CHAPTER SEVEN
And we watch as our young hearts fade into the flood
I do not own Harry Potter or its characters
-o0o0o0o-
Harry had been in and out of consciousness for three days after the incident with Quirrell. Cassiopeia had taken it upon herself to contact the Flamels and return their property.
They apologised profusely to the family, for when the five hundred year old couple lent Albus the stone, they did not know this was what he was going to do with it.
After having viewed the memory of what happened, they were incredibly impressed with the little eleven year old boy that lay frail in the hospital cot. When he was well and coherent, the Flamels would be paying another visit to the boy in an effort to apologise to him personally, despite them not being at fault.
Really, it was just an excuse. Nicolas was..intrigued by the boy. He wanted to get to know the boy who desired to have the stone but not to use it.
When Harry finally woke up, the strict but fair Amelia Bones was at his bedside within the hour. She took his memories herself, to ensure they were not tampered with. Then, she sat next to him for the next hour getting to know him.
She gave him her own personal stories of her adventures with James and Lily Potter, as she had looked on the couple very fondly.
Harry was grateful for any story or memory he could have regarding his parents. They got along swimmingly, and the parting words Harry said to Amelia had left an impression. Truthfully, the parting words had not left her mind for days.
"Thank you." He had said. Amelia gave him a quizzical look. He explained. "I was briefed about you before your arrival. When you defended me in the Wizengamot room, thank you."
"You're welcome, Lord Potter."
"It's Harry. You know, people..they look at me and they see a child," he said with a mirthless laugh. "Since the age of four I have been trained. In everything you can think of. My parents were taken away from me by the madman that wants me killed. I have been haunted with dreams and memories of what he did to my parents. I may be eleven years old, but no eleven year old goes through all this and comes out of it a child."
Those words broke Amelia's heart. She could not even imagine her Susan having the amount of stress and expectations Harry has set upon him.
She had just finished viewing the boy's memories and it unnerved her more than she thought. The dog, the trials. They were set up so easily. As if it was for children.
Dumbledore had made a terrible blunder, and now he was doing everything he could to cover it up.
The knock at her door shook her out of her stupor. "Come in." She called.
Head Auror Rufus Scrimegeour and Gawain Robards walked in. She sighed as she saw them. She'd have to show them the memories and let them know that as of right now, Voldemort is considered alive.
"Look into the pensieve." She told them, disregarding their questions and whatever questions they had at the moment. "We will discuss what you see and your questions once we emerge."
No questions asked, the two men nodded stiffly and moved towards the pensieve. While watching the memories of Harry Potter and Sirius Black, Amelia pondered how on Earth the Wizarding World of Britain got to the point that it has.
They were divided, and have been divided since Grindelwald. Lord Voldemort took advantage of the division and drove the wedge even further and further until there was an unending abyss standing between them all.
Robards and Scrimgeour emerged looking pale as ghosts. She conjured them cups and poured them firewhiskey, then watched as they both downed the entire cup. She took off her signature monocle and sighed.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Robards asked in shock, eyes wide and full of shock.
"That was Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort." Amelia answered.
"So he really is alive? It's not just some awful rumour?" Scrimgeour murmured softly.
"No," she whispered, equally as sombre. "It's not a rumour."
Robards laughed bitterly. "James and Lily died for nothing, then."
Gawain worked with James when the boy was a rookie auror and Gawain had been an auror for a few years at that point. Gawain was his superior and he cannot remember a time that he laughed more than when he spent time with Sirius and James.
"Not for nothing," Amelia murmured. "You see their boy. The spitting image of James with Lily's eyes and heart."
"And Charlus' fighting affinity," Scrimgeour smirked. "That boy is going to give everyone hell the second he can."
"Yes, he is." She hummed, taking a sip of her own firewhiskey. "And that is why we need him as our ally."
"Ally?" Gawain echoed. "To the Auror Department?"
Amelia nodded.
"And what exactly will that do?" Rufus questioned, raising a brow.
"He is a Lord of the Wizengamot and in the very thick of it. Don't look so shocked, Voldemort is not dead, and it is only a matter of time before we go into full fledged war once more. We need him on our side, and he needs more people on his side as well."
"Politically or fighting wise?" Gawain asked grimly.
"Both." Amelia answered, just as grim.
-o0o0o0o-
Harry finally got out of the Hospital Wing. He and the Slytherin side of his friend group walked over to the Gryffindor table.
