Author's Note:
I dedicate this chapter to Saz: 1) Because you finally caught up, 2) Always around to lend an ear; and 3) Been reading my stuff since the very beginning — thank you for always being a dedicated reader and reviewer as well as an awesome friend :) See, I promised it would be uploaded in time for your lunch break!
Reviews and Comments: To Camryn Kissel: Yes, Harry definitely overreacted to Hermione. But he knows it and he will apologize. He was very defensive over one of the men he considers to be his father. To alix33: Happy to provide a great laugh at Moody's fuzzy slippers. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Wormtail is definitely not the most talented or powerful individual which does leave him in a predicament. Thanks for enjoying my scene with Sirius, Mad-Eye, and Zee. Harry is definitely getting interrogated about his love life by a professional LOL. I love writing Tonks. It is good to have Moody on board! To Tez: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and haven't been able to stop reading! Happy Birthday! To storp930: Glad you're loving Nyx. Hermione was only trying to tell Harry and he flipped out a bit, they will talk soon and work things out. Moody is not a fake and yes, this is how I pictured him to act. Thank you! Thanks for leaving me a second review! Yes, Harry wants to try to be an Animagus, but you won't find out his form any time soon!
To Shamelessnweird: Thank you! I'm glad you loved my Harry and McGonagall chat and my Harry and Remus chat. He needed some friendly advice. To speedsONEandONLY: Yes, you'd think Cho would love Harry coming over all sweaty from practice and eager to see her, but nope. Sirius has his own security warded into Grimmauld Place. Only people he designates can get inside. If Moody wasn't the real Moody, they would know it. Thank you! To Matt9917: Harry does want to break up with Cho, but it is still much too soon for him and Ginny. To Guardian of the Inheritance: Thank you! To Hinny FTW: Ha, it would be a tactical move to wait and break up with her right before the match against Ravenclaw. But let's be real, Harry doesn't need help kicking her ass at Quidditch! Yes, he will not be pining after Cho come the Yule Ball. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you!
To Josh Todd: Thank you! I do try to keep my updates consistent. Thanks for reading and enjoying! To Steelcode: What is Voldemort up to with Pettigrew? That is the ultimate question, isn't it? Thank you! To MMMARGEAU: Yes, definitely had to get Moody on the case! Thank you! To Claire Fraser: I love your lists! I agree, boyfriend is hella sexy from Quidditch and she says ew, what's wrong with her? As to Cho wanting to meet Harry's family but doesn't want to associate with his friends, definitely another problem with her. I'm glad you loved Moody's fuzzy slippers. Harry was mean to Hermione and yes, he didn't let her explain, but this will be addressed. Thank you very much! To coloredwords: Ha, Cho could be gum under a shoe she's so sticky — I love that! Hermione does mean well, but Harry also over reacted. Thanks for enjoying my Horcrux hunt and loving Moody. Thank you!
To Guest: Thanks for loving my Harry and McGonagall and then Harry and Remus chats. Nyx is great and yes, we will see more of her. I'm glad you liked my Queen reference. Thank you! To Guest: Aw, thanks for checking every hour all day, but the update was coming! Thank you! To jimmyjohnspizza: Thanks for loving the story so much! As to updating times, depends on my plans for the day. To Paola1991: Thank you! I like Harry being included in the Horcrux stuff as well. Hermione's reaction wasn't given a chance because Harry freaked out. They will remedy that when they talk. Molly and Arthur will eventually be brought in, but right now, no they don't know about the Horcruxes or about the operation. To Saz J: I'm so happy to see you've finally caught up again! Will I keep canon Moody in year four? You'll have to wait and see! The prolonging of the breakup with Cho is painful, haha. It's coming. Thank you! To Greaterthan84: Thank you. I'm sorry that you felt Zee was trying too hard and it felt unnatural, she genuinely cares for and wants to take care of Harry and Sirius. To Xak Ellison: Thank you!
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends.
Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE:
The One Where Harry Gets Slapped
They stayed to eat dinner; chatting about the possibility of a Horcrux being hidden on the old Gaunt lands. The group decided as a whole to check it out two Saturdays from now as Bill had to work this upcoming weekend. Bill, Tonks, Sirius, and Moody would go to investigate and to test out the wards, to see what was lying in wait for them if anything, but they all agreed that Moody was probably right. It sounded like a potential Horcrux was already there.
Sirius added it to the list on the board which was titled:
FUVP Hit List:
1. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy) ✓
2. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave) ✓
3. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN
4. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF
5. UNKNOWN
6. UNKNOWN
7. VOLDEMORT HIMSELF
Harry's constant attempts to get his fathers to let him go with them to Little Hangleton in two weeks time were met upon on deaf ears.
