Chapter 21

Connecting the Puzzle

Consciousness slowly returned to Harry the following morning. His eyes stung from sleeping with his contacts in, something that he had done all too often. Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and glanced around through foggy vision. The moment he recognized where he was, the memory of what happened the night before came back to him. It wasn't that he was deeply traumatized from remembering, it was the fact that he had lived for months not knowing that something had been done to him and taken from him. Harry felt like he had been robbed. There was really no other way to explain it. He could handle physical torture but the thought of someone going into your mind and altering your memories…

Harry shuddered as he slid out of bed. He knew he was probably overreacting but he couldn't help it. Voldemort had messed with his head last year by trying to convince Harry that he was hearing the voice of his dead father. Harry had been stupid enough to believe it then. He had abandoned those he cared about and put countless lives at risk. That wasn't going to happen again. Harry was determined not to let Voldemort win. He didn't care if he had to allow Professor Dumbledore complete access to his mind. He was going to find out if Voldemort had done anything else during those few days. He had to.

The sound of the door opening quickly pulled Harry out of his thoughts. In the blink of an eye, he silently summoned his wand as he turned on the spot, allowing him to point his wand at the alleged intruder. Through his foggy vision, Harry was able to make out the overabundance of white that could only belong to Professor Dumbledore.

"I assure you, my boy," Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly as he raised his hands in sign of surrender, "I come in peace."

Harry relaxed and lowered his wand. He really needed to start controlling his reactions before he hurt someone. "Sorry, sir," he said softly. "You surprised me."

Dumbledore smiled as he entered the room. "I gathered as much," he said good-naturedly. "I apologize for startling you, Harry. I was not suspecting you to be out of bed at such an early hour. However, it is probably good that you are. It will give us a chance to discuss what happened last night before Remus arrives to take you for the day." At Harry's confused look, Dumbledore clarified. "You have been excused from classes today, Harry. Remus and I felt that you needed the break and perhaps the opportunity to talk about your fears in what you learned last night."

Harry moved over to the foot of the bed and sat down. He wasn't fooled. He knew that it was more likely that Remus demanded to spend the day with Harry without the distraction of classes and Dumbledore agreed. The full moon was close, making the wolf extremely overprotective. No one in their right mind messed with a werewolf when his 'cub' was threatened. "What do you want to know, sir?" Harry asked quietly.

Professor Dumbledore sat down beside Harry and stared straight ahead. "I will not say I know how you feel, Harry," he said seriously. "You had something stolen from you and have been dealing with the consequences of that action ever since. I noticed your reaction when you first heard the word 'Horcrux' and suspected you had possibly heard the term before. I had hoped that you would speak to me but from what I saw last night, I believe that you did not even understand why the term was familiar…until your memory returned. I am sorry that you had to suffer because of my actions, my boy. I never suspected Voldemort would learn of Horace's appointment so soon."

"It's not your fault, sir," Harry said quickly.

Dumbledore smiled softly at Harry. "Nevertheless," he said serenely. "I am sorry. You have had to face so much in the last year, more than anyone could ever imagine. It is a true declaration of how strong you actually are, Harry. I believe that is why Voldemort is still so obsessed with you. To him, you are the ultimate achievement. If he can break you, he can break anyone."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He didn't feel strong. Truthfully, he had never felt so vulnerable before. His recovered memory only proved that he wasn't anything special. He was just as vulnerable as everyone else.

Dumbledore gave Harry's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I know it may not feel that way, Harry, but it is the truth," he said then shifted so he could face Harry. "Now, I just have a few matters to discuss with you about the memories we viewed last night, if that is all right?" Harry looked at Dumbledore and nodded. "Very well, I should let you know that Slughorn's memory provided the last piece of the puzzle. It confirms a theory I have had for some time, proving how very far there is yet to go. I am not sure how much you remember, Harry, since you were in quite a bit of pain. Know this, when Tom Riddle was your age, he was doing everything in his power to discover a way to make himself immortal by creating Horcruxes."

Harry remembered that much. He also vaguely remembered Riddle mentioning the number seven which would coincide with the plural use of the word 'Horcrux'. "Do you think he succeeded in making seven, sir?" Harry asked softly.

"I believe he was close to accomplishing it, Harry," Dumbledore said seriously. "Four years ago, you gave me the first shred of evidence that Voldemort had been successful in creating a Horcrux." At Harry's thoughtful look, Dumbledore continued. "The diary, Harry. You handed me Riddle's diary, an object that had been able to possess a little girl to act on its behalf. A mere memory would never be able to act that way or I would never enter my Pensieve. No, that diary contained a portion of Voldemort's soul, a portion that discarded as if it were nothing."

"Which proves Voldemort created more than one," Harry concluded.

"Precisely, Harry," Dumbledore said seriously. "The point of a Horcrux is to keep it hidden and safe, not to hand it off to somebody else, risking the chance of it being destroyed. There is more proof to aid this conclusion. Voldemort had grown less human over the passing years, which is only explainable if his soul was being mutilated by 'usual evil'. I do not believe Voldemort managed his goal of creating seven Horcruxes but he had been close. I believe he had created six. The seventh part of his soul is the small part that is in his regenerated body. It is that part which must be destroyed last."

