Chapter 3

When Trolls decide to take strolls

Hermione Granger was fuming, how could he be so stupid? She had no intention of letting this go on so she stalked towards the Deputy Head of Gryffindor office. She knew she should go to McGonagall but thought Professor Black more appropriate right now. When she knocked she heard Professor’s Black voice calling her in. As she entered she was in shock. Right there in the office where Professors Black, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape and with them Potter Black and Weasley.

“What may I help you with Ms. Granger?” Professor Black asked.

“Well,” she said, she would not be deterred, “Harry and Ron agreed to duel Malfoy at midnight.”

Ron and Harry glared at her.

“Yes, we’ve been informed,” Professor Dumbledore said calmly, “One of the Slytherin’s prefect is fetching Mr. Malfoy ad Mr. Crabbe as we speak.”

“Oh, who told you?” she blurted before she could stop herself.

Dumbledore was about to answer when another knock at the door interrupted him. Marcus Flint, Slytherin Prefect and captain of the Slytherin team accompanied Malfoy, Crabbe and a blond couple that had the air of thinking themselves better than everyone in the room.

“Oh, good. Lucius, Narcissa I see we will not need to wait. Thank you Mr. Flint, Ms. Granger you may leave now,” Dumbledore said pleasantly.

Hermione left but not before hearing the man called Lucius as:

“What is this about Dumbledore? I am a very busy man.”

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Sirius snorted. Trust Malfoy to be so arrogant.

“Well you see Lucius your son challenged mine to a duel, and as my son knows the rules he knows he can not accept a duel without parental consent if he is under age. So he came to ask me. Since said duel is to be taken in Hogwarts grounds I had to ask Dumbledore and of course Minerva and Severus are here as heads of the boys Houses. Now, Harry accepts the duel so you and Cissy just need to give us your consent,” he smirked.

Lucius narrowed his eyes towards his son, “Draco did now didn’t he?” Draco gulped and nodded.

Sirius knew that Malfoy Jr. had put himself in quite a pickle. He probably had had no intention of showing up to the duel and just wanted for Harry and Ron to get in trouble. Sirius would bet his prized motorcycle, his other love besides Harry, that Filch would have gotten an anonymous tip. Fortunately Harry had the same idea and decided to follow protocol. Now, Sirius may have despised his family but he knew how the Wizarding World worked, and therefore had taught Harry all the pureblood customs.

“Well, I don’t give my consent. Draco should have never lowered himself to ask a half blood into a duel and I won’t have him besmirching the family name.”

In other circumstances Sirius would have jumped at Malfoy’s throat for the insult but since this was exactly what he was counting on he just shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

“Was that all,” Malfoy drawled. Dumbledore nodded, “Then I shall have a conference with my son. Excuse me.”

“By Cissy,” Sirius waved happily as the Malfoys exited. Narcissa looked shocked at her cousin which just served to amuse him even more.

“Now if you’ve wasted enough of my time I’ll take Mr. Crabbe and head back to my work,” Snape sneered.

“Bye Sevvy,” Sirius waved again and this time was met with a murderous glare.

“Dad! Must you?” Harry whined.

“Oh, but it’s so much fun!” he answered grinning.

“I have work to do too so I’ll be leaving. Wise choice Mr. Potter Black in coming to your father,” she said as she left and Sirius could swear Hermione, who was still waiting outside, was about to faint from seeing McGonagall smile.

“Ms. Granger, do you still need something?” Dumbledore asked kindly.

“No,” she shook her head dumbfounded.

“Then why don’t you two gentlemen accompany the lady to Gryffindor Tower,” he said to the boys. Harry gave Sirius a quick hug and he and Ron mock bowed to the two Professors.

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“What happened?” Hermione asked as they approached Gryffindor Tower.

“After I cooled down I figure Malfoy was just a lot of talk and no action, so why would he challenge me? So we figured he had laid a trap. Only underage wizards and witches aren’t aloud to duel without parental consent so I thought I’d ask my dad for it. At first he was furious with me but then he too cooled down and I think he came to the same conclusion as me and decided to call the Malfoys for the consent. He knew Lucius Malfoy isn’t stupid and would know that my dad must have trained me so there was a chance I’d win. A half blood winning against a pureblood! He couldn’t have that so he wouldn’t accept. So I ended up in a better light because everyone will think that Malfoy chickened out while I accepted.”

