CHAPTER 3 - Decisions and Aftermath
A/N: I own nothing. It is all JKR's creation and I am merely dabbling and presuming it all could have happened otherwise.
A/N: I'd also like to give credit to DrT (Triwizard Redux) for planting the "what if" seed of changing Harry's escape at the end of Gof. And special thanks to The Scribbler for the most excellent beta work. And thanks to all who reviewed.
Author's Note:
Pursuant to the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 and the Digital Millennium Copywrite Act of 1998, this work is copywrited 2007 with all rights expressly reserved by its author unless explicitly granted. No portion may be reproduced in any fashion without the express written and notarized permission of the author.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted.
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Harry had been up for some time now. Given the things he learned last night, he decided a nice, long and intensive workout seemed to be in order. He was itching to hit something today.
He let himself in the Dueling Room. A smile crept into his face as he took in the effort Sirius had put into it, and noticed two new electronic dummies had been added. He's really determined about my training, he thought. He made his way over to one of the treadmills. Setting the machine for a 20 minute uphill run, his thoughts mulled over last night.
He was furious with Dumbledore. Hmm, maybe furious wasn't the word, more like disappointed at the great wizard he once thought to be omnipotent. For all the kind words the professor told him last night, Harry saw through it all and was struck with how his life has been manipulated from the start. Most probably, the events that transpired every term were to a point, influenced by the headmaster himself. Harry was certain that Dumbledore felt that he was preparing him in a way. How could someone live with that kind of detachment? He wondered. All of a sudden, he had a sickening thought. How much of a set-up was his life? Harry couldn't finish his train of thought. It was too depressing to think about.
Revived by his warm-up run, he went to get a couple of boxing gloves from one of the shelves containing a variety of workout equipment. Walking over to the punching bag hanging off the side, he started with a few jabs and then proceeded to let out the frustration he wasn't able to release the night before. In no time at all, he had alternated between powerful punches and kicks on the bag, his mind and energy totally focused on releasing all his pent-up anger.
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"So how did Harry take the news of being a fated murderer?" Remus asked his friend in an even, measured tone as they were setting up breakfast. It had been easy to fall into the habit of flooing over to the Hole every morning that it was now second nature to him. Sirius had been too quiet that particular morning. It was a little disconcerting to see his once carefree friend in these "grown-up" moments as Remus privately called them.
"He took it well. Actually, I think he took it rather too well."
"What do you mean, Padfoot?"
"He is fourteen, Moony. He should have been breaking things last night. I did see his temper flare up but he controlled it too quickly for my taste."
"Isn't that supposed to be a good thing? You have to remember what he has gone through. He cannot be expected to react to things normally."
"I know," Sirius let out a deep sigh. "I understand that. But I can also see how he is bottling everything inside. It's like he is delaying dealing with everything. He hears them, reacts introspectively, and proceeds to shove it away in his unconscious."
"You're worried he's going to break down?" Remus had a thoughtful look in his face.
"Yes, for lack of a better term. And I don't know how to deal with it."
"Maybe it's time to invite his friends over. Let him visit them too. He's been holed up here for too long, mingling only with adults. He needs to be with people his own age."
"Oh, I've invited Hermione over this afternoon." Sirius had the grace to flush.
Remus arched an eyebrow at the guilty look Sirius had. "You're matchmaking!" He accused.
"I am not," The reply came a little too fast. Sirius heard the defensive tone and winced. It didn't help that Moony was laughing at him either.
"Fine, maybe I am a little. It's not like I'm shoving them towards each other." He had a sly look on his face. "It's more like, I'm creating opportunities. Besides, that wasn't the main reason I invited her over. After last night, I knew Harry would need someone to talk to who wasn't over the age of thirty. I just thought she might be the best person for him to be with now. I overheard them talking when he woke up at the infirmary."
"You were eavesdropping?" Moony was incredulous his friend would stoop to such a thing.
"No, it wasn't like that. I was patrolling the grounds and when I came back to the infirmary, he was awake. I wanted to rush over and check him myself but they were already talking and didn't want to interrupt. Harry is more open to talking to her than I've seen him with anyone. Maybe it is because they are best friends and they've gone through a lot. You remember when we were his age. Do you honestly think Ronald would be a good choice to reveal such sentiments or even just to have a good cry with?"
Remus had a pained look on his face as he thought about what his reaction would have been if Sirius had done that to him when they were fourteen. "You have a very good point."
"So have you thought about what I've proposed?"
Moony was a bit taken aback at the abrupt turn in the conversation. He shared a conspiratorial grin with his friend. "Of course. I think it's a brilliant idea. After they talk, Hermione would surely ask to be included in training. I have to tell you though, Ronald would also insist he go. Those three do everything together. They will have to agree with you to train separately."