Harry let out a long sigh as he ran his hand over his face. He didn't know if he could face off against a 'memory' of Voldemort five more times before facing the 'actual' Voldemort. Facing one Voldemort was bad enough. "Sirius is looking for them, isn't he?" Harry asked softly.

Dumbledore stared at Harry for a moment before nodding. "Yes Harry," he said. "Sirius is helping me find the remaining four Horcruxes." At Harry's startled look, Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, I believe there are only four left. You destroyed the Horcrux hidden in the diary and I have destroyed the Horcrux hidden in Marvolo Gaunt's ring." He raised his blackened, burned-looking hand. "There was a terrible curse upon it which, if it had not been for you and Severus, I might not have lived to tell the tale."

Harry swallowed uncomfortably. "But sir, if there are four left…"

"Ah, well, I trust that we have learned from my mistake," Professor Dumbledore said with a smile as he buried his injured hand in his robes. "Voldemort cast powerful enchantments on the shack where his ancestors had once resided so we must suspect he has done the same with the remaining Horcruxes."

Harry's mind seemed to be working in overdrive as he tried to piece everything he had learned together. So this was why Voldemort was collecting 'items of importance'. He was trying to find objects with powerful properties to serve as his Horcruxes. "So that means that Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup are also Horcruxes?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore nodded. "I suspect they became Horcruxes three and four," he said. "It is the other two—assuming Voldemort was successful in creating six—that are more of a problem. I believe Voldemort set out to find other objects from the remaining founders. I do not know if he was successful in finding an object belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw but I do know that the only known relic of Godric Gryffindor is safe. The sword of Gryffindor remains protected in my office."

Harry rose to his feet and started to pace back and forth. This was just too much. How do you find something when you don't even know what it is? Harry seriously doubted he could summon a Horcrux or use a 'Point Me' spell. Stopping in his tracks, Harry reached up, rested his hand against the wall and closed his eyes. Calming waves washed over him as a soothing voice filled his ears. "Do not fret, my child, I shall aid you in any way I can. You are not alone, remember that."

A smile slowly appeared on Harry's face. Hogwarts was right. Even though the situation seemed dire, Harry didn't have to face it alone. There were people who were willing to help him end this threat. Sirius and Professor Dumbledore were already doing everything they could to help him. Thank you, Hogwarts. I don't know what I'd do without you. Pulling his hand away, Harry turned to Professor Dumbledore who was staring at Harry with wide eyes.

"May I ask what just happened, Harry?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

Harry let out an uncomfortable breath. He couldn't imagine how odd communicating with Hogwarts must look to the observer. "Hogwarts just wanted to remind me that I'm not alone in this," he said with a shrug. "She told me she would do everything she can to help."

Dumbledore blinked before his face broke out in a proud smile. "That is wonderful news, my boy," he said, "and you are right. You are not alone in this. I know how grave this may sound but I assure you the Order will do everything to aid you, Harry. For now, let us conclude that Voldemort was successful in finding an object from Rowena Ravenclaw. That leaves the sixth Horcrux which I believe to actually be Voldemort's snake, Nagini. It is, of course, inadvisable to use animals but I believe that he used her because, to him, she is the closest 'friend' he has ever had. Voldemort also seems to have an unusual amount of control over her, even for a Parselmouth."

It still didn't make sense but Harry wasn't going to argue. Making Nagini a Horcurx was taking an extremely large risk in Harry's opinion. She was mortal. She could die at any time. How could Voldemort take such a risk with a piece of his soul? None of it made any rational sense. Then again, who ever said that Voldemort was rational? It sort of defeats the purpose of the 'insane mass murderer' label.

"You are allowed to disagree with me, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, breaking the silence. "My assumptions are simply that—assumptions."

"It's not that, sir," Harry said as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I'm still having a problem wrapping my head around all this and seeing it all from an unbiased point-of-view."

Dumbledore smiled sympathetically. "It is completely understandable, my boy," he said. "Think of it this way, would you trust a part of your soul with Sirius and Remus?"

Harry didn't even have to think about it before nodding. How could he not trust Sirius and Remus? They had given up everything for him. They were his family. "So how can these Horcruxes be destroyed?" asked Harry. "I doubt a Basilisk fang will work on all of them."

"You are correct, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said with a nod. "The Basilisk fang worked for you because the diary was something that could be damaged with that particular object. It was actually the poison from the Basilisk when the fang pierced the pages that destroyed the 'memory' of Tom. He was still connected to the diary because Ginny was still alive. With her death, Tom would have been able to break completely free of the diary."

"Er—okay," Harry said uncomfortably. "So we just need to destroy the object holding the Horcrux while it's submersed in poison."

Professor Dumbledore smiled softly but remained silent for a long moment. "If only it were that easy, my boy," he said as he stood. "We can continue this discussion later. Before Remus arrives I would like to discuss a few more points to this story, Harry. As you now know, Sirius is currently searching for one of the Horcuxes while I am looking for another. I believe I may be close in locating it and so I would like to put an offer out on the table. When I do find the Horcrux, I would like for you to join me, Harry."

