Chapter 7: After the Aftermath, Flying Sooths the Soul

By the next morning at breakfast, it seemed the whole castle was indeed buzzing with the news of their exploits with the troll.

"You know, I had a thought last night after everything settled down." Ron said. "I mean, just a thought. I think we should all focus a bit more on dueling, as well as our other studies. You know?"

Hermione sipped a cup of tea. "I was thinking the same, Ron. Though I think we all handled it pretty well. That was a really good knockback jinx, Neville! And Harry, your incendius was brilliant!"

Harry flashed her a grin. "And you! That levitation charm was pure genius! Gave Susan enough time to get away, plus the troll was so confused it left it open for Neville and I."

There was a quiet clearing of a throat. They turned to find Susan standing nearby, shifting nervously. "I just…thank you. For last night. If you hadn't come after us…" she looked down. "So…thanks…" She turned and walked back to the Hufflepuff table. Harry noticed that Hannah Abbot had leaned over to ask her something, but Susan just shook her head.

"That's something I didn't think of last night." Harry muttered.

"What's that?" Neville asked.

Hermione blinked. "Oh! I suppose us going after them would be a confirmation to their suspicions, wouldn't it? So now Daphne and Susan are certain that we know something about them and the third floor corridor."

"Right. But let's not forget what Professor Dumbledore said last night." Ron said between bites. His plate was full of eggs, bacon, and a sausage. "He made it quite clear he doesn't want us getting anymore involved."

Harry couldn't help but frown. "Yeah, he did. But he also made it clear to defend ourselves if necessary. That tells me he's worried we might get dragged deeper into this by someone else." He glanced at the head table. Only a few teachers were present. He tapped a finger on the table. "I've been thinking of exploring the Room of Requirement some more. The Sage said the room could take whatever form we needed it to."

"Oh, that sounds like a fun experiment!" Hermione said. "Like a training room? A secondary library?"

"A way to hide things? Or not be found by anyone else?" Ron wondered.

"Although, you probably should get a good night's rest tonight too, Harry. Your first match is tomorrow." Neville said, buttering a bit of toast before smearing a bit of jam on.

"I am, though I'm not sure how much I'll actually be able to sleep. I'm mean, it's the first game of the season, and they already have Gryffindor versus Slytherin." Harry shook his head.

They gathered their things and headed down to the potions room. Professor Snape began the lesson, and all thoughts of Quidditch left Harry's mind. The potion today was simple: it was a shrinking solution. Harry studied the recipe on the board. As he began collecting the ingredients he needed, he noticed that Hermione kept glancing across the room. He followed to where she kept looking: Daphne Greengrass did not look that well. There were bags beneath her eyes, and her whole demeanor was…subdued. He went back to his potion.

Professor Snape stopped at their table while making his rounds. He observed them for a moment before speaking quietly. "Once again, your potion skills maintain adequacy. Though I'm curious, Potter. Do you believe yourself better than your fellow students? A group of first years, taking on a mountain troll, rescuing an injured seventh year. I wonder what your mother is going to say. Think she will be proud?"

Harry paused, staring at nothing as his eyes widened in horror. Professor Snape gave a small smirk. "Yes, I expect she will be quite livid when she finds out from your letter." His smirk grew into a fierce smile. "But from your expression, I do believe you haven't written her yet. But, at least you'll still have full marks in my class." He swept away with a triumphant swagger.

Harry gulped. "I'd completely forgotten to write them."

"We only just fought the troll last night. I doubt your parents will send a Howler this early. Probably tonight, if anything." Ron joked, giving his shoulder a nudge.

"No! Not that!" Harry shook his head. He dropped his voice. "I forgot to write them about the…the room. About the Mirror."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Ah. And Professors McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore would have told them about that, huh."

"Exactly!" Harry hissed. "I totally forgot to owl them about…all that. I stopped mentioning about it all cause I hadn't had any new dreams, and now they've all stopped." He grumbled and bent back over his potion.

