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Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be slash later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP
Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED The Order of the Phoenix.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 6: Wild Magic and Good Intentions
James made himself comfortable in an armchair in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room. From this current position, he was able to see the doors leading to both the boys' and the girls' dorms. Sirius settled down next to a tired looking Remus, who was sat on a plush red coloured couch, facing James. Peter, who had just emerged from the boys' staircase, grabbed a chair and dragged it across the room until he was at James' right hand side.
"You know Prongs? These early morning sessions of yours … they're not going to be weekly events, are they?" questioned Sirius as he fought to keep himself from yawning. He ran his hand through his glossy shoulder length ebony hair. "You could have at least have given me a few minutes to sort out my hair. Unlike yours, mine makes me look like a film star and I would like to keep it like that way, thank you very much!"
"Why … I think Padfoot here didn't get quite enough beauty sleep last night!" James remarked with a smirk. "Who are you trying to impress anyway?"
"No one in particular" he replied. "There's no harm in looking though, is there?"
"It is a bit strange you know" stated Peter.
"What would that be Wormtail?" asked Sirius, raising his eyebrow at the mousy-haired boy.
Peter began to fiddle with his robes, avoiding Sirius' piercing blue eyes. "It's just that, normally you've usually been on a couple of dates, or going out with someone by now."
"You know, Wormtail's right" James mused out loud. "Remember last year on the train? Didn't you have something like three dates before we'd even arrived at Hogwarts?"
The expression on Sirius' face changed from annoyance to smugness before an indifferent mask formed. Fortunately, Remus interrupted. "Fascinating as this is" he said. "We're actually here for another reason … about tonight" he reminded the other three teenagers.
"Have you decided what to do yet?" asked Peter, a discernible quiver in his voice. "Wouldn't it be safer if you stayed in the Shack by yourself for tonight? I mean, then Harry wouldn't notice that we were missing" he suggested.
"What! We haven't let Moony spend the night of the full moon alone since we've become Animagi. I'm not about to start now. Nothing will keep me away" Sirius stated emphatically.
"I don't know Padfoot. Peter has a point. It's easier to conceal a single person than all four of us," Remus said.
Sirius snorted. "What are you saying, you want us to stay in? Come on, you know the wolf loves it when we're with you. Besides," he said, his tone becoming gentler. "You always say that it's less … how do I put it, you don't hurt yourself anywhere near as much when we're there with you. Harry or not, Padfoot will definitely be there with you tonight. I won't let my friend go through something like this on his own when I can be there to help."
"I agree with Sirius" James added. "It's all good and proper saying that Harry's less likely to notice something's up if it was just you who was missing, but we're your best friends. We became Animagi to help you during the transformation. We'll figure something out, but we'll all be there, right?" he asked, looking sternly at Peter for a moment. Turning back to look at the pale looking werewolf, he carried on, "You just worry about yourself for now. Is it the tummy upset one this time?"
Remus' lips curled into a small smile. "Well, I haven't used that one for … oh, about four years?"
"Well that's great! What's next?" Sirius announced. "Nothing?"
"If we're done, can we get some breakfast?" asked Peter.
"Wormtail" Sirius chuckled, shaking his head. "Always thinking with his stomach!"
"And you don't?" countered James with a smirk.
"Hey!" Sirius pouted.
Remus let out a laugh, the tired lines on his face disappearing for a moment. "Now, now, Prongs. You must admit that Padfoot does think of other things," he said.
In response, Sirius' lips curved into a smirk. Remus continued. "He thinks up ways to torture the Slytherins you must admit, pranks too! Oh, and of course, sex! Mustn't forget that last one!" he said.
Sirius' smirk disappeared and a frown formed in its place. "I can be substantial!" He said in his own defence.
"Of course you can. You just choose not to let it show" James teased.
"Sure. Fine. Make fun of me all you want. I'm going back upstairs to finish getting ready" he announced.
"Padfoot! Wake Harry up while you're up there making yourself all pretty!" James shouted at Sirius' retreating figure.
Sirius did not bother to turn around and face his best friend. Instead, he flicked his finger at the three laughing teenagers. "Piss off!" he growled before hurrying up the stairs.
**********
"Hey Lily. Are you free?" Harry greeted with a smile. "Or shall I come back in a bit?"
Lily looked up from where she had been talking to her friend. "Harry! Oh my, is it that time already? Wait a minute, I'll just grab my stuff and meet you at the table" she said, before hurrying up the stairs that led to the girls' dorms.
A few minutes later, Lily reappeared in the Common Room. She looked slightly harried after running up and down the stairs. Her face was lightly flushed from the exertion and her emerald coloured eyes sparkled. Her fiery red hair however, which had originally been tied back, was now coming loose due to all the running she had done. She sat down in the empty seat next to Harry and took the tie out, running her hand through her shoulder length hair, freeing it from tangles. "Sorry about that" she apologised. "I must have lost track of the time after dinner".
"That's okay. I think James, Sirius, and Peter have gone to plan some sort of pranks or another" Harry mentioned. "They weren't in the dorm just now when I grabbed my books and Remus went to sort out his stomach upset. I'm probably a bit early anyway". Harry shrugged in apology.