Harry was completely stunned. That had been the last thing he had been expecting. "Er—well—okay," Harry stuttered. "Well, if Sirius and Remus let me, that is."

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course," he said. "I will speak to Sirius and Remus as soon as the opportunity arises."

Or in other words, as soon as Dumbledore was sure Sirius wasn't going to overreact. "Sir, is Voldemort aware that his Horcruxes are being destroyed?" asked Harry. "I mean, it's a part of his soul so shouldn't he feel it?"

"Parts of his soul that have been broken off and hidden, Harry," Dumbledore reiterated. "Think of it this way, along with the Voldemort we both know, there are four other Voldemorts who are currently dormant. The five Voldemorts may have started out as one and have the same mentality but they are indeed five different beings. For example, Voldemort was not aware that the diary had been destroyed until the truth was forced out of Lucius Malfoy. From what I hear, Voldemort was not pleased to discover Lucius went ahead and risked something so precious to Voldemort without waiting for orders."

That was a surprise. "Mr. Malfoy didn't know the diary was a Horcrux?" Harry asked in amazement.

"If he had, I sincerely doubt he would have used it so carelessly," Professor Dumbledore said. "When Voldemort vanished shortly after handing over the diary, Lucius' fear for his master left with him so he decided to use the diary to satisfy his own agenda. He gave the diary to Arthur Weasley's daughter in hope to discredit Arthur at the Ministry. Unfortunately, his plan backfired in more ways that even Lucius expected. With that and the fiasco at the Ministry last year, I believe Azkaban is the safest place for Lucius Malfoy at the moment."

Too bad Draco Malfoy wasn't aware of that, not that Harry expected anything other than contempt from the Malfoy heir. Draco Malfoy was too caught him in his own anger and jealousy to actually realize that the world did not revolve around the Malfoy family. "Sir, do you honestly think we can pull this off?" Harry asked, breaking the short silence.

Dumbledore smiled softly as he gave Harry's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It is the only outcome I allow myself to see," he said. "Can you imagine a world under Voldemort's reign?"

Harry shuddered at the thought. It wasn't that he couldn't imagine such a thing happening. It was more the fact that he didn't want to. He didn't want to think of what Voldemort would do to the Muggles and those with Muggle blood. It was an outcome too horrible to even picture mentally. Professor Dumbledore was right. Keeping a positive outlook was the only way to remain sane in the middle of a war.

A knock on the door put an abrupt end to he conversation. "Good morning Remus," Dumbledore said pleasantly as he gave Harry a reassuring smile. "If you have any questions, Harry, please feel free to leave word with Remus or Professor McGonagall. They will make sure I get the message."

"Good morning, Albus," Remus said as he entered the room with a pile of clothes in his hands. "How are you feeling, Harry?"

"Er—okay, I guess," Harry said nervously. After talking about everything with Professor Dumbledore, Harry wasn't sure he wanted to go through it all again. He didn't want to waste the time in discussing his fears when he should be helping with the search for the Horcruxes. There had to be some sort of documentation of possible artifacts belonging to Ravenclaw.

Remus gave Harry a compassionate look before handing over the pile of clothes. "We'll leave you to change then," he said then ushered Dumbledore out of the room and closed the door.

It didn't take Harry long to change and clean up in the adjoining bathroom. He really didn't want to leave the room. No one other than Remus, Madam Pomfrey and a few teachers knew that he had occasionally spent nights here in the past. He could escape the attention, the whispers and the questions that were bound to come when more people found out. Harry had no doubt they would. Teachers were bound to talk about it to decide what they could do to help which would allow them to be overheard. The attention had been bad enough in September. He didn't need another dose of it now.

A hand on his shoulder caused Harry to flinch and quickly move away. With a flick of his wrist, his wand was in his hand and pointing at his supposed attacker. His breathing was rapid and his wand arm was so stiff that it was shaking. The figure moved back and raised his arms in surrender. It was then that Harry realized that his 'attacker' was in fact his guardian. It was Remus. His eyes stung as he dropped his wand and sank to his knees. He could have hurt Remus. He could have…he almost…

Arms wrapped around him and held him tightly. "It's all right, Harry," Remus said softly. "It's over. He can't hurt you here."

If only Harry could believe him. "I could have—"

"—but you didn't," Remus interrupted. "You wouldn't. You would never do anything without looking to see who you're opponent was. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I thought you heard me come in. You are not to blame, Harry. Do you understand?" When Harry remained silent, Remus let out a sigh and pulled Harry to his feet. "Come on, cub. Let's get you back to the Marauder Quarters. After that, we can do whatever you want, all right?"

Harry nodded and let Remus usher him out of the room, into Dumbledore's office and towards the fireplace. With a flash of green flames, Dumbledore's office vanished only to be replaced with the Common Room off the Marauder Quarters. Harry instantly moved to is favorite chair by the fire and stared into the now orange flames. He had forgotten he wasn't alone until Remus entered his line of sight with a tray of food in his hands.

