A/N: I know, it's been too long! I know it's been longer than I expected, and I'm not trying to make excuses, because I know how tiresome they are, but I really didn't expect it to take me that long to update, but I had trouble with my comp and I lost some files and it took me a while to get everything back in order. Luckily, I'm used to keeping backup files in everything I do in my comp, including my stories, and then did some changes to their boards, and that also threw me into a loop and it took me some time to fix my threads there that I forgot all about this chapter and didn't remember I hadn't uploaded it until now. Sorry about that. But now that school has started and my work schedule is back to normal I can work on getting my free time in order so I can write more. But let's continue with the story, shall we?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter world, only the few additions I may have created for this story.
Chapter 12 Family Ties
Harry trudged down the corridor with Ginny and Ron. Their training session had been hard but very satisfying.
"Jack and Andrew are getting better, aren't they?" Asked Ginny as they turned into the corridor leading to the Gryffindor Tower.
"Yeah, shame that bludger knocked Andrew out of the game next week." Ron replied.
"He'll get better soon, Madam Pomfrey can cure anything." Harry said with confidence as he was usually the one to find his way into the infirmary than any other student. "I told Colin to be ready to take his place."
"Well, at least they've been training with the rest of the team." Ginny said. "And he is better than he was in the summer."
"That's why I asked him and not Dennis. Dennis still needs to get better handle of his broom and not get distracted by the game when he should be looking for the bludgers." Harry said.
They had come to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who watched them closely and waited for the password.
"Fairy Ligths." Said Harry. The portrait opened.
"You better change and wash!" She exclaimed as they tripped into the common room. "You look disgusting."
"Yeah, yeah, go complaining to someone who cares." Said Ron as the portrait shut itself behind him.
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It was late at night. After their training session, Harry, Ron and Ginny retired to their respective rooms to tidy up. Hermione was waiting for them in the common room.
After working in their schoolwork for many hours, and going down to dinner, Harry decided to retire early. Ron had stayed behind to play a game of chess with Hermione.
Lotty was packing away his clean robes. The frame Harry had placed in his trunk that morning was back in the side table beside his bed.
"Lotty is almost finished, Master Harry." Said the house elf when Harry entered the room.
"That's alright, Lotty. I'm just a bit tired." Said Harry flopping down on his bed.
He looked up to the frame. He could see his parents whisper among themselves. He remembered the other pictures stored in the frame. There were many of his parents' friends when they were younger and he remembered he wanted to ask Professor Lupin about them.
He grabbed the frame abruptly.
"Hey! Be careful." He heard his father say.
Harry pressed one of the carved roses around the frame. The picture of the Marauders came into view. James and Sirius were standing in the middle, with Remus and Peter at either side.
He pressed another rose and the picture changed once more. This time his mother came into view, with two other girls. He knew one of them was Professor Holmes. He recognized her easily even though she was younger. But he wondered who the third girl was.
Harry turned to look at his watch. It was still early and there was still time until curfew. He took the frame in his hand and made his way out of the dormitory.
Ron and Hermione were still playing by the fireplace.
"Something wrong, Harry?" Asked Hermione when he spied him by the staircase.
"No, just going to talk to Lupin." He said and continued on his way to the portrait hole.
"You want us to come along?" Asked Ron as he moved his knight on the board.
"No, I'm fine." Said Harry. He opened the portrait hole and climbed out of the common room without looking back.
There were still students walking around the corridors. He saw Filch mumbling and growling at the younger students in one of the corridors. He saw the young students hurry away from the cantankerous old man.
Harry hurried down the corridors toward Lupin's office. He hoped he was still there and hadn't retired for the night yet.
There was nobody around when he arrived to Lupin's door. He knocked and an "enter" was instantly heard.
Harry turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Lupin was sitting behind his desk a pile of graded parchments on one side, and a stack of parchment in front of him.
"Hello Harry." He said with a smile as he saw Harry enter the room. "What can I do for you?"
"I was just curious Professor." Said Harry having second thoughts about showing him the frame.
"About?" Lupin asked pushing away the stack of parchment he had been grading.
"Er...well...Mrs. Nichols sent me this." He said placing the frame on the desk.
"Ah. I wondered where that had been stored." Lupin said taking the frame gingerly in his hands.
"I was just wondering who the people were in the pictures." Harry said softly.
Lupin was pressing the roses around the frame, looking at each picture carefully and in silence. Harry wondered if he had heard him at all.
"I see why you're curious about them." Lupin finally said. "You haven't met most of them."
Harry nodded.
"Are you curious about a specific one?" Lupin asked pushing the frame towards Harry.
Harry pressed the rose he knew would show the picture of his mother and her friends. Three young women stood waving at him. He pushed the frame toward Lupin and waited for his response.
Lupin took the frame and looked at the picture.
"They were rather popular when we attended school here." Lupin said with a smile.
"I recognize Professor Holmes." Harry said.
"Yes, she is easy to recognize, isn't she? She hasn't changed much from the last time I saw her almost eighteen years ago." Lupin said.
"Who's the other girl?" Asked Harry.
Lupin looked at the picture without saying a word for a long time. Harry was starting to dread what Lupin would say. Had she died? Had she been killed by Voldemort, or his Death Eaters?
"That's Katie." Lupin finally said. "Katheryn Bennet, but she liked to be called Katie. You might have seen her before in other photos. She was the maid of honor in Lily and James' wedding."
Harry was a little surprised by this news. But then again, he thought, he had never really seen the others in his parents' wedding picture. The only ones he had noticed were his parents and Sirius.
"Wha...what happened to her?" Harry asked.
Lupin took a deep breath and was silent for a moment, as if deciding what he should say about her.
