Hey guys. Hope your holidays was awesome. Would you honestly believe me if I told you that when I first started this story, I thought that by chapter 15 I would be done with the story? I seriously did. Stages of Friendship, Love, and Kisses is an extension of my first drarry fanfic, Five Stages of Kissing. At the moment, since the story revolved around 5 kisses between our favorite HP couple, I thought okay this story won't be more longer than 10 chapters, 15 maximum. That was then. This is now.

We're reached chapter 15 of Stages and the story's not over yet. Nowhere near close. Proof that no matter a writer may think at the time or plan, the story honestly makes itself. It grows. It thrives. The writer is simply there for the ride, along with you awesome readers. I want to thank you all for coming along this journey with me and hope you stick around for more. I definitely have interesting plans for the boys.

Happy New Year. Hope 2016 will be awesome for you all. Now onto the story

Chapter 15: Ghosts of the Past

It was beautiful-before that it. It wasn't like the Manor large with its vast estate and elaborative décor. It wasn't as extraordinary or complex as Grimmauld Place. It was smaller, the décor more simple, but that was one of the things that made Godric Hollow beautiful in its own way. There was also other key elements that added to its beauty.

Like the way his mum's laughter rang in the air whenever his dad pulled her away from whatever she was doing-working on a new spell, cooking, reading-to make her dance with him, cutting off her half-hearted protests with a rain of kisses. Or the way his heart raced in anticipation whenever his dad took him for a ride on his broom in the backyard, taking him higher and higher until he was sure he could touch the sky. Or during the holidays like Christmas when holiday songs blared throughout the house, along with the scent of peppermint and ginger and pine, as they decorated the tree. Or Halloween when jack-o-lanterns were posted on the window frame, grinning at those who passed by, and inside he would be squirming as his mum helped him into his costume.

It was so beautiful before but now he barely recognized the house. The hedge had grown wild in the six years Harry has last seen it from the rubble laid scattered among the tall, over-grown grass. Every window was cracked as if it has been beaten with rocks. A good portion of the roof on the left side was blasted off, with pieces hanging by the side.

A chill crept up his spine, making him pull his nighrobe tighter around him. He wished he brought more with him, wore heavier layers, but the decision to come to his old house had been last-minute.

Thoughts of his parents, Voldemort, Sirius, and Halloween night clouded his mind. Those thoughts led to images that whirled around his head like a spinning top.

He woke up with a jolt-the fifth time the incident occurred that night-and didn't try to go back to sleep. There was no point. His mind was too awake. The thought of revisiting the past planted itself in his head and he wasn't able to cut it down once it taken root.

Pulling himself up, Harry looked over at Draco sleeping by his side, arm wrapped around his waist. He knew what his best friend would say if he knew what was going on in his head. Draco would call him crazy and try to talk him out of it. That was the realistic scenario. The worst one would be Draco, unable to convince Harry to change his name, insisting that he comes along. This was one trip Harry knew he had to alone.

He carefully slipped out of Draco's hold, grabbed his nightrobe, and snuck away to the floo in the library upstairs.

"Godric Hollow." he whispered, tossing the green powder into the fireplace and stepping through.

The idea of coming here seemed-well, not brilliant, but it was something he couldn't push aside. It was one thing to think. It was another thing to do.

Harry swallowed down a lump wedged in his throat.

The door creaked as he slowly pushed it open and he saw that the inside was no better than the outside. If anything it was worse. Cobwebs were gathering in the corners. The air somehow seemed colder, piercing through him like a knife.

Harry's heart throbbed painfully as he looked at the stairs and saw the banister was blown off, lying on the floor, the steps coated with dry crimson. He tip-toed his way around it as he climbed up. Each step he took caused a bolt of nausea to hit his stomach.

Once he reached the top, he continued his way down the hall.

His room looked just as it did the last time he was here: unrecognizable and mangled. His blown-out door was lying next to his closet. Smears of smoke covered the sides of his doorframe. Cold gusts of air blown into the room, leaking through the cracks of the shattered windows. Streaks of blood coated the floor, dry and dark.

Remember, he told himself. That was why he came here. To remember. To see if there was something he missed or overlooked. To get some answers.

