Acting Strange
Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep, And yet a third of life is pass'd in sleep.
-Lord Byron
Harry groaned sleepily as he looked at his watch. It was 3am and he was already awake. Rolling over, he shut his eyes and willed himself to fall back asleep, even though he knew it was futile. After a few minutes of restless tossing and turning he sat up against his headboard, looking around at his roommates and envying their peaceful slumber. Harry reached over and swatted the empty Dreamless Sleep vial off his nightstand, growling in frustration as the rushed movement caused his head to swim horribly.
"Stupid potion." He mumbled. "Supposed to work."
The past week he had been waking up earlier than the night before. A full dose of Dreamless Sleep potion was supposed to keep you in a deep sleep for eight hours. All Harry managed to get this night was four. Although it was plenty of sleep to function on, Harry still felt horrible. Not only did he have to get up and make more potions to last him the coming week, he had a Quidditch game today.
Moving slowly, Harry rustled his arm around his school bag, tossing out several empty bottles before finding his last vial of Pepper-Up potion. After he drank it he was able to stand up out of bed without being dizzy and stumbling all over the place like a drunk. He packed up the empty vials he had thrown out back into his bag before grabbing his wand and Invisibility Cloak.
"Lumos."
Moving his glowing wand around, he searched through Neville's trunk looking for his potions satchel. Harry had been out of ingredients all this week and hadn't been able to steal from Snape's stores yet. Three nights ago he had crept down to the dungeons to replenish his supply of ingredients, only to discover that the storage room was blocked by a charm he didn't recognize. Stupid Snape and his paranoia.
Harry grabbed the needed ingredients before replacing the satchel back into Neville's trunk. Putting his bag around his shoulder, he stood up and looked around the room again. None of his fellow Gryffindors had stirred despite the light from his wand and the noise from the empty vials that filled his bag.
Knowing he would have to change once he was down brewing, he threw his robes in his bag as well before throwing the cloak around himself and whispering, "Nox." While heading out the door to the common room, Harry glanced once again at the sleeping form of Neville. A little pang of guilt filled his breasts, but he squashed it down as he headed to the Room of Requirement. Although he wasn't proud of stealing from a fellow friend, it was imperative for him to gain control over Shadow. Besides, Neville was the only one of his roommates that wouldn't be suspicious of the lack of ingredients in his satchel. Due to all the accidents Neville created during Potions, he was always wasting ingredients and having to ask Snape to replenish his supply.
Harry was swallowed up in the Room of Requirement, where he set his bag down and began the horribly boring process of potion making.
xXxXxXx
Harry blinked as he peered around the Great Hall and the hundreds of students around him. This was the second time he had a time blank. The last thing he remembered was bottling up the potions he had brewed. He not only didn't remember leaving the Room of Requirement, he had no recollection of walking to the Great Hall and sitting with his teammates at the table. Harry smirked as he imagined himself shuffling around the castle with a dead look on his face like a zombie.
"Aren't you pumped about the game, Harry? We're going to crush Hufflepuff!" Wood screamed into his ear.
Harry also hadn't noticed the deafening noise around him either. He wondered if this was all just a lack of sleep. It's not like it was uncommon for people to have time lapses. Uncle Matt sometimes came home late from work tired and not remembering the drive home.
The team finished up their breakfast before heading down to the lockers to get ready for the game. While walking out of the Great Hall they were cheered on by fellow Gryffindors with painted faces and outrageous clothing, showing their support for the team. Harry hadn't seen Ron or Hermione yet, and he didn't really care. He felt mad and guilty at the same time whenever he saw them. Harry had decided to distance himself until things cooled off after that rampage he had that night in the common room. Never in a million years did he imagine himself screaming over a few books.
The locker room was filled with excitement and nervous energy as the team readied themselves for the first game of the year. Wood kept shouting encouraging words and going over last weeks practices, trying to keep everybody pumped and confident.
"Alright, everybody line up!" Madam Pomfrey had bustled into the locker room, wand brandished. Every so often the medi-witch made it her duty to check on the teammates health status before the game started.
"But the games about the start!" Dean exclaimed.
"Can't this wait another time?" Wood interjected. "We can't be late to start the first match of the year. It's bad luck!"
"If you're late, it'll be your own fault. I would be done by now if you all were lined up like you're supposed too!"