"Sirius sent her away." Lupin said. "When some of our members started to be attacked, we thought that a spy was among our ranks." He said bitterly. Harry knew he was thinking of Peter Pettigrew. "Sirius got worried, so he sent her away, to hide. She's been hiding ever since, as far as I know."
"But why?" Asked Harry a little confused. "Why would Sirius send her away?"
"She was his wife, Harry." Lupin said looking at the young man before him. "Katie is your godmother."
Harry was speechless. Why was it that he still knew so little about his own life? And even less about his parents?
"Do you think she'll ever be back?" Harry wanted to know. Here was a person so closely related to himself and Sirius. He wanted to meet her.
"I don't know." Lupin replied sitting back on his chair. "Sirius sent her to her cousin, said he would know the best place for her to hide. As far as I know he's the only one with an idea of where she could be and the only one who could be in contact with her. Sirius made sure her hiding place was a secret, nobody knew where she went, and none of us ever received any owls from her."
"Why didn't she return after...after Voldemort disappeared?" Asked Harry.
"I'm not really sure. I can only assume that because of the belief that Voldemort was still alive and could return at any time with a little bit of help from his Death Eaters, she was never contacted about what happened." Lupin said with a frown. "It could be also that nobody wanted her to know about Sirius being sent to Azkaban."
"But when we knew that he was innocent, why didn't Sirius try to contact her?" Harry couldn't understand why his godmother could be gone for so long and nobody knew where she could be.
"He never got along with her cousin." Lupin said with a smile.
"Why?"
Lupin smiled before answering. "Severus is her cousin."
"Snape?" Harry asked with surprise.
"Indeed." Lupin chuckled. "Sirius loved her so much, he was willing to accept that he was her cousin and not let it bother him."
Harry had never imagined that Sirius would have accepted Snape into the family, just for the love of a woman. Sirius had seemed the lonesome type to him. He never spoke of his family, only of his friends. Harry hadn't even known that he had been married. Why hadn't Sirius told him about his godmother?
"Why didn't he tell me?" Harry asked feeling a little hurt that Sirius had not told him more about himself.
"It was really hard for him to think of her." Said Lupin kindly. "I know for a fact that he stayed away from the places that reminded him of her. He could've easily gone for a visit at his London house in Rowe Square. But he never returned since he escaped Azkaban. Not because it was the first place the Aurors tried looking for him, but because most of her personal items were still there."
Harry looked thoughtful for a minute. He could understand why Sirius had remained away from his own house while on the run from the Ministry, but that still didn't explain why Sirius had been more forthcoming about his own life.
"Any more questions?" Asked Lupin looking down at the photo, where the three young girls were giggling and waving at him.
"No." Said Harry after a moment.
"Well, you better go up to your dormitory. Curfew should be on effect in a few minutes." Said Lupin pushing the frame back to Harry.
"Thanks Professor." Said Harry before leaving the office.
He grasped the frame tightly in his hands as he made his way back to the Gryffindor common room. He was thinking about the woman he now knew was his godmother and one of this mother's best friends. He had learned so much of his own father through the stories that Sirius and Lupin had told about their childhood. Now, he knew of two women that could do the same in regards to his mother. Professor Holmes was one, Katie Black was the other one. And now he wondered. Where was his godmother?
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Sunday arrived and the morning found many young Gryffindors in the common room trying to finish up their class work.
"You should be doing the same." Hermione said after Ron complained about the lack of room remaining among the tables dispersed around the room.
"Don't start Hermione." Groaned Ron. "Besides, I only have to finish the Transfiguration paper, I just need about six more inches."
"Then you should finish it now, when you have the chance. We have a D.A. meeting tonight." Hermione reminded him.
"I know." Ron said.
Harry was sitting beside them in the couch before the fireplace. The flames danced merrily in the grate and the room was mostly quiet as students worked diligently on their papers. But he wasn't paying much attention. The dreams had returned the previous night, but unlike past dreams, he couldn't remember much of what he saw. One thing he was sure of, they had nothing to do with Voldemort.
It had been some time since his last vision of Voldemort, and he was a little worried. The last year, he had been plagued by the images about the Department of Mysteries, and he was still bitter about the fact Voldemort was able to feed those images to him. It made him feel violated, as if he had been under his control and allowed Voldemort to do as he wished.
Occlumency hadn't helped much. No, that wasn't true, Harry thought. It wasn't that Occlumency didn't work, it was the fact that he and Snaped had allowed their dislike for each other to get the better of them and made the lessons ineffectual.
He wished now that it hadn't been so. He wasn't sure what the images intruding his dreams meant. What did those objects embedded in the sand had to do with him? And who was the woman in the mist that called to him?
He wished he knew what they meant. He also hoped that they were not images fed to him by Voldemort. He didn't think he could stand it if they were. He didn't want to lose somebody else because of his failure to keep Voldemort out of his head.
"Harry?" A voice intruded into his thoughts.
"Hmm? What?" He asked looking at Ron and Hermione in confusion.
"Are you all right?" Asked Hermione with some concern.
"Yeah." He said with a sigh as he leaned further back on his seat.
"You didn't sleep well last night. Was it You-Know-Who?" Asked Ron in a whisper.
"No." Said Harry. "How do you know I didn't sleep well?" Asked Harry looking at Ron askance.
"I heard you mutter and twisting around in your bed." Explained Ron a little defensive. "I woke up to go to the loo."
Harry was silent for a minute and shrugged indifferently.
"Well?" Asked Hermione.
"What?" Asked Harry again.
"Your dream." She urged. "What was it about?"
"It's the same as always." He said grudgingly. "It means nothing."