They were handling it and Sirius promised to keep him updated on what happened. McGonagall explained to him about the new duelling and defence club that she was implementing within the next week or so and how a notice would be up in the Gryffindor common room soon. Sirius went on to tell Harry how important it was for him to concentrate on his studies and to learn everything that he could, especially in the new duelling club.
By the time that everyone left, Harry was eager about the new club and still slightly bitter about being left out of the trip for the next Horcrux.
Sirius put his arm around his son. "I promise to tell you everything that happens."
"I just want to help! What if you need me to speak Parseltongue again?"
He sighed, tilting his head down to touch his forehead with Harry's. "Tonks is an Auror. Bill is a curse breaker. Moody is a retired Auror. And I think I'm pretty badarse myself, don't you think that we can handle this without your help?"
Harry sighed, rolling his eyes as he reluctantly muttered, "Yes."
Sirius grinned at him. "Two down, Harry. That's a great start and maybe this will lead us on the path to finding another one. You have to trust us."
"I do," he insisted. "I just… being here tonight and hearing how you guys are talking it all through. I want to do more to help!"
"And you will," Sirius told him. "You are helping us so much. Look at what you have already accomplished with your Patronus and now this new club that Minnie is organizing, you're going to learn so much more. The more powerful you get, Harry, the more you're helping us. This is Operation FUVP not Team Harry."
Harry flushed at that, but he nodded. "I know. And you'll still tell me everything that happens?"
"Everything."
"Promise?"
Sirius smiled and kissed his forehead. "I promise. Now come on, let's get out of here and get you back to school."
He nodded and hugged Zee, Tonks, and Remus goodbye before he followed Sirius out onto the front porch and Sirius side Apparated him to Hogsmeade. They walked companionably from the edge of the village to the bridge leading to Hogwarts and Harry looked up at his father.
"Uncle Sirius?"
Sirius smiled at him. "Yes, Harry?"
"I was wondering… can you show me how to add stuff to the Marauders Map? It would be really neat if we could add the Chamber of Secrets on there. In case, you know, someone decides to use it again."
Sirius grinned at him. "That sounds brilliant. It's a pretty straightforward charm, but I would be glad to show it to you. First things first, you need to draw an outline on a blank piece of parchment of how the Chamber works, how it curves, where it's located and where the tunnels go. If you want to be thorough, which I insist that you do."
Harry smirked at him. "Are you giving me permission to snoop around?"
His father swatted him lightly across the head. "Just this once and only because we went back and I know that it's perfectly safe down there now."
Harry rolled his eyes at that making Sirius laugh. "What happens after I draw everything out?"
"Details are important, including measuring how long the tunnels go, which you can do with a quick measuring charm. The charm for that is 'extollendam,' which measures an amplified space or room from all sides and dimensions. I suggest that you use that instead of 'metimur' and see how far it is, that way you are getting an exact replica of the Chamber and therefore will know exactly where people may be when looking at them on the map. If you start there and get that all finished, I'll show you how to add it all in. Once the Chamber is added, we'll simply have to adjust the Homonculus Charm to include the new adjustments to the map."
Harry beamed at him as they walked through the gates of Hogwarts and over the bridge.
"How's the Animagus stuff going? Have you started it yet?"
Harry shook his head. "The Mandrakes aren't going to be ready for another few weeks. I think Neville might try with me."
Sirius smiled. "Sounds fun. What about Ron and Hermione or even Ginny?"
"I haven't asked them," Harry said with a smile. "I did tell Hermione that I was interested in learning though."
"You should. It's a lot more fun when you can learn with friends. Trust me. I bet they'd be interested in learning too."
Harry grinned at him. "Okay, I will."
Sirius was still smiling when Filch let them in through the gate a minute later.
"You were amazing tonight, Harry. Thank you for your help."
Harry hugged his father goodbye and headed inside of the school, ignoring Filch's scowl at being awoken so late to let him in. It was well past midnight, but he made his way upstairs to Gryffindor Tower, hands in his pockets. He stepped through the portrait hole, stifling a yawn and was surprised to see Hermione sitting by the fire.
She saw him and jumped to her feet. "Harry! Can we talk? Please?"
Harry sighed and moved to sit with her. "I'm sorry that I overreacted, Hermione, I just… I expected better of you."
