Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that Harry Potter belongs to the amazing JK Rowling and that I am most definitely up to no good.
Previous Chapter Summary: Quirrell makes his play for the stone by sending trolls into the Great Hall during the Halloween Feast as a diversion but is quickly thwarted by the Flamels and forced to flee. Amelia Bones informs the group that she will be reopening the case regarding Hepzibah Smith's death and Dumbledore hopes this might lead to clues as to Voldemort's Horcruxes.
A/N: Sorry for the delay guys. I was on vacation but then had some computer problems after getting back. Thank you for all of the great reviews and I hope you all had a great Christmas!
As the second weekend of November rolled around and the icy tendrils of winter settled in, some welcome news was delivered to Nicolas via owl during breakfast that Saturday. It seemed that Madame Bones had finally come through on the trial for Sirius and it was to be held tomorrow afternoon at the Ministry in Courtroom 11 at 3:00 PM.
Now all the two Flamels needed to do was decide whether or not they should let Harry attend. Not that they didn't want him to be a part of Sirius' life but the trial would no doubt bring up unpleasant things regarding James and Lily's deaths and they didn't want Harry to have to suffer through that. On the other hand, it would give him the chance to meet his godfather for the first time he would be able to remember. Although, with spending 10 years in Azkaban, Sirius wouldn't quite be himself. They dithered back and forth between the pros and cons of letting Harry go for all of breakfast and finally came to a decision.
Harry was glad to hear that his godfather would finally be getting a trial when they told him right after their training session, he got extremely upset however when Perenelle let him know that she and Nicolas had decided not to let him attend. Telling him that they did not want to subject him to the dreadful topics that would no doubt crop up during the trial and that they wanted him to be able to meet Sirius for the first time when he was more himself did not pacify him one bit. Harry attempted to change their mind all through the rest of the day and into the next but by lunchtime on Sunday, he was resigned to the fact that they wouldn't budge on their decision.
The Flamels arrived in the already packed courtroom 40 minutes early, sat in the last two seats available in the front row of the gallery, and waited patiently for the trial to start. Amelia had attempted to keep the trial as quiet as possible but that just wasn't feasible with proceedings of this magnitude and the Prophet had spread the news that very morning. This caused the magical citizens of Britain to flock to the Ministry so they could watch and see what happened and even before 2:30 rolled around, nearly every seat in the gallery, which could seat over 100 people, was taken up.
Nicolas had originally wondered how the people would react to such an oversight in their justice system but was disappointed when he opened the Prophet at breakfast to read that Fudge had managed to place blame entirely on previous head officials including former Minister Millicent Bagnold, Barty Crouch Sr., and even Dumbledore to some extent. Fudge had no doubt paid the Prophet to write the article regarding the trial to make it seem like he had discovered the oversight and had done all he could to make sure that the mistake was rectified despite being the reason for the prolonged wait and, instead of baying in the streets of the injustice of it all, the citizens were praising his hard work.
The last to arrive, just as an unseen clock chimed 3:00, was Fudge, Dumbledore, and Amelia. They each took their designated seats and Dumbledore got the ball rolling, calling for the Auror guards to bring in the prisoner.
Despite knowing who was being put on trial, there were gasps all around the room quickly followed by whispers as the gaunt form of Sirius Black was escorted to the chair in the middle of the room. Nicolas and Perenelle both cringed and gazed sadly at the mere shell of the man that used to be so vibrant with life as he sat down in the chair, barely flinching when the chains were wrapped securely around him, though he did seem more alert than they first imagined he would be.
As soon as he was situated, Dumbledore started the proceedings. "Sirius Black, we are here today to right a great wrong committed against you on the 2nd of November 1981. It was recently brought to our attention that not only were you thrown into Azkaban without a trial but also that you may be innocent of some or all crimes you have been accused of. I will now turn the proceedings over to Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Thank you Chief Warlock." Amelia said standing up. "Sirius Black, you have been accused of passing important information to the Dark Lord Voldemort, leading to the deaths of James and Lily Potter on October 31, 1981 as well as the mass murder of 12 muggles and one wizard two days later, on November 2, 1981. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty to all charges." Sirius said in a raspy voice, causing many of the people in the courtroom to start murmuring in disbelief.
"Noted." Amelia said simply and picked up one of the many pieces of parchment before her. "Mr. Black, on August 2nd of this year I was presented with a copy of the Last Will and Testament of James and Lily Potter. In their Will it states that upon their deaths, you shall be named guardian of their son Harry Potter, the right of which was granted to you on the completion of the oath which bestowed upon you the title of his godfather." She didn't get to say anymore than that because there was instant pandemonium, from the gallery and Wizengamot alike, at hearing this news.
A blast like a cannon rent the air, quieting the courtroom almost instantly and Dumbledore gave Amelia a nod to continue.
"We have checked the Book of Oaths and found that the Godfather's Oath was indeed taken by you at 7:01PM on the night of December 21, 1980. Could you explain to us why nobody seemed to be aware of you taking this oath Mr. Black?"
"With the war going on, James and Lily didn't want to risk inviting a bunch of people to Harry's christening so it was just the four of us. It was very hurried but towards the end they asked me to be his godfather and I accepted and swore my oath without hesitation. They requested that I keep it quiet though, so we wouldn't make me an even bigger target for Voldemort and his followers than I already was, and I agreed." Sirius said, smiling softly as he remembered how utterly frightened he had been that they had asked him to take on such a large responsibility but also the pride that had swelled inside of him as he promised to love and protect his godson for the rest of his life, to the best of his abilities.
