Chapter 13

Daunting

The press conference had gone well. After getting up on stage, Harry and Sirius had listened as Minister Fudge pontificated, telling everyone that Sirius was innocent and apologizing on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. He had then stated that the Ministry, due to their own error in judgement, would make reparations to Sirius.

One-million galleons had been gifted to Sirius for over a decade of unlawful confinement. It was a hefty sum. Indeed, one-million galleons was more than most minor noble houses possessed.

According to Amelia, those galleons didn't come from the Ministry coffers, but from the personal bank of Minister Bagnold. Amelia had said that this money came from the "donations" that Lucius and several Death Eaters had given the former minister to get out of having a trial.

Death Eaters…

They were still the largest problem. There were numerous Death Eaters who'd been able to get out of being sent to Azkaban. They'd done so by claiming to have been under the Imperius curse. Several hundred thousand galleons donated to "repair the damage done by the dark lord" had kept them from being questioned under veritaserum.

Harry wanted to see them all put where they belong: In a prison surrounded by dementors.

Harry returned to school the next day with Professor Lupin, who insisted that Harry call him Moony when they were not in class. It felt a little weird calling the professor by his nickname. However, for the sake of being friendly with his parents' friend, he spoke informally despite his own feelings.

He and the defense professor walked down the hall. Their footsteps echoed along the stone ground. Harry glanced at Professor Lupin, whose haggard appearance worried Harry a bit. The man was walking with a slouched posture. Dark bags hung under his bloodshot eyes. He looked like a drug addicted going through withdrawels.

"Are you feeling all right?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine," Professor Lupin assured him.

They made it to the Great Hall, where Professor Lupin stopped and turned to him.

"Well, this is where I leave you for now," Professor Lupin said. "Have a good day, Harry."

"You too… Moony," Harry said.

Professor Lupin smiled before he turned around and left. Harry watched him for but a second, and then he turned around and entered the Great Hall. Perhaps it was due to the time–late morning–but there were already a lot of people gathered around the tables. The moment he walked in, numerous heads swiveled in his direction. He sighed as he realized that he had missed his chance to eat breakfast unnoticed.

Here it comes…

Harry sought out his friends; he spotted them sitting at the Slytherin table that morning. He made a beeline for them. While he walked, he was forced to listen to the conversations that sprang up, spoken in whispered tones. As always, it seemed his peers were interested in the circumstances surrounding him.

"Did you read about the press conference?"

"He spent the summer with Sirius Black."

"Sirius Black is innocent."

"You don't know that. Harry could have been brainwashed."

"But the Ministry of Magic said…"

"You can't believe everything the Ministry says."

Harry remained quiet, not saying anything as he reached his friends. Daphne and Susan, who sat next to each other, immediately split apart, making room for him between them. Harry blinked at the strange action, but he still sat down. The moment his butt was parked, they closed in, sandwiching him between them.

"Morning, everyone," Harry greeted, eying the two girls warily. He wasn't really uncomfortable with their proximity–Lisa often sat this close–but he did have to wonder what they were thinking.

He received a chorus of good mornings from everyone before Daphne said, "We saw the newspaper this morning."

"Congratulations on helping your godfather get his freedom," Susan added with a kind smile.

Harry smiled back. "Thanks."

"What's going to happen now that your godfather is free?" asked Blaize. "Do you have any plans?"

As he spooned some grits onto his plate, Harry frowned thoughtfully as he thought about Blaize's question. "To be honest, I'm not sure about everything yet. I know that I'm going to live with Sirius, but I don't know anything outside of that. Everything's happening so fast that I can't make any concrete plans right now."

The problem with trying to make a solid plan of action was that there was too much going on. There were currently far too many variables. When so much was happening all within the same time span, creating a course of action was impossible, since the variables were liable to change at random based on the actions of others. Right now, people like Lucius, Sirius, Minister Fudge, and even Madam Bones were hard at work on their own agendas. Since Harry didn't know what those agendas were, all he could do was react to what they did.

"I bet it'll be fun to live with your godfather, though, right?" Tracey said.

"I guess," Harry admitted with a shrug.

He didn't want to say anything, because he didn't want his friends thinking he was a pansy, but he was nervous about living with Sirius. What if they didn't get along? What if he had a relapse? What if something happened and Sirius suddenly died? So many things could go wrong, and Harry was afraid of not being able to do anything when the time came.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," Hannah said.

Harry smiled, but he believed it was more of a grimace. "I'm just nervous."

"What's this? The great Harry Potter is nervous?" Tracey teased.

Harry shrugged. "Even I get nervous."

"Don't worry about being nervous," Susan said, her tone supportive. "All of us are here to help you, so if you ever need anything, be sure to rely on us."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Susan."

Since it was Monday, Harry's first class of the day was Care of Magical Creatures with Rubeus Hagrid. That day they were learning about flobberworms, which had to be the most boring lesson ever taught. Flobberworms were ten-inch long worms that fed on lettuce. Since they didn't do anything, Harry and the others spent much of their time talking while their flobberworms just laid around and did, well, nothing. A few died because some of the students overfed them, but most survived since everyone was too focused on chatting to pay much attention.

Study of Ancient Runes was next. Their last class had them working on recreating a rune based on the name of one of the Norse gods. Daphne had chosen Freya. Harry had decided to use Odin-All Father. In Elder Futhark, Odin's name was spelt with Othila, Dagaz, Isa, and Naudiz. Since it was a basic name, the rune didn't do much when activated. Harry would've had to add more runes to create an array that did much more than glow with the symbolic color that represented Odin–silver. Still, he believed it was possible to make a powerful array if he played around with some more runes.