Neville grimaced. "You think your mum will send a Howler?"

Harry shook his head. "Worse. My dad owled earlier this week saying he wasn't going to miss my first Quidditch match, didn't he? Which means I'll hear it all in person, won't I?"

"Well, that also a bit of silver lining, isn't it?" Ron chirped up, squinting at the recipe. "What's the best way to do this part?"

"One clockwise stir, a counter clockwise stir, two clockwise stirs." Hermione replied. "Least, that's how Harry explained it when I asked him about it."

"How exactly would that be a silver lining, Ron?" Harry asked. "Because it means having to look my dad in the eyes and own up to forgetting something that important."

"Harry, your parents will understand, I'm sure. It is quite huge thing. Forgetting to write them right after is understandable." Hermione said, carefully sliding the final ingredients into her cauldron.

Harry scooped his potion into a flask. "You're probably right, Hermione. Guess I'll find out tomorrow." He went up to Professor Snape's desk and turned in his potion. Snape eyed the flask critically before giving a begrudging nod. Harry cleaned out his cauldron and work area, carefully packing up the rest of his ingredients and things.

He waited for his friends as they turned in their potions and cleaned their own stations, then headed up to the Astronomy classroom. He barely paid attention, before they headed down to the great hall for lunch.

History failed to prove a decent distraction for him, and having already studied this bit of history, he let his mind wander throughout the class. For once, he was glad he'd already marked the important events that he was sure Professor Binns would assign them, or else would put them on the end of term exam.

Hermione, however, was her usual self. She meticulously wrote out nearly everything the professor said. He wondered if she was writing it word for word.

Glancing to his other side, he found Ron scribbling notes as well, though he wasn't being as thorough as Hermione. Neville sat and was simply listening to the lecture, every now and then picking up his quill to jot down a note or two.

Once class had ended for the day, the four of them went down to their clubroom. Harry spent an hour checking over his broom and giving it a good polish. Oliver Wood was talking with Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet, two of the three chasers on the Gryffindor team. As he finished with the polish, Angelina Johnson, the third Gryffindor chaser, had joined them.

"I've got a real good feeling about this year." Wood said, clasping his hands in excitement. "We've got a solid team this year; I can feel it!"

Katie smirked and gave Harry a wink. "And we have a good replacement for Charlie. Then again, it's in your blood. Your dad played seeker, right?"

"He did! He's really proud I'm on the team." Harry grinned back. "A little nerve racking, though."

"Ah, nerves are just part of the game. It's the excitement right before the match!" Alicia piped up. "You'll do great, Harry. Woods right. We've got a great team. Win or lose, we'll have fun doing it!"

"But more emphasis on the win!" Wood chuckled.

Harry carefully put his broom up and washed his hands. He glanced around the room. "Oh, the dueling ring is open!" He glanced over to where Hermione was sat, reading. "Hermione, feel like getting a few practice rounds in?"

She looked up and saw him gesturing to the other side of the room. She smiled, stood, and stretched. "Yes! Are you thinking full dueling, or just practicing charms?"

"How about we start with charm practice then move to dueling? What you, Nev? Want in on this?" Harry asked.

Neville had been talking quietly with Susan Bones, who was still looking down. "Sure! Want to join, Susan?"

The redhead looked nervously between them. "Would it be alright if I did?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure! Did your aunt teach you some pointers before Hogwarts? Some of your wand movements are so precise."

"She did!" Susan beamed. "Even let me practice a few spells at home. Under her supervision, of course."

Hermione frowned. "I thought underaged students weren't allowed to use magic outside of school."

"Technically, I don't think we are." Neville said. "But for wizarding houses, they can't really tell who cast the spell, can they? Only that magic was cast."

"But a muggleborn's magic would be noticeable because there wouldn't be anyone else using magic." Hermione pieces together. "That's a bit of a cheat."

