A/N Thanks to
everyone who reviewed!
As usual, thanks to everyone from DLP who offered feedback – Lord Ravenclaw, Shuujaku, anolfrik, Athenia, ip82, MoPhire, LINKed up, vanna, LordBill, JagedlyJaded, nonujon, Fuegodefuerza, arkeus, Lucas13, myst, jbern, Stalicon, Master Slytherin, LT2000, Lord Xantam, Lord Apophis, and Anheru (woa, that was a lot).
This chapter has some
of the action everyone has been waiting for, so I hope you enjoy.
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Standing not twenty feet away from him, partially hidden by the underbrush, was a quite large, very shaggy, and very black dog.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Harry started walking very slowly toward the animal as it cowered in the bushes.
"What's the matter, boy?" He asked as nicely as he could. "It's ok, I won't hurt you."
The dog whined and poked its head out cautiously as Harry approached. When he was finally within arms reach, Harry put his hand out and slowly stroked the dogs head. When it began to relax, Harry hit it with a wandless stunner and immediately made it invisible before levitating it as he walked quickly through the forest, glancing around to make sure no one had seen. When he was a sufficient distance from the nearest buildings, he found a spot that was secluded by a large hill and set the dog down before he took a step back and surveyed the ground before him. Concentrating hard, he began to cast a spell called the wall of illusion that he had come across in the Hogwarts library. When cast correctly, the spell would prevent anyone from seeing what was actually behind the wall; only allowing them to see what Harry wanted.
When he was satisfied with his spell, he stepped back inside and added a silencing charm before turning to the unconscious dog in front of him and muttering a spell. The dog began to morph slowly back into a man with shaggy black hair and torn clothing. Harry looked at man in disgust for a moment before he summoned a number of large branches and used a series of engorgement charms and transfiguration spells to bind his arms and legs. He checked the man carefully for a wand and, finding none, he hit him with a foot-freezing curse before enervating him.
"Uhh," the man groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Hello, Black," Harry said coldly, causing the man's eyes to snap open.
"Wha- H-Harry? Is it really you?" Sirius Black asked disbelievingly. "You really do look just like James," he said softly. "I-
"Don't act like you know me, traitor!" Harry spat angrily. "Fracta!" Black yelped in pain as his right arm shattered.
"H-H-Harry, stop," he rasped. "I'm…not…the traitor."
"Oh really?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Well then," he flicked his wand and Black's gaze snapped up to meet Harry's. "Let's see, shall we?"
Harry entered the man's mind so forcefully that Black screamed. It was obvious almost immediately that Azkaban had all but destroyed whatever mental defenses he once had, and Harry found it almost impossible to navigate through Black's errant thoughts, even with his full legilimency assault.
"Are you the traitor?" He hissed as he searched. Black whimpered, but was unable to form a response. However, he didn't need to.
Harry followed Black's thoughts when he'd said the word "traitor," and found the memory he was looking for. He watched as Hagrid told Sirius that James and Lily were dead, he felt the anguish that Sirius had felt, and then the rage. He watched as Sirius confronted Pettigrew, only to have him cut off his own finger and turn into a rat. He felt the hopeless despair that Sirius had felt in Azkaban, and how he felt that he'd failed James and Lily…how he'd failed Harry.
Having seen enough, Harry hastily withdrew from Sirius's mind and looked at him with a mixture of regret and anger. Harry's mental assault had not been gentle, and Sirius was shaking uncontrollably and muttering to himself, oblivious to the fact that blood was leaking out of his nose and ears. Harry used his limited knowledge of healing charms to repair the arm he'd broken and stop the bleeding, but it was a temporary fix at best. Swearing to himself, Harry considered his options and came to a decision. He removed a chain from around his neck and placed it so that it was touching both his and Sirius's hands.
"Activate," he said, tapping the chain with his wand. Immediately, he felt a tug behind his navel followed by the rushing sensation of portkey travel before he landed in a cozy living room. He levitated Sirius into the nearest bedroom and cleaned him up before pulling two potions from a nearby cabinet and forcing them down the man's throat. That done, he placed him gently under the covers and grabbed a quill and parchment to scribble a quick note.
Sirius Black –
I know you are innocent. I apologize for attacking you earlier, but I was told that it was you who had betrayed my parents, not Pettigrew. I have brought you to a house that very few people know about, and you will be safe here as long as you do not leave. DO NOT LEAVE. There is enough food to last several months in the basements under preservation charms, so feel free to help yourself to anything you want. I will be back as soon as I can to speak with you. Until then, DO NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE.
-Harry Potter
Harry scowled as he read over the note. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. He copied the note and left one next to the bed and one on the door. With one last look at his new houseguest, Harry turned and sprinted from the house until he reached the edge of the anti-apparition wards before apparating back to Hogsmede.
"Where the hell did you go?" Tracey demanded when he finally met her and Blaise at the Three Broomsticks. "We're already done here."
"Sorry," Harry apologized. "But I saw something suspicious and went to investigate. On the bright side, I finally found out what's been going on with the Hufflepuffs." Both Blaise and Tracey looked very interested at that, and he related what had happened with Malfoy earlier.
"I told you he was a slow learner," Blaise smirked when Harry had finished.
"So they've been attacking kids in your name the entire time?" Tracey asked incredulously. "How did we not hear about this?"
"I really don't know," Harry admitted. "In hindsight, I should have guessed something like this was happening. Some of the Gryffindors alluded to it, they even said Sprout knew. I wish somebody would have just told me what was happening," he said, annoyed.
"Do you think Dumbledore knew?"
"Now that is a good question," Harry said, looking thoughtful. "But I don't think so. He was the one that was so anxious to get me all friendly with the other houses, and this did the exact opposite." He paused. "No, if he knew, he would have tried to stop it. Or, at the very least, he would have tried to get me to stop it."
"That makes sense," Blaise said thoughtfully. "Still, it just doesn't seem like Malfoy's style, does it?"
"You're right, I thought the same thing," Harry replied. "But I saw it with my own two eyes, so it was definitely him.
Blaise frowned slightly, but said nothing, and the three left the restaurant to explore the rest of Hogsmede.
Later that night, after everyone else was asleep, Harry slipped out of the castle and apparated outside the wards to his safe house before making his way inside.
"Who's there?" Rasped a voice from the direction of the kitchen.
"It's Harry."
There was a slight pause, then:
"Harry?"
Sirius Black came around the corner from the kitchen looking much better than Harry had left him, but still far from healthy. His clothes were still in tatters and he was rubbing his eyes tiredly, as if trying to make sure he wasn't seeing an illusion.
"Harry," he sniffed, barreling forward with open arms.
Alarmed by the sudden movement, Harry sidestepped to the right, simultaneously extending his left foot and sending Sirius crashing to the floor. Sirius groaned and looked up at Harry with a hurt expression.
"What was that for?" He gasped out.
"What the hell was that?" Harry snapped. "I haven't said a word and you tried to tackle me. Explain yourself!"
Sirius eyed him incredulously for a moment before his look turned to sadness.
"I was trying to give you a hug," Sirius said softly. "Harry, what's happened to you?"
"I don't like sudden movements," Harry replied as he slowly held out his hand to help the older man up. "Don't do that again."
"Ok, I'll go slow. I'm going to hug you now." Sirius said, stepping forward slowly. He reached his arms out and slowly engulfed Harry in a hug. Harry tensed and wasn't sure how to reply to that, but the man was obviously no threat so he just stood there awkwardly. Finally, Sirius released him and stepped back to wipe his eyes.
"I thought I'd never see you again," he said tearfully, then he chuckled. "You probably think I'm nutters."
"I'm sure you're still recovering, Mr. Black," Harry replied simply. "And some of that is my fault. Can you think of anything you need that isn't already here?"
"Well, for starters you can call me Sirius. I don't know how much you know about me…" He trailed off.
"I know that you're my godfather," Harry answered immediately. "And that you were supposedly my parents' secret keeper and betrayed them to Voldemort. I also know that Pettigrew was the real secret keeper, and that he faked his own death to frame you."
Sirius whistled. "You know a lot," he said when Harry had finished. "How did you know I'm innocent?"
Harry frowned.
"Do you remember what happened when I found you?"
"Not really," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I remember being in my animagus form and you coming over, and then I remember you woke me up in the forest and…hey, you broke my arm!"
"Yeah, I thought you were guilty," Harry replied with a shrug. "I tried to fix it after I found out the truth. How is it now?"
