Chapter 8-  And the year ends

After the initial shock dimmed a little another thought seized Harry powerfully.

“He saw you,” he said worriedly.

“What?” Severus asked from his seated position on the bed.

Harry sat up on the bed properly leaving Severus embrace and said.

“It was your voice I heard down in the chamber. You where the one there. Voldemort saw you. He’ll know! You can’t spy anymore.”

Severus sighed. He had hoped Harry wouldn’t figure that one out. He and Dumbledore had already decided on a course of action.

“He may not have recognized me,” he tried but at the boy’s skeptic look he amended, “He probably saw me. Albus and I talked about this, but if the time comes that I have to be at his side again I will show up and if he asks me I’ll say I never suspected him to be with Quirrell. That I was just stopping a greedy wizard and trying to stay on Dumbledore’s good side. We can only hope he buys it.”

“No,” Harry shook his head desperately, “It’s too dangerous.”

“If the Dark Lord ever comes back Harry, we will need spies, and I am in the best position to do so. But I don’t want you to worry about that. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Harry was not appeased by this. Dumbledore had always believed that sooner or later Voldemort would rise again and Harry always worried what would happen to his family then. All of them were in the thick of it. But Uncle Sev was the one with the most dangerous position. One single moment of suspicion from Voldemort would cost the man his life.

“How did you know how to get to me Uncle Sev?” he asked tiredly as he laid back down on his Uncle’s chest.

“Your friends came looking for me. They had thought you had gone to tell Remus about your suspicion, but the moon was almost up and you were not back yet. Young Mr. Weasley knew you couldn’t be with Remus since Remus never lets you near him hours before moonrise. I think he even suspected that you never had the intention of going to Remus since he would have been of little help that night. So they came to me. I rushed down and had to go through the traps, I was so scared I’d been too late.”

“Ron came to you Uncle Sev. I think you’re losing your touch,” Harry tried to joke but his eyes were dropping already. Severus stroked his hair lulling him back to sleep.

XXXXXXXXX

The next time Harry woke he found Sirius by his bedside grading papers.

“Hello pup,” he said cheerfully.

Harry stretched and said, “Hi dad.”

“Hagrid was here earlier, he wanted to see you. He handed his resignation to Dumbledore but Dumbledore didn’t accept,” Harry was shocked.

“What? Why?”

“Seemed to think he was at fault,” Sirius eyed Harry and raising an eyebrow said, “I have to hand it to you Harry. In all my Hogwarts years I never smuggled dragon eggs.”

Harry smiled sheepishly while he sat down properly.

“I still say you should have come to me but I now understand that there was more at stake than saving a friend from detention. Hagrid could have been thrown in Azkaban for that, so I am lifting your allowance suspension that I had first planed to lift around the time that mess happened.”

Harry grinned at this. Not much for the money. He knew that even without pocket money he’d get what he wanted by asking his dad, but because this meant is dad had forgiven him.

“When do I get out of here?”

“If you’re lucky for the feast,” Harry pouted, “You got seriously injured son and its best if you don’t strain yourself.”

“S’boring.”

“I know,” Sirius chuckled.

The doors to the wing opened a crack and a small head pocked in. She smiled, turned back and yelled:

“He’s up,” and she bounded to a seat next to the bed.

“Hello Sirius.”

“Hello Ginny,” Sirius said getting up.

Neville, Ron, Hermione and the twins followed Ginny’s lead making a weird circle around Harry’s bed.

“Now, I’ll leave you youngsters alone but don’t tire Harry out.”

“DAD!”

“Don’t look at me like that. Poppy said you need all the rest you can get,” Sirius said leaving. As the doors closed behind him the onslaught began.

“Quirrell kidnapped you?”

“Snape saved you?”

“You faced You-Know-Who?”

Harry didn’t have the time to think about one question before another came so he put to fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply.

“OK! Now you can talk,” he said as he caught their attention, “How did you find out about Voldemort?”