"How can you be sure?" Said Hermione. "They always said dreams have a meaning behind them."
"Yeah, well, we didn't learn much about it in Divination, did we." Said Ron. "I thought you didn't like Divination."
"It's not about Divination." Remarked Hermione. "Science has proven that dreams come from a person's subconscious mind. Sometimes dreams give you answers about questions you may have. Some are meant to be images of your unsaid yearnings. That's why they're called dreams."
"Wherever did you hear that?" Asked Ron with amusement.
"I read it in one of my father's psychology books." Replied Hermione.
"Should've known." Muttered Ron.
"I think I'm going down to breakfast now." Harry said. "I can still get some before I finish my paper."
Hermione and Ron followed him as they made their way out of the portrait hole and started on their way to the Great Hall.
It was common during the weekends for breakfast to be served a little later than on weekdays. Most of the student population took advantage of their free mornings to stay in bed longer and the meals had been scheduled to cater their needs. It wasn't unheard of for students to miss one of their meals during the weekends, something most wouldn't do during the weekdays, as teachers were sure to notice if anyone was missing.
Thus, Harry was not surprised to see many students straggling into the Great Hall as he and his friends sat on the Gryffindor Table.
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The day passed without incident, as Hermione was able to get the boys to work on what remained of their schoolwork. After stopping only to eat lunch, they spent a quiet afternoon in the Gryffindor common room.
It was late afternoon when Harry put aside his finished work.
"I should go and get Professor Lupin. He wanted to see me before our meeting today." He said.
Hermione nodded without seeming to have paid much attention.
"I'll finish this and meet you in the Requirement Room later." Said Ron scratching a line off his parchment.
After putting all his work into his book bag and leaving it on the table for Ron to take it to their dormitory when he finished, he went in search of Professor Lupin.
Harry made his way to Lupin's office without meeting anybody in the corridors.
He found Lupin's door open.
"Come in, Harry." Called Lupin as he caught sight of Harry at the door. "I just wanted to make sure you were sure about tonight's meeting."
"I think it would be useful. Not many have been able to participate in one." Harry said sitting on one of the chairs before Lupin's desk.
"Very well, if you're sure. Dumbledore has agreed to it, as long as I'm there to intervene if needed." Lupin said calmly.
"I understand." Harry said quietly.
"Well, perhaps we should go and prepare the room. We have only half an hour before the others arrive." Lupin said.
Harry and Lupin walked to the seventh floor room in silence. Harry was busy thinking about the reaction of the others once they found out what they had planned for the meeting this evening.
Lupin stood aside while Harry walked back and forth before the tapestry thinking about their needs for that evening. The door appeared and Harry and Lupin made their way inside.
Unlike the room they usually used for the D.A. meetings, this room looked larger. There was a long stage along the middle of the room, not unlike the one that had graced the Great Hall during his second year when Professor Lockhart had tried to teach them how to duel. But unlike that stage, this one had thick mats on the floor, and it was wider.
There were chairs placed along both sides of the stage. The room was darker, a few candles hovering around the room giving off the only light around the stage and the chairs.
"This will do." Said Professor Lupin looking satisfied.
"Do you think so?" Asked Harry thinking about the time he had been upon a stage like the one before him. It had been at that time that he, along with the rest of the school, found out he was a Parseltongue and it only brought him a lot of trouble.
"I do. Everybody will be able to see quite well as we work." Lupin said looking at the stage closely. "It's a good thing this has mats on the floor. Less injuries."
"Do you expect any?" Asked Harry with worry.
"We must always expect injuries when we do this. Madam Pomfrey has been informed and she's ready to take care of any difficulties that may arise. I had a hard time getting her to agree to wait in the infirmary, she was quite determined to be here during the meeting." Lupin said looking amused by the nurses' worry.
Harry frowned at the thought of Madam Pomfrey attending their meeting, although it would be a good idea in case of an emergency.
"Don't worry." Said Lupin as if he had been reading Harry's mind. "I don't think there will be any need for Madam Pomfrey to attend the meeting. And if the need arises, I can transport any injured to the infirmary in a matter of minutes."
Harry nodded but now he had second thoughts about the planned lesson. But it was too late as Hermione, Ron and Ginny entered the room.
"Wow." Breathed Ginny. "What are we doing tonight, Harry?"
"You'll see." Said Harry.
"Take a seat. We'll begin as soon as the rest are here." Said Lupin.
Hermione, Ron and Ginny hurried to take seats at the very front, eagerly to see what their friend and Professor had planned for them that evening.
The others started appearing soon after. They were all weary or excited about the change in the room, and the seats started to fill out.
It wasn't long until everybody was sitting and looked to Harry expectantly.
"All right." He said calling the attention of everybody in the room. "As some of you may have guessed, we'll be doing some dueling tonight."
There were mutters and excited chatter around the room.
"Quiet!" Harry called. "Professor Lupin is in charge tonight, so pay attention as he goes over the rules."
Harry took a seat by Ron as Professor Lupin climbed up the stage.
"Here we go. Rule # 1: Use only spells that you have been taught in class and that you've practiced in these meetings. That means you cannot use any spells you may have learned outside of school or that you may have learned from somebody else other than your teachers. Rule # 2: Only one couple of combatants on the stage at one time. The rest of you, stay on your seats and observe. At the end of each match you'll have the chance to criticize and advise from what you saw. Rule # 3: Pay attention. I don't want you all getting lost in your own discussions that you didn't pay attention when a spell deviates and hits you instead of the person on the stage. Rule # 4: You aim your spells to your partner only, if I see you aiming to somebody else you'll be sent to Professor Dumbledore to be reprimanded. Rule # 5: In case there's an injury and your opponent gets hurt, you point your wand to the floor and stop at once. If necessary we'll take the injured to the infirmary, but if it's only a simple injury, I can easily take care of it. Any questions?" Lupin looked around at the students below him. None raised their hands.
