A/N Wow, this update took forever. I apologize for the wait, I went on a two week vacation that turned into three, then I got really busy with make-up work and other menial crap, you know how it goes. I can't promise never to take this long with an update again, but I can promise that the next chapter will not take nearly this long.
As always, thanks to everybody at DLP - Palver, Lord Apophis, Fuegodefuerza, Lord Xantam, nonjon, Brooklynight, Myst, Stalicon, yojorocks, JagedlyJaded, Lucas13, Spokojnyn, LT2000, and Niffler Lord - for commenting on the chapter.
Ok, back to the story.
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Harry awoke gradually to a darkened room that he immediately recognized as the hospital wing. As he sat up groggily, he noticed that it was already dark outside, and all the other beds were empty.
"Oh, you're finally awake," came the voice of Madame Promfrey as she suddenly appeared next to Harry. "How are you feeling? Any remaining dizziness?" Harry shook his head no.
"How long have I been out?" He asked.
"You were brought in yesterday afternoon," the matron answered. "You've been asleep for over 24 hours, Mr. Potter." She eyed him sternly. "I certainly hope this isn't becoming a habit."
"So do I," Harry muttered, wincing slightly as he moved his shoulder. "What happened to my shoulder? It still hurts, and I couldn't move it at all yesterday."
Madame Promfrey frowned. "That was a nasty spell you took, Mr. Potter, very nasty. That wound resisted all standard healing charms; I had to use a special counter agent before I could even start to heal it. Even then, I wasn't able to fix you up completely." She looked at him apologetically. "I'm afraid you'll have to be careful with it for the next week or so and let it heal on its own."
Harry frowned and decided to change the subject.
"Do you know what's happening with Sirius Black?"
"Now, don't get yourself riled up," Madame Promfrey said, dodging the question. "The headmaster will be in first thing in the morning to answer your questions, until then you should try to get some more rest. I'm certain you're not fully recovered, and don't even think about trying to leave." She glared at Harry, who shrugged and nodded. Satisfied, the matron set a potion on the table next to him and walked back to her office.
When she had gone, Harry realized that he actually did still feel rather drained, especially magically, and decided to take her advice. He downed the potion that had been left for him and climbed back into bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
He awoke the next morning feeling much more rested than the night before. As he devoured the breakfast that had been left for him by the house elves, the doors to the hospital wing opened and Sirius Black walked in. When he saw Harry, his face lit up and he held out his hands, motioning to his new clothes.
"Well, what do you think?" Sirius asked with a laugh. "You think freedom suits me?"
Harry's eyes widened. "You're free? Officially?"
"Got the official pardon yesterday," Sirius answered proudly. "And a nice little settlement to boot." His face became serious. "Harry, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me yesterday. Without you, I would have been kissed for sure."
"I'm just glad you're free," Harry said earnestly. "Did they find Pettigrew?"
"No, the rat got away, again," Sirius growled. "But Shacklebolt had his confession under veritaserum, and everybody saw him before he escaped, so I'm in the clear." His face regained its happy expression. "Actually, there's something else-" He began, but stopped when the doors to the hospital opened and Dumbledore entered.
"Ah, I see you've beat me to it," the headmaster said with a smile. "It's good to see you awake, Harry. How are you feeling?"
"Much better," Harry answered politely. He noticed that Sirius had a strange expression on his face and gave him a questioning look. Sirius shook his head slightly and Harry turned back to Dumbledore.
"Have you told him the news yet, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, twinkling madly.
"What news?" Harry asked, looking back and forth between the two older wizards.
"Well," Sirius began. "I was thinking about what you told me about your guardian problems, and it turns out that since I'm innocent, I'm your legal guardian." Seeing Harry's eyes widen at the implication, he held up his hand. "Now hear me out. I'm your legal guardian, but I'm also a pure-blood with plenty of money, which makes me eligible to adopt your sister as well. So, if you'll have me, I, uh, well," he took a deep breath. "I'd like to adopt you and Row."
Harry was stunned for a moment, but it passed quickly, and he considered what Sirius had said.
"The minister agreed to this?" He asked Dumbledore.
"Apparently, the minister was under the impression that he would receive some rather bad press if he did not," the headmaster said, his twinkle increasing. "I believe it had something to do with your Godfather's false imprisonment, but I cannot be sure."
Harry looked at Sirius questioningly. "You blackmailed the Minister of Magic?"
"I never did have much respect for authority," Sirius said with a grin.
Harry was silent for a moment as he considered this new opportunity. "Well, you'll have to meet Row, and Jack," he said, thinking ahead.
"Already done," Sirius said quickly. "I met them both yesterday, and then again this morning. They're both waiting to see you, in fact."
"I have taken the liberty of excusing both Miss Thomas and yourself from classes today," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You can see them whenever you are ready."
"Then I'm ready now." Harry said immediately. Dumbledore nodded and made his way over to the doors, leaving Harry and Sirius alone.
"What's wrong, Sirius?" Harry asked quietly. "You've had a strange look on your face since Dumbledore came in."
"It's nothing," Sirius answered immediately. Harry looked at him skeptically and Sirius sighed. "It's just that, well, he thought I was guilty," Sirius admitted slowly. "I'm not sure how I feel about that. He was our leader, and I fought for him, but he didn't even try to get me a trial before they sent me away." He shook his head. "I know I can't expect him to know everything, and it really did look like I was the traitor, but still, he should have done something, anything…" He trailed off.
"Don't put too much faith in Dumbledore," Harry answered quietly. "He's just as human as you or I."
"I suppose, and I'm not really mad, exactly, I'm just…" Sirius paused as he searched for the right word. "I guess I'm just confused."
"That's understandable."
"Yeah, I suppose it is," Sirius said thoughtfully. "Hopefully it will all work out in time." He smiled. "At least now I've actually got time, that's gotta count for something."
Harry nodded just as the hospital doors opened again and Jack and Row came rushing in, followed by Dumbledore.
"Careful Row," Harry said as his sister approached. "I'm still a little sore."
"I'm just glad you're alright," Row sniffed, giving him a small hug before turning to Sirius. "H-Hello Mr. Black."
Sirius chuckled. "Didn't I tell you to call me Sirius?"
"She gets shy," Jack said, shaking Sirius's hand. Row glared and punched him in the arm.
"I can see that," Sirius chuckled. "I'll let you three talk for a minute." He smiled at the group before walking over to where Dumbledore was standing.
"So you guys already know about Sirius wanting to adopt us?" Harry asked his siblings.
"He told us yesterday," Row admitted.
"And?"
"And it seems too good to be true," Jack said honestly. "You two are already friends, and he even agreed that we should all live together, just like the Diggorys. Besides," Jack said with a grin. "I like the guy."
"That's because he's as big a kid as you are," Row grumbled, but grinned nonetheless.
"What'd you think about it, Row?" Harry asked her seriously.
"I like him too, Harry," Row replied. "He does seem a little immature, but he's nice, and he obviously cares a lot about you, so I think it's great. The real question is what do you think? You know him the best, after all."
