Disclaimer: I own none of the things you already know of.
Harry Potter and the Smallest Change.
Chapter 13. 3rd Year, Part 4. 1994.
Harry rushed through the corridor that led to the central staircase. Apart from the sound of his breathing and echoing footsteps, the castle was silent. His heavy footfalls echoed through the empty corridors as he pushed himself as hard as he could. The need to get to the Ravenclaw common room pushed his limits harder than his training ever had.
He came to a sharp ninety-degree turn and rather than slow down to take the corner; he veered to the opposite side of the corridor and leapt into the wall, pushing off it just as he came to the turn. Harry continued down the corridor without losing speed and had a new idea that quickly was pushed away from his conscious mind.
The central staircase loomed in front of him, and he approached the stairs and took them three at a time.
Once on the fifth floor, he left the staircase and sped toward the Ravenclaw common room. He sped past the spiral staircase Holly and Luna had taken him on when he first went to the room and knew he was close.
Harry drew his wand once he approached the final corridor in front of the Eagle's nest. From the opposite direction, he saw his father in crimson Auror's robes.
Harry watched his father's expression falter at seeing his son, and Harry smirked. He knew his father wanted to send him away, but that he also knew better than to try when Holly was in danger.
Splintering wood echoed from the entrance to the common room in the corridor the two Potters were about to storm. Great booming thumps echoed through the otherwise silent castle, but between thumps he heard the disembodied voice of the door asking a riddle.
'I am wet when-'
Boom.
'What am I?'
Boom.
Harry held back a laugh at whoever was trying to break into the common room, not being able to answer a simple riddle. Then the more analytical part of his mind took over, wondering if the person wasn't truly themself. Could a person under the Imperius solve complicated problems? What about other forms of mind control? What about the Veela Allure?
James held up one hand, digits outspread.
Harry nodded.
James' thumb tucked into his palm, four.
Harry gripped his wand and took a deep breath. He limited his focus on what was about to happen.
James' pinkie and ring fingers were down, followed by his middle finger. One.
Harry braced himself as James clenched a fist in the air next to him and, as one, the two Potters rushed around the corner.
'Stupify.' Harry called, he overpowered the simple spell, while James fired two spells wordlessly at the intruder.
The intruder spun in place, dodging Harry's overpowered stunner and deflected James' spells. Then, with a deafening boom, the figure unleashed a blinding flash of light.
He'd seen something like it in a muggle action movie, a flash-bang grenade, or a magical equivalent of one.
Harry screamed and held his hands to his eyes while James swore and fired blindly in the corridor.
The swoosh of a cloak and the wind of someone passing by was all Harry knew as the figure fled past the blinded Potters.
Harry groaned as the ringing in his ears subsided and his eyes readjusted to the light shed by the torches on the walls.
'Fuck.' James swore and sighed, running a hand through his hair.
James froze and turned to Harry, who quirked an eyebrow at him.
'Don't tell your mother.'
Harry chuckled despite the situation and allowed his body to relax. He leant against the stone wall.
'Harry, you did well, but you shouldn't be out here, in danger.' James said, and Harry smiled at him.
'If anything is a threat to Holly or the rest of our family, that's where I'll be.' Harry declared and James sighed and ran both hands through his hair.
'I'll walk you back to Hufflepuff as soon as one of my Aurors gets here to guard the dorms. We're going to have to post guards at all the dorms from now on.' James mused as he stared down the corridor.
Harry nodded and pulled out his Potter mirror.
'Holly Potter.' He said, and a moment later, Holly's face appeared in the glass.
'Harry? What's happened? The sound stopped.' She asked, and Harry smiled.
'The threat ran off. We're just outside the common room until another Auror rocks up. Get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning.' Harry said, his voice soft, and Holly nodded.
'Goodnight then Harry, and you too dad.' Holly said and her image faded from the mirror before Harry tucked it in his robes.
Silence grew between the two Potters for a few minutes as each considered what just happened.
'Potter.' called a gruff voice from down the corridor, causing father and son to spin toward the voice.
'Proudfoot, about time you arrived.' James grinned and shook hands with the other Auror, who gave Harry a quick once over.
'You must be James' son, Harry, right?' Proudfoot asked.
Harry nodded and held out a hand to the man, who took it with a smile.
'Aren't you supposed to be in like, your third year?' the Auror asked, frowning at Harry.
'I think it's just a growth spurt.' Harry lied.
One hand rubbed the back of his head while his hand was still being held by the Auror.
'You sure about that? You look like a fifth, maybe even sixth, year? James, you didn't mention he was big for his age.' Proudfoot declared, and James chuckled.
'Well, I don't see too many kids who aren't related to me. He looks normal, you know?' James said before clearing his throat.
'Now enough about that. I need you to guard the common room. There was an intruder earlier who tried to break through the door. We don't know why.' James explained and Proudfoot straightened, no longer relaxed.
The change in the Auror struck Harry like a blow. The man had been relaxed and calm before, but in an instant had changed to hyper aware of his surroundings. Even the Auror's eyes seemed sharper while his father explained the situation.
'Now, I'm taking Harry here back to his common room. Alert me if anything happens, yeah?' James said, and Proudfoot nodded.
'Yes, sir.'
James lay a hand on Harry's shoulder and steered him away from the Ravenclaw common room and toward the central staircase.
'Dad, why is this person you're hunting so hard to find?' Harry asked but continued before James could answer.