Ron Weasley sneered at them. "Go back to your own table, slimy snakes."
"Shut up." Was all Theo said as he and their friends slid into the seats opposite of the Twins, Lee Jordan, Neville, and Hermione.
"I have an idea." Harry said with a bright smile.
"Oh?" Fred Weasley raised a brow.
"Gryffindor vs. Slytherin pick up game! Anyone is allowed to play, even firsties. It doesn't have to necessarily be the Quidditch teams, and no points. Just for fun, we got Hooch on board for it too." Blaise said with a grin.
Fred and George exchanged grins.
"Consider it done." Lee smirked.
-o0o0o0o-
In the Gryffindor common room, the twins and Lee broached the topic with Oliver and the team.
"Ollie, how would you feel about a Slytherin vs. Gryffindor pickup Quidditch game? Just for fun." Fred asked.
"Quidditch?" Oliver asked, eyes lighting up.
"Yes! Anyone can play in it, even firsties." George added.
"Sounds fun. I'm in." Oliver said, going back to his Transfiguration essay as the rest of the team nodded in agreement.
In the Slytherin common room, Draco approached Flint.
"Flint, how would you feel about a Gryffindor versus Slytherin pickup game this weekend?"
Flint raised his bushy brows as Harry added in more elements of their plans.
"What do we get out of this?" Flint asked, eyes narrowed.
"Why do you bloody need to get something out of it?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes back. "We're all kids and teenagers, let's bloody well act like it until a time comes that we can't. That's what you get out of it."
Everyone in the common room was listening intently, whispers flowing through the room.
"Fine." Flint eventually agreed. "One condition, however."
"What is it?" Harry asked, eyes glaring but his face impassive.
"You play seeker," He said to Harry and then looked at Draco. "And you play Chaser."
Harry and Draco resisted smirking at one another. This idea had been in the works for weeks, and in order for them to be allowed to play, Flint needed to know that they were great on brooms.
It was only a happy accident that word travels very quickly around Hogwarts.
"Deal." Draco and Harry chorused in unison.
-o0o0o0o-
And so, the school found themselves sitting in the stands as the scoreboard was alive once more and Lee Jordan announced the pickup game.
McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout sat in the announcer's box.
But, one tiny detail that Harry neglected to mention to the people outside of his clique would kick in as soon as the first score of the game occurred.
Angelina made the quaffle in, and everything changed.
Half of the Gryffindor team's jerseys turned emerald green with golden numbers. Half of the Slytherin team's jerseys turned scarlet red with silver.
"What the bloody hell is happening?" Oliver shouted as Alicia Spinnet shrugged and threw the quaffle to Marcus Flint, who now had a matching red jersey.
"Looks like we're on your team, Wood." Flint smirked as he flew off to the Slytherin goalposts and scored.
"That is goal number one scored for Gryfferin! The score is 10-10." Lee announced.
Everyone was confused, but they all ended up shrugging and playing the best game of Quidditch known to Hogwarts since the times James Potter was captain and Chaser.
The game of Slytherdor versus Gryfferin.
Fred and George were on opposing teams, having a lot of fun and hitting bludgers at one another.
Harry was on team Slytherdor with Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Adrian Pucey, George Weasley, Graham Montague, and Miles Bletchley.
House loyalties and rivalries were forgotten. Flitwick cheered and smiled as Pomona Sprout nearly cried of happiness and students just being students and children, forgetting about House for a day.
Team Gryfferin consisted of Oliver Wood, Fred Weasley, Alicia Spinnett, Marcus Flint, Draco Malfoy, Lucian Bole, and Neville Longbottom, playing as seeker for the game.
Oliver watched as Lucian Bole sent a bludger towards Angelina who was about to score for team Slytherdor and sent a strange nod of respect towards the boy who purposely aimed the bludger at her leg instead of her head as he normally does. Bole nodded back.
The game continued as they let their houses melt away and Harry watched with satisfaction as new friendships were formed.
He watched Adrian Pucey drag Katie Bell away from a bludger by grabbing her broom and pulling her towards him, away from the projectile.
He saw as Marcus Flint threw the quaffle toward Alicia Spinnet and grinned as she caught it.
He watched Fred and Bole as well as George and Graham worked as teams and were careful to not injure anyone, only distract them or veer them off course.