“The whole school knows what happens,” Hermione explained, “When we went to find Professor Snape Nearly Headless Nick saw us and though Snape sent us back to our dormitories I think Nick followed him.”

Great! Now the whole school knew Severus was the one to save him. So in the unlikely event that Voldemort didn’t recognize him, his Death Eaters would be very eager to fill him in.

“How did you do it?” came Neville’s shy question.

“Dunno exactly,” Harry shrugged, “I was told that because of my mom’s sacrifice Quirrell couldn’t touch me. All I knew was that he was hurting and I just grabbed him and hoped that someone would find us before I passed out and let him go.”

“Guess Snape isn’t all that bad then. I’ll do my best not to call him a Greasy Git to his face,” Ron said.

“It would be best to not call him that at all,” Ginny pointed out.

“Impossible,” Ron, Fred and George cried at the same time.

Wanting to change the subject and feeling mischievous Harry asked innocently.

“So, how did you two know where I was?”

“Hum, you know, hum, luck,” Fred mumbled. The others looked at him and George skeptically.

“Really? Luck,” Harry shrugged, “Too bad then. I guess I’ll have to tell Uncle Moony he was wrong.”

“Who?” Neville, Ginny and Hermione asked. Harry was very careful not to call Remus Uncle Moony in company of other students and only his best friend had been privy to the Marauders tales. Fred and George where still mouthing ‘Uncle Moony’ when Ron asked.

“So he thinks he knows. Does Padfoot think so too?” glad that his friend was catching on so fast Harry took the bait. Ron wasn’t as thick as he liked people thought.

“Yes but I think they’re wrong seeing as this was luck. Alas, they’ll be disappointed,” he faked sighed and this took Fred and George out of their stupor. Fred seized Harry and George seized Ron and they started shaking them.

“You know them? You know the Marauders?” Fred yelled.

“Tell us!” George demanded.

Ginny and Hermione tried to bat Fred from Harry while Neville tried to pry George’s grip on his brother.

Sirius poked his head back inside just in time to see Neville holding tight on George and both Ginny and Hermione hauling Fred to a seat.

“Everything ok?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Everything just dandy dad,” replied a ruffled Harry.

Very reluctantly, and with an expression that said that he was not fooled, Sirius left.

“Spill Harry, “George demanded, “Do you know them?”

“I may, I may not,” Harry said inspecting his fingernails.

“Harry, we need to know!” Fred cried desperately.

“It’s not that hard to figure out,” Ron said.

“Who are you talking about?”

“The Marauders, a group of Mischief Makers that attended Hogwarts about twenty years ago and went by the nicknames of Moony, Padfoot and Prongs,” Ron said.

“And Wormtail,” Fred said thinking he at least knew something the other boys didn’t.

“I wouldn’t remind Moony and Padfoot of that Fred,” Harry said coolly.

“Why?” George.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, “It’s obvious isn’t it. Four friends that went to Hogwarts twenty years ago. If you think that the nicknames have meanings than Moony is Professor Lupin because-“ she paused looking at Neville.

“It’s ok Hermione. I know. Professor Lupin was a very good friend of my parents and when Ron and Ginny started getting lessons with him he offered me a spot and told Grams about his condition. Grams didn’t have a problem with it but she didn’t want me gone all day long. So I was home schooled.”

“Oh, ok. Well than that’s Moony. I heard Professor Black is a dog Animagus and so that’s Padfoot.”

“Yeah, and my first dad transformed into a stag, thus Prongs.”

“You’re the heir to the marauders,” Fred said faintly.

“We’ve been taught by one. We’ve been in the presence of two for three years!” George cried a little hysterically.

Sirius chose that moment to come back in, “Ok, visit ov-humph” he got the air knocked out of him as the twins jumped him and held tight to his waist while kneeled.

