What can I say, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update again! Here's a late Christmas present for you anyways, and my new years resolution is to finish this fic ;) enjoy!
Chapter 17
Harry sat at the desk in his and Sirius' bedroom, scowling down at the parchment in front of him. He had been working on Remus's History of Magic essay for hours, and all of the words on the parchment were starting to blur together. Sighing, Harry rubbed his eyes and leaned back, deciding to rest for a minute before starting again. He had been a lot more focussed on his work since being taught one on one by Remus, but his mind today was elsewhere.
Thoughts of Voldemort, and an unknown dark object, kept plaguing Harry's mind. After Dumbledore had spoken to him about something being hidden in Hogwarts, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Could there really be some kind of object that Voldemort had hidden in Hogwarts, which could help bring about his downfall? It seemed too good to be true, but why would Dumbledore bring it up if it wasn't true? The man was a meddler and could be downright infuriating at times, but he was still working towards the greater good, trying to bring down Voldemort, and Harry felt he should at least still trust the old man in that respect.
However, Harry couldn't help but be nervous. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Dumbledore was not the flawless fighter everyone assumed him to be. He was old, he was injured, and he did not have all the answers. How many times had Harry himself been in danger because Dumbledore neglected to keep him safe? Such as in his first year, when Dumbledore knew full well that Harry and his friends had found out about the Philosopher's Stone, and yet he almost actively encouraged him to go down that trapdoor to face the horribly dangerous traps that resided beneath it. Not to mention the fact that he ended up encountering Voldemort face to face, not just at age eleven but in his second and fourth years at the school as well. Harry frowned and tried not to think about the end of his last school year, when he had witnessed the death of Cedric at the hands of the Dark Lord.
The point was, Voldemort must be infuriated after Harry ruined his plans to regain strength outside of the public eye and rise to power without Dumbledore's knowledge. If Voldemort wanted Harry dead, then who was to say he wouldn't succeed? If Dumbledore was planning to destroy Voldemort with whatever dark object he seemed to think was hidden in Hogwarts, and his old age and his injuries failed him, then Voldemort would have a free reign and Harry would surely be first on his hit-list. He couldn't stay safe inside Grimmauld Place forever, and he certainly had a knack for getting into trouble and always being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Harry sighed, burying his face in his hands. There was no way he could finish his essay now, he was far too distracted and worried. After a minute or so of staring wearily at his desk in defeated silence, Harry heard a noise behind him and turned to see the welcome sight of Sirius entering the room. He smiled at the older man tiredly, and Sirius seemed to instantly sense that something was wrong. The easy-going smile on his face was replaced with a look of concern.
"Hey, what's wrong Harry?" Sirius asked worriedly.
"Nothing, really, I'm just tired," Harry sighed, not wanting to burden Sirius with his pointless worries. Sirius simply raised an eyebrow and looked unimpressed.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Okay, fine. I was just worrying about what Dumbledore told me, and how powerful Voldemort is, and if Dumbledore is just going to endanger us all by being a meddling old fool." Harry looked at the ground, weary and slightly self-conscious. He didn't want Sirius thinking he was stupid for overthinking things, or weak for not wanting a confrontation with Voldemort. He started as he felt a warm hand on his face. Sirius gently tilted his head up until Harry was looking into his eyes.
"Look at me, Harry. You don't have to feel so insecure about being worried or anxious. Everything is changing, Voldemort is becoming more powerful, but you don't have to worry about that at the moment. The rest of the Order and I are all here to keep you safe. I won't let anything happen to you as long as you stay here with me."
Sirius looked so sincere, and Harry couldn't help but give him a proper smile. He stood up and closed the distance between them, pulling the taller man into a tight embrace. Sirius hugged him back immediately, gently running a hand through Harry's hair, and Harry smiled into Sirius's shoulder. He felt so safe when Sirius held him like this, and it was easy to forget his troubles for now and focus on the happiness he felt whenever he was around this incredible man.
Pulling back slightly, Sirius looked into Harry's eyes with a soft smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle perfectly, before softly pressing his lips to Harry's in a chaste kiss. Harry kissed him back more firmly, cupping Sirius' face in his hands and smiling against his lips. No matter what was going on with Voldemort, he still considered himself the luckiest guy in the world right now.
"This is great, Harry, you've really got to grips with the subject," Remus said fondly. He was reading through the essay Harry had been working on, which he had finally finished after getting a good night's sleep and coming back to the next day. He had been writing about giant wars, which he was surprised to find was actually a rather interesting subject. He could only imagine just how tedious professor Binns would have managed to make it, and he was infinitely glad that he was being taught by Remus. The werewolf was particularly talented at giving all of the important facts while also injecting enough enthusiasm and gory details to keep Harry interested.