"Yeah," Harry said with a slow nod. "I'm just a little worried that he's going to take the whole guardian thing too seriously. Sometimes he gets these ideas that he needs to protect me from things that I can obviously deal with, and I'm afraid it will get worse."
"Maybe if he knew you better, he wouldn't do that," Row said wisely.
"Let's be honest with ourselves," Jack broke in. "No matter what you decide, you're going to have to deal with adults telling you what to do; it just comes with the territory. At least with Sirius you know you'll be able to talk to him, and who knows? Maybe he'll even understand."
Harry thought about that for a moment before he came to a decision.
"You both think we should do it?" He asked, both his siblings nodded. "Then we will." Both Jack and Row broke into smiles.
"Hey Sirius!" Jack called loudly. "Looks like you've got some new roommates!"
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It took nearly a full minute for Sirius to realize that Harry was actually agreeing to live with him, and then it took another five to calm him down. Once he had stopped thanking everyone in sight, Sirius and Dumbledore went to the Ministry to make everything official, and Harry and Row showed Jack around Hogwarts.
"Wicked," Jack said softly as he observed one of the school ghosts float through a nearby wall. "I can't believe this is a school, it feels more like an amusement park."
Row giggled. "Actually, after a while you don't even notice."
"I wouldn't go that far," Harry said reasonably. "It's more that strange things stop surprising you."
"You mean like that?" Jack snorted as they passed a painting of an elderly wizard being chased by what appeared to be an overgrown tomato.
"Exactly like that."
Jack just shook his head. "What about Quidditch? That sounded fun, where do you play?"
"I already told you," Row said impatiently. "We can see the pitch after you see the lake."
"What's there to see? It's a lake!"
"First rule of Hogwarts," Row said with a superior grin. "Nothing is 'just' anything. Sure, it's a lake, but it also happens to be home to a giant squid and a colony of merpeople."
"You have Mermaids in your lake?" Jack asked, astonished. "I take it back then, show me the lake."
The three continued to trade affectionate banter as they made their outside the castle and down towards the lake. As they approached the water's edge, the bell rang, signaling the end of the first period, and a large group of students started walking towards them from the direction of Hagrid's hut.
"Where are they all coming from?" Jack asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Care of Magical Creatures is taught down there," Row answered. "Looks like it was the sixth years."
Row's suspicion was proved right when Harry saw the distinct form of Cedric Diggory break away from the main group and walk towards them.
"Jack? What are you doing here?" He asked as he approached.
"Babysitting," Jack said, straight faced. Row snorted and Cedric laughed.
"Somehow I doubt that," he said with a grin before turning to Harry. "How are you, Harry? After everything with Snape and Pettigrew, I mean."
Harry was speechless for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.
"I guess I should know better than to expect anything to stay secret around here," he said with a shake of his head. "How much does everybody know?"
"Dumbledore made a speech yesterday at dinner," Row said apologetically. "He told everyone about Sirius and Pettigrew, and how you had saved Sirius from being kissed."
"Like I need more attention," Harry groaned. "What about Snape?"
"Somebody overheard the aurors talking about it," Cedric said. "But even without that, it wasn't that hard to piece together. He left right after you did and was brought back unconscious from Hogsmede, which was where you had gone. Add in the fact that everybody knows you hate each other, and…." He shrugged apologetically.
"Anything else?"
"That's about it," Cedric said after thinking for a moment. "A lot of people would love to know what you did to Snape to put him in the hospital wing overnight." He smirked. "I think you'll find that your stock went up with most of the students too."
"I'd rather they just left me alone," Harry said quietly.
Jack snorted. "Like that'll ever happen."
"You're probably right on that one," Cedric answered honestly. "Dumbledore kind of played you up as a hero for finding Pettigrew and protecting Black, so don't be surprised if you get a few awed looks. Hell," he shook his head. "I'm a little in awe myself. Snape, aurors, and then dementors? That's impressive no matter who you are."
"Can't you do anything normal?" Jack asked jokingly.
Cedric laughed. "Normal is overrated anyway. I've gotta get to class, how long are you going to be around, Jack?"
"No idea," Jack said with a shrug.
"Well, if you stick around for a while come find me."
"Sounds good."
"Alright then, later guys." Cedric grabbed his bag and walked briskly back towards the castle.
"You're awful quiet there, sis," Jack said with a smirk.
"What? Oh," Row said quickly. "I was just, uh, thinking. About the whole adoption issue. You don't think the Diggorys will be mad, do you?"
"I don't see why they would," Harry said reasonably. "Sirius is already my guardian, after all."
"I guess that's true," Row mused quietly before looking at Jack curiously. "You and Cedric seemed rather friendly, what was that about?"
"Uh," Jack stammered. "Well, don't be mad, but he came to see me not too long ago." Harry looked up in surprise. "Not for anything bad," Jack said quickly. "But, you know, we were thinking about living with his family, and I'm closer to his age than you are, so he wanted to talk to me about it." Jack shrugged. "We hung out with Christy and a couple of her friends and had a pretty good time."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Harry asked.
"Now, don't take this the wrong way Harry, but you've been pretty busy for the last few weeks. I figured I'd wait until we all got together again, but well…" he shrugged. "I guess it doesn't really matter now, but you seem to have resolved your issues with him too."
"I guess that's true, although I wouldn't exactly call him a friend," Harry said cautiously. "But at least he had the guts to apologize to my face, and he took a pretty big risk by helping me with the Malfoy thing."
"Yeah, he's cool like that," Jack said with a shrug. "What exactly did he do with the Malfoy prank?"
"He was my alibi," Harry answered. "He made sure that Sprout knew he and I were practicing, and then made sure it was visible for everybody to see."
"How'd he do that?"
"I can't say, sorry," Harry said, shaking his head. "I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone."
"I've been trying to find out how he did it for two weeks," Row said with an exasperated look. "That's the only thing he'll say."
"Ah well," Jack said, shrugging. "I guess some things are better left unknown. Plus I can always ask him if I want to." He grinned as he turned to look back towards the lake. "Now, where's this giant squid?"
The three spent the rest of the morning touring the grounds of Hogwarts, and soon it was lunchtime. Together, they headed back to the Great Hall and took seats at the end of the Ravenclaw table. Harry took a quick survey of the hall as they entered, doing his best to ignore all the awed looks he was getting.
"We're glad you're alright, Harry," Padma said as she took a seat near the group.
"Thanks," Harry replied, giving the table a small smile.
"Look, there's Hermione," Row said as the bushy-haired girl entered the hall. "HERMIONE! OVER HERE!"
Hermione appeared slightly startled at hearing her named called out in the Great Hall, but when she saw Harry sitting next to Row at the Ravenclaw table she immediately started towards them.
"Hi Harry," she said as she approached. "And you're Jack, right?" Jack looked a little surprised and nodded. "I met you in Diagon Alley once," Hermione clarified before turning back to Harry. "How are feeling, Harry? Professor Dumbledore said you'd been injured."
"I'm fine now," Harry assured her. "I was just tired, mostly."
"And who wouldn't be?" Padma said seriously. "Dumbledore told us how you managed to fight off the Ministry aurors and dementors."
Harry frowned at that skewed version of events, but said nothing.