“But then shouldn’t Mr. Malfoy have accepted?” she asked.

“No, because this way he can claim that Draco would have won if they dueled, which if they actually had and Harry won he couldn’t do. This is bad for Draco at school because he messed up, but for the Malfoy family losing to Harry would be worse than refusing to duel,” Ron explained.

“That’s quite stupid thinking,” she said.

“It’s how the purebloods think. They think they’re better. That’s why Voldemort had so many followers. Of course not all think like that. My dad doesn’t, Aunt Andy doesn’t, my first dad and his family didn’t, the Longbottoms also fought Voldemort. But many do.”

Suddenly Ron turned towards Hermione and asked through narrowed eyes, “And why were you going to tell on us?”

“Well you told first so it didn’t matter anyway,’ she said righteously.

“That’s not the point. The point is you were going to snitch on us,” he spat.

“You were going to break the rules,” she yelled.

“So what’s it to you?” he yelled back.

“You were going to lose Gryffindor points. I think that is quite selfish,” she yelled once more and stalked away.

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From that day Hermione and Ron where not talking to each other. In Harry’s opinion that had been an improvement since from day one they mostly fought when they talked. Time went by and suddenly they had been official Hogwarts students for two months already and today was the most hated day on the Black family’s calendar. Halloween. Ten years to the day when Harry’s birth parents had been killed. Ten years to the day when Moony and Padfoot had lost both Prongs and Wormtail. One to death and one worse than dead. Harry knew this was a depressing day for his dad and Uncle so before breakfast he stopped by their quarters. He said the password and found the both of them brooding on the couch. He silently joined them and first hugged his dad and then his Uncle.

This was a sad day for him. He didn’t remember his parents but he missed what he would have had. It was his understanding that had James and Lily lived he would be the son of the four of them, because his dad and Uncle would be as much part of his life as now. Just like Uncle Moony was as much his father as his dad. His dad just had the title. He was the fun parent and Uncle Moony the reliable one.

It didn’t help them try to make this a normal day that the whole Wizarding World made so much fuss. Of course, Halloween had always been an important day for Wizards and Witches but after 1981 it became a holiday to be celebrated. Except the three in this room didn’t think there was anything to celebrate. Sometimes Harry felt selfish. His parents death had served to rid the world of Voldemort even if temporarily as Grandpa said. He didn’t think Voldemort was really gone, just licking his wounds. But Harry wanted his parents, he wanted to know them, not just imagine them from all the stories dad and Uncle Moony told him. Grandpa had promised to let him see a memory in his pensive when he was older. He said that now Harry was too young to realize that the memory wouldn’t be real and he wouldn’t be able to deal with seeing them talking and moving and not actually interacting. Harry thought he would but adults often thought like that and since they had to provide the memory there was not much Harry could do.

Harry sat there between his dad and Uncle in an awkward three way hug (he was hugging his Uncle with his arms and had his legs on his father’s lap being held by a firm grasp) for quite a while until his Uncle tightened the hug, kissed the top of his head and clearing his throat  said:

“That’s enough wallowing for a day. We all have classes to attend to.”

His dad nodded and also kissed Harry. Harry knew this day would be specially hard for his dad, he knew he blamed himself for suggesting Pettigrew as a secret keeper and to top things he had to teach the downfall of Voldemort to his third years. He once told Harry that if he had to be depressed on this day and on the day he’d talk about this day he’d just join the two depressing acts instead of spreading it out even if he had to move classes around this week to fit the schedules.

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Oh, how he hated this day and all the memories it brought. He had just finished his annual telling of the downfall of Voldemort. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. There never was. Because everything was made public by his trial he had to tell them of how he suggested to use Pettigrew as a decoy, of how he found their bodies in the ruins of the house and found little Harry crying, his crib upturned in a make shift cage that protected him from the debris. The dual feelings of grief for his friends and elation for Harry. Most people thought Hagrid had been the first in the scene because he left with Harry but no, he had landed his bike just seconds after the explosion. He saw it from a distance and rushed thinking he could still save them just to find them already dead. He was the one that handed the baby to Hagrid thinking Dumbledore was going to keep him safe and rushed to take his revenge on Pettigrew just to be set up by the rat and have him escape. For years they hadn’t had a clue to where until Percy Weasley became a Hogwarts student and on a round of the castle as Padfoot he caught the so well known sent of Wormtail and finally caught the rat. Poor Percy had been horrified at having a murderer as a pet for so long so Sirius gave him an Owl as replacement.

