Soooo, I really have no excuse for such a late update other than lack of will to write this story, but its back now. Honestly, all the chapters are planned out, fleshed out, just waiting to be written. I just have too many stories to keep up with. I will finish this one, and hopefully with more updates in the next few months to get it closer to the end. Thank you for all who have been patient and have followed this story and kept with it this long. It's what makes me come back to them! Enjoy!
Pacing.
Panting.
Grunting.
The tiger snarled at something off in the distance, his yellow eyes piercing through the darkness of the starless night.
Harry tossed around in his bed; his forehead creased as he was sucked away into another vision.
Thick, green jungle surrounded him. Faolan snarled again, letting out a low roar as he did so.
Harry rolled over once more, sweat trickling down his forehead.
Pacing and grunting, Faolan shook his head and trotted deeper into the trees, stumbling slightly as he did so, feeling a sudden sense of weakness and disorientation, like something was draining his energy but he couldn't see what it was.
Harry's breathing quickened and his face contorted as he readjusted on the bed, trying to stay asleep despite the attacking visions.
Suddenly, Faolan roared loudly, canines exposed and his face fierce and angry, the noise vibrating off Harry's eardrums.
Harry shot up, wide awake and panting as he looked around his bedroom, the tiger's roar echoing in his head. His heart raced in his chest as if he was still the tiger pacing in the trees, and Harry took several deep breaths as he told himself internally that it was just a dream. A very intense and vivid one, but a dream anyway.
Harry swung his legs over the edge of his bed, slipping them into his slippers, prepared to do some late-night strolling. As much as his father disapproved of it (considering it was also against Hogwarts rules), Harry found that the short strolls through the dark and silent castle really helped him relax enough to go back to bed. Harry almost pushed up to his feet when Sam's voice entered his mind.
: Going somewhere? Sam asked, lifting his head up and eyeing Harry. The fox was sleeping in the dog bed near Harry's bed, one of the many beds available for the fox throughout the castle.
"No, just—sorry, I didn't know you were here tonight," Harry said.
: So if I had not been, you would be on your way somewhere then?
Harry sighed and pushed the slippers off his feet.
"No. I had a . . . a strange dream."
: You too, hmm? Sam yawned and flicked his ears, tilting his head at Harry. Do you want to talk about it?
"I guess. It was like I was back on that island from last year when Lockhart stranded us there to get us out of the way. I was stuck as Faolan again, and Faolan was confused and angry about something. Or maybe just in his wild, unhinged state again, I couldn't really tell. But I felt weak, like something was draining me of all my energy. I don't know, it was just weird."
: Weird enough to wake you up, I see.
"Well, Faolan roared. It was kind of loud, like it happened right next to my head rather than inside of it. It seemed so real."
: I believe it. Dreams are often our brains' way of processing what is real, whether these events have happened to you personally or not.
Harry frowned at that before recalling something Sam had said.
"Is someone else having strange dreams? You said "you too.""
: Your father is having his share of vivid and disturbing dreams.
"About what?"
: You'll have to ask your father and if he is willing to divulge the information, then that is his choice.
"You're no fun. We could be having the same dreams."
: From what you described; I can assure you that you are not having the same dreams.
Harry laid back down in bed, pulling the blanket over himself and rolling over so he could still face Sam. He frowned in thought, watching as Sam rested his head back down on the large plush bed, though the yellow eyes remained on Harry, piercing the night as Faolan's had done in his dream. It was strange to think that his father was having trouble with nightmares of all things, though if Harry was being honest with himself, he didn't often envision his father having normal human problems. With everything going on regarding the Niles case, it would make sense that personal traumas would begin stirring in Severus's head, much like they were in Harry's, though for very different reasons, he was sure.
"Sam?"
: Yes?
"You and Dad talk about a lot of things when I'm not around, especially about this case going on. Is there anything you can tell me about any of your conversations? I promise I won't tell anyone if it's that private. I just want to know why Dad is so involved with it. I mean, I get why, but also, it wasn't really the guy's intention to kill Mum, and maybe if he really has changed for the better, he needs a chance right? Though, it's also his fault I never got the chance to know Mum, so I wouldn't care if he did stay in prison longer, but what if he did get out and—"
: You're spiraling, Harry, Sam interrupted gently. Harry heard the fox sigh loudly before Sam's voice continued. None of our discussions have really been solely about the case, and for your father's privacy, I will not indulge you with anything we've discussed. However, as I've said, you can talk to your father, and he will share with you what he feels you need to know.
