***

Recap:

“I might see him,” Harry breathed in wonder. “If I go with you to the lake when you transform, I might see Sirius again.”

He was holding onto Connor again in excitement.

“You have no idea what this means to me!”

***

Harry had never realised how long it took for his dorm mates to go to sleep. By half past nine he was itching for them to shower and change, but so far they showed no signs of beginning to do so. Theo was sat, crossed legged on his bed leaning against the wall. He was reading a parchment closely, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him. The other two boys were lounging on their beds, flicking through Jasper’s old Quidditch magazines.

There was a sudden creak of ancient bed springs as Jasper got to his feet heading over to the door.

Harry couldn’t help himself. “Where are you going, now?” he demanded in an annoyed tone.

Would they never just go to sleep, so he and Connor could slip out?

“To the common room,” Jasper replied hesitantly, his eyes darting towards Harry, almost as if he were asking for permission. He’d always been wary of upsetting Harry and this had only increased since his fight with Draco.

Harry noticed Connor shooting him a slightly pointed look.

Ok. I get it. It’s not that late.

After registering that Harry didn’t seem to object to his departure, Jasper tentatively opened the door and made his way out.

Harry slumped back on his bed with a sigh.

“You know, you should probably just have it out with him,” Connor commented idly, from his position sprawled on his stomach.

“What?”

“Jasper -that whole Malfoy business.”

“Oh.”

So Jasper feels guilty? Well he bloody well should do! That reminds me though...

Harry turned to look at Theo. He was still reading the letter closely. Is he really not listening, or does he just hide it well?

“I’m sorry about earlier by the way.”

Theo lowered the letter an inch and looked at Harry disdainfully.

“I know it wasn’t you who was spreading stuff about me. I shouldn’t have jumped to the conclusion that it was. Oh and I never actually said anything about you to Snape.”

“Whatever, Potter.”

No emotion registered in Theo’s cool gaze as his amber eyes flickered back to his letter.

Perhaps it’s a Slytherin trait to act as though an apology is worthless, Harry thought to himself. Or perhaps it’s just when they come from me. Oh well, I can’t really blame him for being pissed off, I guess.

Harry sighed again, flicking through his Transfiguration book, without taking any of it in.

It’s already dark outside. Perhaps Sirius is there now, down by the lake, at this very moment. I wonder why he hadn’t owled me? He’s got to have been in serious trouble, to have been missing for so long. Perhaps he’s injured, I did have that dream where he was hurt so badly...but that wouldn’t explain why he couldn’t come into the castle. He’s got to be avoiding Dumbledore for some reason...

Harry laid his book down again restlessly with another impatient sigh. He knew there was no point in bothering to read, nothing would be able to hold his attention tonight.

All of a sudden Connor sat up straight and reached down beside his bed.

“Harry, think fast!”

He lobbed a small, golden ball, which after veering in a dramatic loop, zoomed towards Harry.

Harry caught it automatically and examined it. It was a snitch toy in training mode. He’d seen one being used before in the Gryffindor common room although technically they weren’t designed to be used in such a confined space.

He tossed it back towards Connor.

“I don’t want to play.”

“C’mon I’m so bored, I’m losing my mind,” Connor begged. “Anyway,’ he reminded him lightly, ‘no one’s gonna be ready to sleep for ages yet.”

He threw the snitch towards Harry again.

Yeah, ok, I get it. Try to act normal.

“Isn’t this Jasper’s?” Harry inquired as he lobbed it back at him.

Connor seemed to be helping himself liberally to Jasper’s possessions at the moment. Not that the timid boy ever objected.

“So?” Connor replied with a disarming grin as his return nearly knocked the letter out of Theo’s hand. “It isn’t stealing if he gets it back in one piece.”

“Yeah if he does,” Harry repeated as Connor missed his return which rebounded off the wall and into the bed post.

“Trying to put me off my game by insulting me?” Connor said with mock indignation. “Just you wait, golden boy!”