"I think I should have gone with a different name," Lisa said after class had ended. "I chose Thor because I wanted to be safe, but I feel like I didn't push myself hard enough now."

"Maybe next time you should think of doing something like Bragi or even Balder," Terry said.

Lisa frowned. "Which god did you choose?"

"Njord."

"A member of the Vanir clan who joined the Aesir as hostages after the war between their clan and the Aesir," Harry said. "I'm surprised you know about those gods."

Terry shrugged. "I'm not a mythology buff like you, but I've studied enough to know the basics."

"You chose Frigg, didn't you, Susan?" Daphne asked.

"Um, yes, that's right," Susan admitted, trying not to blush.

"Did you choose her because she's married to Odin?" Daphne continued her questioning with a teasing smile. Susan's face turned several more shades of red.

Transfiguration came after Ancient Runes. Professor McGonagall had already given them a thorough lecture on becoming an animagus, and they were finished with their one foot long papers. Their next lesson was on turning a teapot into a tortoise. Many of the students struggled with this. Even with Harry's help, only six members of the entire class came even close to making a complete transfiguration. Most could only change the color.

In Potions, Professor Snape's scowl had been even more prominent than usual. He'd spoken in a harsh tone that made many a Gryffindor cringe. Unlike most of the time where the professor told them to "follow the instructions on the board," this time he had stalked around the room, watching them like a venomous snake looking for a weakness in its prey. The moment someone made an error, he'd snap at them, calling them incompetent fools and giving them an automatic failing grade for the lesson. Naturally, he only did this with the Gryffindors.

Harry had the distinct feeling that Professor Snape had been ignoring him and his friends during class. The man refused to look at them, refused to talk to them, and he even refused to speak when they'd gone to hand in their project. The only thing the professor had done that seemed natural was to scowl at Harry when he turned his project in. Even then, he had still said nothing.

Most of the students had still been working on their Girding Potion. Many of them hadn't been able to complete it last class, so they'd been forced to redo it. Since he and his friends were finished, they didn't have any work. They would've been forced to quietly sit there, but they decided to chat by passing notes back and forth. Professor Snape's scowl had deepened, but even then, he didn't say anything to them.

When the class ended, Professor Snape told them to pack up and left. Harry followed the man with his eyes as he walked toward the door and slammed it shut behind him.

"He's in an awfully big hurry," Tracey said. "I wonder why."

Daphne shrugged as she put her potions equipment away. "Maybe he forgot to grab ingredients for his next class from the storeroom."

"Maybe," Tracey sounded dubious.

Harry was also curious, but he honestly didn't care enough to question what the man was doing. He silently packed away his things, and then traveled with the others to their last class of the day. It wasn't until they reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom that Harry realized why Professor Snape had been in such a hurry.

He and the others paused when they saw the potions professor standing in the DADA classroom. Harry and his friends looked at each other. Judging from the way their jaws had dropped, they clearly hadn't been expecting him to show up either.

"What are you simpletons waiting for? An invitation?" Professor Snape scowled at them. "Hurry up and take your seats."

With that prompting, everyone entered and took their seats. Professor Snape continued to scowl at them. Even after everyone was seated, his expression remained firmly locked.

"Werewolves," Professor Snape began, "creatures of the dark. Lycanthropy is a magical illness known to be spread by contact between saliva and blood; thus, when a transformed werewolf bites a human, the bitten will become a werewolf themselves. Can anyone tell me how to save someone after they've been bitten? Potter!"

Harry twitched at being called out. However, he still stood and answered the question. "Applying a mixture of powdered silver and dittany to a fresh bite will seal the wound and let the victim live as a werewolf. However, most witches and wizards who are bitten will often beg for death as opposed to becoming a werewolf."

Professor Snape scowled but nodded. "Potter is correct. When a witch or wizard is bitten by a werewolf, the only way to save them is by applying powdered silver and dittany. However, becoming a werewolf is a curse. A werewolf cannot choose whether or not to transform and will no longer remember who they are and would kill even their best friend given the opportunity once transformed."

Professor Snape lectured them on lycanthropy for the entire class. All the while, Harry was frowning.

They weren't supposed to learn about werewolves for another few months, according to Professor Lupin's schedule. He could only conclude that Professor Snape was doing this as an attempt to make people realize what Professor Lupin was.

Speaking of… I wonder where Professor Lupin is.

It had been a full moon the previous night, which explained why Professor Lupin had looked so haggard this morning. Harry knew that the professor had not arrived at Grimmauld place until early this morning. Professor Lupin also hadn't been able to take a Wolfsbane Potion the previous evening, which he could only assume Professor Snape was supplying him.

"Excuse me, Professor," Daphne said after Professor Snape had finished his lecture and demanded they read from the book.

"What is it, Ms. Greengrass?" Professor Snape asked.

"I apologize if this seems forward, but do you know where Professor Lupin is?"

Professor Snape's lip curled. "Professor Lupin is currently indisposed. He has not been feeling well since last night. That is why I am substituting for him. Any more questions?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Then keep reading from chapter six of your book."

Daphne clicked her tongue, but she seemed to understand that Professor Snape wouldn't answer anymore questions. She went back to her reading.

The rest of the class passed in silence. No one spoke for fear of earning the professor's ire. When class ended, Professor Snape told them they had a two foot long paper on werewolves and their weaknesses due next class.

Since it was the last class of the day, Harry split up with his friends to find Professor Lupin. Daphne decided to go with him.

"You should always have someone with you," she had said when he questioned her. Harry didn't have the heart to argue.

