Chapter 14-  Facing the public

Harry squared his shoulders and entered the Great Hall determinedly ignoring the whispers and looks he was getting. His dad had asked if he wanted to walk to breakfast with him but Harry declined. He was going to face the public by himself and not protected by a teacher’s shadow. He walked purposely to where he saw his friends and sat down next to Ron who was staring at him. He turned to Ron and asked with a blank face, “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me you were a Parselmouth?” Ron asked in somewhat of a hurt voice.

“So you could run?”

Ron ears went red and he growled, “I would never do that and you should know that. We’ve been best friends for over three years now. I thought you knew me better than that!”

Harry sighed defeated and pointed to the rest of the Hall, “Look around Ron. Do you really blame me for not wanting this? My dad told me when I was five to keep this a secret and I did. From everyone, even my family. Aunt Andy, Uncle Ted and Tonks don’t know. It wasn’t just you Ron, I didn’t tell anyone,” he finished slumping his elbows on the table and holding his head on his hands.

Ron deflated and looked around. He glared at the people looking at them. Turning to Harry he said firmly, “Well, I don’t care.”

Harry smiled and looked nervously at Hermione and Neville who were seated across them.

“Me neither,” Neville said at once.

“Judging people by something they can’t help is a very stupid thing to do,” Hermione said in a no-nonsense way.

Harry smiled a little more. He felt a weight lift from his shoulder. Even if everyone else thought he’d kill them with a stare, he still could count on his friends. He looked at the Head table and saw Remus give him a questioning look. He nodded slightly and Remus smiled and turned to Sirius to say something, just loud enough for Severus to inconspicuously hear.

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Harry didn’t like sounding pessimistic, but this was definitely not good. When Herbology had been cancelled because of the snowstorm that made Professor Sprout need to fit socks on the Mandrakes, Harry had decided to go looking for Justin and explain that he had been telling the snake not to attack. On his way he came across a group of Hufflepuffs, who egged by Ernie MacMillan, had been discussing how Harry was the heir of Slytherin.

“He’s a Parselmouth and a Black by adoption. Everyone knows the Blacks have a history of being Dark,” Ernie had said and Harry fumed.

“But Professor Black is so nice,” Hannah Abbot countered.

“He’s just luring us to a false sense of security and I bet he coached Harry,” Ernie said.

Harry had cleared his throat and they all had jumped. He glared at them and asked for Justin. They said he was in the Hufflepuff Common room where he was safe. Harry let the jibe pass but when he was leaving he said icily:

“My dad is a war hero and one of the best Aurors there was. Alastor Moody himself says that. He was there to arrest the Lestranges with Moody, one of them his own cousin.”

He would not let them badmouth Sirius! He left fuming and headed towards the Hufflepuff dormitory to see if he could get someone to call Justin for him and that’s when he found them. Lying on the ground as rigid as statue none other than Justin Finch-Fletchley, and floating on top of him smoky and black, completely immobile, Nearly Headless- Nick.

He didn’t even have time to run for help when the Hufflepuffs, who apparently had followed him, started yelling, “ATTACK!” and “CAUGHT IN THE ACT!” Harry didn’t know what to think. He was breathing fast and didn’t even react when Ernie and Zacharias Smith tackled him to the ground and pinned him.

“You are not going anywhere,” Ernie said, “Someone call Dumbledore!”

Soon the hall was filled with students and Peeves, who had come to see the commotion, started singing:

“Oh, Potter you rotter, what have you done?

You’re killing off students, you think it’s good fun-“

“What is going on here?” came the Deputy Headmistress stern voice. “Smith, MacMillan, what is the meaning of this?”

“Potter attacked Justin!” Smith cried.

“What? No I didn’t!” Harry cried coming out of his stupor.

“Yes he did,” Ernie said. “He came looking for Justin and left all angry. Then-“

“You offended my father-“

“-we followed him and found him all alone here. Mere moments after he had left us to get Justin. So we restrained him.”

McGonagall’s lips thinned and Harry shivered. That never bode well.

