Harry Potter stranded in Alagaёsia

by Scarze

Dark times are ahead for Alagaёsia. Harry finds himself in an unknown place he has never heard of. Will he learn what it means to finally lead his own life? Or does fate have other plans for him... Rated M for Language, gore.

37. Chapter 37 Memories I

I do not own any part of the Harry Potter or Eragon universes.

Huge thank you to Bearsona09 for betaing and the discussions on this chapter and JBacken for looking it over.

---

"You fought against Voldemort when you were eleven years old?!" Thiora asked angrily.

Harry shrugged. "Someone had to stop Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone, or he could have returned. Nobody believed us, and we thought we were doing the right thing."

Thiora shook her head. "You were just kids and are lucky to be alive."

"Some things are worth risking your life for, and if I could stop Voldemort, then it was worth it," Harry said quietly.

"That's a heavy burden to bear, especially at such a young age," Oromis remarked, looking around. They were in a small room with a bed and a snowy white owl locked in a cage.

"Why are you back with the Dursleys?" Arya asked tensely. "I thought you could at least stay at Hogwarts now."

Harry snorted. "It's summer, and no one was allowed to stay at Hogwarts. I tried to talk to McGonagall, but she wouldn't be persuaded."

"But you can use magic now," Eragon pointed out. "Your relatives can't do anything about that."

"Unfortunately, that's not the case, Eragon," Sirius said darkly. "It's forbidden for underage wizards and witches to use magic outside of Hogwarts, especially for Muggleborns since there's no magical supervision if something goes wrong. From what I had heard, you should know why no one should mess with magic unsupervised."

They all flinched as Uncle Vernon's loud voice suddenly echoed from the rooms below. "HAVE I NOT SAID THAT THIS WORD IS NOT TO BE MENTIONED IN MY HOUSE?!" Uncle Vernon bellowed.

Arya turned to Harry, "What did you do?"

Harry grinned. "Dudley wanted something from me, and I told him he forgot the magic word."

Arya snorted in amusement, but Eragon frowned. "What magic word?"

The door to the room opened, and Harry quietly closed it behind him, standing there drenched in sweat. He tore off half of his toast and held it up to Hedwig's beak, who hungrily began nibbling.

"Was that your entire dinner?" Thiora asked with wide eyes. "And you shared half of it with Hedwig. Weren't you hungry?"

"When you get little or no food, you get used to it," Arya murmured, and Harry nodded weakly in response.

Harry stroked Hedwig's feathers for a moments before turning around, intending to fall onto his bed, but someone was already there.

Eragon jumped up as he suddenly saw the figure on the bed, and Arya squinted at the creature.

"I know him… that's Dobby, right? You showed him to us when we were on the way to Du Weldenvarden." Eragon's eyes widened. "Oh! The crazy house-elf."

Thiora leaned forward and stared at Dobby with interest. "So, these are house-elves… Sirius told me about them, even though he never liked Kreacher much."

"Who are you?"

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby, the house-elf," said the house-elf.

"Oh – really?" Harry said. "I don't mean to be rude, but this isn't the right time to have a house-elf in the bedroom."

"Very polite and just as awkward as your mother," Sirius snorted, giving Harry a grin.

"Please take a seat," Harry said, gesturing toward the bed.

To his dismay, the elf burst into tears - very noisy tears.

"A very sad creature," Oromis observed sympathetically, especially as he watched Harry in the memory trying to stop Dobby from punishing himself.

"But why is he here?" Eragon asked, confused. "Did he just want to meet you?"

"Harry Potter is so brave! He has faced so many dangers! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he has to stick his ears in the oven door…"

"Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts!"

"A warning?" Arya asked. "Why shouldn't you return? Doesn't Dobby see how things are for you with the Dursleys? Does he not care?"

Harry grimaced. "Oh, he cares far too much. But Dobby thought it was more important that I was alive."

"Why?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"There is a conspiracy," Dobby whispered, his eyes darting from left to right as if fearing someone might catch him. "A conspiracy to make the most terrible things happen this year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said Dobby, nervously clutching his ears. "Terrible things will happen. Harry Potter must not return!"

"That doesn't sound good at all," Eragon said, frowning. "But if Voldemort isn't behind it, then who is?" he asked as he watched Harry questioning Dobby about who was responsible.

"Voldemort doesn't have a brother, does he?" Harry asked.

"Merlin, Harry," Sirius groaned. "One madman is more than enough. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if there were two of them."

"Then I have no idea who besides Voldemort would have the power to make terrible things happen at Hogwarts, especially since Dumbledore is still there," Harry argued.

"Dobby has heard that Dumbledore's magic was equal to that of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Dobby whispered. "But there is magic that Dumbledore does not… powers that no decent wizard…"

"Dobby is right. Dumbledore was well-known for using only magic that wouldn't cause permanent harm," Sirius said. "My grandfather always considered it his greatest weakness."

Dobby fell off the bed, grabbed the table lamp, and smashed it against his head with a deafening noise.

"Quick! In there," Harry hissed, grabbing Dobby by the collar and shoving him into the closet, just in time as his uncle burst into the room.

"What the devil are you doing here, boy?" Uncle Vernon growled. "You just ruined the punchline of the Japanese golfer joke… One more sound out of you, and you'll wish you were never born, boy!"

"No offence, Harry, but if I ever see your uncle, I'll punch him in the face," Eragon muttered through gritted teeth.

"Not if I get to him first, Eragon," Sirius growled.

"Do you see how it is here, Dobby? I can't stay here! Hogwarts is the only place where I have friends - at least, I think so," Harry said.

Dobby raised an eyebrow. "Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?"

"Wait, how does Dobby know that?" Thiora wondered.

"Harry Potter must not be angry at Dobby - Dobby only meant well."

Oromis tilted his head questioningly. "Did Dobby intercept your letters? So, you would think your friends from Hogwarts weren't writing to you, and you wouldn't want to go back?"

"Even if I don't like what he's planning," Sirius grumbled, as he saw Dobby pull out the letters. "He's a clever little fellow for a house-elf."

Harry reached for the letters, but Dobby evaded him by turning around and falling backwards. He scrambled to his feet and slowly backed toward the door, step by step.

"Harry Potter can have the letters, sir, if he swears that he won't return to Hogwarts! Dobby must protect Harry Potter!"

"No," Harry said angrily. "Give me the letters, Dobby!"

"Then Dobby has no choice," the house-elf said sadly.

Eragon whistled in admiration. "He's small and quick! Not like the dwarves."

Oromis raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what your clan brother Orik would say about that."

But before Eragon could respond, they watched as Dobby ran out of the room with the letters in his hands, with Harry close on his heels.

They followed Harry and Dobby and stopped in the doorway of the dining room.

Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of candied violets hovered over the heads of the Dursleys and their guests.

"No," Harry breathed. "Please don't… they'll kill me…"

Dobby gave him a pained look. "Then Dobby must do it, sir, only for Harry Potter's own good."

Dobby snapped his fingers, and the platter fell to the floor with a deafening crash. Cream splattered in all directions, and Harry stood frozen in the kitchen as Uncle Vernon rushed out of the dining room, covered from head to toe in Aunt Petunia's dessert.

Thiora emerged from behind the counter, where she had instinctively ducked to avoid the flying cream.

"Serves them right," Sirius said, grinning broadly. But the grin faded from his face as an owl flew through the window and dropped a letter at Harry's feet. The Dursleys' guests screamed and ran outside, while Aunt Petunia and Dudley chased after them, desperately trying to convince them to stay.

"Go on, boy - read the letter aloud," Uncle Vernon hissed, and Harry read the letter with trembling hands.

"You conveniently forgot to mention that you're not allowed to do magic outside of school," Uncle Vernon said quietly, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"I have news for you, boy. I'm locking you in your room, and you will never go back to that school again, and if you - if you try… they'll expel you!" Uncle Vernon laughed and dragged Harry up the stairs to his room, where he locked him in.

"That bastard!" Sirius shouted angrily. "Why did you even get a warning? You weren't the one who did magic! It was Dobby."

Harry shrugged as the memory slowly faded.

"I still don't know to this day."

Arya stood in front of him and forced Harry to look at her face. It wasn't difficult for him under normal circumstances, but it was humiliating to show them how his relatives had treated him.

"How long were you locked in that room?" she asked, her green eyes glowing with anger. But Arya's anger wasn't directed at Harry; it was for him.

"Three days," he said quietly. She stepped closer to him, wrapped her arms around him, and held him tightly.

"On the third day, I finally got a slice of bread to eat, but I had to share it with H-Hedwig," she heard him say in a trembling voice and looked up into his face. A tear ran down his cheek, which Arya gently wiped away with her finger.

She hugged him tighter, and they stood there. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron and his brothers rescuing Harry in a flying car and flying away from the Dursleys.

---

Sirius clenched his fists and bit down hard on his lip. Thiora placed her hand over his and leaned against him. "It's not your fault," she whispered in his ear.

"I'm not foolish enough to believe that I'm solely to blame," Sirius replied quietly. "But I do bear some responsibility for how Harry grew up. If I hadn't decided to go after Peter, I could have been there for Harry."