Harry walked over to his bed and brushed his hand against his old blue blanket.

He giggled, trying to escape. His mum was persistent. Smiling above him, she caught him before he could run and laid him back on the bed, tucking him in nice and tight.

"You sneaky, little thing." she said.

He giggled, and her smile widened.

"You're just like your father. You always love making things difficult." He spotted warm affection hidden underneath the scold.

"Well, he's a Potter of course." His dad grinned. "And you forget, my dear, being difficult is one of my most endearing qualities."

Mum rolled her eyes, humming.

"Daddy, can we go to the ice-cream parlor after the Quidditch shop?" He still couldn't believe they were actually getting brooms tomorrow. Well, his dad didn't outright say so but why else would a parent take two young wizards to a Quidditch shop other than get them brooms?

The easy smile on his dad's face faded away slowly, waning down into a thoughtful frown. A frown that grew a bit as he traded a look with his mom who looked sad.

"About the Quidditch shop, lion. There's something we need to tell you."

Harry felt a frown turning his face. His dad was rarely serious, and when he was it didn't mean anything good. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid that-"

A creak cut him off. At first it was faint Harry barely heard it, until it grew louder and louder like nails on a chalkboard.

"No." Dad whispered.

"James." His mom grabbed their hands, her grip tight.

The color completely drained from his dad's face as he turned away from the door, looking back at them. His eyes were wide in fear, an emotion Harry never saw on his face till now.

"Run." he whispered.

"James?" his mum repeated in a soft whisper, gripping onto his hand.

"Run!"

Harry sucked in a sharp breath as the memory faded from his head, and then took in a deep breath to calm his nerves.

His dad told his mum to run. He ran out of the room to hold Voldemort off, to give them time to run.

Harry wondered what went through his dad's mind in his final moments. Was he scared? Did he force himself to hold it together? Did he realize that he had been betrayed in his final moments? Did he even have the time to process that before he died?

Harry knew he had to stop himself before his mind pulled him down the rabbit hole.

His parents knew they were in danger. When he brought up the Quidditch shop, their smiles faded away, the easy mood changing abruptly. His dad was beginning to tell him something; most likely that they had to go away for awhile. Before he had the chance, Voldemort came.

That was something. It was certainly more than what he had when he first came in, but it still wasn't enough. It did nothing to shed light on the questions encircling his head.

Defeated, Harry looked out the window, watching splashes of orange and pink streak across the sky. It was almost morning. It wouldn't be long before the others woke up and discovered he was gone.

He walked out of his old room, navigating his way through the clutter, making his way downstairs. When he reached the front door, he turned back and looked over at his childhood home once more, remembering the laughter and love that were the key elements to the house's former beauty.

"I'm sorry." The words slipped out from his mouth in a low whisper. He was sorry that they died in the first place. He was sorry that they died for him. He was sorry that they died because of a betrayal.

Supposedly, a voice whispered in his head. Sirius' message ran through his mind.

"Not everything is as it seems."

Harry took one last look at the ruined house and made his way out.

Luckily for Harry, he managed to get back to the manor, creep into his room, and crawl into bed before Dobby knocked on the door ten minutes later to announce that breakfast was ready for the young masters.

Draco eyed him wearily over breakfast, as if he suspected something. Harry was worried that he did and would confront him. He armed himself with three possible stories about his whereabouts, but had a feeling none would persuade his best friend.

"You know what's funny?" Draco asked after Dobby cleared the table.

"What?" Harry asked carefully, making sure his voice sounded as normal as possible.

"I woke up to use the loo in the middle of the night and saw my favorite pillow was gone." His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Went to the library."

"At three in the morning?"

"Was having trouble sleeping. Figured a good book might help." It wasn't a complete lie. He did have trouble sleeping and he usually did look for a book to take his mind off things.

Draco eyed him for a second or two before he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin that he laid down on the table. "Up for a game of Quidditch?"

Letting out a small, relieved sigh, Harry smiled at him. "Always."

Draco smiled at him in return, all traces of suspicion gone from his face. A twinge of guilt turned in Harry's stomach. He felt bad about lying to Draco, but he made a promise to himself he would tell him the truth. Soon.

