Chapter 23- Truly your parents’ son

Harry really hated Draco Malfoy. With a passion. There was no one in this world he’d like to throttle more than the blonde git, with his blonde face and his blonde sneer and his blonde arrogance and his blonde cronies… okay, the cronies weren’t blonde. But Harry hated everything about Draco Malfoy.

“Just ignore him,” Hermione kept saying. But it was hard. Malfoy kept taunting Harry by doing impressions of his fall. Harry wanted to hex him so badly.

After the next Defense lesson Harry stayed behind and went straight to the teacher’s desk. Remus looked up at the eager face and sighed.

“We’ll start your extra Patronus classes after the holidays, okay cub?”

“But-“

“I am a little behind on the grading,” Remus said, pointing at the essays he had just taken out. “Unless you prefer to start on the next Hogsmeade weekend, I just thought it was when you would drink the potion.”

“No, no, that’s okay. After the holidays it is,” Harry hastily said and ran out of the classroom before Remus could say anything else. In his hurry he failed to see the satisfied smirk on Remus’ face as he shook his head saying:

“So easy.”

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Classes proceeded as usual. Potions was still the most hated, and History and Defense were neck to neck in the favorite run. Sirius was a little put out about this; he had been on the favorite list for too long and was not losing his position very sportsmanly. He pouted a lot, which made Harry laugh. His dad could be such a baby, but then again he wasn’t the only weird one, his Uncle Sev was actually proud of his being the most hated class.

As the end of term neared, the last Hogsmeade weekend reached them. And Harry once again handed his friends money and lists of things to buy.

“But be careful Ron,” he said for the millionth time in a whisper, “She can’t see you.”

Ron and Neville rolled their eyes, “We know that Harry,” Neville said.

“So did you ask her to buy our presents?” Ron asked.

“Who says I’m getting you two any presents?” Harry asked innocently.

“Of course you are,” Ron waved his hand dismissively, “So what are they?”

Harry was saved from answering by Hermione arriving in the Common room.

“Ready?” she asked Neville and Ron. Both boys nodded.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine Harry?” she asked.

“I’ll be fine Hermione,” he answered rolling his eyes. “I’ll spend the day with dad and Uncle Moony,” which wasn’t exactly a lie. He was going to spend the day at the Marauder’s Quarters. Uncle Sev was going to bring the potion there because there was no way of knowing exactly how long Harry’s trance would take, so they didn’t want to risk someone looking for Severus in his private lab and finding Harry there. Harry was wondering how he could make his friends leave without seeming too eager to get rid of them, when Hermione nodded and solved the problem for him.

“So, let’s go then. I have tons of things to do. And I want to stop at the bookshop.”

“Obviously,” Ron groaned as he and Neville had to almost run after her.

Harry sat on the couch and waited. He was hammering his leg and looking at his watch every ten seconds. After about a minute, which Harry swore was actually two hours, he started huffing. Five more minutes and the portrait finally opened to reveal his grinning father.

“Hey there pup. I’m not late am I?” he asked innocently. Harry glared and started pushing his father out as Sirius waved to the other students in the room. They started walking towards the staff wing. Well Harry was almost running but kept having to come back or stop to wait for Sirius.

“DAD!”

“What? Such a beautiful day. We should stop and enjoy the scenery.”

Harry huffed and crossed his arms. He got behind Sirius and started pushing.

“I don’t see what the rush is all about,” Sirius said biting back a smile.

After what seemed to Harry like hours, but again wasn’t more than five minutes, they finally arrived at the Marauders’ Quarters where Severus and Remus where waiting and a smoking goblet sat on the coffee table. Harry ran to the goblet and sat on the couch in front of it, impatient to take the potion, and didn’t take his eyes of it.

“Hello to you too Harry,” Remus said.

Harry waved not looking at them, “Hi.”

Severus rolled his eyes. He got up from his chair, went to Harry and motioned for him to get up and sit on a cushion that was on the floor.

“Sit there in the same position I taught you to be in when you meditate,” he said.

Harry complied and sat cross-legged. He had learned to meditate as a method to clear his mind when Severus taught him Occlumency. Harry had a lot of secrets to keep, especially concerning Severus and Remus, and they couldn’t afford someone using Legillimancy on Harry without him knowing.

Sirius brought the goblet over to them and Harry took it reverently.

Sirius took a deep breath and started, “There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations- what?” he asked innocently at Severus’ glare and the others’ chuckles, “I’ve always wanted to say that. Oh, all right,” he huffed and pouted.

“You have to drink it all. You’ll enter a meditative state from which you will come out once you’ve seen the form you’ll take. Understood?” Severus instructed.

