BEYOND SECRETS AND LIES
By: Chiki Yumeshisa
Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I am up to no good. Okay fine! I don't own Harry Potter…all original characters are mine to claim though.
Warnings: None. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 16
- Bad Influences -
"Hello, Harry." Sirius said, warmly. "You've grown since I've last seen you."
"Sorry…." Harry said hesitantly, "but…I don't remember you…."
Sirius grinned, showing two rows of perfect teeth. Although he had a bedraggled appearance, he possessed a ruggedly handsome look that made most people turn their heads to look at him. "Of course not! You were a baby last you saw me, so I wouldn't expect you to remember. James and Lily were so proud of you."
Harry noted the fond tone in the man's voice. "You knew my dad?"
Sirius nodded. "Him and me were best mates."
Snape coughed dryly. "Wonderful memories Black, but we haven't got all day to reminisce. Take care not to do anything drastic to the boy – if you do, you will answer to me." He turned to Harry. "Don't disappoint me any more than you already have, Potter. I shall see you in a week – farewell."
Without waiting for a response, he swept away from them, not looking back and moving down the steps. He enclosed himself once more inside the carriage which immediately pulled away, looking as though it were being moved by some invisible horses.
He was left alone with Sirius, who seemed just as anxious.
As if to remind them, the train blew its horn once in a loud blast, causing the two to jump.
Sirius motioned to the doorway. "We should get going." They hurried on board and found themselves a compartment.
The train was empty for the most part, with one or two passengers other than them on board. Sirius sat down after closing the door behind them, and Harry pointed his wand at his trunk. "Locomotor Trunk." The case obediently floated up to the overhead compartment and settled itself neatly in the corner.
As the train pulled away from the station, Sirius stared at Harry. "You look so much like James….and yet…" He trailed off, looking sad. "…I'm sorry to hear about He said at last.
Not quite sure if Sirius knew about his mental problem or his paternal problems, he did not jump to conclusions. As a person who had learned to be cautious, he was on his guard already.
He was not comfortable being in the presence of a total stranger, and surprisingly enough, he found himself wishing for Snape's company instead – at least he knew the man. For all he knew, this man was no better than his Uncle Vernon, and he shuddered at the mere thought. He remembered Snape's dislike for Sirius and Professor McGonogall's sour face when she had mentioned him.
"Er…sorry…but…" feeling very uncomfortable, Harry tried in vain to figure out what to say next.
"You can call me Sirius." The man said, shrugging. "Mr. Black is way too formal for my taste."
"Uh…Sirius….where exactly are we going?"
"To my place." He said. "It's not much, but I hope you'll enjoy it. You'll have to forgive the state it's in – I haven't been back there in years myself, so I think of it as a homecoming of sorts as well."
Harry had not imagined his suspension to be 'fun' but he could not help but like the way Sirius spoke so freely and calmly. He had a boyish excitement in his voice whenever he said something that Harry relaxed just a bit.
As the trolly came around, Harry was surprised to see Sirius buy a load of junk food, eagerly stuffing them in his mouth. "By Golly, it's been such a long time since I've had a licorice stick! Why didn't you get something?"
Harry smiled tightly. "I can't." He said.
Sirius raised an eyebrow at that, and bit off the end of a Peppermint stick he held in his other end. "Why not?"
"Because of He responded. "Didn't Snape tell you…?"
At the mention of the Professor, Sirius smirked darkly. "Ah, yes, that git – well, he can say whatever he wants – a life isn't complete without some sugar."
Surprised, Harry watched as Sirius took another big bite out of his licorice stick. "In all honesty," He spoke as he chewed, "a little bit of indulgence once in a while won't hurt."
It was Harry's turn to smirk. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't say that when you saw the results of that indulgence."
Sirius waved his hand carelessly. "I don't mind children."
The train jerked and stopped for a moment or two causing the pair to look up in alarm. Before either of them could make a move toward the compartment door, the train began to move again, and Sirius frowned thoughtfully, but decided that it was not a matter of concern and began to open a pack of chocolate frogs. He tossed one to the teen, who caught it clumsily.
