Two weeks before start of term…

“Hey, Harry.  You’ve got an owl.”

No answer.

Niamh sighed and trudged upstairs to Harry’s room, where the teen was lying on his bed with his face towards the fall.  Hedwig was curled up at the end of the bed and Jardin was perched on the mantle of the fireplace in the room.  Niamh looked at the raven and said to him, He’s thinking about it again, isn’t he?

The raven nodded, pale eyes dull.

< Aye, young one.  He thinks of it often.  Almost two months ago and his grief is still as great as it was the day after. >

You can feel it?

< I can sense it.  We are bound, remember?  Who is the owl from, by the by? >

Niamh shrugged.

I don’t recognize the owl.  And I don’t open Harry’s letters.

< I never suggested you did, fledgling. >

Niamh shook her head at the raven then walked over to Harry’s bed, pulling herself up onto it and settling down beside him.  She leaned over on him, resting one arm along his broadening shoulders and placing her chin on it.  He did not even glance at her.

“Harry, mate.  Letter.”

“From who?” asked Harry in a dull voice.

“I’m not going to open it for you, goose.  C’mon.  Up ye get.  Or I’ll set the insane little owl that delivered the letter on you.”

Harry grunted and tilted his head to look at her, grief displayed clearly in his eyes.  Two months since Tyls’ death and he still blamed himself.  He had never said it but Niamh knew he felt that way.  She could just…sense it.

“Alright.  Give it here.”

Niamh handed the letter over and Harry opened it, eyes brightening slightly and a smile quirking at his lips.

“Who’s it from?” asked the girl, curious as to who had gotten her friend to perk up a little when she hadn’t done that in two months.

“Sirius,” replied Harry.

Niamh nodded.  Sirius Black had been revealed to them last year to be Harry’s godfather.  He was also an escapee of Azkaban, the wizard prison, and an illegal Animagus.  At the end of last year, Harry and Niamh had taken on the dementors who had been surrounding Sirius but had been saved (as Harry later informed Niamh) by the Darcorn that resided in the Forbidden Forest, a creature that was continually coming to Harry’s rescue, just before they themselves had almost been beaten.

“What’s he say?”

Harry looked up at Niamh then began to read the letter.

Harry,

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write.  Hard to find an owl around here.  I finally had to go to Moony to get one.  He told me that he had resigned from the Defense position because of that night.  Too bad.  Then I could keep an eye on you and that slimy git.

“Doesn’t he remember that that’s your father he’s talking about?”

“Its Sirius,” replied Harry as if that explained all.

I just wanted to check in with you, let you know that I’m still out here and alive.  Oh, and send the owl that brought this to your friend Ron.  Compliments of me losing him his rat.

I’ll send post later.

Sirius

P.S.  If you ever want to talk, remember…I’m here.

“Sweet devil, isn’t he?” said Niamh.

Harry folded the letter with a chuckle, turning to look up at Niamh with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Y’know, Ni, if I didn’t know better…I’d say you have a crush on my godfather.”

“Harold Jamison Snape!  How dare you!”

“I dare many things, my dear Lady Hex.  Many things indeed.”

Niamh laughed and smiled down at her friend.

“So, there you are at last.”

Harry nodded slightly and gave a half-shrug.

“Have to get over it.  Grief can only last so long.”

The two sat in silence for a moment until Niamh spoke in a soft voice.

“I miss him too, y’know.”

Harry nodded numbly.

“I know.  But…I was there, Ni.  I was there and I couldn’t save him.  I couldn’t save my best friend and now he’s gone.”

“I know, I know,” whispered Niamh, hugging her friend tightly.  She rested his head against his shoulder and said again, “I feel that way too.  I should have been watching out in the alley.  I should have…”

Harry placed a finger over her lips, stopping her.  He shook his head, eyes sad as he said, “We can’t do this to ourselves, Ni.  He – he wouldn’t want us to.”

“I know.  But…”

“We feel…”

“…responsible.”

“Yeah.”

“It hurts.”

“I know.”

Niamh sighed and closed her eyes, shifting slightly.  Harry wrapped an arm about her shoulders and the two lay there for a long while, lost in their thoughts of their lost friend.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Next day…

“Owl!”

“Who’s it from this time?” asked Harry as he entered the kitchen where Niamh was untying a letter from a rough looking horned owl.  The creature swiveled its head to look at Harry and he saw one of its eyes had been clawed out.  Ouch, he thought, before his attention turned to the happily bouncing Marly.

Niamh watched as the owl flew off then ripped open the letter.

“Its from Mika!”

Harry leaned over Niamh’s shoulder, quickly reading the letter from their friend.

Harry (and Niamh, if your still there),

Guess bloody what?  I’m being sent to Durmstrang this term!  How whacked is that?  My mum finally gave over to my da.  Oh, and guess what else?  The old wolf is going to be teaching at Hog this term.  I think that’s why I’m being shipped off to the frozen north (Durmstrang’s blisteringly cold).  Completely unfair, no?  I won’t get to see you guys.  Or Gin.  Dammit.  Couldn’t she have waited until next year to give in?  Hell abounds.

Write me.  Please.  I’m going to die without you guys.

Mika

Niamh reread the letter twice to make sure she had read right then looked up at Harry.

“That leaves us to the Slytherin Trio instead of the Slytherin Four.”

Harry groaned, “We really need to make up a name for ourselves.  And what’s that about Mika’s da coming to teach?  Teach what?”

“What’s the only empty position?”

“Defense?”

“Perfect place for an Auror, don’t you think?”

Harry shrugged and plucked the letter from Niamh’s hand.  He read it again then growled, “Something feels wrong about this year.”

“You’re just saying that because we had a bad start.”

Harry glared at Niamh and she shrugged.

“You are.”

“No.  No…I don’t think so.  Something’s gonna happen this year, Ni.  Something big…”