Author's Note: TW: references to past trauma, and dissociation.
Hi loves! Thank you so much for being patient with this chapter and a huge shoutout to all those who've reached out to check on me. I've been struggling a lot, especially with work, so your support is so appreciated. You matter! You are loved!
There is a direct quote in here from Harry Potter wiki- I do not own it, but I sure appreciate it!
Chapter Summary: Harry has his first Ancient Studies, Defense, and Alchemy class. Harry talks to Ron and Hermione about something big.
Previous Chapter Summary: Harry has potions and has confusing feelings. He enjoys potions and feels guilty about it. Harry has some intrusive thoughts of hurting himself and ends up going to Dorcas. Remus shares a memory from his past and supports Harry.
Harry was able to sleep in the next day. Remus and Sirius had to go to their classes but left a note and checked on him when they could.
Remus was there when Harry woke up. Harry stumbled out of his room and saw Remus on the sitting room couch, reading a piece of work from a student.
"Good morning, Cub!" Remus said when he saw his son. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," Harry said, still waking up.
"I'm glad to hear it."
Harry sat next to Remus and laid his head on his shoulder. Remus waited a couple of minutes before speaking up again.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Remus asked gently.
"Better," Harry said. "Dinner and sleep and being with you helped."
"I'm so glad to hear that. I know you have Ancient Studies and Charms today. Do you think you're feeling up for them?"
Harry nodded. "I think so. Hey, what time is it?"
"It's a touch after 11," Remus said.
"Okay," Harry nodded. There was a beat and then he gasped. "Oh! Moony Da! We have therapy today! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sleep through it!"
"Harry, take a breath. It's okay. I wanted you to sleep in. We'll meet later on for our session. I think waking you up early for your session wouldn't have been beneficial after yesterday. Let's just take it one minute at a time, yeah?"
"Okay, yeah," Harry agreed letting out a slow breath. "Thanks, Moony Da."
"Of course, Love," Remus said.
Harry woke up some more before he and Remus had lunch together in their quarters with Sirius, who was very relieved and happy to see that Harry was doing better.
"You ready for Ancient Studies?" Sirius asked.
"Of course! Who's teaching it?" Harry asked.
"Y-you don't remember?" Sirius asked, surprised.
"Last time you had the class I was a fourth year, and I was pretty distracted then. Before that, it was my second year and I was also distracted then. Before that, I was in grade school."
Sirius smiled to himself. "I think you'll enjoy the class, Harry," Sirius said.
"But who is it? And why are they using your classroom?" Harry asked again.
"You'll see," Sirius said.
Sirius dropped Harry off at the classroom.
"I'll be in my office. Holler if you need anything," Sirius said. He ruffled Harry's hair and then went up the stairs.
Harry shrugged and sat down and turned to talk to Hermione and Draco.
When class was about to start there was a loud bang from the office door hitting the wall and Sirius paraded himself out.
"It is I! Professor Black!"
Harry's face became red, but he couldn't help but chuckle.
Sirius flounced down the spiral staircase. "I will be your professor this year for Ancient Studies."
Sirius posed in the front of the room. "You may now clap."
Harry put his head down and groaned.
Draco, on the other hand, found this absolutely hilarious. "Professor, that was brilliant."
"Thank you, thank you," Sirius bowed.
"Now, seriously, " Sirius paused and laughed at his own joke, "you all know me and I know you. Let's get started, shall we?"
People started to pull out their books as Sirius walked the aisles of desks as he greeted the students. He ruffled Harry's hair as he walked by and patted his back.
Harry brought his head up and shook his head.
Sirius may be a drama queen, but he's a drama queen who Harry loves.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me you were the professor," Harry laughed with Sirius after class.
"Ah, it was fun to surprise you."
"You never do anything small," Harry pointed out.
"No, I'm not good at small. But I am good at loving my godson!" Sirius pulled Harry into a hug.
"I love you too, Dadfoot. I'll see you later. I've got to get to Charms."
"Bye, Pup!" Sirius called as he watched his son leave the classroom.
Charms went alright for Harry and he headed to Remus' office when he was done. Remus was finishing a session so Harry spent about 10 minutes in the waiting area. He laid down on the couch Remus had and sat up when he saw Remus open the door. The student he was talking to walked out and Remus smiled at Harry.