"Ok Harry, tell us the truth," Sarah said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Did you really fight Snape and beat him?"
"It wasn't much of a fight, really," Harry said slowly. "I caught him by surprise and knocked him out; I don't think he even saw me."
"Too bad you didn't kill him," Jack muttered, shooting a glare towards the head table. It took him a moment to realize that Snape was absent, as was the headmaster.
"Uh, isn't he your uncle?" Padma asked uncertainly.
"A bastard is all he is," Jack answered with a snort. "As far I'm concerned, my only family is sitting at this table."
"Same here," Row said firmly.
"Fair enough, I guess," Padma said with a shrug, still looking slightly confused. "So how long are you here for, Jack?"
"I'll probably head back after lunch," Jack answered in between bites. "I'm sure Harry has things to do, and I should get back anyway."
"How did you get here, anyway?" Harry asked curiously.
"Dumbledore came and got me himself, actually," Jack answered. "He brought a portkey that told me to come to his office when I was ready to go back."
"Not to sound inconsiderate," Sarah said slowly. "But this isn't the first time Harry's been in the hospital, so why did he get you this time?"
"There was some other stuff going on," Harry said vaguely. "If everything works out, Row should be able to tell you tomorrow. Until then, you'll just have to trust us." Harry suddenly remembered something and turned to Hermione. "I assume you know why I asked you to look for Weasley's rat now?"
Hermione gave him a confused look. "No, why? Should I?"
Harry frowned. "What did Dumbledore say about Pettigrew?"
"Just that he had snuck into Hogwarts and you'd caught him," Hermione said, clearly puzzled.
"He didn't say how he snuck in?" Hermione shook her head no. "He was an animagus, a rat animagus, to be precise." Hermione's eyes widened and Harry nodded. "Exactly. Weasley's rat wasn't a rat at all, it was Pettigrew the whole time."
"That's why you were upset when it went missing," Hermione said in understanding. "And why you had me look for it, you found out it was him."
"Uh, somebody want to explain what's going on here?" Padma broke in, looking befuddled.
"You can tell them," Harry said to Hermione. "I'm going to speak with Dumbledore."
"I don't think he's back yet," Jack said, looking once again at the headmaster's empty seat.
"That's weird," Harry said, frowning. "He said they'd be back by lunch at the latest." He thought for a moment before reaching a decision. "I'm going up to his office anyway."
"In that case, I'll come with you," Jack said, standing up. He reached over and gave Row a hug. "It's time for me to get out here anyway."
Row bid her eldest brother farewell and he and Harry made their out of the hall and up towards the headmaster's office. It wasn't until they reached the gargoyle that Harry realized he didn't know the password.
"Licorice wand," Jack said, surprising his brother. "He gave me the password earlier," the older boy explained. Harry nodded in understanding and was about to reply when he heard a very loud voice he immediately recognized as Snape's coming from inside the office.
"…absolutely unacceptable!" The potions master way saying. "It's bad enough she has to live with Potter, which, may I remind you, I only agreed to on your insistence, but this is too far headmaster!"
"It cannot be helped, Severus," came Dumbledore calm reply. "The papers have been filed and the matter is closed."
Harry glanced at Jack, who grinned. They could almost feel Snape fuming.
"Time to crash the party," Jack said with a smirk as he knocked on the door.
"Who's that?" Snape said suspiciously.
"If you would take a seat over here, Severus," Dumbledore said, motioning to the seat farthest from the door. Still fuming, Snape complied. "Come in Mr. Thomas, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore greeted.
Jack opened the door and entered the room first, despite Harry's attempt to block him.
"Well, isn't this a surprise," Jack said with mock astonishment. "Something wrong, Snape?" He spat the last word like a curse.
"You and your filthy-" Snape began.
"That is quite enough, from both of you," Dumbledore interrupted calmly. "Severus, there is nothing more to be done, I'm afraid. You are welcome to see for yourself, however."
Snape, however, was glaring at the new entrants so viciously that it appeared he was trying to decide whose head he wanted to rip off first.
"What's he still doing here?" Harry asked, subconsciously shifting into a defensive stance. Next to him, Jack did the same.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Harry," Dumbledore answered.
"He attacked me," Harry replied incredulously. "And he used a lot more than stunners. Whatever curse he hit me with was so vicious that Madame Pomfrey couldn't even heal it completely. How can you possibly not know what I mean?"
Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple, Harry," he said calmly, forestalling Snape's objection. "There are other matters to consider."
"Well, isn't this cute," Jack said sarcastically. "Afraid to fight your own battles, Snape?" He snorted. "Then again, I guess we all know how the last one turned out." He glanced at Harry and smirked.
Snape growled and reached for his wand, but Dumbledore was faster and abruptly there was a shimmering blue shield between the two sides.
"Slimy git," Jack muttered.
"Here is your portkey, Mr. Thomas," Dumbledore said, ignoring his comment. "Harry can activate it for you whenever you are ready. It will please you both to know that all the proper paperwork has been filed with the Ministry, and Sirius is now your official guardian Harry." He smiled softly at them before straightening. "If there's nothing else?"
"I think that's it," Harry said slowly, watching Snape out of the corner of his eye.
"Very well then. Sirius should bee here soon to discuss your future plans, I shall see then."
Recognizing their dismissal, Jack and Harry turned and walked out of the office, but not before Jack shot one final mocking look at Snape.
When the two had gone, Dumbledore took a deep breath and removed the shield.
"How can you let those brats get away with this!" Snape exploded.
Dumbledore sighed and rubbed the bridge of nose tiredly. "This cannot continue, Severus." He said quietly.
"If you were not so hesitant to discipline the boy, it wouldn't!"
"Is that so?" Dumbledore replied with a piercing look. "Is that why you felt the need to use dark magic on a student?"
Snape snorted. "The boy may be stupid, but he's also dangerous. You know what he can do, and trust me, those blasting curses weren't exactly harmless."
"Be that as it may, we have been over this many times before, and yet it seems that we are no closer to a resolution," Dumbledore said tiredly. "Therefore, I believe it would be best for all involved if you were to take the rest of the year off."
"W-What?" Snape stuttered, astonished.
"You will remain a member of the Hogwarts staff for the rest of the year, but you will not be teaching," Dumbledore said firmly. "Your salary will remain the same, which should give you ample means to travel if that is what you desire. All that I ask is this," he looked at Snape seriously. "Think very hard about what you are doing, Severus, and why you are doing it. If you no longer wish to be a full Professor, I'm sure we could work out some other arrangement."
Snape shook his head angrily. "Why must you cater to his every whim!" He snarled.
Dumbledore gave him a piercing look. "You, of all people, should know how important Harry Potter is to us, Severus."
Snape looked confused for a moment before quickly regaining his sneer. "Prophecies have been wrong before," he said carefully. "For all we know, it was fulfilled when the Dark Lord was thrown from his body." He eyed Dumbledore shrewdly. "Unless there was more….."
"Are you willing to take that chance, Severus?"
"You know I'm not."