“That’s enough MacMillan. Let Potter Black go and you and Smith can take Finch-Fletchley and Sir Nicholas to the Hospital Wing. Potter Black, follow me to the Headmaster’s office.”

“But I didn’t do-“

“I said follow me.”

Smith and Ernie got off Harry and helped Professor Flitwick, who had come with McGonagall, take the victims upstairs. Harry got up slowly and followed McGonagall with his head bent down and shoulders slumped. Even Aunt Minnie thought he was guilty. That hurt! She knew him better than that.

They walked in silence and entered the office quietly. McGonagall signed for him to seat and he did so.

“I’ll call Albus,” she said and left.

Harry entwined his hands on his laps and waited.

“What did you do now? I dearly hope you didn’t disgrace the Noble name of Black more than your disgraceful father already has,” Phineas Nigellus Black said from his portrait on the wall. Harry said nothing. Phineas huffed, “Youth! No manners whatsoever.”

“Sorry for making you wait Harry. I was dealing with Hagrid who has a problem with his roosters being killed,” Dumbledore said entering the office. He sat on his chair behind his desk, rested his elbows on the arms of the chair, and entwined his hands surveying Harry who was looking at his own clasped hands on his lap.

“Professor McGonagall told me what happened,” Dumbledore started.

At this Harry’s head shot up and cried, “I didn’t do anything!”

“I know.”

“I found them that- You know? But Aunt Minnie looked at me like she thought I had done it.”

Dumbledore sighed, “Minerva does have a way to make even the most innocent feel guilty. That does not mean she believes you were guilty of anything. She merely wished for you to tell me what you may have seen and to get you away from the other students who were, shall we say, a little irrational.”

“Oh,” Harry said slowly.

“Now, will you let me know what happened?”

So Harry did. He told Dumbledore about looking for Justin, meeting Ernie and the other Hufflepuffs and finding Justin and Sir Nick.

“What’s happening Grandpa? What’s doing this?”

Dumbledore sighed, “We have a few theories but all of them seem to have holes in them Harry. I honestly don’t know.”

Harry was shocked. He always believed that Dumbledore had all the answers in the world. For Harry, to hear that his grandfather didn’t know something was truly a desperate situation.

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The whispers only got worse. The Hufflepuffs sent Harry evil looks and walked in groups every time they went past him. Even the ones that had been Harry’s friends like Cedric Diggory sent him dubious looks. That really made him feel like scum. He thought those people knew him. And now he was treated like this without a second thought.

At least Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny and the twins didn’t think he had done anything. Though Ginny kept looking like she was an inch from bursting into tears. The twins made jokes and teased the other students for their stupid beliefs.

“Make way for the Heir of Slytherin. Seriously evil wizard coming through!” was what they shouted while parading in front of Harry like bodyguards parting the crowds.

Harry wasn’t the only one having a hard time. History of Magic had become a silent class. Where once before students asked bold questions and teased their teacher, now they were wary of him and looked as if he would attack them at any second. And just like Harry, Sirius was looking forward to a silent castle on Christmas.

Since last year he had gone home, this year it was McGonagall’s turn to leave the castle. But most students were going home so he hoped to get a little reprieve of all this stress. Especially since the only Gryffindor students staying were Harry, Neville, Hermione and the Weasleys, he thought it would be quite pleasurable and calm. Of course, before McGonagall left he’d have to hear the whole list of dos and don’ts while he was in charge. Honestly, it was almost like she didn’t trust him!

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Once again the big black dog was on the move. He padded his way through Hogwarts halls until he got to the door he wanted to arrive at and touched it. He loved that the fact that silly passwords irked the person inside, so he had to key in who could have access to his personal Quarters, meaning Padfoot could get in. Personally Sirius loved setting passwords. His favorites to this day had been “Sirius Black is God’s gift to earth” and “I love Sirius Black”. He would wait patiently until Snape had tired of knocking and had to utter those words just to be met by a grinning Sirius Black.

He padded inside the common living area that was just like the one in the Marauders’ Quarters and entered the other room where a figure laid sleeping. He jumped on the bed, dropped the parcel he’d been carrying on his mouth on the man’s stomach and licked his face. Before he had time to be murdered, he was out of the room and out the Quarter’s door speeding towards the Marauders’ Quarters.