"Eat up, Harry," Remus said as he handed over the tray and sat down in a nearby armchair. Harry moved to protest but was silenced by a look. "I know you probably don't feel like eating but try. I know how you get when you have a lot on your mind."

Harry scowled as he shoved a spoonful of eggs in his mouth. Sometimes he hated that his guardians knew him so well. "What about you?" he asked quietly.

Remus smiled softly. "I ate earlier," he said. "I spoke with Sirius last night." Harry quickly looked up at Remus, horrified. "I had to tell him, Harry. He's your godfather. He has the right to know when something's wrong. He has a right to know what you were going through…are going through. Learning that Voldemort obliviated you—"

"—I don't want to talk about it," Harry said quickly. "Can we just forget—"

"—forget that you had something stolen from you?" Remus asked in disbelief. "No, I'm not going to forget about this because you don't want to talk about what you fear to be true. You're afraid of what else could have possibly happened during those days you were held prisoner. You fear the same thing you have feared for over a year, that—somehow—Voldemort can still control you."

Harry remained silent as he poked his fork at the food on his plate. Why did Remus always have to be so smart? Yes, Harry feared that he could be controlled by Voldemort. It was something he probably would fear until the day Voldemort died. Even though the connection between them had been silent for so long, Harry knew Voldemort controlled it. Harry was technically at Voldemort's mercy. That was a fact that everyone was well aware of but no one discussed.

"You've always been able to talk to me before, Harry," Remus continued, his voice slightly pleading. "You've always trusted me even when you didn't trust yourself. Why can't you trust me on this? What makes this different?"

Those were extremely good questions that Harry didn't have the answers to. What made this different from everything else he had faced so far? Why did something so small seem to be so earth shattering? It just didn't make any sense. He had been through worse physically, mentally and emotionally. He had overcome so much. Why couldn't he just push this aside and move on?

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say," Harry said at last, unable to think of anything else to say. "I think I just need time to work everything out."

Remus let out a quiet breath as he sat back in his chair. "I'll give you some time, Harry, but we are going to talk about this today," he said firmly. "Considering your reaction earlier, I can't let you go back to Gryffindor Tower until you're a little less jumpy."

Harry wanted to argue but bit his tongue instead. Remus had a point. Even though Harry's dorm mates had been extremely understanding over the past years, the rest of the Gryffindors weren't. They would most likely misinterpret Harry's jumpiness or even provoke it, especially the younger years. They still thought of Harry as the-boy-who-lived instead of a regular person trying to make it through the day.

The majority of the day was spent in silence. Harry completed any remaining schoolwork he had while Remus casually paged through a few thick books on wizarding history. Nothing other than a few spouts of casual conversation had been spoken. Harry had decided in the middle of his Transfiguration essay that he had been upset with the concept of Voldemort steeling something else from him. He had lost his parents, his godfather for twelve years, a close friend and now a portion of his mind all because of Voldemort. How much more could Voldemort take from him?

Plenty. The more Harry thought about it, the more determined he became to do whatever he could to help Professor Dumbledore with the Horcruxes. The sooner Voldemort was dealt with, the better. The insanity was never going to end as long as Voldemort was able to prey on the weak. This war needed to end as soon as possible or there would be nothing left of the wizarding world. This was what Scrimgeour and the Ministry needed to see. This was what everyone needed to see. Perhaps that would be enough to encourage people to stand up and fight for the world they lived in.

Snap!

"Harry!" Remus cried as he jumped out of his seat and hurried over.

Harry looked down at his hand to see that he had broken his quill in half. He was barely aware of a spark of pain as Remus slowly opened his hand to see that the broken edges of the quill had pierced his skin. Blood ran down his hand, dripping on his essay. Harry stared, transfixed as Remus frantically cleaned the wound and bandaged it up with a few flicks of his wand. It was amazing that something so small and harmless looking could cause so much damage.

"Harry!" Remus shouted as he turned Harry's head so their eyes met. "Harry, please say something!"

"When did it start, Remus?" Harry asked curiously. "When did Voldemort become so obsessed with taking away everything I ever had?"

Remus let out a sigh as he wrapped his hands around Harry's bandaged one. "I believe it started when people began to see what an extraordinary person you really are, Harry," he said sincerely. "You have been through so much and yet you are still fighting. You're still standing up for what is right. Think about it, Harry. Voldemort has been manipulating and breaking people for years yet he can't break you. Why do you think that is?"

Harry snorted. "Stubbornness?" he offered.

Remus grinned. "I have no doubt that is part of the equation," he said candidly. "With James and Lily as parents, stubbornness was a guaranteed trait. You also have a sense of righteousness that is extremely rare. Children who are bullied usually take one of three paths. They become bitter adults to try to avenge their childhood (like Severus), do whatever they can to forget their childhood or they do everything in their power to make sure another child doesn't face what they have to face. The last path is normally the least traveled. People tend to be too wrapped in their own lives to worry about others."

Harry nodded in agreement as his gaze shifted to the fireplace across the room. "I want him dead," he said quietly. "I want him to pay for everything he's taken from me, from all of us."

