Disclaimer: I do not own anything classic of this story. Harry Potter and all of the notable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, aka, God. All original characters are copyright of me, however.

Magnolia Crescent

Chapter Eleven

Lessons Learned

Lupin thought of the day's events as he hurried to the Headmaster's office. He rushed in, spotting the elder man sitting at his desk.

"Professor Lupin," he greeted with a smile. "Something wrong?" he asked, realizing that Lupin was breathing hard, indicating that he had run at least a good portion of the way.

"Multiple things, but I think the most important is Harry," Lupin explained. "Harry just learned the Patronus Charm," he blurted. Dumbledore simply blinked at this statement, as if it came as no great surprise.

"I always knew that young Harry had a certain knack for learning, no matter how much he tries to hide it," Dumbledore shrugged, motioning for Lupin to continue.

"I just started teaching him that spell today," Lupin emphasized. Dumbledore nodded, not fazed in the slightest as he stroked his beard.

"Well, he is very talented. I figured he would have had some trouble with the memory when it came time, but I assumed, correctly I might add, that Harry has an aptitude for Defense Against the Dark Arts." Lupin frowned, expecting something more but decided it wasn't worth pursuing.

"I was wondering. Harry brought up the Dueling Club, would it be possible for me to reopen it?" he asked instead.

"I don't see why not. I simply ask that you have another professor to work alongside you," the Headmaster advised. Lupin nodded, but didn't move as he began to worry his lip. Dumbledore studied him for a moment, taking in every detail before he stood up from his desk.

"Something is bothering you, Remus," Dumbledore commented. Lupin nodded as he stepped away from the desk. He glanced over at the fire for a brief moment.

"I've been wondering lately about Sirius Black, my old friend. I feel uneasy, almost as if I'm missing something," he explained. "I guess I still can't believe he would betray his friends. Because of his family, he always hated Dark wizards and the Dark Arts. It just doesn't sit well with me," Lupin said. Dumbledore seemed to frown under his beard.

"Seems I am not the only one who has had thoughts on the matter," he admitted. Lupin paused, surprised at this knowledge. "As you know, it happened it broad daylight, the day when Peter and all those Muggles were killed. With so many witnesses, the Ministry denied Sirius Black a trial, despite my many protests. I have come back to it many times, Remus, and I have also seen holes in the story that don't add up. Unfortunately, I am not as skilled an investigator as I would like to be. I have found nothing to prove one way or the other," Dumbledore finished with a sigh. Lupin nodded.

"Part of me still thinks we should have at least visited him," Lupin commented solemnly. "To at least get his side of the story," he lamented. Dumbledore patted him on the back.

"It wouldn't have done any good, Remus, you know that. Giving him any kind of hope would have just made him a much yummier target for the dementors. However, I wouldn't worry too much about him. I have a feeling he is much closer than we know and not as big a threat as the Ministry would have us believe."

"What makes you say that?" asked Lupin, turning to see a slight twinkle in the Headmaster's eye.

"Don't know, just some old ramblings. Nothing quite as sad as an old optimist, is there?" Dumbledore asked. Lupin smiled a bit, not sure of the exact meaning.

"Any recommendations on to ask?" Lupin started. "On the Dueling Club?" Lupin added, in case he was being too vague. Dumbledore ran his hand through his beard.

"I would suggest Severus, as he helped Gilderoy last year. It wouldn't be a bad idea to ask him to join," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Doesn't seem like a bad place to start," Lupin admitted, turning to leave. He faintly heard Dumbledore chuckle before the door closed. Snape would most likely be in the dungeons, Lupin thought. And if he denied, then maybe he'd ask on of the other heads of house. Minerva would be a sight to behold in a duel, he mused.

Secretly sitting in the Forbidden Forest, Sirius, Hermione and Ron all stared in shock at dog sitting before them. The dog was a black and tan shepherd dog, very much like a dog one would see on the police force. Most unique about this dog was its striking resemblance to Harry, a fact neither of his friends could get over. The dog's eyes were the same shade of green that Harry had, a color not seen in dogs. Around his eyes were round markings, taking the place of Harry's glasses, sitting just below a black lightning shaped mark at the top of the naturally marked mask. Sirius chuckled to himself; his godson was a dog, just like him. Oh, the fit of laughter and envy James would have thrown.

"Well that's surprising, a dog," Ron commented, watching Harry stand to shaking legs only for him to fall onto to his stomach. "Well, Harry, looks like you'll have something to keep you occupied – like learning how to walk," Ron roared with laughter, watching Harry stumble again.

"It's not uncommon for Animagi to have to relearn walking and such. It's going to be a little painful, trust me," Sirius said with a frown, rubbing his head in memory. "You think being a dog is hard? Your father could turn into a stag. That was a sight," Sirius said, laughing.

"How so?" Hermione asked quizzically.