Minister Fudge tried once more to get Harry to the Leaky Cauldron, coming to the manor a week later. Except this visit barely lasted an hour before Uncle Lucius called for the house-elves to escort him out.

His friends heard of the news. Harry wasn't surprised. Not only was Sirius plastered all over the front pages of every newspaper in the wizarding world, but was also appearing in the muggle news report with the media classifying him as a madman wanted in questioning for a vicious crime. Their Slytherin friends sent him candy packages in hopes of cheering him up. Ron and Hermione sent letters. In his letter, Ron expressed his fear from the attack at the flea market that cut his family vacation abruptly short. Apparently his rat, Scrabbers, was more distressed about the attack than he was. Ron also wrote about that the new cat Hermione bought from the pet shop in Diagon Alley added more stress to the poor rat. From the moment the two pets met, the cat has been fixated on making him his meal. In contrast, Hermione's letter expressed annoyance towards Ron for his anti-cat rampage, insisting that Crookshanks (Harry did a double take when he read the name) was an absolute sweetheart. Along with her annoyance over their pets' squabble, she also expressed concern over his well-being. She pleaded over and over again that Harry doesn't do anything to attract trouble.

The last part wasn't too big of a request to make, mainly thanks to Aunt Cissa who was keeping her word to Minister Fudge about them staying put in London. The boys barely left the manor other than to go to Diagon Alley once their letters came in again to get new school supplies, including a killer Monster book that nearly tore the book-clerk's hand off.

Days rolled by in a mix of finishing up last-minute homework assignments, sending and receiving more letters to and from friends, and planning out the school year with Draco. It wasn't long before September first arrived and Harry found himself stepping through the solid metal wall of Platform 9 ¾, gazing up at the scarlet-red and black engine of Hogwarts Express.

Draco appeared after him and took his place beside him.

"Boys," Uncle called. They turned around. "I understand that given current circumstances, this school year may be a bit trifling compared to the other two."

That was one way of looking at it. A very mild way.

"However I know that you will manage through it. As long as you stick close, keep your guard up, and stay close to each other. Though I doubt the latter will be much of a problem for you," Draco nudged Harry and gave him a smile that was returned. "And further more I expect you both to be mindful and study hard. You both made top marks the past two years and I expect the same for third year."

"Yes Father."

"Yes Uncle Lucius."

"Most of all," Aunt Cissa pulled away from Uncle's hold and stepped towards them. "I expect you both to watch out for each other and make sure you stay safe."

"We promise." Draco swore.

Aunt Cissa placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and bent forward till she was at his level. "Harry, I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that no matter what you may hear, however tempting it may be, you will not do anything foolish and try to pursue Sirius."

Pursue Sirius? A tornado of emotions spun inside him ranging from shock, remnants of anger and betrayal, and confusion threw in the center. The thought never occurred to him. "Aunt Cissa, why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?"

Uncle let out a small chuckle. "The boy makes a good point, my dear."

Aunt Cissa didn't look that convinced. She stared at Harry with worried eyes, waiting for his answer.

"I promise." he told her.

A small smile touched her face, widening as she straightened herself up and turned over to Draco.

"And I expect you to go through the books I gave you, Dragon," she said. "You may find some of the information insightful."

"Yes Mother."

A loud whistle blew from the train, a message to all students and family that it was time for departure.

After getting one more reminder from Uncle about minding themselves and studying and hugs and kisses from Aunt Cissa, the boys boarded the train. Almost every single compartment was full. They walked down to the end of the train until they found one vacant of people.

Harry shut the door behind them. Draco sat down and pulled out a heavy book from his bag that was as big as the Monsters book, bounded in dark blue material that reminded Harry of bark from a oak tree, silver patent designs imprinted by the corners, the pages yellowed from age.

"Is that one of the books Aunt Cissa was talking about earlier?" Harry asked, taking a seat beside him.

"One of many," Draco said. "She had the elves pack a suitcase full of them. Send she would send more after I finish the first load."

Harry glanced up at the luggage rack, where one small black suitcase was overly-stuffed; looking like it was a zip away from popping everything out. If that was the first load, he wondered how extensive the next one would be.

"How many pages do you think it has?"