"Nor am I," Dumbledore replied. "It is imperative, therefore, that we continue to build trust with Mr. Potter. It would please me greatly if you and he were able to overcome your mutual animosity, but since that does not appear to be possible, I will settle for merely separating the two of you." Dumbledore leaned forward and regarded Snape seriously. "No matter what you decide, I will always consider you a valued member of this staff, Severus."
For a moment, Snape looked torn between anger and acceptance, but eventually his respect for the headmaster won out and he seemed to deflate.
"May I keep my quarters in the castle?"
"I will not force you to completely vacate your quarters, however I do ask that you only use them when it is absolutely necessary. I have taken the liberty of acquiring a temporary home for you." Dumbledore reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper. "I hope it is acceptable."
Snape took the paper with a nod and put it into his pocket.
"There is one more thing," Dumbledore said carefully. "I trust I can count on your discretion with respect to Mr. Potter's unique talents. It would not do for the information to become public knowledge."
Snape sneered but nodded. "I'll keep your secrets, but mark my words, headmaster: that boy will never be what you want him to be."
"I am truly sorry it has come to this, Severus," Dumbledore said sadly. "However, I sincerely hope that this time away will allow you to come to terms with what it means to be a Professor here." And how dangerous Harry Potter really could be. He added silently.
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After Jack had taken his the portkey back to their flat, Harry found Row and the rest of the girls in the library.
"Is it official?" Row asked as he approached.
"It's official," Harry said with a smile, causing Row to grin excitedly.
"What's official?" Padma asked, confused. Row looked at Harry questioningly and he nodded.
"Go ahead, I need to talk to Tracey and Blaise anyway," Harry said, spying his Slytherin friends at another table. He made his way towards them as Row launched into her story.
"Well, if it isn't the conquering hero himself," Blaise said as he approached. "You know, for someone who doesn't like attention you sure end up on the front page a lot."
"Blaise!" Tracey hissed, glaring at him. "Are you ok Harry?" She asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Harry replied dismissively. "I heard Dumbledore made a speech to the school though. How bad was it?"
"It wasn't bad at all," Tracey began, but Blaise interrupted.
"I believe his exact words were, 'Harry Potter continues to do us all great service in the face of incredible personal risk,' and that you should be 'commended for your efforts'." He broke in, smirking. Harry groaned.
"Well, it's true," Tracey said, glaring at Blaise.
Blaise shook his head. "That's irrelevant. Potter doesn't want that kind of attention whether it's true or not. Am I right?"
"You're not wrong," Harry said, leaning back in his chair.
"But you did a good thing," Tracey said, perplexed. "Why shouldn't you get credit for it?"
"I don't really care about that," Harry said with a shrug. "I didn't do it so I could take credit for it, I just did it. End of story."
"Good luck selling that story to the prophet," said Blaise, earning him another glare from Tracey.
"Why do you have to be so sarcastic all the time?" She asked angrily. "Not everything happens for your personal amusement, you know." With that, she stood hastily and walked out of the library.
Blaise looked shocked at Tracey's outburst, and Harry looked him questioningly.
"What was that about?"
"I don't know," Blaise said, shaking his head. "Something else is bothering her, maybe?"
Harry just shrugged noncommittally and began to let his mind wander to the possible consequences of Dumbledore's speech when someone cleared their throat right next to him. Startled, Harry and Blaise looked over to find Daphne Greengrass standing at the edge of their table looking contrite.
"Hey Potter, Zabini," she greeted softly. "Look, I know I haven't been very nice to you, either of you really, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what Malfoy was doing behind your back. I wanted to tell you, really, but…" she trailed off miserably.
Harry's brow furrowed in confusion and he looked over at Blaise, who was sneering.
"You actually expect us to believe that?" Blaise asked incredulously.
Daphne's shoulders slumped. "I guess not, and I suppose I really can't blame you. I just wanted to apologize. I'll leave now." She turned quickly and walked away, shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Can you believe that?" Blaise said as she left.
"Yeah, that was strange," Harry agreed. "She hasn't spoken a civil word to me all year, and now she apologizes for what Malfoy did?" He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose it's possible that she knew about it before and Malfoy made her keep quiet…" He mused.
Blaise scoffed. "There isn't a person alive who could stop Greengrass from spreading something she wanted to spread. Don't let the innocent schoolgirl act fool you, Potter, she didn't mean a word of that apology."
"Then why apologize at all?"
Blaise shook his head. "I don't know, but rest assured, it wasn't because she feels bad. She wants something."
"It's possible," Harry admitted. "But don't you think it's just as likely that she's simply tired of dealing with Malfoy?"
"There's no way it's that simple."
"Honestly, I don't really care, one way or the other," Harry said earnestly. "If she stops hanging around with Malfoy, more power to her. If not, oh well." He shrugged. "Either way, it doesn't really affect me, so if her apology means she's going to be more civil towards me, then her reasons don't matter." Harry looked up and saw that Blaise was giving him a very strange look. "What?"
"I just don't get you, Potter," Blaise answered, shaking his head. "People like, Malfoy, Greengrass, and I have been taught how to play this game our whole lives, and for the last two years, everything played out exactly as expected. Then you get here and screw everything up without even trying." He laughed incredulously. "And the best part is, you don't even care. At first I thought it was just an act, but now I think you really, honestly, don't care. I mean, after Dumbledore's little speech you could have the entire school literally eating out of your hand if you wanted to, and instead you complain about the extra attention!"
Harry's expression didn't change. "So?"
Blaise looked at him dumbly for a moment before barking a quick laugh. "I guess that's what I get for stating the obvious." He paused for a moment as his chuckles subsided.
Harry looked at Blaise thoughtfully for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to say something.
"You know why I don't care, Blaise?" He finally said. "You practically said it yourself already. You and Greengrass were raised to play these little word games because eventually that's what will be expected of you; that's your world. But it isn't mine. I was perfectly happy living in the muggle world, and if given a choice, I would have stayed there."
"Why are you here, then?"
"Because you bastards wouldn't leave me alone," Harry said it half-jokingly, but Blaise could tell there was truth behind the words. "And that's why I hate the extra attention. I don't like the fact that I'm famous for something I had no control over, and I like it even less that that fame makes me a target for people like Malfoy. I came here to learn magic, that's it. I didn't come here to make a lot of friends and be popular."
"Mission accomplished, then."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Ha ha."
"You'd really rather live in the muggle world?" Blaise asked skeptically. "Why?"
Harry remained silent, and for a moment Blaise thought that he wasn't going to answer. Finally, he spoke.
"I can't relax here," Harry began softly. "Ever. Every wizard with a wand in their pocket who sees this damn scar is a potential threat." He shook his head slowly. "I guess it's different for you since you were raised as a wizard, but for me, the idea that any random guy off the street can incapacitate you without a word is unnerving, to say the least. A silent stunner or a body bind and you're completely helpless. Even worse, a quick memory charm and you won't remember a damn thing. And that's not even counting spells like the imperious curse." He closed his eyes with a pained look on his face. "Most wizards can use any number of those spells, and they can use them at any time, for any reason. It's not like that in the muggle world. There, if you can defend yourself from physical attack, chances are you'll be fine. There's so many different ways to be attacked here, and so many different things to defend yourself from." He sighed heavily. "It makes it much harder."