Harry nodded. He swallowed the whole potion, shuddering from the awful taste. Before he could even put the goblet down he was in his own world. Eyes closed and completely out of it.

Sirius bent down and scoped the goblet. He waved a hand in front of Harry. Not even a twitch.

“Now we wait,” he said.

“What do you think he is going to be?” Remus asked from his chair. Sirius shrugged but Severus smirked.

“I have a guess.”

“What?” Sirius asked.

“You’ll just have to wait,” he said as he sat down on the couch.

“What do you know that I don’t?” Sirius asked with his eyes narrowed.

Severus just smiled at him.

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He was running in the woods. Looking down he saw slender legs and hooves. No way! He couldn’t could he? He started running again. He had to find a way to see his whole body. He finally spotted a pond and ran towards it. He looked in and jumped. Yes! He was! Just like his dad! A stag. He looked closely. He was a light brown, almost cream color, and on his forehead there was a small patch of lighter fur in the form of his lightning bolt scar. He looked closer and jumped. His eyes were green. Weird. Stags’ eyes weren’t green. Well what could he do? He looked around at the woods and smirked inwardly- he was going to have fun!

He was about to run when he felt a pull. Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no. He fought the pull but it got stronger as he felt his surroundings dissolving. He opened his eyes and found three armchairs facing him. He scowled and crossed his arms.

“Welcome back Harry,” Remus said smiling.

Harry scowled more, “I was having fun.”

“Did you see your form?” Sirius asked and he nodded, “Then the potion has performed its duty and the meditative state ended. Even if you wanted to stay there and have fun.”

Harry pouted.

“So?” Severus asked impatiently.

Harry decided to flatten the creases of his robes.

Sirius started tapping his foot impatiently and Harry considered going for a glass of water.

“Come on, tell us!” Sirius cried.

“A stag,” Harry said proudly. “Just like my dad.”

“Really?” Sirius asked gobsmacked leaning forward and resting his elbow on his knees.

Severus smiled triumphantly and Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. “You knew? How?”

“Quite simply actually,” Severus said brushing invisible lint from his robes.

“Care to enlighten us?” Remus asked.

Harry sat  up straighter to listen.

“There are many factors that influence the Animagus form one takes. One is character. Stags are noble creatures, which Harry is and, as much as I hate to admit it, Potter was too. Another factor is genetics. Harry’s chance of being in the stag family was greater seeing as his father’s Animagus form was a stag and his mother’s a doe.”

Harry was surprised at this. He hadn’t known his mother was a doe.

“I never knew Lily took the potion,” Remus said.

“She didn’t,” Severus said shortly.

“Then how do you know her form?” Sirius asked.

“I just do,” he said and didn’t offer any more explanation.

Sirius opened his mouth but Remus cut in sending him a significant look that said “drop it”:

“Now, you get to do the part I know you won’t like Harry. You have to study your animal. You have to know a stag’s physiology inside out and then you have to study the process of the transformation. So, to start you will hand an essay describing, in details, a stag.”

Harry huffed, “How long?” he whined.

“As long as it takes for you to describe everything a stag has and how its body works. You have to understand it. It has to be second nature to you,” Severus explained.

“But you are already training,” Harry pouted.

“Yes, but I had already studied the form and the transfiguration in depth,” Severus sneered.

“How come?” Remus asked curiously, “If you had no interest in going through with it, why learn about the wolf’s physiology?”

“’Cause you know Uncle Sev! Can’t let an opportunity to hit the books pass,” Harry smirked and Remus chuckled but Sirius did not miss Harry’s wink at Severus.

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“Sooooo,” Sirius said bent over the desk, his face getting closer to Severus’, “Care to tell me what that was all about?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, now please, you are invading my personal space,” Severus said pushing Sirius out of the way and getting up from his chair. He walked to the shelf and started ruffling through ingredients.

“I am talking about you studying the wolf’s physiology before you knew about your form,” Sirius said calmly as he sat on the desk.

Severus opened a jar and sniffed, “I may have needed to know it,” he said casually.

“Why?”

“None of your business.”

“Aw, come on, tell me,” Sirius whined.

Severus smirked, “You’ll just have to live with the torture of wanting to know and not being able to.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Watch me.”

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“You could go home. See your family,” Sirius said, “We are staying anyway. I don’t want to risk the trip.”

McGonagall raised one eyebrow, “And how many students will I find Transfigured into animals this time?”

“One time! That happened only one time!”

McGonagall surveyed him from her chair at the staff room and Sirius squirmed like a first year in trouble. She had her lips pursed in a thin line and just kept staring at him.

“I’m just trying to do something nice here, you know. It’s not a crime,” Sirius said defensively but he was actually trying to remember if that was a crime.

