Chapter 2

What did you think of classes?

Harry and Ron knew Hogwarts like the back of their hands. They knew the secret passages. They knew the ghosts and the house elves. They knew which steps to avoid and what day what stairway led where. They knew the teachers, or so they thought. Right in their first class they realized that sweet dear Aunt Minnie was strict Professor McGonagall. Harry wasn’t naïve, he heard the stories about his Aunt Minnie from the older students but he’d always thought they were exaggerating, today he found out they weren’t, and worst, she knew him and Ron like the back of her hand and was looking straight at them during parts of her no fooling around speech.

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“Good Morning Quineus. I hadn’t had the chance to welcome you back,” Sirius said brightly, “Found a way around the curse? Just take a year sabbatical between two years. You’re the first to get a second year on the position,” he finished clapping Quirrell’s shoulder and the Defense teacher gave a visible flinch

            “Yes, Q-quite. If y-you’ll excuse me-me I have to finish a c-class p-plan,” Sirius frowned at Quirrell’s retreating back. That was odd. Something really bad must have happened during last year for Quirrell to come back like that. He wasn’t that fidgety and scared before. Quite the contrary.

Sirius, of course, just like Snape would have loved the Defense position. But Dumbledore had explained why he wouldn’t give it to either. The position had been cursed since Dumbledore refused to hire Voldemort many years ago and no teacher had stayed more than a year. Quirrell was the first to come back after he taught a year and left for another. Dumbledore wanted both Sirius and Snape permanently on the staff. Snape because Dumbledore didn’t believe Voldemort was really dead, the curse still persisting was proof enough, and Snape’s other services may be needed again. And Sirius because of Harry. Nonetheless Snape applied for the position every year. Sirius didn’t bother, he liked his job and he wasn’t about to jeopardize the chance of being around Harry all year long because of a teaching position.

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Another class where Harry was disappointed was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry had been eager to learn from Quirrell because of the stories he had heard from Oliver, Charlie, Cedric, Angelina, Marcus and many others about his classes two years ago, but now he was convinced they had all had a collective dream because this was utterly boring. Defense was one of Harry’s favorite subjects. Unlike Ron, Harry had had extra classes with both his dad and Uncle Moony on the subject. They wanted Harry prepared to defend himself in case he needed. They were a little paranoid that way. His father even had his old boss Alastor Moody teaching Harry sometimes, and honestly he gave Harry the creeps.

Finally at lunch time they met Ginny at the Gryffindor table. They usually had lunch with them because all the Weasley kids were Gryffindors so this was nothing new. She was all exited telling them how now that she was the only student Remus was going to speed up what she was learning and that she’d probably be able to see a lot of first year stuff anyway, except for potions, Remus was rubbish at potions. Harry had laughed when his dad, teasing his friend, gave him a cauldron with a big sign saying “This side up.” Sirius had walked around with pink hair to the amusement of the students for a whole week.

Ginny had been talking to Hermione Granger who apparently was quite fascinated with the fact that someone that was not a student at the school had private tutoring at Hogwarts. Ginny of course, not wanting to spoil the moment that she knew Sirius was waiting for, forgot to mention that both Harry and Ron had had classes with her up until last year. Sirius had promised her photos and after all he did teach her that Bat Bogey hex that came in so handy when dealing with Fred and George.

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First Years had History of Magic as the first class on Tuesday morning and Sirius was grinning evilly. The little first years entered the class. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Now, of course there were a few that had older siblings and therefore already knew, but there were so many innocent little heads just waiting to cause mayhem and chaos.

“Good Morning class,” he said.

“Good Morning,” they all answered and he heard the usual “Oh, he’s so handsome” that he always heard. Truth be told; he was quite vain and liked the swooning. He smirked at his son’s gagging face. He had had several girlfriends during the years, never really finding one to settle down like James did. But they had never met Harry; he would only introduce one he felt that had some future, though Harry knew about his girlfriends. There was no way not to and he had a no lying to his son policy.

“Now, I am Professor Sirius Black,” he said waving his wand and his name appeared in the Black board big as a house, “and I should start with the call sheet. He called the names and the students answered until he got to the name he wanted and paused for effect.

