Chapter Sixteen – The Wolf Awakens

Harry spread his wings and opened his beak in a human smile as he finally broke through the heavy cloud cover and emerged from the cool, blinding mist into the glorious warmth of the midday sun. The clouds below him rose in peaks and valleys like vast mountains, an entire realm of slow grace and breathtaking beauty. The golden summer sun turned them to flame, and they in turn broke the light into bands of colour that danced and spun around him.

Harry laughed for the sheer joy of it. No matter how often he flew, the beauty of the skies never ceased to fill his heart, and the sense of freedom and strength only grew more intense. He almost felt sorry for his Nimbus, now gathering dust in a corner of his dormitory. But how could a piece of wood ever match the intensity of this experience? The experience of flying on his own wings, of flying right and true, free from all earthly bonds? To compare flying in his crow form with flying on a broom was like comparing his life before Hagrid's appearance, before Hogwarts, before magic, with the happiness he felt in that moment when there were no boundaries and no limits.

Daphne's words from Christmas came to his mind. As so often, she had been right. When you have flown once, flown properly, there is no turning back, you will walk the earth forever with your eyes heavenward. For that is where you have been, and that is where you will always be drawn.

But at the same time, Harry knew that he would have to come back down to earth at some point. There was still so much to do, so much to learn. How long had he been in the air? Several hours? In any case, the sun had moved far across the sky. Yes, it really was time for him to return to her.

Harry started to dive and broke through the cloud cover again, this time in the other direction. The Hogwarts lake appeared in front of him, and rarely had it looked as sublime as it did at that moment. It looked like a silver mirror that had settled over the land. And the lake was indeed a mirror, for when Harry flew over the surface of the water, he could see his own reflection in it. Sometimes it was still strange for him to see himself in his Animagus form, to be himself, but somehow not, or not quite. His crow feathers were even blacker than his hair in human form, but his animal eyes were of a green that would probably never be seen in a real crow. Most of all, he doubted that many people had ever seen a crow grin as happily as he did at that moment.

Still grinning, Harry reached the shore of the lake where, hidden in a small grove, a familiar figure was waiting for him. Daphne was sitting cross-legged on the grass, a heavy book in her lap and several pages of parchment on the ground beside her, most of them closely written. She had a feather tucked behind her right ear and was deeply engrossed in her book, so much so that she didn't even look up when Harry transformed back into his human form. His best friend was always so studious, Harry thought with amusement, and not even during holidays did she allow herself a day of idleness. But that didn't mean they didn't have fun, quite the opposite.

Smiling, Harry thought back to all the things they had done together in the last few weeks, now that they had the whole castle to themselves. Well, almost to themselves, as there were still some teachers around, the ones who were not on holiday. That included Snape, although Harry hadn't seen the Potions Master since the beginning of the month. Perhaps he had fallen into a potion somewhere in his dark dungeon and been boiled alive. One could always dream.

Not many others had stayed through the summer. The house elves, of course, but they only saw them when they went to the kitchen in the morning and evening to get something to eat. Sometimes they had met Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore in the corridors and talked to them a little. And they had also visited Hagrid from time to time to eat biscuits, drink tea and go over the syllabus for the coming year. The fact that Hagrid was now a professor at Hogwarts, after having been expelled half a century ago as a scapegoat for the crimes of the young Voldemort, made Harry believe in a higher justice.

Otherwise, the castle was almost deserted and there was no one to tell them what to do or not to do. They had sat down at the teacher's table in the Great Hall, put their feet up on the table and competed with each other to see who could light the most flying candles with a single spell (that was Daphne) and who could char the most spider webs under the magic ceiling (that was Harry). In broad daylight, they had gone to the Restricted Section and pored over the most sinful books imaginable to their hearts' content, or visited the common rooms of all four houses without anyone being able to stop them. More than once they had lain out on the lawn late into the night, watching the stars and dreaming of their future lives. It was, Harry could say without exaggeration, the best summer of his life.

On the way to his best friend, Harry's fingers brushed over the wand holster that Daphne had given him for his birthday that morning. She had put so much effort into it, even carving little runes into the leather to help direct the flow of magic. In preparation for their new subject, she had said, but Harry knew better. He had read up on it, too. This was NEWT-level runic work, far, far beyond what they would learn in their new class next year.