"Which is nothing." Harry turned on his back and glared at the ceiling. "He never shares anything with me. He treats me like a little kid, like I can't handle any mature discussion about the person who killed my mother. He's so annoying anymore."
: I understand how that must feel. You should tell him that.
"Yeah, and he'd tell me to stop complaining and that I'm still just a kid and all that."
: Maybe. And maybe not. You won't know if you don't try it out.
Harry rolled over once more, this time, facing away from Sam, feeling very warm and tired all of a sudden. Talking to someone seemed to be just as effective as a midnight stroll in relaxing him enough to fall back to sleep.
: Sleep on it, Harry. Your father is only trying to protect you but if you talk to him about how this case turmoils you, he might share more with you. Be mature about it though. If go in with guns blazing, expect guns to blaze back.
Harry snorted at Sam's phrasing, always the one to relate everything to weapons. Harry's mind was suddenly filled with images of fire blazing everywhere, warm and comforting, and he closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly to the inferno spreading across his dreamscape.
The next morning, Harry woke up alone in the dorm, and he realized he overslept and it was halfway through breakfast time. He dressed quickly and headed for the Great Hall, finding his friends finishing up their breakfasts while admiring Ron's rat as the little rodent scurried around on the table.
"Harry, finally joined the land of the living, eh?" Dean joked as Harry jogged over to them.
"Harry, look at this!" Ron exclaimed, grabbing Scabbers and holding him up. "Scabbers made a complete turn around last night."
"That's amazing," Harry said, spotting Sam and Haya sitting across from Ron and Hermione at the table, and he moved around the table to slide in next to Sam. "So what do you think happened? Was it the potion the healer gave?"
"I have no clue," Ron said, releasing Scabbers on the table again. "Madam Pomfrey thinks maybe he ate something he shouldn't have, and it finally worked its way out of his system. I'm just so happy he's still with us."
"This is all he's talked about all morning," Seamus said. "And before this fiasco, he was all annoyed he even had a rat familiar."
"I wasn't," Ron argued. "I always liked Scabbers. He's not an owl or anything, but he's still pretty cool."
"I'm happy for you and Scabbers," Hermione said, watching as Scabbers stole some fruit from the trays on the table and nibbled it. "I kept trying to tell you it wasn't Crookshanks that was the problem."
: Sleep well, Harry? Sam asked.
"Yeah, a lot better actually," Harry answered.
"Were you having trouble sleeping?" Hermione asked.
"A little, but it was nothing serious, just couldn't sleep well, but Sam helped me out." Harry turned his attention to filling his plate with food, wanting to get some breakfast before it all disappeared.
Scabbers sniffed around the table, checking out the other platters of food, moving across the table toward the two foxes. Suddenly, Scabbers paused and sniffed the air inquisitively, looking up at the foxes, then titling his head at Haya. Haya snarled at the rat, and Scabbers scurried back to Ron with a squeak.
: Haya, Sam scolded gently, no eating the students' familiars.
Haya blinked then gave Sam a guilty smile, her ears falling back.
: Sorry. Instinct.
: Trust me, I get it.
"Yeah," Ron added in slowly, cradling Scabbers close. "Just stay away from poor Scabbers. He's been through enough."
While Harry quickly inhaled his breakfast, owls began flying into the Great Hall with the morning papers and mail, and small murmurs and gasps of surprise began to fill the hall as students and professors alike received the news. Students without papers began peering over shoulders to read the papers their peers had received or whispered in each other's ears to spread the news. Hermione looked up, waiting for an owl to drop her paid subscription of the Daily Prophet.
Severus suddenly appeared behind Sam, whispering something to the fox before speedwalking out of the Great Hall, Sam following without a word, and Haya trotting after Sam. Harry looked back at the professor's table, noting that Remus was already absent, and the other professors were sharing comments about the paper.