They searched high and low for Professor Lupin, checking the hospital, asking Professor McGonagall, and even going to see if he was with Hagrid. It was all for naught. The professor seemed to have disappeared.

"I wish I hadn't given the Marauders Map back to the twins," Harry said with a sigh. "Finding Professor Lupin would be much easier if I could actually see where he was."

"Do you think he might be with the headmaster?" asked Daphne.

"Maybe, but we won't be able to see him if he is," Harry said. "The headmaster changes his password daily. I could probably figure it out eventually, but I doubt we'd be allowed to just enter his office whenever we pleased."

"True enough. I guess not even the Boy-Who-Lived can simply walk in on the headmaster." Daphne paused. "What should we do?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Harry sighed and said, "Let's give up for now. I'm sure Professor Lupin will be around tomorrow. I'll talk to him then."

"Sounds like a plan."

As they were wandering off to find their friends, Daphne turned to Harry. "By the way…"

"What is it?"

"You looked good in that business suit during the press conference."

Harry stopped walking as heat sprang to his face. It felt like he could have fried eggs on them. Grinning, Daphne kept walking, forcing him to eventually catch up and try to convince her that he'd only worn the suit because it made him appear more professional.

Daphne didn't believe him, no matter how logical his argument was.

XoX

Harry hadn't seen Professor Lupin in several days. In fact, no one had seen him for several days, not even the other professors. When Harry had asked Professor McGonagall how the defense professor was doing, she told him that he was currently recovering from a magical illness. Since Harry already knew about his lycanthropy, he didn't say anything, as lycanthropy was considered an illness by many.

It was the beginning of December. The windows had become frosted over, the grass was covered in sheets of white, and the air was so cold that Harry's breath misted as he ran laps around the lake.

Because it was so cold, most of his friends had opted to stop exercising. Only Daphne, Susan, and Neville remained. His fellow Gryffindor had never missed a single morning of exercise. Every morning he woke up with Harry and headed outside. While Daphne and Susan weren't so dedicated, they still came more often than not. He would see them watching him as he worked out. They must have still been worried about him, which would also explain why there was always one of them around.

After he finished running laps around the lake, dropped to the ground and began doing push ups. The area around him was free of snow, a perfect circle of dried out grass. He was wearing an alchemy created vest to increase the difficulty of his push ups. The vest weighed about 50 kilograms.

I used to be capable of wearing something with over 100 kilograms…

It still bothered him that he wasn't as strong as he used to be, but three months of not exercising would cause anyone's muscles to atrophy. At least he was stronger now than he had been two weeks ago. He was regaining his former level of fitness, and thanks to his magic, it was happening faster than it would have with someone else. Harry imagined he'd be back in peak physical condition by the end of December.

"You about done, Harry?" Neville asked. "The girls are getting cold."

"We are not!" Daphne and Susan said at the same time.

Harry stopped doing push ups and looked up. Neville was standing by a tree, shivering in his sweater and pants. His skin was shining with frosted over sweat. Likewise, Daphne and Susan were huddled together in an attempt to keep warm.

I guess the warming charms wore off…

He stood up. "You're right. Let's get inside."

"Thank Merlin," Neville mumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Harry cast a quick warming charm on Daphne and Susan. They could've done it themselves, but neither of them had brought their wands.

"Thanks, Harry," Susan said with a smile.

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

Because it was Thursday, Harry didn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts until fourth period, after potions. Professor Lupin was standing inside of the DADA classroom when he and everyone else arrived. Although he greeted them with a smile, dark bags hung under his bloodshot eyes and he stood with a noticeable slouch. He looked like someone who'd gone on an all-night drinking binge.

"Good day, class," he said. "I was informed that Professor Snape has gone ahead and already taught you about werewolves, so today, I'm going to teach you a spell that may help you should you ever come into contact with a werewolf."

Harry frowned. As far as he knew, there was no spell that could be used to properly defend against a werewolf. All one could do when facing such a creature was use standard spells and hope their magic was strong enough to deal damage.

"It's called the freezing spell, otherwise known as Glacius. This spell is a powerful freezing charm that causes the air in front of your wand to reach extremely cold temperatures. Aside from being able to put out fires, create blocks of ice from water, and cool off fire salamanders, it can also be used to freeze werewolves. Can anyone tell me why?"

Harry needed a moment to get over his surprise, but then he raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"It's because werewolves are warm blooded," Harry said. "It's a proven fact that warm blooded creatures don't deal well with the cold. When humans are forced into extreme drops in temperature, our bodies become lethargic and slow. They can lead to all kinds of problems like hypothermia. Werewolves have an even harder time dealing with cold weather because of how hot their blood runs. Of course, they also have fur, which helps them deal with colder temperatures, but if you could cast a Glacius that's cold enough to freeze a lake, it could easily defeat a werewolf."

"An excellent and well thought out, Mr. Potter! Take ten points for Gryffindor," Professor Lupin praised. He then continued. "Now, why don't we head to another room. While I'd like you all to get some practice, I don't want this spell to freeze my classroom. Come on, everyone. Follow me."

Harry stood up with the others and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He walked alongside Neville, Daphne, Blaize, and Tracey. The sound of several dozen footsteps caused his eardrums to vibrate.

"I didn't know we'd be learning how to freeze people," Tracey said excitedly. "That's so cool!"

"You didn't know about it because you never study ahead," Daphne said. "And it's not that amazing. The freezing charm has so few uses that the chances you'll actually find a use for it are close to zero."

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Daph," Tracey said.