Daphne always gave him such elaborate gifts, Harry thought with a mixture of pride, joy and shame. All he had given her for her birthday two weeks ago was a silver comb with her name engraved on it. But Daphne had hugged him so tightly and kissed him on the cheek as if he had given her Morgana's Grimoire and Circe's crown itself.

When Harry was only a step away from her, Daphne finally looked up. A smile played on her lips. "You've been gone a long time."

Harry stroked his hair. "Time seems to slow down up there. I didn't realise how late it was until I saw the sun."

"It's a good thing it's your birthday, otherwise I'd be really angry at you for leaving me alone for so long." Daphne reached behind her and held two small packages. "These came for you while you were away. From Ron and Hermione."

Harry took the packages from her and opened Ron's first, which was immediately obvious from the fact that it was wrapped much more untidily; he had probably used three times as much paper as Hermione. A Pocket Sneakoscope was revealed, which Harry weighed in his hand for a moment. Then he noticed a newspaper clipping at the bottom of the package, next to a card with a grinning sphinx on it. The clipping showed a photograph of Ron and the other Weasleys standing in front of a pyramid, waving happily at the camera. Harry was happy to see his friend so carefree, as well as Ginny, who stood between her mother and father as if she were their greatest treasure.

"I'd love to go to Egypt sometime," Daphne said, looking over his shoulder at the photo.

"You'd be arrested within a day for breaking into some ancient sorcerer's tomb."

Daphne tapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Hey, that's not true. And besides, why just me? Where would you be?"

"Not with you," Harry said, adding, before Daphne could even make an offended face, "Someone has to get you out of prison, after all."

Daphne's expression softened slightly. "Barely saved you, Sir Harry," she said. She pointed to the other package. "Now unwrap that."

Harry did as he was told. This time a Broomstick Servicing Kit appeared. For a moment Harry felt a pang of disappointment, after all he wasn't even in the team anymore, what was he supposed to do with a kit like that? But the moment of disappointment passed as quickly as it had come. Hermione had gone to the trouble of sending him this present because she wanted to make him happy, and that was all that counted.

At the bottom of the package was a letter in Hermione's cursive handwriting. Harry began to read.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday to you! I wish I could be with you today to celebrate this special day, but I'm sure you're still having a great day at Hogwarts. And maybe one day in the future we can celebrate your birthday together. I asked my parents, you know, and they said you could come and see us any time, or even come and spend the holidays with us. What do you think about that? A birthday party at the Grangers' next year?

How are you otherwise? You didn't reply to my last letter yet, so I hope all is well and you're just busy. I know I'd be very busy if I had the whole library to myself.

But we also visited a beautiful library in a monastery near Prague yesterday, which was really impressive. Oh Harry, you would love Prague! You can really feel the history here, it's a bit like Hogwarts, only different, it's a big city and not a castle, but I hope you know what I mean. Yesterday we also went to Prague Castle, which has a beautiful view over the city. That's where my parents took the photo I've attached. How do you like it? My mum says I should wear more dresses, but I'm not sure. Do you think something like this looks good on me? Please tell me what you think.

I'm really looking forward to your next letter, and even more to seeing you again soon, and our next year together at Hogwarts.

Happy birthday again, Harry. Relax a bit today, will you? You've earned it.

Give my love to Hagrid and the others.

Hermione

The photograph that accompanied the letter showed a smiling Hermione in a yellow sleeveless summer dress with a white flower in her hair. Unlike the picture of the Weasleys, however, it did not show her moving.

"Pretty," Daphne commented.

Harry said nothing but folded the letter and put it on the floor next to Ron's birthday card. He was glad that his friends had thought of him, but he also somewhat dreaded having to answer them later. Well, especially having to reply to Hermione. Her letters were getting longer and longer. He had the feeling she was trying to make up for her silence last summer. Actually, if you were honest, she had written to him last summer too, but the letters had been intercepted by Dobby, the house-elf.

At the thought of Dobby, Harry's insides tightened for a moment. But the feeling disappeared as Daphne sat cross-legged in front of him, her black wand in her hand.

She brushed her hair out of her face and looked at him firmly. "Don't think we're going to lighten up just because it's your birthday."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I never thought of that."