"You make it sound like the wizarding world is a constant war zone," Blaise said skeptically. "It's not like wizards go around attacking each other for fun."
"No, but the opportunity is always there," Harry countered. "Are you telling me that Malfoy Sr. wouldn't take the opportunity to curse me if he was sure he could get away with it?" Blaise looked skeptical but said nothing. "He would, and you know it. So would his son, and probably a lot of other people, all because I don't fit in with their system, and I won't take their shit." He paused for a moment before continuing questioningly. "Answer this for me, Blaise, how do you think Voldemort got so powerful?"
Blaise cringed. "Please don't say that name."
"Why not?" Harry challenged. "Why are you afraid of it, of him? What makes you fear Voldemort?"
"Look, I understand the whole 'don't fear the name' thing, but the fact is that saying the Dark Lord's name got a lot of people killed in the last war. It's not like Death Eaters walked around with a sign on their back for everyone to see. In fact, you could never be sure who was working for him and who wasn't, and if the wrong person heard you, well, that was it." Harry shot Blaise a piercing look. "What?"
"What you just said? That's exactly what I'm talking about. You never knew who was working for him, and that's precisely the problem. You could have been friends with somebody for 10 years, then one day he walks into your office, shakes your hand, and hits you with an imperious curse. Then he hits you with a memory charm to make you forget who cast the curse, and sends you out to murder your friends. Don't you see, each and every person in the wizarding world has the ability to do that anytime they want, for any reason. No matter how petty or stupid."
"Actually, that's not true," Blaise interrupted. "There's plenty of witches and wizards who can't perform the imperious or a memory charm."
"Can you tell who they are by sight?"
"Well, no," Blaise admitted. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Because if you can't tell by sight, then every person you pass on the street has that potential, and therefore you must assume the worst."
"I guess that makes sense," Blaise admitted grudgingly. "But I still think this is pretty ridiculous. It's not like everybody is out to get you."
"You don't understand," Harry sighed heavily. "It only takes one. It's the same principle as before. If there is even one person out there who really is out to get me, then every person on the street is potentially that person, which means I have to be constantly prepared."
"How is that different than in the muggle world?" Blaise countered. "A wizard could just as easily get you there."
Harry considered that for a moment before holding up three fingers. "Three reasons. One: most wizards stick out like a sore thumb in the muggle world already, and wouldn't be hard to spot. Two: I'm much more likely to be recognized in the wizarding world than in the muggle world, unless someone is specifically looking for me, in which case it doesn't matter where I am, because they'll come after me regardless. At least in the muggle world, I don't have to worry about someone deciding to take a shot at me because I happen to be alone somewhere. Unlike here, muggles don't whisper and point as I pass by. Three: the muggle world is quite large. Unlike the wizarding world, you don't see the same people every single day, and it's actually possible to go somewhere and not bump into somebody that you've met before. It's quite refreshing."
"But they're, well, muggles," Blaise finally said.
"And I'm just a muggle who can do magic," Harry replied with a shrug.
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It does if you think about it." Harry said seriously. "Magic is something I can do, Blaise, not who I am."
Blaise looked thoughtful for a moment and then suddenly started chuckling.
"You know what?" He said as he laughed. "I think this is the most you've ever said about yourself, and it's been almost an entire year."
"I still don't trust you, if that's what you're worried about," said Harry. Blaise grinned.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
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When Harry returned to his normal classes the next day he was greeted with the pointed looks and whispers that he was expecting. However, when it became clear that all potions lessons for the rest of the week had been cancelled because Snape would no longer be teaching, his unwanted popularity reached a whole new level.
As he walked into Defense against the Dark Arts that afternoon, he was greeted with a standing ovation from the Gryffindors, and dark looks from the majority of his housemates.
"What's the matter Malfoy?" Ron Weasley said mockingly. "Something wrong? Why don't you run and tell Snape like you always do? Oh wait, that's right! You can't!" A number of the Gryffindors laughed.
"Who knew Potter was good for something after all?" Lavender Brown said loud enough for the entire room to hear. Next to her, Pavarti giggled and looked mockingly at Harry, who ignored her. With a sigh, he took a seat next to Hermione at the front of the room and focused on ignoring the argument that was sure to break out. Finally, Lupin came out of his office and began the lesson, which was on the different ways to spot a vampire allegiance and know how to deal with it. As usual, Harry enjoyed the lecture because it was one of few classes he had where he didn't already know most of the material, having never studied dark creatures on his own.
As the bell rang, Lupin motioned for Harry to stay, so he packed his bag and approached the front desk as the rest of the class filed out.
"I didn't get the chance before now, but I wanted to congratulate you, Harry," Lupin said, smiling. "I hear you conjured quite the patronus during your little scuffle."
"I couldn't have done it without your help, sir," Harry said seriously. "Thank you."
"No, Harry, it's I who should be thanking you," Lupin replied. "You've given me a second chance with a friend I thought was long gone. I don't think Sirius and I can ever really repay you."
"I'm just glad everything worked out."
"So am I. Although I have to say it's a good thing you know how to take care of yourself, Harry," Lupin said with a grin. "Sirius was never the most responsible of people. Fun, yes. Responsible? Well…" He trailed off with an amused shrug.
"Have you talked to him since he was acquitted?"
Lupin nodded. "Yes, we had a long talk the night you spent in the hospital wing. It was hard, at first, since each of us thought the other guilty back then. But we got through it, and now I'm just happy to have my old friend back." Lupin smiled at Harry before glancing at his watch. "Well, it appears I've made you late. I'll write you a note and let you be on your way." He summoned a quill and parchment and began to write. "You know, Sirius couldn't stop talking about how you'll be living with him now," he said as he wrote. "He's quite happy about it."
"So am I sir," Harry replied honestly. "So am I."
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As expected, the next few weeks were very tedious for Harry as he was forced to endure an ever increasing amount of attention from the rest of the Hogwarts student body. As a result, he found himself spending even more time than usual practicing on his own in empty classrooms throughout the school. Although he still practiced with Row and sometimes Hermione, working to develop their defensive spells, Harry also continued to work on his own original ideas in addition to studying ahead in his classes. By the time March gave way to April, the Hogwarts rumor mill had turned most of its attention away from Harry, dedicating itself instead to the upcoming Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor; something that suited Harry just fine.
The Saturday before the match, Harry was returning to the castle after an afternoon of flying when he saw his sister walk out of the castle and over towards him.
"There you are," Row huffed as he approached. "I've been looking for you since lunch, and it's almost time for dinner. Speaking of which," she grinned, "you must be pretty happy that you skipped lunch today."
"And why would that be?"
"You don't know?" Row checked her watch and shook her head. "It's better if you see for yourself, come on." She grabbed his arm and him back inside the castle.
When they arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall, Harry's eyes slid over to the Slytherin table before widening in astonishment. Each and every Slytherin present had red and gold stripes decorating their faces, like they had all been sent through a giant candy striping machine. The Gryffindors, of course, were loving every minute of it.