He could not help but feel as if he was missing something, that he had forgotten an important fact. It wasn't his scar. Strangely enough, he hadn't felt even a twinge since he had arrived in 1976. Nor was it any outstanding piece of homework. He had found that spending time with Remus and Lily ensured that he kept up with the assigned work. Of course, he could not help but feel slightly envious of James and Sirius. True to what he had been told, the two of them were extremely bright and seemed to breeze through the lessons without doing any work at all. Of course, Harry had also seen another side to them, one that he had not known much about.
After that memorable Potions lesson, Harry and Remus had found Sirius and James in their dorm. It had been painfully obvious to Harry how close the two black-haired boys were. The concern that James displayed caused a aching tug in his heart, but it was Sirius' hurt blue eyes that caused Harry's own eyes to prickle with unshed tears. How he wished he could curse Snape and Narcissa Black for hurting his Godfather. Before Harry could say anything, which would have most likely revealed his true identity, Sirius had formed a mask of indifference, successfully hiding his emotions. It had hurt Harry that Sirius thought that he could not trust him, to show his true feelings when he was around, but he reminded himself of his own behaviour and his need for privacy.
Unfortunately, James had not able to stay with his best friend because he had an Ancient Runes class after lunch, along with Remus, therefore leaving Harry and Sirius together, both of whom had no lessons that afternoon. As James had left the dorm, he had thrown Harry a look that clearly said not to hurt Sirius any more than he already was, otherwise Harry would have to deal with him, and it would not be a pleasant experience.
Harry had found it quite awkward to begin with, but eventually he and Sirius had managed to spend a reasonably pleasant afternoon together. Harry had not questioned Sirius about the incident in the Potions lesson. Mainly because he already knew about Sirius leaving Grimmauld Place, though Sirius did know that he knew, but also because Sirius went out of his way to pretend that nothing significant had occurred. They had walked around the grounds of Hogwarts on their way to Hagrid's hut where Harry had been introduced to his first ever wizarding friend. Harry found it slightly difficult to hide his prior knowledge and friendship with Hagrid, but as the afternoon passed by, drinking tea and listening to the various tales and exploits, he had finally managed to relax in their company.
Lily smiled in reply as she sorted through her notes. "Shall we have a quick look at Healing first? Have you completed the diagrams?" she asked.
"Yes. I finished it off Sunday night" Harry replied. He checked over his annotated diagrams of the human body, both male and female. "I didn't realise that we'd be studying the body though. Why would we need to know about metacarpals and phalanges anyway? Okay, I know why we need to know, but memorising it all?"
"I guess it's not really a good idea for us to try and heal something without knowing where bits are and how they work in the big scheme of things. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if instead of fixing a broken arm, you managed to get rid of all the bones instead. Just because you didn't know where the metacarpals were? I mean, you'd feel like a right idiot, wouldn't you?" Lily exclaimed with a laugh.
Harry was struck by the irony in her statement, remembering the incident in his second year with Lockhart after the first game against Slytherin, when he had to regrow all the bones in his arm. To his dismay, Harry had discovered that Gilderoy Lockhart was a student here in 1976, a Fifth Year in Slytherin in fact. Not that Harry was all that surprised, Lockhart was a cunning idiot, but an idiot all the same.
"No," he murmured with a smile. "No, you would have to be a bit of a twit to do that!"
**********
Sirius watched as James threw another robe out of his trunk with a groan. For the last few minutes, he had watched his best friend rummage through his books and clothes, searching for the elusive thing he was obviously after. One such item of clothing landed on Sirius, who grimaced before picking it off his head with his fingers.
Gingerly holding a pair of purple boxers with moving snitches, he called out to his bespectacled friend. "Prongs! What in Merlin's name are you looking for?" he shouted. "It can't be that important, especially since we have to leave in a few minutes."
"What! Padfoot? Oh … I was just trying to find…"
"Leave it for now Prongs. It can't be that important," said Sirius. "Wormtail. You should probably transform now since the cloak won't cover the three of us. Besides, it's going to be interesting getting out of the Common Room without anyone noticing us as it is."
Peter performed the transformation and James, who had magically spelled his belongings back into his trunk, picked up the slightly fat grey rat, and placed him on his shoulder. Grabbing his silvery invisibility cloak, he moved to stand next to Sirius and covered them both. Slowly and carefully, using their several years' of experience, they started to move down the empty staircase.
"You know Prongs," Sirius whispered. "We're going to have to have a chat about your underwear."
"What!" James hissed.
"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Sirius said, looking over the common room and it's current occupants. Unfortunately, the door to the corridor outside was closed and there was no sign that it was about to open any time soon. "What?" he hissed as he felt a tug on his arm.
"Over here. I want to get a bit closer," James said, jerking his head towards a table.
Sirius frowned. "What are you talking about?"
He looked in the direction that James was gesturing towards. Sirius narrowed his blue eyes as he realised what James had already noticed. Without further ado, he grabbed James and dragged him over to the table. Wormtail gave a small squeak as James almost tripped under the force of Sirius' forceful tugging. As they got closer to the table, they could hear some of the conversation.
"… Then there's my sister, she's slightly older than I am. Her name is Petunia. She's well … slightly less pleased about my being a witch" Evans explained, her eyes not moving from the table.
"I know what you mean" Harry said. Sirius was not sure, but he thought he saw something in the other boy's face, but it was gone before he could examine it further.