Sighing he got up to head to the Great Hall for the dreaded feast and in the hall he was almost ran over by a speeding and maybe crying Hermione Granger. He frowned but saw the girl run into one of the girls bathrooms, he couldn’t go there. He’d have to let Minerva know. As he continued walking he also glimpsed his son scolding a red faced Ron Weasley.

“I don’t care if she is Ron, you shouldn’t have said that!” Harry’s voice carried. “You’ll have to apologize.”

“Okay, okay, when I see her I’ll tell her she isn’t all that insufferable,” Ron grunted.

“I said apologize not insult her more!” Harry huffed.

“Problems in paradise?” Sirius arched an eyebrow.

“Ron said Hermione was a nightmare and no one could stand her and she heard,” Harry glared at Ron.

“Oh, that was why I was almost ran over by a first year projectile,” he said keeping the pace with them.

“She was being a nightmare, correcting me in class, being all bossy,” Ron tried to defend himself.

“Maybe she was just trying to help,” Sirius suggested, at Ron’s glare he said, “Look I know Ms. Granger needs to work a little on her attitude but maybe she was trying to help she just doesn’t know how to do it without sounding bossy. Anyway I agree with Harry, you should apologize but you’ll have to wait because I saw her go in the Girl’s toilet and you can’t go there, so I suggest you go enjoy the feast now.”

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Oh, how he hated Halloween! He couldn’t help but go through everything that happened. He remembered the Owl from Sirius about a week before telling him there was something important he needed to tell him. But he was away on a mission. He was trying to convince a Werewolf faction to if not join them at least keep neutral. He remembered until today when the Phoenix Patronus caught him on his way back with the message of James and Lily’s death and Sirius arrest. He rushed back just to find Sirius waiting for his transportation to Azkaban. They weren’t even going to give him a trial! Dumbledore thought he’d been the secret keeper and apparently there were witnesses to the explosion. But he refused to believe them. Sirius would never betray James. So to convince Remus, Dumbledore pushed for a questioning and trial with Crouch certain that Sirius would confess under Veritasserum. Oh, Boy where they shocked! Remus was shocked! Peter? Little fumbling Peter? The plan had been a good one if not for Peter being a two way backstabbing traitor.

When the trial was over he had taken Sirius home. He was a mess. Hurt, pale, suffering from the Dementors and Veritasserum effect. Crying that he had as good as killed them and that they should have never changed Secret Keeper before telling Remus. That was what Sirius had wanted to tell him. About the change, so Peter could tell him the address to Godric’s Hallow. Honestly Remus thought that waiting for him wouldn’t have changed anything because he had thought it a good plan. He would have agreed and never suspect what Peter was up too.

Took them almost a week to stop wallowing on their grief for a second to remember that neither knew what had been done of Harry. A new spark ignited on Sirius and he all but stormed Dumbledore’s office demanding to see his Godson. Dumbledore refused telling him Harry was safe and that he shouldn’t have any contact with the Wizarding World. Dumbledore could be stubborn that way. But Sirius could be more so he went straight to the ministry and applied for permanent guardianship. Took him almost six month to get it even with James and Lily’s will to back him up. The fact that he had been suspected, even if proved innocent, had weighed a lot against him. But in the end the Ministry was not able to overwrite the magic of the Potter’s Will and continue denying Sirius’ rights. So Dumbledore was forced to tell them where Harry was and both him and Sirius almost throttled the Headmaster right there and then. What the bloody hell had he been thinking? Petunia? She hated magic! Dumbledore was quite taken aback from this revelation. He had believed she would have welcomed her nephew and let any grudge she might have had go in the face of an innocent child.