Harry began to protest. "I don't - "
"- C'mon, don't be a chicken." Sirius mocked.
He felt his anger spark. "I'm not being a chicken." He said, somewhat hotly. "I just don't want one, okay?" He chucked it back to the man.
Again, Sirius raised an eyebrow but his smile did not fade. "Relax, Harry. I'm not trying to bait you. I understand your condition, but I want you to start living instead of cowering in fear of what could happen: and changing personalities is not such a big deal." He threw the chocolate back to the boy, saying, "Remus was right, you're way too cautious for a boy your age."
Harry held the chocolate in his hands, staring down at the pentagon-shaped box. "I don't like people forcing me to do something I don't want to." He told him.
At that, Sirius began to laugh. "We both know that you want to, Harry!" He pulled a packet of Droobles toward himself, opening it so that the strings popped all over the place, looking like a bunch of party crackers instead of candy. "For The-Boy-Who-Lived, you sure don't live on the edge." He chose to eat a green string, and winked. "If you don't want to eat it, then don't. Just a reminder though, Snape's not around."
At that, Harry laughed. At first, it was a bark of laughter, meant to scoff off Sirius' statement. But then, it turned into a real laugh – and it felt good. He laughed until his sides ached and he didn't care. He would not have been able to explain just why he was laughing, but all the tension seemed to be cut, and when he sobered, a smile stayed on his face. He picked up the chocolate frog and before it could jump out of his hand after opening the container, Harry snatched it up and bit through it.
He waited for something to happen.
Nothing did.
0-0-0-0-0
The House of Black was huge, and well-hidden, as Sirius had said was a good thing. He led Harry inside, the big old door creaking in protest to the kick that was delivered to it to close behind them.
The two had settled into comfortable companionship, and Harry decided that he liked his Uncle. There were still so many things he did not know or understand, but he was not in the mood to think about it or to complain. He was looking forward to some quiet rest and maybe – according to Sirius – some fun.
"You can choose any room you like," Sirius called over his shoulder. "Merlin knows this place has too many." He brushed aside some cobwebs, and moved down the dark hall. It reminded Harry a lot of Durmstrang's dungeons.
He was following behind when all of a sudden, he felt something collide into him. Actually, it collided with his legs for the most part. Gasping and looking down, he was astonished to see the most knobbly creature he had ever seen.
Sirius was of the same opinion. "Kreacher! There you are! You could have at least cleaned the place up before we arrived."
Kreacher bowed so low that Harry had to wonder whether or not the House Elf had a spine at all. "Kreacher is sorry, Master." He said in a croaking voice. "Who is this?"
"That is Harry Potter, a distinguished guest. I don't want you speaking with him. You are to attend to his every need and listen to whatever he tells you."
The House Elf bowed again, but Harry could see that he had narrowed his eyes and was glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. "As Master wishes." And with a crack, Kreacher disappeared.
"Don't mind him." Sirius said cheerfully. "He's never liked me, but I have the same sentiments toward him. I would turn him away, but then that would mean I have to cook and clean all by myself – and living in this empty, dreary house by oneself is very disconcerting."
The question was asked even before Harry could figure out what he was saying. "Why don't you get married then?"
"Oh ho, very funny." Sirius said, leading him up the stairs.
"I was being serious." Harry said, smugly as he passed a picture of a sleeping old woman who opened her eyes to look at him.
The elder man turned briefly to look at him. "No one is good enough for me." He said, cheekily. Whether he meant that as a joke or as a true statement, Harry did not know. He decided not to ask and began to poke his head into the empty bedrooms.
They were all the same – big, dusty and empty save for the beds and a few photo frames. How many people had actually occupied these rooms in the past left Harry baffled.
He finally settled for a room on the second floor, the first on the right closest to the stairs in case of emergency. He lit a fire in the grate and proceeded to empty his things from the trunk. Abcde was placed next to his window, where no doubt she would have a fun time enjoying her new surroundings when she awoke later that night. He set up Hedwig's cage on the dresser, leaving it open for when she arrived – according to Hagrid, she would find the way.