'Like, this person must be close, but not on the grounds. Otherwise, we would have seen them on the maps.' Harry mused, running a hand through his messy hair, and missed James stop mid-step.
A few steps down the corridor, Harry noticed his father wasn't beside him.
'Dad?' Harry stopped and turned to see James standing in the corridor, his face pale and staring into the distance.
'Dad? What's wrong?' Harry asked.
James took a deep ragged breath and plastered a faux smile on his face.
'Everything is fine Harry.' He said, and Harry narrowed his eyes at his father.
'Are you not allowed to tell me what just occurred to you?' Harry asked and James blinked, he ran a hand through his hair, and sighed.
'I'm sorry Harry, I can't tell you.' James said, his brown eyes dull.
'Dad, it's okay. You are an Auror, Head Auror, no less. There's going to be things you can't tell me, I get that.' Harry smiled and James ruffled Harry's hair with a hand.
'Thanks for understanding kiddo.' James murmured before he led the way back to the Hufflepuff dorms.
Ten silent minutes later, the two arrived outside the Hufflepuff common room and James pulled Harry into a tight hug.
'Good night, kid. I hope that this whole mess is going to go away soon, then you'll be able to just focus on your studies like a normal kid.' James said and Harry grinned.
'Dad, normal doesn't apply to a kid who can do magic, just ask mum.' Harry smirked, and James chuckled.
'Yeah, you've got me there, kid. Have a good night.'
Harry released his father and stepped into the common room to see Susan waiting in front of the fireplace, her fingers teasing at the hem of her pyjamas. Hannah was nowhere to be seen, so Harry figured she'd gone to bed like the rest of the students, leaving Susan alone to wait for him.
He moved toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace, ignoring the sudden dampness on his chest.
'Susan, I'm so sorry for barking at you.' He whispered, and she shook her head against his chest.
She pulled him closer.
'What happened?' she murmured, and Harry sighed before he led her to a nearby couch and sat down.
The two spent the next two hours going through what happened and examined the evening's events in minute detail, especially the conversation with James afterward.
Eventually, the two fell asleep on the couch.
The first day back in classes was filled with a heaviness in his stomach. Harry was waiting for something to happen, something to change from normal.
But the day occurred as per normal.
He didn't realise how tense he was until he felt Susan take his hand in class and rub it with her thumb. Harry turned to look into Susan's worried eyes and took a deep breath.
He forced himself to relax, calming his mind using the beginnings of Occlumency. He'd been working on it in his free time since finding the Room of Requirement and it was in one of the books the Room had provided.
'Thanks.' He whispered to Susan, giving her a small smile as class ended.
'Come with me, Harry.' Susan commanded, and Harry grinned and obeyed.
Together, the two left Hannah and went outside.
They both had a free period as the last one of the day, and Susan led Harry by the hand to the Black Lake. It was bright and sunny, with a warm breeze blowing across the grounds.
Harry blinked and glanced around the lake; it was unseasonably warm. The thought made Harry think of the crazy muggles he'd seen in London during the summer shouting about global warming. Maybe they were on to something.
Susan gestured for him to sit, and Harry did so without a word. Susan followed suit and lay down on the grass beside him.
Harry glanced around them. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he let out a deep breath and followed suit, laying down beside Susan.
'Harry, you work so hard all the time. You need to relax sometimes, or you'll eventually stress yourself into a puddle.' Susan warned.
'Hmm.' was the only response he gave, earning a smack on the arm from Susan.
'I'm right and you know it.' She snapped, and Harry rubbed his arm.
'Yeah, I suppose you are right.' He admitted, and she gave him a brilliant smile.
'Harry?' she asked.
He met her gaze and saw uncertainty in the chocolate depths.
'Yeah?' he cocked his head to the side as she seemed to struggle with the right words.
'You know this situation isn't on you to resolve, don't you?' she asked.
Harry opened his mouth to reply but froze at the fierce expression on her face, it dared him to answer immediately. He clamped his mouth shut for a moment to think about her question.
'I kinda feel like it is.' He admitted, and her eyes softened. She patted his arm with her hand.
'At least you can admit it.' She smiled before laying back down on the grass, looking up to the blue skies above, her arms crossed behind her head.
'Harry, if you feel like you have to be a hero, you need to rest so that you can think with a clear head.' She declared and he let out a huff, though he smiled down at her.
Harry flopped back onto the grass and looked to the sky; a tiny wisp of cloud high above marred the otherwise clear blue sky.
'Thank you, for keeping me focussed.' He said.
'What is family for?' she asked, and Harry smiled.
The two lay on the grass by the lake for an hour.
Harry used the time to work on his Occlumency.
A chill breeze blew, breaking Harry out of his work, and he blinked. The sky was tinged with orange and Harry groaned as he rolled onto all fours, his body stiff. He looked over to see Susan asleep, a small smile on her face, and he grinned.
A flash of movement drew his attention to the Forbidden Forest, and he saw a figure. It was watching them, and Harry felt a strange sensation, not quite danger, but not safety either.
He reached out and gently shook Susan awake.
As she was coming out of her post nap daze, Harry turned back to where the figure had stood to find it gone.
'What's wrong?' Susan asked, her voice groggy as she sat up.
Harry narrowed his eyes toward the forest before he offered Susan a hand to help them both to stand.
'Sorry Susan, but I thought I saw someone in the forest watching us.' He admitted.
Susan shivered and drew closer to him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
'Let's go up to the castle. I'm sure it's time for dinner.' Susan suggested as she shot a glance into the forest and shivered again.