Boggarts, Halloween and questions.
Severus sat in his room nursing a cold cup of tea, it was long after his usual bedtime and he should be asleep. His conversation with Lupin had been as enlightening as it had been unexpected. Severus hated the irrational fear he still had of the man; werewolves were only dangerous during the full moon and if he made wolfsbane for him, as Albus had requested, then even at full moon Lupin would pose no threat. Still, the fear remained.
Severus had been caught out on returning to his rooms after his patrol. He had been lost in thought about Harry and had not seen the werewolf until it was too late. He did not want to let the man into his rooms; unfortunately, he did not have much of a choice, the man was a colleague and Dumbldore was an infernal idiot who had suggested Severus should forget the past.
The werewolf seemed to realise that Severus was uncomfortable and he had apologised to him for the Maurader’s behaviour at school. He had called Sirius a thoughtless idiot for causing the incident with Moony when Snape had been lured to the Shrieking Shack and encountered a full-grown werewolf before being rescued by James Potter.
Lupin, it seemed, had come to make peace. He assured Severus that he would not get between Harry and his new family, as long as Harry was happy and that he had told the Headmaster the same thing. The werewolf had been rather annoyed with the esteemed Headmaster, something Severus had not expected. Albus had always been too lenient on the Marauders; Severus should know he had been the victim more often than not. However, Albus did not do anything for free; Severus had learned that the hard way too, the leader of the light always wanted something in return.
It had not come as a surprise to Severus to learn that Lupin had worked out that he was Harry’s guardian; what had surprised him was what the man had not mentioned.
Severus had paid attention to the signatures on Lily's will the day it was read; he had wondered who Lily had trusted with the knowledge of what she had done. However, he had become distracted by his betrothal to Harry and it had slipped his mind that Remus John Lupin had been one of the witnesses to Lily’s will. He had completely forgotten until tonight.
Lupin had sworn he had no nefarious plans regarding Harry, nor was he going to try to remove Harry from his care. If Lily had wanted Severus to take responsibility for Harry’s care, then he would not interfere. While, Lupin was not thrilled with Severus' choice of custodial guardians, his conversation with Harry had put his mind at ease regarding his placement with the Malfoys.
Severus wondered how much things would change when Lupin learned about the betrothal contract. Still, that was a bridge yet to cross, for now, Lupin was only asking to talk with Harry and Severus had no reason to say no; still, he had not said yes. He made it clear to Lupin that he would not prevent Harry from talking to him but it would be Harry’s decision.
Lupin had agreed to those terms and had left soon after Severus had agreed to allow Harry to decide. Severus was left to mull over the conversation and dissect it. It went against his every instinct to allow a Maurader anywhere near Harry; even if Lupin was probably the most benign of them. However, Harry would make the choice, it had to be that way, and Severus would be there to support him.
There were other things Severus needed to focus on, Halloween was approaching fast and with it the first Hogsmeade weekend. Severus did not want to ban Harry from going to the village with his friends, he had promised Narcissa he would assess the risk each weekend and she had a signed permission form, but was it safe? Severus had no idea and neither it transpired did Lupin.
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Tom Riddle sat in his study staring at the objects on his desk. He had retrieved the Gaunt ring so he now had three of his precious Horcruxes in his possession. The diadem and cup were safe though inaccessible to him; the diadem was at Hogwarts. The cup, however, was in Bella’s vault at Gringotts and unfortunately, she, his favourite and most loyal lieutenant was still in Azkaban. Still, the cup was safe, unlike his locket, somehow the locket had been removed from the cave where he had hidden it.
Regulus Black one of his most loyal Death Eaters had betrayed him and stolen the locket Horcrux. He should never have used that wretched elf; he should have used a golem or transfigured a rock or something. It had never occurred to him that the elf would get out of the cave but it must have how else could Regulus have found it? He would need to find out more about House Elves it seemed. In the meantime, he still had no idea how to find his missing Horcrux.
If he was to go into the ministry as Augustus scrying expert he would need more of his Horcruxes. Augustus assured him he could get him into the Department of Mysteries and no one would be the wiser; he would need a new face either polyjuice or transfiguration to create an alias. He would also need a new wand; it seemed incredibly risky but Augustus had yet to fail him.
Summoning parchment and a quill he composed a letter to Severus. He would ask the Potions Master to help him out. He couldn't order him any longer a fact which grated on his nerves, Harry Potter was both an inconvenience and a useful ally. Tom hated people like that, they were unpredictable, and he didn't like unpredictable.
He finished the letter and realised he could not send it until Augustus returned. He would have to get an owl, as soon as he could move around without attracting attention. In the meantime, he needed to practice his scrying skills if he was going to pass as an expert scryer.
