Disclaimer: It's JKR's, not mine. All of the characters, settings, and ideas from the books belong to JK Rowling. I have never, and will never profit from these writings. The only things that are mine are the parts of the plot differing from the books, any original characters, and the characterization of Hermione's parents.
Key: Sentences in italics surrounded by these: { } indicate sign language. {Sort of like this}.
Chapter 5: Hogwarts
Granger Residence, North London - Saturday, 1 January, 1994
Once Hestia and Emma were ready to leave, Hestia helped Harry release Hedwig and instruct her to fly and meet them, because, she had explained, "Birds of any type hate Portkey travel, unlike most other animals. It has something to do with their internal balance that lets them know where to go for things like migrations, or in her case, deliveries. Being taken from one place to another upsets their balance, and often they have trouble even flying in a strait line the first day, and it usually takes a week for them to totally adjust."
Once Hedwig had flown out the window Hestia had opened, Emma took out her two-way Portkey, and had everyone grab onto it. Once again Hestia held onto Blackie, while Hermione held onto Hedwig's cage. Harry grabbed one handle of his trunk, and Emma took the other so it wouldn't swing around wildly during the trip.
He felt the now-familiar tugging sensation behind his navel, and then landed hard on a floor made up of large blue-grey stones. Hermione landed rather firmly on her backside, and Emma had the unfortunate experience of the trunk landing on her foot. Harry managed to stay on his feet this time, albeit in a low crouch. As Emma rubbed her now-sore foot, Harry extended a hand to Hermione and helped her stand up.
As Harry looked around, he saw that they had landed in a large, cavernous room with walls made of stones similar to the ones the floor consisted of. There was a high ceiling, so high that he could barely see it. The room was lit by large torches that were held in sconces along the walls. On one side were double oak doors, which he assumed were the front doors. A wide marble staircase stood opposite to the entrance doors, with a wooden door on either side of it. There were several other doors along each wall, all of them closed. In the corner near the staircase were four giant hourglasses. Each hourglass was filled with varying amounts of gems in the upper and lower portions. Harry could see they were red, green, blue, and yellow gemstones. To his right, he could see double doors that were slightly open, enough to glimpse a long table inside.
Hermione picked up Hedwig's cage, and once Harry had grabbed one end of his trunk so he could pull it on its wheels, Hermione signed to him. {Harry, come on, I want to show you the Great Hall.}
She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the partially open doors. Harry suppressed his first impulse to jerk his hand away, not used to very much contact besides the occasional hug or kiss on the forehead he had received from Amy, and let Hermione pull him along.
Hermione pushed the door open further, allowing Harry a full view of the room as she again pulled him, this time inside the room. The Great Hall was much larger than the entrance hall, which seemed almost impossible to Harry. Four long wooden tables were placed in the center of the room, and a shorter table sat at the head of the others. Hundreds of candles floated above the tables, providing illumination for the room. Harry immediately looked up at the ceiling which, he had read, was enchanted to show the sky outside. He could see the now darkening sky outside as the sun finished setting. While he had read some about everything in the Great Hall, it was much more spectacular seeing the real thing.
"Wow," was the only thing Harry could say. Hermione looked at him, smiling. {This is the Great Hall. This is where we have all of our meals. That smaller table up there is where my mum and all the other professors sit during meals. Each of the other tables is for each house. The first one is for Slytherin, the second for Ravenclaw, the third for Hufflepuff, and the last one is for Gryffindor, which is my house.} She signed to him.
Harry and Hermione had taken to finger-spelling the first four or five letters of each house, as it was quite tedious to spell each one out every time. They had looked around at Flourish and Botts for a book or dictionary for Wizarding sign language, but had not found anything. When Hermione talked to the clerk, she found out that the latest sign language book had gone out of print forty years ago, and it would have to be specially ordered from a used book store in the Wizarding section of Wales, so Harry had placed an order for it and it was supposed to arrive by owl in a few days. He suggested that she might also find some at the Hogwarts library, and she was planning to search once they were settled in.
