It's All Inside My Head

Ron and Hermione

Harry watched Dumbledore go, and turned to the dim hallway with a grimace. It was easily the dirtiest house he had seen. A far cry from the perfect neatness of Privat Drive, but that in itself was comforting. Harry loved mess; it was like laughing in the face of his Aunt and Uncle. So Harry decided in that moment that he rather liked Grimmauld Place.

Walking down the hall, Harry cursed loudly as he tripped over a lump in the grey carpet and fell with a thud onto the floor.

"FILTHY MUDBLOODS TAINTING THE BLACK FAMILY LINE-"

Harry startled as he looked up to see a painting of a severe old woman screaming her head off.

"-TRAITORS ALL OF YOU! LETTING HALFBREEDS AND BLOOD TRAITORS WALK THESE HALLS!"

Harry leapt up and stared straight into the woman's eyes . To his surprise, the shouting stopped as abruptly as it started. The woman looked at him with narrowed eyes, her wrinkled lips downturned in a sneer. Harry found that he couldn't quite look away, he felt frozen in place.

"You boy, what is your name?" the woman asked, her voice hoarse and low.

"Er, Harry Potter... Ma'am."

"You're wrong," she said.

Harry stared at her in confusion, "I'm sorry, I don't quite know what you mean..."

The woman smiled slightly, the action looking wrong on her face, "There's someone else inside of you, I can sense it."

Harry's eyes widened, how did she know about the voice?

"Do you know who it is?" Harry asked desperately, waiting for the shrill ringing sound again.

But it never came. His mind was silent.

"You don't know?" the woman said, her beady eyes wide, "I sense your mind has been penetrated by something dark-"

"Harry? What are you doing talking to this old bat?"

"YOU! YOU ARE A DISSAPOINTMENT TO THIS FAMILY, TO THIS HOUSE, TO YOUR NAME..."

Harry turned to see his Godfather staring at him curiously, "Sirius! What are you doing here?"

Sirius glared at the painting before grabbing Harry by the shoulders and pulling him away from the screaming portrait.

"I tripped and she just started yelling her head off!" Harry said hurriedly, mistaking Sirius' silence for anger. "I swear I didn't do anything to her!"

Sirius looked at him for a moment more, a slight furrow between his brows.

"Harry," he began slowly, "That is a portrait of my Mother. Ever since this house has been in use, she's only ever yelled and screamed..." he paused, "She's never talked to anyone before. What did she say to you?"

Harry panicked, he could hear a faint ringing in the back of his mind, almost like a reminder, a warning.

Harry swallowed nervously, "Er- she wanted to know who I was?"

Sirius frowned, "I see... Well, I'm sure your friends will be wondering where you are," he pointed upstairs, "First door to the left."

Harry started walking immediately, eager to escape his godfather's assessing stare. As he was climbing the creaking stairs, Sirius called out to him.

"Harry!" Harry turned around, gripping the banister with sweaty palms. "My mother hasn't spoken to anyone like she spoke to you since my brother Regulus, and he was a death eater."

When Harry was sure that was all Sirius had to say, he turned around and practically ran up the rest of the stares, feeling Sirius' gaze boring into the back of his head all the way.