That morning, Harry woke up slowly, still floating on that fuzzy warm feeling from the night before. Rubbing at his eyes before putting on his glasses, he bit at his lip, still stuck on the question of whether he should introduce Ron and Sirius to each other.
On one hand, the more people knew about Sirius, the riskier it would be for him to stay hidden and discrete. On the other hand, Harry really hated keeping any secrets from his best friend. It just didn't feel right.
Acting before he could chicken away, he got up from his own bed and proceeded to jump into Ron’s, landing right on top of the ginger, feeling his knees dig into Ron's side.
“BLOODY HELL!”
At the shriek, the rest of the boys startled awake as well and seeing Harry in splits of laughter, grumbled at the duo before dropping back under the covers.
“Harry,” Ron groaned. “It's Sunday, why are you waking me up so soon?”
“Sooo, I need to tell you something-”
Yelping, Harry rubbed at his forehead which Ron had accidentally smacked against in his haste to sit up, his glasses askew. “Are you in trouble?” He demanded. “Do you need to hide a body?”
A touch horrified but mostly pleased, Harry shook his head. “No no, it's nothing that serious.” Grinning at that unintentional pun, he amended, “Or maybe it is?”
Ron just stared at him, clearly not amused by his attempt at being mysterious.
“Okay, okay, I'll tell you. So, remember summer break when I aged up Marge?”
“Yeah, I do,” Ron said, his brow furrowing, “What does this have to do with what you have to tell me?”
“Shush, let me explain. So while I was sulking, this adorable dog walked up to me. And long story short, I named it Fuhrer and decided to adopt it. He kind of looks like that Grim Trelawney says she saw, now that I think of it.”
“Is that it? Man, I thought it was something serious.”
“It is!” Harry insisted, his grin wider. “Anyway, that's not the end of it. So you know how things are rarely as they seem? Turns out that was the case.”
“Mate, either be out with it or be out of here.” Ron huffed, clearly itching to go back to sleep.
“Jeez, lighten up, I'm coming to it. Yeah, so Fuhrer is actually Sirius Black. He's an Animagus and the big black dog is his animal form. He's actually pretty cool. I wanted to introduce you two, you in?”
Maintaining his composure, Harry sweated a little at the pause that followed.
“You're not serious, are you?” Ron finally said.
With his biggest grin yet, he said, “Nope, sorry! That's my godfather, I'm Harry!”
Another slightly longer pause followed before a deeply exasperated sigh.
“I'm not even going to question it, man. How did you find this out, anyway?” Ron asked, massaging his temples. Whatever sleepiness had remained after Harry's attack had faded away very quickly.
“That's a good question. So apparently, Fred and George have a magic map which shows the location of each and every person in the Castle and the grounds! It also mentions their name, regardless of what form they're in; that's how we found Sirius. He was literally there with us when the twins opened the map.”
Ron, seemingly having lost all words to express himself, remained silent and staring which Harry took as permission to continue speaking.
“Also he's not the actual criminal behind my parents’ death. He swapped his position as Secret Keeper with another friend of theirs, Peter Pettigrew. Y’know, the wizard he allegedly exploded; that was all his doing.” At the reminder, his fist clenched. “Sirius is completely innocent; he confirmed that under a Truth Serum.”
Ron blinked bemusedly before gesturing for him to continue.
“Right, I think that's it.” He worried at his lip before brightening, “Oh! McGonagall knows, by the way. And Sirius gave me permission to go to Hogsmeade which McGonagall accepted and I invited Daphne on a date! I'm so excited-”
“Wait, wait, back up a little,” Ron interrupted. “Who's Daphne?”
At the question, Harry froze up, I didn't mean to spill that, shit.
As he tried to figure out what to say, Ron backed off, clearly sensing he needed some time to clear his head.
But would it be so bad to tell him? He's my best friend, he'll understand, right? He listened to me about the Sirius thing so…
“She's this girl I've been hanging out with since First Year,” Harry admitted. “We're close friends; she actually helped me with the Chamber last year. She practically saved my life, I'm not going to hide the truth; she dealt with the second Basilisk. If it weren't for her, I'd probably be dead or at least, heavily injured.”
