A/N: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her associates. Please support the official release.
The Grove Apartments, Southeast London
A yawn of exhaustion escaped Sirius Black's lips as he leaned back against the headboard of his bed, closing his tired eyes in search of that ever-elusive good nights' sleep. It had been an exhausting couple of weeks, being on the run from the Ministry and the British wizarding society as a whole. Constantly having to look over his shoulder, second-guess every opportunity and the motivations of the people around him.
After three weeks on the street, Sirius had finally decided that enough was enough. The urge to sleep in an actual bed had become too strong for him to resist, outweighing his fear of being caught by the Ministry and sent back to Azkaban. And so he had started looking for suitable hotels to spend a couple of nights in, which had lead him to this place.
Needless to say, the first night here had been as close to heaven as anything on this Earth could possibly get. Before this whole ordeal, Sirius had never really considered just how uncomfortable it was to sleep on concrete. The cold, hard rock made for a very poor mattress, and he was certain his back would never be quite the same ever again.
Opening his eyes to the yellow-ish light of the hotel room, he leaned over to grab the copy of The Daily Prophet that he had stolen from the bag of a fellow wizard he had spotted on the street. The publication was a couple of weeks old at this point, but, seeing as he didn't really have anything more up to date at hand, it would have to do. Despite being an outlaw, Sirius still liked to keep himself informed of any new developments in the wizarding world, especially those concerning his godson.
And as his eyes perused the front page of the newspaper, he saw just that. News concerning his godson.
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION AT HOGWARTS
Yesterday, reports of devastating ruin at Hogwarts reached the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The report apparently contained information about an unidentified creature wreaking havoc at the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. The DMLE immediately sent Aurors to the school to secure the area and question the witnesses, but no trace was found of the mysterious being. The castle itself suffered immense damage in many areas, and so far, a student amongst the Third Years has been reported missing.
Sirius let out an anxious breath as he finished reading the paragraph. Hogwarts had been attacked? By whom? Death Eaters? No, the paper had clearly stated that the assailant was an "unidentified creature", meaning it probably wasn't manlike in its appearance. So could it have been something from the Forbidden Forest then? A bloodthirsty beast driven mad by hunger, straying out of the woods in search of prey?
Something told him it wasn't very likely.
I need to get to Hogwarts. I need to make sure Harry is safe.
He knew it was a bad idea, of course. Countless wards and possibly even Dementors was likely to surround the place. A single mistake would put him square in the Ministry's crosshairs. But he had to make sure his godson was okay. He had promised Lily and James that he would protect him. And Sirius never broke a promise.
And so, he started planning his return back to the place of his childhood, where he had left a free man and would now return as an outlaw.
Room of Requirement
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, Harry was in the Room of Requirement with his friends, perfectly safe from any bloodthirsty beasts and horrors. It was Christmas morning, and Hermione had proposed that the three of them (Harry, Hermione and Luna) spend the day together in order to celebrate. The room had been changed to resemble a well-decorated living room with a Christmas tree in the corner (at Luna's behest), which had caused them quite a headache to get right. At the moment, Harry was dozing off in a recliner with Hermione and Luna eagerly wrapping the gifts they had bought for one another at opposite sides of the room.
Yes, gifts. Another one of Hermione's "brilliant" ideas. In the spirit of Christmas, she had decided (commanded) that all three members of their group were to buy each other gifts as a token of their friendship. And thus, a race had begun, to find the only shops in Hogsmeade that still had gift-worthy items left in stock.
"Harry, it's almost time! Where are your gifts?"
Hermione's friendly-yet-stern voice cut through his carefree slumber, and he opened his eyes to shoot her a flat stare.
"Don't worry, I've got them right here, see?"
Pulling out two neatly-wrapped presents from behind the recliner, he felt a twinge of satisfaction at seeing Hermione's eyes light up with surprise.
"Oh, you already finished wrapping them? That's… oddly considerate of you," she remarked.
"Hey, it's not like I'm always a rational asshole! I can be kind when I want to!"
"True, I suppose. You just rarely want to."
"That… I… I don't actually have a comeback for that…" he replied meekly, shaking his head in defeat.
"I know," Hermione smiled, sending him a small wink before turning around to pick up her own presents.
"I'm finished!" Luna piped up from the other side of the room, getting to her feet with her gifts in her hands. "Are we going to hand them out now?"
"Yes, yes. Be a little patient, will you?" Harry sighed, placing his presents on the small coffee table in front of him. He really didn't understand the hype surrounding Christmas and gifts. Then again, he had never gotten any from the Dursleys (apart from extra kitchen duty) growing up, so he supposed that could explain why.