Sirius walked around the room twice, making sure that he had removed all the cobwebs to help make the room more inhabitable. "If you're tired, you can take a nap before dinner." He suggested, pocketing his wand. He paused when he saw Harry poised over his suitcase, not moving. "Are you all right?"
Harry looked up, flushing slightly as he hastily began to pull clothes out. "Yes." He hesitated, his hand holding onto an overly large sweatshirt. "I just…I just wonder why I'm always getting into trouble."
Sirius let out a hearty laugh. "Aye, James was just the same! He had - "
"- a knack of getting into trouble, yes, I know." Harry finished, sullenly, placing the sweater down on the bed too. "I don't want to be the same….I just want to be normal."
The elder man sat himself down on the edge of the bed. "Well, for the boy marked, that is almost next to impossible." He reached over and ruffled Harry's hair. "But cheer up – I'm very lenient, so feel free to burn down half the house."
Smiling could not be repressed and so Harry allowed himself to do so.
Napping did a world of good for The-Boy-Who-Lived, and when he awoke, it was night time. Abcde was twirling in her lantern slowly, shedding enough light for Harry to stumble his way through the dark room and retrieve his glasses.
Just as he pulled on a robe that was placed at the foot of his bed, Sirius knocked on the door twice before opening it slightly. "May I come in?"
Harry combed through his hair in an attempt to make himself more presentable, but it remained as unruly as ever. "Yeah, I'm decent." He said, trying to tame his hair once more but failing miserably.
"I was just checking on you. Dinner's ready if you want any." Sirius said, hovering in the doorway. "I'll be in the kitchen." He stepped sideways and out, closing the door behind him again.
Yawning, the teen stretched, feeling refreshed. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. "Abcde, could you shine a little brighter please? I can't find my wand." At his request, the Fairy gladly did so, making her wings a white color.
"This is another home?" She asked, in her tinkling voice.
Catching sight of the wand just underneath his bed, Harry stooped upon his hands and knees to get it. He coughed as he inhaled a ton of dust, but he managed to get it, holding it aloft triumphantly as he emerged from the floor. "It's a temporary home for the week." At her questioning hum, he responded, "It's a long story. I'll be up right after dinner." And he left quickly, not wanting her to ask him any more questions.
It was on the stairs that he fell over, hit with a sudden trance, and if Sirius had not been standing in the hall, the boy would have landed in a very painful manner. As it was, Sirius had lingered for a while in the hallway, barking at that useless house elf of his to get his nose out of his mother's closet and to help with preparing the meal. When he heard Harry bounding down the stairs, he gasped as the boy paused and fell, in what seemed like slow motion. "Watch out!" He cried, arms reaching up to catch him midway.
Sirius took most of the impact, toppling backward with the teen caught up in his arms, and they landed with a loud thud at the base of the wooden stairs, the older man hitting his head against the closet door so hard that his peripheral vision turned white with the pain.
Groaning, he blinked, trying to get himself to focus, and shook Harry, who had not made a sound.
"Harry? Oh my god – Harry! Are you okay?"
When Harry did not respond, Sirius began to panic. He tried to sit up fully and winced as pain laced through his neck and shoulder. Only when he managed to untangle them from his cloak and sit the teen back did Harry open his eyes. It was like looking into a mirror as he saw with a shock, that Harry had the same blue eye color as he possessed.
Merlin!
"Harry, are you okay?"
A look of confusion settled itself across Harry's face. "What happened?" His voice was higher; scared.
Sirius glanced toward the living room, where the grate stood empty of a fire. He was wondering how long it would take to signal Snape and ask him for help. Had the boy hit his head? He thought back, frantically. No. Was it amnesia? Did this happen often? And if it did, what pills did he take for it? "You fell down the stairs." He managed to say, his hands nervously smoothing down Harry's dark fringe of hair with his fingers.
"I did?" Harry asked, still in that same high-sounding voice.
"Yes. You looked as though you planned it."
The teen got to his feet, a bit too quickly for someone who had just had a sort of concussion earlier. It left Sirius baffled. "Oh my goodness! I didn't even realize it was – oh, I'm so sorry Harry!"