"Not all wizard parents let their kids use magic at home. I know Ron's parents are a bit more strict." Harry said. Then he shrugged. "Then again, I'm not real sure they've ever tried stopping Fred and George from getting up to whatever experiments they do in their room."

Hermione huffed and pulled out her wand. "Oh, let's just get to practicing. Let's start with the disarming charm?" She took a stance across from Susan.

"Right." She replied with a smile, holding her wand at the ready.

Harry watched for a moment as the two took turns disarming each other, before he turned and took a stance across from Neville. The two quickly moved on to other spells they'd been practicing as well.

The four were about to being practice duels when Harry saw Ron enter the clubroom alongside Daphne and a tired but healthy looking Tulip. He led the others over, and he saw Susan relax in relief. Most of the other club members had also gathered around.

Tulip laughed and led them away from the entrance so they wouldn't block it. "Alright everyone, I'm glad to see you all too. Sorry if I made you worry. I'm fine now, though Madam Pomfrey has made it clear I'm to take it easy until Monday. Which means I'm out of the dueling schedule until next week. Though you can all still ask me for tips and pointers, of course."

Oliver grinned at her. "Just in time for the Quidditch match tomorrow! You'll get to see Gryffindor maintain its superiority on the pitch!"

One of the older Slytherins ribbed back. "Potter's good, Wood, but he's still a fresh first year! How're your nerves, Potter?"

Tulip laughed. "I dunno. His nerves must be steel; I heard I have him to thank for being alive!" She turned to him. "Did you really kill the troll, Harry? I don't remember anything after getting clubbed from knocking Daphne to the floor."

Harry shuffled his feet. "It was more a team effort, really. Neville. Hermione. Susan."

"Me?! I would've been squashed if you hadn't turned the corner that exact moment!" Susan said, staring in surprise.

"Well," Hermione began, "that did give me the opening to levitate's its club. Which left it open for Harry's incendius. Followed by Neville's knock back jinx. Followed by Harry's knock back jinx." She winced. "Did you mean to aim for its head like that, Harry?"

"I honestly didn't." Harry replied. "Meant to hit it in the chest, but it was getting up too slow. Was bit of a spur of the moment choice anyway."

The older Slytherin student raised their hand. "I, uh, take back what I said. You've got nerves like a hippogriff, Potter." He paused and glanced at Hermione. "You too, Granger. Longbottom."

"Thanks?" She raised an eyebrow.

Neville shrugged. "I played my part. I mean, we're here to learn how to properly use magic, right? Was like getting field experience."

Another older student chuckled. "True, but that's usually not meant for first years. Next semester, we're thinking of doing a training course cause of how well you lot have been doing. For those interested, of course."

Harry shared a look with Ron and Neville. "Oh count us in for that!"

Hermione slowly nodded. "Getting some experience like that is probably a good idea. I mean, what good is it to read all these books if I never use or practice what I've read about?"

"Exactly!" Someone else called. "So it's settled then!"

As the rest of the club members began slipping back to their groups or crowding Tulip, Harry found Ron next to him. "You sort of just vanished. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, it is. I think." He scuffed his feet. "Listen, I ran into Daphne when returning a book to the library, and I managed to talk to her a bit. Nothin important!" He said quickly. "Just asked if she'd gotten in trouble with her parents. Turns out she got a Howler early this morning. S'why she looked so tired all day. From what she did say, which wasn't much, I think she's been acting more than she's supposed to have been."

Harry nodded in thought. "Makes sense. Well, want to get in some practice in? I think Hermione and Susan are worn out for the day. What about you, Nev?"

He waved them off. "Nah, go for it. Just don't go pushing yourself too hard; don't want to be all worn out before tomorrow!"

Harry grinned before heading back to practice more. An hour later, Wood had called for all the Gryffindor team members in the club to head to dinner, and then try for an early night.

Harry awoke in the morning feeling more refreshed than he had in weeks. The things he felt so worried for felt distant. Already, he could hear his dormmates waking and getting up, excitedly murmuring in anticipation.