Amelia was glad this first part was going so easily because the next one would be much more difficult. "Due to the fact that informing Voldemort of the Potter's whereabouts, resulting in the attack on the Potter cottage, would be a distinct violation against Mr. Black's sworn oath to his godson, I hereby request that the Wizengamot absolve him of this crime." She said and turned towards the large group to watch the voting.
"All those in favor?" Dumbledore asked and over half of the wands were raised causing a flash of light to appear on the enchanted parchment before him, showing the names in green of all those who had voted in favor.
"All opposed?" The remaining names flashed before him in red and as Dumbledore gave it a cursory look, he noticed that all but one were names of those accused of being Death Eaters after the last war. He gave a small sigh, Sirius had been a great asset in their fight against Voldemort due to his unorthodox manner of dueling and his many ideas on how to fight Death Eaters which, frankly speaking, bordered on the insane, but were quite effective more often than not. It was no wonder they didn't want him running about again, especially if some believed that their master would return one day. And as vindictive as Madam Umbridge, the odd name out, was, it was not surprising that she had raised her wand against the man.
Setting the parchment down, Dumbledore looked at the prisoner. "Sirius Black, you are hereby absolved of the previously stated crime and it shall be wiped from your records." A small spark of triumph lit the gaunt man's face but Dumbledore knew that his troubles weren't over just yet and turned to Amelia. "Madam Bones, you may continue."
Amelia simply gave him a nod. "Would you please tell us Mr. Black, the circumstances that lead to the events on November 2, 1981?"
This question was much harder and the courtroom was unnaturally quiet as Sirius told his heartbreaking tale. How, as the war raged on around him, he began to grow suspicious and mistrustful of many, even one of his oldest friends, Remus Lupin. How when James and Lily informed him that they needed to go into hiding under the Fidelius Charm, despite James' insistence that he wanted Sirius as their Secret-Keeper, he had suggested they use Peter Pettigrew instead since Sirius would be the most obvious choice and nobody would suspect Peter. They didn't tell anyone about the switch.
Tears began spilling down his face as he told them how he had begun to get a bad feeling that Halloween and had gone to visit Peter where he had been hiding, only to find him missing. The feeling grew when he saw no signs of a struggle, so he sped to Godric's Hollow and discovered that the house was almost completely destroyed with his best friend and Lily dead inside. How Hagrid, under Dumbledore's orders, refused to let Sirius take Harry, so he lent Hagrid his flying motorcycle to get Harry safely away.
Sirius' face then contorted into fury as he continued the story, telling them that as soon as Harry and Hagrid were out of sight, he decided to go after the traitor that had given the Potter's whereabouts to Voldemort. How he finally caught up with Peter on November 2nd but realized too late just how cunning the little rat could be when he confronted him in the middle of a busy muggle street. How Peter turned to face him, shouting for all and sundry to hear that Sirius had been the one to betray James and Lily and then he cast an overpowered Blasting Curse in the street, killing the muggles and himself.
When it seemed like he was done speaking Amelia enquired. "There were witness accounts at the scene from muggles, Aurors, and members of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes that say you were laughing maniacally after the explosion. Can you explain this for us please?"
A grin spread over Sirius' face as he answered. "Well, the rat killed himself with his own spell didn't he? Though I would have rather liked to see him rot in Azkaban, blowing himself up is a rather fitting punishment too I suppose."
"I see. Can you explain the witness accounts stating that you were the one to murder these people, not Pettigrew?"
Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Because I was the only one of us left standing I suppose but I never even got a spell off before he blasted the street apart. You can check my wand, the last spells I cast were a Shield Charm, to protect myself from the blast, and a Disillusionment Charm a few hours before that."
"Let it be known that Mr. Black's wand was checked via the Reverse spell to reveal that the last 3 spells cast with it were first a Disillusionment Charm then a Finite spell followed by a Shield Charm." Amelia said, reading from yet another piece of parchment. "With your permission Mr. Black, I would like to extract the memory of your confrontation with Mr. Pettigrew so that we may view it and corroborate your statement."
Sirius had just nodded his head and a Healer stepped forward to retrieve the memory from him when a childlike voice filled the silence. "Hem hem."
Amelia kept herself from rolling her eyes with great effort but noticed a grin spring up on Sirius' face so figured that she hadn't quite managed to keep the annoyance from showing. Schooling her features she turned towards the woman who had made the god awful noise. "Yes Madam Umbridge, you have something you wish to say?"
"I was just wondering why we are continuing with this nonsense. It is quite clear that the man is guilty and is simply wasting our time with his nasty lies. Besides, any memory he provides would no doubt be altered and only show us what he wants us to see." She simpered, making her toad like face look even more grotesque, at least to Amelia.
"First of all Madam Umbridge, the whole reason we are here today is to provide this man with the trial he was illegally denied 10 years ago. Surely you aren't suggesting we blatantly disregard the very justice system put into place to protect our citizens from being thrown into prison when possibly innocent?" Amelia threw back at her, earning a glare from the toad and causing whispers and side glances to spring up from the gallery.