Now even more confused, Sirius got to his feet as well, wondering what was going on until it came to him that the personalities had switched – and they had not been expecting to. This must have been the girl counterpart.
Before he could say something, the boy – or girl – turned to him. "I'm so sorry, Sirius! I didn't hurt you did I?"
Sirius scratched at his temple uncomfortably. "It's nothing. Listen, Harry – or, whoever you are – what just happened?"
"We just switched…it happens. And my name's Liliana." She said, smoothly. "I couldn't have woken at a worse time." She sounded so mournful, and she nervously clasped her hands in front of her. "…thank you for helping us."
Sirius nodded dazedly, and offered for him – her – to sit down on the couch for a moment so that he could get some tea. When she was seated, he quickly made his way to the kitchens where Kreacher was angrily setting the table, all the while cursing under his breath.
But Sirius did not hear him. His mind was blown away by the whole encounter and in all truth, he was scared. Severus had told him about the personalities and that they came out from time to time and that there were pills that Harry was taking so they could be controlled. But because of the pills, he hadn't been expecting any changes to occur at all during the week.
His hands shook as he held his wand up, commanding the tea to pour itself into cups and he took a deep calming breath before he brought them into the living room where Liliana waited patiently.
She came to her feet when Sirius entered and he kicked the door shut behind him.
"I'm sorry about that." She told him, sitting back down and taking the tea gratefully. As she raised the china to her lips, she said, "I didn't mean to scare you."
Mimicking her actions, Sirius made himself drink the tea too once he was seated, wondering exactly how to proceed with the conversation. Simple: he spoke as he always did, in his brash, carefree manner, hiding his confusion and panic well. "I wasn't scared." He said, in the best jovial voice he could put on. He forced a smile onto his face.
Liliana smiled slightly, and took another sip. The tea was nice and hot, warming her body up in the cold room. It was grand, with draperies and rich carpets. Most of the decorations, she noticed, were green, and in the far corner of the room, she saw a banner of the Slytherin house. She turned questioning eyes to him.
Sirius shrugged. "My folks were Slytherins – so were my brother and sister."
"And you?"
He grinned proudly. "I'm a pure Gryffindor."
Another smile graced her lips as she finished off her tea. "I'm afraid you'll have to put up with me until Harry comes to." She told him. "As to when that will be, I have no clue."
Sirius put his unfinished tea down on the table, lighting the grate from where he sat with a simple spell. "Should I fetch for our dinner in here then?" He asked. "Unless you'd rather not eat with me or prefer to dine in the kitchens."
Liliana took her gaze from the fire and glanced at him. "Here is fine. I wouldn't mind your company….that is, if you don't mind mine."
He shook his head and ordered Kreacher to bring the food in. Feeling suddenly nervous, he thought to inform her, "I don't cook all the greatest – you'll have to excuse the meal…"
"It's fine." She answered, taking the food from the house elf when it was served. It was just like any other meal Harry had eaten, and it seemed that Sirius did abide by the rules after all, following Snape's given diet to the T. The taste, however, was blatantly different, but she did not criticize it. There was a bit too much salt in her opinion, but it was edible so she ate without complaint.
Sirius did not like the silence that stretched. He was always one for noise and talk, because his family had always been so rigid and formal. So, he wasted no time in doing that now. "Do you…I mean, does Harry have these….sudden changes often?"
Liliana shook her head, her hair falling over her eyes when she did so. "He hates it when we take over – he dislikes us all, yet at the same time…" She trailed off, picking at her scrambled eggs pensively. She decided to speak again, cutting Sirius' nervous pull for conversation off before he could even begin. "If anything, Harry is very distrusting. I commend you, Sirius, for getting him to have confidence in something so small as to divulge in sweets." She put down her fork all together, wiping her lips with the corner of her napkin. "But I really hope that you aren't going to turn out to be a bad influence on him."
At this, Sirius cast her a witty grin. "Me? A bad influence? I wouldn't dream of it." He winked at her charmingly, as he always had a bad habit of doing with girls. "And what about you, Liliana? Do you trust me?"