"Really? I didn't know you were muggle-born?" Evans replied, looking up.
Harry frowned slightly before replying. "I'm not. I'm muggle raised though. A muggle family took me in when I was very young. They … they don't really approve of magic though."
"What happened to your parents?"
Harry's green eyes shone with unshed tears. Sirius could clearly see that Harry was torn. From the slight stiffening in his thin body, to the fact that he was biting down on his lips, it was all screaming tension to the black-haired animagus. Harry closed his eyes and Sirius unconsciously held his breath, waiting for his answer.
"My parents … I don't really remember them. Actually, I only have the one memory of them, when they were murdered" Harry said, not daring to meet Lily's eyes.
Besides him, Sirius felt James tense. Of course Remus had told them about the talk he had with Harry after the DADA lesson about the Dementors, but to hear it in Harry's own words. The pain and longing in the tone, how much it still hurt him. Sirius' heart went out to Harry.
Sirius had chosen to leave his family, along with their pureblood issues. He did not really consider them his family anymore. He had only been back at Hogwarts for a week and he had already had an argument with Narcissa. His darling brother, the apple of his Mother's eye, well … he hadn't bothered speaking to him. In all probability, Regulus would just regurgitate his Mother's opinions. It wasn't as if it was anything worth listening to. Harry's words stopped him mulling over his own family.
"I don't know who my parents were. I was adopted and grew up not realising there was such a thing as magic. That is until a wizard arrived at our house and told my family about my magical abilities. It was a shock to say the least, but well … here I am" he finished.
There was something about what Harry had just said that struck Sirius, that something was not right. Not a lie, but not the truth either. It was in his posture, the way he avoided Evans' eyes. Besides him, James face had filled with sympathy. Obviously, his best friend was also affected by Harry's words.
"But … but wouldn't one of your parents' family or friends have taken you in?" pressed Evans, though her face had paled and her eyes glimmered.
"I'm sorry" Harry apologised. "Can we not talk about this right now? It's just … you know."
"Of course" apologised Evans, looking slightly distraught. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressed so hard. It was incredibly rude of me"
"No, no" Harry tried to reassure, though Sirius privately felt that he did not succeed all that well. "It's okay, really. I just … don't talk about it much."
James, who had pinched his arm, snapped Sirius out of his semi-stupor. "Ow!" he hissed. "What was that for?"
"Door!" was his only reply.
Sirius took one last look at the pale faced Harry sitting at the table with Evans before walking quickly across the Common Room, successfully exiting the common room without anyone noticing their presence.
"What was that all about?" James whispered. There was a squeak from the grey rat perched on his shoulder. In reply, Sirius could only shake his head in confusion.
**********
Harry opened his eyes. He felt extremely disorientated as he lay on his bed. The last vestiges of a dream he could not recall slipping from his mind like water down a drain. He took a deep breath, feeling the soft fabric covering him move as he twisted his body. The dryness of his throat caused him to leave his warm, comfortable bed. Harry grabbed his thin gold frame glasses before picking up an empty goblet and padding over to the water jug in the room.
Harry walked over to the large window as he sipped from the goblet. The night was cool and the sky clear, with silvery moonlight streaming through the window, illuminating the boys' room. In the quiet of the night, Harry heard howling from the distance. Suddenly everything clicked in his mind. Remus' strange stomach upset, the others disappearing to plan a prank and finally that nagging feeling he had been experiencing all day. It was the Full Moon.
Harry frowned as he looked over the seemingly empty grounds. 'How could I have forgotten! I mean all the signs were there … oh, I am so stupid! What's the date … the 10th … but that's wrong! Remus' last transformation was only three weeks ago. I was expecting the full moon next week, not tonight … how did I manage to miss it … 20 years! That's it! The phases of the moon are obviously different; after all, I travelled 20 years into the past! I don't believe it never clicked!'
Harry shook his head in dismay, rolling his emerald eyes as he contemplated his stupidity. 'At least I know where they all are now. Moony, and his pack; Padfoot, Prongs and … Wormtail. I suppose they don't trust me enough to tell me about Remus and of course, they don't know that I already know! I wonder if I should hint … maybe, maybe not. Maybe if I just mention that I don't mind, then they wouldn't need to lie, and it's not as if I'm telling them that I know about them being Animagi...'
Harry heard another howl coming from the direction of the Forbidden Forest. With a small smile, he returned to his bed and lay down under the warm, soft sheets. Closing his eyes, his last thought was 'I wonder what my dad looks like in his animagus form. Does he look like my Patronus…' before falling back into the black oblivion of sleep.
**********
Wednesday evening found Harry walking back into the busy Gryffindor common room dressed in his sweaty Quidditch robes and holding his Firebolt. He had just participated in his first Quidditch practice. It was an interesting experience, Harry supposed. James had been more concerned with Holmes, the new Beater, and had spent the majority of the practice talking to Sirius and Holmes about various plays he wanted them to work on.
Harry had spent a few minutes watching the two Beaters in the air, flying after Bludgers and waving their bats. He could tell that the other two Chasers, while obviously talented, were not as good as the trio of Katie, Angelina, and Alicia. However, James was an excellent Chaser and more than made up for it. Sirius was also an excellent flyer, though his movements were wild and impulsive, the style was distinctively Sirius, and it carried within, an inborn grace.