He climbed out of bed and changed into his robes. The match would begin after breakfast, and Wood had asked them to be down at the pitch before breakfast had ended so they could be ready.

Ron and Neville followed him down to the common room, where Hermione joined them at the portrait hole to head down to the great hall.

Ron and Neville piled their plates full, but Harry held back. He took a smaller portion of eggs and bacon.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Will that be enough? From what I understand, the match could last several hours."

Harry swallowed a bite of food. "It will be. Don't want to fly with too full a stomach, even with a bit of time for it to settle."

"That's the ticket, Harry!" George said, sitting down next to them.

"Indeed it is, George. We especially can't have our new star getting ill out on the pitch, can we?" Fred retorted as he sat down.

"Nervous, Harry?" Alicia asked. "It took ages for me to relax enough to sleep. Too excited!"

"It's a bit nerve-wracking." Wood added. "I've been going over our game plan in my head since our last practice. I can't think of anything better, yet I can't help feeling there's more we could have prepared for."

"Oliver, you've already said this five times in the last week. We're as prepared as we're gonna be." Angelina Johnson said.

"Well, that heartening to hear! After all, we came for a good show!" Sirius said with a laugh.

Harry, the Weasleys, and Neville all turned. James Potter and Sirius Black stood grinning at them all. Harry rose to his feet and James pulled him into a hug. "You look like you're doing well, Harry. Eating a bit light at breakfast before a game? Glad to see you're listening to my advice!"

"Hah! You're dad would always ago light at breakfast and then eat three or four helpings at lunch and dinner. Depending how long the game went." Sirius laughed.

James shook hands with Oliver Wood, who had stood up. "And you must be Oliver Wood. Professor McGonagal speaks highly of you. Says you've got a good head for Quidditch. Just don't run the team too roughly. Minerva can get a bit…too focused when it comes to Quidditch."

Sirius turned to Harry. "On another note, Harry, I do have some news for you: Marlene had the baby! A healthy boy!" He pulled a photo out of a pocket in his robes. Marlene lay in a bed, exhausted looking, but a wide smile on her face as she held a bundled up little baby.

"That's wonderful!" Harry exclaimed, clasping Sirius hand.

"Yes. He was born earlier this week. Aegis Regulus Black. I was going to owl you, but it's been a busy week, needless to say." Sirius beamed. "Plus, I figured I'd tell you in person. Alexis has been a big help, but your mother showed up this morning, shoved me out the door, and said to go have fun with your dad."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Was she feeling alright? Normally she's trying to keep you two from causing mayhem."

The rest of the Gryffindor team had finished their breakfast and stood up. Oliver shook James and Sirius hands. "Well, it is Quidditch." He grinned. "Alright, you lot, let's get going."

James and Sirius followed a distance behind, walking with Hermione, Ron, and Neville. Behind them, Harry saw the rest of the school beginning to exit the castle. All, it seemed, heading down to the Quidditch pitch. Something in his gut seemed to twist.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. It would be alright. As soon as his broom was in hand, there would be no room for distracting thoughts. He, Wood, and the three girls dipped into the Dragon Clubroom to grab their brooms before heading into the locker rooms designated to Gryffindor team. They quickly changed and gathered around Oliver Wood.

Wood clapped his hands together. "Alright. We've got a solid team. Harry has proved to be an excellent replacement for Charlie Weasley. Now, we just need to put in action everything we've practiced. But remember: once the game fully starts, stick to the plan, but improvise where it's needed. Harry, if possible, try not to catch the snitch too soon. Let us get at least to seventy points to a hundred before seriously looking for the snitch. However, if Slytherin seems to be pulling too far ahead, Merlin forbid, end the game as quick as you can." He turned to the three girls. "You three know what to do. Try to keep the quaffle out of Slytherin's hands as much as you can. Fred, George, you two are the best beaters Gryffindor has had in years. Do what you do best: sow mayhem. If Slytherin gets their hands on the quaffle, aim for them." He took a breath. "Alright, Gryffindors, let's get out there!"