It was an ingenious plan, he had to admit Rookwood had surprised him. He appreciated the beauty of the plan. As a member of the team hunting Sirius Black, he would have access to all the information about the escape and the search. He could lead the team in any direction he wanted, he could lead them to Black or take them on a wild goose chase. However, he was still undecided on which course of action to take.
The plan also got him access to the Ministry and more importantly, it got him access to the Department of Mysteries. He would have a chance to find the ridiculous prophecy and hear it for himself, then he could decide if it had been fulfilled.
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Defence class continued to be one of the best classes, Harry found himself enjoying the the lessons right up until they got to the lesson on Boggarts. Professor Lupin gave a thorough lecture about Boggarts, the creatures inhabited small dark spaces and were relatively harmless until they were disturbed at which time they assumed the form of whatever the person feared most.
" So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. " (JK Rowling Prisoner of Azkaban)
Harry was intrigued and he considered what the boggart would likely become for him. The natural assumption would be Lord Voldemort but Harry was not at all afraid of Tom. Uncle Vernon was a distinct possibility, although now that he was in prison and since Harry never had to see him again that fear had mostly disappeared, then his thoughts turned to the dementors; he remembered the rotting skeletal hand emerging from the grey robes and rattling breath from the invisible mouth, the oppressive cold and the darkness created by their presence. Harry shivered despite the room being quite warm.
Draco looked over at Harry who had his eyes closed and had suddenly paled, he nudged his brother gently. Harry was startled and opened his eyes to see a concerned-looking Draco. Harry shook his head trying to convey that he would explain later and returned his attention to Lupin.
Lupin was explaining that the way to defeat a Boggart was with laughter. Forcing the Boggart into a form you found amusing and then laughing at it would cause it it disappear.
“Everyone stand up and move over here,” Lupin directed indicating a chest on the floor. Harry recognised it as the chest, which, had been rattling around on the floor during their first class.
“Right then, the spell you will need is Riddikulus,” Lupin told them, demonstrating the wand movement. “However the incantation is not enough, you must focus on what you want the Boggart to become. Have a clear picture in your mind of something that will make you laugh. Take a moment now and consider what your Boggart is likely to be and how you can make it funny,” He told the class.
Harry was stumped how on earth could you make a dementor funny? He thought hard but he could not come up with any thing. Draco raised an eyebrow and Harry whispered his problem.
“A Dementor,” Draco repeated an involuntary shudder running down his back. “I don't know Harry, I don’t think anything can make a dementor funny,” he told him.
“You could change its colour and maybe turn it into a clown,” Pansy offered from his other side.
Harry considered that he tried to imagine the grey cloak turning neon pink and a clown face in place of the empty hood but he still did not feel like laughing. There was just no way to make a dementor less scary.
“It’s best to have company when dealing with Boggarts, who can tell me why?” Lupin was asking when Harry’s attention returned to the lecture.
Hermione’s hand was instantly in the air. “Miss Granger,” Lupin said with an indulgent smile.
“Because if there is more than one person, the Boggart won't know what to turn into,” she said primly.
“Exactly. Now everyone come over here, today you will all face the Boggart on your own so you can practise the charm. I don't want anyone to panic, however, there are plenty of people here to move in if things don't go to plan. You are completely safe. Now who would like to go first?”
Neville Longbottom was standing in front of Harry looking like he wanted to disappear into the floor. Draco rolled his eyes. Lupin for reasons best known only to himself zeroed in on the terrified boy. “Mr Longbottom, Neville isn't it?”
“Y-yes,” Neville whispered looking like he wished he was anywhere else.
“Come up Neville,” Lupin said kindly Neville hesitated then slowly moved towards the teacher. “Now Neville take a moment and think…What scares you the most?”
Neville looked like he might be sick, he glanced at Harry and made a small grimace before he said in a soft broken voice. “Pr..proff…Professor Sn..Snape.”
Draco rolled his eyes again and Harry folded his arms over his chest and glared at Lupin. The teacher must have felt Harry’s glare because he looked up and sent the boy a small apologetic smile, then he returned his focus to Neville.
Harry stood as still as a statue as Lupin talked Neville through dressing his Boggart Professor Snape in his grandmother's clothes. Harry continued to glare daggers at Lupin; as Neville succeeded in forcing his Boggart Snape into wearing his grandmother's ridiculous clothing. The rest of the class especially the Gryffindors found it hilarious.
Once Neville had succeeded Lupin called Lavender forward; the Boggart changed into a mummy, Lavender yelled “Riddikulus,” and the bandages unravelled causing the mummy's head to fall off Lavender laughed heartily. One by one each member of the class stepped forward and the boggart changed.
The boggart changed quickly as each student stepped forward until it started to get confused. It turned into a bloodied hand and then an eyeball. “Good, it's confused Mr Weasley step forward,” Lupin called. Several people screamed as a giant spider appeared in the room Ron yelled “Riddikulus” and the legs disappeared and the spider's body rolled across the room and stopped at Harry’s feet.