"Good." Said Professor Lupin. "I need a first volunteer couple."
Several hands were raised.
"Hermione, Cho." He pointed to the two girls sitting on opposite sides of the stage.
Both hurried up to the stage, taking their place where Professor Lupin pointed.
"Face each other." Professor Lupin said. "Bow. Let's see if you remember how you should stand."
Both girls took the position.
"Good. Remember, when you duel you never know what your opponent will use against you, go with your instincts. Don't try to think about the spells she can hit you with, just the ones you can use effectively to fight against her. Go."
"Expelliarmus!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Two flashes of light shot from the wands. Hermione was able to deflect the spell thrown at her with a quick shielding charm, while Cho used her quick Quidditch reflexes to avoid the spell, but in the process of doing so she didn't see Hermione call the next spell.
"Silencio! Accio Wand!" Called Hermione. Cho just remained still surprised to have found herself without her voice and wand.
"Stop!" Called Professor Lupin walking to the middle on the stage. "Good, that was excellent." He said motioning to Hermione to give him Cho's wand, before pointing his wand to Cho.
The others where applauding and talking over the roar.
"All right, all right." Called Lupin. "Anybody has anything to say?"
"Cho got distracted, it cost her." Said Dean Thomas.
"Indeed. What could she have done better?" Asked Lupin.
"She shouldn't have waited to cast another spell." Neville said.
"It wouldn't have been an accurate hit, though." Somebody called.
"What does it matter when it could save your life?" Neville said.
"Neville is right. Dueling can be used as a training exercise but when it comes to Death Eaters it could lead to death if you're not prepared. All right, another couple." Professor Lupin said.
Hands were eagerly raised into the air, accompanied by "me, me" from the audience.
"Ron, Terry."
Ron and Terry Boot hurried onto the stage eager to give a good show.
They stood at opposite sides and waited for Lupin to give the word.
"Go." Came the command.
"Expelliarmus!" Called Terry, but Ron surprised everybody by calling "Incendio!"
A blast of fire shot of his wand, Terry lost his balance when he tried to step back and get away from the flames.
"Impedimenta!" Called Ron closely after his previous incantation.
Terry fell heavily on the matted stage.
"Excellent." Said Professor Lupin waving his wand over Terry allowing him to sit up. "Good use of the Incendio Charm. It is useful to start with a diversion, especially if you happen to be outnumbered." Professor Lupin said to the audience.
Ron and Terry sat on their vacated chairs. Ron was pleased when those around him slapped his back in congratulations. Even Hermione seemed impressed.
Several other couples passed to the stage to try to give a good show. Some succeeded while others were complete failures and their matches ended with the first spell.
Harry chose not to partake in the exercise. He knew that everybody was waiting for him to take the stage, and he hated the feeling of anticipation that caused.
Thankfully, Professor Lupin didn't seem eager to call his name. Harry didn't know if it was because he wanted to give the others the opportunity to perform or because he didn't want Harry to show off before the others. While the first didn't bother him, the other one did. He didn't want to show off, he was sure that there were others who could be good opponents, but a side of him was confident that he could take on whoever volunteered to oppose him. And that made him a little uncomfortable. It made him think of his father and of what he had seen in the Snape's memory. It was a side of his father he was not happy to have seen, and he wanted to prove to himself that he was not like his father had been.
The meeting seemed to have come to an end, as the others were scrambling from their seats and getting ready to leave the room.
Everybody was exclaiming about the meeting. They all had been impressed by the session and many were determined to do a lot better the next time they had a similar exercise.
"Coming?" Asked Hermione when only she, Harry, Ron and Professor Lupin remained.
"In a minute." He said and walked over to Professor Lupin.
"Ah, Harry. What did you think?" Professor Lupin said pleasantly.
"It went well." Said Harry.
"It did. Some need more practice to be at least competent enough to survive. But as it stands, I think only a few would be able to do well against a gang of Death Eaters." Professor Lupin replied. "Let us hope they never do so."
Harry nodded. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him by the door. Dinner should be served soon.
"Good night, Professor." Said Harry.
"Night, Harry." Professor Lupin replied. "I'll see you at dinner."
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Harry was lying on his bed. The curtains had been drawn around it and he could clearly hear the soft snores from his roommates. But he couldn't sleep.
The dueling exercise had made him think of what had happened in the Department of Mysteries the last June. Memories of that fateful night kept flashing before his eyes. When Hermione used the Silencing Charm during her duel, he had been startled. He remembered well what had happened the last time she used it, and in a matter of speaking, it had saved her life. If the Death Eater had possessed his normal vocal capacity, she would be dead today.
He knew he hadn't been the only one to remember that scene. Neville had been sitting across from him in the other side of the stage and Harry saw him jumped a little when he heard Hermione use that specific spell. But unlike Harry, it seemed that it hadn't bothered him, it interested him to see how efficient a simple spell could be used in a duel.
Harry felt a little ashamed to see that his friends had put the events of that night with ease, while he still had nightmares of what he had seen. But then again, none of them had been personally affected the same way he had been. Not only had he lost the one person that was a father figure to him, but, he had learned the mystery behind Voldemort's attack on his home when he was one year old, causing the death of his parents and a prophesied destiny for him.
He could hear the clicks of his watch that lay by his bed along with his glasses. He didn't know the time, but he was sure it was late. The thought that he should be up early for classes and should be getting some sleep passed through his mind for a second. But he didn't care. He also knew that his friends would notice his lack of attention and would be asking questions, but he didn't care for that either.