"Of course not." Umbridge said, straightening up slightly as if that would lend credence to her statement. Not many bought into it though, as those on the Wizengamot were quite used to Umbridge's disdain for non pure-bloods or anyone that disrupted the delicate balance of Fudge's life.
"Glad to hear it. Second of all, memories can only be altered once they have been removed from a person's mind. Since it is my every intention, as it always is, to follow protocol and pour the memory into the court Pensieve as soon as it has been removed from the accused's mind, I am curious as to when you believed any altering of the memory would take place. Unless you thought I would be the one to tamper with it?" She asked harshly, causing the whispers to rise in pitch.
Umbridge knew she had boxed herself into a corner and had no choice but to paste a sickly sweet smile onto her face and say. "Please forgive me Madame Bones, it was not my intention to cast aspersions on you. So silly of me."
Amelia didn't bother giving an answer and simply turned back to Sirius, who promptly winked at her and gave her his best roguish smile, which wasn't much considering his physical state. She promptly ignored him and motioned to the Healer to remove the memory, which she claimed as soon as it was removed and poured into the court Pensieve that had been placed in the middle of the room.
The room was quiet as the memory played out before them, showing clearly that Pettigrew had been the one to cast the Blasting Curse, and when it was done there was once more pandemonium all around, only quieted by another cannon blast from Dumbledore.
As soon as the noise had died down and the memory had been returned to its owner, Amelia pressed on. "With the evidence presented here today I hereby request that Sirius Black be absolved of the crimes regarding the mass murder of 12 muggles and one wizard on November 2, 1981."
"All those in favor?" Dumbledore asked for the second time that day and was glad to see a little more than half of the Wizengamot's wands raised.
"All opposed?" The parchment before him once again showed the names of the accused Death Eaters, but also those few Wizengamot members who were not so easily swayed in their beliefs that the Black family was dark and so must Sirius be as well.
Dumbledore lowered the parchment and looked down at Sirius with a smile. "Sirius Black, you are hereby absolved of the previously stated crime and it shall be wiped from your records." He repeated the same words from earlier and waved his wand, causing the chains wrapped around him to fall away. "We, the Wizengamot, do extend our sincerest apologies for your wrongful imprisonment and the Ministry of Magic will be presenting you with reparations of 8,000 Galleons for every year you were imprisoned, making for a total of 80,000 Galleons for all ten years, which will be directly deposited into your Gringotts account no later than a week from today. We also offer to pay for any and all hospital visits you may need to get you healthy from your stay in Azkaban."
"I have one more request for the Wizengamot if you would allow it Chief Warlock." Amelia spoke up before he could dismiss everyone.
"By all means Madam Bones." He said genially.
She let a small, impish grin grace her features as she looked directly at Sirius, knowing he would enjoy this next bit very much. "I hereby request that the Order of Merlin, First Class, posthumously awarded to Peter Pettigrew, be revoked for his crimes against the Potters on October 31, 1981 and the mass murder of 12 muggles on November 2, 1981."
This time, when Dumbledore asked for a vote, every wand was raised in the air as quickly as possible and Sirius let forth a barking laugh.
"Very well, Peter Pettigrew's name shall forthwith be struck from the Book of Valor and his Order of Merlin revoked. Is there anymore business we must go over?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Amelia, and when she shook her head in the negative he continued. "Then this court is now adjourned, have a pleasant day everyone."
As Sirius stood somewhat uncertainly he discreetly lifted the sleeve on his left arm to show the bare skin where the Dark Mark would be were he a Death Eater. He smiled to himself as the flashbulbs from the numerous reporters being held back in the press gallery by the Aurors went off and incredulous shouts spread throughout the crowd as those that had seen his unblemished skin began informing those around them who hadn't noticed. 'Ha, let them chew on that one.' He thought and then was immediately deterred from his revelry as he was approached by Amelia followed closely by the Flamels. "Nick, Nell? What are you two doing here?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Flamel are the ones that presented me with a copy of the Potter Will and got this whole thing started." Amelia answered for them.
"It's good to see you Sirius. We're so sorry we didn't realize your innocence sooner." Perenelle exclaimed and she enveloped him in a hug, despite him not having bathed in almost a week.
Sirius gave as good as he got, relishing in the first positive human contact he had had in 10 years, before Perenelle released him and Nicolas stepped forward to shake his hand. "Do any of you know where Harry is?"
"He is at school right now. Nell and I thought it would be best if he weren't here during the trial, though he did put up quite a fuss about being left behind." Nicolas said.
"You're probably right. It would have been nice to see him though." Sirius deflated a bit and he started to feel drained as the adrenaline he had experienced during the trial began to fade. "Did you two take him after everything that happened?"
"Not quite." Perenelle said cautiously not wanting to bombard him with such gloomy happenings after the day he had had and, noticing Sirius' declining state, decided to use it to their advantage. "Perhaps we should wait until you're better before we go into all of that. I think you should get checked into St. Mungo's as soon as possible so they can take a look at you."
"I think so too Mr. Black." Amelia spoke up. "I will escort you to the DMLE so we can get you a change of clothes and then I will take you to the hospital myself so you don't get hassled by anyone and to ensure they set you up with a private room."
"But what about Har…" Sirius tried but was cut off by Perenelle.