Harry, instead, had used the time to reacquaint himself with flying. Though his unusual tryout had been exhilarating, Harry had in all honestly, only been on his broom twice since his Quidditch ban had been revoked. He had realised that he needed to regain some of his stamina before he could realistically be able to play in a Quidditch match.
Fifteen minutes later, a much cleaner Harry emerged from the bathroom and changed into a pair of black jeans and a purple T-shirt that screamed Tonks. Spotting Remus, who was reading on his bed, Harry approached the still tired looking werewolf. Remus had returned to classes just that morning, looking more tired than Harry had ever remembered him being, but he put it down to the lack of the Wolfsbane Potion in this time.
Harry wanted to ask Remus about James' strange behaviour the past couple of days. He did not feel comfortable asking Sirius, after all he was James' best friend. Pettigrew on the other hand, well, Harry tried to have as little contact with the traitor as possible for fear of revealing the treachery he would commit in the future. Remus was the one he felt most comfortable in approaching regarding this problem. Whether it was due to the summer he had spent with the older werewolf after Sirius' death, or for some other reason, Harry did not know.
"Hey" Harry greeted. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit better," Remus replied with a small smile. "Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping me in until I felt better."
Harry smiled at Remus, allowing him to keep his secret. "I was wondering if I could ask you something?" he said.
"Sure"
"Well, it's kind of really stupid actually. It's probably just me imagining things" Harry started. Seeing Remus' reassuring smile, he gathered his courage and asked "Is James upset with me for some reason?"
Remus frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, it was while you were ill. Tuesday, James just seemed a bit … cool" recalled Harry. "It was like … I'm not sure. He was annoyed with me? I can't think of anything that I've done recently so I was wondering if you knew. Today however, he seemed, well normal again."
"Ah" Remus sighed. "I remember Peter mentioned something in passing that might explain James' behaviour. I don't know if you know yet, but James has taken a bit of a fancy to Lily."
"I had noticed " Harry replied, suppressing the smile that threatened to break out.
Remus chuckled. "I think everyone knows. James hasn't been all that discreet about his feelings. Anyway, I think he's become aware that you and Lily seem to be getting on quite well and possibly … may have been a bit jealous?" he said. "Hmmm, maybe not quite that. Perhaps envious at the friendship you two have would be a better way to put it. After all, you and he do look similar, and Lily likes to spend time with you. I suppose you can see where he's coming from."
"But … but, there's nothing going on with Lily and me! I don't fancy her" he exclaimed, a small amount of disgust at the thought slipping out with his words. "She's a lovely person, but I see her more like a … relative. I could never imagine going out with her, it'd be wrong. I've already told Peter this … I don't get why James would think that!"
"Don't worry about it. Someone probably put James straight if he's okay with you today. It's actually quite amusing though. James is head over heels for Lily, but she won't give him the time of day. 'Too arrogant' she says."
"Well," Harry began in a conspiratorial tone, "I guess we'll just have to do something to change that, won't we?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Remus tilted his head to the side as he gazed at Harry. Slowly, a smile formed on his face. "We will" he agreed. "Firstly…"
**********
Harry was standing in the corner of a strangely familiar dusty room. It was filled with broken furniture and the paper was peeling from the walls. The windows were boarded up, but Harry could still see the stains over the floor … blood. Harry looked around the room several times before recognition struck him. It was one of the rooms in the Shrieking Shack! Harry heard scuffling in the upstairs room and without any worry for his safety, he ran up the crumbling staircase until he reached the bedroom.
Remus, with his tired face and light-brown hair flecked with grey, was sitting on the magnificent four-poster bed, a sad expression on his face. He did not seem to have noticed Harry's abrupt appearance in the bedroom. Instead, he seemed to be preparing for something. Harry watched, first in confusion then in shock as Remus stiffened. His limbs began to shake with small tremors. Remus was transforming! His body lengthened and hair began to sprout all over his hands and face. He had turned into a werewolf. Harry watched with wide green eyes as the werewolf let out a long sad-sounding howl before curling up on the bed, Moony's amber eyes seemingly reflecting the pain and loneliness he felt.
The scene changed.
The run down bedroom turned into grey stone. The bed faded and in it's place was a stone dais.
Harry instantly recognised the scene.
He was back in the Department of Mysteries, in the room with the Veil.
The witches and wizards in the room were all frozen with the exception of Sirius. His body was falling backwards into the ragged veil that hung from the stone arch. Harry watched, tears falling down his cheeks, as the scene played out in front of him again. The look of fear and surprise on Sirius' face as he disappeared behind the veil. The innocent way it moved as it fell back into place, as if nothing had happened there. As though Sirius had not just disappeared behind it. The tears fell more rapidly as he heard the victorious screams of Bellatrix, Sirius' cousin. Harry's heart shattered as a glass would on impacting upon the floor. He couldn't move his feet … approach the stone dais where the arch stood. He was being held back by strong arms. He called out for Sirius, even though he knew he would not come …
**********
James' hazel eyes flew open.
His heart beat loudly in his ears as he adjusted to his sudden awakening. James wondered what had woken him up. 'There … what was that!' he wondered. There was a mumbling coming from within the room. Leaping out of his bed, he walked into the middle of the room. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the quiet noises that had disturbed him. Concentrating for a few seconds, he realised that the noises were coming from the direction of Harry's bed.