Everyone grumbled impatiently as they lined up in front of Pomfrey. With a wide motion of her wand, she scanned the entire group with a diagnostic spell.
"Mr. Potter, do I need to excuse you from this game?"
Harry shrunk back slightly as everybody turned to look at him.
"No, Madam Pomfrey. I'm fine, really."
"That's not what I see. You look like you haven't slept in a week! If the weather was worse I wouldn't dream of letting you out on the Quidditch Pitch."
Fred and George frowned as they took in Harry's ragged and pale appearance.
"I really am fine. It's just nerves. I always get really worked up before the first game." Harry hated all this attention. He just wished Pomfrey would let them head out for the game.
"Alright, but you see me after the match is over. That is, if you don't end up in the Infirmary on your own."
The team grabbed their brooms and walked out into the middle of the field to greet the Hufflepuffs. They shook hands with the other team and waited for Madam Hooch to start the game.
"You need to take better care of yourself Harry. We can't risk losing you as the Seeker because of health problems." Wood whispered in his ear.
Thankfully, Madam Hooch sounded the whistle and they were off. The last thing he wanted was to explain himself to Wood. Harry started circling overhead as the Quaffle was being tossed back and forth between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor players. Normally Harry would be down below helping distract the other team, but the Hufflepuffs aggression was extremely mild compared to the other houses.
Harry circled around looking for a glimpse of the Snitch. When Cedric started following him around he would speed up fast in one direction, acting like he saw the snitch, and then turning abruptly when he came near a Bludger, leaving the other seeker in its path.
During his fake-plays with Diggory, the Hufflepuffs managed to gain 60 points to Gryffindors 10. Wood was outraged and yelled at his team to play more aggressively. His words were taken to heart as Alicia Spinnet made a chaotic burst towards the goal posts. The three Hufflepuff chasers followed after her and attempted to knock the Quaffle out of her arms, Johnson following right behind just in case she needed to assist Alicia. As a Bludger was headed her way, Alicia rolled the Quaffle over her arm and tossed it behind her. Alicia's broom was hit by the Bludger and knocked off her broom seconds after she released the Quaffle. In all the confusion, Angelina Johnson caught the Quaffle tossed to her, flew over the Hufflepuff chasers, and threw it into the center post right over the Keepers head.
"50 points for Gryffindor!" Lee shouted, enticing the crowd to overwhelming cheers and boos.
The game continued for several hours, with the teams switching back and forth between leads. When the score was 140-130 Hufflepuff, Harry spotted the snitch. Leaning forward on his broom, he burst toward the sparkle of gold. It took several seconds for Cedric to chase after, realizing that Harry wasn't toying with him. Harry flew haphazardly trying to keep up with the lightning fast snitch. Cedric had caught up to Harry during the chaotic flight and the two Seekers were now neck and neck.
The crowd started to scream in fright. Harry looked back towards the other players and saw them zooming around crazily, avoiding cloaked figures, the Quaffle left forgotten on the ground. Turning his attention back to the snitch, he sped up to gain some headway on Cedric. If Diggory wasn't going to stop for anything, neither would he.
The air was suddenly bitterly cold. He could see his broom and hands starting to frost over. He also felt weak and dizzy, he could barely make out the snitch now. Stretching out his hand, he tried grasping the snitch. Just a bit closer...
A huge weight slammed into him, and soon he couldn't make out anything but trees all around him. He lost hold of his broom as he smashed into a branch, the ground coming up on him fast. The last thing he remembered before darkness overtook him, was a faint screaming in the background.
xXxXxXx
Harry slowly came too as he heard the sound of rustling leaves above his head. Opening his eyes, he saw the huge trees of the Forbidden Forest and faint rays of sunlight. For a second it also appeared that the trees were moving away from him. While his mind puzzled out the oddity he was apparently seeing, a mound of dark fur from a huge beast entered his field of vision.
Hot and moist pants of breath assaulted his neck. Huge jaws were clasped around his collar as the beast seemed to be dragging him along the floor of the forest. Harry yelped as he realized his life was in danger, pulling out his wand while yanking himself from the grasp of the giant animal that had decided to eat him for lunch.