She laughed then, shaking her head. "No, I don't! But I've got no choice as Harry cannot stay with his father." She gasped and bit her lip, wondering if she had gone too far.
"Severus?"
Liliana's smile faded slightly. "Yes…so you already know?"
He nodded slowly. "I'm still blown away by it all – when Albus told me…well, you can imagine my shock. And there's no mistaking those eyes…" As if to prove his point, he stared up at her, blue upon blue, the gaze intense. "None of this is Harry's fault, so I don't hold his parentage over him. I just wish that Lily and James would have at least mentioned it to me."
"They had their reasons." She absently adjusted her glasses.
"Would you care for dessert?" Sirius asked, suddenly, feeling the tension start again.
Liliana suppressed a glare. "You know," She said ruefully, "for someone who followed the diet that the Professor gave, I would have expected more from you."
Sirius scowled. "Why madam, if I didn't know better, I think you've insulted me."
At that, she laughed. He sighed then in defeat. "I take that to mean 'no'?"
"Yes. It meant 'no'."
"Then I'm calling it a night." The man announced. "Unless you're afraid and wish me to keep you company?"
Cheeks heating, it was Liliana's turn to scowl. "Why sir, I hope you're not returning the favor of the insult."
He chuckled, getting to his feet and giving her a wide, exaggerated bow. "I apologize, m'lady – I bid you good night." And with that, he left his plate where it lay, and made his way out of the room, leaving Liliana to gaze into the fire, alone.
0-0-0-0-0
"A girl?"
"Yeah." Sirius said, moving past Harry to get a bowl from a cupboard over head. "There must be a girl that tickles your fancy."
Harry ducked his head over his bowl of cereal to hide his blush. "No." he said, though for some reason, Paige Hart's image came into his head.
Sirius made a humming sound to show that he wasn't convinced. "Your dad and mum were absolutely crazy for each other in their last year."
Snorting, Harry let his spoon clatter noisily in his bowl. "Well, it isn't my last year, yet." But it's hers, a little voice in the back of his mind chided.
Reaching across the table, Sirius grabbed the box of cereal. "Exactly my point. I'm sure many girls have their eye on you." When Harry shook his head, Sirius prodded onward. "Are you afraid of them?"
Harry shoved the milk jug forward, and the man accepted it gratefully. "No, I don't need the attention."
Kreacher came by and skulked around in the corner for something, but neither boy paid him much attention. "What do you plan on doing for the remainder of the week?" Sirius asked, over bites of his breakfast.
"Studying." Harry said, glumly, pushing his spoon around in his bowl. "With all the work that was given to me, I wonder if I'll have time to do anything else."
The elder man looked up at that. "If you ever need any help, I'll do my best." He offered. "But…this afternoon, I have some business to attend to down in London. If you don't mind…."
"I can stay home by myself, you know." Harry interrupted, feeling somewhat miffed at the hint of reluctance in his godfather's voice.
"I didn't mean it like that," Sirius amended, "I was just wondering if you'd like to come down with me. Being holed up in here all week is not my notion of fun at all."
Harry pursed his lips and thought it over. As much work as he had to do, he really didn't want to spend it indoors – especially now that he was given a choice to do otherwise. Sirius did not seem the type to take things too seriously either, so he nodded. "All right, if that's okay with you." He allowed.
Rubbing his hands together, Sirius beamed, and then reached across the table again for the cereal.
"What are you going to be doing?"
"Some things." Came the vague reply. "Just be ready for noon. I expect I'll have to search for some muggle clothes." He said, more to himself than to the boy.
Harry couldn't help but laugh.
At noon, however, the teenager could not help but think about how he very much needed new clothing himself. Still in overly large clothing and no doubt ones that were out of fashion from years past, he was glad that Sirius loaned him a long trench coat to keep his attire from view.
"I'm afraid you can't come with me at every point," Sirius said, "but I'm sure you can take care of yourself. We'll meet up at a certain spot, if that's okay with you."
"Sure." Harry said, absently. It would be a good chance to look around. Living with the Dursleys had not given him the opportunity for much sight seeing as he was usually cooped up in their impeccably clean house.