“Harry Potter…Black”

Harry raised his hand glaring daggers at his father. Whisper went through the class, Hermione could be heard, “Did he say Black?”

 Years of experience had taught him that no matter how many times Harry yelled his whole name people stopped listening at Potter. He wanted to make sure the whole school and therefore their parents, especially the Death Eaters that weaseled their way out of Azkaban, knew that he was with his son everywhere. And even though the Daily Prophet proffered to tell people about Harry’s life most of it was made up and rarely mentioned Sirius or what he did for a living. Making Harry become redder than Ron’s hair was just an added bonus.

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Friday came and what Harry had always heard was confirmed. Professor Snape was the most horrible teacher ever. He tried to pick on Harry in front of the whole class and deducted points when Harry answered all the questions right for being cheeky. After class Harry told Ron to run ahead and stayed behind on the pretense of trying to talk Snape in giving the points back. After the last student left Snape waved his wand and the door was closed and Harry knew that a silencing charm had been put in place.

“Yes,” Snape raised an eyebrow.

“That was harsh Uncle Sev,” Harry raised an equal eyebrow.

Despite Sirius and Snape’s differences which now a days where kept mostly for amusement then real rivalry, Harry through sheer child innocence and stubbornness had managed to warm his way through the cold Potions Master’s heart.

“You know why,” he answered.

“Yeah, I know, appearances,” Harry sighed and then got to the point he wanted; “Did you do something to me during the feast?”

“How so?”

“My head hurt. Right here,” he said pointing at his scar, “It was just a quick stab of pain, but weird. And I was looking at you at that moment.”

Snape frowned and beckoned Harry closer.

“Did you tell your father?”

“No, I didn’t want you two to fight,” Harry said.

“I didn’t do anything Harry. What was I doing when you felt the pain?”

Harry bit his lip in thought and answered, “Talking to Quirrell, he had his back to me.”

Snape examined Harry’s forehead but the scar was as white as ever, “If you feel pain again tell me, Sirius, Remus, Minerva or Albus immediately understood?”
Harry nodded, “What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know but I don’t like it. I’ll talk to Sirius and Albus. We’ll figure things out,” he messed Harry’s hair, “Now go and look appropriately downtrodden.”

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“What do you mean his scar hurt?” Sirius cried annoyed.

“Exactly what I just said,” Snape answered equally annoyed.

“Gentlemen, calm down,” Dumbledore said calmly from behind his desk.

“What do you think this means? This has never happened before,” Remus asked.

“Harry could have just had a headache,” Dumbledore said.

“You don’t believe that,” Snape stated, “Exactly on his scar. Now, when we are guarding what we are guarding.”

“No, I don’t. Nevertheless Sirius should take Harry to Poppy for a check up. Just to be sure,” Dumbledore said.

“Do you think Quirrell has something to do with this? He is the only unknown factor,” Remus reasoned.

“I can’t suspect Quineus just because of a child’s headache,” Dumbledore answered.

“But you can because he has been acting weird,” Sirius said, “The other day I touched him and he almost jumped a mile. And he couldn’t get away fast enough.”

“Maybe the rumors are true and he encountered something that frightened him. He was just a scholar before. He didn’t have any field experience,” Dumbledore reasoned.

“But you are keeping an eye on him anyway aren’t you?” Remus stated more than asked.

“Yes, I can’t take chances. But I don’t want to jump to conclusions. We did that once and if not for your extreme conviction on your friend Remus, Sirius would have been carted to Azkaban without questioning. You are the sole reason that he never ended up there,” Dumbledore said gravely and Sirius shuddered. He still remembered the questioning, the taste of Veritasserum and the Dementors that didn’t leave his side until Crouch was satisfied of his innocence. He couldn’t imagine years of that. A few hours still gave him nightmares at times.

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Ron and Harry had been enjoying an afternoon of chatting with Hagrid and avoiding his rock cakes when someone called at the door. When Hagrid opened he was met by the grinning face of one of his colleagues.

“Come in Sirius, want some cake?”

Sirius was about to refuse when Harry said, “He’d love some. Dad looooves cake.”

Sirius glared at his son but as he sat at the table he was obliged to take one of the cakes.

They kept talking a while and when they said their goodbyes Sirius turned to his laughing son.