"I always knew that Slytherins were really closet Gryffindors!" Yelled someone at the far end of the Gryffindor table.
"Don't worry, we'll dedicate our victory to them!" Someone else yelled back. The entire table laughed loudly.
"This happened at lunch?" Harry asked his sister quietly.
"Yep," Row affirmed. "Just when we were ready to leave, all the Slytherins starting breaking out in stripes." She giggled. "And let me just say, I don't think stripes are Malfoy's style."
"I don't really see what's so funny," Harry said, eyeing the Gryffindor table. "It's not even that embarrassing."
Row shook her head. "Maybe not for you, Harry, but look at your friend Blaise. He looks about ready to kill somebody." She stifled a laugh before continuing. "For most of them, being called a Gryffindor is about the worst insult I can think of, especially with the match coming up."
"Why haven't any of them reversed it yet?"
"Not everybody is Harry Potter, that's why," Row said with a smirk. "Plus it was probably the Weasley twins, and they're pranks are notoriously hard to reverse properly."
"Hey Potter!" Called Blaise from his seat.
"That's my cue," Row said as she took off for the Ravenclaw table.
"Hey, why weren't you at lunch?" One of the older Slytherins asked suspiciously as Harry approached. "If you knew about this, I'll-"
"You'll what?" Harry asked, stopping to look the other boy in the eye.
"I'll, uh…."
"He always misses lunch on Saturday," Blaise said as he walked up. "He uses the Quidditch pitch because no one else is on it."
"Oh," the older boy said dumbly. He stood awkwardly for a moment before turning back to the table.
"You're a lucky bastard," Blaise muttered as he and Harry walked over to their seats.
"Nobody's been able to reverse it?"
"They put a potion in the food," Blaise answered shortly. "All we can do is wait for it to wear off."
"You could use a flushing draught."
"You have one handy?" Harry shook his head. "Didn't think so, and without Snape here, we can't get ingredients, so we're screwed." He paused and lowered his voice. "It's alright though, they'll get theirs."
"How's that?"
"Just wait, it'll be soon."
Harry shot Blaise a calculating look before moving his eyes over the Gryffindor table, which was still full of laughter and finger pointing. With a shrug, Harry ran a detection charm on his food and started to eat.
About 10 minutes later, Harry began to feel uneasy. He couldn't put his finger on why, but he felt like something was building up, about to explode. He was just about to say something when he was shocked by a large explosion followed by loud cries from the Gryffindor table.
Harry was on his feet instantly, ready to defend himself, only to look on in confusion as Blaise and many of the other Slytherins started laughing. Looking back at the Gryffindors, he saw that many of them were covering in food and running away from their table as fast as they could. Looking closer, he saw the reason for their sudden fear: two very long and menacing snakes which were gliding across the table.
Realizing this must have been what Blaise was talking about, Harry relaxed and sat back down.
"Your idea?" He asked Blaise casually.
"Nah, I just heard about it," Blaise answered. "Good one though, don't you think?"
Harry shrugged. "It obviously worked pretty well."
"Look at the cowards run!" Marcus Flint yelled at the huddled Gryffindors. "What happened to bravery and courage?" He called mockingly. "I guess all it takes is a little snake and they run like girls!" The Slytherin table guffawed loudly.
"That's quite enough, Mr. Flint," said Dumbledore as he materialized in-between the two groups. "Now, would someone care to explain who did this?"
As Flint began to stammer excuses, Harry tuned him out and turned back to Blaise.
"What's with the animosity all of a sudden, anyway?" He asked his friend.
"Quidditch," Blaise said with a shrug. "House pride is on the line, and so is the cup."
"It'll get worse, too," Tracey said, joining the conversation.
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"I mean that boys like those idiotic Weasley twins will keep trying to one up each other until the match," Tracey said with a scowl. "So immature."
"And you're not?" Blaise challenged. "Miss 'I can't believe cosmetic charms won't cover this?'"
"That's different," Tracey said, flushing slightly.
"Sure it is."
"It is," Tracey said stubbornly. "You're a boy, and therefore incapable of understanding what really matters."
"I'm really glad you two are talking again," Harry said sarcastically.
Blaise just scoffed before turning to him.
"Women, eh? What're you gonna do? You can't live with 'em……" Harry waited for him to finish the sentence but Blaise just turned back to his dinner, completely ignoring the growing look of outrage on Tracey's face.
------------------------------------------------
As Tracey predicted, the prank rivalry between the two houses continued to escalate throughout the week. On Wednesday, the sixth year Defense class turned into an all out brawl, resulting in numerous detentions and a few overnight stays in the hospital wing. Harry, for the most part, managed to keep himself out of the Gryffindors' cross hairs, but whether they were avoiding him or he was just lucky he didn't know.
That Thursday, he was getting ready to leave the Great Hall following dinner when Row and Sarah came up to him.
"Library?" Row asked as they approached. Harry nodded. "Ok, I'll ohh!" Row's feet slid out from under her as she started up the steps, and she toppled backwards. Harry instantly dropped his bag to help, catching her only inches from the ground.
"I can't believe you caught her," Sarah said with a whistle. "That was really fast."
"Are you ok?" Harry asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Row said, making a show of dusting herself off. "It was just a little slip." Harry nodded and the three resumed walking.
"Do you smell something funny?" Sarah asked, glancing around with a confused look on her face.
"I don't smell anything," Row said, testing the air. "Harry?"
"I don't either."
Sarah shrugged it off and the three continued to file out of the hall with the other students. As they were approaching the exit to the grounds, the traffic suddenly became very thick, and they could hear shouting coming from in front of them.
"What's going on?" Row asked nobody in particular.
"A bunch of Gryffs are blocking the way," an older Ravenclaw replied. "Said they have something to show us."
"It's probably just another prank," another said in a bored tone.
"MY DEAR CLASSMATES!" Came the amplified voice of Lee Jordan. "THANK YOU FOR COMING! I'D ESPECIALLY LIKE TO THANK OUR SLYTHERIN VICTIMS, ER, I MEAN FRIENDS, FOR SHOWING UP SO PROMPTLY! NOW, IF I COULD HAVE ALL THE RAVENCLAWS AND HUFFLEPUFFS MOVE TO THE SIDES, PLEASE. TRUST ME, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO BE NEXT TO ANY OF THE SNAKES FOR THIS!"
"What're you playing at, Jordan?" Marcus Flint yelled, forcefully holding a young Hufflepuff girl next to him. Many of the Slytherins present were trying to work their way into the crowd, but most were being rebuffed.
"Let her go, Flint," Cedric Diggory said, grabbing the Slytherin's hand and prying it off the girl.
"Whatever," Flint said as he shoved the girl away.
"Maybe you should move away from me," Harry told Row as he moved into the vacated space.
"Not a chance," Row replied stubbornly. Harry frowned.
"Row, I-"
"NOW THEN," Jordan interrupted. "THE NOBLE HOUSE OF GRYFFINDOR IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE FIRST ANNUAL HOGWARTS HIPPOGRIFF MATING FESTIVAL!" As he finished, the outside doors were thrown open and in rushed a very large and very agitated hippogriff. With a loud cry, it launched itself toward the nearest group of Slytherins, sniffing wildly.