"Indeed," Blaize added, seemingly supporting Tracey. "Let the girl have her delusions of grandeur."

"Oi!" Tracey squawked in an indignant voice.

"Daphne brings up a good point," Neville muttered. "Are we ever going to find a use for a spell like this?"

Harry shrugged. "You never know. The freezing charm can actually be dead useful in a fight. Just imagine freezing the floor around your enemy's feet. They slip, fall to the ground, and you hit them with a spell before they can get back up. It's good for more than most people realize, but you have to think outside the box."

Tracey elbowed Daphne's side. "Hear that, Daph? This spell does have it's practical uses."

"Only if you're going to pick a fight with people," Daphne shot back.

"You already know this spell, don't you?" Blaize asked. Harry smiled but said nothing.

The classroom they were lead to appeared to have been emptied beforehand. There were no desks, tables, or chairs. The only items within the room were a series of large, metal barrels. They were several feet from each other.

"Each one of you stand in front of a barrel, please," Professor Lupin instructed. Everyone chose a barrel. Harry ended up between Tracey and Neville. "Excellent. Now, you'll notice there's some kindling inside of the barrel. Light it with an incendio, please."

All around the room, barrel's were lit up in a blaze of fire. Harry studied the interior. It was about two feet tall, and about half of it was filled with wood and kindling. He pointed his wand and fire shot from the tip, striking the kindling and lighting it ablaze.

"Good," Professor Lupin said. "And now you're all going to practice the Glacius spell. Remember, all you have to do is point your wand at the barrel and say Galcius. Does anyone have any questions? No. All right then. Give it a try."

Harry could already do this spell, so he didn't bother wasting time by pretending he couldn't or watching everyone else. He pointed the wand at the Barrel. He imagined an icy wind coming from the tip of his wand. He blinked when the barrel and the floor became frozen solid. Glittering ice like large crystal formations formed all around the barrel, which had turned into a white sleet of thick ice.

I had only meant to put out the fire.

"Well… it looks like you got the hang of the spell," Professor Lupin said. "And you did it silently, though the spell was a bit, erm, overpowered. Take five points for Gryffindor."

Harry accepted the points with a nod, but most of his attention was on the ice surrounding his barrel. This wasn't the first time his spell had been more powerful than usual. The other day, his levitation charm had caused his books to fly up to the ceiling. And a week before that, he'd cast a color changing spell during "Magic Tag." Lisa Turpin had been green for two days straight. It hadn't been happening very frequently, but at least one out of every twenty spells would be overpowered. He wasn't sure what it meant.

I may need to contact Emily Smith.

He sighed. Great. More problems. That was just what he needed.

XoX

The goblins had completed extracting parts from the basilisk. Harry received a notice early Saturday morning with a statement saying that the cost of labor was being waved due to the "generosity" of Harry's business proposal. Basically, they were agreeing to not fine him for the work since he was offering them 50 percent of the money that would be made from selling the basilisk.

When Harry went down that day with his friends, it was to find that the massive carcass was gone. It took him a moment to truly realize how much more space there now was. The difference between now and when the corpse had been sprawled in the middle of the chamber was shocking.

"Bloody hell," Tracey murmured. "I never knew what kind of difference removing the carcass of a giant snake could do for the atmosphere."

"It does make this chamber seem less grotesque," Daphne added, looking at Harry. "What do you plan to do with this place?"

"I mentioned that this is going to be my workshop," Harry said. "I plan to redecorate it to suit my tastes."

"I hope you plan on getting rid of those statues," Hannah said, wrinkling her nose at the giant Salazar statues.

"I have to agree," Tracey added. "I respect Salazar as much as the next Slytherin, but I think this is a little too narcissistic."

"It would give me more space," Harry admitted. He thought for a moment, and then asked, "would you guys like to help me clean this place up? I'd like it to be habitable before I begin adding anything of my own."

"Isn't it already too late for that?" asked Tracey. "I mean, you were living in here like some kind of hermit before we–ouch!" Tracey yelped and rubbed her sides. "You two hit me!"

"No, we didn't," Susan said as she looked away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Daphne added.

"Jerks," Tracey muttered.

"We don't mind giving you a hand," Susan said, ignoring Tracey's grumbling.

"Just let us know what you'd like us to do," Daphne added.

Harry frowned at the two. Perhaps he was imagining it, but it seemed like Susan and Daphne were becoming even closer than usual. It wasn't all that unusual for them to double team Tracey, and they were speaking to each other a lot more. He would often find them conversing when it was just the two of them. Every time he noticed them talk, he wondered what they were talking about.

"In that case, if you guys could start by scourgifying the place, that would be really helpful."

While Susan and Daphne merely nodded, Blaize frowned as he pulled out his wand. "What are you gonna be doing?"

Harry smiled. "I'm going to get rid of those statues."

XoX

Cleaning the Chamber of Secrets wasn't a one day process. It took nearly an entire week to properly scourgify the place. First they had to scourgify the floor. Since there was nearly one-thousand years worth of filth covering the floor, it took over two days of constant cleaning. During that time, Harry removed all of the Salazar statues that lined the room and replaced them with alchemically grown trees of his own creation. They were designed to help lessen the harmful chemicals that would be permeating the atmosphere once his experiments began.

On the third day, the floor was finished and everyone got started on the walls. This was even harder than the floor because the walls went really high up. What's more, there was rot and fungus stuck between the cracks due to water leaks. In the end, Harry and Tracey had to go up on their brooms to properly scourgify the walls and ceiling–which took another two days. By day seven the Chamber of Secrets was properly scourgified. However, it still lacked any personal touches. Sadly, those would need to wait.