"We learned the Animagus process in these woods as well. So, imagine if you will, a stag with a full rack of antlers, finally getting balance on his feet, only to get his antlers caught in the branches above," Sirius said, full out laughing now. Harry barked out what they assumed was a laugh while Hermione and Ron chuckled as well.

Harry pushed himself roughly to his feet, feeling weird without his normal sense of balance. After a long moment, his legs stopped shaking and were steady. He took a single step forward, only to fall face first into the dirt. He managed to come within inches of a tree but stubbed his nose on an upturned root. Frustrated, he forced himself to his feet and rushed forward.

"Harry, take it easy!" Sirius shouted. As he closed in on a tree, he tried to stop quickly, accidently twisted his legs under him, tripping and skidding into said tree.

Hermione rushed over him as he whimpered in pain, checking to make sure he was alright. Sirius was doing his best to keep a straight face, but was failing miserably.

"Harry, are you okay?" she asked, realizing that Harry couldn't answer as soon as she said it. Ron managed to get out a chuckle before Hermione glared at him, effectively shutting him down.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Sirius commented idly as Harry relaxed his body. With a bit of mental relaxation, he returned to his human form.

"That was painful," Harry groaned, rubbing his sore wrist. "I thought the hard part would be the transformation, which was only uncomfortable." Ron offered him a hand up, pulling his friend onto his feet. Harry paused upon standing, regaining his balance before adjusting his glasses.

"I think we have got enough done. How about you relax for the rest of the day," Sirius offered. Harry shook his head.

"No, I want to get this taken care of," he insisted. Sirius frowned, placing his hand on his godson's shoulder.

"Look, right now, this isn't the most important thing you need to worry about. We should be happy you've gotten as far as you have and take it easy. You still have to finish the potion. Speaking of which and before I forget," Sirius paused. He held his hand out, into which Hermione placed a small vile. "May I?" he asked, motioning for a wand. Harry handed his over; Sirius placed the wand tip to his temple, pulling out a spider-web looking strand. He placed the strand in the vile before returning it to Hermione and giving Harry the wand.

"Well then, that leaves one last thing to worry about," Harry said, nodding his head. "Thanks, we shouldn't be long and we will have everything taken care of," he smiled.

"Good luck, and hopefully there won't be any more bumps in the road," he said. The three teens nodded in agreement as they headed back to the castle. Sirius shifted back into his dog form as he dashed off into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry walked back up to the castle, going over the memory he had seen. Something about that rat seemed familiar. If what Sirius said was true, that means either Lupin or Peter was the werewolf. 'I know I wouldn't want someone rattling around in my head, let alone talking about my private memories,' he thought to himself.

"Ah, Harry, just the person I was looking for," Lupin greeted. "I need your help with something." He smiled as the group looked at each other.

"Sure thing, Professor," Harry said smiling, always up to help.

"Well, I just got done talking with Professor Snape. He has gladly agreed to help me restart the Dueling Club. All I need you to do is spread the word, gather up some students," Lupin asked. Harry frowned, not really wanting to see the potions master.

"Okay," Harry said, a bit reluctantly. "Lupin, umm, I have a question; you wouldn't happen to have a Pensieve, would you?" he asked. Ron and Hermione looked at him in confusion for a second. 'Why didn't I think of this sooner? If one of the professors has one, we could have skipped all the stealing,' Harry frowned as he thought. He noticed Hermione pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration, realizing the same thing.

"That's not exactly an everyday tool, Harry. I am afraid no, in fact, I don't believe any of the teachers have one," Lupin mused. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just wanted to see how one works. Very interesting works of magic," Harry half-lied. Lupin didn't seem too convinced but decided not to press the question. "But back to the matter at hand. I'll talk to some people and see if they might be interested," Harry said, hurrying off with his two friends close behind him.

"We'll be in the Great Hall!" Lupin shouted as they ran off. "Almost forgot to tell them where to meet," Lupin muttered to himself.

The group spread the word around a bit before making their way down to the Great Hall themselves. Thankfully, the instructor wasn't wearing anything too flamboyant, unlike last year. This time around, it seemed a complete opposite. The trio turned the last corner as the sound of someone slamming into a table reached their ears.

"Bloody hell, we got here just in time," Ron said excitedly, smiling as if Christmas had come early. For the sight that beheld them, it very well might have. Malfoy was lying on the ground, seeming to recover from an unknown spell.

"Leo," Hermione enthusiastically identified Malfoy's opponent. Ron looked a little torn for a moment, but his hatred of Malfoy beat out his dislike of Leo.

"Kick his arse!" Ron shouted at Leo as Malfoy got back to his feet. Hermione shook head as the statement brought a bit of attention to them. Leo noticed them, waving a moment; Malfoy grabbed hold of the opportunity.

"Depuslo!" he cast. The blast hit Leo in the side, knocking him into the air before he rolled to the end of the stage. A small amount of laughter could be heard.

