A Second Chance

by Breanie

Part 2 Kismet Trilogy: What if Sirius didn't spend twelve years in prison but was given a trial after 4 years? Follow the story of Sirius Black as he learns what it means to be a father/brother/guardian & the story of Harry Potter, a young boy with a loving home who learns about the Marauders from the two men who should have raised him. Slow-burn Hinny. M for sex & violence.

196. The One Where Harry Gets Constantly Inte

Author's Note:

Reviews and Comments: To Covley Hatake: LOL, I know, everyone kept interrupting poor Harry! Then I left you on the whole Zee question. It was fun lol. Thank you! To notthatchhavi: Thanks for loving the McGonagall bit (I love it too). As you can imagine, Sirius does not react well. We will see more of that below. Thank you! To : Thank you. I like wow lol. Yes, Lady G definitely should have gone for the balls — next time lol. Thanks for liking my Lucius. I like writing him as a bit grey and yet still cowardly. As to Zee and Lady G recovering… wait and see. Thank you! To plussizebarbie: LOL, thanks for loving/hating me. As to Zee being all right and Harry asking out Ginny… so soon my lovelies! Thank you! To DetroitNate: Cruel and unusual punishment? I wouldn't go that far! As to the anticipation, that's just fun. Thank you! But please don't die from the wait! 😉

To cF: Yes, harry was so close lol. As to Zee and Lady G being okay, you'll have to wait and see! Thank you! To alix33: It's dangerous for most magical creatures to get too close to a witch or wizard, but Zee is a trained magizoologist and she knows how to be cautious. Thank you! To leolion6363: Well, that's just rotten luck for you to catch up in time for the cliffy lol. But I very much appreciate you're binge reading! Thanks for loving my original characters and my storyline! Thank you! To coloredwords: Thank you! I agree, McGonagall's backstory is beautiful and heartbreaking. Yes, Umbitch is a terrible person and LMAO, yes, we have all wondered how Hagrid was conceived LMAO! Thank you! To PolarWriter95: But he was interrupted for a very good reason… To olivia: You think Dean is going to get to Ginny first? We'll see. Thank you! To Guest: Wow, a perfect chapter! Thank you! And nope, no begging. Update will happen on usual timing. Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: Torturing is a strong word lol. But yes, I suppose I did "ship-block" you there. Zee is not out of the woods yet and yes, Umbitch is already getting herself into trouble. Hagrid is handling her better! Thank you! To HJP4Life: Thank you for saying that chapter was intense! Thanks!

To BioHazard82: Thank you! To ladyinwaiting2005: Yes, Zee got away! LOL, sorry to make you scream at Hermione's interruption! Thank you! To NYCfangirl11: Yes, 195 chapters and he has yet to ask her out, but the story started when Harry was 5 years old. That does need to be taken into consideration. Thank you! To josht1987: I am a rather big fan of the Evil Queen, specifically Regina from Once Upon A Time, so I do love to be called evil lol. Thank you very much! To midnitewanderer: Thanks, I literally laughed out loud. I'm glad the wait was excruciating, it makes me feel powerful bahahaha! Kidding! Kind of. LOL. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Menna Taha: As far as I know I am not Satan, but a crazy old lady once told me that my red hair is a sign of the devil so, I can't be too sure. I'm glad that my Zee scene made your hands shake, that's so nice to know that the scene was that intense! Tripp is definitely a jerk, but not a bad person, no. Thank you! To Guest: You will have to wait to find out about Zee. Thanks for the encouragement to bring Hinny to head at my own pace, but I can promise, it is within the next chapter(s). Zee is number one, which is why I thought the interruption was warranted. Thank you! I quite agree on the improvement in my writing. Thank you! To x-shadow-x-kisses-x: No, poor Harry really can't catch a break LOL. Thank you!

To Wolf's scream: Abraxas doesn't necessarily pay attention to Isla, but he sometimes heeds her warning. Yes, Harry admitting he plans to ask out Ginny to Sirius definitely counts for something! Thank you! To Guest: Thank you for saying I am both evil and awesome! To purplevictory: Thank you! To nesciamema: Yes, bad timing indeed. Thank you! To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To star90: Harry definitely needs Ginny before the war and yes, they will be together very soon! Much sooner than in canon. Thank you! To supersandman86: You think my crafty mind will have made Dean ask Ginny first? Hmm, wait and see. As to Zee and Lady G… soon. I thought having Ron and Neville figure out how to help Hagrid seemed like a good idea. Well said on the second chance reference lol. Thank you! To Matt9917: I know, the cliffhanger lol. Harry will get there! Thank you! To Guest: This story clearly has a gay warning in chapter one and me writing gay side characters is not me pushing my personal agenda. If you're not enjoying the story, please don't read it. To aj613: Zee is alive… for now. Yes, Harry needs to get the words out! Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! I quite agree that Minnie is fabulous! Yes, Harry did get cock-blocked a bit there and then well, other things happened. Thank you!

To Saz J: Nope, not posting this weekend. You don't know what's worse, Zee or the almost Hinny? I will take that as a compliment! Thank you! To Hailie: Yes, that's what it means. I know I'm cruel, teasing Hinny consistently and then it's not there, but I promise VERY soon. 😏 Thank you! To HGRHfan35: In my defence, the chapter was written well beyond before you told me lol. Yes, Tripp was under the Imperius. Harry was stumbling and mumbling. He's always cute! thank you! To LifeonEarth: Thank you! No, Harry can never catch a break it seems. To speedsONEandONLY: Yes, both Zee and Lady G made it through the portkey. We will will see what happens soon. Harry could help Theo with the map and with backup, but he doesn't know that he needs to help him as Theo isn't talking. Thank you! To vaporeonxglaceon: Thank you very much! To Undead Gothic Princess: I can leave it on a cliffhanger because I want to LOL. Thank you! To SilverMidas: I am also glad Zee escaped, but she's not out of the woods yet! Theo does need to solve his Ernie problem and aww, you're shipping Colin and Theo? Sorry to burst your bubble, but they will not a thing. Theo will definitely make a good dad one day and yes, I like to think surrogacy is possible with magic. Thank you! To Steelcode: Thank you! You'll have to wait about Zee!

To 90: I'm sorry the cliffhanger was painful, but I do think it will be worth it. Thank you! To Atrayee: He was so close! Thank you! To Guest: You want Hinny and you want them now? Soon. Thank you! To RedheadLover: Am I that predictable that you know it would be a cliffhanger of almost Hinny? Sorry it will be such an excruciating wait. Thank you! To odysse: Nope, Harry cannot catch a break! Zee is not out of the woods yet! As for the relationship of Bellatrix and Narcissa, in my story I decided that Bellatrix caused Narcissa to have miscarriages, but as far as I know that is not canon. Thank you! To Matt71478: Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: Nope, Zee is not dead… yet. I did start it off nice and happy with some making fun of Umbitch, Harry making his decision, so I had to do something! We will learn more about Zee soon as well as what happened to her and her bike. Thank you again and seriously, for the love of Bob cracks me up every time. Who is Bob? LMAO! Thank you!

For those people constantly leaving reviews claiming that I am pushing my personal agenda by having gay characters: If you didn't read the warnings the first time that are clearly outlined in chapter one and in the summary of Ao3, that's not my problem as they are listed there. I am a straight woman so I have no idea how writing gay characters is pushing a personal agenda on you, but if you don't like the story, please don't read it. Hope you have a fantastic day! There's lots more gay smut to come, I promise!

My posting schedule: Once a week.

As always, 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 for all of your continued support!

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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SIX:

The One Where Harry Gets Constantly Interrupted

Harry felt like the bottom of his stomach had just opened up. He took the communication mirror from Hermione, his eyes on hers before he glanced down to see his father's face.

"Uncle Siri?"

"Harry! Listen, Zee was attacked by Death Eaters in France. A portkey just transported her directly to the DMLE and King contacted me. I'm on my way to St Mungo's right now. He said that she's been badly injured."

"How bad?" Harry asked, his eyes widening in fear. "Is she going to be okay?"

Sirius bit his lip. "I don't know how bad, Harry. As soon as I find out what happened I'll get back to you."

The mirror went blank in his hand and he glanced up at Hermione and Ginny, his eyes wide in worry and panic.

Ginny immediately linked her arm through Harry's, holding his wrist tightly. "She's going to be okay, Harry. Zee is one of the toughest women that I know."

Harry nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "Death Eaters got to her to in France… do you think that they're watching her?"

Ginny's warm brown eyes met his. "They might not have known who she is, Harry. It could just be a coincidence."

Harry shook his head as he sat his broomstick on his shoulder. "It wasn't."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but he was already stomping off towards the showers, lost in thought.

Here he was, trying to work up how exactly he was supposed to ask one of his best friends out on a date and Zee was… she was alive, he told himself, Sirius had said that she was injured. He made his way into the showers, undressing before he stood under the spray, letting it hit him in the face for the longest time. Zee had been going to France to talk to the Merpeople he remembered, something about neutrality and the thing about the Aqua Protectors… she was careful, he thought. She knew how to be careful. How had they gotten to her?