"We all do, Harry," Remus said just as softly. "I think every member of the Order has a personal vendetta with Voldemort or one of his followers. I'm not going to lecture you on morality. This is war. People are dying and will continue dying until the war reaches some sort of conclusion. It's good to have a reason to fight but don't dwell in hatred, Harry. That's no way to live."

Harry nodded again as he returned his attention to Remus. "So what does this mean?" he asked. "Do I have to get tested or something to find out if something else was done to me?"

Remus let out a slow breath, his eyes never leaving Harry's. "We can have Albus or Severus check but the chance of them finding anything is remote," he said truthfully. "I honestly believe this was a one time event, Harry. You overheard something Voldemort didn't want you to know. We now know why. Voldemort didn't want you to know the way to destroy him. Think about it. He provided the proof that he is indeed killable."

That was certainly one way of seeing it and was better than dwelling on the past. Too bad Voldemort hadn't also revealed what the Horcruxes were and where they were located.

Even though Harry had done what he could to accept what happened and move on, Remus and Professor Dumbledore still weren't convinced. For the next week, Harry had daily meetings with Remus to talk about whatever was on his mind. They normally talked about tedious matters such as the additional practice sessions in Hogsmeade for the upcoming Apparition Test that was scheduled for the twenty-first of April under heavy supervision. Harry technically wasn't allowed to take the test but Remus (on Sirius' urging) was working hard to gaining special permission for Harry. This way, Harry would take the test in April but wouldn't receive his license until July.

According to Remus, Sirius was currently on his way back to Hogwarts but had to use extreme caution which meant it would be several days before he returned. Harry didn't know how to take this news. A part of him was relieved that Sirius was finally coming home while another part of him was dreading Sirius' temper from everything that had happened while he had been away, not that much had happened. It had actually been a rather slow few months.

In addition to Remus's pestering, Harry also had Ron and Hermione shooting him concerned glances throughout the day. Professor McGonagall had told them the truth concerning Harry's one day absence while the rest of the school believed that Harry had simply taken ill. It had been extremely difficult to convince Ron and Hermione that finding out he had been tortured and obliviated wasn't the end of the world. Ron had taken it worse than Hermione since Harry had never mentioned his familiarity with the word 'Horcrux' to him. Hermione didn't say much but from her compassionate glance, Harry knew she had figured out what hadn't been said.

Along with Ron and Hermione shadowing him, Ginny tended to remain by Hermione's side now that she and Dean had officially parted ways. Her anger had transformed into a 'for the best' attitude, claiming that things had been rocky with Dean for quite some time. This made it nearly impossible for Harry, Ron and Hermione to discuss anything concerning Harry's lessons with Dumbledore. The tension between the Gryffindor sixth year boys had slowly decreased over the week but there were still some uncomfortable moments whenever Ginny's name was mentioned.

Another annoyance for Harry was how casual everyone was becoming about deaths and disappearances reported in the 'Daily Prophet'. Monday morning was no different only this time it was actually someone they knew. Mundungus Fletcher (a member of the Order) had been arrested and sent to Azkaban for impersonating an Inferius during a burglary. There had also been a nine-year-old boy who had been arrested for trying to kill his grandparents apparently under the Imperius Curse. No one showed any surprise at the news, just acceptance. It sent chills down Harry's spine to think of how much had changed in such little time.

After breakfast, Hermione hurried off for Ancient Runes while Harry had training with Remus and Ron had to finish his conclusion on his Dementor essay for Defense later that morning. Training had shifted significantly over the past months. Instead of physical training, Harry now had 'strategic' training mixed in with research which was what he was doing today. For the entire hour, Harry helped Remus in researching the history of Hogwarts and the founders for any documentation of what items Voldemort could have used for a Horcrux. Most of the documentation was based on speculation and tales so heavily altered that it was difficult to know if there was any truth left to them.

When the hour had passed, Harry left Remus for Defense Against the Dark Arts and was relieved to arrive just as Professor Snape opened the door for the students to enter. He had learned years ago never to be late to any of Snape's classes unless he wanted to lose points for Gryffindor or be given a detention and with Harry's hectic schedule, a detention was the last thing he could have.

Taking his seat beside Ron, Harry took out his book, supplies and homework. Quiet chatter bounced around the room as his classmates did the same. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Hermione sitting next to Neville while casting him curious glances. He met her gaze with a raised eyebrow as if to silently urge her to stop it. Hermione got the hint and turned her attention to Professor Snape who was walking towards the front of the classroom, his robes billowing behind him.

"Silence!" Snape sneered as he turned to face the class and pulled out his wand. "Before we start today, I want your Dementor essays—" he waved his wand impatiently causing twenty-five scrolls of parchment to sour into the air and land in a neat pile on his desk—"and you better hope they are better than pitiful attempts you handed in on resisting the Imperius Curse. Now, open your books to—what is it Mr. Finnigan?"

Harry looked over his shoulder to see Seamus lowering his hand and sitting forward in his seat. "Sir," Seamus said eagerly, "I've been wondering. How do you tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost? Because there was something in the paper—"

"—no, there wasn't," Snape interrupted sharply.