“Well, she sounds nice,” Ron encouraged, his voice soft. “Tell me more about her?”
Harry perked up, “You're not mad that I've been hiding this from you?”
“No,” he huffed. “Of course not, why would I be? Mate, even if I had been mad, hearing that she helped you so much would've completely wiped anything negative I would be feeling. Plus, you can have secrets; just because we're best friends doesn't mean you have to tell me absolutely everything. You can if you want to, of course.”
At the clear warmth and sincerity in his voice, Harry gave him a wobbly smile before hesitating, “There's something I haven't told you yet about her. Um, she's a… Slytherin.”
Clearly a little surprised, Ron shrugged, “That would usually concern me but since you've already said she's saved your life, I don't really care. If she pulls any underhanded shit against you though, let her know I'll be the first one in line to get revenge.” He finished with a light grin.
“Ron!” Harry laughed, smacking his arm, “She wouldn't hurt me; she's very sweet to me, actually.”
Hesitating, he added, “I thought you didn't like Slytherins?”
“Oh, I don't,” he confirmed. “But since she's your friend, and a close one since you invited her on a date, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.”
Laughing, he launched himself at Ron again, making sure to dig the points of his elbows deep into Ron's stomach. Unaffected, Ron just sighed and wound his arms around Harry's back, returning the hug just as tightly.
“You're the bestest best friend ever, Ron!” Harry chirped. “Now, let's go meet Sirius!”
Ron's only response was a drawn-out groan.
Harry bounded ahead, catching sight of the dog lounging inside his tunnel. “Fuhrer!”
At the call, Fuhrer's head peeked up from where he was sniffing at something and he came out, just as excited as his ‘owner’.
They met in the middle and Fuhrer knocked over the boy, licking at his face with the clear goal to drench him in dog saliva, making Harry yell out a half-hearted protest.
“Fuhrer, that's so gross! Stop, stop,” he panted. “Come on, I have someone for you to meet.”
Fuhrer whined a little before turning to look behind Harry at Ron. “Yeah, that's who I'm talking about. Don't worry, he knows the truth!”
“That's what I was worried about,” Sirius admitted, having transformed immediately at Harry's words. “Don't go around telling too many people, Harry, it might catch someone's attention.”
Ron interjected, “No worries, Mr. Black, I'll make sure this one doesn't tell anybody else. From what he's told me, only I and the twins know, right?”
Harry watched Sirius study Ron intently, clearly trying to place him from somewhere. “That's right, kid, and call me Sirius; Mr. Black was my father. But do I know you? You seem vaguely familiar.”
“Er, I don't think so?”
“Ah,” Sirius continued, snapping his fingers, “You been in the Daily Prophet recently, kid?”
“Oh yeah, my whole family was. The article was announcing our winning some lottery and so they got a picture of us. Are there newspapers in Azkaban?”
Sirius snorted, “Nah, but I always used to ask Fudge for a newspaper when he came on his rounds. That's where I saw you, I suppose.”
“That makes sense,” Ron said. “Harry didn't explain the whole thing very clearly, to be honest. Though, Harry, I didn't ask this earlier but does Hermione know?”
“Oh, uh, no,” Harry realised, “Can we keep this from her though, please? I know she's our friend but I really don't want to know what she'd say when she finds out that I've basically been hanging out with a serial killer this whole time, innocent or not.”
Ron laughed, agreeing, “I think she'd have your head, mate. Honestly, I think she's ready to have mine over Scabbers and Crookshanks’ spat.”
“Scabbers?” Sirius asked, eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, that's my pet rat. Poor thing’s been losing all his fur since we went to Egypt and eating much less, too. On top of that, Hermione's mangy cat has been troubling him.”
Uncomfortable due to the look in Sirius' eyes, Harry quickly changed the subject. “Sooo, Quidditch is coming up! Will you come watch me, Sirius?” He couldn't help the hope building up, imagining his godfather coming to watch one of his performances.
“Of course I will,” Sirius grinned. “I wouldn't miss it for the world, fawn. I'll probably stay up in the bleachers though.”