Knowing he only had a few seconds to spare before the animal attacked, he shot a quick stunning spell towards its direction before turning around and running off into the forest. He took but a few steps before he crumpled over in pain. His leg and left arm flared during his attempted escape. Harry wasn't completely aware of how he ended up in the forest, but it was obvious his injuries happened when he fell off his broom and came careening towards the ground.
"Calm down Harry. You'll only hurt yourself more if you keep trying to run off like that."
To his utter shock, Harry realized the voice had come from the animal, and from what he could make out, that animal was a very giant dog. Harry couldn't think of anything to say. All the excitement of the day, along with his exhaustion, had caused him to settle into a kind of dazed shock as he peered at the giant, grinning dog.
The dog came up close to him and sniffed at his leg before sitting down. "No, you aren't hallucinating, if that's what your thinking. I am indeed a talking dog. You may call me Argo."
"How did you know my name?" Harry asked after a few moments of watching the dog grin and wag its tail.
"I was very close to your parents." The dog stood up on all fours, walking towards Harry. Bending his head down low, the dog looked Harry in the face. "You look just like your father, except for the eyes. You have your mothers eyes."
Harry and the dog stared at each other for a few minutes in quiet contemplation. The dark-furred dog had the most entrancing midnight blue eyes. Although Harry saw a lot of sadness in them, there was also a playfulness about them, that suggested the dog loved to laugh and joke. Also, Harry felt Shadow shift slightly in the back of his mind. Focusing his attentions on Shadow, he could feel the being was in a torrent of emotions. Most of them were too complex for Harry to make out, all he could basically feel from Shadow was a mixture of confusion and...sadness? The intensity of Shadow's emotions lessened when he broke eye contact with Argo. Harry knew he, himself, was having some complex feelings. It always tore him up a bit to hear about his parents.
"Why were you dragging me?" Harry asked, shaking himself out of his thoughts about Shadow's strange behavior.
Argo burst out laughing. The way the laughter sounded like a bark was too comical for Harry, so he started to laugh too, despite his flushing embarrassment.
"You should have seen the look on your face when you saw me! It was as though you were looking at the Grim himself!" Argo burst in cacophonous laughter as he remembered the events that happened not a few moments ago. "I couldn't have scared you so much even if I had planned it!"
After they both settled down Argo brought himself to answer Harry's question.
"I was dragging you out of the forest, Harry. It isn't exactly a haven to nurse your wounds."
Harry guessed that made sense.
"Why? I mean..." Harry had actually started to like Argo. He didn't want to offend him. "If you were close to my parents why are you just showing up now? Why are you helping me?"
Argo seemed to sober up a lot at Harry's question. When he spoke, his voice was more serious and mournful.
"Listen, Pup. After Lily and James died a lot of lives were changed in many ways. I returned to obtain truth and justice to honor the sacrifice your parents made to save you and the wizarding world."
"Why did you call me 'Pup'?"
"The last time I saw you was when you were just a baby. Like I said before, I was very close to your parents. I was very close to you. I helped you because I wanted to be friends."
Harry was silent at his words. Shadow had suddenly filled his mind with waves of sorrow. He couldn't understand why Shadow was doing this. Trying to keep control of his mind, Harry wished he had his potions bag with him.
"But why show up 12 years after my parents died? Why not before?"
"My life was drastically changed when Lily and James died, just like so many others. I have only now been able to appear, to make a difference and honor their memory. I know you want to know more but I can't tell you anything else, not yet."
Argos ears perked up suddenly, listening to the forest. "The other seeker is on his way over here. I have to go. Don't tell anyone else about me, Harry."
As Argo turned to leave Harry shouted out after him. "Wait!" There were so many questions he wanted to ask Argo, but there wasn't any time left. There was one thing though, that he had to know. Argo turned his head back and waited for Harry to continue.
"When will I see you again? I want to be friends also. I hardly know anybody who were close to my parents. I want to learn more about them."
Argos tail started wagging, a huge grin spreading as his tongue lolled out.
"I live in a cave just north of Hogsmeade in the forest. If you don't see me at first when you arrive, just wait. I will return to the cave the moment I smell your presence."
Argo turned back around and took off quickly into the forest.
"Harry!" Cedric came into view and rushed over. "It took me forever to find you. How injured are you?"