Arya eventually felt Harry stir and released him from her embrace.

"Are you feeling better?" Arya asked him.

Harry smiled gratefully. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Harry," Oromis said with concern, "reliving your memories will not easy for you. If it becomes too much, we can stop."

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine... I think. I just needed a moment to pull myself together."

Arya nodded but didn't move away from his side as they dove into a new memory. They were back in Diagon Alley, and Harry was surrounded by a crowd of redheads.

"These are the Weasleys," Harry explained to an amused Arya, who bit her lip to keep from smiling as she watched Harry fend off Mrs. Weasley's attempts to clean the soot off him.

"Did you roll around in a fireplace?" Eragon laughed.

Harry and Sirius both nodded seriously. "Yes, I just travelled one fireplace too far."

Sirius burst out laughing. "So that's how you ended up in Knockturn Alley? James and I once tried to go there, but your grandmother Dorea caught us," Sirius said, grimacing as he reminisced and rubbed his left buttock.

Eragon blinked and shook his head. "You travel through fireplaces? Wizards are crazy."

"Now come on, let's get your books first," Mrs. Weasley said, smoothing out the smaller wrinkles in her clothes. Ron rolled his eyes as he watched his mother.

"She's into Lockhart," Ron whispered to Harry. Mrs. Weasley shot Ron a dark look as she pulled Harry and Hermione through the entrance of Flourish & Blotts when she saw Ron's expression.

"Who's Lockhart?" Oromis asked.

Sirius grimaced. "I'm not sure; I was in Azkaban for too long. But I think Remus mentioned the name once or twice."

"Trust me, you didn't miss anything. Lockhart was just a pompous fraud and an idiot," Harry grunted.

"We can really meet him here!" Hermione said, her cheeks flushed as they squeezed past a crowd of witches, and Harry finally saw Lockhart. He was sitting at a small table, surrounded by portraits of himself, all winking at them.

"An… interesting person," Arya said cautiously.

Thiora snorted. "Interesting is putting it nicely. I thought Sirius was already unique with his hair, but this Lockhart seems to outdo him in every way."

"Hey! This magnificent mane doesn't flourish on its own! It takes a lot of care," Sirius exclaimed, while Thiora blew him a kiss with a smile.

Harry's lips curled into a smile as he watched the two of them.

Lockhart signed a book for a middle-aged witch with a gilded quill as long as a hippogriff feather, and when he handed it to her, he kissed her hand. The witches around them shrieked, and some even fainted. This created a gap, and by chance, Lockhart looked through the crowd at that very moment and stared at Harry.

Oromis closed his eyes as he saw the awakened greed in the man's gaze. "The world would be a much simpler place if we could all live in harmony and there was no one who lusted after power and wealth. Unfortunately, that's just the futile dream of an old Rider."

"By Merlin - Is that Harry Potter?" A bent, grim-looking man with a camera hopped over to Harry and pulled him by the sleeve through the crowd, which parted before them.

"I get the feeling you're cursed with bad luck," Eragon said dryly.

Harry stood next to Lockhart, who shook his hand and posed for the camera.

"Smile nicely, Harry - we'll easily make the front page," Lockhart whispered through his fake smile.

"I don't like this at all," Sirius said as he saw the discomfort on Harry's face. "That Shitface should leave my godson alone!"

"Being famous isn't everything, is it?" Harry muttered, and Sirius saw Harry in a new light for the first time. He was sure that if James or he had been in that situation at that age, they wouldn't have reacted like Harry. They would have enjoyed the attention.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen!" Lockhart called out with gleaming teeth. "I can announce that starting this September, I will be taking the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

Arya looked at Lockhart with icy eyes. "I can already imagine why he took the position. He won't teach you anything, will he?"

Harry scratched the stubble on his chin. He would need to shave again in the morning.

"I wouldn't say nothing, but it wasn't much," Harry said.

"Spoken like an elf," Eragon praised him with a chuckle.

Harry rolled his eyes and watched as his younger self sneaked out of the spotlight with arms full of Lockhart's books, where Ginny was waiting for him in a corner.

"Here, take these. I'll buy mine," Harry muttered.

"That was kind of you, Harry," Thiora smiled.

"The Weasleys had rescued me from the Dursleys for the summer. It was the least I could do," Harry murmured, watching as he and Malfoy exchanged insults.

"The famous Harry Potter," Malfoy said with a sneer, "can't even go into a bookstore without ending up on the front page of the newspaper."

"The boy is under bad influences," Oromis murmured worriedly.

"Probably his father's," Sirius said. "Narcissa would never have raised such a pompous idiot. The jealousy practically oozes from his slicked-back hair."

Thiora crossed her arms as Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley fought, and Hagrid had to step in to separate them. The Malfoys disappeared, but not before Lucius put Ginny's books back in her cauldron.

"A great example for your children - brawling in public," Mrs. Weasley hissed at her husband.

"Nice to see I'm not the only one with that opinion," she said to Sirius, who slowly took a step to the side.

But it was Arya and Oromis who kept their eyes on the cauldron Ginny was holding.

"Did you see it?" Harry asked the group.

"See what?" Sirius asked, and Eragon also frowned.

Arya pointed to a black book. "That book… it wasn't in Ginny's cauldron before, not until after Malfoy put the books back."

Harry nodded. "Good eye. Keep it in mind, it'll be important later."

---

The scene shifted to Platform 9 , where they followed Harry and Ron as they hurried through the dense crowd, rushing to catch the train to Hogwarts. The Weasleys had already passed through the barrier, but before Harry and Ron could follow, Arya gasped as the two unexpectedly crashed into the solid wall. Harry tried to calm Hedwig, who flapped her wings and screeched wildly in her cage.

Arya wondered if this was why Harry was so good with Blagden, as he hadn't really tolerated any elf except her father. Did Blagden perhaps remind Harry of Hedwig? She tilted her head in thought as she glanced at the real Harry standing beside her. Perhaps she would try to persuade Blagden to spend more time with Harry in the future.

"I don't think it will be too difficult to convince Blagden. Harry gives him plenty of treats, after all," Arya smirked, just as Hedwig's screech turned into a loud crash of wood.

A giant tree was thrashing its branches against the car where Harry and Ron were. They barely managed to escape just in time, being thrown from the car to a safe distance from the tree.

Arya winced as Harry landed face-first on the damp ground. The car didn't spare them another glance and drove off toward the Forbidden Forest, disappearing into the shadows of the night.

Harry and Ron stared after the car until Ron pulled his wand out of his pocket and groaned loudly. "My wand," Ron said in a trembling voice.

Arya could see that the wood was nearly completely broken, barely held together by a few splinters.

The image blurred, and they found themselves watching the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams facing off with each other. The Slytherins exuded a false arrogance that reminded Arya of certain members of the Varden's Council of Elders.

Arya gasped when Malfoy, standing smugly among the Slytherins, insulted Hermione with a slur.

"Mudblood," Arya whispered. Filthy blood… Nott had insinuated something similar to her in Farthen Dûr. She was glad Ron defended Hermione, but he used his broken wand to cast the spell, and Arya had a bad feeling about it.

Amid the Slytherins' laughter, Ron was led away by Harry and Hermione, leaving a trail of slugs in their wake. She really didn't want to know where they came from.

They followed them down to Hagrid's hut, but as they stepped through the door, they found themselves in one of Hogwarts' corridors. The flames flickered weakly, casting long shadows on the wall before them. Arya covered her mouth with her hand as she saw a cat hanging as if petrified on the wall. But even worse were the words written in blood on the wall:

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood frozen in front of the wall, and Arya let out a quiet whimper as the entire student body approached them. It was clear as dragons breathing fire that Harry always ended up in trouble.

The last thing she saw was Dumbledore slowly approaching the cat with his wand drawn when the scene vanished, and they found themselves in the middle of a Quidditch match.

Arya instinctively ducked as Harry zoomed over her on his broom, closely followed by a Bludger. But something was different this time; the Bludger was chasing him with every move he made. She watched in admiration as Harry dodged the Bludger while simultaneously trying to catch the Snitch, and it didn't surprise Arya anymore that he felt so at home in the air.

She almost rolled her eyes when Harry convinced the others to let him face the Bludger alone. It surprised her a little, and even in these moments, Harry showed how selfless he was. She pinched him in the side to make him fully aware of what she thought of that.

Even when Harry's arm was hit, he kept flying, not wanting to let the others down, and managed to catch the Snitch with his good hand. As Arya watched Harry lying on the ground with a broken arm and saw Lockhart, despite Harry's protests, cast a spell that made Harry's bones disappear, she turned pale.

Before she could say anything, walls rose from the ground, and they found themselves in the hospital wing. And there they found Dobby, sitting on Harry's bed.

When Dobby confessed that he was responsible for the Bludger and the missed train, she understood why Harry said that Dobby meant well, even in his crazy way. Her breath caught when she heard Dobby's words.