A sharp whistle caught Harry's attention, and he glanced in the direction he heard it, meeting Draco's eyes, who was sitting at the Slytherin table next to Blaise. Draco tossed his copy of the prophet in the air, and it shifted into an origami bird that flew the short distance over to Harry's table before losing shape and falling down to Harry as the Daily Prophet once more, landing with a heavy thud in Harry's lap.
Peter Pettigrew Escapes Azkaban
Harry gasped at the title.
It was at this time that the rest of Gryffindor table received their copies of the paper, and they joined in Harry's surprise at the headlines. Harry quickly read the piece that explained why Peter Pettigrew was in prison in the first place, how he had betrayed his friends and turned to Voldemort's side during the war, killed thirteen muggles during a duel between Sirius Black while trying to protect an alleged horcrux item that was later destroyed, and then was finally detained by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Harry then read how Pettigrew was a rat animagus, and while precautions were put into place in the event of an animagus ending up in prison, those precautions may have been overlooked in Pettigrew's case due to the "lack of threat" regarding his animagus and the "high security" Azkaban always had. Talk about underestimating.
"Can you believe this?" Hermione said, shaking her head at the paper her and Ron were looking at. "This is completely at the fault of whoever runs this prison. They should have done more to ensure this man could not escape even as an animagus."
"I mean, maybe he couldn't," Ron added. "It did take him several years to finally get a break and escape. I bet he had help."
"No one else is missing, Ron, they would have said so." Hermione gave Ron a look.
"Maybe they don't know someone else is missing yet," Ron said in a conspirator tone which made Hermione roll her eyes.
Harry frowned at the image of the scruffy looking man and the image of a brown rat next to his face. His rat animagus looked like any other rat on the planet, so he could only imagine how difficult it would be to find the escaped convict. Harry's eyes glanced over at Scabbers sleeping in Ron's arms. If he hadn't known the rat previously for the last few years, he would have suspected Ron's rat to be the escaped convict. Harry glanced back down at the paper, trying to rack his brain as to why Pettigrew would want to escape now of all times to do so. The paper went on to explain that no known reason was available at this time, but all leads and tips were being thoroughly investigated.
Harry remembered Severus's quick departure and he shot out of his seat, abandoning his breakfast and his curious friends, and ran out of the hall, running down to his father's quarters, slowing down once he was in the hallway, tiptoeing to his father's door. He carefully leaned against the hardwood, straining to hear what was being said.
"I can't wrap my head around why now," Sirius's voice could be heard saying. "It makes no sense, no one's reported any suspicious activity, no sudden drive or strange behaviors from Pettigrew, I just don't get it. And where on earth could he be running to. He's a rat, it's not like he can swim across the ocean, so how would he have gotten off the island?"
"Hitched a ride on a boat, maybe?" Remus suggested. "We'll never know until we find him."
"Aurors are all over scanning dark alleys and muggle neighborhoods along the coasts where the boats from Azkaban pull in. But a rat is small enough to evade the spell's sensors if he can get in a deep enough crevice. Ah, I hate animagus cases."
"Oh, but you can break the rules all you want, huh?"
"I finally registered," Sirius argued. "And this isn't about me."
"I quite agree," Severus interrupted. "Do you think this could have anything to do with Niles?"
"I can't see Pettigrew working for a man like Niles," Remus said. "Though, I never saw him working for someone like Voldemort when we were teens, so anything's possible I guess."
"Pettigrew's motivation is fear," Sirius added, "and Niles is not someone to mess with, even in prison."
"I've heard from an insider that Niles has continued experimenting," Severus said, "even without all his potions and tools, he's been finding ways to steal magical energy from the other prisoners and seeing how much health it improved on himself. Perhaps he's done the same to Pettigrew."
"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you about your insider friend," Sirius said.
"I know, be careful," Severus said. "But inside information is exactly what we need, you can't deny that. If this is related to Niles, he could be using Pettigrew for something, and we could find out what that is."
"You're right. As much as I don't like it, Sam sneaking into Azkaban may prove useful to us. You'd be unsuspecting, especially with your illusion tricks and stealth. I have three portkeys for you that will apparate you directly to a secluded closet undercover aurors often use to sneak in and out of. They are two-way with a certain turn of the key. This way, you will not be traced or noticed on your trips. You will still need to be careful to avoid detection or suspicion should you shapeshift into anything or anyone, but—I'm sure I don't need to tell you how to be sneaky."
