life."
Sara closed her eyes and sighed, "Potter, if you'd like, you are free to go back to your dormitories and rest, I know that must have been a horrible thing to have to revisit."
Harry sighed, "No, I'm fine. I have worse things that I could have revisited." He glanced at the mirror. It had changed to a small room with an arch and a veil. Harry's heart sunk. He knew exactly where his next trip into the mirror would lead him.
Sara looked at the mirror, "Potter?"
Harry turned from the mirror but he had a feeling that the image remained.
"Potter, is that the Department of Mysteries?" Sara asked.
Harry looked at her, "Yea, how did you―"
"I once was a part of our Ministry, even though I was just a student, I had access to some of the more restricted areas." Sara sighed and looked at the floor, "Regrettable as it is, I was training to become . . . ahh, never mind, it's unimportant."
"Professor, what were you in training to become?"
Sara sighed heavily, "An Unspeakable."
"Unspeakable? That means you must know something about the veil in the Department of Mysteries."
Sara looked away, "Potter, for your own good, please do not question me on the properties of that retched curtain. You see, I am in great dislike of it."
Harry stood silently for a moment, then, as if trying to break the silence Eclipse yipped once, walked over to Sara and placed his wet nose on her palm.
"Erm, Professor, I erm, I'd like to know why you came back? I mean, weren't you on your way somewhere?"
"I was, but then I noticed I had this―" Sara held out a letter, "Yours?"
Harry's heart did a back flip, the letter, "Yes, thank you. I thought I had lost it."
Sara smiled, "Well hurry up to the Owlry, I don't think Professor Snape will like it if you are late for his class."
"Right." Harry rushed from Sara's office and up to the Owlry. Once he'd sent the message, he hurried back down the stairs towards the dungeons.
Harry guessed he had a few minutes left to get to class, so he quickened his pace, but blocking his path was Malfoy.
"Potter," Malfoy said coldly, "I thought I told you to leave Sara alone?"
"When have I listened to you?" Harry retorted.
"You're sick Potter."
"No, I feel just fine. But thanks for the concern." Harry smiled, "Now get out of my way before I have to force you."
Malfoy stepped out of the way, "Sure thing, but why are you going to an empty classroom?"
"What?" Harry looked at Malfoy.
"Didn't you hear? Potions is canceled this morning." Malfoy sneered.
"What? Why?"
A bright and sinister smile crossed Malfoy's face, "I'm not sure, but rumor has it that someone has . . . died."
To be continued. . .
OMG! Who died? Is Malfoy telling the truth?
I can hear all the readers shouting, "HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO US!"
All I can say is . . . "I'll have another chapter up soon! Promise! I'm thinking the title will be :
Harry Potter and the Last Black Farewell to Friends
And just because I love you guys so very much . . . here's an excerpt:
Harry collapsed on his bed. It wasn't true, it couldn't be. How could that have happened, how could they have let that happen? It wasn't fair. For the third time in his life, someone had died, when all along it should have been Harry at the end of spell. First his parents, then Sirius, and now. . . no, Harry shook his head, no, it couldn't be true. There was no way it could be true.
Thanks you guys for sticking with me! As always, I'd love to get a review!