Tears welled up in her eyes and she grabbed his arm. "Harry, I never meant to hurt you! I don't think he's a monster. I like Professor Lupin. He's one of the best teachers we've ever had it's just… the things I've read… it scared me."
"I know. There are a lot of werewolves who are that terrible, I'm sure, but Uncle Moony takes the Wolfsbane Potion. Snape brews it for him once a month and it helps calm him and keep him controlled. He knows that he can be dangerous and he tried to argue with Dumbledore against giving him the job in the first place, but I told him that it was stupid. If… if people find out, Hermione, he could get fired! The Ministry has laws restricting where a werewolf can even find work and if the Ministry finds out that he's a werewolf… he's never registered himself."
"Harry, I would never tell anyone!"
He smiled at her. "I know that, too. I'm sorry, I was prat."
Hermione smiled at him. "I was a prat, too, and I'll accept yours if you accept mine."
He grinned at her. "Friends?"
"Always," she said, beaming at him. "Harry, I spent most of the evening in the library researching the werewolf laws after we spoke. They're completely outrageous! Witches and wizards are forced to register in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures through the Werewolf Registry claiming how they were turned into the creatures and if they knew who was responsible then they have to reveal the name. And just before the year's end someone named Umbridge drafted this new legislation that makes it almost impossible for someone with lycanthropy to even find employment! She claimed that they are half-breeds and unworthy of holding a job in the magical community and she wanted to ban them from even having wands because in her opinion they fall under the category of magical beast and not human! The legislation quotes them as being part of a group known as 'Undesirables.'"
Harry nodded. "I know, Uncle Sirius mentioned it over Christmas. Zee is apparently working with her department and with the DMLE to try to write up a counter legislation against Umbridge's bill and get it passed for immorality, but she said that it's tough. If Dumbledore hadn't allowed him to come back, I don't know where he would be working as technically under the law right now, Dumbledore has every authority to fire him and should."
"It's uncalled for," Hermione insisted, angrily. "And I'm ashamed of myself for being frightened for even a moment. I thought about what you said and he has never once given me the impression that I should be scared of him. He's a wonderful teacher; patient, kind, and intelligent and I am incredibly sorry for everything that I thought or said."
Harry smiled at her. "I'm sorry, too. I overreacted."
"You didn't — I did," she told him. "Do you really think that he would teach me how to play the piano if I asked him?"
"He said that he would be honoured to if you'd let him."
Hermione beamed at him and hugged him tight. "Thank you, Harry! I'll ask him on Monday."
He nodded at her. "All right. He'd like that."
"How did tonight go?" she asked, her eyes on him as he stood up.
"Good. We destroyed the locket. I'll fill you guys in tomorrow, I'm beat."
She nodded, standing up as well and stifling a yawn. "Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, Harry."
"Goodnight," he said in turn before making his way up the stairs to the boys' dormitory feeling a bit lighter.
Hermione was a good person and he had overreacted. It was natural for her to be a little scared when she didn't understand. He could always count on her, he thought and he felt better for reminding himself of that.
~ ASC ~
When Harry woke up the next morning and made his way downstairs, most of the students in Gryffindor Tower were already awake. He caught sight of Cho near the Great Hall, but she scowled at him so he ducked his head, took the coward's way out, and sat at his own table to eat. He had just finished his breakfast and was heading back up to Gryffindor Tower when he ran into Ginny and Luna. They were sitting on one of the landings of the staircase chatting.
He smiled and sat down between them. "Hello, ladies."
Luna smiled at him, moving to tuck her wand behind her ear. "You smell really good, Harry. It must be why Cho likes you."
Harry blushed.
Ginny snorted. "Luna, I would hope that Cho likes him more than just for his smell. But you do smell rather nice, Harry."
Harry smiled, rather pleased that they liked his oak and spice cologne enough to comment on it. "Thanks, I think. What are you two up too?"
Luna sighed. "Ginny was just catching me up. And you?"
He grinned. "I was actually thinking of doing some exploring."
"What kind of exploring?" Luna asked.
Harry pulled the Marauders Map out of his pocket. "My dads and their friends invented this brilliant map when they were at school here. I want to add to it and Uncle Sirius told me that the first thing I have to do is to draw an accurate outline of what I want to add."
"The Chamber of Secrets," Ginny said, quietly.
Harry nodded. "Exactly! And I thought that a lazy Sunday morning was the best time to start."
"Ooh, I'd like to see that," Luna said with a smile. "I was hoping to find a Jarvey down there. They are quite intelligent you know and I heard that Slytherin once kept them as pets."
Ginny smiled at her friend. "That's news to me. Luna, no one has even seen a Jarvey in centuries."