While Cedric was helping Harry examine his leg and arm, he suddenly got a very annoyed look on his face.
"Shit, Harry. Why didn't you tell me?"
"What are you talking about?"
Cedric pointed at his right hand. "Looks like you ended up catching the snitch anyways."
Harry looked at his hand and saw that the golden snitch was frozen firmly to his glove. He shook his hand trying to make it fall off. "I don't know if this really counts though. It don't think I exactly caught it. The snitch just sort of froze to me."
Cedric laughed. "Only you would have that type of luck." He helped Harry stand up and supported him as they made their way out of the forest. "It'll thaw out soon. The sun is still up."
As they left the forest, walking into the clearing of the grounds, they saw Professor Lupin waving at them.
"What happened anyway?" Harry wondered, trying to clear his memory of the crash into the forest. "Something rammed into me. That's why I fell."
"I think I was the one who crashed into you." Cedric continued to assist Harry as they walked toward the Professor. "There were Dementors everywhere. I don't know why. I didn't get to see how many there were before I blacked out."
"You blacked out? Why was I the only one on the train who did?"
Cedric shrugged. "I don't know. I think it was because of the amount of Dementors that were around. Before I passed out I couldn't even tell where the sky or ground was. There were so many of them surrounding me."
"Harry, Cedric, are you okay?" Professor Lupin had met them halfway. "What happened to you two?"
"We crashed into the forest, Professor. I wasn't able to find my broom, and Harry didn't have his." Cedric answered, while Professor Lupin waved his wand around them to check for injuries.
"What happened with the Dementors, Professor?" Harry asked. "Why were they in the Quidditch pitch?"
"I'm not sure Harry. Dumbledore made them leave after he was informed of the attack on the students. He was mad they hadn't listened to him and stayed to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds."
Once he was finished with his diagnostic spells he turned towards Cedric.
"Mr. Diggory, since you don't seem to have any injuries I need you to go to the Quidditch stand and inform the other Professors that you two were found, and that I am taking Mr. Potter to the Hospital Wing."
Cedric nodded and ran off towards the pitch once the Professor had taken over supporting Harry. Professor Lupin could smell faint traces of dog on Harry, and he was worried that Sirius had been around. The reason the Dementors were at the school was to protect the students, especially Harry, from Sirius Black.
"Harry, did you run into any animals while you were in the forest?"
Harry paused as he thought about this question. Did Argo know that people would ask about him? Was that why he asked Harry to not mention him?
"No, Professor." Harry had to lie better than that. "At least, I don't think so. I blacked out when we crashed into the forest. I didn't see any animals though when I woke up." Professor Lupin nodded and seemed to accept his answer.
"How did the two of you end up near the forest in the first place? I couldn't see anything because of the Dementors." He explained.
Harry grinned. "We were chasing after the snitch. Look." Harry waved his unbroken arm in front of the Professor. "I didn't even know I had it until Cedric told me. It froze to my glove! Can you believe it?"
The Professor laughed at the slowly thawing golden snitch. "I can guarantee that has never happened in the history of Quidditch."
Once they entered the Hospital Wing Madam Pomfrey immediately set him on the bed and began healing him. She mostly used her wand to heal his injuries, but gave him a small dose of Skele-Grow, to insure his leg healed strong.
The rest of the Infirmary was filled with a few other Quidditch players and students. The only ones with injuries was Alicia, when she was knocked off her broom, and Harry. The rest of the students were just pale and wet, sucking on pieces of chocolate as they waited for the effects of the Dementors to wear off.
Soon after Madam Pomfrey healed his wounds, the entire Infirmary was filled with the rest of the Gryffindor team and several students. Everyone was congratulating him on his lucky catch, and everyone kept theorizing how it happened. Wood was teary-eyed as he hugged Harry in gratitude and awe. A small celebration was held in the Wing as lots of sweets were passed around and sparks were shot off into the air.
Madam Pomfrey finally kicked everybody out and ordered all her patients to be quiet and rest. Alicia and the rest of her patients were free to leave as dinner approached. Harry was forced to stay because of the state of his health before the Quidditch match.
"I will make sure you eat a healthy meal and get a full nights rest before I release you from my care." She stated, refusing to hear any of Harry's protests.