***

It wasn’t until forty minutes has passed and several hasty Repairo spells had been cast that they all eventually began to get ready for bed.

In the end it was half eleven before they were finally able to sneak out.

Harry had had great difficulty restraining himself from slipping out of bed the instant that Jasper began snoring gently, but he already knew how lightly Theo slept and wanted to be absolutely certain it was safe before he made his move.

Eventually Harry felt he could risk it. Inching across the room on his tiptoes, he made his way to Connor’s bed using the faintest Lumos possible.

“Connor,” he breathed in his ear. “It’s time.”

There was no response. The boy had actually drifted into a deep sleep while he’d been waiting.

Frustrated, Harry muttered a silencing spell and reached out a hand to shake him slightly.

“Connor! Come on. Get dressed,” he told him quietly.

They’d both stashed clothes and footwear beneath their beds earlier. Connor quickly threw on trousers and a thick jumper.

As he slipped his shoes on Connor strained his eyes trying to make out what Harry was holding in his hands. He motioned at the small bundle, “Is that...”

Harry nodded and gestured towards the door.

As soon as they were outside the dorm, Harry shook the invisibility cloak out for Connor to see.

“Wow. That’s some cloak.”

“Come on.” Harry urged him. “We can both fit underneath, until we get outside.”

“I usually just transform in here.”

“And risk people wondering why a crow is flying around the castle?” Harry objected.

Connor shrugged. “People have all sorts of animals as familiars. Sod it, I guess I can wait till we’re outside.” He slipped under the cloak. “Bloody hell, you can see perfectly through this.”

“Yes,” Harry replied with a grin. I suppose I do kind of take the cloak for granted, I’m so used to it. “We still need to be quiet though, I’m not sure how long my silencing charm will last.”

They made their way down to the main castle entrance in silence.

“Do you just go out there?” Harry asked.

“Yeah.”

“And you don’t get caught.”

“I didn’t say that. I don’t always get caught. I do sometimes, usually by Snape but once by Filch. You got any better way out?”

Harry shrugged.

“Come on then,” he reached a hand out under his robe towards the handle. Moments later they were out in the moonlight.

“Ok, here’s when I transform,” Connor muttered before Harry saw the outline of his body shimmer lightly and the cloak flap loosely against his diminished form. With a slight flutter of wings Connor pressed against the cloak edge, which Harry lifted to free him.

Alone in the cloak Harry watched as the crow turned and cocked his head from side to side, as he scanned the area. It seemed a very human gesture on the avian form. Connor was obviously looking to see where Harry was, although, of course, there was no way he could he could hope to see him through the cloak.

Harry headed towards the lake but Connor remained rooted at the same spot.

“Come on,” Harry said in impatient tones not slowing his pace. “The lake remember?”

Connor obviously heard that well enough as he smoothly soared into the air and from that moment on it was Harry was jogging to keep up with him for all that he kept looping back.

***

When they were down by the lake, Harry stood at the edge of the bank close to the water. He was still covered by the invisibility cloak, so there was no way anyone could see he was there. Overhead Connor circled, scanning the area repeatedly.

Eventually he swept down to land in front of Harry.

“No sign?”

The crow shimmered briefly before Connor appeared in front of Harry once more in his human form.

“None,” he confirmed with a wide yawn, looking at the empty space where he knew Harry must be.

Harry rubbed his head with the palm of his hand beneath the cloak.

“You know, I don’t think it’s cloudy enough.”

“I’m sorry?”

“In my dream, when I saw Sirius, it was cloudier than it is here tonight. Windier too, I think.”

“Now you tell me.”

Beside them something rustled in the bushes at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The two boys looked at each other, then, Harry moved towards the sound.

“Sirius?”

“What are you doing, Harry?”

Ignoring Connor, Harry pushed his way into the thick undergrowth, disappearing completely from sight. Inside the forest it seemed much darker. Whatever had been moving in the bushes seemed to have fled.

Oh well, I’ve come this far.

Wand at the ready, should he need it, Harry pushed further in.