"Harry Potter survived, and the power of the Dark Lord was broken. A new dawn broke for us house-elves, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a star of hope in the sky for those of us who thought the days would never end, sir. History is repeating itself, and now, with the Chamber of Secrets opened again -" Dobby said before freezing.

"Oh, Harry," Arya whispered when she saw the shocked look on Harry's face at Dobby's words.

But Harry's expression sharpened as he realized something.

"So, the Chamber of Secrets really exists, and it was opened before? Tell me, Dobby!" Harry demanded with urgency.

---

Sirius stared at Harry with wide eyes. "The Chamber of Secrets? The one built by Slytherin at Hogwarts? That Chamber?"

Harry nodded. "It exists and is in Hogwarts."

Sirius turned pale. "But why didn't anyone tell me about this? Dumbledore, Remus… Why don't I know anything about it?"

"I don't think Remus knew," Thiora interjected gently. "From what you've told me about him, Sirius, he's a loyal friend. And Dumbledore seemed to keep his secrets to himself, so I'm not surprised he didn't tell you. The only one who would have told you if you'd asked-"

"Would have been Harry," Sirius finished softly, rubbing his burning eyes. "I really hate myself sometimes."

"But what was the purpose of this Chamber?" Oromis asked.

Harry sighed. "Salazar Slytherin didn't want Muggleborns to be accepted at the school. He later left the school, but not before hiding the Chamber in Hogwarts, where a monster was kept that was supposed to one day cleanse it of those unworthy of learning magic."

"So, against all those who don't come from wizarding families," Thiora frowned. "That's disgusting."

"And my family lived by that motto," Sirius growled. "But I realized what it really stood for - it was the remnant of a fool, nothing more. Unfortunately, the most powerful families exploited it to believe they were something better."

Oromis sighed. "Power and arrogance are closely intertwined. Not everyone who possesses power can use it with a good heart. Arrogance is like a poison that slowly clouds our minds. Especially we Riders should have known better, but some succumbed to it."

"It wasn't just Riders who were affected; it happened to us elves as well," Arya added sharply. "It grew steadily in the shadows behind the trees and touched us all."

Thiora raised an eyebrow and stared at Arya expectantly. "Not all of us."

Arya shook her head. "No, even I had to learn what it meant to be humble toward those weaker than myself."

She glanced at Harry out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not that much weaker than you," Harry argued.

Arya smirked. "How many times have you beaten me in a sword fight again?"

"Oh, come on. That's not fair! You're way faster than me!" Harry retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And it will take years before you even come close," Arya said, tapping the tip of her nose with a finger.

"Then I'll keep fighting you until I know how you breathe, how you move, and how you think. Even if it takes forever, I'll figure out how to beat you!" Harry said with a growing smile.

Arya looked at him with her mouth slightly open. Harry's words meant far more than they seemed. He was promising that they would defeat Galbatorix, and both survive.

"I look forward to it," Arya whispered, turning to the new memory.

They were standing in the entrance hall, watching Harry, Ron, and Hermione running down the grand staircase.

"Why are you so out of breath?" Eragon asked, puzzled.

"We were running late, and today was the first meeting of the Dueling Club," Harry replied as he walked through the large doors into the Great Hall.

"A Dueling Club? We didn't have that," Sirius said.

"It was only introduced because of the monster from Slytherin, to give the students a sense of security," Harry said.

Oromis's eyes lit up. "I'd love to see Professor Flitwick duel. His classes are always very well-structured."

But even Oromis let out a disappointed groan when he saw Lockhart beaming at the students with his gleaming white teeth.

"He really has a desire to be in the spotlight," Thiora said.

"And he's not a good teacher either," Eragon noted as Lockhart waved his wand around and even dropped it once.

"Your Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers have really been useless so far," Arya said, disappointed.

"They weren't much better in my time, but none of them was as much of a fool as Lockhart," Sirius snorted.

"Maybe I should show you how to block curses first. I need two volunteers -Longbottom!" Lockhart called, and Neville's face turned pale.

Sirius chuckled. "He looks so much like his mother! She always turned pale when she was called on suddenly. It took a few years, but with Lily as a friend, she really blossomed!"

"I think that's a bad idea, Professor," Snape said, his lips curling into a mocking grin.

"Ugh, I can smell Snivellus from here," Sirius said, grimacing. Thiora whirled around and smacked him hard on the back of the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Sirius yelled, rubbing his head as he glared at Thiora.

"You know exactly what for! Be the bigger man and stop it!"

"But-"

Harry took a deep breath and said in a final tone, "Sirius, Snape is dead. He died protecting me. He might have been an arrogant jerk, but he always tried to protect me."

Sirius blinked, but before he could say anything, the memory continued.

"How about Malfoy and… Potter?" Snape said with a crooked smile.

"No offence, Harry, but that Snape reminds me a bit of Sloan," Eragon said, shuddering all over.

"An excellent idea, Professor Snape!" Lockhart called out, summoning Harry and Malfoy to the middle of the hall.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he's never come up with an idea on his own," Arya muttered.

Harry watched as Snape whispered something into Malfoy's ear. Whatever it was, Malfoy grinned, and it didn't bode well for Harry.

"If that boy hurts Harry, I'll take back everything I said," Thiora suddenly declared.

"Scared, Potter?" Malfoy murmured.

"Only in your dreams, Malfoy," Harry said just as Lockhart cheerfully patted him on the back.

"Just follow my wand movements, Harry," Lockhart said with a smile.

"You mean to drop my wand?" Harry asked, but Lockhart had already moved to the middle of the hall.

Eragon laughed, and even Oromis's face seemed to be growing a grin.

"That explains where your sarcasm comes from," Oromis said.

Malfoy raised his wand and shouted, "Serpensortia!"

A long black snake shot out of Malfoy's wand and landed between them. It was agitated and angry, ready to bite anyone who came near.

"A snake? Is that what Snape whispered to Malfoy?" Sirius asked, confused.

Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I think he just wanted to scare me and humiliate me in front of everyone. But he had no idea what would happen next."

They watched as Lockhart aimed his wand at the snake, but instead of making it disappear, there was a loud bang, and the snake was flung several meters into the air. It landed with a thud in front of a boy and bared its venomous fangs at him.

"Leave him alone!" Harry said, and to his surprise, the snake obeyed.

"What was that hissing sound?" Eragon asked. "It sounded similar to when you fought that Nott!"

Harry nodded. "I'm a Parselmouth; it means I can talk to snakes."

A murmur spread through the students, and they all stared at Harry in disbelief. Fear was written on their pale faces. Ron dragged Harry out of the hall, and the students all recoiled from Harry as if he was the black snake.

"Is that how you found out?" Sirius groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Those idiots will all think you're the Heir of Slytherin!"

"I know," Harry whispered. "The weeks that followed were anything but pleasant. At first, there were just whispers, but it didn't take long before even my fellow Gryffindors and my Quidditch team didn't want anything to do with me. It was only when Fred and George made jokes about it that I started to feel a bit better."

Arya shook her head, a few strands of her black hair falling into her face. She brushed them back with a hand and tucked them behind her ear. "That's disgusting. Didn't the teachers help you?"

"No, I think they didn't know what to make of me either. After all, Voldemort was the last known Parselmouth," Harry said.

"Still, that doesn't justify their lack of intervention," Oromis said, outraged. "We teachers have a responsibility to our students - all students! If we don't help them, we have no right to call ourselves their teachers."

---

Arya clenched her fists in frustration as she had to watch Harry being bullied by the other students. But things got worse when Harry had to find the boy with the ghost, who had both been petrified, and she watched once again as Harry drank the Polyjuice Potion, just like he had in the Room of Requirement. There, he had also briefly transformed into a dwarf, though it had taken him a while to tell her about it under her strict gaze.

Arya couldn't help but smile. For reasons she didn't yet understand, Harry couldn't stand her gaze for long and eventually gave in… or turn away. One day, she would have to find out the reason for why that was.

But until that day came, she would watch as Harry sneaked inside the Slytherin common room and they found out that the boy, Malfoy, wasn't the one who had opened the Chamber of Secrets.

Suddenly, the memory vanished and was replaced by a new one. They saw Harry sitting at a desk with an old book. As Arya leaned over young Harry's shoulder, she could see the book writing by itself. But one fact troubled her.

For she recognized the book as the same one that Malfoy had given Ginny in Diagon Alley. What exactly was the deal with this book?

Her eyes widened as the pages of the book began to flutter wildly as if a storm were raging in the room. The book showed Harry a memory of Hagrid being accused of being the heir of Slytherin. She couldn't believe that anyone seriously thought he would do something like that. Hagrid was, compared to an elf, very clumsy, but he had one of the kindest souls she had ever seen in anyone.

And when the name Tom Riddle was mentioned, Arya had to curse that even the real Harry, who stood beside her, was startled in surprise. The memory and the book that Harry was writing in belonged to Voldemort!

Harry even approved of her foul language with a nod and a smile! The git.

And it didn't get any better. At least not for Harry, as they saw Harry and Ron standing in the hospital wing, holding the petrified Hermione's hand. The images of the memory blurred again, and she saw Hagrid being taken to Azkaban, and in his naïveté sending them to Aragog, which they barely escaped from.