"Thanks Remus! I actually found it quite interesting, surprisingly," he smiled at the older man, taking a large bite of his toast.
"We'll do some practical work next lesson, how about Charms?"
Before Harry could answer, a loud voice came from the doorway. "Of course he doesn't want to do Charms, Remus, that's boring."
Harry turned and smiled at Sirius, rolling his eyes at the older man. "Shut it, you old dog. Maybe I do want to learn Charms," he grinned playfully.
"Oh? Well, if you're busy doing Charms then I guess you won't want to take part in my lesson today…" Sirius said in a silky voice, smirking at him.
"What lesson would that be?" Harry asked huskily, smirking back at Sirius.
"Ugh, get a room, you two," Remus said with a roll of his eyes, getting up from his chair and starting to walk towards the door.
"I was talking about Animagus lessons!" Sirius laughed, shaking his head at the werewolf. "Honestly, Moony, you have such a dirty mind."
"You can't blame me for jumping to conclusions when you look at each other like that," Remus said sardonically, "you're practically undressing each other with your eyes. Anyway, I'm heading out, you two have fun with your Animagus training…" With one final nod of the head, Remus wandered out of the kitchen and a moment later Harry heard the front door slam shut behind him.
"Well, I guess we're alone now…are you sure you wanted to do some Animagus training?" Harry smirked at Sirius, walking up to him and gently placing his hands on the older man's waist. Leaning closer, he pressed his lips to Sirius' exposed neck and gently kissed him, sucking slightly and darting his tongue out to lick the soft skin. Sirius moaned and threw his head back, letting out a breathy laugh.
"I suppose that could wait…" he whispered silkily, a glint in his grey eyes as he suddenly grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him up the stairs to the first floor. Harry ran behind him happily, a wide grin on his face. They stopped on the landing and Sirius pushed Harry against the wall, crashing their lips together in an intense kiss. Harry felt Sirius's strong, toned body pressing him firmly against the wall, not an inch of space between them. Their tongues entwined, revelling in the taste of each other.
Sirius gently took Harry's wrists into his hands and held them above his head, effectively anchoring him against the wall. Wriggling slightly, Harry adjusted to the feeling of being held in place, the sensation of being protected and safe. Harry loved the feeling of the stronger, taller man controlling him. Sirius bent down and nibbled on Harry's ear, before moving along his jaw line and marking his path with kisses. Harry moaned, eyes closed, lost in the overwhelming feeling of Sirius's body pressed up against his, their hips rutting against each other, his arms held tightly by Sirius's strong hands, a soft wet tongue running down his neck and hot lips sucking on his collarbone.
Harry opened his eyes, looking lustily upwards into Sirius's intense grey ones, only inches from his. Flushed and panting, Harry felt delirious with want for the older man.
"Feeling hot, Harry?" Sirius whispered into his ear, his voice deep and breathy.
"Mmm," Harry managed to get out, not coherent enough to form words right now. Sirius smirked at him.
"Getting all sweaty, that won't do…maybe we should jump in the shower and get clean…" There was a devilish grin on Sirius' face, and Harry stared at him slack-jawed for a moment until the words caught up with him. His eyes immediately focused and he stood up straight.
"Shower…yes, definitely a good idea…" Harry replied, imagining a naked Sirius with water running down his skin. He gulped, the mental images sending a jolt of heat right down into his groin. Before he knew it, Sirius had dragged him across the landing into the bathroom and was ripping off Harry's shirt. Grinning mischievously, Harry pulled out his wand and muttered a spell, laughing at Sirius's surprise when all of their clothes suddenly vanished. He ran his eyes down the perfect body of the older man, his eyes lighting up when he noticed that Sirius was just as turned on as he was.
Sirius turned from him and walked to the shower, turning on the water to the perfect temperature. Harry got a great view of his arse, before quickly following him into the steaming hot water. He closed his eyes as the water ran over him, feeling refreshed and slightly more coherent. This all changed, however, when he opened his eyes and took in the glorious sight in front of him. Sirius was standing under the stream of water, his dark hair ruffled, rivulets of water dripping down over his toned body. His eyes held a look of almost animalistic lust, as if he was holding himself back from pouncing on the smaller man.
