With a sigh, Harry gave the room one last sweep with the broom and gave the place a look over. It was pretty clean now. He'd finished the other two rooms and this was the last one. He had dusted the cobwebs, swept the floor, organised the boxes and files in their right order and scrubbed the walls spotless. His hands were gritty; he was sweaty and exhausted. He gathered all of the cleaning equipment and went upstairs.
It was Sunday and he had spent the entire weekend cleaning the basement. He wondered how his friends were doing. He'd tried to convince his dad to let him do just one of the rooms but Sirius hadn't budged so he'd ended up cleaning them all.
"Did you finish with all the rooms?" His dad asked, not looking up from the book he was reading. "Yes dad." Sirius closed the book and nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, I don't think I need to tell you what happens if you try something like this again." Sirius said, looking pointedly at his son. Harry flushed slightly before nodding.
"Why don't you go and take a shower?" Sirius suggested, seeing Harry's dirty clothes and hands. "Yeah okay."
Feeling clean and fresh, Harry stepped out of the shower and got dressed. He still had Flitwick's essay to complete so he sat down to do it. This had most certainly been the worst weekend ever.
That evening Ron was back. Harry went to his dorm to see Ron and Hermione sitting there. "So, what did your mum say?" Asked Harry, worriedly. The miserable expression on his best mate's face made it clear that Ron's weekend had been as bad as his if not worse. "First she gave me a long talk after which sentenced me to every possible chore she could think of. It was horrible."
"What about the polyjuice potion?" Asked Hermione. Harry told them both what his father had told him. They both looked utterly disappointed. "We got into all that trouble for nothing!" Ron groaned, smashing his face into a pillow.
"Oh don't be so upset Ron. I'm going to the library. Any of you want to come?" Hermione asked. When the two of them shook their heads, she went off on her own.
Harry walked down the long, gloomy corridor, feeling more on edge than ever. There was something not quite right with this place. He'd never been here before. The walls were a dark green, covered with moss and cobwebs, the floor was wet and there was a strange smell surrounding the entire place.
He didn't know why he was here but he kept walking until he saw the end of the corridor. Upon getting closer, he could make out two snakes carved into an old, large door like structure. The snakes were coiled around each other. Despite the worn out condition of the place, their eyes were the brightest shade of green, glowing in the dim corridor.
Whatever was behind that door, made Harry shiver. He didn't want to know what it was but he knew there was something behind it. He just did.
"Harry Potter. We meet again." Harry froze when he heard the voice. He could never forget the sound of this voice. He had heard it for the first time last year, when he'd gone to retrieve the Sorcerer's stone. It was the same voice that had tempted him with the hopes of being reunited with his deceased parents, the one that had ordered Quirrel to kill him. Voldemort.
He desperately looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice but he found none. "You cannot see me, Potter. This is my domain, I'm the master." Harry turned around and tried to run but it felt like his legs had suddenly turned to lead. He couldn't move. "There is no escape from me."
"What do you want?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He wasn't going to appear weak, not in front of Voldemort of all people. "Me? I merely wish to speak to you Harry." The voice was like an echo, coming from all directions.
"How is your godfather, Sirius Black? I personally don't like him. I have some scores to settle with him. He caused a lot of problems for me a few years ago. But enough about me. How are you? How's school, Harry? How are your friends?" Voldemort asked, his voice amplifying in the room.
All this pretence and small talk was driving Harry insane. "Leave me alone!" He shouted, covering his ears. Voldemort clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "That's hardly polite, Harry. Didn't your new daddy teach you any manners? Hmm. It appears I'll have to rectify that!" Suddenly an intense pain flared up through Harry's entire body. It kept increasing and unable to take it anymore, he sank to his knees, finally curling up as he had often done in his cupboard.
"There. That's much better. I do hope we won't have to work on your manners again. Now as I was saying- before being so rudely interrupted, how is life? How do you like it with Sirius? Is he good to you or is he nothing more than an apathetic nuisance?"
"Don't say one word about him!" Harry snapped, uncurling himself and sitting up, trying to ignore the pain. "My, my, quite fond of him aren't you. I wonder what you would do if something were to happen to him. What would you do if he left you alone, like James and Lily."
That was enough to get Harry's attention. Fear clouded his mind. He couldn't lose Sirius. No, he couldn't. He didn't remember James and Lily but their death made him sad. The very thought of losing a father after knowing what it was like to have one, brought tears to his eyes. If Sirius died, Harry was sure that he would also die- of grief. "N-No." he said shakily. "Don't hurt my dad."
Suddenly the air before him shimmered and Sirius appeared in front of him. On any other occasion, Harry would've been happy to see his dad but not at that time. At least not like that. Sirius lay in front of him, his eyes were open, a blank look on his face. No, no, no.
Harry ran forward and collapsed in front of his father. He took Sirius' hand but dropped it immediately. It was cold, so cold. Sirius was dead. His father was dead.