He punched the wall in his anger before he curled his fingers at the pain of it. When he stepped out of the shower and got dressed, he pulled the mirror from his locker, but there was no sign that Sirius had tried to contact him. He shoved the mirror into his pocket and haphazardly pulled a comb through his hair as Ginny stepped over to him, freshly showered herself.

"Hey," she said quietly, taking a seat on the bench.

"Hey."

"I know that you're worried about her, but I'm sure that Sirius will contact you soon."

Harry nodded, but he didn't say anything. His eyes locked with hers when she grabbed his hand, squeezing gently. "Thanks, Ginny."

Ginny smiled warmly at him, locking her fingers with his. "Let's go see Professor Lupin. Hermione was saying that you two have your first Defence Club meeting tonight to see which category you're going to fall under for the older students."

He nodded again. "I don't know… I don't know if I can concentrate."

"You can and you will," Ginny told him smartly. "Come on. Professor Lupin made it on a Sunday until he organizes the groups better just so you could have Quidditch practice first. You can't disappoint him by not showing up."

She looped her arm through his and Harry immediately pulled her close, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder, breathing in her scent deeply.

Ginny wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Zee's a tough cookie, Harry. She's going to be all right, I know it."

He nodded, but he didn't let go of her.

Ginny continued to hug him tightly. "I've missed your hugs. You give the best ones, you know?"

He smiled against her shoulder. "So do you."

They stood there for a moment, hugging before Ginny turned her head to kiss his cheek. "Let's go talk to McGonagall, I bet that she'll let you go to St Mungo's and see her?"

Harry shook his head, moving out of Ginny's embrace reluctantly. "No, you're right. I should… Defence Club… Uncle Siri will contact me. There's nothing that I can do there."

"Okay, I think that's a good idea. Hey, what did you want to talk to me about? Before…"

The back of Harry's neck flushed as he shook his head. "Er…"

Thoughts of asking her to go to Hogsmeade next Saturday vanishing from his mind. This wasn't the time, he thought. He couldn't ask her now, not with… Zee was going to be all right, he told himself. She had to be. Ginny's eyes were still on him so he swallowed slowly.

"Nothing, I, er, I just wanted to say great job today. You're were doing great out there."

Ginny glanced at him quizzically. "Thanks."

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I, um, I should head to the duelling room for Defence Club."

He grabbed his stuff and hurried off, broomstick over his shoulder and left Ginny staring after him in confusion.

~ ASC ~

Sirius Apparated directly to St Mungo's after speaking to Harry. The healers quickly directed him to the fourth floor and his stomach plummeted as he hurried off to find his woman. He found Kingsley in the hall trying to subdue a very angry panther and he immediately whistled. Lady Godiva's eyes found him before she moved to his side, nuzzling his hip in recognition.

Kingsley let out a slow breath. "That panther has been hissing and roaring at anyone who attempted to get near Zee. I had a hell of a time getting the healers near her. One of the Aurors stunned her and that royally pissed her off."

Sirius stroked Lady Godiva's head, his eyes on the Head Auror. "What happened?"

Kingsley shook his head. "We don't know for sure. She used her emergency portkey and it deposited her in the centre of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as it is assigned to do. All emergency portkeys immediately bring the user to the DMLE since it's used in the case of an emergency. She was falling in and out of consciousness, the panther was going crazy. I had to stun the damn panther a second time, which I think is part of the problem now. By the time the panther came to, she wasn't exactly happy with me. Zee's leg was bleeding badly, as was her lip. One whole side of her body is torn up pretty bad. I'd say the torture curse for sure. Other than that, I don't know what the hell happened to her."

"Her supervisor?"

"I can't get a hold of Yaxley and her partner is MIA."

"Fucking Forrester," Sirius muttered under his breath, his hand still resting on Lady Godiva's head.

Sirius gestured for the panther to follow him with a tilt of his head as he pushed his way into her hospital room. One of the healers immediately turned to see him.

"Immediate family only."

"I am her bloody family," Sirius said angrily. He snapped his fingers and the panther jumped up onto the end of the hospital bed to settle. "How is she?"

The healer in charge looked like he wanted to protest, but the panther was growling at him so he merely swallowed slowly and took an automatic step back.

"She's been tortured and the curse that hit her leg… it's new to us. It's infected her leg and is slowly working through her blood stream. We don't know what the curse is, but she seems to be in a lot of pain. She hasn't regained consciousness."

Sirius paled and took a step towards the bed, his hand gripping hers. "Give her something for the pain."

"We have," the healer said quietly. "It's not working."

"Find out what's bloody wrong with her then," Sirius demanded. "And find something else to help her. You can't leave her unconscious and in pain!"

The healer only nodded. "We need to draw more of her blood to try to figure out what the curse was."

"So bloody-well do it," Sirius said roughly, kissing the hand he held. "Do whatever you need to do. Just… heal her."

The healer nodded and set back to work.

Sirius held her hand tightly, pressing his lips to her fingers. "It's going to be okay, love. We're going to figure this out. You just… be strong, baby, please. I need you."

He pressed her hand against his cheek, his eyes on her as his heart pounded wildly in his chest. The right side of her face was scratched and torn almost raw and he could see that it continued down her right shoulder and her right arm as well. He shifted the blankets down and watched the same injuries continue down her hip and her leg. The opposite leg was oozing blood from a gash in the back of her calf from her knee to her ankle. It was bandaged off, but Sirius could see that it was the source of the problem. He kissed her hand, his eyes on her.

"You're going to be okay, Zahira. You have to be," he whispered almost to himself.

A hand touched his shoulder and he turned to look back at Kingsley.

"I just got word that Agent Forrester has turned up at the Ministry with Zee's mangled bike. I guess that she attempted to escape on the motorbike and a Death Eater hit the bike and she went flying. She crash landed fairly hard, which probably accounts for her torn and scratched appearance. I'm going there to talk to Agent Forrester now, I'll keep you posted."

Sirius nodded. "If he's the reason that she's hurt, King, I want ten minutes alone with him in a cell."

Kingsley stared at him. "You know that I can't let you do that, Sirius."

Sirius' turbulent gaze met the Auror's. "Five minutes then."

Kingsley looked like he was going to argue, but then he nodded. "I'll keep you posted."

Sirius turned back to Zee, her hand still trapped in his. If her stupid partner had anything to do with this he was going to make him wish that he had never set eyes on Sirius Black. He kissed Zee's fingers again, gently reaching out to touch her hair. She was going to be all right, he told himself; she was going to be all right.

He kept repeating the words to himself silently as if he could will it to be so.

~ ASC ~

Zee was grasping in pain. She could feel it coming over her in waves, vibrating through her system like she was lying on hot coals. She could hear the pressure popping in her ear; the sound of water coming to a boil. She felt it under her skin. Her bones ached like tiny hammers were hitting her all over her joints. But when she tried to claw to the surface it was like she was drowning and couldn't reach the air to breathe.

The distant murmur of voices around her were muffled. She couldn't make them out. Someone was holding her hand, warm and steady; it calmed her, but when she tried to reach out to them, to tell them that she was here, something hot and humid dragged her back under.

Her mouth tasted like ash. She could smell her own body burning and she wanted to scream, but no sound was coming out. It was a constant ache. A torture that she couldn't explain; that she couldn't stop. Something vile was pushed down her throat and she choked on it, the flavour mixing with the ash as her blood boiled and popped. Her muscles were scorched from the inside out. She felt branded by fire; consumed by a heat that was melting her down to nothing. She couldn't tell where the fire started and her body began. It was an endless maze of pain.

She screamed and she screamed, but no sound emerged from her lips as she felt the bubbles erupt in her blood like liquid lava; boiling over at thousands of degrees as if she were a volcano ready to pop. Her head pounded and the pain seemed to vibrate up and down her leg, radiating its energy and pain from one part of her body to the next. She wanted it to stop.

She wanted to die.

She would do anything to stop the pain.

Anything.

Another vile liquid was pushed down her throat and then she pushed past the realm of consciousness, but her blood still smouldered. And the pain didn't stop.

Her world went black and despite the pain, she knew no more.

~ ASC ~

"So not only did you not find the location of the Seer, but you failed to kill the bitch agent before she escaped?" Voldemort demanded coldly, his eyes on Thaddeus Nott who was kneeling before him and grovelling.

"My Lord, she used an emergency portkey and her panther —"

"— I do not have the time or the desire to listen to your pathetic excuses," Voldemort exclaimed darkly. "She was one woman who we had under our thumbs! Her partner was under Yaxley's control and yet she still escaped!"

"My Lord, I'm —"

The scream tore through him as Voldemort merely flicked his wand and murmured the Cruciatus. He held it in place for only a moment before he allowed Nott to catch his breath.