"Hi, Harry. You ready to come back?" Remus asked.
Harry nodded. He got up and walked into the office and Remus softly shut the door behind him.
"How was today?"
"Did you know Sirius was the Ancient Studies professor?!" Harry asked, throwing his hands up.
"Did you not know?" Remus asked.
Harry shook his head.
Remus laughed. "Yes, I knew. How did you feel when you found out?"
"Well, Dadfoot was rather dramatic with it."
"How dramatic?" Remus asked, despite knowing that since he was talking about Sirius it was probably really dramatic.
"Do you want to see my memory? It'll only take a minute or two."
"I'd love to," Remus said.
Harry was right, it did only take a minute once they put their heads in Remus' pensive.
Remus found himself doubled over with laughter both in and out of the pensive.
"Oh my gosh. He lives for attention," Remus laughed.
"It was terrible and hilarious all at the same time," Harry admitted.
Remus composed himself and said, "But truly, were you okay with it?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah. I mean it's a little embarrassing but every parent is. Besides, we were all sixth and seventh years so they're pretty used to him by now."
"That's true," Remus agreed. "How are you doing after everything that happened yesterday?" Remus asked.
Harry sighed and shrugged. "Okay. I feel better about it all. After some time I thought more about it and I know that I shouldn't feel guilty. It wasn't my fault for what happened and I logically know that. I still feel, I dunno, emotionally drained from the whole thing. It took a lot out of me, y'know?"
Remus nodded. "Yes, I do. It is a huge emotional load. That's typical and I hear what you're saying," he affirmed.
"But it's okay. I don't want to hurt myself like I did yesterday. I'm back to normal now with it. Well, my normal. We've talked about that," Harry said.
Remus nodded. "We have. I'm glad the urge has mostly subsided. It's hard going through the motions when you feel that way."
Harry nodded. "And thanks again for all your help yesterday. I really appreciate it."
"You don't have to thank me, Cub. I'm your dad. I'm here for you," Remus said.
"Yeah, but I still appreciate it."
"Again, I'm here for you. It's no problem at all. It's also my job so I may have some experience in the matter," Remus winked.
Harry rolled his eyes but smiled.
"How are you feeling about your new classes?" Remus asked
Harry shrugged but smiled. "Good so far, but tomorrow I have a full day so I'm worried about that."
"You have History tomorrow, correct?" Remus asked.
Harry nodded.
"If you ever need a break, you can tell Dadfoot. He'll understand."
"Yeah, but it's a NEWT class, Moony Da. I want to do well!"
Remus nodded. "I hear you. NEWTS are a big deal, for sure."
Harry nodded. "I can't just miss it."
Remus said, "Harry, I don't encourage people to just skip or miss classes, but I want you to think about something. You started attending History classes when you were young. How old were you when you started attending the NEWT history class?"
"I think by the time I was a third year. That year was more chill compared to the others," Harry said.
Remus filed that comment away for later but smiled and nodded. "I think you could take your History NEWT now and do quite well."
Harry thought for a moment before a small smile broke out on his face. "Yeah, you're probably right. I just hate missing it."
"You can't take the NEWT if you're not taking care of yourself," Remus reminded Harry gently.
Harry groaned at the solid logic. "Dang therapist truths."
Remus chuckled and shook his head, but smiled. "It comes with the job."
Harry laid down and tossed a soft ball up in the air and caught it as he was listening to Remus.
"I wanted to ask about your coping strategies. How are you doing with those?"
Harry kept tossing the ball up in the air. "Okay. I mean, I haven't hurt myself in a while. I am doing them. They are not really what I want to do, though. They just don't satisfy what I need."
Remus nodded and thought for a moment. "I know that it can be important to ground yourself when you're having those feelings. I know we've talked about using ice, breathing exercises, and having a hot or cold beverage to help bring you back to your senses."
"Yeah. The ice is nice but that and the drinks aren't always available. Like I wish it was something that was more convenient, y'know."
Remus nodded. "I know exactly what you're saying."
Remus got up and went to his desk and opened a drawer in his desk before walking over to Harry.
Harry sat up. "Whatcha got?"