"Well, no one had seen a Basilisk in centuries either," Harry added with a mischievous grin.
"Good point," Ginny added, her eyes wide at the thought.
Harry smiled at them. "Would you two like to come with me then?"
Ginny hesitated and then grinned. "Shouldn't you be spending time with your girlfriend today, Harry?"
Harry shrugged her off. "Nah, she's ticked off at me anyway. I want to explore!"
Luna smiled brightly and clasped her hands together. "Let's go!"
Harry led the way down to the dungeons, the Marauder's Map open in his hands. "So, if I remember correctly, this is where the secret passageway was, right through this wall," he held the map open on the wall and Ginny traced the spot over it on the extra blank sheet, outlining where it would fit in on the map before adding in the secret door. She wrote a quick note next to the drawing of the door that read 'pull on the candle holder,' which she did, and the wall slid open revealing the spiral staircase lift.
Harry urged the girls to get on first and he pulled out his wand, using the measuring spell that Sirius had taught him to get the width and height of the area and Ginny wrote the numbers down for him.
"This is rather exciting!" Luna exclaimed when the lift stopped and they were in front of the door leading to Slytherin's room.
Ginny smiled at her friend. "I'm glad that we're doing this. It makes the Chamber not seem as scary."
Harry nodded in agreement. Luna took a second piece of paper and began to measure and make notes in the room. Harry and Ginny moved outside of Slytherin's room and into the throne room to start measuring out there. It seemed oddly quiet and calming to be down there. There was just the sound of water nearby. He liked that he didn't feel obligated to keep up a conversation with either Ginny or Luna, they just were perfectly content with silence.
It took them almost an hour to get the map drawn just right before Ginny moved towards the tunnel that Bill and Zee had originally explored. Harry followed her, smirking when a rat splashed by them and Ginny grabbed his hand.
"Just a rat, Gin."
"Well, forgive me for not being overly fond of snakes and therefore terrified that there might be more of them down here."
He grinned at her. He couldn't say that he blamed her for that reasoning. They measured the tunnel, noting the connection of the grate that was on the side of the castle, looking out into the Black Lake. They found Luna in the next tunnel. She was feeding a tiny mouse some bread crumbs from her pocket. Leave it to Luna Lovegood to make a friend with a mouse, Harry thought with a smile.
The tunnel they were in had no other potential exits until they arrived in the pit where the slide from the girl's bathroom was. Ginny led the way down the last tunnel. They measured and carefully drew the large room, adding in McGonagall's majestic archway and the circular Slytherin door leading officially into the Chamber. Harry thought there might be more hidden tunnels, but the main ones were the ones he was interested in for the moment. He led them back to the pit, exploring the wall until he found the right spot, a tiny lever that he tugged on which made the staircase appear. The three of them headed up the stairs, Luna in charge of counting each step, all three hundred and seventy-six of them.
When they got to the top, Harry used a simple 'alohomora' spell to help them get into the girl's bathroom since Dumbledore had dismantled all of the Parseltongue charms. Moaning Myrtle was in the bathroom and she giggled when the three of them emerged from the secret doorway.
"Why, Harry, you came back!"
Harry tried not to grimace. "Er, yes, hi, Myrtle."
The ghost beamed at him and Ginny laughed. They snuck back out of the bathroom, pleased with their work and surprised to see that lunch was about to start.
"I think Myrtle has a little crush, Harry."
"Er…"
Luna smiled at him, her eyes thoughtful. "Harry, I don't think starting a relationship with a ghost is very wise. It would be difficult to have any physical contact and emotionally, I don't think it would be very beneficial to you. Cho is a better choice."
Harry snorted. "Thanks, Luna. That's sound advice, that is."
Ginny cackled harder and he tugged lightly on her long ponytail, making her elbow him.
"Shush, you!"
She simply grinned at him.
"Thanks for your help with that, both of you. I don't think I could have done it all myself, at least definitely not in one morning. Those tunnels seem to go even further under the school, but the chamber itself has been mapped out and that's the most important part."
Ginny smiled at him. "It was our pleasure, Harry. It was kind of fun to draw it all out. Will you tell us how you add it to the map?"
"Yeah, of course! I'll show you the finished product, too."
Luna hugged Harry tightly before skipping off down the hall to head back to Ravenclaw Tower to change clothes before lunch. Ginny and Harry headed up to Gryffindor Tower to do the same; their clothes were rather damp from the water and smelled a bit like sewer.
"You and Luna are friendly again?" Harry asked her as they walked down the corridor.