"Don't apologize for failure, Thaddeus. Just know that if you fail me again, then you will really have a reason to be sorry. Get up!"

Nott scrambled to his feet, his face still contorted in pain.

"Kata, my dear, come over here."

The beautiful blonde woman, once so vibrant and full of life, was now pale and alluded to an almost zombie like-state. She moved slowly across the room and knelt before Voldemort.

"Thaddeus has misbehaved. In punishment, you are not to go to him if he calls for you. You are to ignore him. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Lord."

Nott looked pained by this, but didn't speak.

"Woodrow."

Woodrow Selwyn, who had been standing by the wall with a few other Death Eaters watching Nott grovel, stood up straight immediately. "Yes, my Lord?"

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "Take Thad upstairs with you and Kata. Chain him up. He can watch while you fuck her. When he is begging to climax, come get me."

Woodrow nodded, grabbing Kata in one hand and Thaddeus in the other. "It would be my pleasure, my Lord."

Thaddeus however had paled considerably.

Peter, who had been standing by the wall watching, swallowed. As everyone left the room, he snuck a look over at Aurelius Avery.

"Why does the Dark Lord want to know when Thad is begging?"

Avery smirked. "Ever been so hard and so unable to come that you want to cry; so desperate for that sexual release that your body is grasping for it? Thad is a sexual deviant and the Dark Lord knows it. My guess, he's going to use that opportunity to torture him for his failure. I imagine that being put under the Cruciatus would be quite the feat when sporting an erection."

Peter paled. The feel of the burning pain and the way everything twisted and turned inside of you, as if everything was breaking… he was incredibly glad that he wasn't in Thaddeus Nott's place. Bulstrode was still unconscious and a healer was working on him. The panther had torn into him badly and they weren't yet sure if he was going to make it. The fact that he was unconscious was the only reason why the Dark Lord had yet to question him. Macklebee was dead. The panther had torn out his trachea and he'd bled to death in seconds. Nott had brought both of them back to the manor, covered in blood and reeking of failure.

Peter stepped out of the room and let out a squeak when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to look at Abraxas and swallowed.

"The Dark Lord wishes to speak with you, Pettigrew."

Pettigrew nodded and as he followed Abraxas into one of the parlours, his stomach flip-flopped nervously.

Voldemort was sitting in a high backed chair, Nagini coiled at his feet. He crooked his finger and Peter stepped inside, kneeling before him.

"The cunt agent who escaped, she is the whore of your old friend, is she not?"

Peter nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

"Rumour is that she's taken a motherly interest in the little brat, too," Voldemort said dryly. "Nott tells me that he hit her with the Blood Boil Curse. With any luck, she'll die in the hospital very soon. I've heard that its rather an awful way to die, feeling your body liquefying and then turning to ash... burning through her… I wish that I could see it. Watching the life leave someone's eyes is quite rewarding in itself."

Peter only continued to stare at the floor, his body trembling.

"Look up, Wormtail."

Peter did very slowly, meeting the dark red gaze.

"You fear me, Wormtail. I can see that. Your mind has always been open to me, as pathetic as your thoughts are, your fear has always been strong." He tapped his wand against the arm of his chair as he continued. "But you are smarter than I've given you credit for. You've been kidnapped and imprisoned by your old friends and returned to me, not from loyalty, oh no — but from fear. Snape was quite right about that. You can be useful to me, which we both know is the only reason why you are still alive."

Peter swallowed. "I can be useful, my Lord, I swear it."

Voldemort sneered. "We'll see about that. I want you to learn what you can about this cunt agent. I want to know what her background is, her blood status, her family. If someone manages to discover what the curse was that she was hit with, she may yet still be saved, but we can hope for her death in the meantime while she suffers unimaginable pain. You tell me what you learn about her. She's a hindrance and we need to learn more about her and what her relationship is like with the Merpeople. Yaxley claims that she is one of his best agents and she obviously knows more about this Seer than she's let on."

"My Lord, I-I-I don't understand, do you w-w-want her to survive?"

Voldemort stared at her. "I don't care either way. Her suffering is rewarding enough and if it affects Potter on top of it, that's just a bonus. But find out about her family, Wormtail. I want to know everything."

"And — when I find them, my Lord?"

Voldemort smiled. "Kill them."

Peter pale as Voldemort waved him way.

"Brax, I think Marcus has been waiting long enough, bring him back in," Voldemort called out.

Peter left the room as the bloody body of Marcus Bulstrode was floated into the room. His leg had been torn open by the panther, but the beating his body had taken had come from the Death Eaters. He watched them throw his beat-up form to the ground as Voldemort smiled.

"Marcus, let's start back at the top: Why did you fail me?"

The door closed behind him and Peter was grateful not to hear anymore. He leaned back against the wall, his mind churning over his new orders.

It was time to learn everything he could about Sirius' DRCMC Agent.

~ ASC ~

Harry made his way back to Gryffindor Tower, tossing his Quidditch stuff in his dorm before he headed back down to the duelling classroom. The room was already pretty full of fifth through seventh year students. He made his way to Remus, his eyes on his father.

"Any news from Uncle Siri?"

Remus shook his head. "No, but Nymphadora is working the case. She was unconscious when they found her. Sirius will get the details and let us know. I'm sure that he just needs some time to process it himself. We have to be positive that she's doing to be okay. Good thoughts, all right?"

Harry nodded. He could understand that. He knew that Sirius must be going mad at the moment. He just wanted to make sure that they were both going to be all right. He made his way over to where Hermione was talking to Ron and Neville.

Ron reached out to squeeze Harry's shoulder. "Mione told us. Any news?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but everyone says that she's unconscious and injured. I don't know if they're just reassuring me or not, but I'm taking it as a good sign. We just don't know how serious her injuries are yet. But she's alive and that's all that matters."

Neville nodded and gave his friend a reassuring smile as Remus called the room to attention. Remus was using today's lesson to divide the group between Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced once more. He divided the group based on what division they were in the year before and then he began to explain about what kind of new things he was looking to work on this year.

Harry found himself listening with half an ear as Remus explained how he wanted to focus more on duelling with a profound note on hexes and jinxes. He kept his hand in his pocket, wrapped around his mirror as he desperately waited for it to vibrate, anything to give him some news. They were divided up into pairs within their old groups and told to duel. Harry found himself partnered with Blaise.

They pointed their wands at each other. Harry shot the first spell that he could think of, a disarming charm, and to his shock and surprise, he not only disarmed Blaise, but Blaise's entire body shot back like a rocket; he crashed into the mats leaning against the stone wall.

Harry stared at the wand in his hand, not really sure what had just happened.

"What the fuck, Potter?" Blaise growled as he climbed to his feet.

Remus was there to make sure he was okay before he turned to Harry. "Harry, what happened?"

Harry shook his head. "I… I don't know. I just disarmed him. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary."

Remus frowned for a moment before he held up his wand. "Disarm me."

Harry's tongue snuck out to touch his bottom lip as he looked at Remus hesitantly, but the look in his father's golden eyes made him raise his wand. "Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

"Reducto!"

Remus' shield disintegrated at the curse and his eyes widened. "Very good, Harry. See me after Defence Club."

Harry nodded and moved to stand next to Hermione who was giving him a strange look. "What?"

Hermione only shook her head. "We haven't done much spellwork since school started up as most of the work has been written. I don't know how much of your wand you used this summer, but Harry, I think your magic is stronger than it was before."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't you think that I would have noticed it before now if that were true? I mean, if it was because of removing the you know what, wouldn't I have noticed after it happened?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not sure. It depends on what you were using your wand for, I suppose."

Harry stared at her for a moment. He hadn't used his wand much since the Horcrux had been removed. He'd learned how to Apparate and he'd used a silencing charm on his bedroom, but other than that, his studies had all been theoretical so far. He hadn't noticed an increase in anything, not really. They had told him they thought he would be stronger, but he had just assumed it was his strength coming back from the removal of the AH. Nothing had given him the impression that it was more than that.

But that wasn't entirely true, he thought.

The other day in Transfiguration his switching spell had been so powerful that he'd changed his feather duster into a family of ferrets instead of just one and then he'd switched the toy pig into a giant wart hog, equipped with sharp tusks. Then on the second day of learning the Vanishing Spell with the mice, he'd vanished not only his mouse, but his entire desk along with it.

He frowned slightly as he watched his father organize the Defence Club. He found himself once more in the Advanced Class along with Hermione, Theo, and Draco. Neville had progressed up to Intermediate and was beside himself with excitement as he joined Ron this time around. It was only after Remus had dismissed everyone with promises of having a schedule made up for club meetings, did Harry approach his father.

Remus smiled at him. "I think that your real magical potential has finally emerged."

Harry only raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess I have been doing some stuff a little more powerfully than I should be, but… I mean, I feel the same."

