The day after the Christmas holidays ended, Harry received a message from Lupin.  Jardin claimed to have already read the letter and was spouting all sorts of things he thought Harry would need to face the boggart or another dementor.  Harry deliberately ignored the raven, blocking off the chatter from his thoughts and opening the letter at the same time.

Harry,

I just found a boggart yesterday and, if you’re willing, we can start today.  Three o’ clock, alright?  If so, look at the Head Table and nod.

Lupin

Harry looked towards the Head Table, met Lupin’s eyes, and nodded before turning to the angrily cawing Jardin.

< Harry, are you listening to me?  HARRY! >

I’m listening, I’m listening…

< Doesn’t seem that way. >

Yeah, well…

< You weren’t listening, were you? >

…

< Tell the truth now.  Or I’ll search for it. >

Oh, alright.  Bloody brigand.  That’s an invasion of my privacy, y’know!

The raven turned a golden eye towards him and stated, < And your point is? >

Harry sighed and let his head fall onto the table.

Nevermind.  No, I wasn’t listening.  Anything else?

< Hermione told McGonagall about your mysterious Firebolt. >

She did WHAT?

< Oh, that’s not the best part. >

Harry groaned and tilted his head enough to glance through slitted eyes at the raven.

Please don’t tell me…

< Yep.  McGonagall confiscated it this morning.  Right after you left Arx Serpens. >

“Dammit,” growled Harry in both voices.  Where’s Mione?

< Whatever for? >

Because I want to yell and scream at her.

< She’s only looking out for your well-being. >

Against what?  She made no objections when Da sent me my Nimbus before second year.

< She wasn’t there, remember? >

Riiiiight…  Well…  Bloody piss and sod.  Piss and sod and hell spawn.  Aitchaìn delrétch omphê.

< What? >

Elven.

< I noticed that.  But that’s an ancient form of Elven.  That’s… >

The Language of the High Elves.

Jardin blinked.

< Yes.  That’s right.  How did you know? >

Books.

< Tell me another. >

Da’s ancestor married an Elven princess.

< Now how come I just now heard this? >

I’ve been speaking Elven since last term, Jar, sighed Harry.

< And you didn’t think to send me a memo? >

Harry rolled his eyes and rose from the table.

I’m going to find Mione.  Coming?

< No, thank you.  I believe I shall finish off your plate. >

Be my guest.

Jardin attacked the remains of food left on Harry’s plate as the boy stalked out of the Great Hall, heading for the fourth floor and the entrance to Gryffindor Tower by every secret passage he knew

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

“Merlin.  Excalibur.  Fiddlesticks.  Piffle.  Hex.  Quidditch.  Quaffle.  Bludger.  Snitch.  SOD!”

The Fat Lady shook her head and said, “Try again, dearie.”

Harry scowled and it hit him.

“Slytherin’s suck.”

The portrait swung open and he stepped into the Gryffindor common room, frowning slightly at the brightness.  He spotted Dean and Seamus doing their homework at a nearby table and said loudly, “Ye need ter get a new password.”

The two boys jumped at least ten feet and stared at him with wide eyes.

“H-how’d you get in here?” stammered Seamus.

Harry pointed over his shoulder at the open portrait-hole and said, “The door.  Where’s Hermione?”

“Hermione?” said Dean in confusion.

“Yes, Hermione, ye bumbling idiot.  Is she in here?”

The two boys were obviously too surprised to notice the Snape in that scathing remark and pointed at the staircase leading up to the girl’s dormitory.  Harry nodded to them and headed towards it, ignoring both boys surprised yells.

“Hey!”

“You can’t go up there!”

Harry took the steps three at a time until he arrived at the third years dorm.  He knocked on the door politely, barely controlling himself from transfiguring it into a bat and beating Hermione over the head.

“Come in,” called a girl’s voice and he entered.

Chaos ensued.  Harry saw Parvati diving into the bathroom with Lavender at her heels as Taya Sykes hid behind the curtains on one of the beds.  Hermione simply sat dumbly on her bed during all this, staring at Harry with wide eyes.

When the shrieking finally subsided Harry narrowed his eyes at Hermione and growled, “We need ter talk, Hermione.  Now.”