Ginny shrugged. "We never stopped being friendly it's just… you know how it was, after her mum died, her dad took her away for a whole year and I only saw her a handful of times when she came back. Mr X had her helping him a lot with his excursions and his writing and then when I got to school, we were in separate houses and well, we all know how my first year went after that."
Harry nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that's true. But I'm glad that you have her back. I always liked Luna."
She smiled at him. "You know, Luna mentioned that almost everyone in Ravenclaw is very nice to her this year. She heard one of the prefects mention something about a mad second year Gryffindor who threatened them last year if Luna was bullied in any way."
Harry smirked. "That's strange."
"Isn't it?" Ginny asked him, a big smile on her face. They stopped in front of the portrait hole and Ginny stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're a sweetheart and you have no idea how much that meant to Luna. No one has stolen her things once this year."
Harry smiled at her. "I'm glad to hear it, but I never said that it was me."
Ginny's smile only widened. "You didn't have to, but I'll keep your secret." When he smiled in response, she grinned back. "I'm going to head up and change out of these damp clothes and take a quick shower."
"Me too. I'll meet you back here and we can head to lunch together?"
Ginny smiled at him and nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."
Thirty minutes later, they both walked into the Great Hall for lunch, both freshly showered and changed and Ron waved them over to the Gryffindor table.
"Mate, where have you been?"
"Sorry," Harry said with a grin as he sat down next to his friend. Ginny took a seat next to Colin, laughing at something that he said. "You were still sleeping so, I went with Ginny and Luna." He quickly filled Ron and Neville in on their exploration through the Chamber of Secrets in hopes of adding it to the Marauders Map.
"That's brilliant! When are you going to add it in?"
Harry shrugged. "Whenever Uncle Sirius or Uncle Remus help me with the next part. I think it's doubly important to be keeping an eye on all areas of the school especially with Him, you know, out there."
Ron nodded solemnly. "Speaking of, how did it last night go?"
"Brilliant!" Harry said brightly. "I'll fill you guys in after lunch."
~ ASC ~
When lunch finished, Cho was waiting for Harry in the entrance hall. He sighed when he saw her. They definitely needed to talk.
He turned to Ron with a smile. "Look, I'll come find you guys later and let you know what happened. I need to talk to Cho first."
Ron sniggered. "Snog her first, you mean."
Harry smirked at him. "Git. I'll find you lot after."
He nodded and hurried off as Harry shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and headed in her direction.
Cho had her arms crossed in front of her when he approached. "I have been looking for you all morning!"
"Sorry, I guessed that you were still a bit annoyed with me."
She merely raised an eyebrow at him.
Harry gestured for her to follow him and they moved into an empty classroom nearby, closing the door behind them. "I know that you were annoyed with me yesterday, but I had to go home for some family stuff."
"What kind of family stuff?"
"Sorry, but that's personal to me and my dads and they needed me home last night so I don't know why you were all bent out of shape about it."
Cho only stared at him. "You could have at least apologized this morning instead of ignoring me. Where were you?"
"Well, I didn't know what to say to you this morning. I was hanging out with Ginny and Luna."
Cho's mouth twitched. "So, you spent time with other girls instead of apologizing to me?"
"I spent time with my friends this morning, yes."
Cho glared at him.
Harry sighed. "Look, Cho, I've been thinking a lot lately about this and about us and obviously you're not happy here with me and I'm not really happy either…"
Cho moved closer to him, sliding her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. "No, I'm sorry! I overreacted yesterday. You needed to go home for something important and I knew that it wasn't the right moment for you to introduce me to your father. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."
"No, it wasn't the right time and —"
She put a finger over his lips and smiled. Then she leaned in and kissed him. The kiss deepened and she pulled him closer, her lips meeting his fervently for a long kiss.
"Cho," he murmured. "This isn't…"
But then her mouth was on his again and he slid his hands up her back, eager to touch her as she pressed herself against him. Both of them ignored the portrait behind them that was claiming the classroom was not a suitable place for that sort of behaviour.
Fifteen minutes later, she was pressed back against the wall of the classroom, her arms around his waist, her lips enthusiastically sucking on his neck hard enough to leave a mark. His own lips were trailing down the column of her throat and he boldly popped open two buttons at the top of her blouse revealing her pretty black bra.
She pulled back to smirk at him and his lips moved to the lovely space between her breasts, nibbling on the skin there. When she didn't protest that, he slid a hand up to cup one breast in his hand, kneading softly, and she moaned.