"These are candies. Green is sour and red is spicy. I find that they can be a helpful tool for some people to ground themselves. For some people, it's enough to take away to urge to self-harm or to calm down their body or mind if they're having a lot of anxiety. For others, it's a way to distract themselves. And for some, they're able to ground themselves enough to get help or choose a different strategy. I have some more at home for you. Why don't you keep some in your bag and in your dorm if you need them?"
"That's a good idea, Moony Da," Harry said, taking them from Remus.
"However you want to use them, as long as you're not hurting yourself or others, is good. I always have more so let me know if and when you need them."
"I will, thanks," Harry replied, smiling.
Remus and Harry finished their session before they went to dinner.
On Friday, Harry tried to hype himself up for his classes, especially considering he had History again, but nothing could've prepared him for going as long as he did. He had three classes on Friday and they were hard. Harry passed out in his bedroom and missed dinner altogether, once again worrying his parents.
"Was Harry okay in class today?" Remus asked Sirius as they were walking back to their quarters.
"Yeah, he was good! He seemed tired, but he was good."
Remus was quiet before nodding. "He's probably just sleeping then."
"You think so?" Sirius asked.
Remus nodded. "We can check the map when we're back in our quarters. I'll bet all my sickles that he's in his dorm."
"I hope so," Sirius said.
There Harry was, sleeping out of pure exhaustion in his dorm.
"He's okay, Siri. Just tired. I know we're both tired, too. C'mon. We'll check in with him tomorrow. Let's get some rest," Remus said, rubbing Sirius' shoulders.
Sirius let out a breath. "You're right. Thanks, Love."
"Of course," Remus replied, kissing Sirius. "We deserve a rest."
Harry truly enjoyed Saturday with his friends. He was able to hang out with them and act like a typical 16-year-old. He savored the time he had with them that wasn't spent talking about Voldemort. They talked about their classes, crushes, and had a small (for Gryffindor) party on Saturday. Mercifully, Remus and Sirius also let Harry spend Sunday in the dorms, too. He usually would spend the night in the Marauder Quarters, but Remus and Sirius wanted to give him a "normal" weekend in the dorms.
On Monday, Harry was very excited to finally have Marlene. He was uncharacteristically the first person in class and he quickly set down his stuff. He went up the spiral staircase and knocked on Marlene's door.
Marlene walked to the door and opened it. "Harry! Good morning."
"Good morning-" Harry turned around to ensure no one else was in the classroom. "Auntie Marls. Just wanted to tell you that you're going to do great."
Harry gave her a quick hug before scurrying down the stairs to get to his seat and talk to his friends.
Marlene smiled to herself. This would be fun.
About 15 minutes later, Marlene sauntered down the stairs.
"Good morning sixth years. I am Professor McKinnon."
Harry had to give Marlene credit, she only had a small shudder when she called herself a professor. "I know fifth years have OWLs and seventh years have NEWTs and many think that sixth year is a nice gap year." Marlene sat on the edge of her desk. "Well, it's probably supposed to be a fun year. We will have fun, but there are more important things. None of you have had a consistent defense education during your time here, but I have heard about some help."
Marlene's eyes flickered to Harry's and Harry quickly looked away. While he talked about letting Marlene in on the DA he hadn't done it yet and was wondering how she knew what was going on.
"Regardless, I was once in your shoes. I didn't have the same defense professor for more than a year. We were on the verge of war. I was a sixth-year too. I had friends who have died and I don't want you to have to go through the same heartbreak I did. Well, more than you already have," Marlene added, thinking of Cedric.
The upbeat and excited energy was gone replaced by a serious, solemn, and determined vibe.
"I am going to work with you on how to defend yourself. That's right, I'm going to work with you. You are not alone. I'm here to help," Marlene reminded the students. She paused and then said, "Push the desks to the side, we're going to duel today. I'll pair you up. I want to see where you're at."
People immediately started to push desks to the side and Harry went up to Marlee.
"I know this is a NEWT class, but not everyone might know how to duel," Harry told her quietly. "Some of these people haven't really formally dueled."
Marlene nodded. "Thanks," she replied.