A creak crackled in the book's bindings as Draco opened it. It sounded as if it hadn't been opened in years. "If I had to guess, I would say about seven hundred."

There was a sentence dashed onto the first page but it was written in a language neither of them recognized. Draco licked his finger and turned to the next page. More of the strange language continued on in the form of a passage. There were bits of Latin he was able to decrypt, but still he didn't understand. Underneath the passage was a picture of a man, shirtless, skin gaspingly white, long hair running over his face. Twin scars were slashed onto his back, coming together in the end to make a V.

He gripped onto the ground tightly, silver light pooling around his body. His eyes snapped open, pale blue eyes glowing vividly. He unclenched his hands from the ground and slowly got up. As he stood, wiry branches flocked with feathers sprouted from the scars on his back, growing and expanding, unfolding and spreading into a pair of beautiful pure-white wings.

"Wow." Harry murmured.

Draco was too transfixed by the picture to speak, so he gave a nod as his answer.

There was something off to Harry about the man in the picture. Something familiar in a vague sense but he couldn't put his finger on it. Harry watched the transformation of the man again, paying close attention to details. Like the paleness of his skin he thought was sickly but was pale in luminous sort of way, almost like the moon. The man's hair that was a pale, almost-white shade of blonde. His eyes that at first glance looked light-blue but he saw they were touched with a hint of gray.

"That's odd."

"What's odd?" Draco asked.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was y-"

The train came to a stop with a jolt, nearly throwing the boys off their seats. Distant thuds and bangs rang throughout the train, telling them that luggage tumbled from the racks and students possibly fallen from their seats. The lights died in a buzzing hum, casting the train into total darkness.

"What the hell?" Draco muttered. "What's going on?"

"Must be faulty wiring."

"On a magical train? Hardly. Cheap handiwork is more like-"

A soft, crackling noise trickled against Harry's eardrum. He covered Draco's mouth with his hand. The blonde turned fiery, glaring eyes over to him, but those very same eyes widened in shock along with Harry's as a shivering light filled the compartment.

"Harry." Draco hissed.

He placed a finger against his lips, gesturing for the other boy to be quiet.

The door slide opened before either one drew breath. What came through it was a sight that caused fear to tear through their chests, gripping onto their hearts.

Standing in the doorway was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, and slimy-looking, like something dead decayed in water.

Harry pushed Draco behind him, blocking him from the creature's view, without turning his eyes away from it.

As though it could sense Harry's gaze, the hand withdraw itself into the folds of its cloak.

And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew in a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air.

An intense cold swept over them. Harry felt his own breath caught in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his skin. It was inside his chest, inside his heart.

Harry's eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn't see. He was drowning in the cold. There was a rushing sound in his ears like water, as if he was drowning. The deeper he was being pulled under, the louder the ringing grew.

And then, from far away, he heard screaming. Terrible, terrified, pleading screaming. Coming from a woman. He wanted to find her. He needed to help her. He tried to move his arms but his limbs felt too heavy.

A thick, white fog was swirling around him. Inside him-

"Harry! Harry! Wake up, you goddamn stinking git!"

Someone was slapping his face.

"W…w-what?"

Harry opened his eyes; there were lanterns above him and the floor was shaking-the Hogwarts Express was moving again. Draco was by his side, his hands on Harry's chest, gripping onto his robes, looking down at him anxiously. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Harry was awake.

"Thank Merlin." Draco breathed. He didn't look that much better to Harry. His skin was paler than usual. The difference between the two was the fact Draco wasn't shaking.

"Quite a scare you gave us, pup."

Pup? There was only one person who called him that. Harry tilted his head back. Remus was standing over them, eyes tired, face marred with worry lines.

"Moony." he croaked, his throat dry.

"I wanted to wait until we got to the castle to give you your birthday present," The man smiled. "But things never go according to plan so…surprise."

His attempt at a joke was meant by an unimpressed Draco. Harry tried his best at a smile but there was barely enough energy in his body. He tried to pull himself off the floor only to fall back. He would have cracked his head if Draco hadn't caught him.

"Harry!"

"Here," Remus kneeled before them and pulled out a chocolate frog from the inside pocket of his blazer. "Eat this. It will help you feel better."