A smile crossed Daphne's face. As she went on, her voice was filled with an anticipatory glee, like giving a ball of wool to a cat to play with. Or a dead mouse to a crow, or even better, a live one. "I think we've become very good at absorbing the life power of other living things and using it to enhance spells created by magic power," she said. "For anything else, we'd need an Impetus in our bodies, but obtaining one would draw far too much attention. Of course, we have the Forbidden Forest on our doorstep, but –"

"Daph, we've been through this a thousand times," Harry interrupted with a laugh. "What are you getting at?"

"We could use each other's life power! No, no, please let me explain," Daphne said quickly as Harry's face darkened at her words. "I mean something different than before. I don't want you to hurt me, don't worry. No, I want us to use our bond. We can feel each other's moods from time to time, so why not our life power? I've been doing some reading," she pointed to the heavy book lying on the grass beside her, "and I think it should be possible. Sort of like when we practice Occlumency together."

Harry wasn't completely convinced, but he knew that so far they had managed to do everything they set out to do together. And the possibilities of magic were far beyond any human imagination, he knew only too well, and far beyond the foolish limits their own doubts sometimes placed on them. So why not?

"Okay," he said. "Let's do it. But we'll start with me. You'll try to use my life power."

"Harry –"

"No, that's my condition. Either we do it that way or not at all."

Daphne looked at him for a moment, the gold of her eyes hard, before her gaze finally relaxed. She clicked her tongue. "Very well. But you don't have to treat me with kid gloves. I'm not a delicate princess like other girls."

"Believe me, that would never occur to me."

"Good, then let's get started." Daphne leaned forward and put her hand on his. Her skin felt soft against his, Harry thought. And warm. "The physical contact is to help build the bridge at the beginning. I will feel my way to you with my mind, as in our Occlumency exercises, but I will try to go deeper. Not just to your thoughts, but to your inner magic, to your Spirit Within, to your heart. Are you ready for this?"

Harry nodded. His heart beat slowly but strongly. He knew Daphne would never hurt him, so he smiled at her trustingly. "Of course."

"The references in the books were very vague and also dealt with slightly different matters that may have limited application here. So it may take me several tries." Daphne took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Okay, I'll start now."

At first, Harry didn't feel anything, just the soft summer breeze gliding over his skin and through his hair as he watched Daphne. But then suddenly a twitch went through Daphne's face and Harry felt it twitch inside him. It felt as if a hook had pierced his flesh, only somehow softer and not as painful. Then a jolt went through him and he was pulled forward. But somehow he wasn't, because he stayed still. It was just the sensation of being pulled forward, like a fish on a hook, but without the movement of the body that should go with it.

It felt wrong and confusing, but at the same time right and natural. As if the movement that accompanies such a pull is just an unnecessary evil, not needed, even disturbing to the sublimity of the feeling. Sublime, Harry certainly felt as he watched a smile spread across Daphne's face. He surrendered to the pull and let himself be swept along as if he were a piece of wood in a raging torrent.

Daphne raised her wand. White clouds rose from the tip. Then she opened her eyes, and at that moment they appeared to Harry like torrents of liquid gold, designed to sweep him away and never let him go.

But it wasn't just gold in Daphne's eyes. For a few moments, one, two, three seconds, longer than ever before, a greenish glow entered her eyes and mixed with the gold. Harry was mesmerised. For a reason he didn't quite understand, a comforting goosebump spread over his body.

The clouds rising from Daphne's wand changed shape. They formed into a dozen little crows that flew around above their heads, even making soft cawing sounds.

"Looks like it worked," Harry said.

Daphne beamed at him. "Oh Harry, it felt wonderful. Your life power, it's so sweet and light and so heavy and powerful at the same time. Like the most delicious potion you can imagine. But how do you feel? Do you feel weaker?"

Now that the adrenaline had started to wear off, Harry did indeed feel a little exhausted. But no more than if he'd run up the Astronomy Tower with a packed bag. Nothing he couldn't handle.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Daphne brushed the dark hair from her face and pointed to his wand in its holster. "And now you. Taste my life power, Harry."

Harry drew his wand and now it was his turn to close his eyes. Darkness enveloped him.

He still felt Daphne's gaze on him, but he also felt something else. He felt her hand on his, soft and warm. But that was not all he felt. He felt ... he felt Daphne. He didn't know how else to describe it. It was like feeling his own arm, even though it was not attached to his body. It was unnatural, and so he felt his way towards the feeling. It grew stronger and stronger. He felt the blood in Daphne's veins, the pounding of her heart, the nervousness and excitement that filled her at this moment.