He was pretty sure that they had been arguing. Hadn't he decided that it was probably best to break up with her? He had definitely decided that he thought, but now... he was touching her small breasts and they fit in his hand and... what did it matter that they had nothing in common? What did it matter that he wasn't sure if he even liked her? His body sure liked her, he thought, as she rubbed up against him eliciting a groan.
"Mmm," Cho murmured into his neck. "Isn't this better than hanging out with your friends?"
"What?" Harry exclaimed, his focus coming back.
She rubbed her chest against him again smiling. "Kiss me, Harry."
He obliged her, but his mind was actually doing the thinking now instead of his cock and he tugged away. "Are you still on about me spending time with Ginny and Luna this morning?"
Cho rolled her eyes, annoyed that he had pulled away from her and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I just don't understand why you'd rather spend time with Loony & the Ginger Brat who attacked Muggleborns last year, when you could have been spending time with me."
Harry's arousal was quickly evaporating now as he glared at her and a sense of annoyance took over. "First of all, Luna is not Loony, she's my friend, as is Ginny, who in fact was possessed by Lord Fucking Voldemort and isn't responsible for anything that happened last year! That psychopath is!"
"So she says," Cho muttered. "I heard the whole thing was hoax because she fancied you and tried to slip you a love potion."
"What?" he exclaimed, completely bewildered. "That makes zero sense!"
Cho smirked at him. "That's why she attacked Granger too, out of jealousy."
Harry glared at her. "If anyone around here is jealous, it's you!"
She scoffed. "Please! What do I have to be jealous about? You're dating a fourth year! You should be thanking me! I just increased your popularity level."
Harry snorted, the back of his neck flushing. "Well, you're dating the bloody Boy Who Lived, who should be more thankful here!"
Cho shoved him and his eyes flashed. "Prat!"
Harry glared at her, anger surging through him. "I'm done with this, Cho."
Her eyes widened. "What? I'm just teasing, Harry, come on, love..." She moved closer to him, putting her arms around his waist. "You don't mean that. We're good together."
"Yes, I do! Obviously you're not happy with me — and you know what, I'm not happy when I'm with you, either. I don't think we're good together."
"Are you breaking up with me?" she shrieked, her eyes wide in disbelief.
He winced, but nodded. "I think it would be for the best. Don't you?"
The slap surprised him and had his head reeling back in shock.
"Wanker!"
She stormed out of the classroom, the door slamming behind her so loudly that the portrait on the wall shook. The wizard in the portrait merely raised his eyebrows.
"Well, I say! I'll wager that didn't go quite as you planned."
Harry only glared at the portrait and hurried off to find his friends, a little relieved that the thing with him and Cho was over and done with. It hadn't exactly gone to plan, but in the end, he had broken up with her and he felt better for it. Girlfriends were a lot of work, he thought. He wasn't sure if he was ready to put in that kind of commitment when girls were so crazy. He jogged up the many stairs to Gryffindor Tower and found his friends in the common room.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Finished snogging so soon?"
"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically and then he sighed. "Actually, we just broke up."
"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry!" Hermione exclaimed, eyes full of sympathy. "I know how much you liked her."
He shook his head, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "We didn't have that much in common outside of us both being Seekers actually." He cleared his throat. "It's for the best. Anyway, I wanted to tell you what happened last night and… where's Ginny? She should hear this too!" He spotted her with Colin in the corner and he hurried over to her. "Hi, Ginny. Hi, Colin."
Colin's eyes widened and a bright smile appeared on his face. "Hiya, Harry!"
"Can I steal her for a bit?" Harry asked him. "I need to talk to her."
Colin nodded happily. "Of course!"
Harry gestured for Ginny to come with him, his arm snaking around her waist to tug her along. She left her books with Colin as she let Harry lead her, Ron, Neville, and Hermione down the stairs into an empty classroom to talk. Once the five of them were comfortably sprawled out, sitting atop desks and feet up on chairs and tables, Harry told them what had happened the night before.
Hermione was fascinated with the idea that the Horcrux had zeroed in on Sirius. The way it had shown him something that he was personally afraid of, a memory that seemingly fed on his worst thoughts.
"It was weird, it was like he was in a trance of some kind; I couldn't pull him back. It was only when I touched him and called out his name that he returned to himself and was able to destroy it; first the projected image, then the locket itself."
"And it was all burnt inside?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide as she glanced at Harry who was sprawled across the desk next to her.
"Yeah. It blackened the locket like ash from a fire."
Ron was staring at Harry in awe. "Mate, you actually destroyed one of them! That's completely wicked!"