Harry closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around this incredible man that he was lucky enough to have. Their lips met once more in a heated kiss, Harry's hands roaming all over Sirius' wet, naked body. The older man moaned into Harry's mouth, running his hands through his hair and tugging on it gently. Harry pulled back slightly, and hazily opened his eyes. He glanced down, taking in the beautiful image of Sirius' erection, pulsing with need and leaking with excitement. Licking his lips, Harry prepared to do something he'd been thinking about for quite a while, but hadn't summoned the courage to try. Slowly, keeping eye contact with Sirius, he sank to his knees.
Sirius's eyes widened, and Harry smirked. Kneeling on the floor of the shower, he looked up and was struck yet again by how simply stunning the older man was. Running his hands over Sirius' thighs, he gently massaged the skin, moving closer to the area in which he knew Sirius was craving attention. Slowly, torturously, Harry put a hand around the base of Sirius's cock, leaning closer, before darting out his tongue and licking all the way up from the base to the head, swirling his tongue around the top and taking in the salty taste of pre-come. Sirius tasted just as good as he had imagined.
Harry took a deep breath, feeling nervous, but the lust he felt was overpowering his worries. He looked up, hoping he was doing it right and that Sirius would enjoy it. The look of pure ecstasy on Sirius's face told Harry all he needed to know, and gave him the assurance to continue. With more confidence, Harry leaned forwards once more and licked his lips, before opening his mouth wide and swallowing as much as he could of Sirius into his mouth. The moan that came out of Sirius's mouth following that was simply divine, and Harry decided he must do whatever he could to make him moan like that again.
Harry slowly started to find a rhythm, sucking Sirius's cock as far into his mouth as he could, moving back, swirling his tongue around it, and sucking it back in. Sirius was leaning against the wall, legs weak, gasping and moaning at the top of his lungs. Occasionally the noises were interspersed with "Oh, fuck!" or "Don't stop, oh Merlin, so good." Harry took this as a sign that he was doing well, smirking around Sirius and enjoying the waves of heat that were running through his own cock. At this rate, he was going to come without even being touched. Sirius was his priority, however, he was determined to bring the older man over the edge, and by the sounds he was making, he was getting close.
Sirius's moans started to get more irregular, his breathing ragged and heavy, and his hands found their way into Harry's hair. Harry relished the feeling of Sirius holding him close, thrusting into his mouth as he let out a cry of Harry's name and let his orgasm wash over him. Starting at the unfamiliar feeling of come shooting into his throat, Harry's eyes flew open, but he swallowed and closed his eyes, letting himself get used to the feeling, enjoying the taste of Sirius's seed. The feeling overwhelmed him, and his hand automatically flew to his own erection, a few pumps enough to push himself over the edge too.
Riding the wave of his orgasm, Harry opened his eyes and saw Sirius sinking to the floor to sit next to him, his legs too shaky to hold him up. He opened his eyes and looked at Harry with a sense of tired wonderment.
"You, Harry, are full of surprises," Sirius managed to slur in a voice heavy with sated tiredness. Harry smirked in response, opening his eyes blearily and watching the water from the shower wash them clean.
"What can I say? I just wanted to please you," Harry smiled fondly at Sirius, "maybe I'll do that more often if you enjoyed it so much…" Sirius's eyes lit up and he laughed, putting an arm around Harry's shoulder to pull him closer.
"As long as you let me return the favour," he smiled with a glint in his eye.
"Oh, I suppose that can be arranged," Harry laughed. He wanted to sit here in the shower forever, feeling the warm water wash over him and the pleasant warmth of the man next to him, however they couldn't stay there forever. After a little while they managed to move to the bedroom, collapsing on the bed for a nap before a well-earned lunch.
Harry leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face, his stomach comfortably full of the pasta Sirius had cooked for the two of them. A contented sigh escaped him as he stretched, slouching further down into the chair and smiling happily. Catching Sirius's eye, Harry smiled at him almost shyly. His cheeks flushed pink and his heart skipped a beat, and Harry was reminded just how much he loved this man. It wasn't just about the sex, everything about him was simply perfect. Sirius caught him staring.
"Do I really make you that happy?" he asked with a small smile on his face, looking at Harry interestedly.
"Is it that obvious?" Harry laughed, "of course you make me happy, Sirius," he smiled.
"An old man like me?"
"You're not old!" Harry said indignantly. "You're perfect." He flushed as he realised what he'd said.
"Perfect, eh?" Sirius grinned, "Care to elaborate?"
"Well…you're gorgeous, intelligent, funny, sometimes simply adorable…I could go on," Harry smirked at him, enjoying the way Sirius's eyes crinkled in that cute way as he listened to the compliments.
"Do go on, please," Sirius quipped.
"Don't get cocky, now," Harry countered, ruffling Sirius's hair affectionately. The two of them laughed together, falling into a relaxed silence. It was so easy to be around Sirius, to spend time with him. Harry was sure he would never get tired of it.