Harry chose to enter the kitchen at that moment, cutting off their conversation. His face lit up when he saw Sirius and Remus already eating.
"Oh thank god, I'm starving." He sat down and started piling food on his plate.
"So, cub, what's this I hear you signing up for warrior training?"
"Oh yeah, haven't you heard? I'm supposed to save the whole wizarding world." Harry said dryly with as he made his through the small mountain of potatoes, eggs, and bacon on his plate.
The two marauders laughed. "I suppose I should ask for an autograph now then while you are still relatively unknown." His former professor teased.
"Oh god, let's not even go there, please. So how do you guys plan on doing this training?"
"Well I told you last night I'm planning on fusing muggle defense and magic. I would be teaching you a combination of martial arts, I've picked up some instructional manuals on kickboxing and aikido. I'm sure you're familiar with what they are?"
Harry nodded.
"I've had some lessons in them actually so it won't be hard to teach. Then of course, defensive and offensive spells would figure greatly. Moony can help us with that immensely. With his teaching background and my Auror training, I'm confident we can work it out."
"You were an Auror?" Harry was impressed. He wanted to be one as for as long as he found out what they were.
"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you, pup. I was one before I was captured. And so was your dad, we were partners."
The boy lapsed into silence as he digested this new bit of information about his father. "Wow."
Sirius' face was a mask of regret. "I'll tell you more about your parents, Harry. With everything that happened, we sort of missed having those conversations. But we do have the whole summer before us."
He nodded. "When do we start?"
Moony answered, "We figured we can give you today to get ready and settled. Then we start tomorrow. We thought muggle defense should be at least thrice a week along with Defensive magic."
"And for two afternoons a week, I'd prefer if we concentrated on Occlumency. Practical dueling would be perfect for Friday afternoons, don't you think? We can start with the Animagus training after your birthday. I think we might have covered a lot by then to concentrate on it for a month. The transformations would require too much focus to intersperse it with too many other lessons."
Harry could feel his excitement building as the two marauders outlined their plan for his training. He had enough of being thrust into situations he felt absolutely no control over. Granted, with that damned prophecy looming over his head, his future was not looking so much brighter. However, this would at least arm him with enough knowledge to hopefully survive what was coming with a little more of his bones and sanity intact. "I like it but I'd like to have 'til this afternoon to think about the outlined schedule. I want to spend some time in the library, make sure we have all the bases covered. Maybe I can meet up with Hermione and Ron and see if they come up with anything else."
Sirius gave a noncommittal grunt. Then a snowy white owl came in the kitchen and landed on Harry's right shoulder. "Morning, Hedwig," He gave her an owl treat from his pocket as he took the letter on his familiar's leg.
"It's from Hermione. She says I might need to take a look at something in the Daily Prophet." Harry looked at the torn page of the prophet his friend sent. It looked to be a rehash of Skeeter's article telling of his Parselmouth abilities, noting of the rules he had broken since coming to Hogwarts. The article was making him out to be some arrogant boy who did what he wanted, rules be damned.
"I really don't need this right now." He muttered, extremely annoyed and tired of how things kept piling up this summer. He looked at the two men in front of him and noticed each had a guarded look in their faces. His eyed them suspiciously. "Okay, how long has this been going on?"
"A bit after the Tri-wizard tournament," Moony replied resignedly. "We were keeping it quiet at first because of everything that had happened but were actually planning to tell you...well, after Dumbledore had finished talking to you. Sirius' exoneration was a blow to the Ministry and now Fudge is doing his best to discredit Dumbledore and you."
"I know we need to do something about it. The articles have been appearing more and more often but it is not a priority right now, Harry. There is an Order meeting this Saturday. I suggest you come with us to Lupin Manor and we have a talk with Dumbledore about this." Sirius suggested gently.
Harry thought it over. "I suppose that's best."
"C'mon finish up and then have a refresher course in the Dueling room. We'll just go through the spells and hexes you already know; maybe we can still improve them."
Harry reluctantly finished his breakfast and proceeded to go back to the room he had just left.
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It turned out that Sirius had the right idea. After a grueling three hours of the two marauders putting him through a round of combined dueling and physical work-out, Harry had calmed down enough to be able to sit quietly in the library. He had his books spread out, he figured he'll work through whatever homework he can get out of the way before his training officially starts.
It wasn't long until Sirius called him to come down for lunch. The two men regaled the teenager with amusing stories of his parents at Hogwarts that had Harry laughing all throughout the meal.
They were clearing up the dishes when the fire glowed green again.