"Alright, is everyone ready?" Hermione asked, sitting down in the couch on the other side of the table.
"Yes!" Luna smiled, jumping into her seat next to Hermione.
"I guess," Harry muttered.
"Okay then, here we go. One for you, and one for you…"
They took turns handing each other their gifts, until everyone was left with two presents each.
"Alright, now we open them! You go first, Harry," Hermione nodded, gesturing for him to proceed.
Letting out his third sigh of the hour, he started meticulously removing the admittedly beautiful wrapping paper from his present, much to the annoyance of Luna, who just wanted him to rip it off as fast as possible.
Once the wrappings were gone, he was left with a small gray box, approximately the size of his hand.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it!"
Ripping open the lid, he was surprised to see what looked like a glass spinning top resting on a minuscule red pillow inside of the box. Carefully picking it up, he held it towards the light so he could take a closer look.
"It's a Sneakoscope," Hermione informed him, a proud smile plastered on her face. "It's supposed to be a type of Dark Detector that lights up, spins and whistles if someone is doing something untrustworthy nearby."
Nodding, Harry inspected the thing with newfound interest. A Dark Detector, huh? He wondered what would happen if he brought it with him to one of his meetings with Dumbledore. Would the thing light up like Times Square on New Years' Eve, or would it remain dormant?
"Wow, I… uhhh… thank you, Hermione. Something like this could come in real handy some day."
"You're welcome!"
"Okay, now it's my turn!" Luna beamed, immediately ripping in to one of her own presents without waiting for an answer. In stark contrast to Harry, she paid no mind to the exquisitely decorated wrapping paper, tearing it apart without mercy.
"Ohh, what's this?" she pondered out loud as she cast aside the lid of her present.
Inside was an elegant-looking ring made of the purest silver, which had been meticulously engraved with flowery shapes. A glinting ruby rested at its center, casting off a soft red sheen as the light rippled across its surface.
A collective gasp went up from the two girls when their brain recognized the item. It would appear the jeweler at the store hadn't been lying when he said that shiny stuff had that effect on most women.
"Harry, it's… it's beautiful! This must've cost a fortune!" Hermione damn near shouted at him, eyes wide with wonder.
"Yeah, it was kinda pricey. But if there is one thing I have an abundance of, it's money. So don't worry about it," he replied matter-of-factly, his face an expressionless mask.
"But… compared to what I bought…"
Harry could see the burgeoning embarrassment in Hermione's features by the way she cast her gaze towards the floor, and so he hesitantly got up from his seat to envelop her hand with his own. Hermione visibly flinched when she felt the sudden warmth of his skin against hers.
"Listen, Hermione... I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to giving gifts and stuff. I never got any Christmas presents when I was young, so I really don't know what qualifies as a good gift, especially when it comes to women. Heck, about the only thing I had to go on was the age-old stereotype that women love jewelry. So I bought the only thing I could think of: a ring. But that doesn't mean your gift will be any less important. The price or quality of the item given really doesn't matter. It truly is the thought that counts… I think."
It was a surprisingly human moment, and something Hermione hadn't expected to hear from someone like him. And, to her great surprise, she felt a strange warmth spark to life in her chest, filling her with a mix of giddiness and excitement.
"I… uhh..." she started, her mind drawing a blank as she tried to formulate an answer to his little speech.
"I think what she means to say, is that she appreciates the gesture," Luna nodded, having noticed Hermione's internal struggle and decided to offer a helping hand.
"Again, don't worry about it," Harry smirked as he got back up again, before seemingly remembering something. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention. I added a little enchantment of my own making to that ring. Put it on your finger, and give the ruby a rub."
Intrigued, Luna gently placed it onto her ring-finger, and rubbed the ruby with the thumb of her other hand. Suddenly, a rush of what felt like cold water ran through her veins, pleasant and cool. The feeling of it was so intense that she couldn't help but gasp.
"Yeah, cool right? Works wonders in warm weather, or if you have a fever."
"It's wonderful. Thank you, Harry! I really appreciate it!"
"No problem, Luna."
Harry then proceeded to gesture for Hermione to unpack her present. "Now it's your turn."
"Y… Yeah," she coughed, glad to have something else to focus on. Unpacking her gift with smooth, delicate movements, she made sure not to create even a single rift in the wrapping paper as she went along.
Harry watched with something akin to trepidation welling up in his heart, the unexpected tension making him feel more uncomfortable than he had thought he would. What if she didn't like it? What if she thought he was being cheap by getting her something like that after he gave Luna such an expensive gift?
Hermione finally got the lid off, putting an end to his speculation. She slowly peered inside, her eyes going wide at the sight that awaited her.