Emma and Hestia came up behind the two, waiting a moment for Harry to take in the huge room. Emma gained his attention and signed, {Harry, you will be staying in my quarters for the first few nights until we get a bed and everything set up for you, and we won't be able to do that until you've been Sorted into a house. Why don't we put your things up in my quarters, and then we can show you around the castle some more and introduce you to a few people.}
Harry quickly agreed, and let them lead him back into the hallway and toward the main marble staircase to the first floor. Hestia turned to help Harry take his trunk up the stairs, only to see him focusing intently on it. The trunk slowly rose into the air, and he grabbed the handle and directed it up the stairs as he went. Emma was also watching him, amazed once again at the wandless magic he could do. Hermione looked on thoughtfully, making a mental note to work in some wandless magic practice time into the tutoring schedule she was making for Harry.
They went up several staircases up to the fourth floor. Emma took them down the corridor to the right and stopped in front of a portrait of a painting of a tree-covered landscape. To Harry's amazement, he could see birds and other animals actually moving inside the portrait. Glancing around, he saw two more portraits, both with moving subjects. "The portraits move?" He asked in disbelief.
Hermione nodded, {Yes, most portraits in Hogwarts are magical, and the ones with portraits of people actually act like real people. This portrait is the entrance to my mum's quarters. There is a password to get it open, which is 'Einstein'.} She said, finger spelling the word.
He had read quite a bit about Albert Einstein, so he knew how to pronounce it. Immediately after Hermione spoke the password, the portrait as well as a portion of the wall behind it swung open, revealing a large living room with a couch, several armchairs, an end table, and a fireplace.
Hermione set Hedwig's cage on the end table, and Emma turned to Harry. {You can sleep in here on the couch. I'll get Hestia to transfigure it into a bed later for you to sleep on.} She signed.
Harry pulled his trunk over next to the couch, and relaxed his concentration, allowing it to float back to the ground. He looked back to the three women, and Emma signed to him, {Hermione and I will give you a really brief tour of the castle, while Hestia let's everyone know we're here.}
Hestia turned to leave, saying, "I'll tell Minerva and Remus that we're here. I won't tell Dumbledore until after they've had a chance to talk to Harry. I'll meet you in the staff room."
After Hestia left, Emma and Hermione spent the next twenty minutes showing Harry around to different portions of the Castle, while Blackie stayed in the room. He noticed hundreds more of the moving portraits, as well as many tapestries along the wall. They walked past several suits of armor that looked like they were about to move around. When Harry focused on them, he saw some colour surrounding them, but nothing close to the colour of the wizards he had seen so far. He had also noticed that even the walls of the castle seemed to glow in different colours, leading him to believe that the entire castle was imbued with magic, probably from the years and years of young wizards being taught inside. There were moving staircases all around the school, as well as some corridors hidden behind tapestries or statues, which Hermione showed him.
The place that impressed him the most, however, was the library. They went there last, and he realised it was on the same floor as Emma's quarters. Upon entering he was overwhelmed with the sight of the hundreds of towering bookshelves. As he looked down the long row of shelves, he realised there must be tens of thousands of books in the Library. He grinned to himself: he was going to like it here. They let him walk down a few rows of shelves, before Emma said it was time to go. On the way out he saw a desk near the door which appeared to be the Librarian's desk, although no one else was in the library at the moment.
Hermione and Emma led him back down the stairs towards the Great Hall. As they descended the main marble staircase, they were met by a stern-looking older woman who had black hair pulled up into a bun, and wore square glasses and emerald green robes. Hermione signed quickly to him, telling him that the woman was a Professor named McGonnagal.
Minerva found herself unable to move once she saw Harry. She was immediately struck by how much he looked like a blending of James and Lily. Her eyes teared up as she looked at the malnourished look he had. She finally got her voice to work. Looking directly at him, she said, "Hello, Harry. My name is Minerva McGonnagal. I once taught both of your parents when they went to school here, and became good friends with your mother after she graduated." She paused, and took a breath and spoke with a fond smile. "You look so much like them, Harry. You have your father's hair and chin, but your eyes and your nose look just like your mother's."