"I know and Moody thinks that there's one in the Gaunt Shack somewhere. It was the childhood home of Voldemort's mother and he's pretty convinced that there's something there."
Neville smiled at him. "And you're bitter that Sirius won't let you go along to help."
Harry grinned at his friend. He was a little relieved to know that his friends were able to see through him sometimes as it made explaining things so much easier. "Pretty much, yeah, but I get it and that annoys me more that I understand his reasoning behind it. I spoke to Uncle Sirius afterwards — Hermione and Neville already know — but well, I've decided to become an Animagus."
Ron's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow! Really? That's brilliant, mate!"
Harry smiled. "I think it is. Neville is going to become one, too, as soon as the Mandrakes are ready in a few weeks. It's a lot of work and the first task is keeping a Mandrake leaf in your mouth for an entire month from one full moon to the next, even when eating and sleeping so, it's going to be difficult to accomplish. But we're going to do it and I'd really love it if you wanted to learn how to become animals too. It would be wicked if we could all run around together."
Ron grinned. "I'm definitely in. It would be aces to just turn into an animal whenever you felt like it. Plus, Padfoot always did make a really cool dog."
"Me too, Harry?" Ginny asked.
Harry grinned at her. "Definitely and maybe Luna as well? It would be pretty brilliant if all six of us could turn into animals."
Hermione smiled at him. "You just want an excuse to run wild outside."
Harry laughed. "Are you saying that you're not interested in learning this cool and brilliant art of magic, Hermione?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "This would be an amazing thing to learn, of course I'm in!"
"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed, grinning widely. "You don't think that Luna and I are too young to learn, do you?"
"No way!" Harry said with conviction. "My Dad and Uncle Sirius were both in second year when they first started the process!"
"Do you get to choose your animal?" Hermione asked, looking thoughtful. "I think I'd like to be something calm and cool, like maybe a cat like McGonagall?"
"You don't get to choose, Hermione," Harry told her. "The animal chooses you based on your personality and your traits. Uncle Sirius got a dog and he's a German Shepard when he changes, but it fits him. He's loyal, playful, fierce, and protective, but he's large too and all black. Sometimes people mistake his form for the Grim. My dad got a stag, which is known for being powerful but gentle, and to be a bit of a leader. Whatever animal you get, Hermione, is going to reflect who you are."
Ron grinned. "I definitely want to be something brilliant. This sounds great! Thanks for thinking of us, Harry!"
Harry beamed at his friends. He was glad that Sirius had mentioned it to him, the thought of his friends all learning how to become an Animagus along with him only made him more excited at the prospect of learning. He was happy that Ginny and Luna would most likely be joining them as well.
"You'll ask Luna, Gin?"
She smiled at him, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Yes, I'll talk to her after dinner tonight."
"Great! Also, I wanted to tell you that there's a real duelling club starting up soon!"
"Anything that's not taught by Lockhart is basically a real club, Harry," Ron said in disdain.
Harry smirked at his friends. "True."
"Who's running it?" Ginny asked, tugging her scrunchie out and letting her long red hair tumble across her shoulders. The light caught it and Harry caught himself staring at the red gold flames before he caught himself.
"Um, Lupin and McGonagall, but McGonagall said that there might be special guests to teach sometimes too. But it's only going to be for third years and above."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's not fair! I want to learn some new spells!"
Harry grinned at her. "I'll teach them to you."
Ginny simply beamed at him.
~ ASC ~
Peter watched the woman carefully. She was rather beautiful, white-blonde hair, dark eyes, and skin as white as snow. Her husband was her polar opposite. Dark brown hair with a thick brown beard and moustache, blue eyes framed by thick shaggy brows. He was built like a fighter, tall, muscled, and frankly Peter thought he looked like he wouldn't even need magic to break someone in half. But when he looked at his wife, his eyes were as gentle as if she was made of precious glass.
Bellatrix sneered at them. "Aren't they pathetic? Just because she's carrying a child; as if that's hard."
Peter's eyes flashed in annoyance. "Must be, you haven't succeeded yet."
Her wand was pointed in his face in a heartbeat. "How dare you!"
"Shut up, Bella; they'll hear us," he said in annoyance, not even flinching.
He was tired of her mind games. He knew that she wasn't going to kill him. At this point in the game, they needed him. How long they would keep him around for afterwards was anybody's guess, but he knew that he was safe for now.
The woman was rubbing her hand over the small of her back now and the man reached around, rubbing gently as he kissed her neck. The woman smiled back at him, patting his cheek in thanks.