The minutes passed and Harry lay quietly in bed trying to clear his mind of the images that had bothered him earlier, with little success.
When he opened his eyes again, there was a sliver of light coming from the corner of the bed through the curtains. He must have fallen asleep after all.
He rubbed his eyes with one hand while he searched for his glasses with the other. His fingers finally felt the rims of his glasses and his hand grasped them promptly.
He could hear slight movement throughout the room.
"Harry?" He heard Ron's voice call.
"I'm awake." Harry said as he sat up on his mattress before sliding the curtains aside.
"Good, we're all late as it is. I'm surprised Hermione didn't come up here to wake us up." Ron grumbled as he struggled to put on his robes.
"She would've if it had been just the two of us." Harry said with a yawn. "If we're not down soon, she'll send somebody to see what's keeping us."
"I'll tell her you'll be down soon." Said Dean who was already dressed and ready to begin the day.
"Thanks." Said Ron as Dean left the room. "You look tired." He said to Harry.
"I feel tired." Said Harry but didn't say any more as he started to get ready for the day.
Ron seemed to understand that his friend didn't want his concern and said nothing further. But Harry knew that he would speak with Hermione about it later in the day.
"I'm so glad History of Magic is later this afternoon." Complained Neville. "I could do with a little nap."
Ron chuckled and Harry smiled.
Minutes later, Ron and Harry left the empty bedroom behind and made their way to the common room.
Hermione was waiting for them at the foot of stairs.
"What kept you?" She asked.
"We overslept." Said Harry.
"What? The whole lot of you?" Hermione snapped as they made their way to the Great Hall.
"I expect we were more tired than usual." Said Ron with a shrug.
The Hall was full. The four house tables were loaded with food and students ate eager to begin a new day.
"I hate Mondays." Said Seamus as Harry, Ron and Hermione sat nearby. "I always feel more tired on Mondays than on any other day."
"That's because you lot don't go to bed when you're supposed to." Ginny snapped nearby.
"The weekends are supposed to be our free time, we have to take advantage of it. We spend enough time of it doing school work." Seamus replied.
"You wouldn't need to if you did your work on time." Said Hermione nibbling on a golden piece of toast.
"What fun would that be." Dean whispered to Seamus.
Seamus snickered, but stopped quickly by the glare Hermione sent his way.
Harry ate silently as he listened to the conversation around him. His eyelids were heavy and his eyes itched by the lack of sleep.
Students were starting to leave the Great Hall on their way to their respective classes.
"We should go. We don't want to be late to class." Said Hermione pushing the plate away from her.
The others followed suit.
Soon, the Hall was empty and halls were full of chattering students as classes were about to begin.
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Harry was tired. Lunch had come and gone and he still battled fatigue. He had to agree with Neville. He was glad that History of Magic was his next class as he was looking forward to rest just a little.
"You look awful." Said Hermione as they were making their way to class.
"I feel awful." Said Harry.
"Are you sure you're not sick?" She asked with concern.
"I don't think so." Harry replied.
"Maybe you should go to Madam Pomfrey before going to dinner and ask for a potion, she's bound to have something to help you." Said Ron. "There are a lot of people falling ill lately. I think there must be a virus going around."
Harry groaned. "She might make me stay in the infirmary for the night. I spend too much time in there as it is."
"It could help." Said Hermione.
"I'll think about it." Said Harry.
He knew that she wouldn't be satisfied by that, but for the moment she seemed to accept it.
History of Magic was not a popular class. It was the only class in Hogwarts that was taught by a ghostly professor and it was the only one where people could fall asleep in and the Professor was not likely to notice as he droned on and on until the end of class.
Harry was not the only one in class to rest his head on his arms as the class went on. Soon enough, he was falling asleep and for the first time, Hermione didn't seemed to mind and didn't try to shake him awake.
He was walking among thick mist. He could not see anything around him except the fog that surrounded him. He walked deeper and deeper into the fog, he could see shadows walking among his nebulous surroundings, but nobody answered at his call.
A faint female voice reached him. "It is time." It said. "You must learn."
It was repeated over and over again.
"Is anybody here?" He called, but the voice continued with its chant. "What must I learn? Time for what?" He called, but no response was forthcoming.
"Harry?" A stronger female voice intruded the fog. "Harry!"
Harry was shaken awake.
He sat up abruptly, the class was emptying and Hermione and Ron were standing beside him.
"Class has ended." Said Hermione looking at him closely.
"Did I miss anything?" Harry asked trying to contain a yawn.
"Not much." Said Ron as the three friends walked out of the classroom. "You know how it is."
Harry lost his battle and yawned.
"You look awfully tired." Hermione remarked. "Classes are over for the day, why don't you go back to the common room and take a nap?"
"Maybe I should. I won't be able to work on any of my schoolwork if I can't think straight." Harry said. His eyes were still heavy with sleep.
"At least for a couple of hours. I'll wake you before dinner." Ron said.
Harry nodded and quickly made his way to their dormitory the moment they reached the Gryffindor Common Room.
--------------------------------------
Ron was as good as his word. He woke Harry up two hours after their return to Gryffindor Tower in time to work a little on his assignments before dinner was served.
"Feeling better?" Asked Hermione as he took a seat at the table she and Ron had been using that afternoon.
"Much." He said pulling out some parchment and quills from his book bag.
The three continued to work in silence. Harry glanced up now and then looking at his friends. They were rather silent which was rather unusual for them. Even in the middle of intense studying, Ron and Hermione always managed to exchange words.
He was about to ask what was wrong when Neville interrupted.
"Harry." He said tentatively.
Harry looked at him with surprise. He hadn't even noticed Neville approaching them.