Suddenly, Harry noticed the outline of someone, or something, a short way off. He froze on the spot, his heart beating rapidly.

That’s not Sirius.

The massive form seemed to be staring right at him. It snorted and sniffed the air a few times, seemingly confused at smelling a creature it could not see.

“Harry?!”

Connor’s voice cut through the night and the beast pricked it’s ears up.

No!

Deliberately nosily, Harry knocked against the bushes beside him as he turned and ran. He veered further into the forest determined to lead the animal away from where Connor was waiting.

Scrambling through the undergrowth, it was almost pitch black apart from where gaps in the trees let in small fragments of moonlight. Rushing, Harry tripped against a tree root he couldn’t see and landed with a jolt catching himself mostly on his left wrist. Picking himself, and the invisibility cloak, up he realised it was a good thing he hadn’t landed on his other arm as he might have broken his wand.

“For fecks sake, Harry?!”

“I’m here,” Harry’s dishevelled form emerged from the forest some way off. He cradled his hand.

“Are you ok? Are you ready to go?”

Harry gave one last glance behind him. Somewhere out here Sirius is hiding, perhaps not in the forest, but somewhere.

“Please, Harry. We’ll come back.”

He’s alive and I will see him again. I just need to be patient.

“Harry?”

“Let’s go,” he said throwing the cloak over himself once more.

***

The next morning Connor smothered a yawn as he headed down to breakfast, glancing sideways at Harry as he did so. Apart from the shadows under his eyes, Harry showed no sign that he’d missed out on sleep the night before. He was definitely better at coping with tiredness than Connor was, in spite of the fact that he’d obviously woken up early as well. In fact by the time Jasper had shaken Connor awake Harry had already been up, showered and dressed.

“How’s your hand?” Connor asked in an undertone as they headed along the corridor.

Harry looked at him blankly for a moment as he struggled to pull himself back from his own thoughts.

“S’alright,” he replied with a shrug.

Certainly not bad enough to go to Poppy, Harry thought wryly as he headed into the main hall for breakfast. I’d rather not unleash a load of questions about how I managed to hurt myself.

He darted a quick glance towards the Professor’s table to check that Snape was back in one piece from last night’s meeting. Satisfied, he took the chair Ron had saved him and reached for his pumpkin juice with his good hand. He replayed the previous night’s events in his head as he absent-mindedly sipped his drink.

“...Harry?” he caught his name but he’d been oblivious to whatever Hermione’d been saying.

“Are you alright?” she said sounding concerned.

“Fine,” he replied automatically before lowering his voice and glancing at his injured wrist. “Well. That is... I’m ok, but do you think you could cast that healing spell you were practising the other day?’

Ron and Hermione shared a quick glance.

“You really should go to Poppy,” Hermione said eventually after taking a look at his wrist. “How did you do this?”

“No. No Poppy. I don’t want her to start asking questions... and I’m ok really.”

“Harry. You can talk to us.” Ron’s voice came out a bit gruffly. “About anything, you know. You can trust us, whatever it is.”

“I do know that,” Harry replied earnestly, beginning to feeling guilty that they were both worrying about him. “Look, not here, alright?”

Across the room, from the Slytherin table, Connor watched as the three of them abandoned their breakfasts and left the table.

***

“I don’t think that’s worked properly,” Hermione said biting her lip. “I think you needed the spell earlier for the swelling to be relieved.”

They were huddled in one of the empty classrooms beside the Great Hall.

“Well, it feels much better,” Harry told her honestly. “Thanks.”

“So what happened?” Ron asked.

“I, uh, fell over. Last night,” Harry said wishing with all his might that they wouldn’t demand to know all the details.

“How- where did you fall- how did it happen?” Ron asked again.

“Look, it’s not that I don’t trust you both, but I promised I wouldn’t say anything...and I’m ok honestly, I am.”

“Harry, is this to do with Sirius?” Hermione said carefully as she watched his face intently. “I’m right aren’t I? You’ve heard from him. That’s how you hurt yourself, you went to get a message to him or meet him or something last night?”

