Harry Potter and the Emerald Raindrop

AkashaWinters

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter world. JK Rowling owns the Harry Potterverse anyone who doesn't know that should be exiled to Mars, I make exceptions only for poor penniless people in remote corners of third world countries, who cannot read and don't have the money to buy the overly priced one – thousand paged books. I make no money from my poor attempt at fanfiction. Also for this page, A necklace of raindrops was written by Joan Aiken, I do not own any of the rights etc.

AN: Slash starts here, don't like don't read. Just mention of slash at the moment no action, that will come later. No, Harry doesn't fancy Jacob, or at least not any more ;-)

Chapter 8

Escape from the Dursley's

It was still dark out side as Harry helped Jacob and Gavin put the horses into wagon harnesses, his things had been put into Jacobs wagon which they would be sharing for the journey to Hogwarts, Harry had been uncertain about this at first, he didn't want to intrude on Jacob's privacy, but Jacob had assured him he had no problem with this at all and the wagons were generally shared between two anyway. The smaller horses that could not pull wagons were tied to the back of the wagons of tacked up to be ridden. Harry climbed up to sit next to Jacob who was holding the long reigns to steer the horses and there was a jolt as the wagons began to move.

"So your Uncle and Aunt didn't mind you coming with us?" Jacob asked.

"Didn't ask them" Harry replied looking out over the dark rolling hills through the dull light, "I left them a note, they won't care" He had explained to Jacob about his living arrangement.

Jacob's eyebrow shot up "well then, nothing to worry about there then, so long as they don't send people with pitch forks after us", Jacob teased. Harry just laughed. "Well, it looks like it's just you, me and Oliver" Jacob announced.

"Huh?" Harry frowned. He must have missed something.

Jacob grinned and nodded to a large poster on the wall of the wagon room behind them. "Oliver Wood, famous Quidditch player. Such a dish, don't you think?" Jacob's smile broadened.

Harry was stunned at first, then a smile broke his face, "yes, I suppose he is." He had never told Jacob that he preferred men he thought that he might have a problem with it, that obviously wasn't going to be the case. Harry smiled to himself, although he had likes Jacob at first, he had a wonderful smile, he had come to realise he was more like a brother and that had put him off right away and hopefully judging by Jacob's liking for Oliver Wood, Harry wasn't Jacob's type. He smiled; still they could have a lot of fun discussing men.

"He was my Quidditch captain you know?" Harry told Jacob.

"Really?" Jacob exclaimed, obviously very taken with the brown-haired, blue-eyed keeper. Soon they were into a deep conversation over which Quidditch players were straight and which were defiantly player for the home team.

They had been travelling for two days and the storm was getting worse, they had pitched down for the night near a stream and Harry was helping Jacob secure the windows on their wagon. He was rapped in his think winter cloak (he had taken his Wizarding essentials with him to Scotland on the off chance he felt like running away again. It had been a good idea really), he pulled it tightly around him as the rain lashed down at him soaking his ankles and head. Gavin had shown him how to cast a water repelling charm on the cloak without using his wand (although he was now seventeen and could legally use magic outside of school, the order had warned him against using his wand as it could be traced). He peered through the thick rain towards Jay, as Harry had come to call him, who was yelling something at him.

"I think we'd better put a water repelling charm on the windows and doors too", Jacob shouted across the howling wind.

"OK!" Harry yelled back making his way round the wagon to the opposite side and casting the charm on the window. The horses had also been fitted with water repelling blankets and were now sheltering under a cluster of trees, wither way Harry felt very sorry for them, the water was icy cold and the wind ruthless.

"Come on!" Jay yelled holding the door open for him. Harry slipped through and pulled of the clock shaking his dripping wet hair out of his eyes which had grown noticeably longer since his trip to Scotland. He had also been able to get rid of the hideous glasses he had been forced to wear for almost 16 years, after going to Madam Pomfrey to get his eyes fixed last year, something he was very pleased about.

"This weathers horrible!" Jay exclaimed. "It's making the journey really slow, there's not enough day light to travel in."

"I know" Harry sighed, flicking through one of Jay's magazines. "I don't know what stops you going crazy in winter when it's raining all the time"

"Na, winters not so bad up here, its all snow so we can still go out and have fun as long as we wrap up" Jay grinned across at Harry who was sprawled on his stomach across Jacob's bed.

"The horses must be freezing though", Harry commented peering at a picture of the lead singer of the weird sisters, he wasn't sure if it was male or female.

"They'll be ok, their coats are starting to get thicker in winter and they build up fat so they don't get cold. Anyway, they're used to it" Jay peered over Harry's shoulder. "It's a she" he informed Harry grinning. "Oh! That reminds me there's an article here about your Headmaster and his gang, thought you might like to read it" Jay tossed Harry a copy of the 'Wizard's Underground' newspaper.