He watched as Draco and Oliver high fived as Draco flew by, congratulating Oliver for pulling off a complicated manoeuvre to block a quaffle.
The teams were tied, at 70-70. He and Neville made eye contact and smirked at one another as they caught a glimpse of the snitch at the same time.
They both zoomed off to the ground, Harry beating him by a hair's breadth currently. He pushed forward and forward, lower and lower, closer to the ground. Neville pulled up but Harry continued, not letting anything stop him from getting the snitch.
His hand enclosed around the golden glittering ball and the game was over.
Slytherdor may have won the game, but in reality, they all won something that day.
Interhouse pick up games became an unofficial tradition that occurred every Saturday.
-o0o0o0o-
The last week of school came around rapidly. Exams were finally finished and everyone was catching up with their friends and packing up their belongings.
Harry watched the Gryffindor table and shared a wicked smirk with Theo.
"Oh bloody hell," Daphne groaned, glaring at them. "What have you two done now?"
"Us?" Theo exclaimed innocently, eyes wide. "Why on Earth would you think we've done something?"
Daphne's face remained unimpressed as Theo continued.
"I thought we were closer than that, Daph. My heart aches at your disbelief."
She rolled her eyes as Harry stifled a laugh. Blaise smirked and Draco rolled his eyes fondly, very much looking like Daphne. Then, the Gryffindor table began rumbling.
All the Gryffindors were confused as they put their food down, and Neville's face looked grave as he and the twins exchanged glances then glared over at their Slytherin friends.
Hermione tried to look disapproving as fireworks burst from under the table, showering the Gryffindor table with Green and Silver flames that spelled "With Love, From Slytherin" in the air above them.
Every single Gryffindor sat at the table was morphed into the cowardly Lion from the Wizards of Oz. The sparks soon floated to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff becoming the scarecrow, and Ravenclaw becoming the tin man.
They all stared at one another, bewildered. Slytherins began laughing loudly as the ones who knew the muggle movie explained it to the ones who did not.
Then the great hall erupted in raucous laughter as they looked at the teachers who were all dressed as flying monkeys and Dumbledore was green, looking like the Wicked Witch of the West.
"Brilliant." Daphne breathed with a grin.
"We'll get you back for this, boys." The twins and Neville called from the Gryffindor table.
"Looking forward to it!" Harry called back with a cheeky wink.
-o0o0o0o-
And so, the time for summer arrived as everyone – with bustling excitement – boarded the train in Hogsmeade station.
"It feels strange to be going home, doesn't it?" Hermione asked as they all settled in their compartment. Theo's shoulders slumped. He was going to be with his father again.
"I'm not going home," he murmured, staring at Hogwarts that drifted further and further away. He then looked at each and every one of his friends. "Not really."
"You'll always have a place with us, Theo." Harry said softly. Theo nodded with a small smile.
"For now, let's make the most of our time on the train." Blaise said with a grin.
"I for one, am happy for a little break from all the danger and Voldemort." George said, rolling his eyes as though Voldemort was an annoying pest.
"Hear hear, Georgie." Fred said, taking a bite of his pumpkin pasty.
"I wonder what will happen next year," Neville mused.
"I have a feeling next year will be quiet, for the most part." Draco added in his own thoughts.
"I should hope so," Harry snorted. "We need a bit of a break from all our sleuthing, no?"
"Says you." Daphne snorted. "Aren't you having the Flamels over for dinner, Harry?"
"Yeah," Harry sighed. "I wonder why, though. We returned the stone to them."
"Maybe they want to meet the prophesied Saviour of the Wizarding World." Theo jested.
Harry groaned. "I'm never going to be left alone, huh?"
"Probably not," Hermione agreed. "But you've got us. I'm sure by the end of it, we won't be left alone either."
"Already there are articles publishing about what happened." Blaise nodded. "My mother sent some from Italy. There are already whisperings about Dumbledore's incompetence."
"We're going to need them to be more than whispers if we want him to fall from grace." Fred said grimly.
"There will be, I'm sure." Theo nodded. "Nobody can be perfect for long."
"Here's hoping." Harry said.
-o0o0o0o-
Summer was one of the best parts of Harry's year. It was now his birthday, and he was doing a joint birthday with Neville at Longbottom Manor.
Their friends all arrived, the adults that raised them were there, and everyone was having the time of their lives.
The adults were drinking, the kids were eating and playing, and for once, there was no talk of politics, or Voldemort, or prophecies. They felt their age, and it was a wonderful thing.