Harry took a small bite out of the chocolate and simply let it melt on his tongue. His mind was too buzzed to eat. "What was that?"

"A Dementor," Moony explained, giving a slight shudder. "One of the guards from Azbaneth. Nasty creatures, they are."

"What happened?"

"Lupin managed to draw the creature away," Draco said. He paused and then looked up at Remus, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Though I find it odd that you knew exactly where we were."

Remus met the accusation with a slight smile. "Call it instinct."

Draco wasn't convinced.

Remus turned his attention back to Harry as he stood up. "If you would excuse me, pup, I need to speak with the driver. But I will see you at the feast."

"Moony?" Harry had to ask before he left. "Did you happen to hear screaming?"

"Screaming?" Suspicions on Remus and his intentions were pushed aside as Draco gave him an odd look.

Remus smiled gently at him, though Harry saw that the surprise touching his eyes at the question. "We'll talk more about it when we get to the castle. In the meantime eat."

He strode off, disappearing from sight.

"Wait till Father hears about this!" Draco sneered. "All the money and donations, and the old goat can't pick a better train."

Letting the boy rant, Harry took a bite out of the chocolate, then another to calm his nerves. A ringing was echoing in his ears. His hands were still shaking. "Are you alright?"

Draco snorted, rolling his eyes. "Other than the fact I nearly flew out of my seat, could have suffered a concussion, and feel like an icicle because of the freezing temperatures? I feel just dandy." His eyes softened as they met Harry's eyes. "What about you? You fell out of your seat and started twitching. It was like you were going into shock or something. Lupin barges in, mutters something under his breath and something silvery comes out of his wand. It turned around and glided away."

"I fell?" He didn't remember falling but given the flare of pain throbbing at the back of his head, he knew he didn't get it from just sitting. "Did the dementor affect you?"

"Other than making me feel like I would never be happy again, you mean?"

"Yea. That."

"Then no."

"So you didn't hear the screaming?"

Draco frowned at him. "There was no one screaming, Harry."

So Draco didn't hear her either.

While he didn't hear about anymore Dementor attacks, Harry saw that many of the students were shaken by the train delay as they filed out. Some because of the black-out, some because of the frigid temperature, others because of the luggage-falling and seat-flying. Theo had been one of them. He got hit by not one, not two, but three of Pansy's suitcases that fallen on his head.

"Each one weighted a bloody ton!" he complained during the carriage ride, rubbing his aching head. "What the hell do you have in them?"

"Shoes." At the incredulous look Theo gave her, Pansy said "You may be fine with only one pair of ratty knock-offs but some people like to have opinions."

"Three suitcases worth of them?"

"Oh don't complain, Notts. Your head needed flattening anyway."

Theo glowered at her. Pansy smiled innocently at him.

"Looks like the married couple are back at it." Blaise whispered.

Harry tried to stifle his chuckle. A smirk unfolded across Draco's face.

Almost as if they could hear them, Theo and Pansy looked over their shoulder and shot a glare.

The train delay didn't damper than excitement for the first-years eagerly awaiting sorting. A majority of them were split into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff with Ravenclaw gaining ten more ravens and Slytherin eight new snakes. After the sorting was done and the choir performance of a haunting tone that matched the darkness of the storm blowing outside, Dumbledore stepped forward.

"Welcome, welcome," he said. "To another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious I think it's best to get it out of the way before you can become befuddled by our excellent feast…"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you all will be aware after their search of Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

They were the protection plan Minister Fudge was talking about.

Dumbledore went on to explain that they'll be stationed at every entrance at the school, adding that no one would be allowed to leave the school without permission.

"Harry? Hey Harry?"

He looked over his shoulder. Ron and Hermione were huddled together at the Gryffindor table that was right behind Slytherin.

"We heard what happened on the train," Hermione said. "Are you alright?"

"Is it true that you fainted?" Ron asked. "I mean actually fainted?"

Oh Merlin. Harry covered his hot-flushed face with his hands, groaning.

Beside him, Draco turned him back and sneered at them. "Mindless goons and nuisance gossips. Why am I not shocked?"

Harry could feel the anger rolling off Hermione, gathering together, ready to explode. She quickly turned herself and Ron around.