Slowly and quietly, using his years of practice creeping around the corridors of Hogwarts under his Invisibility cloak, he approached Harry's bed. James slowly approached the bed until he stood next to the sleeping boy. Harry was covered with sweat and his pale face was twisted into a look of hurt and fear. James leaned in closer and the mumbling became clearer. Curiosity got better of the teenager and he concentrated on listening to the sleeping boy's muttering, the desperation in Harry's tone cutting into James.
"Get him, save him … We can still reach him…"
James frowned. Obviously Harry was upset about something, but James did not know what. The muttering from the sleeping boy became more emphatic.
"He hasn't … He is not dead!"
James jumped at the sudden increase in volume and in doing so, he accidentally jerked Harry's arm. Harry let out an audible gasp and started to rise from the bed, which had been James' original intention.
James watched as Harry angrily wiped away the tears that were running down his thin pale face before turning to squint at him. James let an apologetic smile form on his face as he handed Harry's glasses over. "You were mumbling under your breath" he explained. "I came over to wake you up."
James watched as Harry blushed before his face paled again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up" he apologised.
James could clearly see that the other boy was embarrassed. In a gentle tone, he whispered, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. It was just a bad dream" Harry replied in a voice that trembled only very slightly, but enough so that James could pick up on his agitation. "I obviously forgot…"
"The silencing spells you put up each night" James finished. He suppressed his smile when he saw the surprised look on Harry's face. "What? You didn't think we'd notice?"
"W- well" Harry stuttered. "I assumed you'd probably notice eventually, but I'd hoped the dreams would have stopped by then," he said.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Harry tried to evade.
"You were muttering about someone who died" James expounded.
"Oh. You heard?" Harry asked, a strange look in his green eyes. Almost fearful, though James could not understand what Harry had to fear from him.
"Not much. You were just talking about someone, a man I think. You were saying that 'he wasn't dead' out loud" James explained.
Harry sighed and James felt the tension emanating from the thin teenager. "It was … someone close to me. He died a few months ago, just before the summer in fact…" he began to say before trailing off into silence.
James could tell that Harry was not ready to talk about it quite yet. Squeezing Harry's shoulder as a sign of support, he said, "That's fine. You're obviously not ready to talk about it yet, but when you are … you're more than welcome to come and talk to me Harry."
As James returned to his bed, his heart went out the green-eyed teenager. 'Sure. Harry has a lot of secrets, but it seems like he's had a hard life. I doubt he's making it up either. Those eyes … you can see the pain in them so clearly. I know I shouldn't trust him so easily or quickly, and then there's that thing with Lily Evans as well, but I can't help it. What is it about him?' he wondered before eventually falling asleep.
**********
Thursday
Double Potions
With Snape.
It was a familiar routine for Harry except that this time, rather than Snape being the overbearing, sneering Potions Master who loved nothing better than to torture him. He was the greasy-haired Sixth Year student, who enjoyed tormenting him.
He hated Potions.
It had not helped that Harry had not been able to go back to sleep after his little conversation with James the previous night. The images from his dreams seemed to be imprinted on the insides of his eyelids. Coupled with the worry and confusion regarding Sirius and the way he had died and Remus, the lone true Marauder, who was 20 years in the future and quite possibly worrying about him. Well, it was safe to assume that Harry was not having a good day, nor was he in a good mood.
His concentration was non-existent and during the Potions lesson, Harry had managed to boil his potion for too long. Instead of being of a water-like consistency, Harry's attempt had looked more like purple porridge. He had been frowning at his cauldron and the potion within when he noticed that someone was standing just behind him. He turned around, only to come face to face with Snape.
"Another pathetic Gryffindor it seems" Snape had sneered. "I suppose you're a prime candidate to join Potter and his little band of sycophants.'
"Shut up Snape!" Harry had snapped back.
Instead, the Slytherin's black eyebrow rose as he got a better look at Harry's potion. "It seems your idiotic Gryffindor moronity extends to brewing simple potions. After all, anyone can brew a simple Gibberish Potion. Oh, except for you it seems" he said with a smirk.
The lack of sleep and worries that preyed on Harry's mind, along with Snape's taunting finally broke Harry's tenuous hold on his temper. "Piss off Snape. I don't need you or your asinine remarks" he growled before magically cleaning his spoilt potion and cauldron with a wave of his wand. "Evanesco."
"Really, such language!" Snape replied in an undertone so that only Harry would be able to hear him. "Then again, I don't expect much better from a Mudblood."
Harry, who had already grabbed his bag turned around at the insult, his anger prepared to spring like a coiled snake. He took a step towards Snape, not noticing that the two of them had attracted the attention of James, Sirius, and Remus. "I'm giving you a warning this time Snape, but you may not be so lucky next time. I don't like you or anything about you. Insult me again and I'll make sure you regret it. I am not someone you can tread all over anymore. You are no better than me!" he snarled before storming out of the classroom. The red haze in his mind clouded all other thoughts, but Harry was faintly aware that James had started to shout at Snape as he strode away from the dungeons.