"Actually it's not bad," Sirius said, flexing his arm slightly. "That was good spell work, how did you know it was me?"
"Professor Lupin told me about your animagus form, that's how I recognized you."
"Moony told you?" Sirius asked in astonishment. "Did he say anything…else?"
"He told me about your days in Hogwarts together," Harry replied. "And about the marauders. Do you want me to tell him about you? I think he's one of the few that would believe your story."
"Really?" Sirius looked hopeful at that before throwing a suspicious look at Harry. "You never did answer my question. How did you know I was innocent?"
"It was after I broke your arm, do you remember?" Harry asked carefully.
"I just remember an incredible pain, like someone was tearing my brain out." Sirius said with a shudder. "What did you do to me?"
"I used a complicated memory spell," Harry lied smoothly. "I'm sorry about that, too, I know it's mentally draining and incredibly painful, but it was the only way for me to know if you were telling the truth. That's how I found out about your innocence."
"So that's why I can't seem to concentrate on anything?"
"Most likely," Harry agreed. "Although, I would guess that some of that is from all the time you spent around the dementors when you were in Azkaban."
Sirius shuddered heavily at the mention of the dementors, and for a moment it looked like he'd forgotten where he was.
"Sirius? SIRIUS!" Harry said loudly, shaking the man out of his stupor.
"Wha-, oh," he shook his head. "Sorry, I lost it for a second there."
"It's ok. Look, I have to get back to Hogwarts soon so I don't get caught. You got my note, obviously?" Sirius nodded. "Well, I'd suggest that you stay here until you've regained your strength, then we can decide who else we should tell about your innocence and how to find Pettigrew."
"PETTIGREW!" Sirius yelled, eyes flashing. "I almost forgot! He's at Hogwarts! We have to get him, Harry! We have to-"
"Stop!" Harry snapped, cutting the man off. "You need to calm down, Sirius, deep breaths." Slowly, the wild look in Sirius's eyes receded, and Harry continued. "Now, I want you to answer, but stay calm, ok? What do you mean Pettigrew is at Hogwarts?"
"Pettigrew is an animagus, same as me," Sirius said slowly, fighting to stay calm. "His form is rat, and he's been living with the Weasleys as a pet. Ron Weasley has Peter Pettigrew in his room right now, and he has no idea!"
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Of course," he finally exclaimed. "That's why you tried to break into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin! Everybody thought you were after me, so that didn't make any sense, but you were really after Weasley's rat!" Harry looked up to see a rather miserable look on Sirius's face. "What?"
"So you're really a Slytherin?"
Harry nodded bemusedly and pointed to the crest on his Hogwarts robes, which Sirius had apparently failed to notice.
"It was all over the papers," Harry said. "You didn't know?"
"I heard, but I hoped it wasn't true," Sirius admitted. He gave Harry a searching look. "Why?"
"I really don't have time to tell you right now," Harry said, getting to his feet. "I have to get back to Hogwarts before I'm missed. Try to get some sleep. I'll be back tomorrow as soon as I can."
"Ok…wait, how do you get back and forth? For that matter, where am I?"
"Don't worry about that right now," Harry replied with a shake of his head. "Focus on getting stronger, and I'll see what I can do about Pettigrew. Is there anybody at Hogwarts you want me to bring here? You have to be sure they'll believe you, maybe Remus?"
"Moony? I don't know," Sirius frowned. "He thinks I'm a traitor, and so does everybody else."
"In that case, we'll wait until we find Pettigrew," Harry said firmly. "Try to get some rest. Actually, I don't know if you've ever studied occlumency, but you might want to try meditating to clear your mind; it's been battered pretty hard."
"I studied occlumency when I was younger," Sirius said. "Most pure-blood families do, and the Blacks were nothing if not traditional." He snorted.
Harry was surprised at how bitter the man sounded, but let it go.
"Until tomorrow then."
"Until then." Sirius gave Harry another awkward hug before releasing him, and Harry walked back outside the wards and returned to the castle.
Harry awoke early Sunday morning, already planning how he would approach his new set of problems. At breakfast, he waited until he saw Hermione get up to leave before pulling her aside as she left the Great Hall and throwing a silencing charm around them.
"Hermione, I need to ask you a very strange question, and I need you to trust me on something. Can you do that?"
Hermione looked confused for a moment before squaring her shoulders in determination.
"I trust you, Harry. What is it?"
"Ok, does Ron Weasley have a pet rat?"
"Uh, yeah, he does," that certainly wasn't what she was expecting. "Or at least, he did. He lost it last week." Harry groaned in frustration. "Why do you ask, Harry?"
"I can't tell you yet, but trust me, it's important," he said, eyeing the girl earnestly. "You can't tell anybody else about this, Hermione. It's very, very important that you tell me if Ron finds that rat, ok? Don't tell anybody else we even had this conversation, not even Row."
"Ok Harry, if it's that important, I won't tell anybody. I promise."
"Thank you Hermione," Harry said earnestly. "I promise I'll tell you what this is about as soon as I can."
Hermione gave him a small smile that Harry returned and the two started towards their respective common rooms.
"Hey, Potter!" Harry turned to see Cedric Diggory coming up to him with Hannah Abbott and several other Hufflepuffs following.
"What?" Harry asked, eyeing the group carefully.
Cedric took a deep breath. "We want to apologize," he said bravely. "Hannah told us what happened in Hogsmede yesterday with Malfoy, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for not talking to you before."
Harry looked at the group of Hufflepuffs cowering behind him and frowned. There were murmurs of agreement, but many of them still looked at him with more than a little fear.
"I accept your apology," Harry said flatly. "But until the rest of you," he looked at the group behind Cedric, "can learn to look at me without cringing, I don't think it's going to matter much." There was more scattered muttering from the group, and Harry saw a couple of boys in the back that apparently didn't care much for Cedric's apology.
"Was there something else?" Harry asked, looking back at Cedric.
"Uh, not really," Cedric said, confused. He'd expected Harry to show at least some emotion, especially after Cedric had tried to get him to take veritaserum. Hell, even anger would have been better than the cool dismissal he'd just shown to the group.
"We really are sorry, Harry." Hannah Abbott said, stepping up next to Cedric. Harry could see she was so nervous that her hands were shaking. "A-And I never really g-got a chance to t-thank you for yesterday, so…thank you."
Harry shrugged dismissively. "I'm just glad everything got cleared up," he said. "Next time if you want to know something, ask me first." With that, he turned and followed Hermione down the hall, leaving a very confused group of Hufflepuffs behind him.
"He said the apology was accepted, but it sure doesn't feel like it, does it?" Somebody in the group asked when Harry was out of sight.
"I don't why we're apologizing in the first place," said another angrily. "Maybe he wasn't planning the attacks, but that doesn't mean we can trust him."
"And that's why he doesn't trust any of us," Hannah said sadly.
"I don't mean to sound petty," Ernie Macmillan said slowly. "But he's still a Slytherin, no matter what else he says, and like it or not, the Prophet had a point. Maybe we should just leave it alone."
"That's not good enough for me," Cedric said firmly. "I'm going to talk to Sprout, who's with me?"
There was a lot of shuffling as some students looked at the floor, and in the end only Hannah Abbott and two others stood beside Cedric, who looked at the rest of the group sadly, most of whom refused to meet his eyes.
"Let's go," he said softly. With that, he turned and led the way to Sprout's office.
While the Hufflepuffs were on their way to talk to their head of house, Harry once again slipped off the Hogwarts grounds and apparated outside the wards of the plan B house to meet Sirius.
"Sirius?" He called as he entered. "Sirius? Are you here?"
"In here," Sirius called from the living room. Harry entered to find him lounging in front of the television with an impressive breakfast spread laid out around him. "Hungry?"
"Just ate. How do you feel?"
"Better," Sirius admitted. "I tried some occlumency exercises like you suggested and it helped loads. My head is still a little fuzzy, but I've got at least some control now."
"Well, you can't expect to erase a decade of abuse in one night," Harry said wisely. "At least you have some time to get better; Pettigrew ran away from Weasley last week and nobody knows where he is."
"WHAT? DAMN!" Sirius exclaimed, pounding his fist against the couch. "I was so close, too!" He slumped dejectedly. "Now we'll never find him."
"We don't know that," Harry replied, ignoring the outburst. "And you need time to recuperate anyway. If he comes back to Weasley, I'll know immediately. In the mean time, you get better and I get ready in case he shows up."