Harry felt a bit bad for his friends. After all they were worried about him, but still. "How many people know about the train thing?"

Silence rang among their friends, confirming his fears. Harry sank lower in his seat.

"Not too many," Theo said after what felt like a long minute. "Only about…two…three-quarters of the general population."

Lovely.

Pansy elbowed Theo hard in the side.

"Ow!" the boy yelped.

"Have I ever mentioned what a great comfort you are?"

"No."

"Good."

Theo scowled at her.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Blaise said. "By morning, everyone will forget all about your damsel-in-distress fall."

Harry rolled his eyes, but felt a small smile curling his lips. "Thank you, Blaise. You're a comfort."

He winked, raising his glass.

Draco was quiet. Harry looked up at him, surprised to see the hints of irritation flash through his eyes. And was more surprised to see that Blaise was the target of his sharp glare.

"Hey," Harry nudged him. "Are you alright?"

"Grand." he chirped, his tone flat.

Before Harry could ask him what was wrong, Dumbledore came back with more announcements.

"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Remus rose from his seat and took a slight bow, accepting the weak and scattered applause bestowed on him.

"Looks like someone's not happy." Draco whispered in his ear, pointing at Uncle Severus who was two seats away from Remus.

To say that the man was peeved would be a vast understatement. His black eyes were colder than usual, narrowed into slit pieces of ice. His fists were clenched so tight, his knuckles were white.

There had always been animosity between the two for as long as Harry could remember. However with Remus being appointed for the same job Uncle Severus had his eyes on practically forever, the tension between them was bound to thicken.

"And due to Professor Kettleburn's early retirement, Care of Magical Creatures will be handled by no other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Hagrid's announcement brought a warm, loud applause, most of which came from the Gryffindor table. Harry clapped just as hard as them, the only Slytherin doing so. The rest of the Slytherins weren't as impressed, Draco in particular who looked like he sucked a sour lemon.

"Merlin help us all." he muttered.

"Oh hush." Harry elbowed him.

"I understand that given the news of a wanted fugitive on the run and the arrival of our new guests that many of you may feel uneasy about the New Year. Many trials and tolls are bound to cross your way but you know," Dumbledore said. "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one remembers to turn on the light."

With that said, the feast commenced. Dishes and dishes of food popped onto the table. Goblets were filled to the brim of sweet fruity juice. Harry helped himself to every dish, filling his plate with steak and rice and chicken and pasta, having a second helping of chocolate cake.

"Hungry, darling?" Pansy teased.

Harry smiled sheepishly in return.

"Another year older and still a messy eater." Draco smirked.

Harry's smile twisted into a frown. Draco pointed to his nose. Harry glanced down, seeing frosting from the cake was smeared on his nose.

You've got to be kidding me. Groaning, Harry reached over for a napkin. Before he touched it, Draco placed his finger underneath Harry's chin, turning his head over to him. Draco wiped the frosting off with his finger and licked it clean.

Heat crept up Harry's neck, burning his skin. Harry was glad he had his robes on otherwise he was sure his reddened skin would be out on full display.

"Mmm. Delicious." A mischievous glint glowed in his eyes.

"Um…" Harry turned his head back to his plate, filling his mouth with food, then washing it down with water. He still felt Draco's eyes watching him.

After the feast, the students rose from their seats and made their way to the doors. Few stayed behind to talk more with their friends or the teachers. Hermione chatted with Professor McGonagall. A small crowd was drawn around Hagrid, asking the giant how his class would be like and which creatures they would be studying. Lupin was talking to Professor Flitwick.

Harry walked over to him. Uncle Severus strode towards him, his face stone, blocking Remus from Harry's view.

"Harry." he drawled.

Harry ran a list through his head of all the things he could have done to attract his uncle's attention. Only one stood out. "You heard about what happened on the train, didn't you?"

"Lupin informed me of it, yes."

"Ah," Harry popped in awkwardly. "And you want to talk about it, don't you?"

A small smirk broke across the stony expression of the man's face. "Which is why you shall escort me to my office, where you will tell me more about it."

Harry had a feeling a polite decline wasn't an option. Sighing softly, he followed his uncle/Head of Slytherin house out of the Great Hall.