Once all the desks were to the side, she said, "Mr. Potter and I are going to show you how to duel, first. Now, normally duels end organically, but I'm going to set a 5-minute time limit on this duel so you all have a chance. I have a feeling that Mr. Potter could go much longer in a duel."
Harry blushed and shrugged, despite knowing that it was true, and Marlene knew it too.
"Who can keep time for us?" Marlene asked as Harry got situated.
"I can, Professor," Hermione said, raising her hand.
"Wonderful. Thank you, Ms. Granger." Marlene knew who Hermione was from seeing her with Harry before.
"Who will count us off?"
"I will," Draco offered.
Marlene gave an approving nod. She knew Draco knew how to formally duel and had complete faith in him.
"Mr. Potter, are you ready to begin?" Marlene asked.
Harry nodded. He took 7 steps away from her and turned around, as did Marlene.
"Wands at the ready," Draco said.
Marlene and Harry raised their wands.
"Begin!" Draco announced.
Harry cast first and Marlene quickly dodged the disarming spell. Marlene shot a jelly legs jinx at him and Harry blocked that with a shield. Marlene started up slow, but quickly amped it up, as Harry wasn't going easy. He wasn't going all out, but he was definitely showing off, which made Marlene smile.
Eventually, Hermione called time. Harry eyes Marlene and they both slowly lowered their wands before laughing and hugging each other.
"Nice work," Marlene said, ruffling his hair.
"I'll beat you one of these days," Harry said.
"In your dreams," Marlene teased back, despite very well knowing that the day was coming.
"Pair up. I'll walk around and check in with you all," Marlene said.
Harry waited until everyone was paired up. No one was absent, so he didn't have a partner. He didn't mind as he knew that due to unfortunate circumstances, he was the most skilled at defense. He walked around and rather enjoyed watching Draco and Hermione duel.
When the duels ended, Marlene talked to the class as a whole before letting everyone go to lunch early as she took notes on what she observed about her students.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all walked to lunch together.
"Professor McKinnon made a good point about us being in a war. It's nice to have a defense professor acknowledge that a lot is going on and we need to be ready," Hermione commented.
"Yeah. It's nice, but it's almost scarier when the adults talk to us about it. Mum won't say a word to us, which doesn't help us at all, but she just wants to protect us. When an adult is talking to us like we're equals, it's nice and scary," Ron said.
"Exactly! While it's refreshing, it's sad that they have to treat children as equals due to the dire circumstances. What do you think, Harry?" Hermione asked, turning to her friend.
"I think Auntie Marlene knows what she's talking about. I've been in this war since the beginning, so it's nothing new to me. You two have been in it for a while, too. You've done a lot."
"And we'll do whatever we can to help you, mate," Ron said. "You're our friend and we're behind you, always,"
"Thanks," Harry replied, giving them a genuine smile. "I, uh, have something to talk to you guys about later. It's a secret. I don't want people to know and it's a big deal."
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged. "I mean it's not good, but I'm not in any immediate danger. And yes, my parents and Dumbledore know."
This seemed to calm Hermione down.
"Of course, Harry. We can do it after Alchemy?" Ron asked.
"Sure," Harry agreed.
The three made their way to the Gryffindor Tower to drop off their books and get their Alchemy materials. They stopped at lunch and chatted. Harry smiled and waved to Sirius and Remus when they came in.
"Harry seems to be doing well," Sirius commented to Remus when his husband sat down.
"He does. He had Marlene's class earlier today. I'm sure he enjoyed it," Remus commented.
"I wish I could've seen her," Sirius commented.
"I'm sure she was great," Remus said.
"I was," Marlene said, coming in and sitting down.
"How did it go?" Remus asked, smiling.
"It went well. We dueled and I modeled with Harry in the beginning. Merlin, he is powerful. I've worked with him before but I think he was trying to show off for his class. He did really well."
"That's our boy!" Sirius said, puffing his chest out in pride.
"How was his mood in your class?" Remus asked Marlene.
"Do you ask every professor this when Harry has a class or just a few?" Marlene teased Remus.
Remus sighed. "No, I don't ask every professor, but you're not just any professor and Harry's not just any student."