"Sorry." Said Neville. "Just wondered if I could speak with you for a moment. In private."
"Sure." Said Harry feeling a little surprised. Neville didn't usually ask to speak with him privately. If he needed help with schoolwork, he was more likely to ask Hermione for help.
Ron and Hermione also seemed surprised. Harry shrugged and followed Neville to a deserted corner.
Neville looked nervous as he looked around to check that they weren't being overheard. Harry looked at him closely. In truth, even though he was a little nervous, Neville seemed determined about something, and Harry was curious to find out why.
"What is it, Neville?" Harry asked as he noticed that Neville wasn't about to tell him what he wanted.
"Er...did – did you read the Prophet?" Neville asked fearfully.
Harry frowned. He didn't remember seeing the newspaper that day and he was surprised that he hadn't noticed as Hermione usually read the paper out loud if anything important was reported.
"No." Said Harry slowly wishing now that he had slept last night so that he could have paid attention to what was going on around him that day. "Should I have?" He asked wishing that Neville wasn't about to tell him anything bad.
"Er..." Began Neville, looking frantically around the room.
Harry looked at Neville. What was wrong? "What happened, Neville?" He asked.
"Azkaban was attacked." Neville said quickly.
Harry sighed. He should have expected it, he thought, with Malfoy and many of the most important Death Eaters in Azkaban, it was a matter of time before Voldemort tried to get them out.
"Are they out?" He asked.
There was no need for Harry to say whom he was talking about. Neville understood.
"Some." He said looking down. "The Ministry was able to keep some of them in the prison."
"Who's out?" Harry asked.
"Malfoy and the Lestranges." Neville mumbled.
Harry groaned. Of course, they would be the ones Voldemort would be most eager to have back in his inner circle. "Why are you telling me this?" He asked suddenly, he now knew why Ron and Hermione were so silent, they would have told him later, once they were sure he was feeling better.
"I...I wanted to...to ask you for...er...for a favor." Neville replied.
Harry looked at him waiting.
"Er...I... I was hoping you could...er...give me private training." Neville said.
Harry blinked in surprise. Training?
"Training?" Asked Harry. "What kind of training?"
"Defense lessons." Said Neville. "I want to be better at it." He added quietly.
"But you are getting better at it, Neville." Said Harry. "The D.A. has helped you a lot, you wouldn't have survived last June if it hadn't."
Neville flushed with pleasure at Harry's endorsement. But he quickly continued his urging.
"I know. But I could be better, I know it Harry. My parents were Aurors and they were the best. Now their attackers are out again. I want to be better." He pleaded.
Harry sighed. He understood what was driving Neville to plead for further training. Wasn't he hoping for the same to fight Voldemort?
"Let me think about it." Harry said. "I'll tell you tomorrow."
"All right." Said Neville, looking satisfied by Harry's answer.
Both parted ways, Neville to the dormitory and Harry toward the table he was sharing with Ron and Hermione.
"What did he want?" Asked Ron.
"He told me about Azkaban." Said Harry.
"I'm sorry, Harry." Said Hermione in a rush. "We meant to tell you, really, we did. But you were so tired and we hoped you would feel better tonight so we could tell you."
"I know. I'm not angry." Harry said.
"You're not?" Asked Ron carefully.
"No. I wouldn't have understood anyways if I had not rested after lessons." Said Harry. "I didn't even notice that anybody was whispering or anything."
"It's not known yet." Hermione said.
"What? How do you and Neville know then?" Asked Harry in surprise.
"Fred and George." Ron said. "They sent an owl this afternoon with a copy of the paper. Neville just happened to be sitting nearby and heard me when I showed it to Hermione."
"We told him not to tell. Nobody has received that copy of the paper this morning, the Ministry has managed to delay it." Hermione explained.
"How did Fred and George managed to get a hold on it?" Asked Harry.
"Dunno." Said Ron with a shrug. "But I'm not surprised they did. I wager they sent a copy to Dumbledore and the rest of the Order as well."
"Besides." Hermione said. "The Ministry will not be able to keep this out from the public for long. They'll have to allow the paper to be out either tomorrow or the next day."
"But why are they trying to delay it anyways?" Asked Harry.
"To give themselves time I suppose." Said Ron. "This is the second time in a year that Death Eaters have been able to escape from Azkaban. It's clear that the precautions they've taken to protect the prison are not working as they wished."
"And now Malfoy and the Lestranges are out again." Whispered Harry. "Malfoy must be strutting around the Slytherin Common Room."
"He might not know." Said Ron quietly.
"He knows." Harry replied.
"The Ministry has been keeping a very close eye on Malfoy's family." Said Hermione. "It is possible that he doesn't know yet. It may take some time for Lucius Malfoy to be able to get in contact with them."
"Everything is possible now." Said Ron. "Things are not going to get any better, are they?" He asked with a sigh.
"I doubt it." Said Harry.
----------------------------------------------
Harry had eaten dinner in silence. People around him conversed and laughed easily, but he knew that Ron, Hermione and Neville were not doing so.
The teachers also seemed to be a little distracted, as some students noticed when Professor McGonagall's meal cooled as she was eagerly discussing something with Professor Dumbledore. Even Professor Dumbledore didn't seem like himself, as he played around with his food without saying anything to Professor McGonagall at his side.
Students were becoming curious and Harry knew that Hermione was right, the Ministry would not be able to keep the story from leaking any time soon. By this time tomorrow, everybody in the school – and the Wizarding World – would know what had happened at Azkaban.
He knew sleep would not come easily at bedtime. And he was not looking forward to another sleepless night.