"Do you remember what we were going to do earlier, before we got…distracted?" Sirius said coyly, giving Harry a roguish grin.
"Err…no, I don't," Harry admitted.
"You were going to practise your Animagus transformation. Do you still feel like it?"
"Oh yeah! I remember now," Harry said, "I'd love to practise. I feel like I'm getting closer now, maybe today will be the day I transform!"
"It's quite possible. You're so relaxed right now that your brain is in the perfect state to perform a transformation. It makes it so much easier to clear your mind and get in touch with your magical core."
Feeling optimistic, Harry got up and moved into the drawing room with Sirius. The older man used his wand to clear space in the middle of the room as usual, and Harry sat down on some cushions. With a nod of approval from Sirius, he closed his eyes and went through the usual motions. He cleared his mind, trying to block all thoughts, feelings, sights and sounds from his brain. Sirius was correct, with such a relaxed mind to start with he was managing to clear his mind a lot quicker than usual.
Before long, Harry started to feel a kind of warmth inside his chest. He had been reliably informed by Sirius that this was his magical core, and when he cleared his mind and focused on it he became more in touch with his magic. This helped him to perform more advanced and powerful magic as he felt into his very core to achieve it.
Remembering Sirius's advice from the last lesson, Harry felt his magic, drew from the source, felt the heat get stronger and spread outwards from his chest down through his limbs. Doing his best to keep his mind clear and focus only on this feeling, Harry began trying to feel his spirit animal coming to the surface. As soon as this thought went through his mind, he felt some kind of shift within the heat of his magical core. He couldn't put his finger on it but he assumed it was an animalistic feeling that was unfamiliar to him.
Harry's heart quickened and he fought to keep his mind clear, to not panic, as he felt this strange feeling come over him. He felt almost as if he was shrinking, his arms twisting strangely and prickling all over his skin as if fur or feathers were starting to grow. It started to hurt, felt as though his very bone structure wanted to change, and he couldn't help but fight back against it. With one last push he tried to clear his mind again but it was too late, the fear and pain had taken over and he lost the momentum.
Opening his eyes slowly, Harry admitted defeat and laid back on the floor. He was somehow exhausted, just from this one attempt. This was further than he'd ever managed to get before though. Looking over at Sirius, Harry wrinkled his nose in annoyance.
"I was so close that time!" He sighed, gladly accepting the chocolate that Sirius passed over to him. He took a small bite, and it made him feel better straight away.
"You did really well, Harry, I'm impressed. You're picking it up so much faster than I ever did! I'm sure you'll get it next time," he smiled encouragingly.
"What did it look like?" Harry asked excitedly, "Did you see me start to change? It felt like my skeleton was changing shape."
"I think you're definitely going to be something smaller than a human. I thought I saw some kind of black fur growing, too, although it could've been feathers."
"Cool!" Harry grinned. He couldn't wait to find out what kind of animal he was going to turn into. He just hoped it wouldn't be something lame like an earthworm or a slug.
"I think its best you go rest, Harry, Animagus training can take a lot out of you in such a short amount of time. Here, take this," Sirius handed Harry the rest of the chocolate he was holding, smiling at him warmly. Thanking him, Harry stood up awkwardly and wandered off to the library. The Animagus training and certain other things had distracted him, but he was determined to do some research on dark objects.
Walking into the old Black family library, Harry was hit with the distinctive smell of old books. He walked over to a random shelf and browsed the titles. 'Curses Moste Evile and How to Caste Them', 'Know Your Enemy', and 'The Uses Of Human Blood in Potions' were some of the first titles Harry saw on the shelf. He grimaced, feeling glad that Sirius had not taken after his parents in their love for the evil and occult. If he was going to find a book about dark artefacts and how they might be linked to Voldemort's power, however, this was a perfect place to look.
Browsing further, Harry came across a section of the library that was even more dilapidated and dusty than the rest. Proceeding with caution, Harry craned his head nearer to the shelf to read the titles of the ancient books. Finally one caught Harry's eye. It was entitled 'Dark Objects and Their Uses in Evil', which certainly seemed to fit the bill. Harry lifted the hefty tome from the shelf and carried it over to a desk at the side of the room. Opening it to a random page, Harry nibbled on his chocolate and began to read.
Frowning, Harry turned the pages gingerly, some of the words making him feel nauseous. The book went into extreme detail about such things as how to cut out a person's organs for use in the creation of talismans, and what was the best age of a child to use in a sacrifice ritual. Harry flipped through the pages, trying to find something relevant, not wanting to think about how far Voldemort may have gone in the quest for power. 'I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality…' The words Voldemort had spoken last summer chilled Harry to the bone, and he both wished to know what Voldemort had done, yet also feared to learn the horrible truth.