"IF YOU'RE NOT A SLYTHERIN, DON'T WORRY," Jordan reassured the rest of the crowd as they flattened themselves against the walls. "THANKS TO SOME WELL PLACED PHEROMONES, THE SNAKES WILL BE THE ONLY ONES GETTING THE ATTENTION TODAY." The Gryffindors roared with approval as the first group of Slytherins struggled to push each other in front of the beast. Pansy Parkinson went down hard and was immediately accosted by a very amorous hippogriff. "LOOK, BEAKY LIKES IT!" Laughed Jordan. "BUT DON'T BE JEALOUS, HE'S TOO EXCITED TO PICK ONE OF YOU JUST YET! AND DON'T WORRY GUYS, WE HIT YOU ALL WITH FEMALE PHEROMONES, SO YOU'VE GOT A CHANCE TOO!"
By this time, the majority of the Slytherins in the hall were climbing over each other trying to exit the entryway, only to find that all the exits were being blocked. A couple of students started firing curses at the hippogriff, but they were simply absorbed by animal's thick hide. Frustrated, a few students started throwing curses at Lee Jordan and the rest of the Gryffindors, and soon there was a small firefight being waged as Beaky continued his sexual assault of nearby Slytherins.
"Don't stand by us!" A Ravenclaw girl near Harry shrieked. "Go away, go away!"
"He's not going anywhere," Row snapped back her. Harry simply ignored her as he started casting cleansing and air recycling charms on himself to remove the pheromones before he was noticed.
Unfortunately, Seamus Finnegan saw what he was trying to do, and alerted Jordan, who pulled a small vial from his robes and handed it over. Slowly, Seamus wove his way through the crowd, nudging people away from Harry until he and Row were standing alone. Smirking, he threw the vial slightly in front of Harry and Row where it shattered, sending its contents onto their feet and legs.
The effect was instantaneous. The Hippogriff, which currently had its beak buried in Vincent Crabbe's neck, immediately spun and looked at Harry before rushing towards him.
Swearing loudly, Harry pushed Row against the left wall before pulling his wand and racking his brain for a plan. The Hippogriff continued to charge before veering slightly, which confused Harry for a moment, until he realized it was heading straight for Row.
That vial got her too! He realized as he threw himself in between the animal and his sister. Snapping his wand forward, he sent a concussion hex at the beast's legs, causing it to stumble slightly and buying him time to shove Row farther behind him. He threw two more concussion hexes, causing the hippogriff to falter and let out an angry cry. Regaining its footing, the animal reared back and threw itself towards Harry…
…and right into a suit of armor that Harry had summoned before banishing directly at his attacker. The metal suit slammed into the animal with a spectacular crash, sending pieces of armor flying everywhere as the hippogriff was thrown violently back.
"Ok, I think that's enough guys," Fred Weasley said nervously. "Time to use the antidote." He looked at his brother expectantly.
"What are you looking at me for, this wasn't my idea," George said, puzzled.
"It wasn't mine either, but Lee gave you the antidote."
"Well I don't have it."
"Then who's got it?"
"UH, I THINK WE NEED A TEACHER," Lee Jordan called out after overhearing their conversation.
"That won't work, we put up silencing charms," Fred said, now panicking slightly.
"Shit, this isn't good." George said, noticing the slightly more wild looking hippogriff. "You said these things made him harmless!"
"THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO," Lee replied, wincing slightly at his still amplified voice.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Slytherins had caught on to Harry's idea and were banishing everything they could as the not-so-harmless hippogriff. Harry could tell that it was getting angry, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Motioning for Row to start moving, he began to edge his way outside.
Unfortunately, the instant Row began to move Buckbeak's eyed landed on her and he charged. With a curse, Harry banished another suit of armor into the animal's side as he once again put himself in-between Row and danger. The banished armor again sent the hippogriff sprawling, but it recovered much quicker than Harry had anticipated, lashing out with a hoof and landing a glancing blow on his forearm, causing him to drop his wand. Harry grunted in pain and dropped to the ground to avoid another kick, immediately rolling backwards to regain his feet. Now thoroughly enraged, the hippogriff screeched wildly and pressed its attack at Harry, who again moved to shield his sister.
"HARRY!" Row screamed. "HARRY, NO!"
Buckbeak charged again as Harry tried to back away, and he reacted on pure instinct. Rolling under the first kick, Harry spun up into a crouch and summoned Gryffindor's sword, slashing it upwards across his body and slicing through the tendons on the hippogriffs right front leg. As the animal began to fall, he reversed the blade and cut horizontally, opening a vicious gash along the edge of the beast's underbelly. As Buckbeak collapsed with an anguished cry, Harry spun the blade in front of him defensively and stepped smoothly to the side so that he was once again between the beast and Row. As he examined the hippogriff now thrashing about in agony, he realized that the entire hall had gone silent. It took him a moment to realize that not only had he just cut up a wild hippogriff, but he had done so with a sword that he apparently conjured instantaneously without a wand. The fact that said sword was currently covered in blood and being held in a threatening position by an equally bloody Harry Potter probably didn't help either.
Deciding to deal with that later, Harry retrieved his wand before turning his attention to the dying hippogriff. The beast was stiff sniffing wildly despite its pitiful moans, and Harry could tell that the pheromones were still affecting it. In a burst of inspiration, Harry swung his wand in a small circle and cast a bubblehead charm on the injured beast as well as an air recycling charm, guaranteeing that no outside air would reach its nostrils. Immediately, Harry could tell that it was working, as the animal slowly stopped sniffing and its eyes began to lose their wild look, to be replaced by one of mixed anger and pain.
"Somebody get Hagrid!" Harry barked to the crowd. "NOW!" A number of students jumped and ran towards the nearby exit. "Is there anyone here who can cast advanced healing charms?"
"Uh, I can," a seventh year girl said cautiously.
"Can you do anything for him?" Harry asked, indicating the fallen hippogriff. "I don't want you to heal him completely, just stop the bleeding until Hagrid gets here."
"I can try," the girl said, drawing her wand and walking slowly towards them. As she approached, Harry used the incarcerous spell to bind the Hippogriffs back legs. Although the ropes certainly wouldn't hold if the Hippogriff decided to break them, they were still better than nothing.
Harry watched in silence as the older girl began to slowly work on the gash in the Hippogriff's side, but judging from the amount of blood now covering the floor, it was going to take a lot more to save the animal he'd been forced to wound.
"BEAKY! NO, BEAKY!" Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Hagrid, who was carrying a large bag with what Harry hoped were first aid supplies.
"Hang on, do you hear me? HANG ON," Hagrid said hysterically, frantically pulling supplies out of his bag as he began to work on the injured hippogriff.
"Oh my!" Exclaimed professor McGonagall as the entered the room. Professor Flitwick followed soon after. "Is there anything we can do to help Hagrid?" Hagrid just shook his head as he continued to expertly dress and tend the hippogriff's wounds. "Very well," McGonagall said, turning her attention to Harry. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Finnegan, and Messrs Weasley, with me. I'll have that sword, Potter." Harry held the sword for her to take, but it vanished as soon as she grasped the handle. Harry frowned and re-summoned it, once again handing it to the elderly professor.