"Ah, our guest is here. Harry, make sure she doesn't fall on her bum this time, quickly" Sirius' mouth quirked up. Remus stifled a chuckle beside him.
Harry had a wide grin on his face as he moved towards the fireplace not a second later, prepared to catch Tonks. He was pleasantly surprised when his arms caught a flustered witch with wild brown hair.
"Harry!" Hermione promptly gave Harry a tight hug. Releasing him, she looked at him appraisingly from head to toe. "Wow, you look amazing!"
Harry had turned a bit red at the Hermione's casual praise. He flushed to an even deeper shade at her appreciative look. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a foolish grin on his face.
His friend opened her mouth to reply but Sirius answered for her. "She's been bugging me to visit for ages. I finally had to relent under threat of death."
Hermione's head whipped to look at Sirius' expression. She seemed to understand his silent message as she gave the older man a discreet nod. "I missed my best friend, of course. I had to see where you were hiding him." Her eyes roamed around the now cheery kitchen. "Very nice! It seems you can accomplish miracles." She said to Sirius, her words laced with even deeper meaning.
"You've seen the Barmy Hole before?"
Hermione delicately wrinkled her nose. "The Barmy Hole?" she asked with a light laugh.
"Well, it was Black Manor before but we christened it the Barmy Hole when we started remodeling. C'mon, let's put your bag in my room and I'll give you a tour of what we've done." Harry grabbed her hand and practically dragged her from the kitchen.
"I see you haven't lost your touch, Padfoot," Remus said, still chuckling softly.
Sirius just grinned at his friend.
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Hermione was impressed at how Sirius and Harry had revamped Black Manor. The renovated parts of the house were an amazing balance of muggle and wizard living. The living room now sported a cushy black leather sofa set with a glass topped coffee table on a base of some sort of dark colored tree branches twisted so intricately it could only have been made through magic. A large brick fireplace was the focal point while a mini-bar stocked with butter beers and Fire whiskeys along with some muggle drinks she recognized was set up at one corner. A room downstairs had been converted into a den, mainly by Harry, she suspected. Everything about the room had spelled comfort from the soft suede couch and armchairs to the warm, tan color of the walls. It also had an expensive-looking home theater system with a large flat television propped against a wall seemingly on its own. It was the same with the collection of muggle DVDs alphabetically arranged at one wall, propped with invisible shelves.
She scowled a little when Harry confessed that he had heard of the movies when he was growing up at the Dursleys and had always wanted to watch them.(Any mention of his abhorring relatives had always called forth feelings of hate she didn't know she was capable of.) Harry said one of the habits he's picked up in the summer was relaxing in front of the telly and getting lost for two hours in another person's story. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised of his newfound affinity to films. They presented such a tempting escape from everything he's been through.
She looked at her friend from the corner of her eye as he was describing how they went through changing this particular bedroom he was showing off. She could see the tell-tale signs of tension around his mouth. His eyes looked tired. Something big happened, she realized, to have changed her friend so much. It was something so big that Sirius had practically begged her in his letter to visit this afternoon but had taken great pains to hide his invitation from his godson. Though Harry's joy at her being at the Hole (as she had consented to call the manor) was palpable, she sensed a great change had occurred in her friend. She chewed her bottom lip thoroughly as she was trying to solve this puzzle in front of her. Then he faced her squarely and looked her straight in the eye. A soft gasp escaped her lips as comprehension came to her hyperactive mind.
There was no vestige of the grief-stricken boy she had comforted barely two weeks ago. Standing before her with a resigned air and baffling quiet confidence was a young man with viridian eyes aged beyond their years. She realized she must have been silent for a while, as he seemed to be looking at her expectantly. She blushed and said shyly, "I'm sorry, Harry, I drifted into space for quite a bit."
Harry cocked his head a little but merely said, "Let's go back to the den. I can see you're about to pummel me with questions." She gave him a small smile and followed downstairs.
Comfortably sitting beside each other, Hermione went straight to the point with her usual directness. "What happened?"
Harry laughed dryly but his face was serious when he said, "Dumbledore was here last night. He had a talk with Sirius and me."
Hermione waited quietly with dread creeping in her heart.
"He...revealed something. Something that actually explained everything that has happened." Harry leaned into the corner of the couch. "Sixteen years ago, a prophecy was made about an infant born at the end of the seventh month who would be the downfall of the Dark Lord. He was to come from those who have escaped him thrice. A Death Eater overheard this part of the prophecy and immediately told Voldemort. Those concerned went into hiding, of course. My parents were one of those couples."
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione moved to place her hand over her friend's arm. His voice bitter and mutinous, he continued. "He didn't know that what he heard was incomplete. The latter part said that the Dark Lord would mark him as an equal, with powers no one bloody knows what, and that neither can live while the other survives."