“I really can’t talk about it...” Harry tried to say firmly, but his eyes shone with the confirmation his mouth denied.

“Oh Harry,” Hermione hugged him tightly. “This is the best news ever.”

Ron too seemed caught up in the emotional current in the room. He slapped Harry on the shoulder a couple times; affectionate in his own awkward way.

“Mate. I’m bloody pleased for you, I know how much Sirius means to you...”

Abruptly the door slammed open and Connor was stood in the entrance his presence shattering the moment.

“Ten fecking minutes,” he told Harry furiously, his accent becoming broader as he raged. “You promised me you wouldn’t say anything, but you lasted the whole of ten minutes.”

Harry’d never seen the Irish boy looking so angry before. He’d rarely seen him looking serious but right now he was simply seething. His slim frame was taut with tension and his knuckles were clenched tightly by his sides. He’d obviously overheard Ron’s last comment and assumed that Harry had told them everything.

“Look, Connor...”

“No, I’m not fecking listening to anything you have to say any more. You’re a goddamn liar and I’m not having it, you’re on your own with your bloody dreams now and I hope it was worth it.”

The door slammed behind him as he stormed out.

“I’m sorry. I’d better go after him...” Harry darted a look of brief apology to his flummoxed friends before heading after him.

***

“Connor.”

“Stay the feck away from me, I’m warning you.”

They were back at their dorm on their own. Jasper and Theo were either still eating or on their way to Charms.

“I didn’t tell them anything,” Harry said patiently.

“Like hell you didn’t.”

“Honestly,” Harry walked right up to Connor and stood beside where he was sat on his bed.

“They guessed it was to do with my Godfather but I never said anything. And they had no idea that you were involved with this.”

Connor sprang to his feet fiercely.

“They just guessed? How in the name of Merlin did they guess that you were trying to meet your deceased Godfather?”

Harry didn’t back away.

“They knew I was happy,” he explained quietly. “I didn’t hide the fact that something brilliant had happened.”

Connor studied his face and eventually seemed to calm down a little.

“You’re fecking shit at keeping secrets, golden boy,” he said at last.

“Hey, you’re the one who just blurted everything out. We’re gonna have to tell them now. They know it’s to do with you.”

“We can just say I went with you. That you told me about your dream and we slipped out to see if it came true.”

“That won’t explain why you just bit my head off for giving away your secret,” Harry pointed out. “You can trust them, Connor. Honestly, you can. I’d trust them with my life.”

Connor seemed to come to a decision. He let out a great sigh.

“We’ll talk to them later. But I want to tell them and if I decide I don’t trust them you keep your gob shut, right?”

Harry nodded.

Connor still didn’t look very happy about the situation but at least he’d calmed down. Wordlessly they made their way to Charms where Harry smiled briefly at his friends to reassure them that everything was alright before he sat down.

The second lesson that morning was potions which Harry felt slightly apprehensive about. Although the days of Snape legilimising him to find out what he was thinking were behind them he had a sneaking suspicion that he’d realise that something was up as soon as he looked at him. And he had a very real concern that he’d blurt everything out, if Snape pressed him about it.

With his mind continually drifting back to Sirius, Harry struggled with the nutrient potion which they were making and kept relying on Hermione to prompt him. When even Ron nudged him to stop him from adding an ingredient at the wrong time, Harry realised he was all over the place. Catching sight of Snape’s dark eyes resting on him for a moment he knew he needed to shape up.

It was difficult though, as when he wasn’t thinking about last night his mind kept flickering back to his dreams about his Godfather. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about what he would do when he saw Sirius again. He would throw himself at him for an enormous hug and then they would talk for hours. They had so much to discuss. And whatever Sirius’ current problems were they would work through them together. Harry tried hard to keep his expression neutral and restrain himself from smiling too much. Concentrate, he chided himself mentally. You’ve lasted this long. You can hold on a little longer to see him.