"I know, I know," Marlene replied, holding up her hands in surrender. "I was just teasing you," Marlene said, despite knowing Remus knew that. "But to answer your question, his mood seemed good. I didn't see anything that worried me."
"Good," Remus said, smiling. He always wanted to make sure his cub was doing well.
They continued their lunch and before Harry left, he went up to the head table.
"You did really well, Auntie Marls," Harry said quietly. "It was a good lesson."
"Thank you, Harry," Marlene said, giving him a thankful smile. "You didn't do half bad yourself."
Harry shrugged. "You do what you gotta do."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You're doing well."
"Thanks," Harry said, taking the compliment.
"And remember," Marlene said to Harry before he could go back to his friends. "War is messy. Battles are messy. We've got to rely on the people who have our backs."
Harry wasn't expecting that to come out of Marlene's mouth, but he appreciated it nonetheless. "Yeah, you're right. Okay, bye, Auntie Mar! Bye Dadfoot Bye Moony Da!" Harry said quietly enough for the other professors not to hear him.
"What brought that up?" Sirius asked as he leaned over to look at Marlene.
"I'm not sure, but I felt like it needed to be said."
"Good advice," Remus said as he took a bite of his lunch, thinking.
"Something all of us have to remember from time to time," Marlene agreed.
The three sat in contemplative silence for the next few minutes before they each went to their respective classrooms/offices, ready to take on Monday afternoon.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to their Alchemy class and Harry was rather surprised to see Professor Dumbledore standing in the front of the room.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I do believe I am the headmaster of Hogwarts," Albus said lightly, smiling.
Harry blushed and said, "Of course, I mean, you're always welcome, Sir, but I am just surprised to see you in my Alchemy class."
"I will explain in a few minutes. Please, take your seats."
The golden trio shrugged and took their seats. Draco was already sitting down and Harry slid in next to him. "Do you have any idea why Dumbledore's here?" Harry whispered to his Slytherin friend.
Draco shook his head. "No idea. His eyes keep twinkling and he keeps on smiling knowing he knows things we don't."
Harry chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like Dumbledore."
Albus, after a few more minutes, started the class.
"Hello, sixth years, and welcome to Alchemy. I trust you all found the classroom easily and are adapting well to your sixth year?"
Murmurs went around the classroom as Dumbledore danced around the question everyone was wondering.
Albus smiled wider and said, "Now, I'm sure many of you are wondering why I'm here today."
Nods came from most everyone in the classroom.
"I am not your professor, but I will be one of the professors you see multiple times. You will have several professors coming in and guest lecturing for you. Some professors will have a few weeks with you before you move on to another professor. In your seventh year, you have a professor for the whole year. Sixth year, especially first semester, is lots of introduction to the topic. It's a difficult and mysterious branch of magic and must be taken seriously."
Dumbledore peered over his glasses at the sixth years who nodded.
"Today, we're going to talk about the structure of the class and talk about the history of alchemy. First, I want to talk about what you currently know about the subject."
Albus waved his wand at the chalkboard and a piece of chalk started to float.
"What do you know?" Albus asked.
Hermione raised her hand. "According to the Wizard's Field Guide, Alchemy focuses on the four natural elements and the science of transmutation, such as turning base metals into gold.."
"Very good Ms. Granger. 5 points to Gryffindor. Who else?"
A few others raised their hands and talked about what Alchemy could be used for and how there are similarities between certain potion masters and alchemists as there can be similar skills used. Eventually, all eyes turned to Harry expectantly.
Harry ignored the eyes but eventually, he raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Albus said.
Harry sighed and ignored the feeling in the pit of his stomach. "A famous alchemist was Nicholas Flamel, who was previously in possession of the Philosopher's Stone until it was destroyed in 1992. The philosopher's stone was a piece of alchemy that turned stone into gold, as Hermione mentioned before, and created an elixir of eternal life, to name a few."
Albus nodded. "Very good, Mr. Potter. 10 points to Gryffindor."
Harry nodded and looked down and pretended to write something down on his parchment as Dumbledore continued to talk. He eventually looked back up when he felt that most of the eyes were off of him.
Harry discreetly grabbed a fidget from his bag and fiddled with it as he listened to Dumbledore's lecture on the history of alchemy. He knew he could copy Hermione's notes or that Albus would happily go through it again for him after what he had to do.