It was December 15th, the day they would leave Hogwarts and spend the Christmas holidays with their families. Harry had originally not planned on leaving Hogwarts. Things change, however. Now that he was no longer lost within his own darkness, and especially since Sirius had been acquitted, he could admit that he wanted to spend time with his godfather.

The train ride home was a noisy affair. His friends were all talking excitedly, discussing what they would do during their holiday.

"Are you traveling anywhere, Hannah?" Susan asked.

"Not this year," Hannah replied as she practiced transfiguring the floating teacup in front of her. It changed from a teacup to a mouse, and then to a jewelery box before going back to the teacup. "My dad said he wanted to stay in Britain this year."

"You don't sound too disappointed about that," Tracey said.

Hannah shrugged as her tongue poked out of her mouth. She waved her wand, and the teacup became a small watch. "I'm not really upset. Honestly, I don't think I want to go anywhere right now. Too much has happened this year for me to feel good about leaving."

"I guess so."

"I doubt my parents and I will do anything special," Lisa said to Blaize, Neville, and Terry. "We never go out during the holidays. My sister will complain, but our family isn't rich."

Neville smiled awkwardly. "My family is pretty well off, but Gran doesn't like doing anything. We'll probably have a large family gathering, but we won't go out and do anything spectacular."

"What about you, Blaize?" asked Terry.

Blaize looked at the ceiling, as though doing so might provide him an answer. "Knowing my mum as I do, we're probably going to have a huge party of some kind. I think she's planning on inviting all of you, though don't quote me on that. I'm not sure what her plan is, to be honest."

"Typical."

Harry sat between the window and Daphne. He wasn't looking at her, though he could see her reflection in the window. He could also feel her playing with his hand.

A part of him wondered if he should make her stop; the other part wanted to bask in human contact. It kind of bothered him. He felt like he shouldn't have been this comfortable with physical contact.

Perhaps it was thanks to Lisa Crawft. For as long as he'd known her, Lisa was the kind of person who hugged first and spoke later. When they were at her house, she would sit as close as possible. When she was tired, she would lay her head on his lap and ask him to stroke her hair. When they walked, she held his hand. If she'd not been so hung up on this kind of touching, Harry was sure this sort of contact would bother him like it did other boys his age.

Then again, maybe it's my fault for indulging her, the thought made him release a wry chuckle.

"You've been acting kind of weird today," Daphne said, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Have I?" Harry murmured.

"Yes." Nodding, Daphne said, "Are you thinking about your muggle friend?"

Muggle? Whatever happened the Mundane?

Frowning, Harry said, "I… maybe a little. I didn't see her at all this summer, so…"

Daphne smiled as he trailed off. "You're nervous."

"I guess I am." Harry wanted to rub his forehead in consternation. Since when had Daphne been able to read him so well? "Knowing her, she's probably been worrying herself sick. I have to confront her and apologize for disappearing, but I… I don't know what to say."

This wasn't something that he could plan a speech for. Even if he had a speech memorized, words spoken as though they were being read from a script wouldn't be of any use. He would need to speak from the heart.

Harry hated speaking from the heart. It was too messy.

He received a jolt when Daphne, letting go of his hand, instead reached for his arm. She leaned over and placed her head against his shoulder, as if to use it as her pillow.

"You'll come up with something, I'm sure," Daphne said. "This is you, after all. Just be honest."

"Honest, huh…" Harry looked around. No one seemed to have noticed Daphne's action, and she'd already pulled away, leading him to believe she'd moved away before the others could realize what was happening. "By the way, where's Astoria?"

"She's with her friends," Daphne said. "Astoria is quite popular with her peers. I don't want to cramp her style by hovering around her."

"I see." Harry paused. "It must be lonely, not having Astoria around."

Daphne smiled. "It is, but I'm just happy she's enjoying herself. Even if it's not with me, so long as Astoria is having fun, I can be happy."

"You're a really good sister."

"Thank you."

Daphne's answering smile was like a panacea for the soul.

XoX

Harry felt the train rumble as it slowed into Platform nine and three-quarters. A glance out the window revealed hundreds of parents waiting for their children to exit the Hogwarts Express.

"Welp! Time to head out!" Tracey said as she hopped to her feet.

"Always the enthusiastic one," Daphne mumbled with a sigh.

"Of course! One of us should be enthusiastic."

The group waited for a bit before exiting the compartment. Harry floated everyone's luggage down from the overhead rack as the rest of the students vacated the train and rushed onto the platform.

As Harry set foot on the platform, he gazed around, staring at parents hugging their children, at children speed talking about all the crazy things that happened to them. Everyone looked like they were having fun.

"Hey, Harry!"

The crowd parted as a grinning man walked toward him. Sirius Black was given a wide berth. The people around him eyed the man as though he might go on a killing spree at any moment. Despite the wary looks of the people around him, Sirius wore a grin that could have split his face in half.

"Harry!"

He should have been prepared for it, but when Sirius lifted him into a bear hug, Harry nearly froze. Matters only became worse when his feet left the ground as Sirius spun around like a gleeful child. He even laughed with child-like exuberance.

"Sirius," Harry mumbled, his cheek squished against the man's chest. "Put me down."

Still laughing, Sirius did as told. "How've ya been Harry? Been having fun with your two girlfriends?"

Harry twitched at Sirius mentioning the aforementioned girlfriends, but then he sighed and smiled wearily. "I have been having fun, thanks for asking."

"Anytime." Sirius rubbed his hands together. "So, how about introducing me to your friends."