Both teens were silent as each gave in to chaotic thoughts.
"Well, guess who he picked?" Harry motioned towards his scar. "Now, based on the accursed prophecy, I have the enviable position of either killing the snake-faced murderer of my parents and save the wizarding world in the process or bite the dust before I've even finished adolescence."
Hermione didn't say anything. She wrapped her arms around his neck and seemed to try and hug the anger and resentment that was eating at his soul. Harry turned to bury his head in her neck.
"I'm scared." Harry managed to mumble before giving in to tears. He felt all the frustration and misery he had bottled up come tumbling out. The resentment he felt, the injustice, his fears. His terror knowing that a madman would always be hunting him and everyone he cared for. He wanted to lash out at his helplessness. For the first time in his life, he wanted to give up. Events that were beyond anyone's control were the cause of so much hate and heartbreak in his young life.
"Why me, Hermione? What did I do wrong?" Hermione's heart broke at Harry's question. Her tears ran unchecked as she wept for her friend as she also wept with him. She understood where her childhood friend had gone.
The vestiges of innocence fell away with each teardrop shed. Hermione was appalled at the twist of fate that had placed such a kind and loving soul into a decidedly horrific path. After what seemed like an eternity, they quieted down. Hermione slowly unwrapped her arms from Harry's neck.
"It's ok to be scared, Harry. I'd say you were crazy if you weren't." Her voice was scratchy from crying. "If it helps, I'm petrified."
He looked at her questioningly.
"We're scared together, don't you get it? We are in this together. And so will Ron. And Sirius. And even Professor Lupin. You are not alone in this." She said emphatically. "I've said it before. You're a great wizard, Harry. We believe in you. We all love you… and we will be by your side whatever your decision might be. We'll get through this. Just like how we did with the Philosopher's stone, the chamber, and the tournament."
"I told you, I will always be here. I believe in you. In us." She said softly as she wiped away his tears.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he let Hermione's words permeate his psyche. But the echo of Dumbledore's words would not drown out. The events of his early years at Hogwarts were flashing behind his lids. Each life-threatening situation for him and his friends. The chamber. The graveyard. Cedric. He started to have trouble breathing as each scene unfolded in his mind's eye.
"I can't." He managed to strangle out as he opened his panicked eyes. Suddenly, he felt suffocated. Black spots started to block his peripheral vision.
Hermione placed both hands on either side of Harry's face. She could see the melee of thoughts swirling behind his eyes as she stared into them. "Harry, look at me."
Harry tried to focus on her. He heard her soft voice as if it was coming from a great distance.
"Look at me."
He stared at those chocolate brown depths. He let her gaze be his anchor as he willed his emotions to calm down. He took several deep, calming breaths without breaking their stare. His heartbeat slowed down to normal and the room slowly came into focus.
Hermione's voice was quiet but laced with a hypnotizing inner strength. "I'll never leave you. I know it must seem like your life was suddenly decided for you but you have to remember the power of choice. You might seem like a marked man but that is only true to those who would believe that stupid prophecy, like Voldemort. For me - for us who love you - you are a young and noble wizard who we can clearly see would do great things. Not because of some prophecy or unnamed power, but because you are you. If the future includes you defeating Voldemort, we don't know. But I am certain that whatever the situation, you would try to do the right thing, as you have always done so in the past. If faced with the choice of defending those you love against him, I have no doubt you would do so without even a secondary thought to your own safety. And of course, I would have to be there to make sure you don't get yourself hurt." Her lips quirked up in a half smile.
Harry's own lips quirked up in return. His eyes softened. "Thank you, Hermione." And he let out a breath that seemed to cleanse the darkness he had been wallowing in. Her words were finally accepted by his heart. Hermione's assertions were strong enough to keep his demons at bay for now and he let go some of the guilt that had harangued him.
A wave of relief washed over Hermione as she watched her friend release the gloom that had been clouding his handsome face since she arrived.
"Thank you." He said quietly as for the first time since they met, Harry put his arms around her and hugged her. He held on tightly, as if by holding onto her physically would keep all his dark thoughts at bay. He let her sweet scent invade his senses and comfort him. She hugged him just as tight and her hands moved over his back and shoulders in soothing movements. After a few moments, he finally let go and gave her a grateful smile.
"Well, at least, now I can honestly say I have some exciting news." Hermione perked up from the enthusiasm in
his voice. He was still changed, she noted. But then, she silently accepted that there was no way of recovering what
had been lost.
"Sirius proposed to train me. He was an Auror before, apparently. He was partners with my dad."
"Like father, like son I suppose. But how can you do magic? You're under-aged!" Hermione was indignant as she realized that Harry had somehow by-passed this Ministry rule.