"We will of course let him know that you were asking about him and recommend that he write to you. I'm sure he would love to tell you all about how his first year at Hogwarts is going so far. You two can start exchanging letters until we can bring him to see you, probably around Christmas."
"Yes, that will give you time to get healed and feeling more like yourself." Nicolas chimed in.
Sirius looked uncertain. "Are you sure he would want to write to me? I haven't seen him since he was a baby."
"Don't worry so much. He really was very disappointed that he didn't get to come see you. Once you meet again I bet you two will hit it off splendidly." Perenelle reassured him.
Amelia didn't think that Sirius would be able to stay upright much longer so interjected. "I really think we should be going Mr. Black. The sooner you get better the sooner you can start getting situated into your new life."
It took a little bit more persuading but she finally managed to get him to say goodbye to the Flamels before dragging him through the large group of reporters waiting outside of the courtroom and up to Level 2. She had him change out of his prison garb and into something more comfortable before shooting him with a mild cleaning charm to get rid of the worst of the dirt and grime that clung to him and let him know that he would be able to get cleaned up properly once they had signed him into St. Mungo's. As she was escorting him out, Amelia grabbed two Aurors to stand guard outside his room until the Prophet could spread the word of his innocence.
Harry met Nicolas and Perenelle in the Entrance Hall as soon as they arrived, having been waiting for them for the past thirty minutes or so. He couldn't explain his anticipation at meeting his godfather but the Flamels had told him quite a few stories of the man and Harry thought that he would be a very interesting person to get to know. "How did it go?" He asked immediately after greeting them.
"It went much better than we originally thought it would." Perenelle informed him. "He was exonerated of all charges and taken straight to St. Mungo's so he can be healed, both physically and mentally, from his time spent in Azkaban. He did ask about you though."
"Really? What did he say?"
"He would like to see you but understands that he needs to heal up a bit first before that will be possible. He also expressed a desire to start exchanging letters if you are interested." Nicolas said and smiled at Harry's eagerness.
"Of course! I can go start one now." He exclaimed but paused in thought then deflated a bit before rushing on. "What do I say? What if he doesn't like me? What if…"
"Calm down sweetheart." Perenelle interrupted and ran a hand through his hair. "Just start out by telling him your thoughts on school so far, about your friends, and even about Hedwig. As far as whether or not he will like you, well, he is your godfather and I have no doubt that he will love you no matter what."
That eased the majority of Harry's worries and he gave them both a big smile.
"Now, why don't you come on up to our quarters and we can help you with your letter in case you get stuck and Hedwig can be on her way to London to deliver her first letter by the time we sit down to dinner." Nicolas suggested and when Harry gave a nod of approval to this plan the three of them began making their way to the Grand Staircase, Harry talking excitedly all the way.
OoOoOoO
It was a cloudy and freezing Saturday afternoon just two weeks after Sirius had had his trial, and Harry, Neville, and Hermione were currently trudging across Hogwarts' grounds to Hagrid's hut. They had decided to surprise their friend with a visit since it had been some time since they had done so and none of the others had wanted to traverse the cold so it was just the three of them.
"I hope he is actually there." Neville said through chattering teeth.
"Me too. I could use a nice cup of hot tea right about now." Hermione agreed and burrowed deeper into her coat as the wind picked up a bit.
Harry was quiet as they came upon the hut as he had begun to feel a slight but persistent tug on his mind, similar to when Hedwig tried to get his attention, but had checked their bond and knew that she was currently sleeping peacefully in the owlery, so he was trying to figure out where the tug might be coming from.
Hermione knocked on Hagrid's door once they reached it but all that greeted them from within, was silence. "Oh, I knew we should have owled him before coming down here." She groaned and stamped her foot.
As she and Neville argued about whether it would be rude to just go in and wait by the fire, the tug became more persistent and slightly frantic. When it began to get unbearable for him, without a word, Harry turned and left them standing on Hagrid's porch to begin making his way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where he felt the pull originating.
"Harry, what are you doing?!" Hermione yelled and ran forward to grab his arm to try and keep him from walking into the forest.
Harry ignored her pulling and simply slid his arm out of her grasp to continue on. "There is something wrong. I think someone needs help." He said.
Neville and Hermione shared a worried look but before they could attempt to grab him again, Harry stepped into the forest and was soon swallowed up by the darkness. "Something weird is going on." Neville said. "I… I'll go after him to try and get him to come back out and you try and find Hagrid or a professor." He instructed and with as much courage as he could muster, hurried after their friend.
"Oh, please be careful!" Hermione shouted and started running as fast as she could back to the castle to find an adult to help them.
She was halfway across the lawn, muttering about foolish boys all the way, when she remembered Perenelle's first DADA class and mentally kicked herself for being so stupid as to forget such a simple thing. She stopped in her tracks, pulled her wand, pointed it straight up in the air, and shot red sparks into the sky. "There, that ought to get someone's attention." The young brunette muttered to herself as she turned around and made her way back to Hagrid's hut to wait for the cavalry.
Meanwhile, Neville, who had hesitated at the edge of the forest before plunging in, finally got a glimpse of his friend walking quickly ahead of him and called out. "Harry mate, please stop! We shouldn't be in here, it's dangerous!"
Harry didn't slow down, but simply turned his head to the side so he could yell back to Neville. "Someone's in trouble Nev, I have to help her!"
