Title – A Time for a Change
Author – Red Falcon
All other information is contained in part one.
(i think this thing has it out for me)
In the weeks since leaving the Dursley's, Harry and Eryn had been working very hard with their magic and progressing rapidly. Both students were sitting in the large library doing their homework.
"I hate Snape. I really really hate Snape." Harry grumbled. "Five feet of parchment on the laws and uses of Veratiserum. That lousy no good greasy git."
"You don't like the potions master do you?" Eryn teased.
"What clued you in? He's been on me since first year just because of my dad. That bastard blames me for all the trouble he had with him and refuses to see I'm not my father, I never even knew the man."
"He is a bastard but he does have his uses. Dumbledore may trust a former Death Eater but that doesn't mean we have to. It may be safer if we don't trust him any further than we can throw him. Argh, this Transfiguration stuff is for the bloody birds." Eryn growled and tossed her quill across the table. "C'mon, Harry, lets go outside and get a run in, if I sit here any longer I'm gonna go nuts and take the entire house with me."
Eryn and Harry put away their books and changed into their workout cloths. After leaving the manor, Eryn lead Harry on a merry chase through the forest that surrounded the large lake.
"Uncle Daniel is coming over this weekend. He promised last year that he would teach me to be an animagus, do you want to learn as well?" Eryn asked out of the blue.
"That would be great. I was gonna ask Moony, ah Professor Lupin about it but this is better." Harry said.
Eryn smiled at Harry's enthusiasm. She turned to look out over the lake. "You feel it too don't you? The change, Voldemort is gonna move soon." Eryn said.
"Yeah, I can't believe that he's gotten strong so quickly. I mean he only got his body back a few weeks ago. This is moving so fast I thought we would have time to prepare." Harry said.
"We'll be ready don't worry. Haven't you noticed how hard our training has been the last few weeks and it's only going to get tougher till we go back to school?"
"I didn't even notice, it just seemed so much easier than it would have been say a year or two ago." Harry said.
"I'm not surprised, our magical power has matured and with all the work you did for the tournament last year it's helped. Grandmother said that she thought our Ascension was going to be sometime this year which means we'll be facing that bastard before the year is out."
Harry was fooling with a few pebbles as she said that. He looked up at her and saw the disturbance in her eyes and knew his reflected the same. He picked up a rather hefty rock and with a vicious throw, heaved it as far as he could across the lake.
"I figured as much, that itchy feeling hasn't gone away. I was kinda hoping we could graduate and have some bit of a life before we had to deal with him but I guess maybe this is better."
"Frankly I didn't want to deal with it at all but like you I've got no choice in the matter. We'll make the best of it and hope Dumbledore doesn't mess it up. He's got to know that this is a possibility and very likely has been doing his level best to prevent it. If we can keep him off our backs until it comes then we've got a chance to end this nightmare before it gets too far out of control. Otherwise it's gonna drag on for years while the headmaster plays his games." Eryn said.
After a bit longer sitting by the lake, Harry and Eryn returned to the mannor to continue their studies for the day.
"Eryn, Harry, there's a letter from Hogwarts for you." Eryn's grandmother Lady Pennillopy said.
Harry opened the letter and scanned it.
Mr. Potter,
I must say that I am disappointed with you. You were told to remain at your relatives' house for the summer. I can understand your desire to be around friends but it was for your safety that you were sent to the Dursley's for the summer. However what is done is done and I won't have you escorted back but we WILL be discussing this matter when you return for the new term.
As for staying at Thornfield, while I would rather you were else where I would not offend Lady Pennillopy by removing you at this time but this too shall be discussed when you return to Hogwarts.
I must confess I do not understand this sudden rebellion you are displaying. For now I will put it off to being a teenager but I will not allow it to continue. You must understand that you are far too important to the wizarding world for you to be going off on your own without telling anyone. I will have Snuffles and Moony join you to see to it that you return safely.
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts Order of Merlin First Class
"Oh you weren't supposed to leave home? You bad boy, Harry, you should have told me." Eryn snickered.
Harry laughed, a hearty full laugh, one that he hadn't had reason to do in a very long time. "Yeah, well I guess he didn't expect us to be friends or he would have tried, not that I would have turned down your offer to come here. You do realize that he's gonna be watching us like a hawk when we get back?" Harry said.