Remus pointed his wand at the dummy. "You should feel the same. It's just your power, Harry. It belongs to you and it is part of you. I want to explore it a little more so that we can grasp where your strengths are. I want to do some tests with you here. Tell me how you feel after you perform the spells, all right? Go on."

Harry stepped over to stand in front of the dummy, his wand raised. "Any spell?"

"Yes."

Harry merely waved his wand and muttered, "Flipendo!"

The dummy flipped over backwards and landed halfway across the room, crashing into the other dummies.

Remus grinned widely. "I think that your true power levels have risen. Again, Harry. Let's try your Patronus."

Harry nodded, scrunching up his nose as he tried to think of a happy memory. Thoughts of Zee being safe and healthy and happy with Sirius was all it took as he said the incantation.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The wolf, the dog, and the stag erupted from his wand in a blinding blue-white silver. They were not only corporeal, but so solid in appearance that Harry couldn't even see through them. They ran around the room, knocking over the training dummies before they surrounded him. He only stared in amazement, reaching out to touch his Patronus and the solid feel of the spell beneath his fingers surprised him, jolting him like an electrical current at the touch.

Remus was grinning at him. "Incredible, Harry! Try another."

Soon Harry was sending all sorts of different jinxes and hexes out at the training dummies and watching as his spells were so powerful that he destroyed three dummies in the process. When he used his shield, Remus' own spell reflected back on him so powerfully that his father flew across the room and crashed into the wall.

Harry ran to him, helping Remus to his feet. "Sorry, Uncle Moony!"

But Remus shook his head, smiling. "No! Don't be sorry! Harry, this is excellent work! I am so proud of you."

"It's not too much?"

"No, it's amazing. Be very proud of yourself. Lily used to have power like that. The girl could crush you in a duel. She disarmed your father once and the spell was so strong that he flew twenty metres backwards and knocked over five students in Defence Against the Dark Arts class. I remember it clearly because he was lying on the ground, his glasses crooked and he was grinning like a fool as he declared that he was going to marry that girl one day."

"What did Mum say?"

"Piss off, Potter," he said with a smirk.

Harry grinned. "Sounds about right."

Remus smiled at him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "You are doing brilliantly. Can you feel a difference in your magic?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just feel like me."

"That's all that matters then," Remus told him. "It is you. I think that the real levels of your power are finally coming to head. Just keep practicing and doing your best. I'm really proud of you."

The sound of his mirror vibrating had both of them jumping as Harry pulled it from his pocket.

"Uncle Siri?"

Sirius was pale, but he smiled at him. "Hey, Harry. Zee crashed her motorbike while trying to get away and she's a little beat up from that. There's something wrong with her leg, but the healers are working on it; trying to figure out what the curse was that the Death Eaters used. She still hasn't regained consciousness, but they are working on her."

Harry let out a breath of relief. "Good. You're staying with her?"

"Until the moment that I can bring her home," Sirius told him with a smile.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Until she regains consciousness we don't really know much, but the healers are hopeful. I'll keep you posted."

Harry nodded and the mirror went blank in his hand as he looked up at Remus. "Something's wrong with her leg? Could that be why she's unconscious?"

Remus draped an arm around his son's shoulders. "Sirius won't leave her side. The healers will figure it out, Harry. If there's any change, Sirius will call you."

Harry tucked his mirror into his pocket as he nodded. "I know. I just… I should be there."

Remus smiled. "When she wakes up, you can talk to her. Right now, you are needed here. She's not conscious, there's nothing that you can do there." He held his wand out again. "I want to see how else your powers have progressed. Let's take your mind off of Zee and get some practice. Wand out, little Prongs."

He knew that Remus was right. There was nothing he could do at the hospital. It was better for him to stay here and wait on news.

Harry held his wand out before him. "All right, let's do this."

~ ASC ~

Sirius stayed by Zee's bedside the whole night, not moving in fear that she would wake and he wouldn't be there. It was close to ten when the healers told him that visiting hours had ended two hours prior and that he needed to be leaving. Whether it was the look on his face or the growling panther or a combination of the two, they didn't bother him again.

Her leg was still oozing blood at a slow and steady pace. They kept giving her blood replenishing potions, but Sirius knew that it wasn't working. It had been almost eight hours already and she still hadn't regained consciousness, nor had her leg stopped bleeding. It was three in the morning when he heard the loud Russian voice and his head lifted only a moment before Misha and Sorcha came running into the room.

"Vhat happened?" Misha demanded. "It took forever to get a damn portkey here!"

Sirius shook his head. "I… I don't know all of the details yet. She hasn't woken up. She was in France for work and it… Death Eaters..."

Sorcha moved forward, wrapping her own hands around the hand that Sirius was holding before she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Do not blame yourself, my darling. She has a dangerous job and there are risks."

The kiss seemed to shake him as he found himself fighting back tears. "I can't lose her."

Misha sat on the other side of his daughter's bed, gripping her other hand. "You vill not. She is warrior. Does my grandson know?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, I contacted Harry as soon as I heard. Did the healers tell you that they still don't know what's wrong with her leg? The gash in her calf won't stop bleeding. It extends from the back of her knee to the heel of her ankle. All they know is that it's a curse."

Misha frowned and lifted the blankets up to look at his daughter's leg. "Trakhni menya!" he exclaimed before he stood up and disappeared.

Sirius looked at Sorcha who was still holding Sirius and Zee's hands together. "What was that?"

"He knows something," she said, soothingly.

It was only a moment later before Misha came back into the room with three healers.

"I see this often in Moscow. It is blood curse."

Sirius paled as the healers immediately began to unravel the bandage on her leg. "What kind of blood curse?"

Misha ignored him and began to bark instructions at the healers. One of them was listening intently before he immediately put his wand to the large gaping wound. A black pus-filled bile began to shimmy from the gash, oozing down her leg and onto the bed. Zee began to thrash wildly and Sirius immediately grabbed her shoulders to hold her down. The wound was festering now and the smell of burnt flesh made him nauseous, but he didn't let go.

It was almost thirty minutes before the healer finished, wiping sweat from his brow.

"It's done."

Misha nodded. "Burning it is the only effective method that I have seen. It's called the Blood Boil Curse or better known as Ulcus Sanguis Malediceret."

Sirius, if possible, paled even more. "What? No one has used that curse in centuries! I heard that it was lost dark magic!"

Misha shook his head. "Since Grindelvald, it has had resurgence. I have seen it many times. She is lucky I knew vhat it vas."

The healer nodded. "Thank you, Auror Zacarias. We will take care of her from here."

Misha nodded and let the healers work as they checked her vitals and made sure that she was given more blood replenishing potion along with another sleeping draught.

"Is it true what the Blood Boil Curse is like?"

Misha stared at his daughter, kissing her hand before he spoke. "It is liquid lava that travels from the vound into the blood stream. It travels very slowly, small bursts of excruciating pain from the vound track slowly throughout the body. I heard it is akin to being burned alive from the inside out. It is fire in the blood, unable to stop the pain. A victim can stay alive for veeks trapped in their own body before the blood is finally burned away, then the organs, and then the bones. It hollows out the body until the skin turns to volcanic ash and they... disintegrate before your eyes. It's... beyond horrific. No one had used it in centuries and then suddenly Grindelvald's followers vere cursing people vith it all over Eastern Europe. You are lucky it did not come to England."

"Obviously someone from Voldemort's following has brought it back," Sirius said darkly. "Thank Merlin you were here!"

Misha nodded. "I think ve caught it in time, but her leg vill have bad burn scar forever. She may need to stay on blood replenishers for a vhile as vell."

"Whatever it takes."

"What happened to her face and to her side?" Sorcha asked. She had been quietly stroking her daughter's hair as they spoke.

"I guess that she was trying to get away and they hit her motorbike, King told me that it's totalled and she... she was thrown from it."

Misha scowled. "Pizdets! She said she vould be careful on that bike!"

Lady Godiva made a growling sound and Misha reached over, holding his and out. Lady Godiva let him hold her snout and inspect her jaw a moment. When he let go, the panther immediately began to clean herself.

"Lady Godiva took a good chunk out of somevone. The dried blood in her fur says as much."

Sirius nodded. "She refuses to leave her side."

Sorcha smiled and stroked Lady Godiva behind the ears. "She takes good care of our baby, don't you, Lady G?"

Lady Godiva moved into Sorcha's touch and purred.

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair as Zee continued to sleep. "How long is she going to be out?"

"Another ten to twelve hours at least," Misha said. "Possibly longer. Go home, have rest. Her mama and I vill stay vith her now."

Sirius shook his head. "I can't go home without her..."

Sorcha kissed his cheek. "Go. Let Misha and I take care of our baby. Go home, have a shower, try to get some rest. You come back in the morning after a good lie in."

He hesitated and Misha nodded. "Go. She vill yell at you if she sees you looking like shit vhen she vakes."

He smirked at that, but he nodded, bringing his lips to her fingers. "I'll be back, baby. I love you." He kissed her fingers again before he stood up to go.