She took a step towards him, and spoke again. "I-I'm so sorry for not doing more to keep you, Harry. I tried everything I could to stop your placement with those monsters."
Harry was able to make out most of what she said, and he responded. "It's alright, Mrs. McGonnagal, Hestia explained everythin' t'me. She said that a bunch of you tried to keep me outta there, but the bloke who put me with them was sorta th'most famous wizard in the country, so you couldn't win against what 'e wanted. I'm not angry at any of you."
Minerva felt relief at his words, and she felt some of the guilt that had been weighing down on her over the last three years lift from her shoulders. "Thank you, Harry." She paused again. "There is someone downstairs who really wants to meet you. His name is Remus Lupin. He was very close friends with your father, and fought very hard to keep you. He's been searching for you constantly ever since we discovered you were gone. He'll be very happy to see you in person."
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Remus stopped pacing back and forth in the staff room as he heard the door open. Hestia looked up, motioning for someone to come in. Remus' mind froze up for an instant as Harry came through the door. He took in Harry's appearance, noting he seemed short for his age, especially when Lily and James had both been rather tall. He realised it was probably from malnutrition, and living on the streets. There were several scars on his face, but the first thing Remus noticed were his bright green eyes, almost exactly like Lily's if not more colourful.
He saw Harry smile at Hestia, and when Harry noticed him, he realised, the smile did not diminish. Harry took a hesitant step forward and held out his hand. "'ello, you must be Remus."
That broke Remus out of his frozen state of mind. He reached out and shook his hand firmly, smiling. "Yes, Harry, I'm Remus. I'm so glad we've finally found you."
"They said you've been lookin' for me all the time since you found out I was gone. Why did you do somethin' like that just for me?" He asked tentatively.
"Harry, your father was my best friend. I tried as hard as I could to get custody of you, and failed. I had to search for you when you went missing, because it was my fault I couldn't keep you from the Dursleys. I-I'm so sorry for what you've gone through."
"I already told that McGonagall lady I wasn't mad at any of you, it wasn't any of your faults."
Remus felt tears in his eyes and managed to say, "Thank you, Harry, but I still blame myself some, I just can't help it." He hesitated. "Harry, would you mind if I gave you a hug?"
Now Harry hesitated, before nodding. Remus stepped forward, and pulled Harry into a firm hug, feeling Harry tense slightly at first contact. He finally let his own tension drain from himself as his mind now fully accepted that Harry had actually been found. A strange feeling passed through him, and an image of Sirius passed through his mind, but he shook off the feeling, figuring it was some sort of flashback that had come due to seeing Harry again.
He finally pulled away so he could look at Harry's face, far enough away so Harry could read his lips. "Harry, I want you to know that if you ever have a question about your parents or anything like that, all you have to do is ask me."
Harry looked at him hesitantly, before asking, "What were their names?"
Remus found himself caught off-guard for a moment, not fully comprehending what he was asking. "W-what?"
"My mum and dad… what were their names? No one ever told me."
Remus looked shocked for a moment, before realizing the Dursleys probably didn't tell him anything about them. He smiled gently at Harry. "Your mum's name was Lily, and your dad's name was James."
Harry's eyes became distant. "Lily and James…" He whispered. His attention snapped back to Remus. "Did my mum 'ave red 'air and green eyes? I've 'ad some dreams 'bout a woman who looked like that, and always thought she was my mum."
Remus smiled. "Yes, Harry, your mum had red hair, and her eyes looked exactly like yours do."
Harry nodded. "I thought that it was 'er. I've dreamt about 'er, my dad, and some other people, too. I think they're memories or somethin'."
"I think that is very possible. Some people dream about things that they normally don't remember while they are awake. That is especially true for wizards like you and I."
Remus paused for a moment before tentatively saying, "Harry, it is very likely that I will become your legal guardian by this summer. I won't force you to accept me as your guardian if you do not want me to be, so I'd like us to get to know each other better over this school term, and you can choose if you'd like to live with me once you learn everything about me."
Harry looked confused. "O-okay, I'd like to get to know you but… 'ow can you be my guardian now, but you couldn't back then?"