Harry didn't hear any response, though he was sure Sam was probably speaking now. He pressed his ear firmer against the door, pushing into the wooden frame, startling slightly when a creak emitted from the hinges.
He didn't have a second to curse the ancient hinges when the door swung open and he was dragged into the room by an unseen force, landing directly in front of his father, and dead center between Sirius, Remus, and Sam. All four figures narrowed their eyes at him.
Harry gulped, wincing when the door slammed shut behind him, nearly as loud as his heart hammering in his chest as he struggled to find a quick explanation that would make it seem like he had not been eavesdropping a second ago.
However, he was not given the right to explain as Severus grabbed his arm and jerked him forward. Harry stumbled slightly then found himself tipped over the arm of the chair, and he yelped when Severus's brought his hand down on his backside, followed by several more smacks.
"Ow, no Dad, wait," Harry pleaded, trying to push himself off the arm of the chair, his face red as his father smacked him in front of everyone in the room. Of course, they were his uncles and Sam, who had all seen him smacked before (if they had also not been the ones doing the smacking), and Haya was thankfully absent from the room.
"How dare you eavesdrop on this—on any conversation," Severus scolded.
"I'm sorry," Harry cried, his right leg jerking up slightly at a particularly hard smack. "I didn't mean . . ."
"Don't even finish that sentence," Severus growled, delivering two final smacks to Harry's bottom before pulling his son up. "Go to your room and find a corner to stand in. We will finish this conversation when I'm done speaking to your uncles."
Harry kept his head down as he walked directly to his bedroom, closing the door behind him, though he knew privacy charms were being installed around the conversation taking place in the living room. Harry took a moment to rub his bottom. It stung something fierce, and he knew he deserved every smack, but he didn't really feel guilty over his actions. His father had punished him for eavesdropping several times in the past, yet sometimes Harry felt it was the only way to get information from Severus sometimes. His father was so overprotective, he just didn't get Harry's struggles with communication. He brushed Harry aside over important matters just like Pettigrew's escape, using the excuse of "Oh, it's adult matters, so it's none of your concern." It was the same old, same old, and it wasn't fair. Harry wasn't a baby anymore who wouldn't understand sensitive materials like what his father, uncles and Sam were talking about now.
It wasn't fair.
Harry debated just lying down on his bed and pouting until Severus came in, but he figured Severus might hand out more smacks if he found Harry somewhere that wasn't a corner, so Harry found an empty corner and stood in front of it, drawing imaginary shapes on the ground with his shoe as he waited for Severus to enter his room.
It felt like an hour before Severus finally came in, though Harry was sure it was realistically only a few minutes or so. Severus entered the room quietly, closing the door behind him once more, which meant his uncles were probably still in the living room, though why Severus bothered for privacy now was beyond Harry.
"I'm glad to find you listening for a change," Severus said.
"I'm always listening," Harry muttered. "It's you who doesn't listen."
"Come out of the corner and sit down," Severus said.
Harry slowly turned away from the corner and walked over to his bed, sitting on the edge of it. Based on Severus's tone, he didn't sound angry, and Severus was standing in front of Harry with his arms crossed but a neutral expression on his face, so Harry took that as a good sign that he would not be punished any further.
"I feel we've had this conversation far too many times," Severus began, "so I will refrain from repeating myself and just ask: what in Merlin's name were you thinking?"
Harry was quiet for a moment, intertwining his fingers repeatedly as he thought over how best to go about an answer.
"I'm waiting, young man."
There's the "young man," better come up with an answer before he changes his mind on further punishment.
"I knew you and Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius were probably discussing Pettigrew's escape. I wanted to know what you were all thinking about it and why he might have broken out anyway."
"And you didn't think to ask me at a more appropriate time?"
Your father is only trying to protect you, Sam's voice echoed in Harry's head, but if you talk to him about how this case turmoils you, he might share more with you. Be mature about it though. If go in with guns blazing, expect guns to blaze back.