"Holmes! Focus on your opponent! Waving to friends," Snape sneered, "in the middle of a duel will just get your face removed," he chastised. Harry could see the two Slytherins glaring at each other as Leo got back to his feet.

"For those of you just join, we will be getting more stages soon enough, but you need to sign up if you want to practice," Lupin called.

"Holmes, stop holding your wand so tightly. You'll break it," Snape snapped. He quickly moved past Malfoy and forced Leo to adjust his grip. He glared at Snape's back as the professor walked away. Harry had pushed his way through to the front; thankfully, the crowd wasn't as thick as he first thought.

"You're next, Potter," Malfoy sneered, noticing Harry. Snape began to count down from three.

"Last I saw, you couldn't handle another Slytherin. You think you could take Harry," Ron teased.

"Shut your gob, Weasley," Malfoy barked.

"One," announced Snape. Malfoy panicked, realizing he wasn't ready.

"Carpe Retractum!" Leo cast. Malfoy watched as his wand flew out of his hand. Filled with shock, he failed to see where it went. He glanced down the stage to see Leo taunting him with it.

"I guess money isn't everything," Leo smirked, walking over to Malfoy and handing back his wand. The blond glared at him, snatching at the wand.

"I feel torn," Ron admitted. Harry glanced over. "On one hand, Malfoy got his. On the toher hand, it's a Slytherin that did it. I'm torn between mocking Malfoy and being depressed it wasn't me," he said, frowning. Harry patted him on the back.

"I'm sure you'll get him one of these days, Ron," Harry encouraged with a smile as Ron playfully pushed him back.

"Yea, I am," Harry admitted. Ron visibly slumped. The stopped when Lupin appeared behind them.

"Glad you could make it. Anyone want to give it a try?" asked Lupin. Harry wasn't up for it, but Ron made his desire known.

"I would love to!" Ron all but shouted, throwing his hand into the air. Lupin smirked.

"Next up: Ronald Weasley and Dante Allen. Make your way to the stage!" Lupin shouted. He moved away as he noted who wanted to have a round.

"Don't feel like getting tossed around?" Hermione asked with a small grin. Harry shook his head.

"I'm still sore and worn out from my earlier lessons. How about we get back to work on that potion. What did we need to add in?"

"Gillyweed, but the next part is tricky," she sighed. She handed him a small list of instructions. "You follow those, and we shouldn't have any problems. I need to get to the library to look up more statutes," she instructed.

"For the hippogriff, right?" asked a voice. The two turned to see Leo adjusting his shoulder-length hair, tying it back with a leather strip. "Hey beautiful," he greeted. Hermione looked like she wanted to blush and hit him at the same time, but she remained neutral.

"Yes, Hagrid'a friend of ours and we are trying to help him out," Harry informed impartially. Leo nodded.

"You know, Hagrid seems like an okay guy, but that type of legal battle is against him. So if you're feeling daring, your best bet would be to prepare for the worst. What happens if he is sentenced?" asked Leo. Hermione frowned at this but Harry understood his meaning perfectly.

"That wouldn't be legal," Hermione scolded.

"It's only illegal if you get caught," he said, a devilish smirk on his face. "Besides, the funny thing about magical creatures is that they have a frustrating ability to magically disappear. But what do I know. Well, I'm going to get back in line. See you around." Leo shrugged, waving as he disappeared back into the crowd.

"What an odd guy," Harry mused, glancing over to his friend. "He does have a point. We may want to talk to Hagrid about what to say as well as what the law says," Harry admitted. Hermione nodded. "Well then, I got some potion brewing to do," Harry shrugged as he walked off.

"Weasley, your form is too stiff, don't forget to move. Standing still will only make you easier to hit!" Snape shouted.

"Why he ever became a teacher, I'll never know," Harry wondered aloud. Moving past the groups of students, he made his way to the haunted girl's bathroom.

"Harry!" called out a familiar voice. He turned to see Katie Bell, one of the chasers. Harry blinked; most of the other players didn't talk to each other much outside of practice.

"Hey Katie," Harry returned as she approached him. "Does Wood have another practice planned for us?" The girl had dark blonde hair and brown eyes; she was a rather pretty witch in his opinion.

"Harry, I'm hurt. Do you think the only time I would talk to you is if it's about Quidditich?" she asked, frowning. Harry felt a slight ping in his chest at the hurt expression she was giving him.

"Sorry," he apologized, not really knowing what to say. She brightened back up at that.

"It's okay. No, I heard some rumors going around that the Dueling Club was back up. Is that true?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, same place as last time," he admitted.

"Thanks," she smiled, giving him a quick hug before running off. Harry blushed a bit but she didn't notice. Adjusting his glasses, he returned to the task at hand. Moving quickly, he made his way to the bathroom. Nobody was around, he quickly stepped into the stall and looked over the potion as he glanced at the piece of paper Hermione had given him.

This chapter was, once again, written by starwarsdude. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up soon. I hope you guys enjoy this one. As always, please R&R. ~LE