Agreeing, Harry turned around to his friends and gestured to Sirius. "Everyone, the reprobate standing behind me is Sirius Black–"

"A reprobate?" Sirius questioned. "Why does that sound like something your mum would say?"

"My godfather. Please be sure to stay at least ten feet from him at all times. You might catch rabies if you don't."

"What am I? An animal?"

"Such a dumb question should have never been asked."

"Wow," Tracey muttered before Sirius could come up with a suitable reply. "You're really Sirius Black, right?"

"I am seriously Sirius Black," Sirius said.

While the others still seemed somewhat flabbergasted at being in the presence of someone so infamous, Susan stepped forward and made a polite bow. "Um, it's nice to meet you again, Mr. Black."

Sirius blinked. "You're Amelia's niece, right?"

"Um, yes, that's me."

"Thought so. It's nice to see you again. I hope my godson has been treating you well."

"He's treated me very well, thank you."

"Good to know that my godson is learning to follow in my footsteps."

"I have no idea what you mean by that," Harry said morosely.

"You met Sirius Black before now?" Daphne asked.

"It was when the headmaster called Harry up to his office," Susan said.

"I feel like I should have gone with you." Daphne sighed and stepped forward before giving Sirius a polite curtsy. "I'm Daphne Greengrass. We've never met, but it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Daphne Greengrass," Sirius murmured, his grin widening. "I hear you and Harry are really close. A certain wolf told me that you two have been seen holding hands and everything."

While Daphne turned her head in a vain attempt to hide her blush, Harry frowned at the man. He was beginning to realize that all adults enjoyed teasing kids way too much. Why did every joke that came out of an adult's mouth have to be a relationship related one?

"Sirius Black?" a voice said from within the crowd.

Everyone turned around to see a woman walking through the throng of people. A slit on the left side of her long, black dress opened as she walked, revealing a pale, lean leg. Her hair, artfully done up in several braids with a few strands left over to frame her face, bounced as she walked. Celestina Zabini. The woman looked every bit as sinful as Harry remembered.

"Celestina," Sirius said with a voice that made Harry wonder if his godfather had been punched in the gut. "Is that you?"

"Sirius…" Celestina took a few more steps, and then stopped. She raised a hand to her chest, took a deep breath, and then smiled. It looked shaky to Harry. "How long has it been since you and I last saw each other?"

Sirius smiled broadly, though there was a certain tremor to it. "About fifteen years, if I'm not mistaken. The last time I saw you, you were getting married… Lysander Nott, wasn't it?"

"Ah, yes. That's right. Lysander."

"How is your marriage, by the way?" asked a curious Sirius.

"Oh, my husband is dead." Celestina's smile widened just a bit. "He died only a year into our marriage, the poor man."

"Uh-huh… I hadn't known that."

"I'm not surprised. With the war going on, you were more focused on surviving than what happened in my life."

The two continued to talk, and as they did, Harry thought he felt a hint of tension coming from Celestina. Sirius seemed unaware of it, though it may have been due to his own worries. He spoke like he and Celestina were old friends, but to Harry, Sirius looked like a spring that had been coiled too tightly. Harry wondered if Celestina might have been one of his godfather's previous… conquests at Hogwarts.

I should ask him about that. It could affect my alliance with Celestina.

Blaize appeared by Harry's side. A subtle frown had worked itself onto his face. "I had no idea your godfather and my mother were close."

"Me neither," Harry admitted. "I guess there's a first time for everything."

"I suppose."

Harry turned his attention from his godfather when a shout of "Daphne!" went up. Astoria Greengrass wove through the crowd, rushing up to her big sister. The younger blonde was giggling as she stopped in front of Daphne.

"There you are. I was wondering where you were," Astoria said.

The amused smile worn by Daphne spoke volumes. "Shouldn't that be my line? Where have you been?"

"I was saying goodbye to my friends," Astoria said before pausing. She tugged at Daphne's sleeve and pointed at Sirius. "Hey, sis, isn't that Sirius Black?"

"It is."

"Woah… think I could get his autograph?"

"I'm not sure why you'd want his autograph," Harry said as he walked up to them.

Astoria rolled her eyes. "Because he's famous, duh."

"I'm famous."

"I don't care."

Harry held back a smile. When he and Astoria had first met, she'd been so excited. Now she barely spoke to him, though it was better than when Harry had first returned after his self-imposed pity party.

"I suppose not. Do you really want his autograph?"

"Yes."

"All right then." Harry turned, cupped his hands to his mouth, and shouted, "Hey, Sirius! My friend would like your autograph!"

Her cheeks turning pink, a flustered Astoria grabbed Harry by the shoulders and shook him. "W-what do you think you're doing, Potter?!"

"You said you wanted an autograph."

"I didn't want you shouting it for everyone to hear!"

"What's this about an autograph?" asked Sirius as he walked up to the group. Harry looked behind the man to see Celestina speaking with Blaize.

He pointed at Astoria. "She wants your autograph."

"W-what?!" Astoria squawked. "I-I don't! I–"

"Is that so? An autograph? All right!" Sirius surprised even Harry when he conjured a sheet of parchment and a piece of charcoal, signed the parchment, and handed it to the stunned Astoria. "There you go. One authentic Sirius Black signature. You should cherish that. You're the first of many, you know."

"Am I?" Astoria's lips twitched into an amused smile. "I guess that means I'm lucky."

"Very lucky," Sirius said with a cheerful grin.