Arya never wanted to see so many spiders again. As they were huge, with very long, hairy legs.

Yet she had to admit that Harry was only few times an idiot - and usually when he was causing trouble - because the way he figured out where to find the Chamber of Secrets and that the monster was a basilisk moving through the pipes was simply brilliant.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Harry and Ron had used up all their brilliant moments that day, as they made the extremely questionable decision to go with their findings to Lockhart.

---

"I don't think I like spiders anymore," Thiora said, rubbing her arms up and down.

"I can understand that," Eragon replied, shivering all over. "Harry, you and Ron are insane."

Harry laughed. "Given everything I've been through, you might be right, Eragon."

Arya shot Eragon a dark look. "Harry isn't insane."

Then she turned to Harry, whose laughter had faded. "And you don't take this so lightly!"

Eragon and Harry both nodded silently.

"In one thing, James would definitely have been proud," Sirius said in a mild voice. "You've learned more about Hogwarts than we did. At least that would have been a good moment until Lily found out and gave you a lifetime of house arrest."

"Rightly so," Thiora murmured, recalling the many spiders.

"Maybe we should move on?" Oromis suggested as they suddenly found themselves in the restroom that led to the Chamber of Secrets.

"I still can't believe it's in a girls' bathroom," Sirius grumbled.

Harry approached the sink and examined it. Then he saw it: the Slytherin symbol - a snake engraved.

"Here's the entrance!" Harry said to Ron.

"Harry, say something in Parseltongue," Ron suggested.

"Harry, no offence, but the hissing is," Eragon began, glancing quickly at Arya before carefully choosing his words, "very unsettling."

Harry shrugged. "Complain to the one who invented the language."

"We can still talk about this," Lockhart called desperately, clinging to the entrance.

"Honestly, I'm tired of your voice," Harry said, pressing his wand into Lockhart's back, who screamed and fell down the pipe.

"I would have kicked him down," Arya said sharply.

"Harry, if you should happen to die down there, you can move into my toilet," Myrtle said with shining eyes.

"Is a ghost hitting on you?" Sirius burst out laughing, and Eragon also started to snigger.

"Harry was probably the first person in many years to be nice to her," Arya defended him, watching the scene with pricked ears. A strange feeling spread in her chest, like her insides were tightening.

She didn't like it at all.

"Leave the girl alone!" Thiora said, hitting Sirius on the back of the head again, while Oromis gave Eragon a sharp look, causing him to quickly fall silent.

"Uh - thanks, Myrtle," Harry said awkwardly and jumped into the opening last. When he arrived below, Ron and Lockhart were already looking around, with Ron occasionally poking Lockhart's back with his wand to push him forward. They moved on together, and it didn't take long before they found the discarded snakeskin.

"Oh shit," Sirius gasped.

"The snake must be enormous!" Eragon exclaimed. "Wait - did that guy really just pass out?"

Lockhart's knees had gone weak at the sight of the snakeskin. But he used the fall to jump forward and grab Ron's wand.

"I don't like this," Oromis murmured anxiously, seeing the glee in Lockhart's eyes.

"This is it for you, boys!" Lockhart cackled. "I'll take a piece of this snake's skin up with me and tell them we were too late to save the girl and that you lost your minds from her mangled body! Obliviate!" Lockhart shouted with Ron's broken wand.

"I wonder what happens when you cast a spell with a broken wand," Arya said with sparkling eyes. She knew nothing would happen to Harry since he was standing here with his full senses. Though she had to admit, his mind had a tendency to… fail in certain situations.

"I heard that," Harry grumbled.

Arya grinned mischievously. "Did I say that out loudly? Oops."

Harry was now alone in the Chamber of Secrets, and when he saw Ginny lying alone on the floor, he screamed her name and ran to her.

"This is horrifying," Thiora whispered tensely, and Arya's face turned as white as chalk when she saw someone leaning against a pillar.

"Voldemort," she said, and the others whirled around to see Tom Riddle slowly walking towards Harry.

"Listen, Tom! We need to get out of here! If the basilisk comes-" Harry panted, but he was interrupted by Tom.

"The basilisk won't come if it isn't called," Tom said quietly.

Oromis's eyebrows shot up. "So, he is the heir of Slytherin… But what kind of magic is he using to achieve this?"

Arya's gaze fell on Ginny, who was clutching a book. "Through the book! He used Ginny to summon the basilisk, but how…"

Her eyes suddenly widened. "The book is a Horcrux!"

Harry nodded proudly. "It was the first evidence for Dumbledore that Voldemort had created at least one Horcrux."

Sirius just shook his head in disbelief, as he listened Voldemort rumble on about his father. "So, all of this happened because Voldemort had father issues?"

"The poor girl has truly shown strength despite everything," Oromis whispered, his eyes focused on Ginny.

"He's truly cruel," Thiora said, shivering as Voldemort laughed over Ginny's diary entries.

"For many months I have had a new target - you!" Tom hissed, as Harry looked at him in confusion.

"He's only after you," Arya noted. "Did he know about the prophecy?"

"Good question," Harry said thoughtfully. "I believe he only learned through Ginny what had happened to his real body and wanted to go after me because he thought I had stopped him."

"So, out of revenge," Eragon said.

"Not just out of revenge," Sirius murmured. "If he could defeat Harry, he would have shown everyone that no one could stop him. He would be invincible."

"But you are not," Harry said with a voice full of hatred.

"What am I not?" Voldemort spat.

"Not the greatest wizard in the world! That is Albus Dumbledore!"

"I don't know if I would say the same thing today," Harry murmured.

"Dumbledore was driven out of this castle by my mere memory!" Voldemort hissed.

"As long as we, those loyal to him, are here, he will never truly be gone," Harry retorted.

Voldemort opened his mouth, but then the music began.

Arya spun around as she heard the music. Even from the memory, she felt the music warming her insides, and it seemed familiar.

"I know this music," she whispered so only Harry could hear.

"Do you mean when Artemis and I restored Isidar Mithrim, the Star Sapphire?" Harry asked quietly.

Arya shook her head. "No, I'm not entirely sure, but when I faced Durza and Nott alone, I had no strength left to cast a spell and then I heard this song inside me," Arya whispered, placing her hand on her chest where her heart lay. "It filled me with a new strength. That was also the first time I used this new magic."

Red and gold flames burst out from above, and Fawkes appeared from within. In his claws, he carried the Sorting Hat.

"Is that Fawkes?" Arya asked with wide eyes, staring at the phoenix. "He's beautiful."

"Yes, he's the phoenix whose tears I used to heal you," Harry replied.

"But why is he bringing you the old hat?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"Just watch."

"You're barely alive. All your power did you no good," Harry said. "You're alone and hiding. You're ugly, you're abhorrent-"

"You really don't hold back, do you?" Thiora chuckled, impressed.

"Well, Harry, how about a little comparison of our strengths? Let's measure the powers of Lord Voldemort, the heir of Salazar Slytherin… against those of the famous Harry Potter and the best weapons Dumbledore can provide," Voldemort said.

"Harry, what exactly is he planning-?" Eragon asked, but his question was cut off as they heard Voldemort speaking in Parseltongue, and the mouth of the Slytherin statue began to move, revealing an opening behind it.

"Harry, that's a basilisk!" Sirius screamed as if he had just realized what was happening.

"Don't worry, you can look it in the eyes. It's only a memory," Harry said.

"That doesn't make it any better!" Thiora shouted, and Oromis gasped in agreement.

"Many centuries ago, there were basilisks in Alagaёsia as well, but the order did wipe them out. I've never heard of one this size!"

Arya flinched as Harry fell to the ground and was thrown against the wall by the snake's tail. Sirius whimpered as the basilisk approached, but Fawkes suddenly dived towards the snake's head.

Eragon leaned forward. "What is he trying to do?"

"He's trying to hurt its eyes so Harry can at least open his own," Arya said tensely.

The basilisk whipped its tail across the floor, and something soft hit its face. It was the Sorting Hat.

"But what good will the hat do you?" Eragon asked as Harry put the hat on.

"That's a sword!" Arya cried with wide eyes as Harry pulled something out of the hat.

"Not just any sword," Sirius gasped as he saw the engraved name. "That's Godric Gryffindor's sword. It was said to be lost after he died, but all these years the Sorting Hat kept it?"

Thiora screamed as the snake lunged forward, and Arya grabbed Harry's wrist just as the Harry in the memory drove the sword into the basilisk's mouth.

"You killed Slytherin's monster at twelve," Sirius said in amazement, but then everyone gasped as they saw the basilisk's fang embedded in his arm.

Arya's hand rushed to Harrys and pulled up his sleeve, her breath caught in her throat. She gently moved her fingers along the scar on Harry's skin.

"Harry don't get me wrong. I'm glad you're here, but how did you survive? There's no known antidote for basilisk venom!" Oromis said.

"The phoenix tears," Arya replied, looking up, and Harry met her gaze. He nodded slowly and pulled his sleeve back down.