Sorcha stood up to hug him tightly and he settled into her warm embrace in relief. "If there is any change, I will send word. Get some rest. Our daughter needs you to keep your strength up."

He nodded and moved to go, but when he stepped into the hall, he suddenly felt very awake and before he could talk himself out of it, he was Apparating to the Ministry of Magic. He made his way down to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and despite the late hour, the department was bustling. He found an Auror in the bullpen who told him where he could find King and he made his way down to the holding cells and interrogation rooms.

Kingsley only shook his head when he saw him. "No."

"I want to see him!"

"He was under the Imperius Curse, Sirius," Kingsley said quickly. "He's beside himself with guilt and worry. Parts of his memory have been obliviated. This wasn't the first time that he's been put under."

Sirius was glaring at him. "I want to see him." He pulled his wand from his holster and handed it over to the Auror. "Now can I see him?"

Kingsley took the wand from Sirius' hand and let out a slow breath. "Fine. Two minutes, that's it."

Sirius nodded and only let out a slow breath when Kingsley closed the cell door behind him. His eyes immediately spotted Forrester who was handcuffed to the table before him along with the chair and the wall. Sirius stood in front of him for a full ten seconds before he spoke.

"She's alive and she's going to be okay."

Forrester let out a breath of relief. "Thank Merlin! I swear, Black, I never meant to hurt her! I knew something bad was coming and that they wanted her to find the Seer."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "What Seer?"

"The one who holds the prophecies!"

"Explain. Now."

Forrester took a deep breath. "The Melusine, the one who lives on land. There's a rumour that they are the Seer. I don't know anything else except that I was supposed to get Zacarias to lead me to the Seer and then I had to go tell the man at the back of the pub."

"Which man?"

"I don't know!" Forrester exclaimed desperately. "I knew that I would recognize his voice but… I didn't know his name. He always wore a hood."

Sirius nodded. "Why are they looking for a Seer?"

Forrester shook his head. "I don't know."

Sirius took a step closer to him, gripping him by the front of his robes and lifting him from the chair only as far as his chains would allow. His other hand reached down and gripped his balls tightly, squeezing and twisting viciously as Forrester paled. "If you are lying to me, and if you knowingly had any involvement in Zee being hurt, I will rip your balls off and feed them to her panther before I kill you. Do you understand me?"

The door slammed open behind him, but Sirius didn't move.

"Sirius, put him down!" Kingsley demanded.

Sirius twisted harder and Forrester turned ghost white. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes! Yes! Please!"

He let go and Forrester slumped back down into the chair, tears in his eyes and his face deathly white.

Sirius simply turned to look at Kingsley, "See? I didn't even need my wand."

"Get out of my department, Black, before I arrest you for assaulting my prisoner!"

Sirius took his wand back from Kingsley. "I'm gone."

He ignored the angry look that Kingsley was giving him and he walked purposely out of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and back to the main atrium before he Apparated back to Sidmouth. He made his way up the drive to Black Cottage and into the house before he leaned back against the front door in the darkness, closing his eyes.

The house was dead silent and he wasn't sure that he liked it.

There was no Harry.

No dog to greet him.

No panther to make her way forward.

No woman to kiss him hello.

Not even an owl hooting from the sunroom as Persephone was in Moscow and Hedwig in Georgia with Colt and Flo delivering Harry's newest letter.

He stood there for a moment, trying to determine what he wanted to do before he moved upstairs and into the bedroom. He undressed and climbed naked into the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He woke three hours later feeling unrested and made his way into the shower.

When he went downstairs, Dobby was in the kitchen making breakfast and his eyebrow rose.

"Er, morning, Dobby."

"Good morning, Lord Sirius Black, Sir!"

Sirius stared at the elf who had prepared him a plate of scrambled eggs with toast, fried tomatoes, onions, and sausages. "Um, what are you doing here?"

Dobby placed the plate on the table and poured a tall glass of orange juice. "Master Harry told me that you wouldn't be feeling yourself today, Sir. He said that I must come and make you eat breakfast before you are allowed to go back to the hospital. He made me promise to make you eat, Sir. He says even if I have to force you, Sir, I must do it."

Sirius scoffed in annoyance before he smiled. "Meddlesome little twerp," he murmured, tugging his mirror out of his pocket and saying his son's name.

Harry answered a moment later, his eyes sleepy, his hair sticking up in every direction and his glasses crooked. "Morning, Uncle Siri. Is Zee all right?"

"Zee is going to be fine. Misha showed up and he recognized what was wrong with her leg. An old curse; very dark magic and very dangerous, but she's recuperating now. You, however, sent your house elf to Black Cottage to babysit me like a child!"

Harry's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Did I? He's going to tell me, too, if you don't eat what he made you."

Sirius made to protest this and Harry interrupted him.

"— I'll just tell Zee and Auntie Minnie if you don't."

Sirius shut his mouth and glared at him. "You have become a right little pain my arse, do you know that?"

Harry grinned at him. "Eat, Uncle Siri. Then you can go sit with Zee, Papa, and Grandmama and you'll feel better. Promise?"

He let out a slow sigh, turning the mirror to show Harry the plate of breakfast on the table. "I promise. She's going to be out for a while, healing, but when she wakes, I'll have her mirror call you when she's up to it, okay?"

"Okay."

"How's school?" Sirius asked, moving to sit at the table.

Harry leaned back against his pillows and stifled a yawn. "Good. Quidditch practice yesterday and then the first Defence Club meeting. My magic is stronger. I disarmed Uncle Remus and sent him flying across the room and then I made his shield disintegrate with my reducto curse."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Always knew that you had more firepower in you. Evans used to have power like that. She and Jamie were the ultimate power couple. Does it feel strange?"

He shook his head. "No, it just… it feels like me, like I'm using my magic the way that I should be. Before… I mean, I didn't notice it, but now it's like I had this power inside of me, but to reach for it I had to pull it through this barrier like I was trapped in a fog or something or… like when I was learning the Scuba Diving Charm and how when I tried to learn the charm under the water it was like I was trying to pull my magic through the water and to the surface, but it kept getting stuck or something… I don't know."

"Hmm, that's interesting especially because you never really had any trouble learning new spells to begin with. Now you are at the learning curve that you were born with. Things should be easier for you now."

"I hope so," Harry told him. "It feels right when I do magic, but the result seems intense. Uncle Rem said that I just have to focus it and I will be able to direct the power level of my spells as I use them."

"Good," Sirius told him, looking over at Dobby, who had his little arms crossed in front of him and was glaring at Sirius, his eyes darting between his face and his breakfast plate. "Your elf is giving me death glares. I better eat my breakfast. You have big plans for the day?"

"Just classes," Harry told him.

"Right, right, it's only Tuesday. Hey, Quidditch practice the other day, did you ask out Ginny?"

Harry shook his head. "No… I was going to, but then I got the news about Zee and… it-it wasn't the right time."

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "Okay. I have faith in you. Tell the girl how you feel."

Harry grinned. "I will. Eat your breakfast, Uncle Padfoot. Call me when Zee wakes up?"

"I promise. Have a good day, Prongslet."

"Bye, Uncle Siri."

Sirius watched his son's face disappear before he put his mirror away. "I'm eating," he said, reaching for his fork and stabbing into his eggs.

Dobby only continued to watch him.

Sirius smirked at the elf. "You are going to watch me until I eat every bite of this, aren't you?"

"And the orange juice, Sir," Dobby said, smartly. "Master Harry was very clear."

Sirius muttered under his breath, but he couldn't stop smiling as he ate his breakfast. His boy was growing up and he couldn't be more of proud of him.

~ ASC ~

Dean found Seamus in the library staring blankly at his History of Magic notes that night after dinner. He slid into the chair next to him and elbowed him lightly.

"Good subject to lose focus in."

Seamus smirked at him and dropped his quill on the table. "I guess, yeah, though since Raffigan has taken over, it's gotten vastly more interesting."

"Agreed," Dean said with a smile. "I just saw Will in the hall. He said that you've been avoiding him."

He shrugged. "He's not wrong."

Dean rested his face on his chin as he stared at his friend. Seamus was stroking one finger along the feather of his quill, his head bent in concentration. "It's only Halloween next week, Seam. He's not leaving until after Christmas."

Seamus let out a slow breath. "But it's… there's an end now. I can see it and… I don't like it. I don't like the idea of him leaving and… I can't do the long distance thing, Dean, I just can't!"

Dean reached out to grab his friend's arm. "Seam, you need to talk to him. You're going to regret it if you let him leave and you didn't."

He nodded, continuing to trace his finger along the feather. "I know."

"Make plans with him for Hogsmeade on Saturday. You can spend the day together and talk and… he'll understand."

Seamus only nodded again. "I just… I need some time to think, that's all. We… we broke up."