XoX

Harry's friends had thankfully been unafraid of Sirius when they met, though the same could not be said of their parents. Terry's and Lisa's parents had been practically shaking as Sirius spoke to them. He supposed it was because they were the most normal. Celestina was an aristocrat and a cunning woman. She also seemed intimately familiar with Sirius. Madam Bones was the head of law enforcement, the Dowager Longbottom was about as unflappable as a woman could be, and Daphne's father was like a robot.

Speaking of Daphne's father, he hadn't appeared pleased to see Sirius. Granted, the way Sirius had thrown an arm around the man's shoulder and called him "Nat" probably hadn't endeared him to the man. Harry had the distinct impression that Nathaniel and Sirius had a sordid history together.

After he and his friends had said goodbye, Harry had gone back to Grimmauld place with Sirius. The changes that the house had undergone still struck him as odd. Everything seemed just slightly off. The new carpet was lush and soft, the walls had been repainted, and the furnishing all seemed brand new. It was such a far cry from the original gloomy disposition of the manor that Harry still had trouble dealing with it.

"My Lord," the portrait of Walburga Black said, curtseying as he entered the hallway.

Remembering how Harry had cowed the portrait before, he wasn't surprised by the woman's respectful tone, and so he responded as a lord might to his subjects. "Walburga. I trust everything has been well here?"

"Indeed, My Lord," Walburga murmured respectfully as Sirius closed and locked the door. "Although it could have been better if my good-for-nothing son hadn't been so keen on redecorating the entire house. Thanks to him, I've not had single good night's sleep."

"Shut up, you old bat," Sirius said. "You're a portrait. You don't need to sleep."

"Even if I don't need sleep, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it!"

"Then maybe you should have thought about that when you decided to have your portrait placed here!"

"It's not like I was the one who chose to be placed in the entryway, you stupid boy!"

"Stupid am I?! I'll show you who's the stupid one!"

Harry stood there as the pair argued and insulted each other, his fists clenched and his arms shaking. As the derogatory insults became ever more degrading, he clenched his teeth, and when Sirius started in on the "your mama jokes"–which made no sense because this was a portrait of his mom–he decided that enough was enough.

"Silence!" Harry spat in parseltongue.

Sirius and the portrait of Walburga went still. Harry glared at them. They shuddered.

"Why must you two constantly squabble like children in front of me? I have neither the time nor the desire to hear your petty arguments. Act your age!"

"Yes, sir!" Sirius squeaked.

"M-my apologies, My Lord!" the portrait stuttered.

Harry sighed. These two were so tiring. "I'm going up to my room. You two… try not to argue."

He didn't give them a chance to respond before wandering up the stairs. Harry's room was the second door on the right. Upon opening it, he was greeted to a room that could have passed for the room of Gryffindor's poster boy. Distastefully eying the gaudy decor and bright red walls, Harry closed the door, silently promising himself that he was going to redecorate this room.

Setting down his luggage, Harry flicked his wand at the suitcase, which caused the lid to flip open and several items to come soaring out. Each item went to a specific place. His clothing folded itself and went into his drawer, the items he'd decided he didn't need flew into a chest that Sirius had bought for him, and several photographs of himself and his friends at Hogsmeade set themselves on the desk in the western corner of the room. Once everything was in its proper place, Harry flopped onto his bed and let loose an intense sigh.

As he rested, his body sank into the mattress. Exhaustion engulfed him. He didn't know why, but he was tired. So tired…

… Harry sat up with a slight jerk. He blinked several times as he looked around, taking notice of the objects in his room and stifling a frown.

I must have fallen asleep.

That begged the question of what had woken him up so suddenly. He pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to ignore the slight pounding behind his temples. He had a headache. It happened when he only got around 15 or 20 minutes of sleep in a single sitting.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked at the door. Sirius's muffled voice echoed to him seconds later, "Hey, Harry! You awake in there? Dinner is ready. You should come down and eat with me. I'd like to spend more time with my godson."

"Right."

Harry stood up, stretched his arms above his head as he stifled a yawn, and walked over to the door. Sirius was standing on the other side. His godfather wore a grin so bright Harry thought he might go blind.

"You coming down for dinner?" Sirius asked.

Harry sent him an irritable look. "I wouldn't have opened the door if I wasn't."

"Such a sour puss."

"So insufferable."

His lips twitched. Sirius's grin widened. Trying not to let his godfather see his smile, Harry turned and walked down the stairs.

"Come on, Sirius. Dinner's ready."

"Wasn't I just saying that?"

Dinner had already been set on the table when he and Sirius entered. It looked like Kreacher had gone all out. There were numerous dishes set on the table, pork loins and rolls, mash potatoes and gravy. Harry even saw grilled chicken and greens set to the side. Kreacher must have remembered that he preferred eating healthy.

They sat down and put food onto their plate. As they did, Sirius spoke up, "So I was thinking of a bunch of fun things we could do this holiday. Moony won't be coming for awhile, though he assured me that he would be here at some point. Once he gets here, I was thinking we could go shopping for a bike."

A bike?

"You mean a motorcycle?" Harry clarified.

Sirius nodded. "That's right. I gave my old one to Hagrid. While I could always ask him to return it, I think now's the perfect time to get a better one. Then you and I could take our time customizing it."

Harry had read a lot of books on mechanics and mechanical engineering. He'd never been able to put them to practical use, however, which was the greatest joy when it came to gaining knowledge. Harry barely needed a second to think about it before nodding.

"Sounds good."

"Awesome," Sirius said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them like an evil mastermind who'd concocted a most devious plan. "Then tomorrow we can start–"

"Not tomorrow," Harry interrupted.

"Huh?"

"I can't tomorrow."

Sirius frowned. "Why not?"