After a while of reading the distasteful material, the long words and endless paragraphs began to make Harry sleepy. He was already tired after the Animagus training earlier, and he slowly started to doze off. Before long, Harry had his head resting on the book and he was snoring away peacefully. The peace didn't last long, however, as Harry began to dream.
He was in a vast room, gleaming with gold and jewels as far as the eye could see. Many beautiful artefacts lined the walls, ornate jewellery dripping with diamonds, piles of gold coins all over the floor and spilling out of countless trunks and chests. The walls were carved from black stone, and Harry got the distinct feeling that he was inside one of the deepest vaults of Gringotts bank. Looking closer at the paintings and tapestries lining the walls, Harry saw that there was something familiar about the faces. Squinting at the plaques, Harry saw that the last name Black was present in all of them. An ancient tapestry, probably centuries old, had the words 'Toujours Pur' written in elegant embroidery across the top. So this was the vault of a Black family member? Somehow, he just knew it wasn't Sirius's.
Forgetting the mystery of who owned the vault, Harry walked forwards, a strong feeling hanging over him that he was looking for something vitally important, mixed with the ever present dread that haunted his dreams. Scanning the piles of treasure, Harry started to walk faster, jogging, almost running, frantically searching for the unknown treasure. Piles of gold were dislodged with his feet, cascading around him, but he didn't notice.
Abruptly, Harry stopped running. He saw something in the corner, something which called to him and pulled him nearer. It wasn't any shinier than the golden items around it, there were no jewels on it, and yet this simple little cup seemed the most important object in the world. Harry edged closer, his arm outstretched, unblinking eyes fixed on the cup. As he got closer he could make out an image etched onto the gold. Some kind of animal? Yes, it looked like a badger. He was so close, his fingers inches from the cup. Drawing ever closer, Harry came to the worrying realisation that the feeling of dread and horror was coming from the cup itself, and yet he couldn't stop moving towards it. He needed it. Harry drew in a deep, shuddering breath, felt his fingers brush the handle-
"Harry! There you are!" A loud voice exclaimed and Harry awoke with a start. He opened his eyes blearily, confused as to where he was. Sitting up slowly, Harry peeled his face off the book he had fallen asleep on, and he suddenly realised where he was. Turning to the side, he saw an amused Sirius looking at him with his eyebrow raised. "Been doing some light reading?"
"Yes," Harry scowled at him, annoyed that he had been woken from his dream. But wait a minute, why was his dream important? He thought back, desperately trying to remember what had happened, but as he tried to focus on the details they swam away from him, disappearing into the blackness. He had been in Gringotts…hadn't he? It had been shiny…very shiny…but why was he there? None of it made sense any more, and Harry sighed in frustration.
"Sorry for waking you up," Sirius said, looking at Harry strangely. He was obviously wondering why Harry was sitting here looking bemused and frowning at himself.
"That's ok, Sirius," Harry smiled tiredly at him, "I was just having a strange dream."
"Ron and Hermione have been trying to contact you on that mirror for ages, by the way. That's why I came to find you," Sirius said, ruffling Harry's hair and turning to leave the room. Harry stood up and stretched, a huge yawn escaping him. His dream was almost completely gone from his memory now, and he walked slowly up the stairs to his bedroom, wondering what Ron and Hermione wanted.
"Harry? Harry!"Hermione's aggravated voice was coming from Harry's room, and he smiled wryly as he opened the door and picked up the two-way mirror from his bed.
"I'm here, I'm here! Calm down!" Harry said with a grin, looking fondly and Hermione and Ron as he held the mirror in front of him, sitting cross-legged on his bed. "What was so important that you woke me from my nap?"
"Finally! We've been trying to get hold of you for ages, mate," Ron said exasperatedly. "All this time you were just asleep?"
"Yep. So, what's new?" Harry smirked, looking at the incredulous faces of his best friends.
"Well, the bad news first. Ron, Fred and George have been banned from Quidditch for life." Hermione said with a scowl on her face. Harry knew she didn't care about Quidditch, but her expression and the absurdity of this happening told Harry exactly who it was that had banned them.
"What? How the bloody hell did that happen? It was Umbridge, wasn't it? How did she get away with that?" Harry raged. Banned for life?! This was utterly ridiculous, surely Umbridge didn't have the power to do that?