Remus smiled sadly. "There were certain things that prevented me from being your guardian, which I'll tell you about as we get to know each other. Right now, with everything that happened and how I fought to keep you the first time, I don't think anyone will even think of trying to deny me it."
Remus gestured for Harry to sit in one of the chairs of the staff room, while he took a seat himself. "I'm sure Hestia, Emma, and Hermione have already told you a lot about Hogwarts. I'll be tutoring you through the year to get you caught up with the other third year students. I think we'll let you go to all of the normal classes that first and second year students go through. Usually third year students choose two or more elective classes. I think it would be best for you if you went to each class once or twice to see what you like, and I can work with you over the summer to help you learn the material."
"Hestia has been telling me she thinks you are very intelligent, so I don't think you'll have a problem catching up," Remus said, smiling when Harry's cheeks turned pink as he glanced quickly at Hestia and Emma.
"Hestia also tells me you're already quite the wizard. Could I see you do some magic?" Remus asked.
"A-alright," Harry said, looking unsure of himself. He extended a hand toward one of the unoccupied chairs and narrowed his eyes. The chair trembled for a moment, and then floated into the air. Moving his hand around, Harry directed the chair to float around the room and settle back in its place.
Remus smiled widely. "Harry, that's the most impressive thing I've seen for someone your age. Most adult wizards couldn't do that, even using a piece of paper instead of a chair. Now I'm sure you won't have a problem learning everything."
"I'm sure you'll also get a lot of help from Hermione here. Learn everything you can from her, she's the brightest witch I've met since your mother." Remus said, gesturing to Hermione.
Harry looked over and saw Hermione blushing furiously. She signed to him. {I'm making up a study schedule for you, if you'd like to study with me.}
Harry nodded quickly, looking back to see Remus' reaction to her using sign language. Remus smiled reassuringly. "Hestia already told me that you have lost your hearing. After she told me I looked up everything I could about deafness in wizards. Depending on the cause, there is a chance that with magic you could get your hearing back."
When Harry looked at him with wide eyes, he held up his hand. "I don't want to get your hopes up because I can't promise anything. I thought maybe we can go now to see the school healer, Madam Pomfrey. She'll be able to examine you and probably figure it out." He paused before hesitantly saying, "She can probably give you something to get rid of scars or at least lessen their appearance if you would like that."
Harry nodded slowly. "I think I'd like that. But I don't want her to get rid of the ones on my face all th'way. I sort of like them."
Remus stood from his chair. "Well, let's go to the hospital wing. I told her you would be coming here today, so she's probably waiting for us."
He led Harry out of the room, the women following. They went up the main staircase to the first floor and down the hallway to the right. They passed several doors, one of which was open enough for Harry to see rows of desks. They finally reached two wooden doors, which Remus knocked on. He apparently was answered, because he opened the door a few moments later.
The first thing Harry saw when he entered the room was that there several rows of beds covered with white sheets. By each bed were privacy screens that could be put up around the bed. To the left there was an open door to what looked like an office. A middle-aged woman with brown hair that was pulled back into a bun, was stepping out of the office. She had a stern expression on her face, but her eyes seemed to radiate kindness.
She walked toward them, greeting them. She walked up to Harry and said, "Hello, Mister Potter, I am Poppy Pomfrey. Seeing you here brings back memories of the many times your father got himself sent here, either to get a hex reversed, or to clean out bedpans for detention. He was quite the trouble-maker." She cast an eye over Remus, who was grinning. "I seem to remember you were in here often, although not as often as James and …"
She stopped, her eyes darkening a moment before she changed the subject. "Well, let's get you checked out, Mister Potter." She led him over to a bed and had him sit on it. "I'll need you to remove your shirt so my diagnostic spells work better. It is very common to have walking pneumonia and not even know it, especially since you've been living in the streets."
Harry looked around uncomfortably at everyone else, especially Hermione, who he believed had already seen some of his scars on his back. Madam Pomfrey noticed his look, and quickly shooed the four out of the way so she could pull up the privacy screen around his bed. She remained inside the now-cordoned off area, looking expectantly at him. When he still made no move to remove his shirt, her face softened, and she said, "Mister Po… Harry, I really need to examine you with your shirt off. I've heard what happened to you. You don't have anything to be ashamed of."