“That's okay!” Harry said, beyond thrilled.
Ron interrupted, “What about the Dementors, Sirius? Won't they bother you?”
“Truth be told, they've stopped affecting me as much.” Sirius shrugged lightly. “Don't get me wrong, they still feel awful. But they don't affect me as much when I'm in my Animagus form so I'll be alright. I doubt they'll come so close to the Pitch anyway.”
“I'm jealous,” Harry sighed, a little dejectedly. “Last time I encountered them, I fainted. It was embarrassing.”
“What?!” Sirius exclaimed, Ron rubbing at his arm in comfort. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine now,” Harry winced. “But what if they do show up?”
“Tell you what, Harry,” Sirius hummed. “Why don't you take Patronus lessons with either McGonagall or Lupin? He's teaching this year, isn't he? I would offer but I'm afraid this isn't really a good teaching environment.”
“What's a Patronus?” Ron asked.
“It's a manifestation of all of your positive emotions and memories; it usually shows in the form of an animal that closely resembles your spirit. It's the only counter against a Dementor.”
At the prospect of a good defence against Dementors, Harry brightened up and quickly, the trio delved into the pros and cons of beginning lessons now versus later.
“It's settled, then,” Harry declared. “I'll take Patronus lessons from Lupin after this match. Honestly, I don't think I'd have time this week; Wood's been running us dry in preparation.”
*
Mirroring the dreary day, Daphne was in a sour mood herself, having once again succumbed to her best friend's manipulation despite her best efforts. Tracey, whose personality thoroughly differed from that of a traditional Slytherin, still carried the ‘I get what I want’ energy with all her might. In all the years that Daphne had known her, Tracey had never failed to get a favourable end result, a fact that both awed her and creeped her out.
On this occasion, Tracey had used her sister as an excuse to get Daphne down onto the Quidditch stands to watch the first match of the year: Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff. Although it was supposed to have been a match with Slytherin, Malfoy’s injury had made sure that the spoiled brat would not have to fly in the dismal winds that made every student shudder even in their multiple layers.
“Cheer up, Daph!” Tracey grinned. “Aren't you excited to spend time with your darling little sister? You guys can spend time cheering on Gryffindor without having to worry about consequences since Ms. Prickly here decided to threaten everyone into compliance.”
“I didn't threaten anyone,” she muttered sullenly, staring daggers at the entrance to the pitch, trying to will the players into hurrying. “It was simply a strong suggestion for them to shut up about Astoria's allegiances.”
“So you mean you threatened them?” Astoria ribbed at her, her brown eyes glittering with poorly-hidden mirth.
Daphne simply huffed at the responding bark of laughter from Tracey resolutely keeping her eyes trained on the Pitch, keeping an eye out for her favourite (and only liked) Quidditch Player. That's the one good result of this outcome, she thought ruefully, I get to watch Harry play.
However, the weather was steadily getting much worse and by the time the Players had entered and then kicked off, it had become near impossible to identify any of the red or green blurs zooming across the sky. Daphne couldn't even hear Jordan's commentary to determine which team was in the lead over the howling winds and the pouring rain. Why the match hadn't been postponed was anyone's guess.
Gradually, Daphne felt a creeping cold inch in on her, freezing her down to the bone. Initially, she gave it no thought, assuming that the weather had turned for the worse before realising the abrupt quiet that the audience had over them. Beside her, Astoria's teeth were chattering loudly and Tracey had her arms wound tightly over her own torso. Huddling closer to the other two, she looked around to find that other students looked just as, if not more, affected by the chill. There was something massively wrong about the whole event and Daphne tried valiantly to ignore the niggling feeling in her gut, doubting whether the Dementors would actually enter the school grounds with Dumbledore right there.
But she was proven wrong when Tracey gasped and pointed towards the dark shapes that had begun infiltrating the pitch. Before any of the students could react, however, came Dumbledore's fury, who launched what Daphne recognised as a massive Patronus. The luminous phoenix circled the pitch gracefully and as the students caught sight of what was happening, began screaming and panicking. Some pointed upwards and began chattering loudly amongst themselves and following their gaze, Daphne looked up to a horrifying sight.