Daphne's scent, the sweet scent of pine needles with a hint of lemongrass, curled around him, flowing through him like something alive. He didn't even need to pull, it burst over him like a fire over dry wood. Only it didn't burn him. It filled him with a pleasant warmth and the certainty that the blazing fire inside him would never go out again. And that it would consume everything in its path.

An iron, bloody taste settled on Harry's tongue, as if he had bitten himself. The taste was familiar, as if he had tasted it before. Others might have been repulsed by it, but not him. He who owed his life to this taste in more ways than one. To him, it was the most delicious potion imaginable.

Harry swallowed and raised his wand. He felt the flow of magic, of life power, flow from Daphne into his heart, through his arm and into his wand. For a moment the wand grew warm, and then a flowery scent filled the air.

"Oh, how lovely," Daphne's voice rang out. "A little kitschy, perhaps, but lovely."

Harry opened his eyes to see Daphne's smiling face. Pink rose petals were raining down from the sky. Some had already fallen on Daphne's raven hair, but she made no move to brush them away. Instead, she looked up at him with joy.

"So it really worked," she said, "we did it again."

"We did. How did it feel?" asked Harry.

"It tickled a bit," Daphne said giggling. "But it didn't hurt. And I feel great. But tell me, how did my life power taste? Was I tasty?"

Harry felt the blood rush to his cheeks and Daphne started to laugh. He rolled his eyes.

Girls.

But a small voice in his head corrected him. Not girls. Daphne.

As Harry and Daphne returned to the castle late that afternoon, an unfamiliar man approached them, on his way to the entrance portal, as they were. The man waved to them and Harry and Daphne stopped to wait. Obviously the man wanted something from them, whoever he was.

Daphne quickly put her book into her bag. It probably wouldn't go down well if they saw her walking around with a book whose cover was made of human skin, Harry thought, even if it contained such fascinating things. But such knowledge was best kept to oneself before it could be used against one, whether as an open attack or a hidden dagger.

As the man slowly approached, Harry took a good look at him. It was not a pretty sight. The man looked terrible, with many scars on his face and pale brown hair streaked with many grey strands that made it impossible for Harry to estimate the man's exact age. The man was clad in a shabby cloak that was patched in several places and did nothing to improve the stranger's overall appearance.

"Good afternoon, both of you," the man said as he finally stood in front of them. "Are you students?"

Harry nodded. "We are. And you are?"

"Remus Lupin. I have an appointment with the Headmaster, but I'm afraid I don't know the way to his office. Could you perhaps direct me?"

Harry and Daphne exchanged glances. Daphne shrugged and Harry replied, "Of course. We'll take you there."

After all, after six months of detention with Dumbledore, they knew the way more than well.

And so they set off. As they crossed the entrance hall, Lupin looked at them from the side. "And who are you, may I ask?"

"Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself.

"Daphne Greengrass," Daphne said.

"Nice to meet you, Harry and Daphne."

"What do you want with Dumbledore, Mr Lupin?" asked Daphne.

It was a question Harry could only agree with. Lupin looked so down and out of place that he wondered what he had to talk to such a famous and powerful wizard as Dumbledore about. Then again, he had no idea who Dumbledore was otherwise dealing with, and anyway, you shouldn't judge people by their looks. If you did, he'd probably still be the freak from Privet Drive, running around in his cousin's worn clothes and facing a dark, grim future. In any case, if Lupin had turned up on his doorstep, Uncle Vernon would have thrown him out on the spot and probably called the police. This thought made Lupin much more sympathetic in Harry's eyes.

"I have a job interview with him," Lupin said. "He's invited me to apply for a vacant professorship."

"Defence?" asked Harry. It was the only logical possibility, unless Binns had been finally removed, which he couldn't quite imagine. The ghost would probably still be boring his students to death a thousand years from now, which was a shame when you thought about it. History could certainly be exciting if the lessons were made more interesting. Daphne, at least, couldn't stop raving about the powerful sorceresses of the past, and Harry hung on her every word.

Lupin nodded. "Yes, Defence Against the Dark Arts. But apparently the previous professor left big shoes to fill, because he's working for the ICW now."

"Lockhart was a flop. Really? You can only do better than him."