Harry swallowed and followed the others out. He heard the cheers and roar of the crowd up in the seats. The pitch was a massive oval, with towers set at intervals. Atop each tower, seats were filled with students, teachers, even a few parents. He spotted his dad and Sirius sitting with his three friends. He heard Lee Jordan's voice echoing across the pitch; he was the commentator alongside Professor McGonagal. And then he was facing off against the Slytherin seeker as the teams lined up. Beyond them, Harry saw the three large goal posts tower high into the sky. Madam Hooch stood between the two teams. She pointed her wand at a box set right between the teams. "Mount your brooms! Get ready!" With a bang, the bludgers took off into the sky. Fred and George both kept their eyes locked on a bludger. There was another bang and a tiny golden ball zipped out of sight into the field. He gripped his broom tight. There was a final bang, and the quaffle shot into the air. Immediately, fourteen brooms sprang up.

He saw Katie Bell zip ahead of the back of chasers and knocked the quaffle back. Angelina swooped to catch it and sped down low. A Slytherin chaser came darting in from the left, and she threw the quaffle behind her. Alicia snatched it the ball and rolled over both chasers, beelining towards the goals. She made her approach, only to be knocked aside as a bludger smashed into her side. She recovered quickly, but she had dropped the quaffle into a waiting Slytherin chaser's hand.

A bludger hit by Fred nicked the chaser's broom, throwing the quaffle towards the ground. Katie swooped in, grabbed it up, and before the Slytherin keeper could block, threw it threw one of the goal posts.

Harry pumped his fist. They'd gotten the first goal! He continued to lap the field, keeping an eye out for the golden snitch, while keep some attention on the rest of the game. He rolled out of the way of a bludger as George zipped by.

The Slytherins had the quaffle. They were leap frogging, passing the quaffle to a chaser ahead before they could be intercepted. A bludger by Fred finally knocked it out of the path of the next chaser, and Angelina swooped on to catch it. She threw it down the field to a waiting Alicia, who sped off towards the goal posts. She rolled around the Slytherin keeper, but her shot bounced off the side.

Katie dove and caught the quaffle, tossing backwards to Alicia. Alicia lined up another shot… Harry was forced to dodge a bludger, but by the roar of the crowd, he knew they'd scored again. Twenty to zero.

A green streak zipped passed him. He wheeled about. The Slytherin seeker had spotted the snitch! Harry leaned forward and rushed forward, angling just ahead of the other broom. He rolled his broom over the other seeker, cutting off his line of sight of the snitch. The maneuver also caused Harry to lose sight as well, and he quickly sped off to avoid any confrontation. He still heard a few shouts from the older boy, but immediately was distracted as more cheers and boos rang out across the pitch. Slytherin had just scored. The score was now twenty to ten. He saw Angelina pass the quaffle to Katie, who then passed to Alicia. A bludger bolted for her, but George swooped in and knocked it right at the Slytherin keeper.

Alicia dipped, aimed, and she scored! The stands erupted in cheers from the Gryffindors and most of the other houses, though many Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs booed.

Harry had to admit: he hadn't expected the game to have been so…clean. The way Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain, had been egging them on, it had given Harry the impression the Slytherins might try some underhanded tactics.

Something slammed into him from the side, nearly knocking him from his broom, but he simply rolled his broom and uprighted himself. A Slytherin chaser wheeled away from him. The boy had slammed into him under the pretext of dodging a bludger.

Harry flew up higher, staying within bounds, and surveyed the field. Slytherin had gotten the quaffle; the chaser that hit him had done so after a pass. Angelina and Alicia were dipping and diving, trying to get possession of the quaffle, while Katie hung back a bit. Fred and George zipped and zoomed, aiming the bludgers at the Slytherin chasers, though the Slytherin beaters were right on their broom tails.

The Slytherin seeker drifted across the pitch from him, keeping an eye on him and the field below. Harry made sure to deliberately keep his distance.