Harry Potter was dropping from a dangerous height, no glimpse of his broom or any attempt at trying to save himself. Watching Harry be cushioned by Dumbledore's spell, Daphne's heart dropped down into her stomach, a mocking mimicry of what had happened moments prior.
~
Daphne was tracing outside the Hospital Wing, having layered herself in a Concealment Charm. She was waiting impatiently for the Gryffindor Team as well as Granger and Weasley to be shooed out by Madam Pomfrey, considering it was nearly time for dinner.
She was fairly certain Tracey had tried to intercept her but she had been too jittery to pay her any attention and consequently, would likely be cornered and interrogated upon her return to the Slytherin Common Room. She couldn't find it in herself to care though, not when Harry was lying a few feet away, having narrowly escaped near certain death.
Finally, she heard the abhorrent noise of chairs scraping on the tiles of the Hospital Wing and pressed herself into the wall so that no one would bump into her as they passed by her. Just as they all exited, she quickly snuck in before Pomfrey could shut the doors.
Waiting until the nurse disappeared into her office, she slipped past the curtains around Harry's bed and found herself stopping at the pitiful sight a hospitalised Harry made. He was in one of those pale blue hospital gowns and oddly enough, there were various wooden fragments laying at the foot of the bed. What tugged at her heart though was the downtrodden expression on the boy's face.
Realising she was staring, she hastily cleared her throat to catch his attention and watched as he startled.
“Who's there?” he rasped out, sounding as though he was on the verge of tears. Frowning, she dropped the Charm and seated herself on the edge of the bed and held his face in her hands.
His face sunk into her hands as though she was the only thing keeping him upright and he mumbled out a hello, seemingly not surprised.
She greeted him back and asked, “How are you?” as she tenderly rubbed circles into his cheekbones.
“Fine,” he returned, though the morose look stayed. “I didn't actually hit the ground so I don't have any injuries. But Pomfrey’s insisting on keeping me here tonight.”
“I think that's for the best,” Daphne said softly. “What happened though? How'd you fall?”
“I fainted,” he winced. “It's not the first time; I fainted once before on encountering the Dementors. On the train, while we were coming to school.”
Nodding in comprehension, she suggested, “Why don't you try and learn how to combat the Dementors? I'm sure Lupin would agree, he's seen how the Dementors affect you. He seems like a kind soul, I don't think he's really capable of saying no to kids.”
At the light jab, Harry grinned weakly though his gaze returned to the broken sticks, the look in his eyes reflecting heartbreak.
Confused, she asked, “What are these… broken shards?”
“That's my Nimbus,” he answered, his voice thick with tears. “It flew off and hit the Whomping Willow when I fell. The Willow returned the favour, I suppose.”
Gasping, Daphne moved closer and gathered him close, circling her arms around his trembling shoulders. She tucked his head under her chin and let him break, humming quietly under her breath so that she wouldn't have to hear him sobbing.
Softly, almost unconsciously, she rubbed her hands across his back, letting her hands roam free to comfort him. He seems like he desperately needs a hug, Daphne thought, this almost reminds me of Astoria. She would always seek me out after a particularly bad night.
The pair sat in silence for some while as Harry gathered himself and he moved back, his arms still held loosely around her waist. “Thanks,” he whispered with a wobbly but genuine smile.
“No problem,” she returned, her eyes soft.
This is definitely worth whatever spiel Tracey’s prepared for me, she thought dazedly, watching the moonlight spill across Harry's features in a way that made him look wonderfully soft and comfortable. She wanted to sink right into him and she knew without a doubt that if she did, he would catch her no matter what.
- a/n -
daphne: I'm very angry at the world and nothing can improve my mood.
tracey: look, the players are here!
daphne, seeing harry: the world is made of sunshine and roses and so am i
tracey: ... bruh
*
hey guys,
a little heads up; chapters might be uploaded somewhat late. we do have an extensive schedule to maintain (specifically due to our exams) and i request that we keep your patience. this will likely last until the end of march. that's about it for life updates and we hope you enjoy reading!
~cel