“Not funny Harry. I like my teeth thank you very much.”

“That was payback. You know the harassment I had to endure? there was Lavander and Parvati ‘Oh Harry your dad is so cute. How is he outside of class? What does he like?’ and Hermione, ‘Oh, Harry you must know loads. Do you think you can tutor me? Do you think your dad could?’ A nightmare I tell you!”

Sirius chuckled and turned to an equally chuckling Ron, “Ron can you go up to the Tower alone? I have to take Harry somewhere.”

Ron looked at Harry who shrugged, “Okay, see you Harry” and left.

“Where are we going?”

“To see Poppy about your headache,” Sirius answered leading the way. Harry groaned.

“But I’m okay dad! It was just a little headache. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Yes you should,” Sirius said seriously, “And if your scar hurts again I want to know immediately understood.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry mumbled. At the Hospital Wing Madam Pomfrey examined Harry thoroughly but couldn’t find anything wrong. At the end Harry was looking expectantly but nothing happened.

“Where’s my candy?” he asked.

“You are a grown young man now Harry. Hogwarts’ student. Candies are for small children,” she said.

“But,” he gaped and tried to give her his best puppy eyes.

“That doesn’t work on me young man,” she huffed, but then giggled, ruffled his hair and gave him a chocolate frog.

Exiting the Wing Sirius sighed, “I am so proud. A perfect Marauder.”

Harry grinned and then remembering his talk with Hagrid asked his dad, “Dad, where they trying to break in the vault Hagrid emptied at Gringotts when we met him there on my birthday?”

Sirius stiffened, “Why would you think that?”

“So they were?”

“That’s none of your business Harry.”

“Yep, they were. You only avoid a question when you can’t answer without lying to me.”

Sirius knelt in front of his son and told him sternly, “Harry, this is not something you should know. Please don’t go digging in the subject. There’s no need for you to worry about this subject.”

Harry shrugged, “I was just curious dad. I won’t go looking for any information, I promise.”

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Snape was brooding. Something was off and he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what. He knew Quirrell was up to no good but how to prove it. Harry’s headache wasn’t enough. He smiled. Harry. He still remembered the first time the child had tried to befriend him. He was three and had been at Hogwarts for a week. He came to him during dinner with a piece of parchment and handed it to him with a smile.

“What’s this?” he’d sneered at the kid. The boy was a little taken aback but valiantly answered.

“A dwawing fow your dungeon.”

“And what, pray tell, would I want a drawing for?”

“Cause Uncle Moony said you’re gwumpy because the dungeon is dark. So I made a dwawing for you too put up and have colows and be less gwumpy,” he answered brightly and innocently.

Remus coughed. Sirius out right laughed. Albus patted Remus’ back and Minerva had a hand covering her twitching lips.

Snape glared at Remus.

“Did he now? Well I don’t need this,” he tried to give the drawings back. But Harry wouldn’t take it.

“No it’s fow you Uncle Sevvy,” he said brightly and ran to his father side. Snape kept mouthing Uncle Sevvy and switching between gapping at the child and glaring at his so called Uncle Moony.

From then on Harry had given Severus a picture a week and always called him Uncle Sevvy no matter how many times he glared, sneered or towered the kid. He was getting quite frustrated. Older children were terrified of him and this kid kept coming and calling him Uncle Sevvy. He had decided long ago that Potter’s son had to be just like his father. That he had no right living when she didn’t. But as he came back every day he saw more and more of her. Her eyes. Her smile. Her determination not to let him lock himself up. He missed her, he missed everything about her. His best and only true friend. A friend he lost to his own stupidity. But Harry would never know. He’ d hate him and he couldn’t lose him too. Harry had this valiant image of him as a spy, he never even considered that Severus had joined Voldemort by his own free will and repented afterwards. No Harry just thought about the sacrifice he made. The risks he’d taken.

 With time he mellowed a little but he would be loath to admit it. Until the day that mutt of a father of Harry’s allowed him on a broom by himself at the age of four. He had to admit the kid had talent but he was four and consequently got scared at an owl that flew too close and lost his balance falling to the floor. They had managed to break his fall but Harry still bumped his head and was knocked out. He, spy for the Order, former Death Eater, who had been in many life or Death situations, had never been so scared in his entire life. They had rushed the child to the Hospital Wing and Poppy had treated him and declared that he would recover but none of the people there believed her until Harry woke up the next day as if nothing had happened. For the first time in their life, Severus Snape, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin spent over twelve hours in each other’s company without uttering a single insult.