Lupin gave him a weak smile. Though it wasn't just weak, it seemed almost strained, as if Lupin didn't know how to smile, or hadn't for a long time. "I'm honoured by your confidence, Harry."

No one said another word for a while. They took one of the flying staircases and were soon on the second floor. Soon they were standing in front of the gargoyle that blocked the secret entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Do you know the current password?" Harry asked Daphne.

Daphne shook her head. "Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, no."

"Then there's only one way." Harry looked at the gargoyle and said, "This is Daphne and Harry with Remus Lupin to see the Headmaster. Mr Lupin has an appointment with him."

Sure enough, the gargoyle turned to the side, revealing the spiral staircase behind it. They stepped onto the stairs, which began to move with a slight jerk, taking them up.

No sooner had they reached the top of the stairs than the wooden door to Dumbledore's office opened and someone stepped out. But this someone was not the headmaster, but a grim-faced goblin in a wickedly expensive-looking gold suit.

The goblin paid no attention to them, but said in a sharp voice over his shoulder, "This won't be easy, Dumbledore, and certainly not quick."

"Then I will be patient," Dumbledore's voice rang out from the office, and Harry looked past the goblin to see the Headmaster sitting in his usual place behind his claw-footed desk, his gaze as calm and collected as ever. "Thank you, it was a pleasure doing business with you as always, Sir Agnog."

The goblin grumbled briefly before walking past them without dignifying them with another glance. How charming.

As the spiral staircase brought the goblin back down, Harry, Daphne and Lupin entered the office.

Dumbledore straightened and smiled at them. "Ah, Harry and Daphne, good to see you. And you brought Remus with you, excellent."

"Who was that?" asked Daphne.

"Sir Agnog, a high representative of Gringotts, with whom I have had the pleasure of doing business many times in the past." Dumbledore's voice sounded cheerful, but Harry doubted it was really a pleasure, given what he knew about goblins and what he had just seen. "But I do not want to bore you. I am sure you have a lot to do, as busy as you two always are. But thank you for bringing Remus here."

Lupin took the opportunity to come forward and shake Dumbledore's hand. "Thank you for inviting me, Professor Dumbledore."

"The thanks are all mine for accepting my invitation," Dumbledore said. He looked at Harry and Daphne. "I hope you both enjoy your dinner. I have it on good authority that the house elves have prepared honey roast duck breast tonight, and extra treacle tart for you, Daphne. So do not keep them waiting."

Harry and Daphne knew when they had been seen off. But Lupin turned to them again and said, "I look forward to seeing you both again."

They gave him a quick nod before turning and leaving the office to go about their own business.

The next morning Harry quickly realised that something must have happened. When he stepped into the entrance hall as usual to wait for Daphne, it was not empty as usual, but full of people. At least two dozen witches and wizards, all of whom Harry had never seen before, were scattered around the hall or hurrying from one corner to the other. Some wizards were fiddling with the heavy entrance gates, although Harry couldn't see what they were doing. In any case, all the strange witches and wizards looked very busy. But their looks were full of ... concern? Yes, Harry was sure of it. They looked worried, as if something bad had happened.

Harry continued to look around and then spotted Lupin standing against one of the walls, watching the proceedings as well. And if Harry had thought that Lupin had looked exhausted yesterday, he was now proven wrong. For Lupin's scarred face was ashen and his patched cloak hung loosely around him, as if he had lost several kilos in a single night. And he had not been particularly robust before.

Just then, Daphne stepped out of the dungeon. There was the same confusion on her face as there was on Harry's. She caught sight of him and came towards him with quick steps. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I have no idea. Let's go and find out."

With that, Harry walked towards Lupin, Daphne following close behind. But Lupin didn't seem to notice them as they got closer. Then Harry said loudly, "Mr Lupin. Mr Lupin, hello."

Lupin flinched. His eyes seemed to take a moment to recognise them. They were dim and only slowly did they come back to life. "Harry... and Daphne," Lupin said slowly as he recognised them. "What –"

"What's going on?" asked Daphne impatiently. "What are all these people doing?"

Lupin looked at them for a few moments. He opened his mouth, then closed it. It was obvious that he didn't know what to say. What, Harry wondered, must have happened to leave him so speechless?

He was about to ask again when three more figures entered the entrance hall. They were Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and a portly little man in a pinstriped cloak and a lime green bowler hat. Harry had never met the man before, but he recognised him from the newspaper. It was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.