Harry slowly began to pull off his shirt, but paused to say, "Please don't let the others in 'ere to see me." When she nodded in understanding, he removed the shirt. She took out her wand, and began casting several diagnostic spells. She frowned when they showed various fractured bones that had never fully healed, as well as the pneumonia she had suggested, and some serious malnutrition. She caught a glimpse of his heavily scarred back, and stifled a gasp.
Having finished a cursory examination, she stepped over to the bedside table which held several bottles of liquid. She grabbed one and turned back to Harry. "Harry, I believe I can help lessen the appearance of your scars. I probably won't be able to get rid of them completely, but they will be less noticeable. Would you like that?" At his nod, she spoke again. "You have several fractured bones, as well as pneumonia. For me to treat you properly and examine your loss of hearing, I will need you to take this potion, as the treatment will be rather painful. It will put you to sleep for about thirty minutes while I work on you."
"Alright." Harry said, taking the bottle from her. He glanced suspiciously at the liquid before downing it in one gulp. He almost gagged at the foul taste of the potion, but almost immediately he began to feel his eyelids droop. He felt Madam Pomfrey remove his glasses and help him to lie on the bed before he fell into a deep sleep.
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Nearly twenty minutes later, Poppy stepped out from behind the curtains to where Emma, Hestia, Remus, and Hermione were waiting, sitting on the hospital beds. The first thing Remus noticed was that here eyes were puffy and pink, and she had dried tear-tracks on her cheeks. She wore a tired expression as she walked toward them, wiping her face quickly with her robes.
He was even more startled when he saw her normally kind and expressive eyes now had a haunted look to them. There were still tears in her eyes when she suddenly said, "That bastard! T-that sick bastard!"
Remus jerked back in surprise, having never heard Poppy curse the whole time he had known her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Emma's eyes widen as well, and heard Hermione gasp. "W-what is it, Poppy?" He asked uncertainly.
"That… that thing! I know you told me Harry had been beaten by him, but I have never seen anything as bad as that. His entire back is covered in scars. I've lessened their appearance some, but the scar tissues are so thick, I don't think I could ever remove them completely."
Hermione spoke up at this point. "I-I saw his back this morning. He had just taken a shower and was putting on his shirt when I came into his room. It was just horrible, mum! I can't believe anyone could do that to him." She said, tears in her own eyes.
"Can… can I see him?" Remus asked tentatively.
Poppy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Remus, you'll have to wait until he's awake. He made me promise not to let any of you in to see him. He seems rather ashamed of his scars. We'll wait a few minutes until he's awake and then I'll tell all of you what I have done."
Several minutes later, Harry slowly began to wake up. He opened his eyes and saw the blurry face of Madam Pomfrey. He squinted and felt around for his glasses, before she handed them to him and let him put them on. He sat up, feeling the best that he had in a long time.
"Harry, I've been able to lessen the appearance of the scars on your back, but I cannot remove them. I figured you would like to take a look before I let Remus and the others in." She said, handing him a mirror.
He took the mirror from her, and held it behind himself, looking over his shoulder at the mirror. He still saw the pink and white scars, but they were much less deep and thick. As he was handing the mirror back, he caught a look at his face. The two scars had faded quite a bit, although they were still visible as thin white lines.
He pulled on his shirt before Madam Pomfrey opened the privacy curtains, allowing everyone to come in.
{How are you feeling, Harry?} Hermione signed in question to him.
{Best I've felt for a long time.} He signed back to her.
Remus pulled over some chairs for them all to sit on. Madam Pomfrey began by saying, "Well, Harry, I had to mend several fractured bones, and treat you for pneumonia." She gestured to a potion on the bedside table. "You have quite a case of malnutrition, and we will fix that by having you take this potion every morning. It will help to maximise the amount of nutrients you use from the things you eat."
She talked about how she had worked on his scars, and had grown him some new teeth for several of his which had developed severe cavities. Finally she got to the part that he had been waiting for. "I also examined your loss of hearing. When did you lose it, Harry?"