"Why them?" Peter demanded, turning to look at her. "I thought the point was to save the purebloods, keep them from dying out — why are we going to murder a pureblooded child?"
Bellatrix scoffed at him, her eyes still glinting in an angry manic way that Peter knew was just as much a part of her expression as it was her emotions at the moment. "The blood would be pure that's why! Honestly, Wormtail, no wonder you were in Gryffindor, you're not exactly bright, are you?"
Peter ignored her and turned back to the house they were watching. "What about the husband?"
"He should be leaving her any minute to head to work."
He nodded, his eyes on the woman again and a sense of unease moved in his stomach. She didn't deserve this, but he didn't know a way to stop it. They had been watching her and her husband on and off for over a week now and he knew today was the day of the grab and he didn't know how to stop it. If he tried, they would kill him and the woman might even come to worse harm. He closed his eyes and swallowed. He made his bed and now he had to lie in it.
They watched the husband kiss her rather passionately and she laughed, pushing him off. He kissed her once more and then grabbed his cloak and hurried out of the house, moving to the Apparation point and was gone. They waited a beat before they approached the house and knocked on the door.
It was only a minute before she opened it. She was even more beautiful close up.
"Good morning, can I help you?"
Bellatrix smiled at her. "Yes, please; my husband and I are quite lost. We're looking for the Balkan Ministry, but I think we took a wrong turn somehow? I heard the visitor's entrance was in a square near Zaton?"
"Oh, I am verribly sorry, but it is in Zadar, not Zaton. You are in va vrong city," she said, her English a bit broken and her accent thick.
Bellatrix's face fell. "Oh, darn. You don't happen to have a map, do you? Only, I've never been very good with the direction spell and my husband is a Muggle."
The woman nodded, smiling kindly. "Yes, I… somevhere… one minute."
She made to turn and Peter petrified her.
Her eyes were wide in surprise as she fell backwards, frozen stiff as she landed on the ground.
Bellatrix smiled coldly and kicked her ankle, taking the wand from the woman's hand. "Oops. Grab her, Wormtail. Let's get her to the manor."
Peter nodded and bent to pick her up. She was awkward to hold being frozen stiff and her massive eight-month-pregnant belly didn't exactly make it any easier, but he awkwardly moved her out to the Apparation zone and the three of them Apparated back to the Selwyn manor in Split. When they arrived on the grounds, Bellatrix muttered, 'finite incantatem' and the woman fell forwards. Bellatrix bound her hands behind her back and gagged her.
"Bring her along, Peter."
Peter took her arm and shoved her forward, whispering that he was sorry in her ear, but the woman only glared at him. They moved through the front door and she fell to her knees when he pushed her, her white-blonde hair falling in her face.
Selwyn smirked at the sight of her. "Exactly how I like my women," he said, staring down at her. "She's a beauty. Luka Novak's wife?"
Bellatrix nodded. "Yes. Kata, isn't it?"
Kata Novak stared up at Bellatrix with hatred and Peter removed the gag. "Let me go! You have no right to keep me vere!"
Selwyn smiled at her. "But we do; we have a great need of you, Kata. You are going to help make the world a better place."
"Luka vill kill you!" she screamed, struggling to her get to her feet.
Bellatrix snorted. "He'd have to find us first."
Selwyn grinned. "Pettigrew, why don't you show Mrs Novak to her room? Make sure she's comfortable. Bring her some food."
Peter tugged her to her feet and dragged her down the hall and up the stairs to the guest suite that had been made up for her. There was a large four poster bed with an adjoining bath. It looked every much the guest suite, if one didn't notice the wards on the windows to prevent anything from coming in or out or the locked door.
"Try to rest now, okay, Kata?"
She glared at him as she looked around the room. "Why am I here? Please, let me go!" She placed her hands over her stomach. "I am due in four veeks! I vant to have moja beba and go home with my husband! Please!"
Peter swallowed slowly. "I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. The Dark Lord needs you."
"Va Dark Lord? Please, let me go home!" Tears were in her eyes now as she held her large stomach. "Molim! Molim!"
Peter only shook his head and closed the door, locking it behind him as she screamed at him. She wasn't going home until after they had their hands on her baby and even then… he couldn't guarantee that she would get out of here alive.
He made his way back downstairs as he felt the Polyjuice Potion wear off and he had never hated himself more.
End Author's Notes:
Google translate helped here.
(Croation) molim = please
(Croatian) moja beba = my baby
Also, I kind of made up my own spells here:
extollendam = magnify
metimur = measure
Thank you for reading and please review!