"Harry, you can't take him by yourself," Sirius said warningly. "He's a fully trained wizard, and sneaky to boot. If you find him, promise me you'll come get me first."
"Absolutely not," Harry said, shaking his head. "It's too risky for you to come back to Hogwarts. Besides, if everything works out, he'll be in his animagus form when I get him, so I won't actually have to fight him."
"Dammit Harry," Sirius snarled. "He destroyed my life! Your parents switched secret keepers because I suggested it! Don't you see? He's my responsibility!"
"I don't care," Harry said coldly. "What's important is that he gets caught and you get free; everything else is secondary." He fixed Sirius with a serious glare.
"I'm your godfather-" Sirius began.
"Godfather or not," Harry interrupted sharply. "You are not in charge here; remember that." Sirius's face slowly changed from anger to shock as he regarded the young man before him. "I understand this is hard for you to deal with," Harry continued in a warmer tone. "But what you have to understand is that I'm in a much better position to deal with Pettigrew than you are. I understand that you want revenge, and you deserve it, but if you kill him, nobody will ever know the truth."
Sirius seemed to be struggling with himself before sighing dejectedly.
"How'd you get so smart?" He muttered.
"Your emotions are still raw and hard to control," Harry replied. "Mine aren't."
"I need to at least see him before you turn him in," Sirius said pleadingly. "He killed the man I loved like a brother and sent me to hell on earth for 12 years, Harry. I can't just let him go."
Harry frowned. "I'll think about it, but only if you can control yourself. We'd have to find someplace to do it, too, since I don't really fancy bringing him here."
"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Sirius asked.
"What about it?"
"There a tunnel that leads from the Hogwarts grounds directly into it. We used to use it all the time during the full moon."
"Is there really?" Harry asked thoughtfully. "That's certainly interesting. Are there any other secret passages that you know about?"
"You mean you don't know any?" Sirius said, aghast. "There's loads, and not just secret passages either. Hogwarts is full of secrets if you know where to look. Let me see…."
Sirius spent the next couple of hours telling Harry all the secrets that he could remember from his days as a marauder, along with quite a few stories regaling his many exploits. As he talked, Harry couldn't help but be reminded of Jack, especially the way Sirius would laugh when recalling a particularly funny look on someone's face. Harry was especially interested to learn that Lupin had somewhat understated the enmity between the marauders and Snape. According the Sirius, both he and Harry's father had absolutely hated Snape, which shed new light on the potion master's attitude towards him.
"Wait, you did what, exactly?"
"We turned him into our own private portrait," Sirius said, grinning. "Snape never came anywhere near our common room, so when we saw him, we knew he was up to something. We stunned him before he even saw us, and James had the idea to stick him over the portrait of the fat lady so that he would swing as she opened and closed for students. It was actually Peter who figured out how to make him give the password."
"How did you do that?"
"It's easier than it sounds, actually," Sirius admitted. "We used a conditional sticking charm; the type that usually had a password to release it. We just made the password the phrase 'Gryffindor Pride,' which was the password to the common room, but we made it so that the phrase had to be said 20 times by the same person. Of course, we didn't tell Snape," he laughed. "We left him a note that said he had to say it until every Gryffindor student had passed by, and that if he said anything else, he'd be stuck there indefinitely. He sat there, stuck to the portrait, and every time a student approached he had to say 'Gryffindor Pride,' then he got swung around as the portrait opened!" Sirius roared with laughter, and even Harry managed a chuckle at that. Of course, when he remembered that this was most likely the reason that Snape was trying to take Row away, he immediately sobered.
"Why didn't he just wait for the Professors?"
"He did, at first," Sirius replied, still chuckling. "But Dumbledore was off on some sort of business, and Slughorn, that was the head of Slytherin house, he wasn't much with a wand. McGonagall tried too, but she couldn't dispel it either," Sirius said with a grin.
"Ok, I give up. Why couldn't they dispel your sticking charm?"
"We were too sneaky, that's why," Sirius replied. "We didn't stick him directly to the portrait; we stuck him to a thin plank of wood that James had transfigured, and then we stuck the wood to the portrait. So when the professors tried to dispel the charm…"
"They ignored the wood in their focus, and the charm didn't work," Harry finished for him, impressed. "I assume you disillusioned the wood?"
"Of course."
"Impressive," Harry admitted. "How did you manage to get away with that?"
"We didn't," Sirius responded wryly. "A month of detention each for that one. It would have been more, but they didn't have any hard evidence. Of course, it ended up being more like 2 months anyway, but that's a different story." He paused for a moment. "Oh, those were the days," he said with a sigh as he wiped his eyes. "So tell me Harry," he said conspiratorially. "Thinking about re-using one of our old pranks?"
"Maybe," Harry admitted. "I'm just trying to decide if it would work."
"Who's the target?"
"You saw me fighting against those other Slytherins yesterday, right?"
"I meant to ask you about that," Sirius exclaimed. "Who were they?"
"Draco Malfoy and his goons," Harry replied. "Basically, they've been going around beating up younger students and telling them that I was giving the orders. Did you see what the Prophet was printing about me being the next dark lord?"
"Uh, yeah," Sirius said uneasily. "Wait, Malfoy? Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's son?"
"That's the one," Harry replied. "In fact, it was actually Malfoy Sr. who spread all those lies in the paper about me because I knocked little Draco around. Well, apparently Malfoy Jr. decided to use that to his advantage, and the students he attacked were already so scared of me that everybody just assumed it was true. I've already had to teach Malfoy a lesson more than once, but apparently he isn't learning, so I'm looking for alternatives."
"Alternatives to what?"
"My other plan," Harry replied cryptically. "In any case, it wouldn't work for me because I'm not a Gryffindor."
"You could get one of them to help you," Sirius suggested hopefully.
"Not likely," Harry snorted. "There were a lot of rumors involving them, too, and they're not too fond of me. Besides, it was the Hufflepuffs he was attacking."
"I still can't believe you're a Slytherin," Sirius muttered. "How did it happen? Will you tell me?"
"All I can say is that Slytherin is the best place for me right now," Harry said firmly. "It's true that the hat considered Gryffindor as well, but in the end Slytherin was the best choice."
"I didn't mean to sound accusing, Harry," Sirius said quickly. "It's fine that you're in Slytherin. It's just that, well, my family expected me to go into Slytherin, and when I didn't, they basically disowned me. My brother and most of my cousins ended up there, and almost all of them joined Voldemort. That's why Slytherins tend to rub me the wrong way."
"You don't have to apologize," Harry said. "Most of them rub me the wrong way too, but it can't be helped."
Sirius looked like he desperately wanted to ask another question, but managed to stay silent.
"How long can you stay?" He finally asked.
"Not long," Harry answered. "In fact, I should probably be heading back, just to be safe. But before I go, I want to give you this." Harry pulled a notepad out of his pocket and handed it to Sirius. "It's a way for us to communicate. Everything you write in here will appear on an identical notepad that I have; we call them messengers."
"Yeah, I've seen these before," Sirius said, turning the notepad over in his hands. He looked back at Harry with a twinkle in his eye. "Aren't these against Hogwarts rules?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't care much for rules."
Sirius laughed approvingly.
"Anyway," Harry continued. "I have the only messenger that's tied to yours, so nobody else will know until I tell them. If anything happens with Pettigrew, I'll let you know."
"Ok," Sirius said, pocketing the messenger. "Oh, and Harry?" Harry turned around and Sirius smiled. "Thanks."
Harry just nodded back before he turned and walked to the edge of the wards. When he was there, he placed a wandless glamour on his face and apparated to Knockturn Alley. He had a few stops to make before he returned to the castle.
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When Harry finally returned to Hogwarts it was mid-afternoon, and he immediately sought out Row. As usual, he found in the library with Hermione and Padma.
"Where's Sarah?" Harry asked as he approached them.
"Said she had to send an owl," Row replied, looking up. "Where have you been?"
"Just doing some practice," Harry said, shooting her a look that said he'd explain later.
"We heard about what Malfoy was doing," Padma said quietly. "Sorry, Harry."
"Not your fault," Harry replied kindly. "Not even Blaise knew, so I can't really be upset that you guys didn't."
"I heard the Hufflepuffs apologized, though," Row said. "That's good, right?"
"If it means they'll leave me alone now, it's great," Harry snorted. "What are the chances of that happening?"
"About the same as the chances of you not being approached by Dumbledore right now," Row said, looking behind him. Stifling a groan, Harry turned to see Dumbledore walking towards him through the library.