The newcomers saw them and approached.

"Good morning, Harry, Daphne," Professor Dumbledore greeted them both before turning to the Minister. "Cornelius, I don't think you have had the pleasure of meeting these two, have you? Then let me introduce you to our two most talented students, Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass."

Fudge enthusiastically shook Harry's hand. "Mr Potter, it is a great honour to finally meet you in person. I hope you are having an enjoyable summer." Before Harry could reply, Fudge turned to Daphne and shook her hand as well, though a little less enthusiastically. "And young Miss Greengrass is also no stranger to me, of course. Lucius Malfoy told me a bit about you, you know. Had a little run-in with young Draco, eh? You're still young, of course, miss, but you'd better not let your feelings get the better of you in the future. Although it wasn't very polite of young Draco to make eyes at you and then get engaged to Miss Parkinson. That's what I told Lucius when he tried to get an arrest warrant for you and Mr Potter from Amelia Bones."

Harry realised he didn't like Fudge. Not at all.

"I suppose that would have been a bit over the top," Professor Dumbledore said.

"My words, my words," Fudge said. "And what a picture it would have made! Arresting the Boy Who Lived! For a school quarrel! I can't imagine the flood of owls and letters that would have poured into my office. I would have been hounded out of office that very day."

"And that would have been a shame, of course," said Daphne.

"Exactly," said Fudge. He had obviously not noticed the mockery in Daphne's voice, unlike Professor McGonagall. A small smile had formed on the lips of their Transfiguration teacher, Harry noticed.

But by now, the whole thing was getting a little too much for him. "Will someone please explain what's going on?" he said. "I mean, it's nice to meet you, Minister, but what are you doing here? And all the others?" He pointed at the witches and wizards around them.

"I don't suppose you've had a chance to read the paper yet?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"No, not yet. Why? What would we read in it?"

"There has been a prison break. A very dangerous man escaped from Azkaban last night," said Professor Dumbledore. Others would have delivered this news with panic, or at least excitement, but Dumbledore's voice was as calm as ever. But Harry had heard enough of their Headmaster's talk of mortal danger and the fight against dark magic over the past few months to see the worry in his blue eyes. And if Dumbledore was worried, then he must be a dangerous man, especially since, as far as Harry could remember, no one had ever escaped from the wizard's prison.

"Who?" he and Daphne asked at the same time.

Surprisingly, it was Lupin who answered. "Sirius Black," he said, his voice sounding strangely low.

Daphne frowned, as if trying to remember something. Then she said, "He was a Death Eater, wasn't he?"

Dumbledore nodded. "That is right. And that is why the Ministry wizards are here today." He looked at Fudge.

"Er, yes, exactly," he said. "The Ministry wizards are here to check and update the protections around Hogwarts. Rest assured, the Ministry spares no expense or effort to ensure the safety of the students. It is likely that Black will be caught and given the Dementor's Kiss soon anyway. So you have nothing to worry about."

"Who's worried?" asked Daphne. "I'm sure you have everything under control." Then she turned to Professor McGonagall. "Does this change our plans for today, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "I don't think so. Hogsmeade is full of Aurors now, Black would have to be mad to go there."

"In fact, that would be the biggest favour he could do for us," Fudge said. "No more mice can get into the settlement unnoticed. We'd have him before he could say Azkaban."

"As you can hear, you have nothing to worry about, Miss Greengrass," said Professor McGonagall. "And just in case, I am also a capable witch who knows how to defend myself." Her voice sounded grim as she said this.

"Who's worried?" asked Daphne. "I just need to know if I have to order things from the owl catalogue. Which, of course, would have the disadvantage that I wouldn't be able to try them on."

"What are you doing in Hogsmeade?" asked Harry. It was the first time he'd heard about it.

"Professor McGonagall has kindly offered to take me shopping. I need some new clothes, my old ones are getting a bit small."

"Can I come with you? I could use a few things myself."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Mr Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "We'll have to buy some, ah, feminine things too, I'm afraid."

Harry looked at the two witches in confusion. "What –"

"Girls' clothes, Harry," Daphne said with an amused smile on her lips. "We need to buy girls' clothes."

Now Harry understood what they meant. The back of his neck suddenly felt warm.

The adults laughed softly, but Harry felt that it sounded a little artificial, as if they were deliberately trying to create a cheerful mood. This Sirius Black seemed even more dangerous than he had suspected, if they thought it necessary.