"It's true," Ron said, a look of pure hatred on his face. "Malfoy started poking fun at as after the last match – we won by the way – and me, Fred and George ended up attacking him. He was insulting our family!" Ron said as Harry looked on with his mouth slightly open. "Anyway, Umbridge found out and decided we should be banned for life.
Harry didn't know what to say. He was sure that had he been there with them, he would've attacked Malfoy just as freely. How on earth did Umbridge have the power to ban them for life? It was completely, frustratingly ridiculous.
"You said that was the bad news. Please tell me there's some good news too?" Harry asked, almost begging for something to make him feel better.
"Yes, there is, actually," Hermione said, a smile creeping back onto her face.
"Well?" Harry asked impatiently.
""Hagrid is back!" Hermione smiled, she looked happy but there was a certain edge to her tone that suggested there was something wrong.
"He's back? Brilliant! Have you spoken to him? Is he ok?" Harry asked jubilantly. He had been so worried about Hagrid, off in the mountains liaising with giants. Anything could've happened to him, especially considering he should have been home months ago. Hermione hesitated slightly before answering him, and Harry's fears that something was wrong were confirmed. "What? Tell me, something's wrong, isn't it?" he asked quietly.
"Well, Hagrid is back, and he insists that he's fine…but…" Hermione tailed off, looking to Ron for help.
"He looks like he's been attacked by something vicious. There's bruises and cuts all over his face, he looks terrible. He told us the whole story though, and he insists that he didn't get attacked by the giants." Ron continued, and Harry's expression became more and more bemused.
"It's all very confusing," Hermione said worriedly. "Hagrid gave us a whole story about how he tried to talk to the leader of the giants, but the Death Eaters had already convinced them that Voldemort was going to help them. Hagrid and Maxime hung around in the mountains, tried to talk to a few outsider giants, spreading the word that Dumbledore was good and that he would campaign for their rights. He managed to get through to a few of them, they seemed convinced, but they're too scared of the giant leader and the Death Eaters to actually do anything."
"Right," said Harry distractedly, trying to follow the story. "So how on earth did Hagrid get so badly injured, if it wasn't the giants?"
"That's what we're trying to find out. You know what Hagrid's like, though, he can be so bloody stubborn," Ron said grimly. "We'll get it out of him eventually though. Maybe we should get him drunk," he grinned, and Hermione hit him on the arm.
"Of course we shouldn't, Ronald," she scowled at him. "Anyway, that's the drama that's been happening at Hogwarts. How are you doing, Harry?"
"I'm alright, haven't been up to much," Harry said, blushing as his mind immediately went back to this morning. He ignored Ron and Hermione's pointed looks and carried on, "I spoke to Dumbledore yesterday. He's being very cryptic as always."
"Did he tell you anything important?" Hermione asked sharply, looking at Harry suspiciously.
"Well, he hinted at things, and gave me plenty to be worried about," Harry said shortly. He didn't much feel like explaining things, especially when anyone could be listening to the conversation at Hogwarts. "I'll tell you more when I next see you in person," he said quickly, noting the waspish expression on Hermione's face. She didn't look quite convinced, but she could see the logic in not discussing such important things out loud.
"Alright, I suppose we can wait," Hermione sighed. "Anyway, we should go. Someone still hasn't finished his Potions essay," Hermione said, looking meaningfully at Ron. He scowled back at her.
"Ugh, I guess so. We'll talk to you soon, mate," Ron said, shaking his head at Hermione in disgust.
"See you soon, Harry!" Hermione smiled at him, before the two of them disappeared to be replaced with Harry's reflection in the mirror. Harry smiled slightly, before remembering everything that his best friends had told him. Now he had a load more problems to worry about on top of everything else. He sighed, laying back on the bed. Nothing could ever just be simple, could it?
After a very long and stressful day, Harry climbed up the stairs to his bedroom, looking forward to curling up next to Sirius and falling asleep. He had spent the evening intermittently reading, and staring aimlessly at the wall while worrying about all the various things that seemed to be going wrong at the moment. He had caught Sirius looking worriedly at him a few times, and had tried his best to look happy and relaxed, but eventually he gave up and decided to go to bed.
Harry slipped out of his clothes and climbed into bed, beaming when he heard Sirius enter the room shortly after. Sirius smiled warmly at him, taking off his clothes and slipping between the sheets to join Harry. Snuggling closer to him, Harry tucked his head under Sirius's chin, snaking an arm around his waist and smiling softly to himself. No matter how confusing or frustrating the rest of Harry's life was, he would always have Sirius here to curl up next to at night, to hold him and keep him feeling safe and comforted. It didn't take long at all for Harry to drift off to sleep in Sirius's warm embrace.