London was very crowded, much to Sirius' dismay. It made him rethink leaving Harry standing by a Café entitled "Drink Swelters". But at Harry's insistence, the man turned to leave, telling Harry to meet him back there promptly at 3.
Glad for the chance to be alone, Harry began to wander the streets, and he was most relieved when no one stopped or paid him any attention. It was a nice change from all the stares he would get in the wizarding community.
Flowing through the moving crowd easily, Harry wandered over to the closest clothing store he could find. THE GAP, it read in big bold letters. With prices like these, no wonder. Harry thought, grimly, moving from one sale display to another. Those prices were enough to make a gap in the wallet, that was for sure.
He moved out of that store and back into the crowded streets. Nearby, a group of highschoolers dressed smartly in their uniforms, stood huddled together by an art store. It reminded Harry of Hogwarts, only, no cloaks were present. He couldn't help but wonder how different his life would have been had he not been a wizard.
Just as he was thinking that, a voice called out, "Magic! Magic! Watch him do magic!"
Turning around abruptly, Harry's eyes scanned the crowd. He felt a cold chill of fear run down his spine – he hadn't done anything! Like a wave of relief, he realized that the cry wasn't directed at him, but rather, a boy who was sitting at a booth right at the corner.
There was a small group crowded around him and a small girl who stood on an overturned crate, calling the people to them. "Watch as he attempts to pull a rabbit out of the hat!" She said, in a high, tinny voice that much reminded Harry of Abcde's. Harry pressed in as well, to see.
The boy looked to be around twelve, way under age for magic to be used publicly. Pushing closer, Harry noticed that the boy held out a top hat and a wand that was made of plastic.
A muggle boy, performing tricks. He thought, relieved. He hadn't wanted Ministry officials swooping down on them from all sides.
"Abra Cadabra!" The boy said, waving his wand around with a flourish.
Harry winced. That incantation sounded too close to the killing curse for his taste. When no green light came forth, he forced himself to relax. This really was no experienced wizard. He saw, with some amusement, that the boy took out a plush bunny from the hat.
The crowd clapped politely and the boy was all smiles.
"And now, I shall make this deck of cards move." The boy said, grandly. With another flourish of his wand, the cards moved slightly, as if pushed by an invisible hand. Once again, the crowd clapped, and when Harry looked closer, the bottom of the deck had a magnet attached to it, so that the force underneath it would be attracted and pull.
It wasn't real magic at all.
As the boy was speaking, Harry stared at the deck of cards. Why not? It was all in fun – and besides, no one was paying attention to him whatsoever. And he was no longer an underage wizard…
Carefully pulling his own wand out from his pocket, Harry pointed it at the deck. "Wingardium Leviosa." He muttered, and with a look of triumph, the deck began to float, dancing and twirling in midair as the boy's speech died on his lips. At his look of astonishment, the crowd turned to look at what he was staring at.
Harry let the spell stay for a little longer, before pocketing his wand. The deck fell with a clatter, the cards spilling out from their neat stack.
There was a stunned silence before the crowd broke into more cheers.
"Do it again!" Some people were saying, and the boy took it in stride, confidently telling them that he only did such things once a day.
Harry slipped away then, and went unnoticed.
Or so he thought.
Dark eyes followed his every move.
To be Continued….
AN: Sorry it took such a long time for me to update. My thanks to all the reviewers and I'm so happy that people are still reading this. The next chapter's preview, then:
The girl in the photo was Harry's real mother.
It was the Black family tree: Sirius' picture had been obliviated.
He could not, for the world of him, understand why his mother's picture would be blasted away as well. In her stead, there was no name written at all, her hole much bigger than that of her brother's.
He traced the line from her to another hole in the curtain, and froze. Under the hole, he could read it clearly, almost as if it were shouting at him. Severus Snape. Feeling faint, he continued to trace the tree, his heart hammering in his chest.
Selius Snape.
Feeling like someone burned him, Harry retracted his hand. There was no photo of Selius either, just the name, scrawled in the fabric under the small hole.
His picture had been obliviated too.
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