Hermione nodded numbly and slid off her bed, walking past him out onto the stairs.  Harry frowned at the quivering Taya and chittering Parvati and Lavender before closing the door with a snort and grabbing Hermione by the arm.  He dragged her down the stairs, through the common room, and out into the hall where he shook her violently.

“What in the bloody hell were ye thinking going ter McGonagall?!”

“Of you!” cried Hermione as she wrenched herself from his grasp.  Living beside Niamh must have rubbed off on her, as she lifted her chin defiantly in a manner not unlike the Slytherin and said, “I was thinking of you.”

“Me?” said Harry.  “Then why McGonagall?  Ye know she’s hates me.”

“No, she doesn’t.”

Harry scoffed but made no reply.  He sighed and asked, “Why did ye tell her anyway?  About the Firebolt?”

“Because…”

“Because why?” growled Harry, his fingers unconsciously tapping his wand.

“Because Sirius Black could have sent it!”

Harry snapped back as though he had been hit, eyes wide with shock.  He grabbed her wrist and snarled, “How do ye know about Black?  How?!”

Hermione stared at him fearfully and replied in a bit of a shriek, “I over heard Niamh and Ginny talking!  They said he was after you!”

Harry cursed fluently, letting go of Hermione and turning to punch the wall behind him.  Blood spurted from his knuckles and Hermione cried out, rushing forward, but Harry pushed her back.

“Its fine,” he growled, meeting her eyes hard enough that she took a step back from the force in them.  “But now McGonagall knows we know.”

“About Black?”

“What else were we talking about?”

“So…”

“So, that means we’ll most likely be Obliviated.”

“Obliviated?  WHY?”

Harry sent her an exasperated look and spat, “Surely ye can figure that out on yer own.”  He tore a piece of cloth off his sleeve with his teeth as Hermione frowned in though, wrapping it around his wounded hand.  He’d go to Madam Pomfrey after he was finished with Hermione then went to have a long talk with his father.

“Oh!” cried Hermione.  “Because we aren’t supposed to know!”

“Give the girl a cookie,” spat Harry bitterly, earning a stern frown from Hermione that reminded him far too much of McGonagall for comfort.

“That’s not funny, Harry.”

“It wasn’t meant ter be.”

“I’m sorry.  I just thought…”

Harry held up a hand to stop her from continuing.

“I know what ye thought, Mione.  Ye were just thinking about my safety.  I know.  But I’ve handled worse than Black before.”

“That can get you killed.”

“Wha’?”

“Being cocky like that.”

“S’not cocky,” said Harry with a smirk.

“Then what is it?” asked Hermione.

“Truth,” replied Harry cryptically before turning and heading for the dungeons.

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

“Da!”

“Merlin’s beard…  Harry?”

“Do ye have another son I don’t know of?  I think not.”

Severus arched an eyebrow at his son and asked, “Did I miss something?”

“Yeh,” growled Harry.  “Someone sent me a Firebolt – a bloody Firebolt – fer Christmas and Hermione told McGonagall she thought Black might’ve sent it!  Now ‘Gonagall’s confiscated it and is liable to Obliviate us!”

“Firstly, breathe.  Second, how does Miss Granger know this?”

“Overheard Niamh and Ginny.”

“And how do those two know this?”

“Mika told them.  Same as he told them ye were a Death Eater.”

Severus rubbed his temples and sat down.

“I need a drink.  But first I’ll talk with Minerva and try to get the Firebolt back.  Did it say who it was from?”

“No.”

“Hmmm.  Perhaps I’ll have a look at it myself.  I suggest you go to the Hospital Wing for that hand if the cloth torn from your sleeve is any evidence.”

Harry nodded and turned to leave, his father’s voice bellowing after him.

“AND DON’T TELL ANYONE ELSE ABOUT ANYTHING, FOR SLYTHERIN’S SAKE!!”

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

“Alright, Harry.  You remember what I told you?”

“Yeh.  I just say Expecto Patronum and keep me happy memory in mind.”

“Good, good.  Ready?”

Harry steadied his wand in his right hand, newly healed by Madam Pomfrey, and nodded.

“Ready.”