"You never tell me everything," Harry said, trying to keep his tone flat in hopes he didn't sound too whingy. "Even when I ask you say it doesn't concern me or I shouldn't worry myself about it or how I don't need to know everything. I get you're just trying to protect me, but I want to know what's going on with the Niles case too because it does concern me. I never got to know Mum because of this guy and I'm interested in his case and why he's in jail to begin with and how Pettigrew's escape might relate to him. I knew you wouldn't give me much if I had asked you."
Severus was silent but the light drumming of his fingers against his arms told Harry he was thinking about Harry's words. Encouraged, Harry kept talking.
"I know it was wrong and I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but I felt like it was the only way I would actually get all the information I wanted to know. I'm really sorry, Dad."
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Severus finally said. "It was never my intention to push you into feeling you needed to eavesdrop; however, I do feel there are matters that are not for your ears and I need you to respect that."
Harry looked down, feeling slightly disappointed, but Severus kept talking.
"However, I do see how frustrating that can be from your perspective, and perhaps you are ready to handle more truth than I thought you were, even if I don't feel ready for it."
Harry smiled up at his father, glad the conversation was going better than he originally thought.
"With that said, you may not always be invited into every conversation I have with other adults, but if you wish to know what happened during those conversations and can conduct yourself in the manner you are presently maintaining yourself in, then I think we can have those discussions."
"Really? I mean, that would be great, Dad."
"Yes, but the eavesdropping needs to stop. If I find you resorting to that behavior again, you will not get an ounce of information from me."
"Yes, sir."
"And that includes today. We will not be discussing any bit of the conversation your uncles and I just had due to your eavesdropping. I'm sure you gathered enough of your own information yourself."
"But what about—"
"No. This is the deal. If you want to be mature and treated like a young adult, then you will act like one. When you do not and you eavesdrop, you get nothing."
"Can't you just tell me what Sam is—"
"Harry," Severus interrupted, lowering his voice and narrowing his eyes.
Harry quickly stopped talking, knowing he was pushing Severus in the wrong direction. He figured he would just have to take the small wins he could get. Maybe Sam would share more with him later. He had blown his chance with this conversation, but at least he knew his father would make an attempt in sharing more with future adult discussions. Harry sighed and nodded his head.
"Okay, I understand." Harry hesitated, then added, "Thanks for listening."
"Of course. I wish you had told me about this sooner. We could have come to an agreement before this episode."
"You've been busy and distracted lately."
"That does not matter. No matter what, you come first, and I shouldn't have let something pull me away from that. Not even the Niles case." Severus sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "I'm sorry I've been so distant the last few weeks. I will amend that starting now."
Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he studied the top of his shoes instead.
"You're grounded to your room by the way," Severus added as though it were an afterthought. "For the rest of the week. We'll have plenty of time to catch up with each other then."
"Oh goodie," Harry muttered, though he expected as much. No more late nights in his dorm or goofing off with his friends while they studied during breaks. Having a parent on staff could still be annoying, no matter what small progress they may have made. Severus snorted at Harry's reaction, then glanced at his watch.
"You have class in twenty minutes," Severus said. "You should get going or you'll be late."
"Yes, sir," Harry said, standing up. He was surprised when Severus pulled him into a hug, but he returned it.
"You are growing up so fast," Severus murmured. "I guess I just wanted you to stay my innocent little boy for as long as possible."
"Well, I can't," Harry joked.
"Brat," Severus said, ruffling his son's hair as he pulled away. "To class with you or you'll be late."
Harry smirked at his father as he followed him out of his room, blushing when he saw Remus and Sirius sitting in the living room analyzing three small devices on a table with Sam watching intently. Sam tilted his head at Harry as he walked past, offering a small smile and nod of his head. Harry smiled back at Sam, thankful for the fox's small advice.
"Have a good day, Harry," Severus said. "Behave in your classes."
"I always behave in my classes," Harry retorted. "See you later, Uncle Remus. Bye Uncle Sirius."
"See you in class, cub," Remus said with a smile.
"Enjoy your classes, Harry," Sirius added, a grin on his face.
Harry offered everyone a smile before leaving his father's quarters. That conversation could not have gone better. If only they could have had that talk before his rear end had to pay a price. Harry snuck in one last rub before heading back to his dorm to grab his bag for class.