The only one who wasn't laughing was Lupin. He still looked as if he didn't even know what laughter was. Their conversation seemed to pass him by completely.

It was Professor McGonagall who spoke next. "Anyway, I hope you'll take this opportunity to add some variety to your wardrobe, Miss Greengrass. Always black, black, black. It's bound to get you down."

"It's just my style," Daphne said. "And Harry likes it too, don't you, Harry?"

Again Harry felt the eyes of those present on him, and again he felt the heat on the back of his neck. It was true, he thought, that black looked excellent on Daphne. Probably any colour would look good on her, but the black she usually wore went so well with her dark hair, which he found incredibly attractive.

He cleared his throat and said, without answering Daphne's question, "Well then, good luck with your shopping trip."

"You might want to take this opportunity to have a quiet word with Remus, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said. Harry looked at the headmaster in confusion. He didn't know what he meant. "Believe me, Harry, I am sure you have a lot to talk about."

The words snapped Lupin out of his stupor. "Professor," he said quickly. "I don't think this is a good –"

"I disagree," Dumbledore cut him off. "It is time, Remus. You know they would have wanted it. It is time to leave the shadows behind."

Harry was only more confused by these cryptic words, but they didn't seem to have missed their mark with Lupin. For after saying goodbye to the others – in the case of the Minister with a renewed assurance that they had absolutely nothing to worry about, which had elicited a roll of the eyes from Daphne and a suppressed laugh from Harry – he asked him to follow him. Together they went up to the third floor and into the office that had once belonged to Professor Quirrell and Professor Lockhart.

"So you got the job," Harry said as he looked around the office.

Apart from a table, two chairs and an empty shelf, it was completely empty. And the dust that had settled on the surfaces over the past few weeks shimmered grey in the sunlight. It looked bleak, but bleak was preferable to Harry than the self-indulgent ostentation that had filled the room in Lockhart's day, and before that, the masses of Quirrell's garlic.

"Yes, yes, I did," Lupin said quietly, as if his mind was elsewhere. He sat down behind the desk and Harry sat down opposite him. "It's strange to be back at Hogwarts after all these years..." Lupin's voice was lost like an echo in a vast gorge, and at that moment he seemed decidedly small.

"Who are you?" asked Harry. "What did Professor Dumbledore mean when he said we had a lot to talk about?"

Lupin sighed deeply. "You see, Harry, I spent the happiest years of my life here. In fact, probably the only ones I've ever been happy."

"Sir, what –"

"I went to school with your parents, Harry. They were my friends. That's what Dumbledore meant. And the day they both died, a world fell apart for me."

This left Harry speechless. He had never met a friend of his parents, only acquaintances and former teachers. His mind raced as he thought of all the things he could ask Lupin.

But it was Lupin who continued to speak, his head bowed, his hands trembling and his voice full of pain and sadness that instantly silenced Harry's thoughts. He would not hear what he wanted from this man and yet he listened.

"Harry, I have a story to tell you. About your mother, your father and a brave man. And their bad friends..."

Harry could feel Daphne's aura approaching him long before she finally sat down beside him by the lake, like little ripples that played around his ankles and slowly grew stronger. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Daphne was wearing a new robe, made of midnight black silk with silver fringes. She must have bought it in Hogsmeade. It really did look exquisite on her.

Daphne leaned her head against his shoulder and Harry let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding.

"Who are your dark thoughts about?" asked Daphne. Her voice was quiet, as if she was doing nothing more than asking him what he'd had for lunch. Somehow her voice helped him sort out his thoughts.

"Sirius Black," he said. "He was the one who betrayed my parents to Voldemort. He was their friend and they are dead because of him. And they think he's after me now. To finish what his master failed to do back then."

"Oh." Daphne looked at him sideways. "So what do we do now?"

Harry's eyes swept across the lake. Heavy clouds had gathered in the sky, casting shadows over the surface of the water. It was as if he was looking into a dark mirror, a reflection of his inner self at that moment. The beautiful summer dream he had been living for the past few weeks was over, and the reality he woke up to was all the more bitter.

"If I meet him, if he really seeks me and finds me ... then I will kill him."

Daphne pressed herself against his side, and Harry gratefully accepted her warmth, for he had grown ice-cold.

"Of course," she said, "and I will help you."