**********
It was a concerned and slightly annoyed Sirius who entered the Great Hall for lunch, followed closely by James and Remus. Scanning the table, he spotted Peter sitting by several empty seats and he marched over, sitting down at the table with a thump. He sat in silence, occasionally glaring over at the Slytherin table, listening as James and Remus told Peter about the, yet again, eventful Potions lesson. Sirius gave a mental groan. 'What was it with Snape, Potions and personal problems?' he wondered.
"-I'm worried about him. He didn't get much sleep last night" explained James.
"What! Why not?" Sirius interrupted. The frown on his face mirrored on Remus' face as well.
"I was just about to get to that!" James chastised. "He had a nightmare last night and I didn't hear him go back to sleep afterwards. I wouldn't have noticed, except that he forgot to cast those silencing spells he puts up every night."
Peter voiced his opinion. "He could just be missing home? It can't be anything serious, can it?" he asked.
"No Wormtail" replied James. "He doesn't seem to be missing a place. It's more like a person."
"Who?" Sirius asked, his curiosity gaining the better of him.
"I don't know. A guy, possibly a wizard?" ventured James. "Harry wouldn't say, just that it's someone he knew, but I get the feeling he was close to whoever it was who died. All I know is that it happened right before this summer just gone."
"But that was months ago" said Peter with a small amount of scorn. "Surely he should be over it, at least not having screaming nightmares about it!"
"Remember" Remus interjected. "Harry also said he lost his parents when he was very young. I would guess that he takes the deaths of anyone close to him quite hard."
"Then there was that conversation he had with Evans" Sirius mentioned as he recalled eavesdropping on Harry and Lily a few days before.
"Yes! He said that … that his adoptive family, they weren't keen on the fact that he's a wizard" James said.
"So … what does that mean?" asked Peter nervously, looking from James to Sirius and back again.
"I'm not sure. I don't know how Snape fits in all this either" James sighed in resignation.
"Apart from being a nosy, greasy-haired prat?" Sirius snarled.
"You know," Remus said thoughtfully. "I think that Snape was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or if he wasn't, he was the catalyst to set Harry off."
"How so?" asked James.
"I don't know if you noticed, but Harry was like a kettle that's just about to boil all morning" he explained. "He was literally simmering, you could feel the tension surrounding him. I guess Snape must have said something … it could have been absolutely nothing, but it most likely caused the pan to boil over, and well, you saw the result."
"It's a pity we lost those points though" Sirius complained as he finished his lunch.
"This is just a guess, but I think that Phalin catching you threatening to beat Snape up something bloody may have had something to do with it" was the sarcastic reply from the werewolf.
Sirius grinned apologetically at his friend. "Oh yeah, forgot about that. It was just a little thing after all! Anyway, I've got the afternoon free so I'll grab the Map and find Harry. Hopefully he'll be a bit calmer and I can get him to help me plan revenge on Snape!"
"Great!" replied James.
"Get him to grab a late lunch if you can, he still need to eat more and if he carries on skipping meals…" Remus trailed off.
"Will do Moony! James, the Map's in your trunk right?" asked Sirius as he rose from the table.
"Yeah, it is"
"Well I guess I'll see you guys later," Sirius said before walking out of the Great Hall, intent on finding the complicated yet intriguing green-eyed teenager that had entered their lives.
**********
Harry stalked into the boys' Sixth Year dorm and threw his bag down on his bed. Mentally, Harry was berating himself for losing his temper at the Slytherin, especially considering that he had put up with far worse insults in the past. He knew it was a direct result of the dreams he had experienced the night before and his subsequent inability to fall back asleep after James had woke him up. Nor had be taken the opportunity to practice his meditations the past few days. Feeling slightly constricted, Harry threw off his school robe and tie as well as unbuttoning the top three buttons of his school shirt, thus allowing him a small amount of freedom in his movements.
Harry decided to take the opportunity to meditate and hoped he would be able to gain a better amount of control over his temper as a result. He arranged himself so that he sat cross-legged on his bed. Harry closed his eyes and allowed his breathing to slow down and began with his Occlumency training by beginning to systematically clear his thoughts. In his minds' eye, Harry imagined a large room full of books and parchment. At one side of the room, there was a large open window. Starting by that window, Harry started to pick up books and loose parchments and throw them out of the window. Slowly he made his way across the room until the room was empty.
Knowing that his mind was now clear, Harry envisioned the barrier that enclosed his thoughts and emotions. Looking at it with a critical eye, Harry noticed that it was not as thick as it had been when he last 'seen' it. Slowly and methodically, in much the same way he had cleared his mind, Harry strengthened the barrier until it felt solid to the touch. Satisfied with his progress, Harry let the visual representation of the barrier fade back into his mind, secure in the knowledge that he would be safe from any Legilimency attacks or visions for the time being.
Instead, Harry assumed the same position he was sat in the real world, in his mind. Slowly, like an artist sketching on a blank board, images began to form in the void in front of him in luminescent shades of white. Harry was now in what he deemed to be a deeper state of meditation, though he had not read about anything like this happening to a witch or wizard before. He had intended on asking Hermione when they returned to Hogwarts but obviously, that was no longer an option. Nor did he have any idea where to look for the information. As far as Harry could tell, in this state, he was able to 'see', or perhaps a better description would be to sense, magic. It had been a little talent that he had developed over the summer, during his meditations to help him practice his Occlumency.