Harry stood in a dimly lit room, feeling contented. The room felt warm, homely, almost like the Gryffindor common room. He smiled to himself, knowing that something amazing was going to happen, although he couldn't say why or how he knew this. Suddenly, Sirius was standing in front of him, holding out a single red rose. Grinning, Harry took it from him and tucked it behind his ear, thanking Sirius softly. Sirius kissed him gently on the cheek, then pulled something small out of his pocket. Harry stepped closer, trying to see what it was. As he looked questioningly at Sirius, the older man smiled shyly at him and sank down onto one knee, offering to Harry the small object in his hand. It was a ring box. Harry gasped, hands flying to his mouth. Just as happy tears started to form in his eyes, the dream changed.
He was slithering along the floor, his body long, thin and powerful. He slid across the cold stone floor, through metal bars, keeping a look out. He was flat against the floor, his flexible body twisting powerfully along. Turning his head this way and that, he took in his surroundings. Everything was dark in this corridor, yet he could see objects around him shimmering in strange, vibrant colours. The corridor seemed empty, but then he saw a man crouched in the shadows.
The man was sitting on the floor, eyes closed, his head slumped forwards. Harry put out his tongue to taste the air, he could taste the man's scent. He was alive, but sleeping, sitting in front of a door at the end of the corridor. It would be so easy, so satisfying to bite the man, to taste his blood. However, he had more important work to be doing.
However, the man was stirring. He moved slightly and a silvery cloak fell from his legs as he jumped to his feet, looking down in horror at Harry. He saw the man withdraw a wand from his belt, point it at him, and he had no choice. He reared high from the ground, striking the man over and over again. Crushing the man's ribs in his powerful jaws, feeling the blood pulse out of his wounds and into Harry's mouth. The blood tasted delicious, just as he'd hoped.
The man yelled in pain, staggering and falling to the ground, twitching slightly before lying motionless. Blood was spraying everywhere from the wounds…his forehead was burning…burning…so much pain…
"Harry! HARRY!"
He opened his eyes slowly, every inch of his body covered in cold sweat. His heart was racing, and his scar felt as though it was on fire. Looking around, dazed, Harry saw Sirius standing next to him, a terrified expression on his face. Before he could piece together what had happened, Harry promptly leaned over to the side of the bed and vomited. Sirius looked even more worried.
"Harry, talk to me. What happened? Are you ok?"
Harry groaned, knowing that he had to tell Sirius what he had just seen, it was vitally important.
"Arthur…Arthur Weasley…injured…hurry…" Harry said incomprehensibly, trying desperately to get his point across.
"What?" Sirius asked sharply.
"Arthur, he's been attacked, a giant snake…you have to get help, he's dying!" Harry said, his voice rising.
"You saw Arthur get attacked in a dream?" Sirius asked slowly, looking at Harry strangely.
"No, it wasn't a dream, it was different! It was like I was inside the mind of the snake, I saw it all happen from the snake's point of view, I…it attacked Arthur, he's really badly hurt! You have to believe me!" Harry said loudly, almost shouting now. Why wasn't Sirius getting help already? Arthur could already be dead!
Sirius looked at him shrewdly, taking in everything that had happened. Harry willed him to believe what he'd said, no matter how odd it sounded. Finally Sirius looked at him grimly and nodded his head once. "Ok, I believe you. We have to tell Dumbledore. Are you alright to walk? It'll be best if you come with me," Sirius asked him briskly.
"Yes, I'm fine!" Harry said quickly, relief rushing through him. He quickly grabbed his jeans and a t-shirt from the floor, pulling them on quickly before rushing out of the door behind Sirius. They walked quickly to the kitchen, and Sirius threw some floo powder in the fireplace.
"Albus Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts school," Sirius said quickly, and put his head in the fire. Harry listened anxiously as Sirius briefly explained why he was calling Dumbledore in the middle of the night, watching the seconds tick away on the clock. Eventually Sirius pulled his head out of the fireplace and gestured for Harry to climb in. He quickly flew through the floo to Dumbledore's office, shortly followed by Sirius.
Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, looking grave. Harry rushed over and quickly explained everything to the old man, trying to be as detailed as possible. Dumbledore's eyes widened as Harry mentioned that he had seen it all happen from the snake's point of view. He stood up abruptly, walking over to the wall of portraits.
"Everard! And you too, Dilys! You were listening?" Two of the portraits who had apparently been asleep a moment go opened their eyes. They both nodded.
"Of course," the man replied.
"Everard, you must raise the alarm, make sure he is found by the right people. He has red hair and glasses. Dilys, you know what to do."