"Aw shit, Seam… I didn't know that," Dean told him. "If you need to talk, I'm around. Are you sure that it's what you want?"

He nodded. "I can't do the long distance thing, Dean. It's not something I want and maybe this is for the best, we part before we can hurt each other and… I just need some time apart from him. I don't want to lose him as a friend."

"You won't," Dean assured him. "He cares about you. Even if you're not together any more. Like I said, if you want to talk, I'm around."

Seamus smiled at him. "I figured by this time you'd be snogging Ginny Weasley."

Dean grinned. "Flirting with her has become a very fun habit."

"You haven't asked her out yet? You've been wildly flirting for weeks."

Dean shrugged. "Anticipation is everything, my friend." He squeezed Seamus' shoulder lightly. "Besides, you know why I've been flirting with her." He winked. "See you later."

Dean felt his friend's eyes on him as he left the library and he sighed. He hated seeing Seamus so upset. He hoped that he would just talk to Will and maybe they could still be friends. But not lovers, the voice in his head seemed to whisper. He growled internally at the thought, it didn't matter who Seamus was lovers with.

He didn't care.

But the further he walked from the library, the darker his thoughts got, and he realized that he did care.

And he didn't know what to do about it.

~ ASC ~

Sirius relieved Misha and Sorcha for the second time, smiling at them as they headed back to Zee's old cottage to try to get some rest. Zee had yet to regain consciousness and they had been taking it in turn to sit with her. He lifted her hand, kissing her fingers tenderly just as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, baby, hi," Sirius said, a huge smile on his face as he pressed her palm against his cheek.

Zee blinked owlishly, her dark brown eyes, slowing taking him in. "Sirius?"

Sirius kissed her fingers, her palm, the back of her hand. "Hi."

"Mmm, where am I?"

"Hospital," he said quietly. "Do you remember what happened?"

She blinked again, her eyes not quite focused and he could see that she was trying to fight through the last dregs of the sleeping draught. "Bike crashed… Nott… Lady?"

The panther raised her head from the end of the bed, carefully shifting to rest her head over her owner's heart. Zee smiled as she gently ran her free hand across the soft silky fur.

"You were cursed," Sirius told her. "Your parents have been here the whole time. I just sent them home to get some rest. Misha knew how to stop the curse from spreading. You still have a lot of healing to do, baby."

Zee reached away from Lady Godiva to gently brush his cheek. "I'll be okay. Harry?"

"At school, but worried. I told him you'd mirror call him when you woke up. It's been three days."

Zee half-smiled softly. "I'm okay, baby. I'll call Harry in a little bit."

Sirius bent his head to capture her lips for a soft kiss. "I love you. I'll get the healer."

"Sirius?" Zee called just as he stood up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm okay, I promise."

Relief coursed through him as his eyes softened. "Just rest. Lady G, make sure she gets some rest."

Lady Godiva only added a large paw to Zee's chest, making her chuckle and Sirius knew that despite everything, she was going to be all right. That was all that mattered.

~ ASC ~

Harry was just on his way to the Great Hall for lunch when his mirror vibrated in his pocket. He immediately snuck a look at Ron who was with him and gestured with his head. His friend followed him into the empty classroom as he tugged his mirror out. Zee's face was there and he sighed in relief, grinning widely.

"Zee! You're awake!"

She smiled warmly at him. "I am and I look a mess."

"Nah, you look beautiful," he said, grinning widely.

The right side of her face was badly scratched with purple and red gashes, yellow and purple bruising around her cheek and nose. But her smile told him that she wasn't in pain and relief coursed through him. She had been unconscious for three days.

"You sound like your father," she said with a chuckle. "I just wanted to let you know that I woke up a few hours ago and that I'm going to be okay. I'm just very tired and I need lots of rest."

Harry smiled into the mirror. "I'm glad. Uncle Siri was freaking out."

"I know he was worried, you both were. Crisis averted, I promise. How are you doing?"

"Fine," he told her. "I feel better knowing that you're all right. Our first Quidditch match is next Saturday."

"I know," she said. "And I plan to be there. So, keep training your troops, Captain Potter."

Harry grinned as she said goodbye and he put the mirror away. "She's all right."

Ron draped an arm across Harry's shoulders, slinging his book bag onto his other shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it, mate. I know how worried you were about her. I know I'd be going bonkers if it was my mum."

Harry's eyes met his. "But she's not — not really."

Ron's eyes softened before he pulled him into a hug. "She is where it counts and you know it."

Harry leaned into Ron, the hug soothing him. Sometimes, Ron was more insightful than he gave him credit for. When Ron pulled back, Harry's eyes met his. "I love her, Ron. She's the best thing to happen to Uncle Siri, and me getting a mum out of the deal on top of it is just… kind of great."

"If anyone deserves it, you do," Ron told him. He squeezed his shoulders gently before he let go. "Now, let's grab some lunch. I need to fuel up in prep for Quidditch practice since someone is running things like a drill sergeant."

Harry smirked. "No smart-arse comments from the peanut gallery or I'll add more laps." At Ron's groan, he grinned. "There's no way Slytherin is beating us next week!"

He just hoped that it turned out to be true.

~ ASC ~

When Harry woke up on Thursday morning, he decided that today was going to be the day that he asked out Ginny Weasley. After talking to Zee again yesterday and having another great Quidditch practice, he was feeling confident that things were looking up. It was time for him to pluck up his courage and tell her how he felt.

He dressed, attempted to comb his hair to no avail, and applied deodorant and cologne before he grabbed his bag and headed down to the Gryffindor common room to wait for her. He felt a little nervous at the thought, but he kept reminding himself that it was Ginny, the easiest person to be honest with in his life, other than his fathers.

He thought about Hogsmeade being this Saturday, the weekend before their first match, and where he wanted to take her. There was a tiny little ma and pa style restaurant just off the main stretch of the road. Sirius had told him about it in passing in the summer and said that students usually weren't there as it was a tiny hole in the wall and best kept secret. He wanted to take her there. To hold her hand across the table as they ate homemade Italian food and talked. He wanted to take her to the Shrieking Shack, to snog her senseless everywhere he could, from her lips to her toes. The thought of those lips on his made his already eager cock twitch in his trousers.

He wanted to just hold her: To kiss her, to touch her, and that possessive part of him, the part that often erected a roaring creature in his chest, made him want to claim her as his. The flash of red hair at the bottom of the girl's staircase had him jumping to his feet before he realized that it was the wrong shade and he sat back down. The redhead in question was only a first or second year and while her hair was indeed red, it wasn't the right kind of red. She didn't have the same fiery glint as his Ginny did.

His Ginny, he thought with a smile. Merlin, if she knew what his thoughts were she would clock him and the thought made him grin even wider.

Ron and Neville came down and he told them that he would meet them in the Great Hall. Ron only gave him a questioning eyebrow, but he shooed them off. He didn't want to tell Ron about his intentions to ask out his sister until he'd first spoken to Ginny. She deserved that no matter what her answer turned out to be. The thought that her answer might be no was only part of his hesitance in informing others. He didn't want her to be pressured into it. He wanted her to want him like he wanted her. He placed a hand over his nervous stomach at the thought just as Hermione came down soon after. His friend gave him a knowing look when he told her that he was waiting for Ginny. He chose to ignore it as she headed out of the portrait hole.

Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was almost eight already. Classes started in twenty-five minutes and there was still no sign of Ginny. It wasn't like her to miss breakfast. He called for Dobby and the elf appeared in front of him, beaming brightly as Harry gave him instructions.

Five minutes later, Dobby reappeared with a bowl of fresh strawberries and a warm buttery croissant which Harry accepted with a smile. He took the egg sandwich that he had asked him to bring for himself and ate it quickly, his eyes on the staircase. Ten minutes until class, he thought.

Where was Ginny?

He was just debating about changing into his Animagus and running up to find her when she came running down the stairs. Her long red hair waving madly as she attempted to pull it back. Her shirt was unbuttoned and untucked revealing a white vest underneath that showcased the lovely swell of her breasts. She had one suspender up, the other hanging down her past her skirt. Her shoes were half on and she was pulling up her thigh high socks in her hurry, clipping them under her skirt in some female mystery. Her bag, her jacket, and her robe all dangling off of her arm.

"Sleep late?" he asked.

Ginny turned, the sight of him standing there, surprising her. "Harry! I swear I closed my eyes for only a minute and a whole hour had passed!" Her book bag crashed to the floor as she finally finished getting her hair up in a high messy bun. She buttoned her shirt, much to Harry's dismay, tucking it into her kilt as she tightened her tie and pulled her other suspender up.

Harry passed her jacket over to her and she smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you! If I'm late for Snape, I'll never hear the end of it. Time?"

"Six minutes," he said.

Her stomach gave a loud rumble and she groaned. "Fuck! I'll never make it to the kitchens before the dungeons."

Harry picked up her bag and handed over the container of strawberries and the croissant.

Ginny's eyes widened in delight. "For me?"