"NO! YOU DIDN'T!" she suddenly shouted, locking eyes with Harry.
"W-What?!" he replied, shocked at the sudden outburst of emotion.
"Is that a Bag of Unlimited Holding?! DID YOU BUY ME A BAG OF UNLIMITED HOLDING, HARRY?!"
A wide smile of uncontained joy and happiness replaced the surprised one.
"Yes! Now stop screaming woman! You're scaring the living daylight out of me!" he chuckled, leaning back in his recliner. "You better appreciate it too, because that thing was a right pain in the ass to track down. I first saw it in a shop window a couple of months ago, and thought it might be something you'd be interested in. And, judging by your reaction just now, I would say I was right."
"Yes, yes, a million times yes, Harry! I love it!" she squealed with childish delight, inspecting and admiring the bag from every possible angle.
"Good."
"Harry, I don't mean to intrude on your conversation..." Luna said, dragging his focus towards her instead. She had shifted from the couch over to the window a couple of meters away. "But I believe you might want to see this."
Wondering what it was she had spotted, Harry walked over to her side and shot a look outside. What he saw shocked him to his very core.
Outside, dozens of Dementors were flying around, leaving trails of dark mist lingering in the air. There were more of them than Harry had ever seen before, patrolling the grounds with palpable hostility. It looked as if they were searching for something… or someone.
Hermione, intrigued by Harry and Luna's reaction, walked up to the window as well, only to be shocked by the sight.
"W... Why are there Dementors here? At Hogwarts?" Harry muttered to himself as his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Is it because of Sirius Black?"
"Maybe…" Hermione breathed in return. "But this many? Seems a bit… overkill."
"Dementors are bad," Luna frowned. "They scare the animals away, and are ugly to look at."
Her childlike innocence despite everything she'd been through never ceased to amaze Harry, and even now, he had to scoff at how simple yet accurate her description of the Dementors was. They were bad, they were scary and they were ugly. Very simple, yet true, words.
"Yeah, you're right," he answered. "This is bad. Dementors are creatures of pure darkness, and their presence alone is enough to suck out all notion of happiness and joy. And if there is one thing we need right now, after everything that has happened, it's some joy."
"We should ask Professor McGonagall about this. She might be able to tell us more," Hermione said, already heading for the door.
"What about the presents?" Luna asked, a hint of sadness present in her voice.
"We'll come back for them," Harry responded, inwardly wondering how she could still be thinking about something like that after seeing all those Dementors on school grounds.
"Okay."
"Alright then, let's go."
Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Amelia Bones was having a bad day. A really, really bad day. To start of, Minister Fudge had apparently decided to send a couple dozen Dementors to Hogwarts, without informing her. When she went to confront him about this ludicrous decision, he had used Sirius Black as a shield, and blamed the necessity of them on him still being on the loose.
Amelia trembled with fury at the thought of how he had uttered those words, with a huge smirk on his face. He knew she was powerless to stop him, and he loved it. But that didn't mean Amelia was going down without a fight. Oh no. She would make sure to do everything in her power to make his life as miserable as possible.
It was no secret that Amelia wasn't exactly fond of Fudge. Ever since the idiot got elected, he had done nothing but make bad decisions and listen to the voices of people like Lucius Malfoy. The useless prick was so far down their pockets at this point that they could probably ask him for permission to resurrect Voldemort himself, and the blithering idiot would just tip his hat and agree.
Needless to say, she longed for the day someone would come along and replace him. But for now, she was stuck with him. And she would have to put up with his bullshit for however long he was in power.
"Can someone get me Auror Tonks?" Amelia shouted out of the door to her office. "I need to speak with her."
"Right here, boss!" a feminine voice responded, and before long, the metamorphmagus was standing in front of her, her hair shifting from light red to pink. The girl had a pale, heart-shaped face, short spiky hair and wore clothes that probably weren't in accordance with the dress code at the DMLE (Amelia had long since given up on getting her to wear a uniform).
"Ahh, good. Auror Tonks, I have a special assignment for you," Amelia nodded, walking into her office and getting seated in the chair behind the rather massive mahogany desk.
"And what sort of assignment might that be, director?" Tonks responded, choosing to remain standing.
"I need you to go to Hogwarts and… look around a little."
The metamorphmagus visibly recoiled as Amelia informed her of this, a look of surprise flashing across her face before she managed to regain her composure.
"Hogwarts, boss? But I only just finished my qualifications! I've been an Auror for 2 months! Are you sure you want me on this?"
"Yes, that is exactly why I want you for this assignment. I need someone who's not affected by the bias and relative tunnel-vision that some of us get after working for the DMLE for a while."