“Fine,” she finally said, “I do want to see my daughter and grandchildren. But you better not let anything happen to my Gryffindors, Mr. Black.”

Sirius gulped and nodded vigorously. He completely ignored Flitwick, Sprout, Remus, Vector and Hagrid who were snickering behind him.  Sirius glared at Remus when he had the gall to point out that the only Gryffindor staying was Harry.

“And I am not so sure he can manage Harry,” McGonagall snorted.

“Hey!”

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Christmas morning dawned bright and not so early. As usual Harry was woken by a very slobbery lick.

“Happy Christmas dad!”

He got up and went to the living room where he found Remus and Severus already sitting and talking. He hugged and greeted each with a Happy Christmas.

“Thank you for leaving your cloak for me last night Harry,” Severus said glaring at the Animagus that had just Transformed back with a pop, “It prevented me from being woken up at ungodly hours.”

Harry frowned and looked at the clock. His eyes went wide.

“It’s ten o’clock already! How did you manage?”

Sirius scowled and mumbled something. Remus and Severus smirked.

“Lets just say I was provided by a certain someone with a strong sleeping draught that ended up in your dad’s cup,” Remus said calmly.

“Knew I should have suspected something when Moony decided to offer me hot chocolate before bed,” Sirius huffed.

“Thanks Uncle Sev!” Harry said happily, hugging Severus. Sirius glared at him.

“Everyone is against me!”

They just ignored Sirius and started exchanging gifts. As they unwrapped and thanked their senders Harry let out an awed gasp.

“Dad!”

“Yes, son,” Sirius said calmly as he watched Harry reverently finish unwrapping and examining his gift.

“It’s a Firebolt!” Harry said in awe.

“I sure hope so or else I was duped,” Sirius chuckled, “Umph!” he grunted as he was tackled to the floor.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“You’re welcome. It’s from Moony and Sev too,” Sirius said.

Severus did not move fast enough and he was soon on the same position Sirius had been. After thanking him profusely Harry repeated the process with Remus who didn’t even try to move.

“Can I have a go now, please?” Harry begged.

“Lets finish exchanging gifts first then we can go after lunch,” Remus said calmly to the fidgeting teenager.

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“Okay!” Sirius shouted, “My turn now!”

The blur that was Harry just kept zooming and diving.

“I wanna have a go!” Sirius yelled again casting after a Sonorus on his throat.

“Sorry Padfoot. But I don’t think he wants to stop,” Remus said patting Sirius’ back.

“But I wanna have a go!” Sirius whined.

“Wow. Is that a Firebolt?” came a voice from behind the pair. They turned and Remus said faintly:

“Nymphadora, don’t startle us like that!”

“Sorry,” she grinned sheepishly. “Mum and dad are inside. Since you weren’t coming home we decided to come here for Christmas tea!”

“Harry! Come down! Ted, Andy and Nymphadora are here!” Sirius yelled through another Sonorus Charm.

“Don’t call me Nymphadora!” Tonks hissed.

“Moony called you Nymphadora and you didn’t say anything,” Sirius pouted.

Tonks blushed and mumbled, “He can.”

Sirius grinned gleefully and had an evil glint in his eyes as he looked at Remus who was oblivious to what was going on as he watched Harry landing. Tonks glared at Sirius narrowing her eyes. Sirius grin just got wider.

Harry ran to the trio and, panting, hugged Tonks.

“Happy Christmas Tonks! Did you see what I got?”

“Yes,” she said almost drooling as she inspected the broom Harry handed her, “Can I have a go?”

“Sure.”

“After tea,” Sirius said and then he added, “And after me.”

Tonks took a parcel from her cloak. She handed it to Harry and said, “Now this is no Firebolt but I heard what happened with Pettigrew and thought you could use one.”

Harry grinned at her and unwrapped the gift. “Wow, Tonks. Thanks.” He said, hugging her again. She helped him put the dragon hide wand holster on his arm.

“So if something like that happens again, you don’t have your wand in your pocket where you can’t reach it,” she explained. “See, you just have to flick your wrist and the wand is Summoned to your hand.” She demonstrated with her own wand holster. “It’s standard Auror wear. I don’t know how your old man didn’t think of getting you one.”

“Hey!”

“Must be old age,” Harry sighed.

“Old age? You, you,-“

“Definitely old age. A few years back he would already have a comeback,” Tonks smirked.

“Detention! Both of you!” Sirius cried.

“Sirius, I am not a student any more,” Tonks smiled calmly at him.

“And it’s the holidays. You can’t give me detention,” Harry smirked as he and Tonks entwined their arms and set off to the castle.

Sirius fumed after them, “Stop laughing Moony!”

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