He gave her a mischievous grin. "Apparently, the Ministry's trackers are not strong enough to bypass the Barmy Hole's wards. Added to that, it is also unplottable and under the Fidelius charm which makes any magic we do here untraceable. I've been helping Sirius remodel using magic. He's been giving me instructions already since we got here."
"Well, that explains why the Hole is nearly unrecognizable now."
He nodded. "It turns out he also knows a lot about muggle defense tactics. He's determined to give me a crash course on a blend of martial arts disciplines. He and Remus agreed that if we combined this with magical dueling, it would prove to be a formidable from of fighting."
"Of course." She immediately saw the advantages to Sirius' suggestions. "I can see how it can be effective, no one would be able to predict your actions in a fight. That would give us an immense advantage. Is that why you've started working out?"
Harry felt idiotically pleased that she had noticed the results of his almost manic obsession with keeping shape. Then his brow furrowed. "What do you mean 'we'?"
Hermione looked as if he had just insulted her. "You must be delusional to even think I won't be joining you. Not to mention Ron..."
"But, Hermione..." She sent him a glare as if daring him to argue with her about this.Harry wisely shut his mouth but he was secretly elated by the fact that his friends would be willing to undergo the same training that he will be under.
"Harry, it terrifies me just thinking of what we are going to be training for. The fact that essentially, we are actually preparing for war - it's not really something I find palatable. But the thought of losing you…."
Harry took her hand in his. "I know." He said softly. "I can't even begin to imagine what I'll do if you got hurt."
They both fell silent. Then Harry remembered something Sirius said and smiled. "I can't believe I forgot! Sirius said he'll also give us Occlumency and Animagus lessons."
Her eyes lit up at the challenge of mastering what she knew to be highly advanced branches of magic. "Oh, I can't wait for those! And I thought I'd be bored stiff this summer after finishing my homework."
"You're done?!" He couldn't help the accusing tone that had crept in with his surprise.
She had the grace to flush. "Well, I didn't have much to do at home. And you know how I get once I've started."
Harry just shook his head, laughing.
"When are you going to tell Ron?"
"I might ask Sirius if I can drop by the Burrow tomorrow sometime in the afternoon. Do you really think he'll want to join us?"
"Of course."
"Well, it's really not gonna be much fun, it's mostly going to be a lot of hard work. You know Ron. I hope
he would, though. it'll be a blast spending almost the whole summer with you guys. And think of all the fun we can
have when we've become Animagi!" Harry's eyes had an evil glint.
"You're seriously not thinking of being a full-blown Marauder, are you?" Hermione asked with a reprimanding expression. Harry just gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.
Hermione burst out laughing and shook her head. "Fine, but not all the time. And enough with the blatant rule-breaking. Some would be fun, but with the way we were going, we might be lucky not to be expelled at the end of the year. I intend to keep you guys more in line. You guys take too many risks sometimes." She relented a little. Then she remembered another topic she wanted to discuss with him. "What do you plan on doing about the Ministry though? They seem to be on the warpath with you. They can make your life a lot more difficult, Harry."
"I know. I only learned about it this morning with your letter. Sirius and Remus have been keeping it quiet from me. They said dealing with it is just not the priority right now and I quite agree. The summer would be hectic enough without me picking battles with the imbeciles of Fudge. I wonder how much filth Skeeter has been able to publish about me."
Hermione slapped her forehead. 'I can't believe I forgot about her!" She jumped from the couch and Harry could hear her run to his room. She was back so quickly, Harry was still recovering from surprise at her flight. He noticed she had a clear jar with her containing a strange looking beetle inside.
"Remember how I told you I'll find out how Skeeter was able to get those stories even if she was banned from school?" Harry nodded, not really sure where she was going with this. "I did! Well, actually, you gave me the idea. You mentioned unless she had us bugged, there was no way she would have been able to know about Hagrid and Viktor. Well, it's not exactly the bugging you were thinking of but..." Hermione showed him the beetle with a flash of pride.
He gave her a perplexed look and then studied the bug closely. It was a fairly fat beetle with some weird markings around its antennae. He remembered Skeeter and suddenly the pieces clicked in his mind. "Wicked, she's an unregistered Animagus!" And he recalled the events of last year when the abrasive reporter was able to hone in on some of the more private aspects of his life. "I saw a beetle when Hagrid was talking with Madame Maxine about being his mum! And Malfoy was talking to her when we saw him under that tree."