"That's the only reason I survived. If Fawkes hadn't given me his tears, I would have died," Harry murmured, and they watched as Voldemort stood before Harry with his wand drawn, after Fawkes had tossed something into Harry's lap.

"The book!" Thiora gasped. "If you destroy it, Voldemort will disappear."

"Fine and dandy, but he doesn't have a wand," Sirius grumbled. "And even if he did, Harry's twelve - he doesn't know any magic that could handle something like this."

Harry lifted the basilisk fang and drove it into the book.

"Well, that works too," Eragon said dryly, and they watched with satisfaction as Voldemort turned and screamed - then finally faded and disappeared.

"You defeated him and destroyed his Horcrux," Sirius marvelled, then burst into loud laughter. "At twelve years old! My godson is fucking incredible!"

Harry scoffed. "I survived, but only with a lot of luck. Without Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, I would never have managed it."

Oromis walked over to Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, what you accomplished is extraordinary, especially at your age. There wouldn't have been many Dragon Riders who would have dared to do what you did. I'm very sure that you would have been one of the bravest in our entire order," Oromis said with pride, and a blush crept into Harry's cheeks.

"But -"

"Shut up, Harry, and accept the compliment," Eragon said with a grin.

---

"So, it couldn't possibly get worse, could it?" Eragon asked, ticking off the events on his fingers.

"The first year was already dangerous, but this one you fought against Voldemort, killed a basilisk, and willingly walked into a nest of spiders bigger than Kulls," Eragon said, glancing around. "Did I forget anything?"

"Don't forget that he was twelve years old," Thiora grumbled discontentedly. "And how the other students treated Harry. The urge to put you under house arrest for the rest of your life is growing, Harry."

Arya snorted. "And even then, he'd find a way to get himself into danger."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyway, let's start with the third year."

Sirius's eyes sparkled. "Ha! Now things are going to get really interesting."

"Let's wait and see, Sirius," Arya said, inwardly hoping for a less eventful year.

---

Again to Arya's dismay, they were back at Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon and Dudley were sitting in the living room, eating their breakfast, while Harry was still at the stove, cooking. Arya only now became aware of something. In all the memories where Harry was cooking, she had never seen him actually eat anything. It was usually just a slice of bread with a single slice of cheese. He had always cooked only for the Dursleys, never for himself.

On the rectangular box that Uncle Vernon and Dudley were watching, pictures and voices were coming out of it. A man stood at a wooden desk, reading from a piece of paper.

"...Black is extremely dangerous. Any sightings should be immediately reported to the police…"

But the memory faded, making way for a new one. Another visitor came to the Dursleys, and the more Arya saw, the more it disgusted her. This Aunt Marge was vile to animals, and her disparaging remarks about Harry were filled with venom.

The Dursleys sat at the table, eating and drinking, while Harry again did not sit with them. He was busy washing the dishes. As the evening went on, and Aunt Marge drank more, her comments grew worse. Not that any of the Dursleys defended Harry.

Arya swallowed her anger as Aunt Marge began to insult Harry's parents. She could see Harry growing angrier and, at a certain point, his temper exploded-causing Aunt Marge to inflate.

She watched with a heavy heart as Harry stormed out of the house with his belongings and sat, panting, by the roadside. Harry rummaged through his trunk, then suddenly stood up with his wand drawn. The streetlamps illuminated the dark night in a white light. Arya blinked in confusion as she briefly saw the outline of a large creature - one she had seen before. It was Sirius in his Animagus form.

But then Harry recoiled in fright, tripped over his trunk, and a huge car appeared out of nowhere. It stopped in front of Harry, and a man stood in the open door.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus."

The Knight Bus turned out to be a bus.

"So, the smaller ones were cars, and the larger ones were buses," Arya thought contently. And she was very unsure if she would ever willingly get into a bus. At least that bus. The ride on the Knight Bus was awful. It was nothing like flying. It was so fast, and the constant abrupt braking did not sit well with her stomach.

One advantage of the fast ride was that it was short. Harry got off the bus and was immediately intercepted by the Minister himself. From the first words out of the Minister's mouth, Arya knew that Fudge would fit right into the Council of Elders.

At least Harry finally had weeks where he could do what he wanted. He lived through the time in Diagon Alley, and even when the Weasleys and Hermione arrived, nothing much major happened. Except that Hermione got an exceptionally strange looking cat that attacked Ron's rat, whenever it could.

The memory flashed once more, and they found themselves with Harry in the hallway of the Leaky Cauldron. The door was ajar, and Arya heard the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, arguing heatedly about Sirius Black.

Her eyes widened as she heard that Sirius was said to be a follower of Voldemort, and these Dementors…

But what troubled her most was that Sirius Black was after Harry.

---

"Arya! Let him go, he didn't do it!" Thiora shouted.

Arya had gone to Sirius, grabbed him by the collar, and was tugging at his clothes. "Sirius – swear… swear to me in the old language that you haven't betrayed Harry and that you're not a Death Eater!"

Sirius gasped for air, but his eyes showed deep sadness and determination. "I-I swear, I was never a Death Eater!"

Arya loosened her grip, and Sirius rubbed his neck. "I apologize, but I needed to be sure."

"Everything's alright," Sirius croaked, casting a pleading glance at Thiora, who merely sighed.

Thiora shot Arya a hard look. "Do you really think I would love a man who has committed such acts?" she grumbled.

"No, but with Harry and Sirius, there is a magic we don't understand. I didn't want to believe and still don't think that Sirius could have done such things, but this is about more than what I believe," Arya said firmly.

"Perhaps we should all take a deep breath and calm down," Oromis said decisively. "Harry's memories will surely give us more insight into what happened to Sirius. But until then, we need to be patient."

"Come on, let's go in here. All the other compartments are full," Harry said, looking for an empty cabin on the Hogwarts Express.

Sirius's eyes widened. "That's Remus! Merlin, he really has been wearing the same clothes all year."

Suddenly, the train slowed down. "We can't possibly be there yet," Hermione said, glancing at her watch. "It's way too early."

"Maybe the train was faster this year?" Eragon suggested.

The lights went out all over the train, plunging them into total darkness. The windows fogged up.

"Damn," Sirius whispered, his face pale. "It's them!"

Thiora frowned, but as she saw Sirius's trembling hands, she began to understand. She reached for Sirius's hand, which was ice cold.

Eragon stared at the entrance of the compartment as a dark figure began to open the door. "What is that?!"

The figure's face was hidden under a black hood. It extended a hand that looked like that of a corpse. It breathed with a rattling sound, and a bitter cold spread over Harry, seeping deep under his skin. He could see nothing, feel nothing, only a mournful cry from afar with his name…

Arya rubbed her arms and stared at the creature in horror. It was as if the cold was travelling through the memory, suffocating her breath. She closed her eyes and saw Thiora and her grandmother standing in her room, telling her that her father had died in battle. She saw herself fighting Urgals and killing a life for the first time. She saw arrows whizzing past her, killing her friends, and moments of her capture in Gil'ead.

Arya tried to escape it, and only when Harry pulled her close and she felt his arms around her did she start to feel the cold slowly leaving her and warmth returning to her bones.

She rested her head on Harry's shoulder and wiped the tears from her face with one hand.

"What kind of creature is that?" she asked, trembling.

Harry shivered as he felt her breath on his neck. "A Dementor," he whispered. "They usually guard Azkaban, but they were searching for Sirius, which is why they came into our compartment."

Arya kept her head on Harry's shoulder for a moment longer before slowly pulling away. "That was dreadful. I felt like I would never-"

Her words faltered, but Harry finished the sentence for her.

"Like you would never be happy again."

Arya looked around, and the others looked equally shaken. Sirius had leaned against Thiora, while Oromis stood by Eragon's side, gently rubbing his back.

"I hate these things," Sirius grumbled unhappily.

Oromis nodded in agreement. "I can only agree… that cold was horrific. How does one defend against these creatures?"

"With a spell," Harry answered dryly.

"Harry," Arya scolded, but a smile crept onto her face, and she gave him a gentle pat on the chest.

Harry raised his arms in defence and just grinned in response.

"And the voice we heard?" Thiora asked cautiously. She had a suspicion about who it was. "Who was that?"

"That was my mum's voice when she died."

---

The memory before her eyes shattered into countless specks of light, which slowly began to form new images.

They found themselves in a classroom, and Arya had to share Harry's description of Trelawney. Through her enormous glasses, her eyes looked incredibly large, and she resembled an insect. When Trelawney introduced herself as a Seer, she could understand why Harry wasn't convinced by this magic, especially when Trelawney predicted his death.

She was a fraud, nothing else.

Arya had the feeling that the Seer predicted everything possible in hopes of eventually being right; after all, even a blind hen finds a grain of corn at one point.

In the next memory, they were outside in a paddock, and Arya saw a Hippogriff for the first time! They were noble yet peculiar creatures, but she personally preferred Griffins. This became clear to her again when Hagrid had Harry mount Buckbeak, who, compared to a dragon, flew very unevenly. She definitely preferred Artemis.

Arya then found herself in another room. The students were standing around her, each stepping forward one by one to face an old wardrobe where a Boggart resided.