"Good afternoon, Harry, ladies," Dumbledore said as he approached. "Harry, Professor Sprout has requested a meeting with you as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow. Since we agreed that you would have at least a week's notice, I told her I would ask, but I could not guarantee anything."
Harry stifled another groan and thought about the offer. It was either meet soon or meet later, and he had other things to take care of later.
"If she wants, I'll meet her tonight," Harry told the headmaster. "After dinner?"
"She will be happy to hear that," Dumbledore said, twinkling.
"I'm sure she will," Harry muttered. He leaned forward. "Is there any news about the Macmillan meeting?" He asked in a low voice.
"I'm afraid that Mr. Macmillan appears to be reluctant to meet with you," Dumbledore replied, his twinkle dimming slightly. "I do not know why, but perhaps it would be best if you consider the three options you already have."
Harry looked at Dumbledore quizzically, but nodded, and the headmaster left the group to its studying.
"Why were you supposed to meet with the Macmillans?" Padma asked when Harry returned to the group. When Harry looked at her sharply, she blushed. "I was, er, listening."
"It's personal," Harry said flatly. "And it's very important that you don't mention it to anyone else. It's a very private family matter."
"I promise we'll tell you when we can," Row put in. "But Harry's right, it's really important that you not talk about it now."
Hermione threw an odd look at Harry, no doubt wondering if this situation was related to his question about Ron's rat, but held her tongue. Both girls agreed to keep the conversation private, and the group went back to studying.
Later that night, Harry once again found himself in an empty classroom facing Professor Sprout and the Hufflepuffs.
"Mr. Potter, I know you have already heard this from my students, but I wanted you to hear it from me," Sprout began. "I'm sorry I misjudged you, Mr. Potter, and I'm sorry for the way I treat you the last time we met."
"As I told your students, your apologies are accepted," Harry said evenly. "I'm not angry at you, and I don't wish you ill. But if you expect me to suddenly become friendly, you're going to be disappointed."
"Harry, I know you feel like you can't trust us, and you're right to think that," Cedric broke in. "But we really want to make it up to you, so there's anything we can help you with, just ask."
"Well, then," Sprout said awkwardly when Harry remained silent. "I believe I have some punishment to take care of, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Potter." Sprout left the room, leaving Harry with Cedric, Hannah, and 3 other Hufflepuffs, two boys and one girl, whose names he didn't know.
"So, why do they make you do this, anyway?" One of the other boys asked. "I've never heard of anything like it before."
"I don't know, really," Harry replied. "Dumbledore set the rules himself, though, so it's not a standard punishment."
"I heard that you refused to do normal detention so they came up with this," the other unknown boy said.
"Still listening to rumors, are you?" Harry said sarcastically. The boy paled and began to stammer.
Harry just shook his head in exasperation before turning back to Cedric. "Is there something else we're here for?"
"Not really," Cedric said with a sigh.
"I'll be leaving then," Harry said as he got up.
"I really wish you'd talk to us, Harry." Cedric said as the other students slowly filed out. "I meant what I said, if there's anything I can do, just ask."
Harry stopped suddenly and turned back to regard the other boy with a curious gleam in his eye.
"Anything?"
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That Thursday after dinner, Harry walked casually through the halls of Hogwarts.
"Harry, where have you been? You have to see this!" Row said, running towards him as he rounded a corner. "It's Malfoy, he-" She stopped abruptly when Cedric came around the corner just after Harry. "Oh, uh, hi Cedric," Row said shyly.
"What's all this then?" Cedric asked, noticing a large crowd of people walking in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room.
"Huh? Oh!" Row exclaimed, regaining her train of thought. "It's the door to your common room, you have to see this!" Harry and Cedric schooled their faces and followed the excited girl through the throng of people until they could view the scene in front of the Hufflepuff common room. It was a scene that would not soon be forgotten.
The door to the Hufflepuff common room was a flat stretch of stone wall set in between two identical suits of armor. Standing next to the suits on either side of the wall were Crabbe and Goyle, both bowing formally and obviously frozen in place.
In between them, stuck spread eagled to the blank stretch of wall, was Draco Malfoy. The blond boy was struggling desperately against whatever spell was holding him, only to discover that his arms legs back, and even his neck and head had been stuck securely to the wall behind him. As the crowd grew, he went from looking angry to looking trapped and ashamed at the situation he found himself in. As Harry got closer, he could see a set of written instructions that were floating in front of the blond boy's face.
"Well Malfoy?" An older Hufflepuff said impatiently. "Are you going to let us in, or just sit there all day."
"You can bloody well wait!" Malfoy snarled. "Professor Snape will be here soon, and then you'll regret ever touching me!"
"What is going on here?" Came the voice of Professor Sprout as she approached the large crowd. "Is the password not wor- WHAT IS THIS!"
"Please, Professor," a seventh year girl said. "It was like this when we came back from dinner. There's a note that says the password to the common room has been changed to 'I'm sorry,' and that Malfoy has to say it to every Hufflepuff student before the sticking charm will wear off."
Professor Sprout nearly fell over in shock as she read the parchment floating in front of the bound Slytherins. "Who is responsible for this?" She asked the crowd. There was a lot of shuffling and more than a few furtive glances, but nobody spoke. "Well, they'll be time for that later, I guess. Try to remain calm, Mr. Malfoy, I shall fetch the other professors."
"Fetch us for what?" Professor McGonagall asked, emerging from the crowd with Professors Snape and Flitwick. "Oh my word! What happened?"
"I don't know, I'm afraid," Sprout admitted. "This is the only thing I found." She handed McGonagall the parchment with the instructions on it. McGonagall gave a fierce frown, but Harry could have sworn that her lips had turned upwards first.
Snape, however, had a very different reaction. When he saw Malfoy, he instantly paled and began to look around frantically. Suddenly he stopped and whipped his head to find Harry, who was watching the scene with a neutral expression.
"POTTER!" He roared, advancing on Harry. "DID YOU THINK I WOULDN'T REMEMBER! DO YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY?"
"Severus," McGonagall cried, shocked. "Mr. Potter has been in one of the third floor classrooms all day. I myself saw him and Mr. Diggory practicing there earlier."
"Cedric informed me of that, as well," Sprout spoke up. "Surely you don't think this was Mr. Potter's doing? He's one of yours!"
"He'll never be one of mine," Snape snarled. "I know you're behind this, Potter, and you'll pay like your father never did."
"Severus, that is enough," McGonagall said firmly. "I admit that the similarities are…remarkable. But Mr. Potter could not have done this." Snape continued to glare murderously at Harry, but ceased his ranting, and McGonagall continued. "Now, since the headmaster is spending the day at the Ministry, it falls to us to remove whatever is keeping these boys in place. Professor, if you would?" She motioned to Flitwick, who stepped up and began to cast charms aimed at dispelling various enchantments.
Twenty minutes later, both Crabbe and Goyle had been freed, but there had been no progress on Malfoy. McGonagall and Flitwick were both shaking their heads in confusion, and Snape was fuming.
"I'm afraid there's nothing for it," Flitwick finally said. "He'll have to apologize to the students and hope that the pranksters are true to their word."
"He will do nothing of the kind," Snape snarled. "If Potter's not behind this, then he knows who is. IT'S THE SAME SPELL!"
"Severus," McGonagall hissed. "I understand this is trying for you but you must control your temper in front of the students. Now, as I recall, the spell did indeed lift the last time, so there's no reason to believe that it won't this time as well. I do not know when the headmaster will return, and the Hufflepuffs must be allowed access to their common room. We will have to follow these instructions."
"I'll have no part of this," Snape spat angrily as he turned and walked furiously through the crowd of students.
"Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid that you will have to follow the instructions you were given. We cannot afford to wait for the headmaster, and whatever spell this is, it is beyond our talents to reverse."
"W-What?" Malfoy stammered incredulously before flushing. "You mean I actually have to apologize to this, this, filth?"
"Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall exclaimed. "That is quite enough! Now, I suggest you get on with it, or we'll be here all night!"
Malfoy bit back his retort and glared at the Hufflepuffs murderously. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a moment and he had to take a deep breath.
"I'm sorry," he finally bit out. As expected, the door to the Hufflepuff common room began to open, but unlike the Gryffindor portrait, it didn't open out. Instead, the entire section of wall reclined backwards, like a reverse drawbridge, leaving Malfoy splayed out on what was now the floor of the entrance into the room.
"Ow!" He cried as the first Hufflepuff through stepped on his hand.
"Oh, was that your hand?" The girl asked with mock concern. "I'm so sorry!"