"Viktor pulled out a beetle from my hair after the second task and unless I'm mistaken, she must have been perched on the windowsill in Divination when your scar hurt. I haven't been able to decide what to do with her, though. So I brought her here. I caught her on the window one time when you were still unconscious. I was standing against the window by your bed when I recognized her. She must have been snooping for more stories as to what had happened. I put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar before we left school so she can't transform back. Then I added a Silencing Charm and transfigured the glass to be a one-way mirror from the inside. I wasn't going to take a chance she might pick something up from me lugging her around."
"Brilliant."
"What do you suppose we do?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Let's ask Sirius. "Harry looked at his watch. He stood up and offered her a hand. "They must be in the library having a chat. That reminds me, I haven't shown you the new library. I was saving it for last but we sort of got distracted."
Hermione's eyes glowed. Last she was here, Sirius had shown her a large library but it was such a dreadful place that even her love of books wasn't enough to sustain her in the room for more than half an hour. "Well, what are you waiting for, let's go. "She took his hand and dragged him laughing all the way to the second floor.
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The two marauders were indeed in the library. There were going through books of several defensive spells that they thought would be best to start with tomorrow. Sirius looked up from a distinctly interesting one entitled "The Nasty Side of Safe and Everyday Magic" that outlined several nasty uses for simple charms and spells when a laughing Harry ushered in Hermione who gave a small shriek of delight when she took in the renovated library.
"Harry, I love it! This is utterly amazing, how did you manage to do this?" She wasn't actually waiting for a reply as she immediately made her way through the books and new furniture that adorned the room. Harry stood in the middle just watching her, taking delight in the enthusiasm shown by his best friend.
"Oh, Harry..It's even arranged by subject! I can't believe how much it's changed. It's exactly how I pictured my perfect library!"
Harry flushed. "Uh..actually, I fixed it with you in mind. I remembered you telling me how you arranged your books at your house. I even remembered that window ledge you told me where your Grandmum used to read to you when you were little. And you've always complained about the lack of lighting at the Hogwarts library and how we needed to have study corners with lamps and such."
Hermione emerged from behind one of the shelves and threw her arms around Harry. "That is the sweetest thing. I can't believe you actually pay that much attention to what I say."
Harry looked bashfully at his feet. "I'm really sorry about not paying attention to you sometimes, Hermione. After everything you've done for me, the least I could do was create your ideal library. It isn't much, but consider this yours."
Hermione gave hand a tight squeeze and he looked up to meet her moist eyes. "Thank you, Harry. That means a lot to me." With one last squeeze, Hermione let go of his hand and disappeared behind one of the shelves again. Harry watched for some time more then turned and faced the two men at the tables near the fireplace.
Sirius could feel his shoulders sag in relief when he saw Harry's face. His plan paid off, his godson looked so much younger and the tension lines around his mouth and eyes had disappeared. He saw Harry notice his expression but the young man declined to comment.
He took a seat across the two men and looked surprised when he saw how late in the afternoon it was from the late afternoon sun shining through the window. He didn't realize how long they had stayed in the den talking. At that moment, Hermione came towards them, her arms loaded with a ridiculously high stack of books. Remus noticed the titles ranged from defense to occlumency and animagus transformations. He also took note of a jar with a beetle Harry had been carrying.
"I take it this means you're asking to join Harry this summer?" Sirius asked the young witch, looking guardedly at the stack she was arranging on the table and then took the seat next to Harry.
"What do you mean asking?" She had a stubborn look on her face.
"Hermione, the training we're planning would be intensive. It might be too..."
"What, dangerous?" She said darkly, clearly not happy with the older man's train of thought. "You, of all people, should know better than to think I wouldn't know how dangerous it is. It's not open for debate." The younger girl glared at him. Harry was silent beside her, watching the exchange with interest. "I'm in this, whether you like it or not. I am not leaving Harry."
Harry spoke up. "Sirius, I would also need to talk with Ron. I have no doubt he would feel the same as Hermione."
Sirius had cowered a little at the younger girl's palpable wrath but still had a studiously blank look on his face. Then he addressed the two teenagers. "You do understand that the more people who know about this, the more likely it will reach Voldemort's ears."
"Yes, we know. But you should also know that Ron and I will always be at Harry's side fighting with him until this ends." Harry shot her a grateful look.
"It will be difficult to explain this to everyone, especially if you three are cooped up here all summer and then come back to school obviously changed." Sirius reasoned.
Remus' brow furrowed he caught on what Sirius was trying to do. He watched the teens as he tried to figure out on what they will decide on.
This time, Harry answered with a thoughtful look on his face. "I see your point. It will be difficult to explain their absences to their parents and any wizard who might notice. That and if they knew we've been together all summer and then show up at the Express obviously looking like we've gone through training cannot exactly be called careful."