'It's not real, it's not real...' he chanted repeatedly. "Oh but it will be, lad." Voldemort's ice-cold voice struck him like a knife. He couldn't take the sight if his father's immobile form anymore and he screamed, as loud as he could, pouring all his heartache into it. "NO!"
Sirius' body dissolved into nothingness right before his eyes. Sobbing, he tried to reach out but everything around him started to disappear. "Dad no! Don't leave me alone! He continued to sob, feeling helpless when suddenly; strong arms wrapped around his body, lifting him up and away from his surroundings- his nightmare.
"Harry, open your eyes pup." He heard someone talking to him, soothing him. The screaming stopped and he forced his eyes open and saw Sirius looking at him. His gaze was filled with concern.
Harry looked around and took in everything around him. He was in his room, in the Defence quarters and Sirius was holding him tight. Sirius. His dad was right here, in front of him. He wasn't dead. With a sob of relief he launched himself at the man, throwing his arms around his father's neck. That nightmare had seemed so real.
Harry felt Sirius' hand gently rubbing his back. "You're okay pup. I got you now." He was set down on the bed and Sirius settled down next to him. Sirius said nothing. He ran his hand through Harry's hair, mumbling nonsense and trying to calm the boy.
"Pup, what was all that about?" Sirius asked once Harry had settled down a bit. Harry remained silent for a whole minute. "Dad, I heard... I heard Voldemort." The arm that had been rubbing his back abruptly stopped. "What else?" Asked Sirius, trying to keep his voice level and the panic at bay. Sirius listened with horror as Harry narrated his nightmare. "He threatened to kill you, Dad. It was horrible." Harry's voice sounded weak. A few traitorous tears trailed down his cheeks as he recalled the emptiness inside himself when he'd seen Sirius lying there like that. He'd never felt so hopeless ever before.
"That wasn't real, kiddo. I'm right here okay, and you're safe." Sirius assured him. Harry shook his head frantically. "No dad, you don't get it. He threatened to kill you. I don't want you to leave me. Please don't go." Harry pleaded. "Oh pup. He said that so that he could get to you. Get inside your mind and hurt you. He can't hurt me Harry."
Harry remained stubbornly silent. "You want some hot chocolate?" Sirius asked. Harry looked up, confused but the idea of a drink was refreshing. He nodded. Sirius stood up and Harry immediately followed. With a sigh, the man wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders and led him outside. As he stared at Harry who occasionally sniffled and wiped his eyes, he realised that the dream had indeed hit his pup very hard.
He felt the familiar rage boiling at the surface but he shoved it down. Not now. Sirius pulled out two mugs from the cabinet and got to work. Two minutes later, both of them held a steaming mug of hot chocolate in their hands.
The liquid soothed Harry's parched throat, which felt raw from all the crying and shouting. "Feel better?" Harry nodded honestly. "That. Dream. Wasn't. Real. Do you hear me?" Asked Sirius, ducking slightly to look Harry in the eyes. "Yes, dad." And now truly, although he was still shaken, he knew it wasn't real. But back then; it had all appeared so real. He gave a little shiver as his mind went back to the cold chamber. "Good boy. That was just Voldemort messing with your head, trying to get to you."
"But what if he comes back?" Asked Harry, hating himself for sounding so small. "Them we will find a way to deal with it. There has to be a solution for all this. I'll think of something by tomorrow." Sirius promised. "Now, why don't you get back in bed."
Harry desperately shook his head, feeling the panic bubble inside him again. "No Dad. He'll come back; he'll come back, Dad. I can't see all that- see you like that ever again." Harry pleaded with his father and Sirius immediately relented.
"Sshh. Alright. You needn't go back to sleep. We'll sit right here, all night. I'll stay with you. Okay?" Said Sirius. That was definitely a better suggestion. Harry snuggled against Sirius' side. They talked for a long time. The man made sure to keep the topics cheerful and after what seemed like forever, he felt Harry grow heavier in his arms. He looked down and saw the boy breathing deeply, sound asleep.
Not willing to leave him alone, Sirius summoned a blanket and draped it over the child's sleeping form and brought his son closer.
Thankfully, the remainder of the night passed without any nightmares.
With another expert slash of his wand, Sirius knocked down the opponent in front of him and watched it disintegrate. His eyes were a deadly shade of steel as he tackled the fairly solid enemies in the room of requirement. His every reflex and every move was agile and catlike. If anyone had been watching him, all that they would've made out of Sirius was a blurry object destroying his enemies with terrifying skill. This was a mere glimpse of the Auror who made Death Eaters quake before him.
He felt the energy swirling around his entire person, the rage so intense that it was physically visible. With lethal accuracy, he aimed a hex at an obstacle approaching him, effectively obliterating it. How dare he! Slash. How dare Voldemort hurt Harry like that! Whack!
As he continued to destroy the illusions that the room had created on his requirement, he felt the anger diminish a little. Another figure popped up in front of him and like all others, it possessed the same white face, red eyes and slits for a nose. Surging forward with brutal intent, Sirius tore it down.