Harry smiled wistfully, wishing everyday could be like this one as he blew out his candles, with Neville by his side.
Hogwarts would start up again soon, and Harry was excited to see what this year would hold.
-o0o0o0o-
Tom Riddle was once more a shade, stuck inhabiting body after body as they died only weeks after he possessed them, unable to hold his power.
He was angry, annoyed, furious, and about every word synonymous with the words previously stated. Foiled, once more by that brat. He needed to find a faithful follower, someone that would help him. But where to go? He was once more in Albania, as everyone in Britain was on full alert for him. He would bide his time. By this time next year, he would have some followers back, and he would get a body back.
He just needed to be patient. He was too weak to try to gain power once more this year. He needed to recuperate, loathe he was to admit it.
But he will be back. And everyone will regret the day they sided against him.
And Lucius Malfoy will rue the day he betrayed him.
-o0o0o0o-
As the summer was coming to a close, it was revealed to Sirius by McGonagall that the new defence teacher was going to be Gilderoy Lockhart.
Remus and Sirius remembered the man from their years at Hogwarts, and he was a complete and utter idiot.
Sirius thought this would simply not do. Not at all.
So, here he found himself, in Gilderoy Lockhart's headquarters for his writing business or whatever it was the buffoon called it.
"Mr. Lockhart is busy." The witch said without looking up at Sirius. Sirius smiled a shark like smile.
"Are you sure about that?"
The lady looked up and began stuttering at who exactly was in front of her. "L-Lord Black."
"Hello there, Sally." He said, looking at her nametag. "Why don't you just fetch your boss for me?"
"Y-yes, my Lord."
"Good girl," He said with a smirk and watched as she scampered into the back door hurriedly. He loved when people reacted like that. It quite literally made his week.
Gilderoy Lockhart walked through the door looking like a particularly arrogant peacock. Sirius narrowed his eyes.
"Sirius!" He greeted jovially. "It's been so long since I've seen you, how are you, old chap?"
"I'm quite well, Lockhart." He said. "It has come to my attention that you will be the new Defence teacher this year."
"Yes! I do not know how you know yet, the official announcement was going to be tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am quite excited to pass on my vast knowledge and abilities to mediocre children." He said boastfully.
"That's great." Sirius said fakely. "You're going to write to Dumbledore and you're going to say that unfortunately you will not be able to take the post this year. You're going to offer your sincere condolences and wish him luck in his search, do you understand?" His voice was deadly quiet.
Gilderoy gulped. "And why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, I will very much tell the public how accomplished you are with the spell 'Obliviate.' Perhaps the only spell you are accomplished in." Sirius threatened.
"S-Sirius.." He said, inching towards his wand. Sirius' wand was at his throat in less than a moment.
"Now, how would everyone feel knowing you tried to turn your wand on a Lord of the Wizengamot? And a very much beloved war hero?"
"You–" Lockhart tried to be threatening, but it failed.
"I will ruin you if you don't resign. If you do resign, you can live your little fraudulent life in peace."
"Alright," Lockhart gave in. Sirius watched as he wrote the letter and sent it off with an owl, then smirked at the man.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
-o0o0o0o-
Headmaster Dumbledore,
It has come to my attention that suddenly you're in need of a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I would love to offer my services, as you well know, I am quite well versed in the Dark Arts and defence against it. Consider my offer, as I know you're suddenly short on people to fill the space.
Cassiopeia Black
Dumbledore growled under his breath, cursing everything he could think of. But he had no other takers on the position. And so, reluctantly, he penned a letter of acceptance.
But he knew one thing. The Blacks were no longer a simple thorn in his side. There were plans afoot, and he needed to know what they were.
They wouldn't understand. Everything he did and was doing was for the greater good.
Soon, they will understand. And they will flock to him like sheep to a shepherd.
A/N: another chapter in the books filled with some light hearted fun and some things being set up. I have an idea for how I want second year to go, but Voldemort will not be a part of it. He will take a more active role in third year, as I have an idea for that as well. Tell me what you think, although the chapter is a filler. Should I write more about the interhouse pickup games or just leave it as the unspoken tradition every saturday? Did you like the interactions and pranks? I also remember reading the gryfferin/slytherdor idea from a different fic but I cannot for the life of me remember it, if any of you know it please let me know so credit goes where it is due! :)