She squinted her eyes as she saw Neville being called forward and Snape emerging from the wardrobe. What kind of person behaves towards a child as a teacher in such a way that the child's greatest fear is a reflection of them?

When Harry stepped up, she pulled her arms close to her. Would Voldemort appear? No, she thought, shaking her head. Harry wasn't afraid of Voldemort. Even the Boggart seemed to take a long time to decide, shifting from one form to another and only giving fleeting glimpses.

But before it could truly decide, Remus stepped in.

---

Eragon tilted his head to get a better look at the Boggart from Remus. "Is that a crystal ball? Is he afraid of Seers?"

Sirius snorted. "I'd avoid Trelawney too, but no, the Boggart isn't a crystal ball; it's the full moon."

Arya glanced at Harry. "You told me he's a werewolf. Why didn't he let you participate in the Boggart lesson?"

"For the simple reason that he assumed the Boggart would turn into Voldemort," Oromis said. "I can't imagine it would have been a pleasant experience for the other students."

"Then he should have taken Harry aside beforehand and given him an explanation," Eragon countered.

Oromis smiled. "You're going to make a good teacher, Eragon. Showing students their fears is valuable teaching, but it shouldn't be done in front of others. It only makes the kids feel more uncomfortable than they already are."

"The words of a true teacher," Thiora smirked.

"I suppose Brom would call them the words of an old fool," Eragon grumbled, attempting and failing to imitate Brom's gruff voice.

"So, you're calling me old, Eragon? And a fool?" Oromis asked, raising an eyebrow.

Eragon stammered, searching for the right words to get himself out of the situation. Then he saw something that might help him.

"Look! Harry is being attacked by Dementors again!"

Everyone turned to the memory playing out before them. Harry fell from his broom as the Dementors drew closer and was saved just before hitting the ground by Dumbledore, who slowed his fall.

"At least he's in the right place at the right time for once," Sirius grumbled, his eyes widening as he saw Harry in bed, holding the remains of his broom.

"Oh! The Firebolt is coming soon!" Sirius exclaimed, clapping his hands joyfully.

"The Firebolt?" Oromis asked, intrigued.

Sirius nodded, beaming. "A broom! The best of its time from, obviously, the best godfather!"

"I only have one too," Harry called back with a mischievous grin.

"Merlin, you can't please anyone!" Sirius sighed. "But at least I know now how you got our map."

"Yes, the twins really saved my butt with that," Harry said.

"It's extremely interesting magic… I wonder if it would be possible to make such a map for Alagaёsia?" Oromis murmured to himself, lost in thought.

"Interesting magic aside," Thiora said, eyeing her partner sharply. "What exactly did you do with the Marauder's Map?"

Sirius swallowed. "Well, darling… We were all young once, weren't we?" Sirius said, looking at Harry and Eragon.

"Oh, don't even try to involve Harry and Eragon! You and I will be discussing certain matters after this," Thiora said in a sweet tone that made Sirius shudder. "And while we are on it, you might as well tell me about the love potion McGonagall as well."

---

Harry stood beside Professor Lupin in his classroom. In front of them was a black chest that occasionally groaned and rattled.

"There's a Boggart inside," Lupin explained at Harry's questioning look. "If the Boggart sees you, it will turn into a Dementor, and there's no better practice than this."

"A Dementor is your Boggart?" Arya asked.

Harry rubbed his chin. "It used to be. I'm sure the Boggart would turn into something else today."

"So, Harry, the spell I want to teach you is the Patronus Charm, and it's far beyond ordinary magic," Lupin said. "Have you ever heard of it?"

"No," Harry replied nervously. "How does it work?"

"If you cast the spell correctly, you summon a protector that stands between you and the Dementor."

"So even with a Patronus, you can't kill a Dementor?" Eragon asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, but it's still the only way to protect yourself and others from a Dementor."

"The Patronus is made of pure positive force - hope, happiness, the will to live. Dementors feed on all these feelings, but compared to a human, a Patronus can't experience despair, and thus the Dementor can't harm it."

"So that means the stronger the positive feelings in the Patronus, the stronger the spell," Oromis said, tilting his head. "That's extraordinary magic."

"What does a Patronus look like?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's different for everyone," Lupin said.

"May I see yours?"

Lupin sighed. "A well-meaning question, Harry, but no, I can't show you mine. I haven't been able to produce it for some time."

"Remus learned it again later," Harry said to Sirius. "I think during all those years alone, he was filled with negative emotions. I think he was feeling worse than a fan of the Chudley Cannons."

Sirius closed his eyes. "Remus has always felt quickly guilty and worthless, but there was always someone among us who set him straight."

Harry flinched. It was time to change the subject. "How do you cast a Patronus?"

"With the words 'Expecto Patronum.' But the spell only works if you focus intensely on a single, very happy memory," Remus explained.

"The Patronus sounds very much like the essence of a True Name of a person," Arya observed.

Harry considered this. "That might be. After all, a Patronus can change just like a person's True Name."

"A Patronus can change?" Thiora asked.

Harry nodded. "If a person undergoes a significant change. I've only seen it once - when a person fell deep in love."

"And thus, a real reason that changed the true nature of the person," Oromis said with a smile. "There's no emotion that can change our essence as quickly as love."

"Love?" Eragon wondered, and to everyone's surprise, it was Harry who answered.

"Love is the strongest magic of all, Eragon," Harry said with a slight amusement as Eragon looked at him incredulously.

"Harry!"

Harry's eyes opened and everything was blurry. He was lying stretched out on the floor and saw Lupin leaning over him. He helped Harry up and handed him his glasses.

"Are you okay?" Lupin asked.

"Yes," Harry mumbled, gratefully accepting the chocolate from Lupin.

"Eat, it helps."

"The more I see this chocolate, the more I wish I had one," Eragon grumbled.

"It's getting worse," Harry said while nibbling on the chocolate. "My mother's voice was even clearer - and Voldemort's."

"Perhaps we should stop here, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened. "But I need to master this spell before our next Quidditch match!"

"Harry, I understand that you don't like being compared to James, but in this regard, you're both the same. There are far more important things in life than Quidditch!" Sirius said with a snort. "Though Lily and you were far more important to him in the end."

They watched as Harry tried again and failed once more against the Dementor.

"It seems like you're having trouble finding a happy memory," Oromis observed.

Harry shrugged. "Up until now, the only happy moments in my life have been at Hogwarts. I was never happy with the Dursleys."

"Shit," Sirius whispered, and Thiora hissed angrily like a cat.

"Ready, Harry?" Lupin asked, looking less supportive of Harry's new attempt. "Then go for it!"

The lid of the chest lifted, and the Dementor emerged. The chill returned, and the lights began to flicker.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted. A white, silvery shape emerged from the tip of his wand and stood between him and the Dementor.

Sirius's eyes widened. "I knew you could do it!"

"Of course he did," Arya said determinedly.

Harry felt a warmth inside him as he heard the others' confidence. "Not quite yet, but I was close."

"May I ask what you were thinking of?" Oromis inquired.

Harry's features softened. "It wasn't a happy memory - because I don't know if there ever was one - but I imagined speaking to my parents - just talking to them, seeing their faces, seeing them smile at me. That was the memory I used. It was the best I had."

Suddenly, something collided with him, and Harry looked down in surprise to see Eragon and Sirius. The two had their arms around him, crying into his shoulders.

Harry looked helplessly at Arya, who just smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders in vain. Yet in her eyes, he saw something he couldn't quite place.

'You need him, Harry. You both need each other.'

"I'm s-so sorry, Harry," Sirius sniffled, pulling Harry tighter.

"It's not your fault, Sirius," Harry sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arya's eyes sparkle, but this time he recognized the satisfaction in them. "The only one to blame is Voldemort. No one else."

"Still, it wouldn't have happened if I-"

Harry grinned. "And that's exactly why I hit you! I already feel much better. Stop it, that's disgusting!"

Sirius sniffled into Harry's shirt one more time. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Harry said, offering Sirius his hand, which Sirius took firmly.

Harry then looked to his right, where Eragon was.

"Are you okay?"

"Sorry, Harry," Eragon swallowed. "I needed a hug - everything is so sad!"

Harry snorted. "Then make sure next time it's Niduen around when you need a hug."

Eragon pulled away from Harry, his face turning bright red.

"Oh?" Thiora brightened up.

"Thiora, leave my student alone," Oromis said sternly. "Whether and what happens between them, they'll need to figure out on their own."

"Can we please talk about something else? Anything, as long as it's something else!" Eragon pleaded desperately.

---

"I have to say, the exam week wasn't nearly as exhausting as your teachings, Ebrithil," Harry said, and Eragon nodded in agreement, looking worn out.

"Well, we have to condense the knowledge of many years into just a few months," Oromis said thoughtfully. "I must admit, it's not easy, neither for me nor for you. Even Vrael, one of the most eager Riders in our Order, would have struggled with the workload you two have endured."

"Always nice to be compared to the last leader of the Dragon Riders," Eragon mumbled with slumped shoulders.