Seamus clearly wasn't fazed by Snape's tone. "But sir," he protested, "I heard people talking—"

Professor Snape let out an annoyed sigh. "If you had actually read the article, Mr. Finnigan, and not relied on gossip you would have known that the so-called Inferius was nothing more than a petty thief by the name of Mundungus Fletcher," he spat.

Harry blinked in amazement at the obvious hatred in Snape's voice. That sort of loathing had normally been reserved for Harry and his guardians. Yes, Mundungus had been extremely stupid in doing what he did but he was in the Order because of his shady contacts in being a thief. Actually, it was remarkable that this hadn't happened before.

"He doesn't need to be so nasty about it," Ron muttered. Harry silenced him with a look but their exchange had not gone unnoticed.

"Well, it seems that Potter and Weasley have a lot to say on this subject," he said coolly then looked directly at Harry. "Potter, perhaps you can inform us all on how we would tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost."

Everyone turned their attention to Harry. Sometimes Harry really hated Professor Snape. "An Inferius, sir, is a corpse that is bewitched to do another's bidding like a puppet," he said as calmly as he could. "A ghost is an imprint of a departed soul left behind. The easiest way to determine one from the other is that an Inferius is solid while the ghost is transparent."

Professor Snape sneered at Harry. "Five points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter," he spat. "I suppose you would know all about Inferius from your time with the Dark Lord this summer."

Harry glared angrily at Snape but remained silent. I'm not going to let him get to me. I'm not going to let what happened control me anymore. Of course, that didn't mean Harry was simply going to take Snape's taunting light a scared first year. What was the point of having two Marauders as your guardians if you never used their years of experience in pranking?

"Now," Snape said as he turned his attention to the entire class, "open your books to page two hundred and thirteen and read the first two paragraphs on the Cruciatus Curse."

To say Remus had been angry to learn of Professor Snape's words would be a drastic understatement. It also didn't help that Ron and Hermione were there to add how Snape was smirking at Harry for the remainder of the class. Seeing Remus' eyes flashing angrily, Harry quickly redirected Remus to his plan on revenge. With as jumpy as everyone in the wizarding world was especially towards werewolves, it was imperative to keep Remus from acting on his protective urges.

For the remainder of the week, Professor Snape was at wits end with the amount of periodic pranks aimed at him. One morning he woke up with red and gold hair charmed to change to bright pink every time someone tried to alter it. One day during lunch, Snape stood up and proclaimed his love for all Gryffindors. Another day, Snape couldn't stop himself from skipping every fourth step. The fourth day was the most memorable. Snape's robes been charmed to have the words 'I'M A BITTER GIT' flashing on the back of them which Snape couldn't remove no matter how hard he tried along with a wonderful hex Remus had found preventing Snape from saying anything horrible to anyone. It had been hilarious to see Snape's face contorted with anger as he loudly told a group of first year Gryffindors what a pleasure it was to have them in his class.

Surprisingly, no one came to Snape's defense, not even any of the teachers. Harry had no doubt that they too had felt that Snape deserved everything that was happening to him and thanks to a friendly house-elf, no one could be blamed for the pranks although it was clear from the hate filled glares that Snape suspected Harry had something to do with it. Fortunately for Harry, Snape seemed to realize that cornering him would only bring more trouble.

The arrival of the weekend brought about the practice session for the sixth years who would be taking their Apparition tests in a fortnight. Security around Harry was the tightest he had ever seen. Mad-eye Moody was already in Hogsmeade while Harry was to take the last carriage with Ron, Hermione, Remus and Tonks. His two emergency port keys were in place in case they were needed. The clear sky and faint spring breeze was a welcomed change from the dreary weather that had plagued Hogwarts for so long.

Reaching Hogsmeade brought a wave if excitement for all of the students. With Hogsmeade weekends cancelled, this was the first opportunity for really any student to leave Hogwarts grounds. No one was going to take advantage of this.

Wilkie Twycross was standing in front of The Three Broomsticks with three other thin, elderly wizards and Moody, his magical eye constantly moving. There were also at least four Aurors standing at various points with their wands in hand and a stern look on their faces. Students gathered around the four wizards, chattering quietly. Harry remained in the back of the group with Remus on his right, Ron and Hermione on his left and Tonks standing behind him. Ron looked a little pale as he shifted his weight back and forth. Both Harry and Hermione knew that Ron was extremely nervous since he had yet to successfully Apparate.

"Good morning," Wilkie Twycross said loudly. "Today you will be practicing Apparition similar to what will be asked of you for your Apparition tests. We will be separating you by house to enable more one on one consultation if necessary. Hufflepuffs, please follow Mr. Jones." The shortest of the elderly wizards stepped forward before turning and walking towards Zonko's with the Hufflepuff students following them. "Ravenclaws, please follow Mr. McKinnon," Twycross continued then waited as the wizard standing next to him walked towards the opposite side of the street with the Ravenclaw students following him. "Slytherins, please follow Mr. Langcaster." The remaining wizard walked towards Hogwarts with the Slytherin students reluctantly following him. Twycross took a moment to glance at the remaining students. "Now, let's get started."