"Who…" Was all Neville managed before he was interrupted by a squeal of what sounded like fear and pain in equal measure coming from in front and to the right of them.
At hearing this, as well as feeling the fear pierce through his mind like a spike, Harry began running as fast as he could towards the noise, completely ignoring the cuts he was receiving when he didn't get his hands up fast enough to protect his face and neck from the numerous branches. As he neared the area where the scream had originated, he began to hear what sounded like struggling and snapping along with the squeals and a few seconds later, he burst through a large bush and came to a surprised stop.
About 5 feet in front of him, was a humongous plant with green tentacles and a large eyeless head and caught in its thorny grasp was an entirely golden horse foal, struggling to get away. When she caught sight of the human boy, the foal let out another squeal, breaking Harry out of his stupor and with a flick of his wrist, his wand slid swiftly into his hand and he brought it up to take aim at the giant head, with its mouth open wide to chomp down on the terrified horse, and bellowed. "Stupify!"
His aim was true and as soon as the spell hit, the head lolled to the side and the tentacles stopped moving, though they still gripped the horse tightly, causing small cuts to appear as she struggled with renewed strength to get free.
"Shhh, everything's all right." Harry cooed and walked slowly up to the young foal, hearing Neville come up behind him and gasp at the sight before him. "Nev, can you keep your wand on the plant and stun it every few minutes or if you see it move while I try and free her?"
"Harry, that's a Venomous Tentacula." He near whispered in awe and fright but came forward with his wand drawn nonetheless. "Watch out for the teeth, they're very poisonous."
Harry simply nodded as he tried to send waves of reassurance down the same link he felt the fear, pain, and now somewhat relief coming from. This seemed to help some as the foal turned her golden eyes on him and stopped her struggling somewhat. "There we go, that's great." He said softly and raised his wand where she could see it. "Now, I'm going to need to cut these tentacles away so I need you to be as still as possible for me ok?"
While he had never heard of a golden horse before, though some distant memory concerning golden hair flickered at the back of his mind before being promptly forgotten, Harry guessed that she must be some kind of magical creature and hoped she was as intelligent as she seemed or this would be a lot harder. He let out a sigh of relief when she stopped struggling completely and he immediately started working on sending under-powered cutting charms at the tentacles wrapped around her.
Not a minute later, he heard Neville mutter something and caught a flash of red light out of the corner of his eye. "I saw Hermione send some red sparks up when she went to get help. This way, whoever is looking for us will know where we are." He explained.
"Good idea mate. Sorry I dragged you into this, but I could feel her fear and pain in my mind and couldn't just ignore it." Harry said but before his friend could answer, the foal started fidgeting again in earnest. He realized that his attention had slipped somewhat and was working to send more positive emotions to her when he felt a burst of reassurance flow through his and Hedwig's bond and make its way through the link he had with the foal, quieting her down again.
He raised his head and saw Hedwig land gracefully on a branch of the tree right in front of them. "Hey Hedwig, I didn't even realize all this commotion had woken you up. Thanks for coming to help." She sent him a feeling of protectiveness and more reassurance before settling down and starting to twitter and whistle at the horse.
Neville stunned the plant again and looked around them at the dark forest. "Where do you think her herd is at?" He asked. "Unicorns don't usually let their foals wander around on their own, especially in dangerous areas like this."
Harry paused in his casting and turned to his friend in bewilderment. "Unicorn?"
"Yeah." Neville responded, as if that explained everything, but when Harry still looked confused he decided to go on. "That's what she is Harry, she's a Unicorn."
"Really?" Harry said and turned back to his work. "Aren't Unicorns supposed to be white and have a horn?"
Neville shook his head, even though Harry couldn't see it. "Not when they are younger. I think they turn silver when they're about 2 years old and don't get their horn until… 4 years old? Or maybe five." He hesitated as he thought about it. "I can't remember specifically, but I know they don't turn white until they are fully grown. What did you think she was?"
Harry was silent as he stamped down his embarrassment and cleared his throat before finally answering. "I thought she was some kind of magical horse."
The Unicorn foal snorted in displeasure and indignation was felt clearly along their link, which Harry noticed was a bit weaker than it had been before.
"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed and heard Neville snicker. "I haven't read about real Unicorns yet."
Both boys were grateful that the misunderstanding caused some of the tension and fear to subside, but they made sure to keep their guard up in case anything came upon them from the darkness.
After another five minutes or so, and another stunning spell directed at the Venomous Tenatacula, Harry cried out in triumph as the last tentacle was cut away and the Unicorn was free. As soon as she stepped away from the poisonous plant, Harry directed her and Neville far away from it and out of its reach. When they finally stopped, Hedwig flying over to join them, the foal immediately buried her head into Harry's chest and started snorting and shivering.
He started cooing at her again and petting her lightly as he wondered how they were going to heal the numerous cuts she had gotten from the thorny tentacles as well as what the heck they were going to do now. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when they heard loud rustling noises coming from behind them and both boys spun around with their wands drawn, ready and willing, if not totally able, to take on anyone or anything that came at them. As prepared as they were to face some horrid dangerous creature, Hagrid's booming voice calling their names was beyond welcoming and their shoulders sagged in relief.