Inside a very ruffled and disgruntled Severus Snape stalked back to his bed and read the note on the parcel. It read “Happy Christmas Sev! I’ll give you half an hour before I wake them up. Hurry.” He huffed at the Sev, but opened the parcel and saw a flowing silvery cloak. He grinned. He was going to be there to wake Harry on Christmas morning.

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Harry felt a tickle on his face and swatted it away with his hand. Promptly he made his way back to dreamland. The annoying tickle was back though and he again swatted it away. He turned around in bed, curled more under the blankets and was about to go back to sleep when the tickle came back. Annoyed he opened his eyes and looked up at the grinning face of his Uncle Sev who was holding a feather.

“Happy Christmas Harry! I think your hyperactive father is waking Remus right now. We should make our way to the living room before he blasts in here and drags us out.”

“Happy Christmas Uncle Sev!” Harry grinned happily and hugged his Uncle. This was the first time he had been woken by him on Christmas morning. Even when he spent Christmas in the castle in the past, Severus couldn’t afford being seen entering the Marauders’ Quarters. Other days could be explained as having to talk to colleagues to maintain his cover but if someone saw him Christmas morning they could get suspicious.

Harry jumped from bed and went to the living room where his grinning dad was seated at the Christmas tree being eyed evilly by Remus. Harry hugged Remus:

“Happy Christmas Uncle Moony!”

“Happy Christmas Harry!” Remus said and just to annoy Sirius, who was already starting to pout, very slowly he tried to flatten Harry’s hair and straighten his pajamas.

“Hey! What about me? I am your father!”

Harry made a move towards Sirius but Remus held him close.

“Enough of that Lupin,” Severus said in a no nonsense voice batting Remus head; “Black has suffered enough!”

Harry happily bounced to Sirius and hugged him. Sirius hugged him back flopping both of them to the floor and crying Happy Christmas. Soon afterwards they started exchanging gifts and friendly banters. And it was to the sound of laughter that Dumbledore entered the Marauders’ Quarters to join their celebration. As he heard Severus laugh at something Sirius said he couldn’t help but think how sometimes things can change drastically and some changes are very welcome.

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After breakfast Harry went to the Gryffindor Common Room to exchange gifts with his friends. They had been sad Harry had gone to sleep in his old room but understood that that was a tradition for Harry. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t see them.

There he was met with the news that the Polyjuice potion was ready and they would turn into Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode, from whom Hermione had already stolen a strand of hair, tonight. Neville would stay as a lookout in case the real Slytherins happened to show up. Even though they had planned to knock Crabbe and Goyle out with a Sleeping Draught and hide them in a closet, and Bulstrode had gone home for the holiday. It was better to be safe than sorry.

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“So…” Sirius paced in front of the three boys seated in the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, “You three want to convince me that you have no idea whatsoever how Ms. Granger managed to get stuck with a cat’s head.”

Harry, Ron and Neville nodded. Sirius sighed and rubbed his temple with his finger.

“How come I don’t believe that?”

“Because you are a skeptic,” Ron braved, “sir,” he added for good measure.

Sirius glared at him.

“Madam Pomfrey would have an easier time fixing it if she knew what happened,” he said in a low voice.

The boys gulped but did not say anything. Sirius’ wrath would be nothing compared to Hermione’s if they spilled what they had been up to. Not that it had helped any. Malfoy didn’t know anything that they already didn’t know; actually he knew less since Harry knew who had been expelled for the Chamber’s incident fifty years ago. At least they found out about Malfoy Sr.’s hidden chamber and Ron had already owled his father. That was at least something.

“Nothing to say?”

Silence.

“No confession to make?”

Silence.

Sirius huffed, “Unfortunately I can’t punish you without proof even though I know you four were up to something. But rest assured that I will be keeping a very close watch on you,” he said bending down to be eyelevel with the three boys who nodded and gulped again. He held his stare longer for effect and then turned and stalked away. A student semi-transfigured into a cat on his watch! Minerva would never let him live this down.

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