Once Twycross had reviewed the basics of Apparition, he called on volunteers to Apparate to outside Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Moody instantly volunteered Harry, much to Harry's annoyance. He knew the reasoning behind it but that didn't mean he had to like it. It was so much easier to do something after actually seeing it accomplished.

Twcross motioned for Harry to step forward. "When you're ready, Mr. Potter," he said then stepped back.

Tonks took the opportunity to quickly Apparate to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. It wasn't a long ways away but it was certainly farther than the hoop he had been practicing in. Closing his eyes, Harry pictured himself standing beside Tonks outside Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, wanting to be there more than anything else. He turned turning on the spot urging his body to move and felt himself being squeezed through a tight rubber tube. For a split second, he couldn't breathe. It was almost painful but it quickly vanished, allowing Harry to take a desperately needed breath and open his eyes to see Tonks smiling at him.

"Excellent, Mr. Potter!" Twycross said loudly. "Now, try to Apparate back to us."

"Try to land right on him, Harry," Tonks said quietly. "Maybe that will shut him up."

Harry shot her a look that clearly said 'you've got to be kidding' but only received a mischievous grin from Tonks. She obviously has spent too much time with Sirius over the past few years. Closing his eyes again, Harry mentally pictured himself standing in front of Wilkie Twycross in front of The Three Broomsticks and, after turning on the spot, successfully Apparated back to Twycross and his fellow Gryffindors. Waves of excitement and eagerness washed over him as the Gryffindors surrounded and congratulated him. Harry couldn't hide the relief he felt. At least he hadn't splinched himself.

Twycross had Harry Apparate to Tonks and back two more times before declaring that Harry was more than ready to take the test. That was all Harry's protection needed to usher him back to the carriages and take him back to Hogwarts. Tonks and Remus rode with Harry while Moody stayed behind, Apparating away the moment they passed the Hogwarts gates. Harry wished he could have stayed and watched Ron and Hermione but knew he was already asking a lot from the Order just to do this. He wasn't about to appear greedy now.

Not a word was said in the carriage until they reached Hogwarts. Both Tonks and Remus seemed to be extremely distracted as they stared out of opposite sides of the carriages. Harry had to admit that Tonks had been extremely quiet lately. Cautiously, he reached out for the faint emotions surrounding her and was surprised to pick up waves of nervousness, tiredness mixed with a hint of fear. Had something happened that he didn't know about?

Tonks slowly turned her head and met his concerned gaze for a moment before smiling softly. "Not fair, Harry," she said good-naturedly as the carriage came to a stop. "You're not allowed to use your abilities on family members."

Remus snorted as he opened the carriage door. "Good luck with that, Nymphadora," he said winking at Harry then stepping out of the carriage.

Tonks glared at Remus as she quickly stepped out of the carriage. "Why did I tell you about using that horrid name?" she asked angrily as she turned and held the door open for Harry. "I swear you are as stubborn and as childish as Sirius!"

Remus let out a loud laugh as Harry exited the carriage but kept his distance from the bickering adults. "I'm childish?" he asked. "Who's the person who still throws a temper tantrum every time someone says your first name? What would your mother say?"

"Er—I'll just go inside," Harry said uncomfortably as he cautiously moved towards the flight of stone steps that led to the great oak front doors.

"You leave my mother out of this!" Tonks said through her teeth.

That was all the incentive Harry needed to hurry up the stairs and into the castle. Once he passed Filch, who took his time in checking Harry for dark objects with his Secrecy Sensors, Harry walked through the Entrance Hall towards the marble staircase. He couldn't believe Remus was teasing Tonks. He never teased Tonks. That was usually something between Tonks and Sirius. This family is seriously messed up.

A hand on Harry's shoulder quickly pushed all thought out of his mind. In a blink of an eye, Harry grabbed the unknown person's wrist and spun around quickly, twisting the arm of the unknown person as he moved. The abrupt movement caused the unknown person to turn and fall to his knees, allowing Harry to catch a glimpse of a familiar back and black hair that was slightly longer than what he remembered. He gasped as he released the wrist and cautiously walked around to see the face of his 'attacker'.

It seemed to take forever for Harry to piece together all of the features. The familiar blue eyes, the mischievous face that seemed to appear older with the dark stubble that covered the lower face, the cheeky grin that Harry hadn't seen in so long, and the relaxed but alert body posture that could only belong to one person. Harry fell to his knees as he reached out, hoping that he wasn't seeing things. When his fingers touched Sirius' cheek, Harry let out a choked laugh and he threw his arms around the man, holding on like there was no tomorrow. He couldn't believe it. Sirius was finally home.

"I missed you too, kiddo," Sirius said softly as he wrapped his arms around Harry. Waves of relief and happiness were pouring off of him. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help you. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

"Welcome back, Padfoot," Remus said as he and Tonks came up behind Harry with smiles on their faces. It was obvious now that the 'fight' between them had been a ruse to get Harry to find Sirius alone. "It's about time you showed your face."