It didn't take Hagrid long to find them when Neville sent up more red sparks and before they knew it, he came barreling out of the bushes wielding a large crossbow and startling the young Unicorn. "What do yeh think yer doin' runnin' around the…" But he stopped himself when he noticed the frightened Unicorn.
"Well…" Neville began but wasn't sure what to say exactly so turned to Harry for assistance.
"I'm not sure what happened Hagrid." Harry said as he calmed the foal down again. "We were coming to visit you and I felt this tugging feeling in my mind, kind of like the one I experienced with Hedwig in Diagon Alley, but much weaker and also kind of different… it's kind of hard to explain." He admitted when he almost started to ramble. "Anyway, I could tell that she was in trouble, even if I didn't know who or what she was, so I started following the feeling and came upon her being attacked by this giant plant…"
"A Venomous Tentacula!" Neville interrupted giddily, he couldn't explain it but he suddenly felt so relieved after being frightened out of his wits that he was almost bouncing up and down with the sensation. "It's gigantic Hagrid!" He near shouted, pointing at where the poisonous plant was still unconscious. "And it had its tentacles wrapped around her whole body!"
"It was about to bite her when I pulled my wand and stunned it. Then I worked on getting her free, which I had just done and pulled her away when you showed up." Harry finished the explanation.
Hagrid hefted his giant crossbow onto his shoulder as he listened and looked down at the three of them. "Were yeh able ter send emotions back t' her?" He asked the raven haired boy and smiled when he got a nod in response. "Well, it sounds like she migh' be another familiar fer yeh Harry. The reason the feeling isn' quite the same is because she is still too young to bond with yeh. She looks like she should be turnin' 2 in another 7 or 8 months. See here?" He bent down and pointed to her hooves. "She is startin' ter get some silver on her."
Harry bent down to get a closer look and did see some silver hair just above her hooves. When he stood back up, the foal buried her head back into his chest for comfort, and he tried feeling through the bond to see how she was feeling and realized that he could hardly sense her in his mind at all anymore. "Hagrid, I can't sense her in my mind anymore." He said out loud, starting to panic and not sure what that could mean but not liking it one bit.
Hagrid lay a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Harry, the only reason yeh felt her before is cause her emotions were heightened due ter bein' scared. As she grows older, yeh'll be able to sense her more an' more until she is full grown, probably before or around yer 7th year, an' ready to bond with yeh."
This news made Harry sad, especially now that he knew what the feeling meant, he didn't want to wait years to be able to bond with his new familiar. As he continued to absentmindedly pet the Unicorn and still tried to feel their bond, Hedwig came down and alighted on his shoulder, rubbing her head against his cheek in comfort. "How can we heal all the cuts she got from the Venomous Tentacula?" He finally spoke into the silence that had descended, Hagrid and Neville realizing their friend needed a moment.
"She'll heal on her own. As long as the wound isn' fatal, Unicorns heal jus' fine." The giant answered.
Harry opened his mouth to ask another question but was kept from saying anything by a sight that took his breath away. A whole herd of fully grown Unicorns had silently approached and surrounded them before they even realized what had happened and Harry couldn't be bothered to care as their sheer beauty put all things from his mind.
Before any of the humans could pull themselves together, two Unicorns stepped out of the circle and came towards them. The foal brought her head up and neighed at the pair but stayed close to Harry, who's grip tightened a bit around her neck, as he realized that these must be her parents and they had come to collect their child, but he didn't want her to go.
"Do not worry young one." A melodious female voice, that sounded like dozens of tinkling bells, reverberated through his mind. "I am Kylina and this is my mate Auris. We are the parents of Jaidynn and we thank you for saving her."
"You're welcome." He responded out loud automatically and Neville gave him a strange look.
"Harry, who are you talking to?"
"The Unicorn." Harry said and pointed to each in turn. "That's Kylina, Auris, and this is Jaidynn."
At hearing her name, Jaidynn nickered and grabbed onto Harry's shirt with her mouth and drug him over to her parents.
Harry was hesitant to follow at first but gave in and took the few steps to stand in front of the two large Unicorns.
"You do not need to fear us young one." Auris spoke, his deep resonating voice penetrating his thoughts. "We can sense the bond you share with our daughter and having such a bond makes you a part of our herd. Though you can not feel her within you now, she will be able to hear your call. Any time you wish to see her you need only approach the forest and call for her in your mind and we will bring her to you."
Kylina bobbed her head up and down and snorted loudly. "You must not enter the forest again though, young one. There is a darkness here that we have not seen before and it has already claimed the life of one of our sisters and it is not safe to wonder, especially for a young foal such as yourself." She came forward and touched her horn gently to his forehead and stepped back as her mate did the same. "We must be going now but thank you again for saving our Jaidynn."
Harry gave Jaidynn one final hug before reaching up hesitantly to pet Kylina and Auris on the nose. "Goodbye, and be safe." He said sadly and watched them step back into the forest, Jaidynn stopping to turn and give him one final neigh before following her parents.
It was several moments after the herd had left before Hagrid stepped forward and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder again and gave it a squeeze. "Don' yeh worry Harry, she'll be waitin' fer yeh whenever yeh want to visit I'm sure."
Harry nodded numbly. "They said that something bad was in here and one of them already died. What if something happens to them?"