His meal had cooled and it tasted like sawdust when it finally made its way to his mouth. Harry pushed the plate away from him. "I'm going to work on my Potions paper." He said and left the table abruptly before his friends could remind him that he had finished that paper a few hours before.
Harry walked through the silent corridors toward the Gryffindor Tower. He didn't notice the subjects in the paintings following his every move curiously, nor did he notice Peeves placing wads of bubblegum along the floor in a corridor nearby. His mind was full of speculation and worry. What would the effect of the return of Malfoy and the Lestranges into Voldemort's inner circle? What would happen now?
Ron had been right, things were not going to get better any time soon, and he knew it would be a long time until they were. But he shuddered to think about the sacrifices that would have to be made, especially on his part, for things to take a turn to the better.
He was startled to find himself facing the portrait of the Fat Lady. He had been so immersed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he had arrived to his destination.
"Are you ready to tell me the password now?" She snapped as if he had annoyed her in some way.
"Trailing stardust." Harry said.
The portrait opened promptly. "Next time answer when I ask you instead of standing there like a loony." The Fat Lady called as he climbed into the common room.
As he had expected, the common room was empty and he walked to his favorite seat in front of the fireplace.
He sat for many minutes watching the flames dancing in the fire. He had promised Neville to think about his request and he was inclined to give in and train him. But how could Neville expect him to do more for him that he could do for himself? There was only so much he could do for Neville, he himself had a lot to learn.
He looked at his watch. It was still early and the others would soon be returning after dinner. He made up his mind and stood up from the chair. He needed to talk to Professor Lupin. He quickly made his way out of the common room. He heard the Fat Lady mumble something behind him, but he didn't pay much attention as he continued on his way toward Lupin's office.
He found the door closed. He knocked hesitantly but heard no response. Maybe he's still in the Great Hall, he thought before knocking once more. He heard voices inside and Harry stood uncertainly by the door. He was about to turn back when Professor Lupin's voice reached him.
"Do you know how hard this is for me? Seeing you here day after day and not knowing what is going to happen between us? It's been almost 18 years, Emma, and things are not the same."
Harry didn't mean to overhear, he knew he should have turned around and returned to the common room but he couldn't help but be curious about his professors' conversation, for he now knew that it was Professor Lupin and Professor Holmes who were behind the door.
Their voices had lowered and Harry could only hear muffled tones.
Harry decided that perhaps he should return later and had just turned around and walked a few paces when the door opened.
"Harry?" He heard Lupin's voice say behind him.
Harry turned slowly. "Er...hi Professor." He said.
"What are you doing here? Is dinner over?" Lupin asked.
"Er...I think so." Harry said. "I left before everybody else was done." He added.
Professor Holmes was standing by Professor Lupin looking at Harry curiously.
"Did you have a question for Remus, Harry?" She asked.
"Er...not really." Harry said. "I just wanted to talk to him. But you are busy, so I'll come back later."
"No, don't worry. Come on in." Said Lupin quickly.
Harry could have sworn he heard Professor Holmes sigh, but her expression had not changed at all.
"Good night." She said and turned to leave the office.
"Good night, Professor." Said Harry after Lupin's soft "Good night."
Lupin closed the door behind Harry and motioned to one of the empty chairs in front of the desk.
"Well, Harry, how can I help you?" Lupin asked with a rather feigned smile that made Harry wonder what had happened between his two professors to make Lupin seem depressed about his previous meeting.
"Er...Do you know about Azkaban?" He asked quietly.
Remus sighed. "I should've known Fred and George would've said something even though they were asked not to."
"Is it really bad?" Harry asked.
"I won't lie to you Harry, but I can't say much about it either. All I can say is that it doesn't look good." Lupin said.
"What will the Ministry do now?" Asked Harry curiously.
"I don't know. The fact that they're trying to delay the news from getting to the public tells me that they don't know what to do themselves. It's not a good time for Ministry to deal with this. After all the mess the Ministry had to deal with after the attack last June, this will only make the public to think twice about the Ministry's competence." Said Lupin.
"How did they get away? I thought the Ministry had taken steps from preventing this sort of thing." Harry exclaimed.
Remus sighed. "That's what we're asking ourselves. The enchantments and wards put around Azkaban were among the strongest and more advanced sort of magic. Not even the curse-breakers from Gringotts could get through them when they were placed. It was thought to have become more impenetrable than ever. We don't know for sure how the Death Eaters managed to get inside and help Malfoy and the Lestranges to escape, but we have our theories." He replied.
"Could there be an agent among the Ministry?" Harry asked.
"It is possible. We're simply not sure of what happened, we only know bits and pieces but not the whole story. The Ministry is not talking. Not even to Dumbledore." Lupin answered.
"Why? I thought the Ministry had cleared everything up between them and Dumbledore." Harry said with some confusion.
"Publicly, they did." Said Lupin. "But that doesn't mean they will tell him everything. I think the Ministry is still afraid of the respect and power that Dumbledore possesses, if he had wanted, he could've been the Minister of Magic for many years now, the only thing keeping him from that position is his own choice to stay at Hogwarts."
"I still don't understand." Harry said.
"The Ministry knows about the Order, Harry." Lupin continued. "They don't know what it's called, of course, but they know that Dumbledore has a group of people trying to stop Voldemort, and the Ministry is not too happy about it."
"But why? Isn't the Order helping the Ministry trying to stop Voldemort?" Asked Harry.
"They are, but there are people in the Ministry that want Dumbledore to keep out of it. They want the Aurors to be the ones to get all the credit, you see, and they know that if Dumbledore has his own group working for the same purpose, it will be the Order who will manage to do the deed instead of the Ministry. They want to show to the public that the Ministry has the best people for the job and that things will get better, as it is, the public is feeling more confident about Dumbledore than the Ministry even though some of them still believe that there was some truth to the reports of last year."