"Oh, come on, Eragon," Sirius said, placing an arm around Eragon's shoulder. "Look at it this way: if Harry can handle the learning, then you can certainly handle it too."

"Ha-ha," Harry said sarcastically.

"And my dear? What do you see?" Trelawney asked as Harry tried to discern something in the crystal ball.

"A Hippogriff," Harry replied, coming up with nothing better.

"Oh! Perhaps you might see how the dispute between Hagrid and the Hippogriff turns out. Look closely… is the Hippogriff still wearing its head?"

"I have a feeling this Seer has lost her marbles," Eragon said.

"Is that all? Well, then let's leave it. You've done your best, Mr. Potter," Trelawney said.

Relieved, Harry stood up when a loud, deep voice suddenly echoed.

"It will happen tonight."

"I told you she's lost it," Eragon said, but the others watched intently. "Wait - is she really making a prophecy right now? A real one?"

"Yes," Harry replied.

"The Dark Lord is lonely, abandoned by friends and followers…"

"So, if this prophecy isn't about Sirius, who is it about?" Arya asked.

"A rat," Sirius growled, clenching his fists.

"I just wonder if that was her first real prophecy," Oromis murmured. "She didn't seem to know what had happened. How many has she made without knowing she made any of them?"

"It wasn't her first, but Trelawney seems not to remember what she says during these episodes. It's as if something possesses her and speaks through her," Harry explained.

"Prophecy aside - I've always known I liked Hermione!" Sirius laughed with satisfaction as they watched Hermione punch Malfoy in the face.

---

"What happened to Buckbeak is terrible," Arya spat. "How can anyone do such a thing to such a wonderful creature-"

But her question froze as they all heard the dull thud of an axe from a distance.

"Hagrid didn't really stand a chance against Lucius Malfoy," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Wizards and witches are too corrupt for that. And if Malfoy has anything, it's gold."

"At least Ron found his rat again," Eragon said. "Even if it's currently trying very hard to disappear."

Suddenly, Arya squinted. A large black dog appeared in the clearing and ran towards Harry and his friends. The dog jumped over Harry and dragged Ron to the base of the Whomping Willow. He disappeared into a landslide along with him.

"That was you, Sirius! That was your Animagus!" Arya cried.

Then something struck Harry's face so hard that he was knocked to the ground.

"Well, at least it wasn't your first run-in with the Menoa tree," Oromis said. "Trees really seem to dislike you."

"Where do you think the tunnel leads?" Hermione panted behind Harry.

"I don't know; it's marked on the Marauder's Map, but Fred and George were sure no one had ever used it before."

"The twins are wrong. We used it all the time," Sirius grinned.

"Ron! How are you?" Hermione screamed, rushing to him. Ron groaned as he moved his broken leg.

"Where's the dog?" Harry asked.

Ron grimaced. "It's not a dog - he's an Animagus."

Harry spun around as a man in the shadows slammed the door shut.

His dirty, matted hair reached down to his elbows. He was thin and frail, and if his grey eyes hadn't been glowing, he might have been dead already.

Thiora gasped and reached for Sirius's hand. "You look terrible."

Sirius grimaced. "Thank you…That's what happens when you're exposed to Dementors in Azkaban for twelve years. They suck the last bit of life out of you."

"How did you survive it?" Oromis asked him.

Sirius exhaled deeply. "I still don't really know. Maybe because I knew I was innocent. It was no happy thought that they could claim."

"Sirius, you really don't make it easy to believe in you," Arya said, as the Harry from the memory jumped on Sirius and they began fighting.

"Well, I probably should have handled it differently, but my mind wasn't really in a good place."

"Nor is it now," Harry smirked, and Sirius laughed too.

They heard footsteps coming up the stairs as Lupin burst into the room.

"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted, and Harry's wand, which he had taken from Black, flew out of his hand.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

Arya blinked. "Where is he? What does he mean with 'he'?"

Then her gaze fell on the rat, and her face turned pale as she connected the dots. "The rat is an Animagus," she whispered.

"The rat?" Eragon stared in disbelief.

Harry stared at Lupin in shock as he embraced Sirius like a long-lost brother.

"You're not making it any easier for Harry to understand," Thiora murmured.

"What does all this have to do with Scabbers?" Ron asked with a terrified face.

"Because that's not a rat, boy," Black croaked. "It's a wizard named Peter Pettigrew!"

"I think I'm going to be sick," said Eragon, pointing at the rat. "This wizard has been pretending to be a rat all these years!"

"But that can't be," Hermione said. "Every Animagus has to register with the Ministry. It would have been noticed-"

"But that's the point, Hermione!" Lupin said excitedly. "There were three wizards who became Animagi on their own without any help and never registered themselves - just because I was a werewolf."

"Your father too, Harry?" Arya asked.

Harry nodded proudly. "He turned into a stag. That's also why I wanted so badly to become an Animagus."

They listened to Remus talk about his childhood. How horrible it was to be a werewolf, and only when Dumbledore became Headmaster was he allowed to go to Hogwarts, where he spent the happiest time of his life.

"I just wonder why the transformed werewolf didn't attack animals, only humans," Oromis mused. "Was it just a matter of appearance, or does a wizard transform in a way that the werewolf no longer recognizes?"

Everyone looked at Sirius, who just shrugged. "Probably both."

"But then everything should be alright, right?" Eragon asked, looking around. "If you hand Pettigrew over, Sirius will be exonerated, and Harry won't have to live with the Dursleys anymore."

Severus Snape ripped off his invisibility cloak.

Eragon raised his arms in defence. "I'm not going to say anything from now on."

"I spent dozens of lessons alone with Professor Lupin while he helped me learn the Patronus charm. Why didn't he kill me if he was helping Black?" Harry asked Snape.

"How should I know how a werewolf thinks, Potter?" Snape bellowed.

Oromis closed his eyes. "And that's exactly why it's important for both of you to think logically, Harry and Eragon. If Snape had drawn logical conclusions in this situation, it would have been quite different."

"But then it wouldn't have been Snape," Harry and Sirius said simultaneously.

"They're right about that - SHIT!" Eragon shouted, Sirius giving Harry a thumbs-up as his younger self attacked Snape.

Snape was knocked off his feet and landed unconscious at the other end of the room against the wall.

"I would have done the same," Arya said firmly, and Sirius laughed contentedly. "And just for those words, you're welcome in our little family!"

Arya's smile slowly reached her eyes and turned back to the memory, where Sirius was now recounting how he recognized Pettigrew in the Daily Prophet through Fudge's visit.

"What was wrong with the picture?" Ron asked, still in disbelief.

"He was missing a toe. I'd seen Pettigrew transform so many times that I'd have recognized him among any rat in the gutter," Sirius said with sparkling eyes.

"So, he cut off the toe himself," Remus said.

Arya's eyes widened. "He killed people when Sirius confronted him and betrayed Harry's parents! And since no one knew he was an Animagus, he cut off a finger as proof and disappeared into the sewers."

"Exactly, no one would ever look for him," Harry said. "Because no one knew he was an Animagus."

"And now he's come to finally deal with Pettigrew!" Harry shouted angrily.

Harry's face turned red as everyone stared at him. "I was thirteen, okay?"

Arya gently patted Harry on the shoulder. "Of course, Harry."

"Harry, it was the other way around! Sirius wasn't the one who betrayed your parents, it was Pettigrew - he was the Secret Keeper!"

"Secret Keeper?" Eragon asked.

Harry sighed. "I hadn't shown you, but my parents knew through Dumbledore that Voldemort was after them. So, they decided to use the Fidelius Charm."

"The Fidelius is a very complex spell. You can entrust information, such as the location of my parents, to a Secret Keeper. It then becomes impossible to find the location, and only the Secret Keeper can pass the information on to others," Harry explained.

"Voldemort would never have found my parents if Pettigrew hadn't betrayed them."

Oromis suddenly sneezed to everyone else's surprise. "You're not catching a cold, are you, Oromis?" Thiora asked.

"I hope not," Oromis said, rubbing his itchy nose.

"But at least Sirius told the truth - I apologize for earlier, Sirius," Arya said.

Sirius waved her off. "Don't worry, you were completely harmless. You don't need to apologize for that."

"Ready, Sirius?" Remus asked, holding Pettigrew by the collar with one hand.

Sirius nodded. "On three - One, two, three!"

"I haven't seen such a miserable-looking person in a very long time," Oromis said, unperturbed.

"He really spent all those years as a rat," Arya murmured in disbelief.

"Harry… Harry… you look just like your father James," Pettigrew whimpered.

"Please tell me you're going to punch him in the face?!" Thiora hissed at Sirius, who nodded in satisfaction as he tore Pettigrew from Harry and slammed his head onto the floor.

"Good job, darling," Thiora said, kissing Sirius's cheek, who smiled proudly in response.

"But I had no choice! He took over everywhere," Pettigrew gasped. "What good would it do to oppose him? He had powers - you can't even imagine," Pettigrew sobbed.

"What's the point in fighting the worst dark wizard who ever lived?" Sirius said, his voice trembling with anger. "Only innocent lives could have been saved!"