Harry didn't love to talk about his trauma in front of other people, especially considering that was the first time Harry felt he killed somebody.
Harry shuddered and shook his head before returning his attention to Albus.
When class was finally over, Harry slowly packed up. He could feel his grandfather's eyes on him, watching him closely. Harry didn't want to deal with that at the moment. Luckily, Ron and Hermione were at his side.
"Ready, Harry?" Hermione asked. She was able to tell Harry didn't want to talk about what just happened in class and felt protective of him.
"Yeah. Are you two good?" Harry asked.
"We're set," Ron confirmed.
Harry looked at Albus, who seemed to back off knowing he had Ron and Hermione. Harry gave a wave and Albus gave an approving nod before they left the classroom.
"We don't have to talk Harry. I know that was a lot," Hermione said. "Where do you want to go right now?"
"Let's go to the Room of Requirement. I still want to talk. If anything, after that class I want to talk to you both even more."
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks but wordlessly followed Harry to the room.
Harry thought of the room and his friends followed. It was a cozy room with cushions, pillows, and blankets. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made themselves comfortable and Harry said, "Hermione, can you make sure the door is locked? And do some privacy charms? What I'm about to talk to you about is something no one else can hear."
Hermione nodded. She stood up and bit her lip in concentration as she cast some charms before sitting back down.
"What is it, Harry?" Ron asked.
"We're here for you," Hermione said, reaching a hand out.
"Yeah, we're in this together," Ron added.
Harry gave them a weak smile. He took a deep breath and began to talk. "So Auntie Marls talked about being in a war. And later she talked about relying on our friends and the people who have our backs. And then in Alchemy, Flamel and the stone were brought up. It reminded me of how much we've been through, the three of us. You've been with me since the beginning. We've done a lot together."
"We have and we're not about to end now," Hermione said.
"That's not it. But we know that I've been at the center of this war and there's a reason why. Voldemort has Horcruxes. They're pieces of his soul he put into objects to become immortal."
"I've read about those," Hermione said.
"I think I have heard about them, but just some," Ron said, wrinkling his nose. "So, Ol Moldyshorts split his soul to stay alive?"
Harry nodded solemnly. "Yeah. We've destroyed some, but there's more."
While Hermione had so many questions, she could tell Harry still had another bombshell to drop on them.
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"I'm a Horcrux," Harry whispered.
You could've heard a pin drop. It was silent and Harry held his breath, waiting for their responses.
Before Harry could process what was happening, Hermione threw herself on Harry to hug him and Ron went on the other side.
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione cried.
Harry allowed the hug for several moments before sitting back up again. "I'm okay, Mione, really. We're not sure what is going to happen yet. Tom didn't even mean to do it. But I have to face him knowing this."
It was quiet again and Harry said, "I know you have questions and I can answer them the best I can, but again, I don't know what's going to happen. It's just that, you're my friends and have been through it all with me. I can't keep this from you. We saved the stone together. We saved Ginny. We saved Buckbeak. I couldn't have gotten through the tasks without you. And last year, with the DA and Hermione, you reminded me to check the Marauder Quarters before flying to the ministry. We've done it all together. It's scary, but we're a package deal," Harry weakly tried to joke.
"You're not getting rid of me this easy, mate. Horcrux or not, you're my best friend," Ron said.
"We're your friends, Harry. And we're honored you trust us with this information. We'll always be here to support you," Hermione said.
"Thank you." There was a beat of silence before Harry smiled and said, "Okay, Hermione, ask away,"
Hermione immediately burst out with questions. It took Harry at least half an hour to answer them (or not) to the best of his ability, but eventually, Hermione and Ron could both tell that Harry was mentally and emotionally drained.
"Thank you again, Harry, for sharing all of this with us," Hermione said, giving Harry a warm hug. "We're here for you. You are not alone."
As exhausting as it all was, Harry was glad that he shared it with Ron and Hermione. They truly have been with him through it all.
"Yeah, mate. We've got your back," Ron said, gently slapping him on the back.
"Thanks, guys," Harry said.
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. "Hey, Harry," Hermione began softly.
"Yeah?" Harry asked, his eyes glossy.