When they got to Number four Privet Drive they found that she didn’t. Harry was mostly kept shut in a cupboard under the stairs. Was fed the bare minimum to survive and was changed only when Petunia couldn’t stand the smell anymore. He had developed very little from what he had been at fifteen month, having little interaction with people, and what interaction he had was negative and no toys to play. He was shy and scared. Two things he had never been before. Poppy had been furious when she examined him. He had bruises from abuse, was malnourished and had several untreated diaper rashes. They had their work cut out for them to help him recover. Sirius quit his Auror job and for the first year never left his Godson sight. The first time he left Harry alone was when he started teaching at Hogwarts and that had been Harry’s first act of “rebellion” too. He had staged an illness so that Sirius would cancel his classes. It was funny and Remus had rejoiced the fact that Harry was finally starting to be comfortable enough to test his boundaries.

He sighted his best friend pushing his food around at the head table, cheek propped up by his fist, and sat next to him. Sirius pose represented well his own feelings today. He was about to start pushing his own food when Quirrel came running in the Hall announcing a Troll in the Dungeons and promptly fainted.

Immediately his and Sirius stance changed. They both had the same thought and from Severus face apparently he was thinking that too. A nod from him told Remus he’d deal with the third floor corridor and Remus and Sirius started helping the teachers search for the troll. Before he left he saw Harry and Ron follow Percy and sighed relieved.

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He had done his fair share of stupid things in his life but right now, dangling from a Trolls neck, he was sure this one toped them all. From the corner of his eyes he saw Ron take out his wand and cry:

“Wingardiam Leviosa”

After the troll was knocked out by his own club Harry and Ron didn’t waist time to see if it would wake up. They grabbed Hermione and started running for their life not even realizing where they were going. They ran for long until they reached a door and started trying to open it. It was unlocked and once inside they didn’t know what to fear most. The growling gigantic three headed dog or the fuming Potions Master who grabbed both boys by the gruff of their neck and hauled them outside before pushing Hermione and effectively locking the door behind him.

He turned to the three shaking first years and hissed, “Follow me.” And limped in front of the. Harry couldn’t help himself.

“Are you hurt sir?”

“That is none of your business Potter Black.”

“What was that dog guarding?” Apparently Hermione had a rough time keeping her mouth shut too.

Snape turned around and faced them with pure fury in his eyes, “You’ll do well to forget that dog and anything you may have seen there,” he said coldly, turned around and kept leading them until they met, McGonagall and Oh, No! His dad on the Hall in front of the girl’s toilet they had left.

“We found the troll Severus. Someone knocked it out,” Sirius said and spotting the children he hissed, “Shouldn’t you be up in your Tower?”

Harry gulped but before he could answer Hermione jumped in, “They came to save me. I didn’t know about the Troll and they came to fetch me but the Troll was already in the bathroom and Ron knocked it out with it’s own club. Then we ran until we found that door and thought we’d be safe but instead there was that dog there.” She said all in one breath.

Sirius paled and to Harry’s embarrassment started examining him, lifting robes and shirts while Harry tried to push them down.

“What were you thinking?” Sirius cried shaking Harry, “No forget that, you obviously weren’t thinking!” he hugged him and kept trading in between shaking and hugging him until McGonagall stopped him.

“You were very lucky. Professor Black is right you should have told a teacher instead of coming yourselves. Fifteen points from Gryffindor for you foolhardiness. Nevertheless you did the unimaginable and knocked the troll out so five points to Gryffindor each. Sirius please escort them to the Tower. Yes Sirius to the Gryffindor Tower not your quarters. You may also let go of your son before he suffocates.”

They walked in silence to the tower and when they reached it Sirius said gravely, “As Minerva has already dealt the punishment she sees fit,” the tone suggested he did not agree with that, “I won’t punish you now. During term, when I am your teacher. But you will not be aloud on your broom during the Christmas Holidays.”

“But dad…”

“No Harry. My heart almost stopped beating when I saw you outside of the safety of your dorm. You have to understand how stupid and dangerous that was. You are my whole life and I will not have you endanger yourself, Understood?” he said sternly kneeling to be eye level with Harry.

Yes, he did. That didn’t mean he was happy about it. Did he mention how very much he hated Halloween?