"Because tomorrow I'm going to see a friend," Harry answered, and then, in a voice so soft, he added, "a very dear friend."

XoX

Life had not been very fun since Harry disappeared. No one seemed to know where he was. Lisa still remembered when she'd gone to the Dursleys and asked about Harry's whereabouts. Her shock when they had given her a look like she was stupid and asked who Harry was had been a kick to the gut.

Lisa had panicked after that and gone to her mum, frantically trying to tell her mum that Harry had vanished and no one knew who he was. Her mum had barely been able to understand her. She'd been asked multiple times to calm down, and when she was finally able to get out what she wanted to say, her mum hadn't believed her.

Her mum had gone to the Dursleys and asked them where Harry was. They had given her a lot of lip, especially when she'd stormed past them and gone in search of Harry. However, to her mum's shock, there hadn't been a single clue as to where Harry was. All of his stuff had been gone. In fact, the entire room that Harry had been living in was empty.

Lisa's mum had panicked after that. They'd gone to the police and informed them that her friend had gone missing. The police had gotten involved. They'd gone to investigate, heading to the Dursleys and even going so far as to contain Vernon when he became belligerent. However, no matter what they did, no one could figure out where Harry was.

Harry's story had gone to the news. Newspapers and the TV had reported on the missing Harry, and everyone had been asked to report in if they had any information on him. Nothing had come of it. Eventually, with no reports on Harry's whereabouts coming in, the news had eventually stopped reprting, and he'd been assumed dead.

Lisa had been devastated. It was like someone had ripped her heart out. She'd stayed in her room after that, locking the door and refusing to answer anyone. Her mum had tried several times to make her come out. She'd refused. It wasn't until school had started and her father had broken the door down that she'd been forced to return to normal life.

School had started after that, but it wasn't the same. She'd tried getting in the groove of things, talking to her friends and doing what she'd always done, but she couldn't. All of her friends had talked about was what boy they liked, or what new clothes they had bought. It was like they had completely forgotten about Harry.

The last straw had been several weeks ago, when one of her friends had made an off-hand comment about how Harry must have disappeared because he was tired of being around people. She'd blown up on the girl, telling her that she didn't know what she was talking about. Her friend had gotten upset, and she had shoved her to the ground, and then she got in trouble with the principle for starting a fight.

Lisa had been suspended for a week. When she'd returned, a lot of her friends had started avoiding her. They turned away when she walked down the hall. They whispered behind her back. Lisa had ignored them. If they were going to act like that, then they weren't people she wanted to befriend anyway.

Of course, not everyone had abandoned her. Mari, a girl in her class and someone who never said a bad thing about anyone, remained friends with her. However, she was the only one.

"I was thinking of going out to get some ice cream and see a movie this weekend," Mari was saying as she and Lisa exited the bus and walked home. Mari lived several streets from her. "Do you want to come with me?"

Lisa hesitated before answering. Mari had been asking her if she'd like to come out and do something with her for nearly three weeks now. Lisa had turned her down every time. Much as she liked her friend, she didn't want to go out if she wasn't with Harry. At the same time, she knew that if she wanted to move forward, she would have to do something eventually.

"I'd… like that," she said softly.

"Come on. Don't be like that, Lisa," Mari complained. "Can't you just–wait. Did you just say you'll come with me this weekend?"

"Yes."

Mari gasped, then she smiled, and then she lunged at Lisa. "That's so great! I'm so happy! This will be the first time we've done anything together since… well, in a while."

"Yeah," Lisa said. "Sorry, I haven't been a very good friend lately."

"It's okay." Mari smiled. "I know you've been through a lot."

Lisa didn't know if she was as deserving of such forgiveness as Mari seemed to think, but she didn't say anything either.

She and Mari parted ways soon. After saying goodbye to her friend, she walked the rest of the way home, her small feet tapping against the pavement. As her house came into sight, Lisa looked up.

She froze.

Someone was standing in front her house. He had dark hair like raven's feathers and eyes like emeralds. He was wearing casual clothes, a pair of slacks and a fashionable jacket, which rustled as he raised an arm and ran his hand through his tousled locks.

"H-Harry?" she said.

Freezing for a moment, Harry turned slowly, his eyes widening as they landed on her. He opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything. Slowly closing his mouth again, he coughed into his hand and started over.

"Lisa, I–"

Lisa didn't hear anymore. She bounded over to him, bodily tackling Harry to the ground. A loud thump echoed in her ears, swiftly followed by the sound of all the oxygen in Harry's lungs being expelled.

"Lisa, what are you–" Harry started, only to stop abruptly.

"Harry… you jerk!"

Hot tears stung Lisa's eyes as she pounded a fist against Harry's chest. Her body, incapable of containing all of the pent up emotions inside of her, became wracked with painful sobs. Deep, shuddering breaths were expelled from her mouth, stifled by her crying.

"You stupid, insensitive jerk! Do you know how worried I was about you?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it! You're an insensitive brute!"

"I'm sorry."

"Stupid… idiot…"

"I'm sorry."

Lisa felt Harry's arms as they wrapped around her, familiar and strong. Even though it had been months since she'd been held by these arms, Lisa still recognized them, still remembered how they felt. She closed her eyes and took a moment to bask in the feeling of being held.

"Is it really you, Harry?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, it's really me."

"You're really back?"

"Yeah… I'm back."

Lisa sniffled. She rubbed her face against his shirt, covering it in even more tears. Then she lifted her head and smiled at Harry. Her face was wet, tears fell down her cheeks, and her nose was running, but she still smiled.

"Welcome back, Harry."

Harry returned her smile. "It's good to be back."

Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.