"Why don't we walk you back to the Marauder Quarters? It'll be quieter there."
Before Harry could argue, Ron said, "Yeah. I think Dean and Seamus are due for their snogging session anyway, so you'd be better off there."
Harry's brain was hazy with all he revealed so he nodded, too tired to try to fight. "Okay."
Ron and Hermione slowly and carefully walked Harry back to the Marauder Quarters.
Sirius and Remus were in the sitting room and both shot up when they saw the trio.
"What happened?" Sirius asked.
"He's okay. He just shared a lot with us and I think he's just drained. He's just tired," Hermione said.
"Let's go rest, Cub," Remus said, as he led Harry to his room.
"I think you two have some explaining to do," Sirius said with a raised eyebrow as he lead them to the kitchen. Remus came back within minutes. "I gave him a calming draught and he just about passed out. What in the world worked him up like that?" Remus asked.
"Horcruxes," Hermione said bravely.
Ron and Sirius looked at each other and sighed. "Oh," Sirius said.
"What did he tell you?" Remus asked.
"That Voldemort has Horcruxes and he is one," Ron replied.
"And how do you feel about that?" Remus asked.
"I mean it's bloody terrible, but he's our best mate! Merlin, we've been with him since the beginning! We're not about to abandon him now!" Ron cried.
"Good enough for me," Sirius said, getting up to get some tea for them.
"Hermione?" Remus asked, turning to the girl.
"Ron said it well. We're here for him. We've been fighting this evil… thing… for a while now. While it's scary, we have fought him before."
Remus sighed. They had a point. "I know you have had a lot of information given to you today. What can we do for you?" Remus asked as Sirius set down tea in front of them.
Ron and Hermione looked at each other and shrugged. "I think we're good," Ron said.
Sirius' mouth dropped open. "You heard about that and you're… good?!"
"You have to remember what we've been through. This is another obstacle we have to face. Right now we're here for Harry," Ron said.
"Hermione, you must have questions," Sirius pointed out.
"Harry answered most of them. I'm going to do some more reading later."
Remus put his head in his hands and muttered something along the lines of, "Bloody trauma."
When he brought his head up he said, "Thank you both for being there for Harry. I want to see you both in my office to talk more about this with you. It's a lot to handle and my door is always open to you. In the meantime, what can we do for you?"
"Just make sure Harry's okay," Hermione said. "He seemed good, but we had a long day and he shared a lot."
"We'll take care of him, we promise," Sirius said.
Remus, Sirius, Ron, and Hermione chatted a bit longer before the two Gryffindors made their way to dinner.
"They have been together since the beginning, huh?" Sirius commented after they left.
"I can think of a few friends I have like that," Remus replied, turning to Sirius.
Sirius kissed Remus softly before laying his head on his shoulder. "Is he going to be okay, Remus? It's a lot."
"It is," Remus agreed. "We've got him. He's got us and so many people who are going to fight for him and with him. He's not alone. We've got each other."
"I love you, Remus Lupin."
"I love you, Sirius Black."
Alternatives to Harming Yourself:
1. Talk to someone you care about and/or trust
2. Exercise
3. Get outside and get some fresh air
4. Have a warm beverage
5. Write something down
6. Go to therapy/ contact your therapist
7. Be with your pet or another animal
8. Take a nap
9. Play or fiddle with a fidget
10. Do something artistic (draw, paint, use clay, play-doh, fingerpaint, etc)
11. Play a game
12. Bake or cook something you like to eat
13. Mindfulness, breathing exercises, meditation (variety of strategies including naming something of each color of the rainbow, 5, 4, 3, 2,1 with your senses, box breathing, rainbow breathing, 5 finger breathing, etc)
14. Listen to music
15. Ice cubes (hold them, put them where you want to harm yourself)
16. Puzzles (jigsaw, Sudoku)
17. Have something spicy or sour (like the redhot candy, or warheads)
Suicide Hotlines:
USA: 988 (press 1 for veterans)
Canada: 1 (833) 456 4566
France: 0145394000
Italy: 800860022
UK: 0800 689 5652 OR 116 123
Brazil: 188
India: 9999 666 555
Mexico: 5255102550
Romania: 0800 801 200