“Alright then,” said Lupin.  He pointed his wand at the cabinet holding the boggart, sending out sparks.  The doors burst open and out came a Dementor, towering and black.  Cold enveloped Harry as a scabbed hand reached towards him but he was already saying the words.

“Expecto patronum… expecto patronum… expecto patronum…”

Screams erupted in Harry’s head, his own and his mother’s, but he kept going.

“Expecto patronum – EXPECTO PATRONUM!!”

Something silver and without form leaked out of his wand and surrounded the dementor-boggart but did nothing to dispel it.  Harry sank to his knees in exhaustion, gasping for breath as Lupin stepped forward, catching the boggart’s attention.  It turned into a hovering white ball and Lupin shoved it into a packing box then turned to Harry, holding out a piece of chocolate.

“Here.  Eat this, Harry.”

Harry took the chocolate and tore off a bite.  He looked up at the werewolf and asked, “What happened?”

Lupin smiled and replied, “You did good for a third year.”

“But na good enough,” said Harry bitterly, downing the remainder of the chocolate.

“If you want we can…”

“No,” said Harry firmly.  “Let’s go again.”

Lupin nodded and moved over to the box, releasing the boggart again.  Once again cold filled the room and Harry began to recite the incantation, focusing on another memory.  His original one has been when he had met Niamh.  Now he focused on the second time he had walked into the Leaky Cauldron and been taken by Molly Weasley

“Expecto patronum… expecto patronum…”

The dementor took in a rattling breath and Harry heard his mother’s voice in his head again.

“No, not Harry!  Please, not Harry!”

“Stand aside girl!”

“Expecto patronum…”

But now a new voice added itself to the fray.

“Lily, take Harry and run!  It’s him!  Go!  Run!  I’ll hold him off –”

Now a high-pitched cackle filled Harry’s head and he ground out a last expecto patronum before collapsing once more.  Lupin shoved the now once again glowing ball-boggart into the packing box and handed Harry another piece of chocolate after the teen had come to again.

“Are you okay?”

“I heard ‘im,” said Harry in awe, nibbling on the chocolate.  “I heard J…me father.”

Lupin caught where Harry almost said ‘James’ and logged it in his memory for further thought.

“You heard James?”

Harry nodded and took a bite of the chocolate.

“Ye knew him?”

“We were friends,” said Lupin, not knowing Harry already knew this and was just asking to keep the professor from thinking suspicious thoughts.  “We really should stop, Harry.  This charm is ridiculously advanced…”

“I can do it,” ground Harry determinedly and Lupin was reminded of a certain stubborn redhead he once knew.

“Alright…  Ready?”

Harry nodded and held his wand out in front of him like a sword.  Lupin watched the boy for a moment then released the boggart from the packing box once more.  The dementor towered above Harry, taking in a rattling breath.  Green eyes narrowed, Harry focused as hard as he could on another happy memory.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”

The voices in Harry’s head dimmed until they sounded as though they were coming from far away as something huge, silvery, and without shape burst from the end of his wand, hovering between him and the dementor.  The towering creature had halted and Harry was still on his feet, hand shaking slightly –

“Riddikulus!”

The dementor and Harry’s cloudy Patronus vanished, replaced by the silvery orb once more.  As Harry sank into a chair, Lupus shoved the boggart into the packing box with his wand then turned to the teen, smiling.

“Excellent, Harry.  Excellent!  That was a very good start!”

As Lupin handed him a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, Harry asked, “Can we give it another go?”

“No,” said Lupin, “I think that’s enough for now.  You look exhausted.  Go get some rest.  Classes tomorrow remember.”

Harry nodded and said, “Thank ye professor.”

“Your welcome, Harry.  We’ll give it another go at the end of the week.”

Harry nodded again then left the room, walking down the corridor until he came to an alcove in the wall.  A marble gargoyle grinned at him from the spot but he easily shrunk it and placed it in his pocket, climbing up into the alcove and leaning his throbbing head against the cool stone.

He could still hear his mother’s voice echoing through his head.  She was haunting him in a way.  And the only way he could hear her…

No.

Harry sat up hurriedly, eyes burning.

He would not go near a dementor just to hear his mother.  He would NOT!

“She’s dead and nothing will bring ‘er back,” muttered Harry as he leaned back against the stones, opening the bar of chocolate and taking a bite.