“WE LOVE YOU PROFESSOR PADFOOT!” came both voices in unison. Sirius could just glare at his laughing son.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Madam Pomfrey relented to Harry’s pleas and let him out in time for the leaving feast. Gryffindor had to forfeit the last game so Slytherin won the Quidditch Cup because of twenty points. That meant that they also won the House cup passing Gryffindor that was in second by fifty points. Hermione had managed to gain back some of the points Harry and Ron had lost but with the loss in Quidditch it just wasn’t enough. Even though they lost both cups the Gryffindors were once again talking to Harry. Harry attributed this to his encounter with Voldemort.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat, “Another year gone and now we must face that horrible time of year where you must do nothing but relax. Yes, I know how you dread the days without homework, classes and detentions. But fear not. They will be awaiting you in September. Until then you must be strong,” laughter was heard all around, “Before I leave you to this wonderful feast I must award a few last minute points. To Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley for overcoming preconceived notions and seeing more than meets the eyes, fifteen points each.”

Applauses were heard all along and Hermione and Ron looked dumbfounded, “To Mr. Harry Potter for outstanding courage and pure nerve in the face of impossible odds, twenty points. And this calls for a change of decoration,” as Dumbledore clapped his hands half the Green and Silver flags that adorned the Great Hall turned Gold and Red and the Gryffindor table roared in applauses and cheers.

From the corner of his eyes Harry saw his Uncle Sev shaking McGonagall’s hand stiffly. Slytherin and Gryffindor tying for the House Cup had to be a first.

The whole hall broke in laughter when Sirius launched himself at Severus, hugging him and crying, “Finally together Sevvy!” Even the Slytherins were having a hard time holding their laughter while Remus tried to pry his friend from a murderous looking Severus.

XXXXXXXXX

The ride to Kings Cross was fairly normal. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville shared a compartment and shared the very tasty snacks that the house-elves gave Harry when he went to say goodbye to Kreacher. At the Platform Harry met the Grangers and exchanged phone numbers. Than he and Remus, that had ridden in anther compartment to give the children privacy, walked to an empty alley from where they apparated to a shadowy corner of Privet Drive. They then walked to Number four and Remus knocked. After a moment the door opened to reveal a blond woman with an expression of extreme distaste.

“Good afternoon Petunia. How was your year,” Remus said pleasantly. Harry really admired this talent Remus had to keep a pleasant tone no matter what.

“You’re here,” she huffed.

“Yes, we are.”

“Well, then get in before the neighbors see you,” she said impatiently.

Remus and Harry got in and headed to the smallest room in the house where they found a bunk bed, a desk and two chairs.

“Such a pleasant woman,” Remus said closing the door and Harry grinned.

Harry hated having to come here. But that was the only way to keep his mother’s protection. And his Grandfather confirmed to Harry that that protection is what saved him in his encounter with Voldemort. He realized more than ever how much he needed it. As long as he could call this place home and have the intention to come back at least once a year the protection would last until he turned seventeen. It didn’t matter if he had other homes.

Harry put his rucksack on the top bed so Remus could take the bottom. Sirius and Remus had been adamant. They would only let Harry back here if one of them stayed with him. Petunia hadn’t wanted one wizard much less two, but Sirius told her that they didn’t need the protection because they could always put other spells on Harry. That was a lie but she didn’t need to know that. Since she wanted the protection for her family she had to give in. Petunia may call wizards freaks but she knows they are human beings before being freaks. And she knows that foul human beings would have no problem taking revenge on her for what her sister did to their master. Even if she had kept herself away from the wizarding world. And she wasn’t about to be unprotected.

Harry sighed and prepared himself for the worst part of the year for him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As predicted Harry was having an awful time that was made even more awful by the fact that no one seemed to bother to reply his letters.

“Children don’t usually write letters all the time,” Remus had said but that did not improve Harry’s mood.

Two whole weeks of being holed up in this house had passed. Harry and Remus avoided going outside because the Dursleys had spread the rumor that they were insane, and they didn’t appreciate all the staring. So they mostly kept to their room. Harry doing his homework and Remus doing his research and writing articles for many magazines under a penname. He had very controversial ideas exposed in these articles and didn’t want them to bring attention to the fact that The Boy Who Lived lived with a werewolf.