"That's quite enough, Miss Blake," McGonagall snapped. "The next person who tries that will serve detention with me. Now, form a line."
One by one, the Hufflepuffs stepped up to Malfoy and watched as he apologized before stepping over him into their common room. After the first ten students had passed and Malfoy began to look less angry and more humiliated, there were scattered guffaws in the Hufflepuff line. Of course, in most of the students' minds, Malfoy was only getting what he deserved.
When the 25th student approached and Malfoy said "I'm sorry" one more time, the blond boy abruptly fell to the ground just as the door began to open. It took him a moment to realize he was free, but when he did he immediately ran as fast as he could back towards the Slytherin dungeons, the remaining students' laughter ringing in his ears.
"Well, it would appear that the pranksters were true to their word, after all," McGonagall said, turning to Professor Flitwick.
"Yes, but I'm still most curious how a student was able to cast a charm that we could not break."
"Yes, that is interesting, isn't it?" McGonagall said thoughtfully, throwing an unreadable look at Harry.
Harry shrugged back at her and gave her an innocent look. Sighing, she shook her head and started back towards her office.
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"Come on, Potter, I know you did it," Blaise said quietly as they walked to lunch. "There's no one else who could have, and you didn't come to lunch that day."
It had been a little over two weeks since the prank on Malfoy, and it was still a popular topic of conversation for the students. Malfoy himself had been laying low, hoping in vain that the whole thing would blow over quickly. Instead, he'd been given a new nickname: doormat. The fact that the name referred to the Hufflepuff doormat only made it worse.
"I was practicing with Cedric Diggory, I told you."
Blaise snorted. "So, you just happened to be practicing with the same Hufflepuff prefect that admitted to changing the password for the prank on Malfoy, and you just happened to be practicing in an area where different Professors could see you from a distance, and you just happened to be so involved you forgot about lunch? Come on, Potter, I'm not stupid."
"You're not still on about this, are you?" Tracey asked as she joined them at the table. "Blaise, if he did it, I'm sure he'll tell you eventually. Won't you Harry?"
"There's nothing to tell," Harry said with a shrug.
"Bollocks."
"Such undignified language for a Zabini," Tracey joked. Blaise glared at her.
"The only thing I don't get," Tracey said, ignoring the glare. "Is how Diggory got off with only a month of detention. You'd think you get a suspension, at least."
"He had the same alibi as this one," Blaise said, jerking a thumb at Harry. "So they know that he wasn't the one who actually assaulted Malfoy; just an accomplice. Actually, I heard that they offered to let him off completely if he gave up the other people involved, but he refused. Pretty stupid if you ask me."
"Well, he is the star of Hufflepuff, loyalty to your friends and all that," Tracey reasoned.
"I think Blaise is more about loyalty to Blaise," Harry muttered. Tracey laughed.
"And proud of it, Potter," Blaise said with a smirk.
"Of course, his loyalty didn't save him from Snape," Tracey said. "I heard he's worse with him than he is with you, Harry."
"That's because Potter here has something on our head of house," Blaise said. "I don't know what it is, but it's definitely something."
"What do you mean?" Tracey asked, confused.
"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Harry muttered.
"Remember at the beginning of the year, how nasty Snape was to our friend here? Then, all of a sudden, he does from harassing him every chance he gets to completely ignoring him, overnight. I'll admit, lately he's been back to a little of his old form, but compared to what he does to Diggory, you have it light."
"Maybe," Harry said noncommittally. Tracey looked at him searchingly, but didn't say anything, and the three continued to eat in silence. Harry took this opportunity to go over what he needed to accomplish in the weeks ahead.
The first thing Harry had done when he learned that Pettigrew was missing was find a way to locate him. The answer had come to him almost immediately. After all, he was a parseltongue, and what better way to locate a rat animagus than with snakes?
After his second visit to Sirius, Harry had apparated to Knockturn Alley and purchased every snake with paralytic venom that he was able to have a civil conversation with. In the end, he'd come back to Hogwarts with 8 different snakes, all different breeds and sizes. Since then, his small army had been searching the Hogwarts grounds and the forbidden forest for any trace of Pettigrew, but had thus far come up empty.
He had visited Sirius at the plan B house as often as he could since then, and Harry found himself looking forward to the visits more and more each time. Sirius himself had improved quite a bit, and Harry had managed to smuggle him an unregistered wand so that he could begin working with his magic. Sirius was even able to apparate again, although he could only manage small distances compared to what he could do before he went to Azkaban. Still, things were looking up, and Harry was happy for that.
The only problem from Harry's viewpoint was that as he got stronger, Sirius also became more fatherly towards him. More than once Harry had been forced to remind Sirius that he was a guest in Harry's home, under Harry's protection, and that Harry made the decisions. So far they had avoided a serious fight, but Harry could tell that it would come eventually. Thinking about it now, he sighed heavily. Why couldn't people see that he could take care of himself?
Harry put those feelings of frustration aside, and focused on feeling calm. After almost 6 months of exercises designed to increase his emotional control, Harry found that most negative emotions, like frustration and annoyance, could be pushed aside easily. In fact, his control was so good that even Lupin's more powerful nightmare ward hadn't kept Harry from casting his corporeal patronus, something that he was most proud of.
"Blaise and I are going to practice those cheering charms, want to come?" Tracey asked, bringing Harry's train of thought back to reality.
"Actually, I think I'm going to fly for a while," Harry replied.
Tracey frowned. "You're sure flying a lot lately. Thinking about trying out for the team next year?"
"Not really, I just enjoy it. Besides, it's Saturday."
"Well, I still think you should try out," Tracey continued. "You'd be much better than what we've got now. Anyway, have fun."
Harry said goodbye to the two of them before he pulled out his shrunken broom and walked to the Quidditch pitch. It was true that he had been flying a lot lately, but it was mostly because he used it as an excuse to confer with his snakes.
He took off quickly and flew a few quick loops, making sure that no one was watching him before he landed at the edge of the forbidden forest.
--Aero, are you here?-- He hissed towards the bushes. After a moment, the bushes moved slightly and a bright orange snake with scattered black stripes emerged.
--I am here, master-- the snake replied. --It is good you came, we have found him.--
--The rat?-- Harry hissed in excitement. --Where?--
--Serra has him closer to the castle. Come, I will take you. –
Harry had to use his focus to quell his excitement as he followed Aero along the edge of the forbidden forest. As they approached the side of the castle, the snake turned abruptly inwards, and Harry followed him, entering the forest completely. After a minute or so of walking, they came upon a pitch black snake that was wrapped around a rat possessively.
--You are sure this is the one, Serra?-- Harry hissed at the new snake.
--He is missing one toe, master. And his smell is not quite right. He is paralyzed, but only for a little while--
--Release him, Serra, I will bind him. --
--Yes master.--
As Serra slowly unwound herself from around the rat, Harry stunned and petrified it before summoning it to him. With a deep breath, he aimed his wand and cast the same spell he had used on Sirius in his dog form.
When the rat began to morph into a fat, balding man, all Harry's doubts were erased, and he immediately reversed the spell before stunning, petrifying, and binding the rat once more just to be safe. That done, he pulled out the messenger he shared with Sirius.
Sirius, are you there?
I'm here, something wrong?
I've got Pettigrew.
Really? You've got him? With you?
He's bound in rat form as we speak.
Bring him to the shack, I'll meet you there.
Sirius, that's not a good idea.
Harry waited for a response, but it didn't come.
Sirius? Sirius? Are you there?
"Shit," Harry swore softly. Obviously, Sirius was on his way, and he was probably going to apparate, which meant Harry could either meet him at the Shrieking Shack, or risk him doing something really stupid like coming into Hogwarts. Swearing to himself, Harry checked the bindings on Pettigrew and started back towards the castle, considering his options as he went.
If he took Pettigrew to Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, Sirius would probably beat him up, Harry would have to restrain him, and then he'd take Pettigrew to Dumbledore. On the other hand, if things got out of control, Sirius could kill him, or Pettigrew could escape. However, if he didn't take Pettigrew to the Shrieking Shack, Sirius would try to come in and find him, and was something Harry definitely didn't want. Of course, if he could find Dumbledore quickly, he could show him Pettigrew, tell him about Sirius, and then he could go meet Sirius in the Shrieking Shack. He frowned. For that plan to work, he would have to find Dumbledore quickly. He started to run as he entered the castle.