The crowd erupted as Wood successfully blocked the Slytherin attempt to score, and Angelina streaked off towards the Slytherin goal posts with the quaffle. She passed to Katie, who bolted down. As she approached the goals, the Slytherin keeper moved to block her, but she tossed the quaffle up and to the side. Right into a waiting Alicia's hands. She quickly scored, and Gryffindor maintained their lead.

The three Slytherin chasers ducked and weaver their way across the field. Wood went to block…and Slytherin scored!

All the while, Lee Jordan's commentary rang out across the field.

With Gryffindor back in possession, Harry returned his focus to keeping an eye out for the snitch. A glint of gold, and he quickly looked away. The snitch hovered just behind the Slytherin seeker, lazily drifting alongside him.

Slytherin had scored again, stealing the quaffle from Katie. They were now forty to thirty. The game was close. Wood had said to hold off if he could till they were further ahead, or if Slytherin pulled ahead. Yet the Slytherin team had played smart: they'd held back, let the Gryffindors wear themselves out.

Gryffindor scored, courtesy of Angelina. Fifty to thirty.

Harry risked a glance down to his teammates. Fred and George still zipped and dove, beating bludgers at any Slytherin chaser or beater they could aim for. But the girls had been pushing themselves hard to get ahead of Slytherin.

Sixty to forty. Both sides were now pushing: Slytherin to close the gap, Gryffindor to keep the lead.

Harry pushed forward. The score was close enough now. He was going for the snitch.

The small golden ball still hovered around the Slytherin seeker's head. The other seeker rolled and dipped down out of the way, but he wheeled about when Harry continued past him.

Harry kept his eyes on the snitch, following its every move, but he heard his fellow seeker right on his broom tail. The snitch dipped, dove, whirled, and zipped, doing everything it could to shake its pursuers. It shot straight up into the air, and Harry and the Slytherin seeker followed it. Up and up and up the snitch climbed, before arcing and going straight down.

Harry followed it. Inch by inch, he had been catching up to the small, winged golden ball. He was so close. So close. He stretched out his fingers. The other seeker peeled out of the dive with a shout.

Harry heard nothing but the rush of wind. He could see the ground fast approaching, but his attention was fully on the snitch. His gut told him to be ready. Not yet. Just a bit further. Now! He pulled up, all his momentum propelling him forward and up. His arm held high. The snitch firmly clasped in his fingers. The entirety of the crowd had erupted in cheers. He briefly caught Draco Malfoy's pale shocked face. His father was pumping a fist in the air, shaking a madly laughing Sirius. Beside them, Hermione leapt up in down, while Ron and Neville both pumped their fists in the air. He just barely heard Madam Hooch's whistle over the roaring sound.

As the crowd settled down, her magnified voice echoed around the field. "Final score: two hundred and thirty to one hundred and ten. Gryffindor wins!"

Before Harry's feet even touched onto the ground, the Gryffindor team had swarmed him. A moment later, his father and Sirius were there, his three friends right next to them.

Twenty minutes later, Harry exited the Gryffindor locker room. He carried his broom over his shoulder and entered the Dragon Clubroom to secure his broom. He was met by more cheers and congratulations by the non-Gryffindor club members, but they didn't keep him for long. The rest of Gryffindor House was celebrating up in the common room. Before he headed there, it was long time for a talk with his father.

His father stood nearby, talking with Sirius. Harry took a breath and walked over to them. James wrapped an arm around him. "I am so proud of you, Harry! Your mother will be too!"

"And that dive there at the end! A move like that. And I hear you saved that Granger girl nearly right at the start of the year! Well done, pup!" Sirius ruffled his hair. "Reminds me of your father!"

"He's much less of a prat, than I was." James smiled ruefully.

"Of course he isn't!" Sirius grinned. "You, me, and Remus made sure of that. Seems like our hard work paid off too. Looking forward for some real training next summer!"