The only conversations he had other than with Remus were with Sirius through a two way mirror. Sirius was up at Hogwarts trying to let everything ready for September so he could take Harry to Kings Cross this time.

The most dreaded part of the day in Harry’s opinion was dinner. His Uncle Vernon left early for work so they didn’t see him at breakfast or lunch, but at dinner he had no problems taking jibes at Harry, Remus and Harry’s parents. More than once Harry noticed Remus knuckles going extremely white around his fork and knife and he could almost hear him gritting his teeth. Harry knew that like him his Uncle was holding back by a thread.

If Harry did go out he had to contend with Dudley’s gang. Fortunately his guardians and Moody had taught him muggle defense and Harry was fast so he could almost always outrun them. Almost. One time he tripped and Piers Polkiss got to him and punched him in the stomach. He was about to get the second punch when a very angry Remus Lupin showed up from nowhere and lifted Piers easily from Harry. The rest of the gang scampered but Remus had time to grab Dudley by his collar.

Remus had then hauled both boys with Harry at his tows to the Polkiss’s and ranted with Mrs. Polkiss that the next time he would press charges against her son. He then hauled Dudley back to Privet Drive where a shouting match that Harry heard from his room ensued.

 “My Diddykins would never do that. He must have been trying to protect himself from that hoodlum freak!” Petunia screeched.

“Four against one Petunia! We warned you we would not stand for anything like this. I’ll just pack up and Harry and I will be gone for good,” he had yelled and Harry could see he had turned marching to the stairs. After a second of silence where Remus was already on the first step Petunia said in a pained voice:

“No, wait. I’ll talk to Dudley, this won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” Remus said coldly and marched upstairs.

Harry quickly scampered to seat at the bed and look innocent. Remus banged the door behind him and started pacing and clenching and unclenching his fists.

“How these......people,” he spluttered, “can be related to Lily is beyond me.”

XXXXXXXXX

Harry ran to the drawing room of Grimmauld Place and launched himself at Sirius hugging him like there was no tomorrow. Sirius lifted him a second then put him down.

“Missed me?”

“You are the best dad ever. If I ever forget I allow you to smack me really hard,” Harry said not letting go.

“I don’t smack you,” Sirius said seriously as he watched his best friend drop on the couch exhaustedly as if he hadn’t had a relaxed moment in weeks.

“That bad,” he flinched.

“I swear they get worse every year,” Remus said tiredly.

“Well no more bad mood,” Sirius pouted, “Now we get on with the fun. Marauder Summer.”

“What?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Well, Charlie Weasley contacted me. Apparently the Weasleys had intended to invite you to go with them on Christmas but with you being grounded they changed their mind. So Charlie said we could go visit Norbert now.”

“Really,” Harry was jumping on the balls of his feet.

“Yeah, yeah. A week on the reserve. We’ll be back just in time for the moon.”

“Great! Did you hear that Uncle Moon-“ Harry said turning but stopped at the sight that met him. He and Sirius chuckled and putting a finger to his lips Sirius motioned for Harry to follow him out. And so they left a peaceful sleeping Remus on the couch.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The reserve was great. Harry was having such a blast that he didn’t even notice the continue lack of letters. He saw Norbert who apparently was really Norberta. She was bigger than Hagrid’s Hut and Charlie said she would still grow a lot. Harry couldn’t believe she had fitted in that egg.

He got to see many other dragons and watch the handlers try to subdue one that had been hurt but wouldn’t let anyone near to treat him. It took ten simultaneous stunners to put him down.

Harry got to fly the Nimbus 2000 he got for his 11th birthday like he wouldn’t have been able in London and play fetch with Padfoot.

Remus was in heaven. He grilled the handlers for everything from dragon care to regulation. Harry could almost see invisible rolls of parchment being written in his Uncle’s head.

All in all the Lupin-Potter-Black family had a very enjoyable holiday and was able to cleanse themselves from the Dursleys.

They did have a nasty shock when they entered Grimmauld Place.