As Harry ate his dinner, he cursed the silence in the Hospital Wing. One of the things he hated about the magical world was the lack of music. At home he had such easy access to it and found that he enjoyed to listen to music while he worked on his summer essays.
The reason he dreaded the silence was because his mind was occupied with nothing but itself, and Shadow. The overwhelming emotions Shadow had sent out while talking to Argo had finally been muffled in the background of his mind. He was worried about the scream he had heard as he blacked out. Harry remembered hearing the exact same scream when he was on the train, so he knew it was caused by the Dementors. The torrent of negative emotions he experienced today made him wish he had his potions with him. Harry was scared of what Shadow would do if he didn't take a Dreamless Sleep potion tonight. Shadow somehow felt a connection to Argo and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Did that mean Shadow wasn't as dangerous as he thought? Or did that mean that Argo was dangerous? Harry really wished he had his potions.
"Harry?" Hermione came around the curtains that surrounded his bed. She looked worried and sad. "Can I talk to you?"
Harry turned his head to avoid eye contact with her like he had with Cedric and Professor Lupin. He didn't want Shadow coming out and hurting her like it had hurt Malfoy.
"Just go Hermione." He whispered. It shamed him to look at her. Never before had he let himself get so angry with a friend. If Harry had hurt her he wouldn't have had the luxury on blaming his actions on Shadow. That anger he displayed in the common room was entirely his own. Shadow had only been feeding on it.
"Harry, please don't." She sat down on the edge of his bed next to his feet. "I know you're mad at me. I'm just worried about you. I came by to see how you were doing. I was so worried the Dementors hurt you like they did on the train."
When Harry continued to ignore her she continued.
"Everything I've been doing has been to help you. You know that right?"
Harry turned to face her, but avoided contact while he spoke. Hermione would never leave him alone if Shadow came out and did something.
"I just don't want you to get hurt Hermione."
They sat in silence for awhile thinking. Harry knew he couldn't keep lying to Hermione, but he also couldn't tell her the truth either. Once again, he wished he had his potions. With a little bit of Sleeping Draught he knew his mind would settle down a bit so he could think clearly.
"Would you tell me what happened to you on the train?" Hermione asked hopefully. She wished Harry would start to open up to her.
Harry sighed as he considered his options. Either he can continue to ignore her and cause her to worry about him more, or he can tell her the truth. Part of it anyways.
"When the Dementor came into our compartment, I could feel it in my mind. It was pushing around and making me feel and remember things."
"What kind of things did you remember?"
"I kept seeing a woman screaming, then a flash of green light. It scared me and I don't know why."
Hermione nodded as he spoke.
"Why did it look like you were in pain? Did the Dementors cause it? The pain?"
Harry nodded. "I talked to Dumbledore about this. It hurt to feel them moving around my head, attacking it."
"What did Dumbledore say about it?"
"He said that I have a certain sensitivity for magic. I can detect it more easily than others. What I felt the Dementors doing was something they do to everyone. Because I could feel it though, it caused me pain."
"Did you write your Uncle about this?" She asked after a few silent moments.
"No. I didn't think anything of it at the time. After the Dementor attack today though, I know they are the ones who caused the screaming and the green light. But I think you're right. I should talk to Matt about this."
Hermione left as Madame Pomfrey barged in, saying that Harry needed to finish his dinner and get some rest. Before leaving though, Harry convinced Madam Pomfrey to let Hermione come back after dinner to give him his school bag.
"I can rest and study at the same time." Harry insisted. "Resting involves lying down and avoiding strenuous activity. It doesn't mean I have to sleep this early in the evening."
Hermione returned his bag and she told him that she didn't look in his bag. "I know I have done some things to break your trust Harry. All I've done is complain how you won't trust and confide in me when you don't really have any reason too."
Harry believed her and didn't worry about her discovering his potion bottles. After completing his Potions, Transfiguration, History of Magic, and half his Ancient Runes assignments, he blew out the candle and settled in for sleep. Making sure Pomfrey wasn't about, he downed the Dreamless Sleep and rested without any thought to his previous worries.
A/N: Awesome chapter, huh? If any of you are wondering, Argo is indeed Padfoot. More information will be revealed in future chapters. Hope you enjoyed reading it! If there are any major typos I have missed please inform me so that I can re-upload. Read and Review! Thank you!