"I'm not entirely sure I follow, boss," Tonks remarked, scratching the back of her head with one hand.
"That's okay, all you need to know is that the task I am about to give you has to remain secret. You are not to talk about it with anyone outside of this room, unless given permission to do so by me," Amelia responded, opening a drawer to pull out a stack of papers. "So not a word about this to anyone, you understand? If someone asks, just say you're out on sick leave."
"But… the Professors and students at Hogwarts... surely they will notice my presence? I do have a tendency to stick out in crowds, as you can probably imagine."
"Oh, come on Nymphadora, use your imagination," Amelia sighed, sliding a couple of the papers across the desk towards her. "You're a metamorphmagus, right?"
"So, you want me to… change my appearance? Into what, exactly? People would notice if a new student suddenly appeared without warning," Tonks retorted, her voice straining slightly at the mention of her first name. She really hated being called that.
"Yes, which is why you won't go there under the guise of a student. I want you to change into an animal."
There was a moment of silence before Tonks opened her mouth to speak again.
"And what makes you think I can do that?"
"Oh, I don't know," Amelia responded, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Just a hunch."
"…"
Taking her silence as sign of acceptance, Amelia gestured to the papers she had pushed over for Tonks to see.
"Sign your name on these, and go home and pack your things. You'll be departing for Hogwarts tomorrow."
Letting out a sigh of defeat, Tonks grabbed a nearby pencil and started signing the forms.
"And what will I be doing on this mission?"
"Oh, nothing major. Just keeping an eye on the Boy-Who-Lived."
Hogwarts Express
Draco Malfoy absentmindedly stared out at the lush scenery zooming past as the magically-driven Hogwarts Express made its way across the Scottish Highlands. He had stayed at home for quite some time now, and had only recently made the decision to return to Hogwarts. His education couldn't wait forever, after all, and he had already given Potter plenty of time to cool down.
His stay at home had been an… interesting experience, to say the least. His father had been jumping between overly ecstatic at the idea of Harry Potter going to Azkaban (after Draco told him of his suspicions regarding the incident), and depressed at the thought of the DMLE catching on to his manipulation of the Minister For Magic. Him and his fellow allies had finally gotten Fudge to send Dementors to Hogwarts, in the hopes that it would result in the capture of the wanted fugitive Sirius Black. The man had been on the run for quite a while now, and it was obvious to Draco that his father needed him in Azkaban. Draco had his suspicions regarding the Black case, but he had purposefully chosen not to look too far into it. It didn't really matter to him, either way.
Despite what Potter might say, Draco was in fact actually rather intelligent, and more than capable of putting two and two together. His father's sometimes weird behavior whenever the subject of Lord Voldemort came up, his secret-keeping, his allies and his general attitude all hinted at the same thing: that he was indeed a servant of the Dark Lord.
But Draco didn't particularly mind this. In his eyes, the Dark Lord truly wasn't that bad. Sure, he had some rather controversial views on certain topics (such as the treatment of Mudbloods and other such infidels) but apart from that, Draco was certain that Lord Voldemort would make for a better leader of the British wizarding society than Fudge. Godric knows that man couldn't do a single useful thing unless specifically instructed to.
Aside from this, Draco also had other things to deal with. The whole incident with the filthy Mudblood Hermione Granger had perhaps been a little too… intense. He might've gone a bit too far, in other words. He would have to lay low for some time, in order to avoid attracting too much attention to himself and his father.
That naturally meant that he would have to put his favorite pastime activity on hold, which was to agitate Potter, but he figured he could survive without it for at least a couple of weeks. Give the pathetic little shit some time to recover, before he struck him down once and for all.
A small smile ghosted across Draco's face at the thought of strangling Harry Potter with his bare hands. For now, he would have to lay low. But in the future… well, Potter was in for some rough times.
Just you wait, Potter… Just. You. Wait.
A/N: So we finally arrive at the end of chapter 9, pushing us just over 50k words in total for all of the chapters combined. And I have to say, so far, this has been an amazing experience for me. I've never really written anything this long before, so maintaining continuity and a believable timeline is by far the hardest challenge I've ever faced within the world of literature. I hope I have been doing a good job so far, and that you guys aren't too dissatisfied with what I've put out so far. That is what my goal is, after all. To provide entertainment.
But I do realize I have been rather slow with the updates, and for that, I do apologize. My life has been kind of rough as of late so I haven't had as much time or motivation to write as I would've liked to, but I promise I will try my best to do better in the future. And I hope you all will join me for the ride.
And as always, I will see you guys in the next chapter.
-Twisted