With an enormous amount of effort Harry tried his best to focus on the task at hand. His potion was looking decidedly cloudy and not at all like Hermione’s smooth, royal blue. Perhaps if he added a little more powdered dertal stalks than the instructions said...

“Argh!” Harry quickly tried to smoother his yelp of pain.

Where he’d been trying to concentrate upon his work, he hadn’t noticed Neville reaching across him to borrow Hermione’s potion book. As he’d reached for the dertal stalks Neville had knocked against him clumsily. It wasn’t a particularly hard blow, but it had struck his sore wrist and it brought tears to Harry’s eyes.

“Sorry, mate.” Neville stared at him in concern.

Harry shook his head, needing a moment before he could speak.

“S’ok. My fault.” He said through gritted teeth, turning back to the potion.

“What happened to your hand?” Neville whispered, looking aghast at the swelling.

“Nothing, shutup,” Harry said quickly, looking to make sure Snape hadn’t seen but luckily he was at the other end of the room looking at Draco’s work.

The rest of the lesson seemed to take an eternity for Harry as his wrist throbbed incessantly. For a moment he considered asking Snape to help him before he noticed Connor watching him once more. I’ll get Hermione to cast the healing spell again, he decided. Anyway I can always go to Pomfrey later if it gets worse.

When the lesson ended Harry shoved his books into his bag ready for a quick getaway. He felt a sinking feeling, therefore, when Snape sharply called him back.

“Mr Potter, wait behind.”

“Um, it’s lunchtime, can I speak to you later?” he asked desperately.

Severus raised one eyebrow, not even deigning his question with a verbal response.

“Close the door behind you, Mr Weasley, Miss Grainger,” he ordered them pointedly.

Harry watched with his heart sinking as they closed the door, leaving him alone in the room with Snape. He swallowed nervously.

“Is everything alright, Harry?”

“Huh?” The genuine concern in Severus’ voice had totally disarmed him.

“It was unfortunate that other commitments meant I wasn’t able to be here for our training session last night. I know you were looking forward to practising the shields. But I also need you to tell me what’s happened.”

“What do you mean?” Harry tried to buy himself some time.

“You seem distracted, more so than usual. Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine honestly... that is... apart from the fact that I’m really tired at the moment,” Harry amended impulsively. Hermione and Ron guessed that something was up when I seemed overly happy. I won’t make that mistake again.

“You’ve been sleeping poorly again?”

“Yeah. Waking up quite a bit,” Harry elaborated. Well it’s nearly true, apart from the fact that I don’t think I even drifted off to sleep in the first place last night, he thought.

“Have you been having more dreams?”

Harry shook his head. “No, the lack of sleep is just making me a bit scatty though. I know I messed up the potion, I’m sorry.”

Severus’ dark eyes studied him carefully. “Forget about the potion, it isn’t important.”

Harry almost choked at Snape saying a ruined potion didn’t matter but was immediately distracted at the Professor’s next words.

“Now, show me your arm.”

Shit, he did notice my wrist, Harry realised. Bloody Neville. Why can’t he watch where he’s going or remember his own text book, next time?

Reluctantly Harry lifted his left arm gingerly and held it out.

Severus examined it gently with his deft, long fingers and Harry tried his best not to wince at even the faintest touch.

“You didn’t do this today.” It was a statement rather than a question but somehow Harry felt compelled to answer.

“Last night. Mucking about with Connor, I fell.”

“You didn’t go to Madam Pomfrey?”

“I, uh, well. I knew I’d see you this morning and was going to ask you for a potion, if I needed it.”

Severus slowly raised his eyes, from the injured arm and looked directly at him.

“I can see an attempt has been made to heal your wrist, poorly I might add.”

Harry was suddenly very glad that Hermione wasn’t witnessing this conversation.

“Um, yeah. It kind of got bumped during the lesson though...”

“Well if there’s damage to be done, we can rest assured that Longbottom will find a way.” Severus said scathingly before slowly realising Harry’s wrist and striding into his cupboard. He returned almost immediately with an assortment of bottles and jars.