"On'y somethin' very evil and powerful would even be able ter catch a Unicorn Harry and her herd won' be leavin' her alone again any time soon." Hagrid said reassuringly. "She probably wondered off by herself and jus' went too far.
"When did they speak? I didn't hear anything." Neville asked.
Harry finally turned away from the spot where the Unicorns had disappeared into the forest and smiled at his friend. "I heard them in my mind Nev. I wonder why they only talked to me though."
"Probably because o' the bond you have with the foal. Adult Unicorns have the ability ter speak ter anyone but they don' often use it unless they have some sort o' connection with the person." Hagrid informed them, then brought his crossbow down. "We should be gettin' back now, I left Hermione in me hut when I came ter get yeh."
Harry and Neville both groaned and turned to each other.
"She's gonna kill me." Harry said miserably.
Before Neville could say anything in response, Hagrid spoke up. "Oh now, she is jus' worried about yeh. Let's get goin'."
With Hagrid leading the way it didn't take them long to find their way back out of the dark forest and when they emerged, it was to find a very irate Hermione Granger waiting for them.
"Harry James Potter, what were you thinking?" She practically yelled at him when they were safely ensconced in the warm hut and then promptly tried to squeeze him to death in a hug before going to Neville and doing the same.
"Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to worry you." He replied and told her all about what had happened after they separated while they sat down at the table and Hagrid made them all some tea.
"Well, at least there was a semi valid reason for you to break the rules and go traipsing around the Forbidden Forest." She said once he was done and threw down the bit of gauze she had been using to clean up the numerous cuts he had gotten from running through the forest.
Harry blanched at hearing this and looked to Hagrid. "You don't think I'll get in trouble do you? I couldn't really help it."
"Hard ter say Harry. I suppose tha' would be up ter Professor Sprout, though I imagine Professor Flamel and Professor Nick will be upset when they hear abou' it."
Harry hadn't thought about Nicolas and Perenelle's reaction and groaned as his head dropped to the table with a thunk, causing Hedwig to hop down onto the table in front of him.
"Honestly," Hermione sniffed down her nose at him, her anger and worry not quite dissipated yet. "what did you expect?" And when it didn't seem like Harry would pick his head up anytime soon, she yanked him back up straight so she could begin dabbing his cuts with wound sealing paste.
"I wasn't really thinking about anything else, I was a little preoccupied with saving a Unicorn wasn't I?" He snarked and crinkled his nose in disgust at the smell of the paste as she covered a cut just above his lip.
"I'm sure they'll understand once you explain what happened." Neville said, trying to reassure his friend and prevent whatever scathing comment Hermione looked like she was about to throw out.
Hermione finished fixing Harry up, put her things back into her first aid kit, and drank the rest of her tea before standing up. "Which we should go do now or they might get even more upset at not being told right away."
Harry groaned again but stood up anyway, moving Hedwig back up to his shoulder.
Hagrid stood as well and said. "Thanks fer comin' ter visit me you three. I think I'll go ahead and walk yeh back up ter the castle just in case anythin' else happens."
The walk back wasn't quite as bad as it had been earlier due to Hagrid's large body blocking the stinging winds from reaching them and they reached the castle in short order, much to Harry's chagrin. Out of curiosity, he glanced at the two Aurors stationed at the entrance, wondering why they hadn't come running at seeing Hermione's sparks, and saw that they had stepped slightly into the little alcoves on either side of the door to get out of the wind and probably hadn't seen them from the positions they were in.
"Come on then Harry, lets go check to see if they are in their quarters." Hermione suggested once Hagrid had left them to go about his business and began to lead the way up the Grand Staircase without waiting for a response.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're just a little too excited to see me get in trouble." Harry accused as he followed her.
"Not exactly excited but if getting in trouble will keep you from doing foolish things without waiting for help then I'm all for it." She replied primly.
"I told you I couldn't help it. If I hadn't gone in when I did then Jaidynn would probably be dead right now." He argued angrily, his voice cracking at even thinking about his new familiar dying and Hedwig immediately sent reassurance and images of Jaidynn whole and healthy down their bond.
Hermione spun around as they waited for the staircase leading to the fourth floor to swing back into place and glared at him. "I understand that Harry but it's not the point. There are tons of dark creatures in the Forbidden Forest, which is why students aren't allowed to go in it, and you just strolled right in, taking Neville with you. You didn't know what was drawing you in and whether or not it was really friendly or something playing tricks. What would have happened if you had met more than just the Venomous Tentacula in there?"
Harry didn't have a reply to this and looked guiltily down at his feet.
Neville, seeing his friends distress, stepped in. "I think he gets it Hermione."
Hermione softened at that and tugged on Harry's sleeve to get him moving up the staircase once it stopped and said quietly. "I'm sorry Harry. You two are some of my first ever friends and I got really scared that something bad would happen to you both."
"Sorry again for scaring you Hermione, I'll try not to do it again. Do you want to meet Jaidynn sometime? Auris said that all I have to do is call to her and they will bring her to see me."
This perked Hermione up as she thought about getting to see and possibly touch an actual Unicorn. "That would be great Harry."
"They're a bit intimidating." Neville said. "But that might have been because the whole herd had surrounded us."
"I'm sure it will be a bit better when it's just the three of them." Harry replied as they came upon Nicolas and Perenelle's quarters and when he hesitated on knocking, Hermione pushed past him and did it herself.