Harry was so lost in thought that he failed to notice when he passed a sandy blond boy on his way inside. When the boy ran off in the opposite direction, Harry was already well past him, and didn't notice that either.
However, when he heard the sound of many students running from behind him, he stopped and spun around to see who it was.
"What are you doing with my rat, Potter? Give it back!" Ron Weasley yelled as the group approached.
"This isn't your rat, Weasley," Harry said, sounding bored. "It's-"
"Accio scabbers!" Shouted George Weasley. Harry's eyes widened as the rat slipped out of his hand, but only for a moment. With a thought, he summoned Pettigrew back to his hand, simultaneously sending a concussion hex into the middle of the group. Ron, Seamus, and the twins were thrown violently apart and Harry sprinted away towards Dumbledore's office, making himself invisible as he turned the corner.
"Where'd he go?" Seamus asked, regaining his feet.
"He ran, that bastard!" Ron snarled. "Now we'll never get him."
"What does he want with your rat anyway?"
"He's a snake, who knows?" Ron kicked the castle wall. "I can't believe we let him get away."
"Never fear, o brother mine," Fred said, pulling a piece of parchment from his back pocket.
"There's always a way," put in George.
"As long as you know where to look," said Fred with a smirk.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," they said together, touching their wands to the parchment in front of them.
"The marauder's map? What's that?" Asked Ron as writing began to appear on the parchment.
"This, dear brother, will tell us exactly where the ratnapper is headed."
"See, there he is, running towards Dumbledore's office," Fred looked thoughtful for a moment. "Here, there's a shortcut this way, we can head him off."
Fred quickly stowed the parchment and dashed off down the hallway, the rest of the group close behind.
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When Harry finally reached the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office, he was out of breath and he knew he was running out of time.
"I need to see the headmaster, it's urgent," he told the guard.
"The headmaster is not in," the gargoyle replied smugly. "You'll have to wait."
"I don't have time to wait!" Harry snarled. "I have-"
Harry abruptly spun around as the sound of running footsteps reached his ears.
Swearing to himself, he took off at a run back the way he came and headed towards the whomping willow. He would have to speak to Dumbledore later.
"Now…..where'd….he go?" Ron Weasley panted when he reached the corridor leading to the headmaster's office only to find it empty.
"Just….a minute," George huffed, pulling out the map. He started to search it for Harry Potter when his body abruptly tensed.
"What's wrong?" Fred asked immediately, concerned.
"L-Look," George stammered, holding the map out.
Fred took the map in his hand and followed George's finger, which was pointing to a rapidly moving dot labeled Harry Potter. However, it was the dot waiting for him at the edge of the map that forced the breath from Fred's lungs.
"Sirius Black," he whispered. "My god, he's running right towards Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black!" Both Ron and Seamus exclaimed, going white. "He's here?"
"We need to tell McGonagall, now!" George said, grabbing the map and starting towards the staff room. They ran as fast as they could given their tired state, and finally reached the door.
"What in the world is going on out here?" McGonagall asked she opened the door.
"Professors," George gasped out. "Sirius Black….he's here, by the whomping willow, with Harry Potter."
"Sirius Black?" McGonagall exclaimed. "And Potter you say?"
"Yes ma'am," Fred replied for his brother. "Somebody else was with Potter, Pet-"
"There you are!" Came a voice, from down the hall. Fred turned to see Argus Filch approaching them, grinning maniacally. "Knew you were behind it. These four wrecked an entire hallway, Professor, and then ran for it." He looked at Fred menacingly. "Thought you'd get away with it, did ya?"
"Please Professor, we're telling the truth," George pleaded. "Harry Potter is about to run into Sirius Black on the first floor by the whomping willow. You have to do something."
McGonagall eyed the entire group skeptically.
"Very well," she finally agreed. "I will contact the headmaster, and you will wait for me here. Mr. Filch, I will take it from here."
Filch nodded and left, but not before smirking at the group one last time. McGonagall walked to the fire and took a handful of floo powder from the pot on the mantle.
"Headmaster's office, Minerva McGonagall calling," she stated clearly. She was instantly whisked away, leaving the four Gryffindors alone in the room.
"I'm not sure she believed you…." Seamus said uncertainly.
"One too many pranks, I believe," George said sadly.
Fred looked agitated as well when suddenly Ron got up and grabbed a handful of the floo power himself.
"What are-"
"I'm contacting dad," Ron said. "He'll believe us, and he can get Fudge to send aurors." With that, he threw the powder into the flames and called the Ministry of Magic.
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When Harry finally exited out onto the castle grounds, he was severely winded, and had to stop for a moment to regain his breath. As he braced himself against the wall, a cold nose poked his hand.
"Wha-" He exclaimed, started. "Sirius!" He hissed at the black dog next to him. "I told you to wait! Come on."
Grabbing the dog by the scruff of his neck, he walked as fast as he could toward the whomping willow, which was still frozen in place from when Sirius had exited onto the grounds. When they were safely inside the tunnel, Sirius transformed back into his human form.
"Where is he!" He snarled. "Where's Pettigrew?"
"You're not supposed to be here," Harry bit out angrily. "You're putting us both in danger, get a hold of yourself!"
Sirius seethed for a moment before exhaling heavily.
"I know, and I'm sorry, but I have to see him. Please Harry, I have to see him."
"Wait until we get to the shack," Harry said as they continued walking. They continued in silence until they had arrived at the end of the tunnel, which opened to reveal a small, dilapidated room with a sofa, 2 broken chairs, and a broken table.
"Sit," Harry commanded, pointing the sofa. "Hand me your wand."
"What?" Sirius asked, shocked.
"Hand me your wand," Harry repeated. "If you want to beat on him, fine, but I won't have you going crazy and killing him by accident."
Sirius muttered angrily to himself, but complied.
"Now what?" He asked when Harry continued to look at him.
"You need to understand something," Harry said seriously. "You want revenge, I get that. You need to face him, I get that too. But you stop when I say, got it?" He waited for Sirius's slow nod before continuing. "And remember, he has to be recognizable for when I show him to Dumbledore."
When he had finished, Harry took the stunned rat from his pocket and placed it on the floor. With another flick of his wand, the rat slowly morphed into the pathetic looking form of Peter Pettigrew, which Harry immediately bound with transfigured ropes before hitting him with a foot-freezing curse and enervating him.
Pettigrew groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, and that was all the invitation Sirius needed.
"YOU BASTARD!" He roared, slamming his fist into Pettigrew's gut. Harry frowned and cast a silencing charm around the room as Pettigrew doubled over in pain. Sirius grabbed the back of his head before throwing a knee to his face, snapping him back up to eye level.
"WHY? WHY DID YOU DO IT!" Sirius yelled as he walked around the bound man like a predator. "AFTER EVERYTHING WE DID FOR YOU! WHY!"
"I had no choice!" Pettigrew whined, eyes full of fear. "He would have killed me! What would you have done?"
"COWARD!" Sirius cried, landing a punch to Pettigrew's face. "I WOULD HAVE DIED!" Another punch. "LIKE A MAN!" Sirius slammed his elbow into the side of Pettigrew's head and the man immediately went limp. It looked like Sirius was about to start stomping on the unconscious body, but Harry stopped him.
"That's enough," he said firmly. Sirius reluctantly back off and began to pace around the room.
"Feel better?" Harry asked sarcastically.
"A little," Sirius growled. ""Can I have my wand back now?"
"Not if you're going to use it on him," Harry said warningly.
Sirius glared at him, but promised not to, and Harry handed him his wand.
"He deserves worse," Sirius muttered as he sat back down on the sofa. Harry sighed.
"Sirius, we can't just sit here and beat him," he said calmly. "We have to get him to the right people so that you'll be cleared."
"He helped murder your parents, Harry!" Sirius cried. "And you want to just let him go? How can you even suggest that?"
"I'm not suggesting-" Harry began, but stopped abruptly when he suddenly had a very ominous feeling.