"In other words, they want to be in the spotlight and they're trying to keep Dumbledore out of it." Harry said.
"Yes. They think that by restricting the information given to Dumbledore that he won't have enough to go on and will stay out of the subject of the escaped Death Eaters." Lupin replied.
"But the Order is doing something about this, aren't they?" Asked Harry.
"We're doing everything we can, Harry." Said Lupin understanding Harry's need to know everything. It was the lack of information about his past and his future that lead to the events of last June. "But," continued Lupin, "we can only do so much with the information we have."
"So the Ministry has succeeded from keeping the Order to learn more about what happened." Said Harry angrily.
"They've tried." Lupin replied. "But we have our own contacts within the Ministry and Azkaban, as well as others around the world who have managed to gather more information than the Ministry has been able to. There's just too little information at the moment for us to do much about it."
"What will happen now?" Harry was worried what these new turn of events would mean, not just to himself but to his friends and the rest of the Wizarding world.
"All we can do for now is try to gather more information. We have not been able to find the place where Voldemort is staying. Malfoy and the Lestranges are more likely to stay there and keep low for a while." Lupin said thoughtfully.
"What about Snape? Doesn't he know?" Asked Harry.
"No, Severus is not among those of the inner circle. I think Voldemort is keeping him under surveillance, when he's out of Hogwarts at least. He wants to make sure that Severus is a loyal follower and not a double agent of Dumbledore's." Lupin explained.
"But why not kill him if he's not sure?" Harry knew that Voldemort had no reservations and would kill anybody he suspected of treason.
"Severus is useful to him." Lupin said. "He's placed perfectly at Hogwarts where he can pass information that could be useful to his cause. He's also a master in Potion making, a talent that is not common to most wizards and Severus has knowledge of more dark potions and curses than anybody else taught at Hogwarts."
"Why does he know all that? Why would he need to?" Asked Harry in confusion. He had heard before that Snape had been considered a good student while at Hogwarts and that he had know more about the Dark Arts than any other student that it was for that reason that he had wanted to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Lupin seemed thoughtful for a moment as if gathering his thoughts before answering. "His family has a dark background." Lupin finally said. "Specially from his father's side. They were related to the Blacks, you know. His father and Sirius' were very close friends when they attended Hogwarts and they continued to be after they left and had married. The Snapes are said to be direct descendants from Grindelwald himself. Many believed that he left behind diaries and books full of Dark Magic, that it is the source of the Snapes' talent."
Harry tucked every piece of information carefully in his mind. He had always wondered about the Potions Master, he was full of contradictions and never was what others expected him to be.
"Well, I think I've told you enough. Curfew is about to start, you should be in your common room." Said Lupin leaving his chair.
Harry nodded and slowly made his way to the door.
"Good night, Professor." He said as he opened the door.
"Good night, Harry. Sleep well." Replied Lupin.
Harry closed the door behind himself and thoughtfully made his way towards the Gryffindor Tower.
He passed a set of large windows facing the Forbidden Forest. The full moon was still weeks away but the night seemed bright and he could see the grounds perfectly under the dark sky. He could see Hagrid's shadow behind the curtains closed around the windows of his cottage. Smoke drifting silently out of his chimney.
Suddenly, he saw movement and watched as a slight figure made its way to the forest. For a moment, he had thought it was a student out on a lark, but then he noticed that the cloak this person was wearing was too bright compared to the black ones the students used. The figure glided across the grounds into the forest, without looking back or around, as if unafraid to be found out.
Harry stayed in front of the window for a moment, hoping that the person would return from the forest.
"What are you doing here?" A voice asked behind him.
Harry turned around abruptly to find Hermione standing before him.
"Ron and I have been looking for you." She said a little crossly.
"I was with Lupin." Harry said starting to walk back to the common room. "I was just on my way back."
"You seemed a little preoccupied." Hermione said turning a curious look his way.
"I was just looking out the window." Said Harry.
Hermione seemed eager to ask some more questions but she must have changed her mind as she remained silent. Harry could only be grateful she had, there were many things that he had to think about.
They had just arrived to the portrait of the Fat Lady when heavy footsteps were heard coming their way.
"Where have you been?" Panted Ron as he ran toward them.
"With Lupin." Said Harry.
"Should've gone there first." Said Ron as Hermione said the password and the portrait opened to let them in.
The common room was full as students clustered around the tables and couches working feverishly in order to finish their work.
Harry was feeling tired. Most of his work was done, and those he had not finished were due later that week.
"I'm going to bed." He decided and left his friends to look after the younger students as he made his way to the dormitory.
He noticed he wasn't the only one to go to bed early as entered the bedroom. Neville was already in his pajamas getting ready to bed while Dean was already behind his curtained bed.
"Good night, Harry." Said Neville as he climbed into his own bed.
"Good night, Neville." Said Harry and watched as Neville kissed a small picture by his bed before closing the curtains around his bed.
Harry glanced at the closed curtains for a moment before glancing at the small frame. He recognized Neville's parents instantly. It seemed to have been taken around the same time the picture Moody had shown him last year was taken. Harry finally understood what was behind the request Neville had made him earlier. Revenge might be part of it, but Harry suspected that so was family honor.
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N/A: There you go, this is my latest offering to you, hope you like it. There have been some questions about this story being posted in the boards. It is posted under the same title and it is ahead by a chapter. If you want to look it up, it's in the fan fiction section of the message boards. I'll start editing the next chapter as soon as it's finished. Hopefully I won't have any more distractions. Until then, thank you for reviewing and I'll don't forget to do so once more.