Hermione pondered this new puzzle. "I can talk to my parents. I haven't been keeping anything from them the past years about what has happened in Hogwarts. I'm sure I can persuade them to let me stay here for the summer to train. They've been so worried. It would placate them to know I'll be given defensive training and at the same time, be safer than they could imagine here."
She paused and walked around for a moment, before continuing with her thought. "We can think of a cover for my absence. Maybe we can tell the others I'm away at summer camp." Seeing the blank look at the marauder's faces, she explained. "It's what some muggle kids and teenagers do. They're specialized training camps they go to during summer vacation and can vary from theater to military training. It ends more or less a week before school starts. I think if we say I was sent to a physical fitness camp, it will be enough to explain everything."
The two men looked at her with amazement and delight as a particular obstacle to their plan was suddenly resolved. But Sirius still replied in a halting tone, clearly not willing to give his consent so easily, "That may work."
"It's a brilliant cover." Harry was amazed yet again by how Hermione's mind worked. "But Ron and the Weasleys are too visible in the wizarding world" he said, a bit distressed.
"Yes, they are. There wouldn't be any kind of counterpart of summer camps in the wizarding world is it? Wait, we can't use the same excuse twice that would make it too obvious." She chewed her bottom lip as she tried to think of a way to include Ron this summer.
Sirius looked at Remus while the two teenagers were lost in their thoughts and gave a silent nod. "Ok, Hermione, you can join us this summer. But including Ron might require a trickier course of action."
"I have an idea. I hope you'll be open to it though as it may not be exactly what you wanted." Remus said haltingly.
The two looked up at their former professor hopefully.
"For now, there will be no plausible way to have Ron stay over under the cover of a harmless reason and then suddenly emerge at King's Cross looking obviously changed. Now, his parents, as well as his two oldest brothers are both in the Order. You are aware of the Order of the Phoenix right, Hermione."
"Yes, Professor". At Harry's questioning look, "Well, Ron isn't exactly the most discreet person. He told me about it the couple of times I visited him and Ginny at the Burrow."
Harry nodded and then looked expectantly at Remus again.
"Given the highly dangerous position of their family, I think Arthur and Molly would be relieved if I offer to give their kids additional Defense training at my old house. It is unplottable like the Hole and also under the Fidelius since Sirius recovered it from Gringotts and the Order started to use it as headquarters. The training might not be as intensive as what you guys are will be put through and I'm afraid I can't teach muggle defense like Sirius but I can definitely train them enough not to be far behind you two."
"You're saying them. So you'll be including the other under-aged Weasleys too, right?" Remus nodded at Harry's question. "Yes, it would make my offer of additional lessons more credible."
"Well, that may not exactly be what I was hoping for but it sounds like the safest course of action we can take right now. I'll explain it to Ron when I talk to him."
Hermione agreed. "Yes, that seems to be best and we could encourage him to take up an exercise routine himself. We could suggest that it would help him greatly for Quidditch. He's planning to try out for keeper this year since Oliver left."
"He'll be happy enough to do that for sure if you put it like that," They both knew of Ron's almost manic obsession with the sport. "And once school starts, we can both tutor Ron on what he'd missed. It'd be easy enough to say we're doing some exercises for extra credit or a project. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore would consent to vouch for us."
The two teenagers had a silent conversation between them. Then they turned to the two older men at the same time.
"We agree." Harry said in a firm voice. "I think it's better if we talk to Ron on Saturday also before we meet with Dumbledore. I'll send him an owl tomorrow to ask him if he can meet me there."
"Brilliant." Sirius beamed them a smile. "I'll be over at your house tomorrow morning to pick you up, Hermione."
Both teenagers narrowed their eyes at his quick and enthused reply and Sirius grimaced at his mistake before his face blushed a deep red.
Remus was laughing at his now disgraced friend. "I think they know what you're doing, Padfoot." He turned to his former students. "As you guys will no doubt figure out by Sirius' slip-up, he originally wanted to train the three of you. But when we had talked about it though, we saw the problems we raised with you. We concluded that it might be best if I trained Ron and the other Weasleys with you two staying here under Padfoot. However, he wasn't sure you'd agree to train separately and thus wanted you to see that dilemma for yourselves and just agree to what you think will be best to do. He's just happy you decided on what he wanted initially."
Harry and Hermione looked flummoxed as they realized the amount of trust the two older wizards had placed on them to allow them to decide what they needed to do. Harry recovered first, "Thank you, Sirius. You have no idea how good it feels to be trusted to make my own decisions."
"You forget I spent a decade in prison, pup. That alone would ensure that you would always have that freedom from me. Not to mention that I trust and love you wholeheartedly." The older man was positively beaming at the praise his godson has given him. Maybe I can do this parenting thing right, after all, he thought to himself.