"I wanted to see you this morning and when I realized the time I asked Dobby to bring some food for us."

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "You are a godsend, Harry Potter!" She bit into a strawberry, the soft juice dribbling down her lips and Harry found himself fighting the urge to lean in and lick it off. "Totally worth waking up late."

He grinned at her. "I'm glad. Listen, I've been wanting to ask you —"

The warning bell sounded and Ginny made a sound of protest, grabbing her bag from the floor.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I have to go! We'll talk later, okay?"

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched her toss her robe over her bag and with the food in one hand, make a beeline out of the portrait hole.

He blew his fringe off of his forehead.

Why was it that his timing lately really seemed to suck?

~ ASC ~

Draco flopped down onto his bed in the Slytherin dorm face first, burying his face in his pillow. He had just spent the last ten minutes breaking up with Ophelia after Defence Against the Dark Arts class and he felt a little bit like the scum of the earth. They both had a free period on Thursday afternoons and usually spent their time snogging, but today, he knew that it was time. He merely made a rude hand gesture when he felt the bed dip next to his hip.

"Is that anyway to greet a concerned friend?" Blaise asked him mockingly.

"Concerned, my arse. Yes, I broke up with Ophelia. No, I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to lie here until it's time for dinner. Go away."

Blaise ignored this and stretched out on the bed next to his friend. "Did you at least shag her first?"

Draco opened one eye to glare at him. "No. She wasn't ready and I'm not a complete tosser."

Blaise was quiet for a minute. "But she used her hands a lot?"

"Yes! Go away!"

Blaise ignored him. "No, you made me ten Galleons, so thanks."

Draco rolled his eyes. "What?"

Blaise grinned. "Theo bet me you'd make it to All Hallows Eve, which by my calculation is not until Tuesday so ten Galleons for me."

Draco snorted. "You two are gits."

"Hogsmeade trip in two days."

Draco didn't say anything. He knew that his friend was worried about meeting his mother and he was worried that if anyone saw him with Bellarosa, they could both potentially be arrested. Not to mention the idea that his mother was only coming to discuss recruiting him to join the Death Eaters. It wasn't a pleasant thought and it had been on his mind quite often lately so he couldn't imagine how much his friend was thinking about it.

Draco had heard word from his grandfather the other day as well. It had come through his mother's owl which hadn't overly impressed him. Abraxas had written with word that something special would be happening at Malfoy Manor this Christmas and that he was looking forward to having his grandson home. Narcissa's letter had been in the same envelope and had been written with a code.

Draco recognized the format immediately which had alarmed him for a different reason. The only situation that he could warrant for his mother doing so was that his grandfather must be keeping a close tab on her or worse, he was reading her letters. No one would realize that there was a code there unless they knew it. He and Narcissa had come up with it when he was a kid and she was teaching him how to read and write. She would quote authors and stories and they would laugh about them.

Narcissa had written that she had spent her morning re-reading The Taming of the Shrew and that she had always admired Katherine who was such a strong woman for "My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break." She had gone on to explain how Draco should read it again to help broaden his mind with literature as Shakespeare was such a prominent wizard so many years ago.

It made him uneasy, like someone was muffling his mother's voice, and it didn't sit well with him. There had also been no news of his father, which told him that Abraxas was keeping him away from Narcissa as much as possible. He didn't like that idea either.

The sound of Blaise's voice pulled him out of his own thoughts and made him lift his head to meet his friend's eyes.

"Draco, I want you to come with me."

"Bellarosa might not be impressed to see me."

"Don't care," Blaise said stubbornly. "I think that whatever it is she wants to say to me is important for you and Theo to hear as well."

Draco nodded, biting his bottom lip. "That doesn't bode well either." He rubbed a hand over his face, the feel of the stubble annoying them. "Grandfather is spying on Mother too, I'm sure of it. The surprise at Malfoy Manor for Christmas isn't something that I am particularly looking forward to."

"Don't blame you," Blaise said quietly. "You think He's going to be there, right?"

"Yes, what else could it be?"

Blaise stared at him. "We have to be ready for anything, Draco. If he breaks into our minds, if he sees anything that he doesn't like…"

"Imperius us? Torture us? Kill us? Yeah, the thought has crossed my mind already," Draco told him, sitting up. "The thing is, I don't think that he will. Theo said that the Dark Lord showed a general interest in him, but barely bothered to look into his mind. I think that he just wants to make us like him, see what he wants and well, urge us to join him. At least for now."

Blaise nodded. "Forgive me if I don't find that overly assuring."

"I'll be there with you, Blaise. You know that I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Blaise sighed in relief. "Thanks, mate. I want Theo to come too, but he has that meeting with his lawyer and who knows how long that will take… hopefully after…"

"Oh right, I forgot about that," Draco said honestly. "It should go over smoothly. I doubt Thaddeus Nott can keep his hands in all those pies when he's a wanted man. And don't worry, Theo will be there if you need him to be."

Blaise looked relieved by that as he spoke, "I agree about Thaddeus Nott, but we both know that he always gets away with more than he should."

Draco nodded. "True."

"What about you? Your grandfather threatened you over the Malfoy name yet?"

"A few times," Draco admitted. "But he doesn't know that when I turn seventeen I come into the Black Family title as well. Sirius Black signed it all over to me when I was a child, some deal he made with my parents."

Blaise's eyebrow rose. "He didn't leave it to Potter?"

Draco shrugged. "What would be the point? It would be a step down for Potter to take on the title of Viscount."

Blaise nodded. "I don't have to worry about that. I'm the only living heir and since my mother married into the name, it's mine already."

"Well, it's mine already too, but the control and responsibilities of it aren't mine until I turn seventeen. That's the difference. But Grandfather won't do anything. Without me there will be no one to carry on the title of Earl of Wiltshire. No, death won't be an outcome, but I don't necessarily trust it will be good either way."

"True." He scratched his head as he stood up. "Anyway, Hogsmeade is on Saturday so let's be ready."

Draco nodded. "She may just want to visit with her son, Blaise, you know there's a chance of that."

Blaise scoffed at his friend. "When has Mamma ever shown a maternal instinct in her life? I'm not saying that she doesn't care about me, but Merlin, to come all this way to just visit me? There's no bloody way and we both know it."

He shrugged, his eyes on his friend. "A bloke can hope."

Blaise grinned. "I need a distraction. I'm going to see if I can find Roper."

Draco snorted. "You still getting blown by her?"

Blaise smirked at him. "Every chance I get. Want to come with? I'm sure she'll do you when she's done me."

"Hard pass, mate."

Blaise winked. "Missing out. See you later."

Draco watched him hurry out of the dorm to find the girl in question and he lied back down on his bed, arms tucked under his head as he stared at the canopy of his four poster. He had a lot to think about and he had no idea where he was even supposed to start.

~ ASC ~

When Harry left Herbology on Thursday, he hurried up to his dorm to shower. They had been using manure today and he felt like the smell had seeped into his pores. Once he was sufficiently scrubbed and cleaned, he tossed on dark blue jeans and a red knit jumper from Mrs Weasley before making his way down to dinner.

The flash of red just down the table from him made his stomach clench nervously.

It had been five days since they had Quidditch practice and since he had almost asked her out. Now that Zee was doing all right and the scare over her attack had waned, he felt like he was ready to try again. This morning's attempt before breakfast hadn't exactly gone as planned. The trip was on Saturday and fast approaching and he found himself to be feeling incredibly nervous to ask her out. It was different. She was different, he thought.

He ate quickly and stood up when she did. He told Ron that he'd meet him upstairs and hurried out of the Great Hall, catching up with Ginny at the top of the main staircase where she was walking with Colin and Luna.

"Hey, Ginny!"

"Hi, Harry," she said brightly, turning to look at him. "Colin was just about to show us his newest photographs. They are doing a story on the history of the school and he's been taking wonderful architectural shots for the last two weeks."

"That's brilliant, Colin," Harry told him honestly. "Ginny, can we talk for a minute?"

"Of course." She turned to friends. "I'll meet you in a few?"

Luna's eyes twinkled as she looked between her and Harry. "You know where to find us."

She looped her arm through Colin's, both of them looking back at Harry before they hurried off.

"How's Zee doing?" Ginny asked, reaching out to touch Harry's wrist.

"Good," Harry told her with a smile, her fingers on his pulse making his heart race. "She's doing really good. Papa recognized the curse that hit her and the healers are giving her the proper potions. She's going to be in St Mungo's until at least next Tuesday so that they can monitor her. It's a slow process. But I talked to her just after lunch again today and she said that Uncle Sirius is an overbearing mother hen which sounds about right."

Ginny grinned. "He loves her very much."

Harry nodded. "We both do. I'm glad that her parents are down as well. They are staying in her old cottage and I guess taking turns with Uncle Sirius to stay with her."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ginny told him honestly.

"Me too," he said with a smile.