"Um, 'bout four years ago. I got really sick and Amy took me to the 'ospital. They couldn't find anything wrong with me and sent me back with Amy. I fell asleep for several days, and when I woke up, I couldn't 'ear anymore."
Poppy nodded. "That's what I suspected. I found evidence that you went through something that is commonly called 'Wizard's Meningitis'. The Muggle form is a sort of infection that inflamed tissues around the brain. The Wizard form is much nastier, and can cause more harm. I'm amazed you survive it without being treated by a healer."
"In most cases, damage to the inner ear causes deafness, and that is normally treatable by magic using an implanted device. With you, the meningitis seems to have totally destroyed your auditory nerves, which are little nerves that carry signals from your ears to your brain. Unfortunately, I do not think there is much that can be done to restore your hearing. I'm going to set up an appointment for you with a specialist from a Wizarding hospital called St. Mungo's, just in case she can do something, but I don't think she will. I'm very sorry, Harry." Madam Pomfrey said, looking sadly at him.
Harry shrugged, but his expression showed his disappointment. "That's okay, Madam Pomfrey, you tried. Besides, if you guys 'adn't found me, I'd never even known there was a chance to 'ear again. I've just accepted that this is just the way I am, and there's nothing wrong with bein' deaf."
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Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts Castle - Saturday, 1 January, 1994
Remus entered the office as Dumbledore answered his knock. Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, and Remus sat down in one of the chairs across from him.
"I'm sure you already know that Harry is here." He said, stating, not questioning the fact.
"Yes, the wards indicated the Portkey travel, and my sensors detected his magic. I decided to wait to give you time to meet him. I would like to talk with him myself now."
Remus shook his head quickly. "Wait until tomorrow, Albus. He's already had an overwhelming day going to Diagon Alley, and then coming here and meeting Minerva and me. I also took him to see Poppy."
Albus nodded wearily, knowing that that would be the best he would get from Remus. "Alright, I will talk with him tomorrow. I'll get the house elves to bring my dinner up here so you can eat in the Great Hall with Harry tonight. What did Poppy say?"
Remus sighed, pondering how much to tell him. "I've never seen her so angry and upset when she saw all of the scars Dursley made. She's treating him for malnutrition and a slight case of pneumonia right now. She doesn't think they will be able to restore his hearing, but she's setting up an appointment at Saint Mungo's for next weekend with a specialist."
Albus frowned. "I'm very sorry to hear that. I will have to make sure all of the staff knows about his disability before he starts classes."
Remus glared. "He isn't disabled. He just perceives things a little differently than you or I. He can handle himself well enough. Just let the professors know that they have to look at him when they speak to him so he can read their lips."
Albus raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Relax, Remus, I wasn't trying to disparage Harry. I'll make sure I tell them what you asked."
Albus paused and then said, "I'd like to talk with Harry before lunchtime tomorrow, Remus. Whenever you think he is ready, please bring him to my office. I'll be in all morning before I have to get things ready for the feast tomorrow, along with the Sorting for Harry."
Remus nodded sharply. "You'll be able to talk with him in the morning. I should go now. I'd like to have some dinner with Harry and the others tonight."
Dumbledore nodded in understanding as Remus stood and began to walk toward the door. "Of course Remus, I'll see you tomorrow."
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Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle - Saturday, 1 January, 1994
Harry sat back from the table, feeling totally full from the near feast he had just eaten. Their meal had consisted mainly of large amounts of roast beef and jacket potatoes. It had startled him when the plates of food popped out of thin air in front of him, but he realised he was already becoming more accustomed to things happening due to magic, and it didn't surprise him nearly as much as it would have even a day ago.
He finished off his glass of pumpkin juice, a refreshing beverage that Hermione had recommended that he try, looking around at the others who were also finishing. He watched Remus wolf down his last pieces of meat and wipe his mouth.
He was already starting to like the older man, and could even remember his face from bits and pieces of his dreams. Remus seemed like a mix between a good friend and an uncle, a combination Harry liked.