The two portraits rushed out of their paintings, disappearing from view. Harry looked anxiously at the headmaster, who was still avoiding his eyes. The old man turned to him, walking back towards him briskly.
"Harry, it is best that you head back to headquarters before someone finds you here. I have the situation under control."
"What about Ron-?"
"Mr Weasley will be informed, along with the other Weasley children, and Molly, of course."
Harry nodded numbly, still in shock from this whole situation. He really hoped that Mr Weasley would be ok…what if they didn't find him in time? The amount of blood had been scary. Harry swallowed thickly, feeling sick as he remembered the taste of the blood, the feel of it gushing into his mouth as he attacked. What did it mean, that he had seen the attack as if he had done it himself? Was it really him? There was no way he had been transported from his bed in the middle of the night into the mind of snake, though, Harry was fairly sure. But who knew what Voldemort was capable of. As he walked back towards the fireplace, mind racing, he heard someone talking to Dumbledore, slightly out of breath. He spun around to see the portrait of Everard hunched over and wheezing.
"They found him, Dumbledore," he said quickly, "he didn't look good. They're taking him to St. Mungo's."
"Thank you Everard. Dilys should see him arrive, then," he said softly, and a moment later the female portrait emerged back into her painting.
"I saw him arrive, Dumbledore. He looks bad, covered in blood." Dumbledore looked serious.
"Thank you, Dilys, Everard. That will be all." He turned back towards Sirius and Harry, his face pale in the dim light. "The two of you must head back to headquarters immediately. You will be joined by Ronald and his siblings shortly, as soon as they have been informed." Sirius nodded and grabbed Harry by the arm, pulling him towards the fireplace. The two of them flooed back to Grimmauld Place, staggering from the fireplace and collapsing onto the sofa in the living room.
They sat together in stunned silence, neither knowing what to say. Sirius's hand was wrapped around Harry's in a comforting gesture which Harry was infinitely grateful for, as he was anchoring him to real life, away from the terrifying thoughts that were running through his mind. Was Arthur going to die? Did Harry himself attack him? Would Ron blame him for the attack, how much was Dumbledore going to tell the Weasley children? He felt sick to his stomach. After a long, tense silence, the fireplace glowed green and Ginny Weasley emerged from it.
Harry wrenched his hand from Sirius's grip quickly, but Ginny seemed too stunned to notice anything. She was shortly followed by Ron, then Fred, then George. They looked around dazedly, noticing Harry and Sirius sitting silently on the sofa. Fred was the first to break the silence.
"So, what happened?" He asked roughly, his voice sounding cracked and disjointed. "All Dumbledore would tell us is that dad is badly hurt, and you saw what happened." Fred's voice sounded almost accusing, and Harry gulped, hoping he could explain this correctly. He stood up, walking towards the group of shocked siblings. As quickly as possible, he explained what had happened. How he had seen the attack happen, but it had felt different from a normal dream. He had seen it from the eye of the snake. He then voiced something that had been playing on his mind since he had woken from the dream.
"The way I could see it from the eye of the snake, as if it was me who did it. What if it's because that's where Voldemort was at the time? Voldemort has been known to possess snakes before, right?" He said quietly, ignoring the flinches from the Weasley's. Sirius walked over to join them, nodding his head at Harry's question.
"Yes, he's been known to possess animals, mostly snakes. But what has that got to do with you seeing it all happen?" Sirius asked him uneasily.
"Well, I've always had some sort of weird connection to Voldemort, haven't I?" Harry said slowly. "I've been having flashes of weird emotions this year that have nothing to do with me. And I've always had pain in my scar when he feels strong emotions. Maybe the link is getting stronger, only this time I saw completely into his mind?" Harry gasped, seeing logic in this conclusion. Voldemort had been possessing the snake, and Harry had seen into his mind as he violently attacked Arthur. It was entirely possible, and this was confirmed by the look on Sirius's face.
Ginny looked horrified at this prospect, and Harry was suddenly reminded of his second year at Hogwarts when Ginny had been possessed by Voldemort. She was the only one here who had any idea what Harry was going through. He caught her eye and gave her a reassuring half-smile, which she almost managed to return.
"Well, at least this weird mind-connection means you managed to see dad getting attacked," Ron said quietly, the other Weasley children nodding along with him.
"Yeah, what if you hadn't seen it happen?" George said hoarsely, "no one would've found him…" he tailed off, eyes downcast. They were all thinking the same thing. What if Mr Weasley had been found too late?
A/N: There you go, a nice shiny new chapter for you, i hope you liked it! i promise i will try to get the next one finished much quicker! please review, even if just to complain ;) x