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All in all Harry was having a nice life as a Hogwarts student. On the first week Oliver had approached him about trying out for seeker and of course Harry did and was chosen among the very few that tried. Not many wanted to be seeker. It was the hardest job. The beaters always tried to take out the Seeker and the seeker only got to see some action when the snitch showed up. The broom problem was also solved. After he got chosen his dad decided to donate a new full set of Nimbus two thousands for the school to be used. The donation was to the school and not one specific team, meaning any of the teams could borrow the brooms at any time. So Harry promptly booked a broom for all the scheduled practices and games. Sirius decided to do that because as a teacher he couldn’t be biased towards one team even being Deputy Head of Gryffindor. Harry strongly suspected that this decision had not only his Uncle’s hand but whole arm.

Speaking of flying, their first official flying lesson had been scheduled with the Slytherins. All students were required to participate no matter if they had learned to fly from Madam Hooch herself. Harry groaned. If there was one person in this world he did not like at all that was Draco Malfoy Harry had managed to avoid confrontation with him until now even having to work hard to block out him snickering at every jibe Harry took in potions. That was one of the main reasons he disliked Malfoy. He was one of the Death Eater’s children that would report Snape’s behavior toward the Boy-Who-Lived to his parents. Harry had tried to be neutral to Malfoy at first, keeping in mind that his dad and Aunt Andy had come from the same Dark family as Malfoy and were nothing like them but ever since they were little and were forced to interact in public functions that his dad as head of the House of Black and representative to the Heir of the House of Potter had to be present. Malfoy had been an annoying, stuck up little snot that reminded him strongly of his cousin Dudley. Harry only knew Dudley because once a year he was forced to spend a week at his Aunt house to renew the blood protection his mother left him.

Now he was facing having to spend an hour listening to his other annoying cousin about how well he flew. The students hurried to the grounds in time for the lesson.  Twenty brand new brooms were lying in two neat lines. Harry took one in between Neville Longbottom and Ron. Harry knew Neville from the same events where he’d met Malfoy and knew Neville lacked confidence, and that mixed with a broom was just an accident waiting to happen. He also knew that Malfoy would use this opportunity to bully Neville and that would just make things worse so when Madam Hooch gave her instructions Harry decided to give Neville his own.

“Don’t be scared Neville. The broom is like a dog, it knows if you’re scared. You’re the boss here. You’re the one in charge.”

“Up,” Neville kept saying but nothing happened.

“It’s like any other magic. You just have to believe you’ll do it. Without thinking much. You know you can boss the broom around and therefore it will obey you. I know you can do this Neville.”

“UP,” Neville said with more conviction at Harry’s last words and the broom flew to his and. He gave a little start of surprise and smiled at Harry.

“Thanks.”

“Gryffindors stick together,” Harry said mimicking one of his dad’s favorite sayings. The rest of the class went fairly calm.

“Good lesson. Those of you interested in continuing please sign up in the sheet in my office. Those of you who don’t need or don’t want to continue will be dismissed. Oh, and ten points to Gryffindor Mr. Potter Black for aiding a classmate,” Madam Hooch said at the end of class. As the students went away Malfoy sneered from behind Harry:

“Saint Potter couldn’t help himself, had to play the hero.”

“That’s Potter Black, cousin. And I just helped a friend. Why don’t you go look up the meaning of the word in the dictionary, I know you are only used to goons,” Harry hissed nodding at Crabbe and Goyle who were in their usual bodyguard position behind Malfoy.

“You’re so full of yourself just because your daddy is a teacher here Potter.”

“Potter Black! And at least I can be proud of what my father does. What about you?”

Malfoy seethed with anger and spat, “Then prove you don’t need your daddy, meet me at midnight in the trophy room for a duel.’

“Done, Ron’s my second.”

Malfoy paled and Harry knew he hadn’t expected him to accept, “Crabbe,” he spluttered.

“See you then, cousin.”