“Drink this,” he handed Harry a pain relieving potion before opening a jar.

Carefully he rubbed the sticky, paste onto Harry’s wrist which tingled before cooling sharply.

Pointing his wand at the wrist, Severus murmured the healing incantation once more.

Rubbing another paste into his skin, this time more vigorously, the potions master eventually seemed satisfied.

“How does that feel?”

Harry nodded, “Good thanks.”

“You should advise Miss Granger that a standard healing spell will only offer temporary relief where swelling is present. Particularly in cases where the injury has been left untreated for some hours since it was first sustained.”

“Oh.”

“Next time, I expect you to seek assistance straight away.”

“Yeah, ok. Thanks.”

“So should we reschedule our training for this evening?”

“Oh. Um, yeah, that sounds good.” Although right now training is the last thing on my mind.

Snape looked at Harry carefully again, as if he was considering saying something else, but in the end he just said, “Eight o’clock then, Harry, in my rooms.”

***

The three of them were waiting for Harry in the corridor outside. Ron and Hermione were stood on one side of the door with Connor a few paces away, a clear physical divide separating him from the other two.

“It’s ok,” Harry reassured Connor. “He healed my wrist but I didn’t say anything.”

His eyes drifted to his two best friends.

“How about we have some lunch and then bunk off History of magic to go somewhere that we can talk?” he suggested.

It was a sign of just how eager Hermione was to hear the news that she didn’t object to skipping the class.

***

Harry showed Connor how to enter the room of requirements where Ron and Hermione were already waiting for them. When they entered the room bore obvious signs of Hermione’s wishes as it was furnished identically to the library, complete down to the shelves of real books and a long table at which they could all sit together.

“So,” Ron said simply when they entered. “Can you tell us now? Everything that’s been going on?”

Harry glanced at Connor, who stood next to the table observing them coolly.

“The thing is this isn’t just my secret. Part of it is to do with Connor...” Harry’s voice trailed off, not wanting to overstep the mark. Didn’t he say he wanted to be the one to decide when to tell them?

“You need to promise not to say anything,” Harry said at last. “Otherwise he won’t tell you.”

Ron frowned, “Of course I won’t say anything. If you say we should keep this secret, I won’t say a word.”

Hermione nodded, “That goes for me as well.”

Harry bit his lip as Connor watched them intently. He knew and trusted Ron and Hermione, they were like family to him. But how could he convince Connor who barely knew any of them, that they wouldn’t give his secret away?

There was a long pause as Connor seemed to be considering his options, staring first at Ron and then Hermione. Then all at once, something suddenly clicked in Harry’s mind. The way Connor was watching them, with that cool, calculating manner, it reminded him of Snape...

Furiously Harry dragged Connor aside and cast a silencing charm.

“Did you just Legilimise my friends?” He demanded angrily.

“I have to know what’s going on in their minds. I need to know if they’re likely to give me away.” Connor replied unapologetically.

“So you decide to legilimise them? You’ve got a bloody nerve, what if you’d hurt them? How do you even know about legilimency anyway?”

“What do you mean hurt them?” Connor replied incredulously. “And you already know I was home schooled, so we didn’t exactly follow a prescribed curriculum. More to the point how do you know about occlumency?”

“You...I knew I felt something on my shield yesterday.’ Harry was outraged. ‘You used legilimency on me!”

“Your shield? That’s a good one. I don’t know what the feck that is you’re using but it’s not any normal kind of occlumency, I tell you that.”

“Harry?” Hermione had got up and moved over towards them. They could hear her perfectly well although she had no way of hearing anything they said.

Harry breathed deeply, trying to calm down.

“Ok. You need to trust them. You’re just going to have to believe me when I say they won’t spread anything.”

“I’ve been keeping this a secret my whole life, Harry.”

“They won’t let you down. I swear they won’t, now can I tell them?”

“Knock yourself out,” Connor countered the silencing spell. “Go on then, golden boy. Tell them everything.”

***