"Move!" He suddenly yelled, diving to his right. As he did so, two red stunning spells flew into the room within a second of each other. The first one hit Sirius in the chest, causing him to drop his wand, and the other passed right through where Harry had been standing. Harry was on his feet immediately and cast a quick shield as he scanned the room for his attacker. Another stunner dissipated harmlessly in front of him, followed by a bright yellow spell that Harry recognized as a piercing curse. Swearing, Harry sidestepped smoothly as the spell shattered his shield and threw a reductor curse in the direction that the spells were coming from. The spell impacted the wall next to the tunnel leading back to Hogwarts, showering the opening with bits of broken wood. Harry was about to follow with another attack when he heard a clatter from behind him. He whipped around, wand raised, to see a large rat scampering across the room, and realized that the clatter he had heard the wand that Sirius had dropped. Pettigrew had grabbed it and removed the bindings Harry had placed on him before changing to animagus form to escape. Harry summoned the fleeing rat to his hand and re-stunned it, but was immediately forced to dive forward as the wall next to him exploded from a reductor curse. A large piece of wood sliced into Harry's back as he dove, and he immediately concentrated on blocking the pain as sent two more reductor curses back into the main room. Both were reflected by an expertly formed shield as Severus Snape stepped into the room, sneering.
"I knew you were stupid, Potter, but I didn't think you were this stupid," Snape said. "Helping the convict that killed your parents and fighting a teacher? Tsk Tsk." Snape snapped his wand forward and threw another piercing curse followed by a stunner.
"He's innocent! Pettigrew is the traitor! Harry yelled as he summoned the top of the broken table and threw it into the path of the curses. "I have him, just wait!"
"Don't try foolish tricks with me," Snape spat before his eyes took on a fiendish gleam. "I've waited a long time for this, Potter. I'll see you expelled and Black kissed for this." He grinned evilly as he threw two more curses at Harry.
"Pettigrew is an animagus," Harry said desperately as the curses hit his shield. "A rat. I have him with me, I'll show you!" He sidestepped again as a piercing curse flew at him. "Stop attacking me and listen!"
"Pettigrew is dead!" Snape snapped. "Give up!" A thick rope shot out of Snape's wand toward Harry, who countered with a cutting curse before sidestepping Snape's stunner.
"So be it," he hissed. Raising both his hands, he unleashed two blasting curses that destroyed everything between him and the Professor, and left a giant hole in the floor. Snape raised a shield, but was still sent flying backwards into the crumbling wall. Pressing his advantage, Harry threw a piercing curse with his wand and a stunner with his hand, following immediately with a banishing charm that sent a large piece of nearby wood flying directly at Snape's head. Snape avoid the piercing curse and reflected the stunner, but the wood caught him in the side of the head, opening a large gash and sending him crashing to the floor.
Harry immediately sent two stunners at him, hoping to end the battle immediately, but Snape moved faster than Harry had ever seen him move before, rolling out of the way and leveling his wand at Harry. With a snarl, he snapped it forward and a sickly yellow spell with a greenish hue flew towards Harry, who threw up his most powerful contego shield. The spell hit the shield, but instead of dissipating like it should have, it somehow slid around the shield, hitting Harry in his left shoulder. Harry gasped from the burning pain as a giant gash opened along his left arm, rendering it useless. Snape followed with a muddy brown curse that seemed to ooze though the air towards Harry. Not wanting a repeat of the last curse, Harry sidestepped the curse and threw a bolt of lightning at Snape as he began to circle the potions professor, who continued to cast spells that Harry had never seen before.
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Just as Harry and Snape were beginning their duel, Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived in Hogsmede with his team of 6 aurors.
"We know that he's between here and school," Shacklebolt barked. "The Minister is with Dawlish and his team, and they'll work from the castle down, we work from here up. Any questions? Good, let's-" He was interrupted by a loud blasting sound coming from somewhere just outside the village.
"That came from the Shrieking Shack," one of the aurors said in surprise.
"Then that's where we start," Shacklebolt told his team. "Move out!"
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Back in the shack, both combatants were becoming frustrated. With only one arm to work with, Harry had to rely on constantly summoning and banishing physical objects to keep the potions master on the defensive. Harry's own curses, while powerful, were not powerful enough to completely overwhelm the potions master, and Snape's knowledge of obscure and dark attack spells forced Harry to avoid using conventional shields to protect himself. Harry realized that he wouldn't be able to beat Snape using curses alone, and that gave him an idea. He darted quickly to his right, unleashing a series of powerful piercing curses that forced Snape to conjure a small corporeal shield. As Harry moved, Snape turned to keep them facing each other until he was standing directly in front of a large rectangular piece of wood that had been a section of the broken wall. Harry cast another curse at Snape and then raised a shield before turning all his focus on the levitating piece of wood. Using it like a bat, he banished the right side away from him while simultaneously summoning the left side towards him, causing the wood to spin like a helicopter blade.
Unfortunately, Harry had taken his attention off of Snape just long enough to give the older man an opening. Snape had dodged Harry's curse and, seeing his opening, countered with a two curse combination.
"Valde Foro, Sectumsempra!" He called viciously. Just as the second curse flew from his wand, the large wood plank slammed into Snape, sending him crashing into the far wall where he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Snape's piercing curse shattered Harry's shield just as Harry's final attack ended the fight. Harry saw the second curse coming, but could only twist slightly at the last minute as the curse caught him on the right side of his chest.
Harry fell to the ground immediately as he felt his chest ripped open. He gasped for air and looked down to find his shirt and robes, already stained from his previous wounds, now soaked through with his own blood. Closing his eyes, Harry fought off the fuzzy feeling in his head and concentrated his healing power. Slowly, the wounds closed and the bleeding stopped, but the pain in shoulder remained. Frowning, Harry tried again, but even though his shoulder appeared fine, it hurt incredibly to move.
Gritting his teeth, Harry returned to the previous room and enervated Sirius.
"What the-" Sirius said groggily. "What happened, I- HARRY!"
"No time," Harry snapped, cutting him off. He swayed slightly but caught himself against the wall. "Snape attacked, I won," he said, shaking his head to clear it. "I'm ok now, but we have to go."
"But Harry, you're-" Sirius started, but stopped when the front door in the next room was blown open.
"You're under arrest, don't mov- ARGH!" The lead auror yelled as Harry's blasting curse obliterated the wall between room and sent shards of wood slicing into his leg.
"Lumos Solem!" Harry called, flooding the entire entryway with blinding light. Turning, he grabbed Sirius before casting another using a reductor curse to open a whole in the back wall.
"Don't let them get away!" One of the Aurors called. "Somebody dispel that damn sun! And where are the bloody dementors!"
"Run!" Harry yelled to Sirius, throwing reductor curses over his shoulder as they left.
The two ran towards the forbidden forest, but it was clear that Harry was laboring. He tried to make himself invisible as he ran, but when he almost passed out from the effort, he decided not to try again. When they had run for a couple of minutes, Harry stopped and pulled the petrified rat out of his pocket.
"What are you doing?" Sirius gasped frantically. "They're coming."
"They have to know we have Pettigrew," Harry panted back. "And that you're innocent. I want you to disillusion yourself and hide farther back in the woods. I'm going to take Pettigrew, turn him in, and explain the situation so that they don't have you kissed on sight." He looked at the older man seriously. "It's the only way."
"What if they attack you, huh?" Sirius said angrily. "What then?"
"I can defend myself," Harry said, not mentioning the fact that he could barely manage a proper shield at this point. "Besides, they're aurors, so they have to know about your case. They'll know who he is." I hope, he added mentally.
"I hope you're right," Sirius muttered as he pulled his wand. He raised it above his head to disillusion himself as he walked away from Harry, but stopped abruptly.
"No, oh god, no," he began to whimper. "No, no, no, no…." He crumpled the ground and began to rock himself back and forth.
"Sirius! What is it? What's wrong?" Harry asked frantically, but then he felt it. The temperature was dropping rapidly, and Harry felt a familiar ball of ice begin to settle in his stomach.
"Dementors," he swore to himself. Instantly, he fell to his knees in a meditative position and closed his eyes. He quickly fell in to the void of meditation, and began to concentrate his emotions on happiness. With all the energy that he had already expended, the process was much harder than normal, but the stakes were also much higher, and Harry Potter was nothing if not determined.
Slowly, Harry began to call of feelings of happiness, and will them to form a protective barrier around him. Gradually, the cold receded and his eyes snapped open.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Instantly, an incredible silver mist erupted from his wand and coalesced into the form of a giant stag. The nearest dementors shrieked as they were forced back, and the entire forest clearing was suddenly aglow with brilliant white light. The patronus continued to circle Harry and Sirius, throwing its head violently at the nearby dementors, until the forest was clear. Its task done, it bowed to Harry before dissipating into the air.
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry felt the spell coming, but was unable to move quick enough and it caught him in the side. He looked up from the ground to see a young auror approaching him cautiously.
"Don't move, kid," the auror said as he shot up a flare of red sparks. "Now," he said, turning back to Harry. "Where is-" The man abruptly crumpled as Sirius's stunner caught him from behind.