Eragon's eyes widened, and he looked at Oromis, who subtly nodded back. It was very close to the answer he had given about why one should bother to fight Galbatorix.

"You don't understand!" Pettigrew screamed. "He would have killed me!"

Grey storm clouds formed in Sirius's eyes. "Then you should have died for your friends! We would have done the same for you!"

"You should have understood one thing," Remus said. "If Voldemort hadn't killed you, we would have. Goodbye, Peter."

"NO!" Harry shouted, stepping in front of Pettigrew.

"I wish I hadn't done it," Harry said, looking down as Arya looked at him with wide eyes. She saw him in a new light. "It could have changed so much."

"You're mistaken, Harry," Oromis said with glowing eyes. "What you did shows that you have a great heart. Believe me, most people and even elves in your situation would have killed Pettigrew without a second thought. But it shows much inner strength to resist that desire for revenge. It's easy to kill, but to spare the life of someone? That takes strength… a strength that every true Dragon Rider should have."

---

Eragon sniggered as Remus made Snape float behind him, occasionally banging his head against the floor by accident.

"What's wrong?" Eragon asked, noticing Oromis's stern look. "Snape deserves it, considering how he treats Harry."

"I didn't say anything, Eragon," Oromis replied.

Eragon crossed his arms and muttered, "The look says otherwise."

"I must admit, he's not very likeable," Thiora mentioned, rolling her eyes as Sirius theatrically clutched his heart.

"The love of my life finds Snape not particularly likeable," Sirius sighed deeply. "That's a revelation I'll need to process."

"Sirius, don't be so dramatic."

Sirius sighed deeply. "I have to, because I need a distraction. After all, I'm in the process of making one of the biggest mistakes of my life."

"What? By staying with you?" Harry stumbled in the dark with excitement.

Sirius ran a hand through his dirty hair. "If you don't want to, I understand-"

"Merlin, are you crazy? Of course I'm leaving the Dursleys for you!" Harry replied.

"That would have been nice," Harry sighed.

The dark clouds obscuring the night sky shifted, revealing a gap. Moonlight streamed through and illuminated the clearing. Remus froze.

Arya bit her lip. "It's a full moon. He's transforming!"

Thiora grabbed Sirius's hand as they watched Sirius, as an Animagus, battle the werewolf. They bit and scratched each other until another howl was heard. The werewolf ran toward the howl, while Harry's voice drew Sirius's attention.

"Sirius, he's gone! The rat has transformed," Harry shouted angrily.

Sirius got up and chased after Pettigrew. Harry, who had stayed briefly with Ron, who was unconscious from a spell cast by Pettigrew, now ran after Sirius as well. Hermione followed them into the Forbidden Forest, where they found Sirius by the edge of a lake, and it became icy cold.

"No," Arya gasped. Her eyes widened as she saw how many Dementors surrounded the three. Her hand slid searchingly to Harry's until their fingers touched and intertwined.

"There are just too many," Eragon murmured, and Oromis also stared with a rather pale face at the Dementors closing in on Harry, Hermione, and Sirius.

"I really thought that the day James and Lily died was the worst day of my life," Sirius grunted, fixing his penetrating gaze on Harry.

"But nothing was as horrendous as the moment those monsters rushed at us, and I had to watch helplessly, unable to protect you, Harry. My last thought before I lost consciousness was that I had let you all down," Sirius sniffled with a trembling voice, his eyes burning with suppressed tears.

Harry swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat holding back his words.

"How did you get out of there?" Arya asked, squeezing his hand gently, giving him the strength he needed.

Harry took a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was strong. "It seemed hopeless… I tried to conjure a Patronus but with so many Dementors around… I had no chance. My head was filled with my mother's voice pleading for my life, and I could only produce a weak shield. It might have helped against one Dementor, but not against that number."

Eragon's breath caught in his throat as a Dementor in the memory grabbed Harry by the throat and his wand fell limply from his hand. "Harry… what's the Dementor doing?! It's not trying to -" Eragon gasped.

"That's the Dementor's Kiss," Harry replied softly, his voice barely more than a whisper. "They put their mouth on yours and suck the soul out of you. In the end, only your body remains. Without any memories or feelings that made up who you were. You are nothing more than an empty shell wandering the world, without even the most basic need to live."

Thiora covered her mouth in horror before hastily pulling Sirius to her to ensure he was still with her. Alive.

"I always imagined my first kiss differently," Harry tried to lighten the mood.

Arya hit him on the left shoulder with her free hand. "Stop it. This is serious."

Harry and Sirius's eyes lit up.

"Sirius, I dare you -" Thiora started, but it was too late.

"Arya, Sirius is over there!" Harry said, and Sirius bowed theatrically.

Arya and Thiora groaned in unison while Harry and Sirius grinned and chuckled.

"How can you still find the joke funny? Even I've heard it too many times in the last few weeks," Eragon grumbled.

Sirius laughed. "It's all a matter of humour! Especially in dark times."

Even Oromis had a faint smile on his face, but the old elf noticed something on the other side of the shore.

"Look there!" he called out to the others. A white silver light appeared. It was initially small, like a white dot, but it grew larger and eventually took the form of a -

"Is that a stag?" Arya asked in admiration. The Patronus glowed in the same white as the dazzling light of the moon.

"That's Prongs," Sirius gasped, watching the stag gallop across the black frozen water.

"Show them!" Eragon called out to the Patronus. The stag lowered its head and charged at the swarm of Dementors with its antlers. The Dementors shrieked as the Patronus approached and vanished into the darkness.

"Incredible," Oromis whispered with wide eyes. "Who did cast that spell?"

Harry ran a hand awkwardly through his hair. "That was me."

Arya's head snapped to the side, and she stared at Harry with her mouth open as if he had lost his mind. "Harry - no offence, but you were unconscious! And the Dementors were all around you."

"Not to mention, the Patronus was cast from the other shore," Thiora noted in awe.

Harry coughed, embarrassed. "Well, I was there, whether you like it or not."

Eragon furrowed his brow. "You were in two places at once? How is that possible?"

"Yes, tell us, Harry," Sirius grinned knowingly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, you might have noticed over the year that Hermione took a lot of classes."

Oromis nodded. "Yes, she had taken on too much. By the end, she looked very exhausted."

"Exactly, but there was a tiny problem with Hermione's schedule," Harry said. "She had multiple classes at the same time. And she attended every single class."

"So, she was in two places at once?" Thiora asked. "That doesn't make sense. Just tell us already!"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Hermione received a Time-Turner from McGonagall at the beginning of the year."

Arya frowned. "A Time-Turner? What could she do with that?"

"She could travel up to three hours back in time," Harry explained, and the others stared at him in shock. Except for Sirius, who already knew.

"Travel back… in time?" Eragon asked, thinking of the many lives he could have saved, like his uncle or Ajihad.

"Don't look at me like that, Eragon," Harry said. "I don't have a Time-Turner with me. Hermione had to return hers at the end of the school year, and the rest were then destroyed in my fifth year."

"But is it really possible to travel back in time?" Thiora asked.

Arya considered. "I believe there was once a group of magicians who tried to view the past through scrying. To my knowledge, they all died."

Oromis nodded. "Arya is right. Long ago, some magicians tried to glimpse in the past. They were a group of elves because humans were not yet initiated into the magic that connects us with dragons. They tried to use scrying to view the past, but the energy required was so great that the spell drained all the involved wizards before they could see even a single clear image from the past."

"But theoretically, it is possible?" Eragon asked.

"In theory, many things are possible," Oromis smiled. "But yes, it is. One would only need enough energy to successfully perform the spell. That's why the study of time was also forbidden. The risk was too great, and the success too small to make it worth the risk."

"But evidently, it worked in Harry's world. Maybe the spell was too complex, and it might have been possible with less energy."

Arya turned to Harry. "So, you and Hermione travelled back in time and then conjured the Patronus?"

Harry nodded. "At first, I thought I saw my father conjuring the Patronus. But when we were there and no one came, I realized that it was me who did it. I knew I had successfully conjured a Patronus once before, and through that confidence, I managed to conjure my first Patronus."

"You're crazy." Arya shook her head in disbelief and smiled at him. "And you'll have to teach me that spell."

"But that wasn't all," Harry said with a growing smile. "Besides Sirius, we managed to rescue someone else."

"Who?" Thiora asked.

"Buckbeak," Sirius answered with a grin. "I flew away with him after the two of them freed me. He had been a good friend."

"And Pettigrew?" Arya asked. "Did you manage to catch him?"

Harry shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Suddenly, Oromis had a terrible thought. "So, the prophecy of Professor Trelawney was correct. 'The servant will throw off the chains and return to the dark Lord,' which means Pettigrew will return to Voldemort and help him regain his power."

"And he will reign stronger than ever."

---

A/N: I like writing these chapters, they allow to show some character growth. The plan for the next chapters will be the following:

Chapter 38: 4th year

Chapter 39: 5th & 6th year

Chapter 40: 7th year

After that, the story will finally start to ramp up again. I hope you liked the chapter.