"Of coarse he is, he's gonna try something stupid I just know it. Aren't you glad I insisted that you learn Oculumency in third year? I just know that bastard prowls around in the student's minds when he wants to know something and doesn't want to ask. I've felt him try to raid my mind a couple of times. I've managed to kick him out without him realizing that I know more than he thinks I do." Eryn said.
"We are going to have to show we know what we're doing with regards to fighting if we want to be taken seriously. Now, tell me about this Snuffles and Moony."
"You know who Moony is already. Professor Lupin was a friend of my father and since Snape let it slip that he's a werewolf. Back when my parents were at Hogwarts there were four students known as the Marauders. They were pranksters; they drove everyone in the school nuts. Somewhere along the line my father, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew discovered that their friend Remus Lupin was a werewolf and decided that they would do what ever they could to be with their friend during the full moon. You remember reading that the werewolf isn't dangerous to other animals just to humans that night of the month. Well Professor Lupin's friends decided to become Animagi so they could stay together. The long and short of it goes that my father's nickname was Prongs, his form was a stag, Sirius Black's, who is my godfather, nickname is Padfoot, his form is a rather large black dog that looks like a Grim, and Peter Pettigrew's nickname is Wormtail and his form is a rat." Harry explained.
"Sirius Black, I know that name, he supposedly betrayed your parents to Voldemort and killed thirteen Muggles and Pettigrew. Somehow I'm thinking that's not true if you don't seem afraid of him. I remember you were upset at the end of third year." Eryn said as she watched him closely.
"He didn't betray my parents. It seems that at the last minute he convinced my dad to switch Secrete Keepers. Everyone knew that my dad and Sirius were the best of friends, close as brothers, so he would naturally be their choice. He would be the one the Death Eaters would go after leaving the real Secrete Keeper safe, at least that's what they thought. It turns out that Pettigrew was and still is a traitor; he turned us over to Voldemort and killed those muggles in order to escape Sirius. Damned Ministry didn't even give him a trial just chucked him into Azkaban with those Dementors." Harry finished.
"Do you think if we told them the truth and asked them to keep it to themselves, at least till after the Ascension, they would?" Eryn proposed.
"If we explained that Dumbledore would just cause more trouble and possibly interfere, I think they would keep it quiet. Especially if they understood that his interference could get us killed, they would defend us willingly enough." Harry said.
"All right, I don't have a problem with it. You get to explain all this to my grandmother though. I'm willing to bet if you can convince her she would use her influence with the Ministry and maybe get him set free. Now you have got to explain why the headmaster referred to him as Snuffles? I can't picture a Grim being called 'Snuffles'" Eryn snickered.
"Yeah it is kinda funny if you ever see him. According to Remus and Sirius I used to call him 'Snuffles' when I was a baby. Now we use it as a security measure incase our letters are intercepted."
The next few days passed quickly. Harry and Eryn were walking to the stables when someone stepped out of the shadows. Eryn caught sight of the figure out of the corner of her eye and instantly pulled her knife and turned to face a possible threat.
"Hold on there, we're not gonna hurt anyone." Remus Lupin, former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, said as he stumbled back at the suddenness of Eryn's action.
"Sorry professor, you just startled me that's all." Eryn said. "Grandmother has set aside two rooms for you and your 'friend' for your stay here."
The large dog at Remus' side looked up at the young girl standing there curiously. "Yes, I know and understand. You both are quite safe here; the staff is trustworthy and will say nothing to anyone about you being here Mr. Black."
The large dog stepped away from the professor and began to change. Within moments a haggard Sirius Black was also standing in the shadows of the Thornfield stables.
"Harry and I were just going for a short ride before getting back to our studies if you'd like to wait for us or I could have someone show you up to the house and you could have breakfast." Eryn said.
The stable hands brought out two large black stallions already saddled and bridled for Harry and Eryn. "We should be back in an hour or so." She told Moony and Sirius before they took off and a run.
"Interesting girl, that one, what do you think she's up to with Harry?" Sirius asked as they watched the two horses' race out of sight.
"I have no idea but he's looking loads better than he did at the end of the term. I'm thinking being here is good for him, that maybe she's good for him. We'll see though when they get back." Moony said.
After asking one of the stable hands for directions, the remaining Marauders made their way up to the mannor house.
The massive doors opened slowly and creaked ominously at their approach. Both men got a kick out of it. "Welcome to Thornfield." A disembodied voice said.
to be continued at a later date:)
In the weeks since leaving the Dursley's, Harry and Eryn had been working very hard with their magic and progressing rapidly. Both students were sitting in the large library doing their homework.