Sirius looked up at Remus and grinned as Harry pulled away. "It's great to be back," he said as he stood, pulling Harry up with him. "What's this I hear about a prank war against Snape?"

Remus glanced at Harry quickly before returning his gaze to Sirius. It had been decided to refrain from telling Sirius about the 'prank war' with Snape until he was calm, restrained and possibly heavily intoxicated. "Who told you?" Remus asked curiously. "I was under the impression that Dumbledore was gone for the weekend."

"He is," Sirius said as he ruffled Harry's messy hair. "Minerva thought I'd find the situation funny although she didn't mention why she was tolerating the behavior. That is something she's never done before so of course I'm curious."

Harry and Remus shared another look before Tonks stepped in. "Well, I'm sure you all have a lot to talk about," she said, casting Harry a discrete sympathetic glance. "I'll catch up with you guys later…in your quarters. I think that would probably be safest."

"Right," Remus said uncomfortably then motioned for Sirius to lead the way towards the Marauder Quarters. Sirius cast Remus a cautious look before he started moving. Harry was seriously debating whether to follow suit when Remus grabbed Harry by the arm. "There's no way I'm doing this alone," Remus whispered. "It'll be easier with you there."

Harry nodded but remained silent. Truthfully, he didn't want to be anywhere near the Marauder Quarters but wasn't about to abandon Remus. Sirius did have a tendency to show a little more caution when Harry was around but the fact that Snape was involved left little hope for this to be one of those times. Sirius was so eager to play the 'I told you so' card since he had been the only person not to believe that Snape was anything but a greasy git.

When they reached the Marauders Quarters, Remus held him back. "One more thing," Remus said quietly. "A locking charm on the door wouldn't be a bad idea. It will at least give us time to stun him before he does anything incredibly stupid."

Harry grinned as he followed Remus into the quarters. As he closed the door, Harry discretely cast a few locking charms that Remus had taught him. Regardless of the burst of anger that was guaranteed to come, Harry was glad that Sirius was back and knew Remus felt the same. Both of them could have used is off the wall sense of humor during the last few months.

Sirius flopped down on the nearest sofa couch before looking at Harry and Remus sternly. "All right," he said impatiently. "We're now away from prying ears. Care to tell me what is actually going on here and why you two are walking on eggshells?"

Harry and Remus shared a look before Remus divulged the latest developments. Sirius had reacted exactly like they expected him to. He cursed, vowed to kill Professor Snape and broke into the 'I told you so' speech. Harry and Remus simply let him rant until Sirius moved to leave the room in search for Snape and Dumbledore. Remus instantly disarmed, and trapped him in a body bind and tried to explain that justice had already been served. Going any farther would only cause problems.

Sirius didn't agree but grudgingly accepted that Harry and Remus overruled him. "I'll be good for now but if he does anything, I'm stepping in," he said stubbornly. "Snape has gotten away with too much for too long and it's about time someone does something about it. I don't care if Dumbledore trusts him. I don't!"

A loud knock on the door quickly put an end to the conversation. Harry quickly disabled the locking charms and opened the door only to be nearly run over by an overly excited Ron and Hermione. Both of them appeared to be out of breath as they hurried into the room, pushing Harry back as they progressed.

"I did it!" Ron said excitedly. "I finally Apparated! I was a little off and ended up near Scrivenshafts but it's better than nothing!"

"Congratulations Ron!" Harry said happily as he maneuvered around Ron and closed the door. "I knew you could do it!" He turned around and looked at Hermione. "How'd you do?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Come off it, Harry," he said before Hermione could open her mouth. "She was just as perfect as you. Twycross couldn't stop talking about the two of you in the Three Broomsticks. You better be careful or he's going to recruit you to replace the current Apparation instructors. Some of them there today looked like they were about to die on the spot."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "I can't believe you said that!"

"What?" Ron asked dumbfounded. "It's true."

Sirius let out a bark like laugh, causing Ron and Hermione to finally notice him. "Sirius!" Hermione exclaimed. "Welcome back."

Sirius nodded. "It's good to be back, Hermione," he said with a smile then glared at Remus. "At least now no one can lie to me on what's been happening to my godson."

"I haven't lied about anything!" Remus cried in exasperation. "We handled it and we were going to tell you when you got back! You told me I wasn't supposed to contact you unless it was an emergency which this wasn't. It was Severus trying to get the last word in and taking it too far. That's why Minerva didn't do anything to stop the pranks. She and the rest of the school felt that he deserved everything he got."

Ron glanced at Harry nervously. "I take it you told him," he said quietly.

Hermione scoffed. "Really Ron," she whispered sarcastically. "What was your first hint?"

Harry covered his face with his hand and shook his head slowly. "Stop it, you two," he said in annoyance. "It must be contagious or something. Everyone needs to fight over something stupid. If this is the way everyone's going to take something as trivial as Snape being a git then I can't imagine how all of you will react when Voldemort comes here to kill me."

Silence filled the room as everyone stared at Harry in horror. Okay. Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say.