"Thank you so much for that food this morning. You are honestly the best. I don't know how I would have handled Double Potions with Snape on an empty stomach."

He grinned. "You're welcome. I wouldn't want to impose a Weasley on the world without breakfast."

Ginny smacked his arm, but her brown eyes were full of laughter. "Prat."

He flashed a grin at her. "I'm sorry that you slept in, I was hoping to catch you this morning for more than just a handful of strawberries and a croissant."

"The strawberries and croissant made my entire day so, I'm okay with it," she told him, grinning back. "But what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, her brown eyes on his.

Her hand left his wrist as she shifted her book bag on her shoulder and he immediately missed her touch. His eyes fell to where her tie was loose and the top buttons undone on her blouse giving him the tiniest peak of creamy white skin speckled in freckles.

He swallowed. "Actually, there's something that I've been wanting to ask you for a while now and… well, it's harder than I thought it would be, if I'm honest. You're one of my best friends, Ginny, and I would never want to do anything that would stop that."

Ginny gave him a quizzical look. "You couldn't." She reached out to touch his arm. "Should I be worried?"

"No!" he said quickly, flashing a grin at her now. "No, definitely not worried. I mean, I think it's good. I hope…?"

She continued to smile at him, her eyes dancing in question.

"Ginny, for a while now, I've been —"

"— Ginny!"

They both turned to see Dean running up the stairs towards them and Harry scowled.

"Hi, Dean," she said with a smile. "Everything all right?"

"It's great," he said with a grin. "Hey, Harry." He turned back to Ginny, grinning widely. "Listen, I think that you and I should go to Hogsmeade together on Saturday. Yes?"

Ginny stared at him in surprise before she smiled. "Um… yes, okay."

Dean grinned. "Excellent. I'll meet you in the common room for ten, yeah?"

"That sounds great," she said, smiling back at him.

Dean winked at her, nodded at Harry and then hurried off.

Ginny turned to Harry with a smile. "I was beginning to think that he would never ask me," she said with a chuckle. "He's been flirting for ages."

Harry scowled, feeling like his heart had just jumped up into his throat. "I noticed."

Ginny lifted an eyebrow. "Harry, you've been acting very strangely around me lately. Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Just my timing."

"What?"

Harry sighed. Third times the charm was supposed to be the saying, but for him it was third time interrupted.

Maybe it was a sign.

Maybe he and Ginny weren't meant to be more than just friends. The thought made his stomach drop.

"Have fun with Dean on Saturday. See you at practice tonight."

"But I thought that you wanted to ask me something?" Ginny said, confusion evident in her voice.

Harry reached out and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. "It doesn't matter."

He turned and headed up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, his hands in his pockets. He had waited too long, he thought bitterly and now she was going on a date with stupid Dean Thomas. He kicked the wall in his anger and then swore at the pain it caused in his foot. Why had Dean chosen that exact moment to show up? He thought bitterly, if the prick had been two minutes later, he'd be the one going to Hogsmeade with Ginny.

The thought of Dean kissing her made his fists clench at his sides and he stormed up to his dorm, grabbed his broom and his Quidditch gear and booked it down to the pitch. His team found him out there thirty minutes later already running laps up and down the stands.

But his anger had yet to abate.

He ran his team hard, ordering drills up and down the stands, around the pitch and then flying drills before they even got to the game. The Chasers worked in perfect tandem and when his eyes fell to the perfect curve of her bottom in the black sweats, he scowled, more angry at himself than anything.

It was almost nine when he ended practice. He stood in the shower in the change room letting the water beat down on his face. It wasn't fair, he thought. Dean didn't deserve to take Ginny to Hogsmeade. Merlin, he thought bitterly, if he had just asked her in the change room after practice this wouldn't be happening. But he had been worried about Zee and it hadn't seemed like the right opportunity.

Now it was lost.

He dried off and headed into the locker room to change.

Ron was sitting on the bench next to him in his boxers tugging on his socks. "You okay, mate? You looked like you were on a war path all practice?"

Harry shrugged. "Fine, just disappointed."

Ron lifted an eyebrow. "Disappointed in what? I thought the practice went great."

"No, practice was great. I think we're in really good shape for the match against Slytherin next Saturday. It's going to be great."

"So, what's up then?"

Harry tugged his boxer briefs up under his towel before he tossed the towel on the bench and reached for his jeans. "I just have bad timing and it's pissing me off."

"Bad timing for what?"

Harry zipped himself up before he reached for his shirt. "Never mind. I lost my moment."

Ron frowned, staring at him in confusion. "I don't get it."

"It doesn't matter anyway. We should get Potions done before bed."

He stuffed his Quidditch gear into his bag and grabbed his broom, heading out of the locker room with a sigh. More annoyed with himself than with anything.

He saw Dean sitting in the common room with Seamus, laughing at something and he scowled.

Too slow, Potter, he thought.

But he couldn't stop scowling for the rest of the night.

~ ASC ~

Theo looked at his watch as he made his way up to the entrance hall Saturday morning. He was supposed to meet the lawyer in The Three Broomsticks for half past twelve. He still had two hours, but he was hoping to find some time to wander around the village. He had turned sixteen last week and he wanted to get himself a little gift to help celebrate.

Someone grabbed his arm as he came up the last staircase and he was tugged into a broom closet. He smelt the familiar mint soap before the wand was lit, illuminating his face. Macmillan was leering at him.

"Hello, Theo."

"There's someone waiting for me in Hogsmeade so this will have to wait," Theo said in annoyance, reaching for the door handle.

Macmillan stuck his tongue out as he reached down to stroke himself. "Don't worry, I'll be quick. On your knees, Nott."

Theo thought about protesting, but the glint in the prefect's eyes told him that he was looking for a fight so he sank to his knees and reached out to undo the prefect's trousers, pulling his erection out.

Macmillan sighed, rubbing his cock along the side of Theo's face. "Do me real good, Nott. I've got a date later."

Theo ignored this and opened his mouth. The guttural grunting that soon erupted from Macmillan made him close his eyes. When he finished, he pat his hand on Theo's head.

"Good job." He gripped Theo's chin roughly and yanked his head up. "I didn't even have to teach you a lesson first." He shoved him away hard enough to make Theo's teeth rattle.

Macmillan tucked himself away, doing up his trousers before he left, closing the door to the broom closet behind him. Theo stayed on his knees, his eyes closed. If Smith could help him, this would potentially be the last time that he would have to put up with Macmillan's blackmail.

He stood up and snuck out of the closet, the feeling of disgust washing over him. He felt ashamed and dirty and he hated that the stupid Hufflepuff had made him feel that way. He shoved his hands into his pockets and slipped back down to the Slytherin dormitories.

He had to shower again before he could meet with Smith.

By the time he made it into Hogsmeade, he had ten minutes to make it the pub. His eyes glanced around, looking for anyone who might potentially be the lawyer, but he saw only Hogwarts students so he took a seat at a corner table in the back and ordered a Butterbeer. Five minutes later, a man in a suit, a fedora, and a black cloak overtop stepped into the pub.

His eyes scanned the room and Theo raised his hand so the man moved towards him.

He was in his early thirties, Theo noted, and very good looking. He was tall and lean with brown hair worn short and cleanly cut with bright blue eyes. He smiled warmly and extended his hand, lifting his hat off.

"Theodore Nott?"

Theo nodded, accepting the hand. "Mr Smith?"

Smith nodded, still smiling as he took his head. He ordered a Butterbeer as well before he opened his briefcase. "It's an honour to meet you, Lord Nott. This is quite the case and when Lord Black mentioned it to me, I was immediately intrigued."

"How do you know Lord Black?"

Smith smiled. "He's a loyal client to our firm. We've been dealing with his estate for some years now."

Theo nodded, smiling as Rosmerta brought the lawyer a Butterbeer. "And do you really think that I have a chance here?"

Smith stared at him. "As I mentioned in my letter, sixteen is the age of wizarding majority. Seventeen is the legal age for most things, but in certain circumstances, sixteen is the age we consider to be an adult. At sixteen, you can be tried as an adult and sent to Azkaban for crimes. At sixteen, you are old enough to get married without consent from your parents. At sixteen, you are old enough to live on your own. You are the legal and true heir to the Nott Estate and with your father's dealings, you taking control of the family assets shouldn't be a problem."

"Even though my father is alive and is still considered to be the true Marquess of Norfolk?"

Smith pulled out a stack of parchment from his briefcase. "Let's talk about your estate, Lord Nott. The more I know, the more we can break it down and discuss your father being a wanted man."

Theo let out a slow breath and nodded. "What do you need to know?"

---

End Author's Notes:

Blood Boil Curse = Ulcus Sanguis Malediceret

(Russian) Trakhni menya! = Fuck me!
(Russian) pizdets = damn it

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the quote from the Taming of the Shrew, that belongs to William Shakespeare, who I decided was a wizard by the way.

Thanks for reading and please review!