"Nice shot," Harry complimented, pulling the petrified rat out of his pocket. He retrieved his wand from the auror, but swayed for a moment as he tried to cast the spell.
"I got it," Sirius said, seeing the boy's exhaustion. He muttered a spell and the rat once again slowly became the human form of Peter Pettigrew.
"Ok, now hide," Harry said, making sure Pettigrew was still unconscious. Sirius looked like he was about to argue, but the sound of approaching aurors made the decision for him, and he hid. With supreme effort, Harry enervated the stunned auror.
"Wh-Hey!" The man said, pointing his wand at Harry.
"This is Peter Pettigrew," Harry said, indicating the unconscious man in front of him. "He's alive, and he framed Sirius Black for murder. Sirius Black is innocent, this man is guilty."
The auror just looked at Harry with an extremely confused expression, and Harry had to stifle a sigh.
"Auror Blane!" Kingsley Shacklebolt barked as he emerged from the trees. "Report!"
"Uh, well sir," Blane began.
"Sirius Black is innocent," Harry interrupted him. "Peter Pettigrew is the real Death Eater, and he's right here."
Shacklebolt eyed Harry suspiciously until he saw the unconscious man at his feet, and his eyes widened.
"Pettigrew…" he muttered. "Well, not what was I expecting, but good work Blane. Now, where's Black?"
"He took a portkey and will be hiding until he's sure that he'll get a trial this time to prove his innocence," Harry said coldly. "Can you guarantee me that, auror…"
"Shacklebolt," Kingsley replied, annoyed. "And you are?"
"Harry Potter," Harry said, extending his hand. Only the briefest surprise registered on Kingsley's face as he took it.
"You're Harry Potter," Blane said, shocked. "Sir, this could be a trick. He's probably in league with Black!"
"That's enough Blane," Kingsley said firmly. "Stand guard and wait for the others." He knelt down by Pettigrew and made sure he was bound before enervating him and forcing a very small vial of potion down his throat.
"What's your name?" Kingsley asked.
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Did you serve Lord Voldemort?"
"Yes."
"Did you fight Sirius Black in a London Alley on November 1st, 1981."
"Yes."
"Who cast the spell that killed 12 muggle bystanders?"
"I did."
"Why?"
"I wanted to frame Sirius so that I could escape."
"How did you escape?"
"I cut off my finger and changed into my animagus form and escaped down the sewer."
"What is your animagus form?"
"A rat."
"Where have you been for the last 12 years?"
"Living with the Weasley family as a pet."
"Do you have contact with any other former Death Eaters?"
"No."
"He was my parent real secret keeper, too," Harry broke in. Kingsley glared at him for interrupting, but asked nonetheless.
"Were you the Potters' secret keeper?"
"Yes."
"You gave the information to Voldemort?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He..H-He would have…would have killed me and my f-family if I didn't."
"It's wearing off," Kingsley muttered. He bound Pettigrew with ropes before turning back to Harry.
"That's not enough-" Harry began, but he stopped when he once again felt dementors approaching. He tried to focus his emotions, but was interrupted by the arrival of the Cornelius Fudge and his auror group, who entered the clearing along with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lupin. Floating well behind the Minister were two dementors.
"What's this? Where's Black?" Fudge blustered. "And who is this?" He asked, pointing to Pettigrew.
"Wormtail!" Lupin exclaimed.
Harry saw the dementors move forward slightly and began to edge his way closer to Sirius as he trained vainly to summon positive emotions.
"Peter Pettigrew," Dumbledore said, slightly awed. He turned to look at Harry twinkling madly. "It appears you've had an interesting day, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore turned and looked exactly at Sirius. "As have you, Sirius."
"BLACK? WHERE?" Fudge asked, looking around frantically. He turned and yelled back into the forest. "Find him!"
It happened so fast that Harry barely had time to register what was going on. At Fudge's call, his personal, two dementor escort came flying into the clearing and headed straight for Sirius. With a cry, Harry dove in front of them and tried to cast a patronus, but could only manage a heavy mist. The mist repelled the dementors just long enough for Dumbledore to banish them himself, but the damage was already done.
As Harry dove in front of the dementors and tried to repel them, two of the aurors with Fudge immediately threw stunners at him, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying backwards into a nearby tree. Seeing this, Sirius snarled in rage and leapt from his hiding place, throwing a concentrated blasting curse at the two aurors. The curse dissipated on the aurors' shield, and soon a hail of curses was flying back towards Sirius from aurors all around the clearing. Sirius dove to his side to avoid some of them, and the rest were deflected by an incredibly powerful shield cast by Dumbledore.
"Arrest them all!" Fudge cried in a panic. "Don't let them escape!"
Soon curses were flying all over the clearing, and it was impossible to tell who was trying to curse who. Finally, there a giant flash and an incredible shockwave that knocked everyone to the ground.
"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore boomed. "THERE IS ONLY ONE ENEMY HERE, AND IT IS NOT I!"
As the light dissipated, a number of the aurors realized that they had lost their wands, which were lying in a pile at Dumbledore's feet as he stood in the middle of the clearing. Three aurors near the tree line were tangled up in vines from above them, and two more were bound by roots that appeared to have grown out of the ground.
"Now," Dumbledore continued calmly. "It would appear that we do not have all the facts with regard to Mr. Black, and our priority should be to discover the truth. Would you agree, Minister?"
"Well, of course," Fudge stammered, coming out from the tree he had been hiding behind.
"WHERE'S WORMTAIL?" Sirius yelled frantically, pointing to his now empty restraints. "HE'S GONE! WE HAVE TO-" He started to run off and was abruptly stunned by one of the aurors. Everyone tensed for a moment, wondering if that would set off another firefight, but no other curses were fired.
"Remus, can you smell him?" Dumbledore asked, turning to Lupin, who was glaring menacingly at the auror.
"I can try, but it'll be hard in the forest," Lupin said as he began to look around.
"Please do. Fawkes," the phoenix abruptly burst into existence on Dumbledore's shoulder. "We are looking for a rat animagus that is missing a finger. Please find him if you can." Fawkes let out a trill and took off to search the forest.
"Spread out and search the forest!" Kingsley snapped to his team. "Clear anything you have to, but FIND ME THAT RAT!"
The aurors spread out and began to sweet the area as Dumbledore approached Harry, who was still unconscious, and enervated him. When Harry didn't stir after the first attempt, Dumbledore frowned and tried again.
"Wha- Sirius?" Harry said groggily.
"Sirius is fine, dear boy," Dumbledore said kindly. "He is taking a well deserved nap right next to you, in fact."
Harry looked confused for a moment before his eyes landed on the roving auror teams. He clenched his jaw in frustration.
"Pettigrew?"
"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore replied sadly. "When you were stunned for attempting to protect Sirius from the dementors, there was a slight altercation, and he escaped in the confusion." Harry started to get up but Dumbledore stopped him. "You are already exhausted, Harry. Please, you can help the most by telling me exactly what happened today, and why my potions professor is being treated for very serious injuries in the hospital wing."
With a sigh, Harry leaned back and related the entire story to Dumbledore. When he got to the part about Snape using dark magic on him, he saw the headmaster's eyes darken slightly, but he said nothing. When he had finished, Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully.
"So it was Pettigrew all along then?" Harry nodded. "I must say, Harry, I have most impressed that you have been able to keep all this secret for so long. If I may ask, where were you keeping Sirius while he recovered?"
"Muggle hotel," Harry answered shortly.
"A wise decision," Dumbledore said, eyeing Harry speculatively. "In any case, with Pettigrew's confession under veritaserum, Sirius should be free very soon. You have done a great thing today, Harry."
"What about Pettigrew?"
"We can only hope that he is located," Dumbledore replied slowly. "Otherwise, I fear he will hide himself even more thoroughly than he did previously." He noticed Harry's head drooping slightly and smiled softly. "Sleep, dear boy. You have done quite enough for one day."
Harry felt like arguing with him, he really really did, but somehow his eyes refused to open, and his mouth refused to work.
I'll tell him off tomorrow, Harry thought to himself as he slumped forward. With a sigh, he relinquished his hold on consciousness and fell swiftly into the warm embrace of darkness.
A/N Ok, there we go. Now for the bad news. I wanted to get this chapter out quickly because I'm going out of town for the next week or so and won't have access to a computer, so the next update will probably take at least a couple weeks (
I'll work on getting the next chapter up as soon as I get back.