They didn't have to wait long before Nicolas answered the door and adopted a worried look immediately at seeing Harry's slowly fading injuries. "Harry, what happened to you?" He asked and opened the door to invite them in.
Perenelle immediately rushed over at hearing Nicolas' question and greeted them, then immediately grabbed Harry's shoulders so she could look him over.
Harry hesitated again but at a nudge from Hermione he retold his story, putting as much emphasis as he could on the fact that he really couldn't help himself from going into the forest and when he was finished, he waited for their reactions.
"So let me get this straight." Perenelle said with as much calm as she could muster. "You felt something, you didn't know what at the time, pulling you towards the Forbidden Forest and instead of attempting to alert an adult to the situation, you simply went looking for whatever it was?"
"Um… y… yes." Harry stammered but tried to justify his actions. "It didn't feel evil or anything though. It kind of felt like my bond with Hedwig but if she were scared and hurt."
"That is beside the point. There is all kinds of different magic in the world, including dark magic used to confound and bewitch others. Such a feeling could very well have been fabricated by a witch or wizard that was attempting to lure you in." Perenelle shot down his defense.
"Harry, do you remember what happened on Halloween?" Nicolas asked, trying to give his wife some time to calm down a bit. Harry nodded and he continued. "How the Headmaster let the students know the next day that there had been a break in, that the intruder had not been caught, and that that was the reason that the Aurors are now stationed at the main doors of the Entrance Hall?" Again, Harry nodded, with even Neville and Hermione chiming in. "That means that the very man willing to injure children to get to what he wants may very well be inside the Forbidden Forest at this moment waiting for another chance. What if it had been him trying to lure you into the forest to capture you and take you hostage?"
"I… I don't know." Harry finally admitted after much thought and fidgeted under the intense gazes he was receiving from the adults and the smug look that had plastered itself on Hermione's face.
"We aren't trying to make you feel guilty. We are just trying to make sure you understand the dangers of this new world and how you might avoid them in the future. Do you understand?" Perenelle asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry." He replied.
"Thank you Harry, we are glad that you are all ok. It looks like your wounds are all healed up as well." Nicolas said, having watched as the small cuts had closed up then vanished completely while they had been speaking. "Did you use your wound sealing paste?" It had only been a few weeks ago that he had had the first years brew the paste specifically so they could stow it in their first aid kits. It was only good for small cuts and could help stop the bleeding of medium sized wounds but the first years weren't yet able to brew any of the stronger pastes so he and Madame Pomfrey had decided that it was better than nothing.
Harry let a small smile creep onto his face, glad for the lighter conversation. "That was Hermione. As soon as she saw them she brought out her first aid kit and started to clean them up and mend them." He said and turned to the young brunette, who looked rather embarrassed but also pleased at Nicolas and Perenelle's approving smiles.
"Well thank you very much Hermione, you did an excellent job." Perenelle said, making her stand just a little straighter, before turning to Neville. "And thank you Neville, for going after Harry. It was a very brave thing for you to do."
"Y… you're welcome." Neville stammered, lowering his head and shuffling his feet.
"Now, we must go and speak with Professors Sprout and McGonagall about this incident and neither of you two will argue about whatever punishments they see fit to give you for going into the Forbidden Forest, no matter what your reasons. Do I make myself clear?"
Both boy's eyes widened in fear but they had no choice but to nod their understanding.
"Good, we will then speak with the Headmaster to let him know about Jaidynn so that we can set up a schedule for you to go see her." Perenelle stated and noticed Harry smile at hearing that.
In the end, Neville actually received 5 points for attempting to bring Harry back from going into the forest as well as for assisting him with rescuing Jaidynn, though he was given a rather stern warning from McGonagall about the consequences of going into the forest in the future. Harry on the other hand, lost 25 points and received two detentions with Perenelle, where she had him research various dark spells and items used to ensnare their victims and write a foot long essay on how to recognize and defend against them, even if he wasn't yet capable of casting most of the spells used to do so.
The meeting with Dumbledore went much better and, after speaking with Hagrid, they decided that every Sunday morning Harry would be escorted by one or both of the Flamels down to Hagrid's hut, where he would be allowed to call for Jaidynn and visit with his future familiar for a while. Harry was very glad for this and was beyond excited when they agreed to let him go see her the next day and he immediately invited Neville and Hermione to go with him, deciding to invite Susan and Hannah the next weekend then Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey the weekend after that. He thought it would be better to introduce his friends to her gradually before letting them all come together.
Later that evening, right after his first detention with Perenelle was over, Harry rushed to his dormitory so that he could write a letter to Sirius about everything that had happened. After he had written his first letter and received a lengthy one back, Hedwig had been kept busy flying back and forth from Hogwarts to St. Mungo's as godfather and godson got to know each other. But as light hearted as the majority of Sirius' letters were to him, Harry could note a touch of something darker every so often, whether in the words he used or the topics he wrote about, though when he mentioned it to Nicolas and Perenelle they reassured him that that should fade as he continued to get better and was simply a remnant of his time spent in Azkaban.
Sirius had also mentioned in his last letter that his Healer had told him that he would be ready to see visitors by the time the Christmas holidays came around and he had immediately written to his godson to let him know he was invited whenever the Flamels were able to bring him and Harry was excited to finally get to meet him in person.