Although Harry was unable to see the magic within himself, he could see it surrounding the many other magical objects in the room. To make things easier for himself, Harry had decided to rate the brightness of the magic on a small scale of 1 - 10, however the scale was completely arbitrary and Harry suspected that he was over-simplifying matters. Even so, it had become an interesting game for him over the past months or two.
For example, the dragon tooth pendant, which had been a present from Charlie Weasley, tickled his senses as it hung at the base of his neck. As it lay upon his body, Harry was able to sense the magic on the tooth. It shone with a brightness of about 7 on Harry's scale. It was the reason why Harry suspected that the pendant was not as plain and simple as it seemed to be upon first impressions. Of course, logic dictated that Charlie must have used some sort of magic to bind the small emerald and sapphire stones to the dragon's tooth, but the intensity of the magic it exuded indicated that many other charms and spells had also been cast on the pendant.
At this time, Harry was unable to differentiate between the different spells, nor did he know if he would ever be able to, but he knew that at some point in the future, he would have to visit the Library to do some research on the matter. Harry suspected that he would eventually find out what spells had been cast on his pendant and it was those same instincts that prevented him from allowing others to touch the pendant.
Another extremely strong magical signature from the end of his bed caught Harry's attention. It emanated from a thin cylindrical shape and Harry had assigned it a 10 on his scale. The object was his very own wand, holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. His wand actually contained a phoenix feather from Fawkes, and its brother wand belonged to Voldemort, previously known as Tom Riddle. Harry had not been surprised when he had first viewed his wand in this manner; in fact, his instincts had caused him to seek it out.
Casting his senses beyond the boundaries of his bed, Harry could sense small amounts of magical energy emanating from the trunks and other magical items in the room. The dorm faded into the background, but Harry was still able to sense the magic that was imbued in the walls of Hogwarts. The only thing that Harry could liken it to, so that others could understand, was the muggle film, the Matrix, which Harry had seen while at the Dursleys that summer.
The only way Harry could describe how he could sense the magic that surrounded him was that normal objects, such as the walls, tables, and even the trunks, carried the magic within them. It was fused into the materials so Harry could sense the dimensions of the object or building. In comparison, other things such as his pendant, his wand, and even people, Harry discovered that the magic seemed to emanate from within them. This was the case with most of the objects that Harry would classify as being a 5 or above on the scale. Even with all this, Harry was still not fully able to explain how it worked, how he was able to sense the magic. To him, it just was.
Someone had entered the room.
Harry allowed his senses to examine the newcomer. He could sense the magic that surrounded the wizard, for it looked to be a young man who had entered the room. The magic shone with a fierce intensity around him, coming from within, yet it was not so bright that it could conceal that emanating from his wand that was carried within the wizard's clothing. Harry could tell that the wizard was powerful, yet there was something that itched at his senses. All was not quite normal with this wizard. As he concentrated his senses on the unusual aspect that emanated from the wizard, Harry did not notice that he, in turn, was also being scrutinised.
Sirius had just entered the dorm, intent on grabbing the Marauders' Map and finding Harry. He did not expect to see Harry, sitting on his bed with his eyes closed, looking as though he was asleep. His unruly midnight black hair that was so similar to James' seemed to highlight the paleness of his skin. There was a wild look about him, from his hair to the way he had discarded his clothing.
'No, that's not right' Sirius amended. 'Harry looks calm … relaxed. Yet there's a tinge of…' Sirius frowned. He could not be certain, especially since he had never encountered it in practice, but it seemed as if there was wild magic in the air. It had a bittersweet taste about it, but it remained just out of Sirius' reach, as if it were teasing him.
Sirius' curiosity and astonishment grew … it had to be coming from Harry. He had never encountered it before and so knew it was not coming from him, therefore the obvious choice was Harry. Harry, who was an intriguing mix of opposites. His body was too thin and looked to be frail, yet he possessed an inner strength that impressed even Remus. His eyes could reflect his joy and pain, emotions and thoughts, and yet they could become cold and hollow, as if he could see no future for himself. He held the air of innocence, yet his demeanour at times suggested that he had seen many things. Things that Sirius could tell that he could not even begin to fathom. Sirius had at times thought he could see bits of James, Remus, and even himself in Harry's behaviour, or in the way he held himself. It seemed so … familiar.
Sirius shook his head. What was he thinking? It must have been the wild magic getting to him. 'I've only known him for about ten days' he told himself. 'There is no way that I could know Harry well enough to recognise things like that in so short a time. Yes, something about Harry has me intrigued, but it's only because he's such an enigma. There is no need to speculate until you know more about him, and at the moment, you have to get him to eat and talk about what happened to upset him so'
Harry had finally decided that the person who had entered the room was Sirius. It was too tall for it to be Remus and well Pettigrew … Harry was almost certain that the magic within the rat could not compare to the other three Marauders. Although it could have been James, he had an Ancient Runes class this afternoon along with Remus. Therefore, the most obvious choice was Sirius.
With that in mind, Harry had used what little he knew to probe Sirius' magical essence. He was not sure, but it seemed as if the magical energy within Sirius was trying to capture something because it moved about him, as a fire licking a new stick of firewood. Harry had assumed that the unusual aspect that Harry could sense was in fact Sirius' Animagus ability. He could not certain, but it seemed to be a reasonable assumption to make under the circumstances.