"Now that we've all agreed, can you please satisfy my curiosity as to why you've suddenly decided to collect bugs?" Remus looked pointedly as the jar that was still at Harry's lap.
"We forget about her again." Hermione muttered.
They introduced the hated reporter to the two wizards and repeated how Hermione had captured the illegal animagus. Sirius had a decidedly evil glint in his eye when they asked what they were going to do with the woman.
Remus nervously saw the punishments his friend was thinking of. "Let me take her, I'll make her swear an oath she would never fabricate another story again and then threaten her to reveal her nasty secret before I release her. She might be of use to us in the future against the Ministry's anti-Harry propaganda." Sirius looked disappointed but conceded that Remus had a point.
"I'll take you home too, Hermione. I'm about to leave anyway."
"Right, it's getting late. My parents would be worried. I'll see you tomorrow, Harry." The boy got up and gave Hermione a hug goodbye. She leaned in and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well."
The older wizard and girl left the library, making their way to the floo in the kitchen.
Grinning idiotically from the second kiss he'd gotten from his best friend, he told Sirius, "C'mon old
man, I'm hungry. Let's make some dinner."
*************************************
They decided to watch one of Harry's muggle movies after dinner. Both men were sprawled at either end of the couch,
nursing a butterbeer in each hand.
Halfway into the movie, Harry suddenly spoke up. "You invited Hermione this afternoon didn't you?"
Not hearing any trace of resentment in the boy's voice, Sirius straightened up a little from his position and nodded. "You couldn't fool me with the silencing charms and the cheerful façade, Harry. I saw how depressed you were and I knew when we've finished talking with Dumbledore, it would get even worse. But you were showing no indication of opening up and I must admit I had no idea how to talk to you when you were taking great pains to hide it from me. Ron and Hermione had both written to ask permission to visit and I begged off, telling them I just need some time to get the house ready and to give us some time alone to bond. I was hoping you'll come around to talking soon. But you were getting more and more depressed without any sign of coming to me so I begged Hermione not to ask you to visit yet with the promise that she can come today. I knew you would see through what I was doing if you knew I invited her over this particular afternoon."
"I apologize for that. It is taking some time to get used to the idea that there is an adult I can always run to about my problems. But thank you, Sirius. I appreciate what you did very much." A corner of Harry's mouth quirked up. "I seem to be doing nothing this summer but thank people all the time."
"You should never refuse help if it is offered with good intentions, kiddo. We do not pity you, we love you and we want to see you happy. That is why we are all doing this for you. You have to get it through that stubborn mind of yours that we all do love you and believe in your abilities. I've told you, you have my trust and I am not kidding when I say I do not give that so easily. You have earned it without question."
"Hermione more or less told me the same thing."
"She is a very intelligent and special girl...woman, I mean. She might smack me on the head if she heard me call her girl."
Harry laughed at the rueful expression of his godfather's. Then he released a sigh, "You were right when you said that I was bottling everything up though. It's just that everything was so perfect, I felt so bad at still being depressed all the time. I had you, a great home, my friends, everything I've always wanted but I still felt so miserable from what had happened and then that blasted prophecy. I didn't know what to do about it either."
"Don't stress about it too much, Harry. Right now, everything is still too new for you. You will settle down eventually. Never try to force it; it would only make everything more complicated than it already is."
"Don't I know that, now." The boy muttered under his breath.
The older man gave a soft laugh. "It will get easier, give it time."
"You know, I don't think I've ever told you, but you are doing this guardian thing brilliantly. I want you to know how grateful I am."
Sirius' eyes misted. "I told you I would be the godfather I ought to be to you, Harry and I intend to keep that promise. I would never ask you to call me dad; my heart would not be able to live with that. But maybe, you can call me Uncle? It's what you would have grown up calling me anyway if Lily and James had..." Sirius couldn't finish his sentence.
"I would very much like that, Uncle Sirius." Harry said quietly, looking him in the eye to let him know how much he meant it.
Another smile broke out in the older wizard's face and he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. They've made a breakthrough in their relationship tonight, he knew.
"Better go to sleep, kiddo. We have an early day tomorrow."
Harry got up and gave his godfather a hug. "Goodnight, Uncle. "And he left the older man still nursing his butterbeer, lost in the giddy feeling of hope that things are finally starting to look better.
Harry spent his first dreamless and uninterrupted night at the Barmy Hole.
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a/n I'm re-reading all the chapters I've uploaded and I can see all the grammatical mistakes I've made. However, I don't think I'll be able to edit them presently as I'm more concerned on finishing the story as soon as possible while I still have my muse. I will re-edit this story after it is completed though.