Harry looked down at the front page; it held a large picture of Albus Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling at fall force, next to him stood a very moody looking Snape, dressed as usual in his centuries-out-of-date black robes, his greasy hair had grown a bit and covered even more of his pale face.

"Quite a dish, don't you think?" Jay smirked over Harry's shoulder; he received a whack to the head with the newspaper.

"That is so wrong Jay!" Harry groaned, turning his attention back to the article.

"Who is he anyway?" Jay asked grabbing a pen and drawing a moustache on the moving picture, it scowled back at him, the moustache twitching in annoyance.

"My Potions Professor", replied Harry absentmindedly. "Jay! I'm trying to read this!" He protested as jay continued to disfigure the potion Master's face.

"Yer, yer", Jay waved a dismissive hand and retreated to the kitchen to gab a slice of toast.

OFF HIS ROCKER OR REALLY A SAVOUIR IN DISGUISE?

A question that seems to be so common in the wizarding world nowadays. Although Albus Dumbledore the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been proven to be genuine and reliable by his correct prediction of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's return and his many attempts to share information with the Ministry of Magic, Albus Dumbledore is still criticized by much of the wizarding world and seen to be somewhat of a doddery old half wit by the ministry.

We look at why such allegations of incompetence are made against the esteemed and what truly heroic secrets the Headmaster and his associates may be hiding.

Harry's eye's skipped down to the box at the bottom of the page.

On other pages

Albus Dumbledore's involvements with the department of ministries incident. P4

Are some of his associates to blame fore his bad reputation? P10

Harry Potter like a son to Albus Dumbledore? P15 (Harry snorted at that one, not bloody likely, more like a pawn in his chess game).

While the first half of the first half of the newspaper seemed to be dedicated to the Headmaster and appraising him in all form, surprisingly enough the second half seemed to be dedicated to Snape and the author also seemed to be in favour of the Professor.

Severus Snape: Death Eater or hero in disguise? P22

Severus Snape: a sad childhood. P26

Harry's eyebrows shot up at that last article title, was this reporter nuts or did his Professor really have a less than perfect childhood. Harry flicked to the section on Snape and skimmed through the article. The information was surprisingly informed, it described the layout of the Death Eater ranks and many of the roles Harry knew Snape fulfilled for the Dark Lord such as brewing special potions, but it then went on to suggest that Snape was in fact a spy for Dumbledore and was part of a group called 'the Order of the Phoenix'.

Harry's pulse speed up, how did the author know all this, how did they know about the Order of the Phoenix? Did the Order know about the article already? Harry turned to the next article on Snape and skimmed through this as well:

Artamis Snape committed suicide… found by her ten-year-old son…shocking and disturbing…the eleven-year-old Severus showed signs of withdrawal preferring to study than socialise…his character becomes shadier…father died mysterious presumed to be poisoned…link with his son found.

So, thought Harry, Snape's mother committed suicide when he was ten and his father dies mysteriously when he's sixteen, well that goes some way to explaining why he became a Death Eater.

Harry skimmed through the rest of the paper, there were mentions of the Order and a list of people the author thought o be in it, he wasn't that far off although most of the names were minor order members with the exception of Dumbledore, Snape, Moody, Tonks, Aberforth Dumbledore and the Weasley's but that was enough. This was not good news for the order and especially not for Snape.

Harry rolled up the newspaper and tied it with sting attaching a small note:

To the order,

I don't' know if any of you have read the latest edition of 'Wizarding Underground', Jacob tells me it isn't a very big newspaper, their information is surprisingly informed. Here is the copy of the paper; Professor Snape might find the later articles particularly interesting.

Harry

As an After thought Harry added:

P.S. I'm travelling to Hogwarts with a group of Gypsies who claim to know Professor Dumbledore and had been granted permission to stay in Hogwarts grounds. See you soon.

Harry smiled just at the chaos that sentence would cause, Harry had forgotten to mention to that order that he was leaving the Dursley's, he had been hoping to conveniently forget until he arrived, at least this way Dumbledore would definitely read the article and Snape aggravated by his early arrival and 'disobedience to follow orders' would also read the article.

Harry changed and crawled into bed listening to the rain thunder down on the wooden roof, hopefully it would stop raining and he would be able to send Hedwig with the newspaper.

Harry turned to look at Jacob who was fast asleep across from him and had a lazy smile on his face; he wondered what Jay would think of Hogwarts.

Chapter 9…Old Grandma Thyme. Harry learns more about magic, tells Jacob about his dream and gets a reply from the order.