"Sorry," he muttered. "It does that sometimes."
"I see," McGonagall replied in a choked voice. Her eyes bulged when she examined the blade closely. "It can't be," she gasped quietly.
"I'm afraid it is," Harry replied solemnly. "Are we going to your office?"
"Uh-hem," McGonagall cleared her throat to regain her composure. "No, we will take this matter directly to the headmaster. Follow me."
The group began their trek to the headmaster's office, with all the students except Harry looking like they were on their way to face a firing squad. When they finally entered the office, all the Gryffindors bowed their heads in shame.
"Would someone care to offer an explanation?" Dumbledore asked quietly, his eyes devoid of their usual twinkle.
"I-It was supposed to be a joke, sir," Lee Jordan said nervously. "That's all, it wasn't supposed to be dangerous. I-I didn't know."
"This was your doing, Mr. Jordan?"
"Well…"
"It was my idea too, sir," Seamus said bravely. "Lee and I came up with the idea together, these two had nothing to do with it." He said, motioning to the Weasley twins.
"Is that so?" Dumbledore asked, giving Seamus a piercing look. "Is this true?" He asked the Weasley twins.
"It's true it wasn't our prank," said George.
"But we did help them plan," supplied Fred.
"So we're guilty too," they said together.
"I see," Dumbledore said quietly. "And Mr. Potter? Why was it that he was targeted so specifically?"
"I-I saw him trying to remove the pheromones," Seamus said miserably. He didn't want to admit it, but something about Dumbledore just made him spill his guts. "I threw an extra vial towards him so Buckbeak would come after him." .
"You hit my sister too, you stupid git," Harry snapped, glaring at Seamus. McGonagall gasped at this admission, but Dumbledore simply nodded knowingly
"That's enough, Mr. Potter," the headmaster broke in smoothly. "I believe I have heard enough, you four may leave. Minerva, Harry, if you could stay a moment."
Harry waited patiently for the Gryffindors to leave before seating himself and sighing. This was not going to be a fun conversation.
"Well, Harry," Dumbledore said, picking up Gryffindor's sword gingerly. "I must admit, this is most surprising. May I ask how you came by this blade?"
"Ask him," Harry said, gesturing towards the sorting hat. "He's the one that gave it to me."
For a moment Dumbledore looked confused before his face suddenly cleared in understanding.
"Of course, you used the sword to slay the basilisk. I must admit, I was rather skeptical that you used merely a piece of rock, but I was unable to deduce how else you could have done it." His twinkle increased. "This is very interesting."
"But Albus, the blade, is it really…"
"The blade of Godric Gryffindor himself," Dumbledore answered matter-of-factly. "Although unless I'm very much mistaken, that label may not apply for much longer."
"What do you mean, Albus?" McGonagall questioned.
"I mean that the blade has chosen a new master," Dumbledore replied, turning his gaze to the green-eyed teen. "How long have you been able to control the sword, Harry?"
"Since earlier in the year," Harry said with a sigh. With a thought, he made the blade vanish and re-appear in his hand just to prove his point. "There's still a lot I don't know, but it will come when I call it."
"The blade of Godric Gryffindor chooses a Slytherin as its new master," the headmaster chuckled. "Rather ironic, wouldn't you say Professor?"
McGonagall was speechless, causing Dumbledore to chuckle louder.
"I, -I" she stammered. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I don't know what to say. This is quite a bit to take in."
"Indeed it is," Dumbledore agreed. "And there is still the matter of our resident hippogriff to consider. I'm certain you acted in self defense, Harry, but the fact remains that you've caused rather grievous injury to Buckbeak. I believe it only fitting if you were to help Hagrid tend to him while he recovers."
Harry was silent for a moment before he nodded slightly. "I can accept that." McGonagall's brow furrowed slightly at the idea that he had considered not accepting it, but she said nothing. "I'd hate for Hagrid to think I wanted to hurt one of his pets anyway." His eyes narrowed. "But I can't be sorry I stopped it."
"I understand, of course," Dumbledore replied. "You were protecting both yourself and Miss Thomas. However, looking back on the situation, do you think that fighting Buckbeak as you did was the only course open to you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," Harry answered cautiously.
"If you had not been there, or if you had been unable to fight back for some reason, what do you think would have happened today?"
"I don't know. Why?" Harry asked, confused.
"If we were to remove you from the situation and insert your brother Jack, for instance. How would the situation have played out?"
"Then both of them would have been attacked."
"Indeed they would have," Dumbledore agreed. "But would they have been harmed?"
Harry frowned. "There's no way to know that."
"Perhaps," Dumbledore acknowledged. "But you must admit that none of the other students that fell victim to Buckbeak's, erm, advances, were any the worse for wear afterwards. The only injury they suffered was to their pride."
"Not to be disrespectful, but so what?"
"So if it were your brother there instead of you, isn't it quite probable that the two of them would have suffered nothing more than a slight embarrassment?"
Harry shrugged. "Probably. What's this have to do with me?"
"There is a very popular muggle expression, Harry, 'discretion is the better part of valor.' In this particular instance, if you had acquiesced, so to speak, instead of fighting so desperately, the situation would have ended much more favorably. Now, I am not faulting you," Dumbledore said quickly, forestalling Harry's objection. "You fought to protect yourself and your sister, and you had very little time to make that decision. I do not blame you in the least. I am simply suggesting that such a decision is not always the best one. Sometimes, your purpose may be better fulfilled by exercising discretion in the face of such adversity."
"With all due respect sir, what you're saying doesn't apply here," Harry said firmly. "Sure, it's possible that had I not acted, Row and I would have ended up fine, with nothing more than a bruised ego. But it's also possible that she could have been seriously hurt, and that by the time I realized what was happening, it would too late to save her." He shook his head slowly. "I'll admit, it's likely that we wouldn't have been hurt. I'd go so far as to say it's much more likely, in fact. Unfortunately, that doesn't matter. I won't play a game of chance with her safety, so if there is even the slightest chance that something can harm her, I will eliminate it. I regret that it was necessary for me to hurt the hippogriff, especially when it wasn't even in control of itself, but I do not regret that I did it, and I never will."
"Very well," Dumbledore said, inclining his head slightly. "But regardless of this particular case, this is a matter you must consider. You hold a great power, Harry, and you use it well. However, sometimes the best use of such power is to not use it at all. I would like you to think about that."
Harry considered the old wizard silently for a long time before he finally stood nodded.
"I'll think about it, but I don't think you're going to like the results."
"Only time will tell," Dumbledore replied as Harry made his way to the door. "Only time will tell."
A/N There we go. Not super eventful, I know, but at least Sirius is free, right? Also, a reviewer expressed concern that Lee Jordan and the rest got off without being punished for the Buckbeak incident, but that's not true. Dumbledore hasn't handed the punishment out yet, but rest assured there will be punishment. In any case, the next chapter shouldn't take anywhere near as long. Again, I apologize for the wait, and thanks for reading!