"Remus?" Harry asked softly as Remus finished off his own drink. Harry saw Remus, Hermione, and the others all look at him.
"Yes, Harry?"
"When Madam Pomfrey was talking about you and my dad always ending up in the hospital wing, what was she going to say before she changed the subject?" He asked, posing the question that had been bothering him for a while.
He saw Remus' expression darken slightly. Remus sighed heavily before answering him. "Your father and I were friends with two other classmates. Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. She was going to say how they always ended up there too."
He moved his chair until it was right next to Harry's. "Harry, your parents were killed after they were betrayed to Voldemort. The man's name was Sirius Black, and he later killed several people including Peter. He was put into prison for a long time, but he escaped this summer. I want you to be careful if you go anywhere off school grounds, because we think he might have escaped to go after you."
Harry tried his best to keep a straight face and not give away what he knew had really happened. "Y'mean that Sirius Black bloke in the papers is a wizard? And why would 'e be after me if ev'ryone knows I've been missin'?"
"I'm not sure he's really after you, but it's better to just be safe. So, you've seen what he looks like in the papers enough to recognise him?" Remus asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'd know 'im if I saw 'im."
As the others finished eating, Remus spoke again. "Harry, tomorrow morning you'll have to meet with the Headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore. I want you to know ahead of time that he was the one who placed you with the Dursleys so you aren't surprised if he brings it up."
Harry nodded slowly. From what he had read about Dumbledore in Hogwarts, A History, he had already guessed that he had been the influential and powerful wizard who had given him to the Dursleys. "Okay, " he said, before hesitantly continuing, "could… could you come in there with me? I don't want to talk with 'im alone. I'm afraid I'll get really angry with 'im."
Remus looked surprised at the request while honored at the same time. "Of course I'll go with you, Harry. You don't have to worry about getting angry, because you have every right to be."
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Later that evening, Remus had retired to his quarters, Hestia had Portkeyed off to her flat, and Harry, Emma, and Hermione were sitting on the couch of Emma's Professor quarters in front of the blazing fireplace, each reading a book. Harry was reading the Introduction to the Magical World book that Hermione had given him, and was found that it was filled with all sorts of information.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione's head snap up as if she had heard something. He followed her gaze to the window, and saw Hedwig on the sill outside, tapping the glass of the window with her beak. Harry set his book down and scrambled over and opened the window. Hedwig flapped in and landed on his shoulder. She nipped affectionately at his ear while he closed the window, and when he held out his arm, she stepped onto that.
Harry smiled, reaching out his free hand and gently pet the soft feathers of her head. " 'lo there, Hedwig. Did you 'ave a nice time flying here?"
Hedwig responded with a small bob of her head and a short hoot. Harry smiled and continued rubbing her head as he sat down on the couch. Hermione and Emma put their books aside and reached out to run their fingers along Hedwig's feathers.
They stayed that way for the next several minutes with Hedwig nearly glowing with the attention they were paying her. Finally, Harry put her in her cage, and they began to prepare to go to sleep. Hermione took out her wand and said an incantation while pointing it at the couch. The spell she used activated the transfiguration spell that Hestia had cast before, changing the couch into a large bed.
Everyone said goodnight to each other, and Harry even got a hug from Emma and Hermione, leaving him blushing and stuttering from the affection. He climbed into the bed, Sirius jumping up and curling next to his feet. He read in bed for a while longer until he was sure Emma and Hermione were not coming back.
He spent the next ten minutes talking in low tones to Sirius, filling him in on everything that had happened during the day, including his meeting with Remus. Sirius chanced a quick transformation into human form to thank Harry again for believing his innocence, and to try to lift his spirits before he had to meet with Dumbledore. He transformed back to his dog form and curled around Harry's feet as they both drifted off to sleep in the flickering firelight.
AN: Thank you, everyone, for all of your reviews of the last chapter. Well, this chapter is slightly shorter than the previous two, but most chapters from now on will be between the length of this one and those two. Next chapter I guarantee will be a long one.
Next time: Dumbledore, the Sorting, and (hopefully) Luna and Susan.
Please take the time to review and let me know what you think!