A Little Help from a Snake // Tomarry

Part 67

Sure enough, as soon as they entered Remus' office, they saw Remus, Harry, and Tom inside.

"Well?" Harry demanded as soon as the door closed. "What happened? He didn't get off, did he?"

"He was found guilty," Sirius said, frowning.

"That's good, right?" Remus said, taking note of the confusion on his face.

"He didn't even try to explain himself," Severus elaborated. "When Madam Bones asked him how did he plead, he said guilty."

Harry and Tom exchanged a look. Sirius saw his own shock reflected on their faces.

"Well, he's in Azkaban now," Sirius said, looking a tad bit more optimistic now. "Should've been given the Kiss right then and there if you ask me, but at least he's contained."

"Mhm." Harry's mind was clearly occupied.

Tom nudged him. "What are you thinking about?"

Harry shrugged. "Just... now what? Dumbledore's out of the picture —" and in a very anticlimactic way, he added silently — "and now I don't have to worry about him. It's weird."

"Yes, it will take some time getting used to," Tom agreed.

Harry shook his head to closer his thoughts and stood up. "I better get back to the common room. Still gotta finish a couple assignments."

"When you say you still gotta finish, you mean you hadn't started?" Sirius guessed.

Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Maybe. Bye!"

He ran out before Sirius could respond.

Remus rolled his eyes. "That boy procrastinates more than me," he muttered.

"Let me guess," Sirius said, "you still have assignments to grade."

Remus sniffed but didn't answer verbally. He reached down and removed a stack of parchments from inside a drawer.

As he began reading over them, Sirius went over and sat down beside him, resting his chin on Remus' shoulder.

Severus, who had his own assignments to attend to, left.

For the remainder of the term, Harry buried himself in studying for the upcoming O.W.L.s.

"How do you think you'll do?" Tom asked one night through the mirror.

"I'm pretty confident," Harry replied. "What about you? How did you do when you took yours?"

"Outstanding all around."

"What a surprise," Harry said, grinning.

Tom puffed out his chest. "I'm awesome that way."

"Riiight."

Azure wiggled her way between Harry's arms. 'I'm even awesomer.'

'That's not a word,' Harry said.

'It is now,' Azure retorted, poking his cheek with her tail. 'Because I said so. So there!'

Harry rolled his eyes at Tom. 'Does Nagini give you as much trouble?'

'No, but once in the library, she laid on my legs and refused to move.' Tom shook his head. 'I swear that snake is part cat or something.'

Harry laughed and bade him farewell before deactivating the mirror.

With all that said and done, Harry didn't remember much of the actual process, just that he thought he did very well and, for one bonus point in Defense Against the Dark Arts, produced a Patronus using the memory of Tom asking to bond with him.