Finally, once he was satisfied, the room reverted to its original state and Sirius sank to the floor. He drew in a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. Since he had released all of that pent up energy, slowly but steadily, he felt the rage dissipate. He had managed to reassure Harry and the boy had gone off to his classes. Now, time to go and speak with a certain Headmaster.
"I see. This is indeed a very grim matter." Said Dumbledore. Sirius mentally rolled his eyes. Of course it was. He hadn't come here to drink butter beer with the Headmaster. "I know that Albus. I want to know the reason behind this and how Voldemort was able to penetrate Harry's mind in the first place." Dumbledore saw the rage swirling in those grey eyes and not for the first time was he thankful that Sirius hadn't gone over to the dark side. There was a reason the Blacks were feared. He would never admit it out loud but if Sirius had switched over to the evil side, Voldemort would've definitely become the lesser threat. The love Sirius held for Harry was immense and beyond compare. He felt sorry for whoever tried to cross him.
"I'm not quite sure, my boy. Perhaps it has something to do with the boy's childhood." Sirius pursed his lips at that. Of course! The damage done by those bloody relatives of his had left Harry physically as well as emotionally scarred. It was natural that his mind wasn't strong enough to block Voldemort's mental attack, even when Voldemort was weak. "As you know, Voldemort is a skilled Leglimens. If Harry needs to defend himself he'll have to learn-"
"Occlumency!" He should've thought about that earlier. "That's right. If you wish, I could ask Severus to hel-"
"Absolutely not! There's no way I'm letting that dungeon bat into Harry's mind. He hates Harry as it is. No need to cause further injury. I'll teach Harry myself."
Dumbledore looked surprised. "You know Occlumency?" Sirius scoffed. "Of course I do, Albus. Along with Leglimency and a whole lot of other stuff. You see, when your summer vacations are a nightmare, the library and your room are the only places of solace." That was true. Sirius had hated it whenever the school year came to an end. His family had been a pain to live with so he had spent most of his time cooped up in either his roommate the library or the outdoors. Thanks to the vast resources of the Black Library, Sirius had picked on a lot of knowledge.
Dumbledore offered Sirius a sympathetic smile. With a hurried goodbye, Sirius walked out of Dumbledore's office and back to his quarters.
"Occu-what? What's that again?" Harry asked for the third time. "Occlumency. Like I've already told you, it's a technique that allows you to close your mind and prevent any external factor from looking into your thoughts, feelings and emotions." Sirius explained patiently.
"So if I do this- Occlumency thing, Voldemort won't be able to get into my head?" Harry looked hopeful. "Exactly. But, it's not as easy as it sounds. You'll need to focus and give it your very best." Said Sirius. Harry nodded eagerly. He'd do anything to keep a certain someone out of his head. "Do you know Occlumency?"
"Yes I do and I'll be the one teaching you how to block your thoughts from him."
"How?" Harry asked. Sirius looked uneasily at his boy before answering. "I'll have to look into your mind and then you'll try and push me out of it." He said. Harry tensed up at that. If Sirius was going to teach him Occlumency then that would mean that he would be able to see everything that the Dursleys had done to him. Talking to his father about the abuse was one thing but witnessing it happen was something different altogether. His mind had been the one place where his Uncle couldn't hurt him. It had been his personal sanctuary. Learning how to block his mind meant opening his mind to Sirius and although he trusted his dad more than anyone including himself, he wasn't looking forward to the idea very much.
"Will it hurt?" He asked. "I can't promise that it won't hurt but I'll be as slow and careful as possible." Sirius reassured him. Quit being such a baby! Harry scolded himself. If he wanted to protect his mind from Voldemort, then he had to do this. Harry steeled himself. "Alright. When do we begin?"
Sirius gave Harry a smile. "We'll begin tomorrow night once your lessons are over. It takes courage to do this, Harry." But at that moment, Harry didn't feel all that courageous.
The next day, his classes seemed to drag on and on. He just couldn't wait for the day to get over. When Charms ended, Harry wasted no time in bolting out of the classroom and right to the Defence quarters. Sirius was already there, waiting for him.
"Come, sit and then we can begin." Their first exercise that day was simple. Sirius made Harry clear his mind. "Your mind needs to be clear. If your head is clouded with unnecessary thoughts, you won't be able to focus. Secondly, the invader attacks you through your thoughts. If your mind itself is blank, there won't be anything for him to attack. It also helps you calm down when you're faced with unfavourable situations. It helps me... most of the times."
Harry closed his eyes and tried to do as Sirius had instructed. He took deep breaths and willed all his thoughts to go away. It was a little difficult but after some practice, he got the hang of it. His father said that they'd move on to harder exercises later on.
By the end of their session, Harry had completely learnt the art of making his mind go totally blank. "I'm proud of you, pup." And just like that, those five words made the entire process worth it.
It was a small start but an important one nonetheless. Harry still had a long way to go if he needed to defend his mind from Voldemort's invasion.
I had time this week so I was able to update. I don't know if I'll be able to upload chapters this frequently again but I'll try. Hope you liked the chapter!