Chapter Twenty: Foreboding

Harry nodded and sat down in an armchair while the rest of the class filed out of the room. When Lupin spoke, however, it was not to Harry. He turned to Padfoot, kneeling down to pet the dog's head, and whispered:

"I'm sorry for doubting you, old friend."

Padfoot literally bowled Lupin over, licking his face in a typical dog greeting.

"Padfoot!" Lupin shoved the 'dog' off him, but he was smiling. "Harry, I don't suppose- well, the staffroom's hardly a safe place for him to transform, and unfortunately I have a class to teach- what would you think of arranging some way for the two of you to come and visit me regularly?"

"It sounds good to me, Professor. I could say you were giving me extra defense lessons."

"That might not be entirely convincing, Harry..."

"If the two of you actually give me extra defense lessons when we meet, then it will be."

Lupin stared at Harry for a moment, then nodded. "How would Friday, after classes, be? I could have some food brought up from the kitchens, and we could have a dinner break up here as well."

"It's good with me. I'd better be getting to class. See you later, Professor."

Since the breakout, tension and nervousness spread like wildfire. Within Slytherin house- was it in his imagination, or was everyone now acting more distant and formal, interaction becoming careful ritual, and not a word spoken that wasn't analyzed with precision. Change is coming.

The morning duels with Nott continued, and learning new spells was rising rapidly in priority for everyone in Slytherin house. Even the usually reluctant-to-do-extra-work Tracey Davis was rarely seen without a book of hexes and curses. Classes, studying, sleep, dueling, classes…

And then one day as the twins, Ron, Neville, Dean, Nott, Tracey, Harry, and Hermione sat together in the library… Hermione shut her book.

"Enough of this. Let's go flying."

"Hermione!" exclaimed George, "why'd you say that? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"That was the point."

"Good going, Granger. C'mon, let's get out of here!" Tracey exclaimed, smirking, as she got to her feet.

It'd be good to have the variation, Harry thought, but then again the atmosphere wouldn't really change for long. But then, I don't have to stay forever anyway. It was only last term I was bound to, and as long as I don't go to the manor… and I could always come back, when it's time… it isn't that safe here anymore, anyway.

When Friday rolled around, Harry and Padfoot made their way up to Lupin's rooms. Lupin quickly ushered them inside, and as soon as the door was shut, Black transformed.

"Hello, Moony!"

"It's good to see you again, Padfoot. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course, if you'll forgive me for having thought you the traitor, before."

"Done."

Black stepped forward and gave Lupin a hug, then they turned to Harry.

"Alright, now Harry, I've come up with a list of basic spells and blocks that can be useful in duels, in order of difficulty. We'll practice having you cast and block these, but also…. One of the most important skills in dueling and self defense is the ability to catch your opponent by surprise. Creating your own spells so that others won't know them is a good thing to aim for eventually, but even simply distracting the person can be extremely effective. That will be one of the main things I plan to work on teaching you." Lupin explained.

"You see, Harry, you may not think that turning your opponents wand into a rubber chicken is a good dueling strategy, but," Sirius added, nodding solemnly, "it is."

Harry made a mental note to discuss distractions to be used in dueling with the twins.

Spending time with Black and Lupin was fun its own way, but over dinner they spent enough time reminiscing to get on his nerves. Harry had long since become accustomed to having no parents looking after him, and having learned to focus on survival, and the present, had a lack of desire to hear about dead people he didn't remember and to whom he couldn't relate. Little golden brats of Hogwarts to whom everything had been handed, from Black and Lupin's descriptions, not to mention a bully, in the case of James.

Nevertheless, Lupin's teaching style, combined with Blacks, was bound to teach him things that would come in handy.

"Master, have you seen the papers? He's been-"

"It doesn't matter, Bellatrix. If he scares them, all the better. Let him do as he pleases. It amuses me."

"But what if he messes up, ruins everything-"

"He won't. No one knows our plans, and no one can thwart them. Don't concern yourself. You needn't attend to anything, except getting me strong enough so that I will be ready, when it's time."

"Of course, Master."

"Now where is Nagini? She needs to be milked. I'm hungry…"