"'Lo Sirius" he greeted, his voice sounding as if it were coming from a long distance away. This was the first time that Harry had ever spoken while in this state and it was an unusual experience. Slowly he began to leave his previous level of meditation, the magical essence fading as Harry allowed his human senses to return to the fore. His hearing returned along with her sense of touch and his breathing became slightly shallower.
Harry felt, rather than saw, Sirius' surprise. "I'm sorry, did I disturb you?" he apologised.
Harry still had his eyes closed as he replied. "No. I was able to tell when you walked into the room."
"What were you doing just now?" Sirius asked, wondering if Harry could explain what he had felt, or thought he had felt.
"I was just meditating. I guess you noticed I lost my temper with Snape so I came back here to try and sort myself out" Harry explained, finally opening his eyes to gaze steadily at Sirius.
Sirius quirked a grin at the sitting teenager before moving to lean against the bedpost at the foot of his bed. "Well I can't blame you for losing your rag at that greasy slimeball and I don't think you need to make excuses for him" he said. "However, you did miss lunch … again!"
Harry blushed and lowered his eyes to his lap. "I know," he said. "It was just that I was so angry when I left the dungeons that food just didn't seem to matter."
"Yes well" Sirius replied. "If you skip any more meals, I might start force-feeding you or something like that. You're too thin! Come on" he said, grabbing Harry's hand and tugging it lightly. "I'll take you to meet the House-elves and we can get you something substantial to eat!"
Harry laughed as he allowed himself to be pulled off the bed. Realising how cold it had become while he had been meditating, Harry considered wearing his cloak to go down to the kitchens before deciding against it. 'It would be too confining around my throat' he thought. Flashing a quick apologetic smile at Sirius, he quickly opened the second compartment of his trunk and fished out the black dragonskin coat he had received from the Weasley Twins. Though it was slightly too big for him, it was perfect in keeping him warm without restricting him in any way.
"Ready!" he announced, turning to face Sirius. Seeing the expression on Sirius' face, he smirked. "You in there Sirius?"
"Merlin! Where did you get that coat!" he exclaimed, eyes roving over the coat. If he were Padfoot, Harry was sure he would have been drooling.
"The coat?" Harry asked casually. "It was a birthday present, but I think I need to grow into it a bit more. Still, it keeps me warm" he said.
Sirius' blue eyes sparkled. "Can I borrow that sometime?" he asked in a awed voice. "I saw some leather coats in Diagon Alley, but nothing like this! It's a completely different style and … wow! Please?" he begged.
Harry laughed at Sirius' behaviour and knew that he could not refuse him. "Fine" he huffed, but the grin betraying his good humour. "But I want it back in the same condition, okay? Not now though, I need it since it's a bit chilly."
"Ah yes. The kitchen awaits, good sir" Sirius teased, gesturing for Harry to lead the way out of the dorm.
**********
Notes:
Well that didn't take too long to write. I'm posting this today and will try my hardest to write the next chapter and post it before I move house. Unfortunately, the new place doesn't have broadband yet, so I'll have to get it installed, and it may take a while before I'm able to post.
Wow! I got 100 reviews! *blushes* I'm so shocked that so many of you like this fanfic. Please keep on reviewing. I'm certain the speed at which I write is directly proportional to the amount of reviews I receive! So more reviews equals more writing! Another 20-25 reviews for this chapter would totally blow me over if you can manage it!
Many thanks to Vicious Lily, Siri Padfoot, snifflesaboutsnuffles, Alynna Lis Eachann, moonlight-madness, Firesword, Witchy-Althea, ping*pong5, elrohir lover, Piper of Locksley, Elfy19, Necromant, gaul1, Patricia Black, HarryGryffinGirl, Jenn Lynne, BEE and LadyLilyPotter for reviewing the last chapter!
Vicious Lily - I don't mean to intentionally mislead you, honest guv! I'm liking Lily more and more, but I still prefer my Tonks at the moment. Lily will be featuring more in later chapters.
snifflesaboutsnuffles - Congratulations, yes it is.
Alynna Lis Eachann - Good guess. Congratulations.
Firesword - I can't really say since it will spoil further events.
ping*pong5 - Yes. Congratulations! With regards to the Healing class, you'll be finding out bits and bobs as the year progresses.
Elfy19 - Andromada Tonks is too old to be a student at Hogwarts in 1976, however, she will be turning up later on in the year. Good guess on the pairing!
Necromant - Thanks *blushes* Your last guess (not the kiss) was a lot warmer!
Patricia Black - Before I started writing this story, I was in the stages of planning a three part story and as a part of it, I had to work out family trees and ages of all the main characters. According to my notes and information from the books and the HPverse, it seems clear to me that Bellatrix is the oldest of the three Black sisters and Narcissa the youngest. Besides, Sirius mentioned in OotP that he had not seen Bellatrix since he was about 15. I do, however, promise that Bellatrix will appear later in the story. There are several other HP canon characters though, which I hope will appease you in the meantime.
Jenn Lynne - The mysterious egg has not been forgotten. It's still there but it won't appear for several more chapters yet.
BEE - Wait and see!
I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!
SStar