"We'll discuss that later." James said to him. At is look of betrayal, he said, "Lily and I haven't decided on whether the kids should be allowed magic at home or not. But, you and I know how it is in wizard houses. Plus there's that other matter to consider."

Sirius nodded. "Right."

James turned back to his son. "How are you, Harry? Really?"

"I'm alright, dad. At least now, I am. And I'm sure you've heard some things." Harry said.

"I have. Your mother and I have been a bit worried, but you've not been talking about certain things in your letters. Mind if I ask about them?" James asked.

Harry grimaced. "Truthfully…I've been so preoccupied with it all, I wasn't really sure how to write it out. At first. Then I just…didn't think to mention it." He took a breath, and told his father everything. Everything about the Room of Requirement. The Sage. Quirrel. Tulip, Daphne, and Susan. The troll. When he had finished, it was like the final weight had lifted from him. He looked up at his father. "Honestly, I'm surprised mum didn't send a Howler. Or come here herself."

James chuckled and shook his head. "A Howler never crossed her mind, though part of her did want to come give you a talking. Honestly, Harry, the troll has us more concerned than anything else! Look, I understand your suspicions, and it was good of you to try finding a teacher." He sighed and rubbed his temples. "If I told you off for facing off that troll, I'd be a massive hypocrite. The things Sirius and I dragged Remus and…well, the things we all got up are right up there with your stunt. Just promise to try to keep the shenanigans down? Though I am incredibly proud of you too. The way you handled that troll…you, Hermione, and Neville had excellent team work."

Sirius grinned again. "Indeed! You used the perfect combination of spells." His smile faded a little. "How are you on that front, pup?"

Harry rubbed his arm. "I honestly don't know how I feel about it. I mean…I killed it. It was attacking us, sure. But I was only trying to knock it out not…not end it."

His father's hand on his shoulder made him look up. "There's nothing wrong with feeling bad about that. You saved your friends, and you only meant to stop it from hurting anyone else. Honestly, Harry, I'm proud of you for that. As for the rest of it…none of us really know what to think of it. The Order of the Phoenix has been aware another group was out there, working against Voldemort, but they've not been this active before."

"Does this mean the Greengrass, Kurasu, and Bones families are all involved in this?" Harry asked.

"The Greengrasses for sure. But we aren't sure of the Kurasus, nor of Madam Bones. It's possible Susan was just helping a friend, but there's still a lot of unknowns." Sirius said. He ruffled Harry's hair. "But that's not something you need to worry about right now, pup."

James glared at the castle. "Honestly, I don't like the fact Quirrel is being allowed to still teach here."

Sirius shrugged. "He's not harmed or attacked any students." He winced. "Well, he may have let in the troll as a distraction, but Snape cut him off from the third floor corridor before he could do anything."

"I still don't like it, Sirius. Neither does Lily. What if he makes a move for Voldemort?" James asked.

"Then Dumbledore and the others will stop him." Sirius said. "We just have to trust Dumbledore. And this Sage bloke seems to be in the same line. Though I'm not sure how to feel about him."

"A Sage of Knowledge." James murmured. "Lily's already pouring over old volumes in her spare time. Hitting every wizarding library she can, except for Hogwarts."

"I've not found anything yet. And Madam Pince hadn't heard anything either, but she had this weird look on her face when I asked her about it." Harry said.

"Really? That's rather peculiar." James shook his head. "But we've kept you long enough, son. You've made me even prouder today. That was a great game! Go on. Gryffindor is probably already partying it up in the common room."

Harry hugged them both goodbye and made his way back to the castle. James and Sirius watched him go.

"Things are certainly getting more interesting." Sirius said. "Though I can't say I could've predicted this."

James shook his head. "There's only one thing I can conclude, and I'm not sure I like it. But come on. We've got things to discuss. And prepare."

An Author's Note: Hey guys, hope you've been enjoying the story so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Just wanted to let you all know that there will not be a chapter next week, but the story will continue the following week. So expect the next chapter on December 6th.