“Here,” Lupin called out in what sounded like panic but it was too late. The dementor loomed over Harry, its hand reaching out as it glided silently towards him. Harry raised his wand but his hand shook, as the cold pulled at him and couldn’t think, much less speak the incantation. He started to shiver as the cold overtook him and then he heard the screaming; only this time there were words. “No, please no, not Harry…” she screamed and he fell into the darkness.
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Harry was floating in a white fog so thick he could not see anything around him. It was peaceful and quiet for a while and then there were voices. there was a woman, not the one who had been screaming though, she was gone. Harry wondered what had happened to her.
“Do you have any idea why they affect him so badly?” Nacissa’s voice broke through the fog and Harry realised she was talking to someone else in the room he wanted to hear the answer so he tried hard to focus.
“Yes, I have an idea,” Severus replied.
“Tell me,” Narcissa said firmly.
There was a pause and Harry could tell Severus was unsure about revealing his idea and Harry couldn't blame him. Finally, the man picked up Harry’s hand and held it as he explained his thoughts. “Dementors force their victims to relive their worst memories and Harry has horrors in his past that are worse than most other people. I believe that he hears Lily screaming when the Dark Lord attacked them,” Severus' deep voice cut easily through the fog and pain coursed through Harry at his words. The words themselves were not a surprise; Harry knew his betrothed was right but somehow hearing Severus say it out loud made it real. It was his mother, Lily, he heard and she had been begging for his life.
A tear ran down Harry’s cheek and Narcissa’s hand closed around the hand not currently in Severus’ hand, he heard her whisper. “I think he can hear us, he’s crying.”
“Harry?” Severus called and Harry squeezed both their hands as he slowly opened his eyes. The hospital wing was as bright as always and he closed his eyes again and groaned.
“Harry,” Severus voice came again.
“Yeah,” Harry replied, his throat was dry and his voice was raspy.
The back of his bed lifted and a straw was placed in his mouth. “Here, drink this sweetheart,” Narcissa told him. He drank the cold water gratefully and tried again to open his eyes.
“You're right Sev,” he whispered. “It is my mum, Lily. I heard her…” he whispered.
“Shhh, now it’s alright, you are alright Harry,” Severus soothed. he briefly let go of Harry’s hand and reached for a bar of chocolate on the bedside table.
Narcissa rubbed the back of his hand. “Harry,” she said softly. “My poor boy.”
“Is that why it's so bad when they come near, because of Lily?” Harry asked.
“That is my theory,” Severus told him as he broke up a chocolate bar and offered a piece to Harry.
Harry took the chocolate and sighed. “Great! Can we…is there a way…Lup…Professor Lupin made the Dementor on the train back off. Pansy said he cast a spell at it and it went away. Do you know what it might have been? Could you teach me?” Harry asked.
“I have spoken with Professor Lupin and we have agreed that the Patronus charm might help you and I believe you are powerful enough to cast it. Professor Lupin has agreed to…”
“No, no not him. Do you know…did you hear what he did…Neville…the boggart…” Harry spluttered.
“I heard Harry, it is nothing. I assure you I am not bothered by Lupin’s childish antics. However, he is the defence teacher and this falls under his purview. The Headmaster feels…”
Harry scoffed and spoke over his betrothed. “Of course he does,” he muttered.
“Harry, you were prepared to speak with him, don’t allow this incident to deprive you of the opportunity to learn more about your parents from someone who was their friend,” Severus said softly.
Narcissa swallowed a snort and Harry glanced at her curiously; Severus, however, shot the woman a quelling look. Realising neither adult would elaborate on the furtive looks Harry folded his arms across his chest.“You knew my mum, and you must know something about James. Why can't you tell me?” he asked defiantly.
“You know why Harry, Please just think about it,” Severus said.
Harry rolled his eyes “Fine, but if I decide I don't want him to teach me, will you do it? Will you teach me?” he asked.
“If you give the idea some proper consideration and decide you cannot face Professor Lupin, then of course I will teach you,” Severus told him.
“Even if Dumbledore sticks his nose in?” Harry asked knowingly.
“Professor Dumbledore Harry, and if necessary we will find a way,” Severus replied.
“I will insist,” Narcissa told him. “And if need be, we will take you out of the school.”
Severus rolled his eyes, it was ridiculous to continue to use that threat but it would work. Albus could not afford to have Harry Potter removed from Hogwarts. “Promise me you will give it a chance Harry. If you give Lupin a fair chance but find you still don't want him to teach you then you won't have to continue.”
“Fine, but I don't have to like it,” Harry retorted.
Severus sighed “No, you don’t have to like it right now, however, it is ok to change your mind later,” he said gently.
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Halloween brought with it the first opportunity for the students to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Harry had a signed permission slip allowing him to visit the village, however, he decided to stay in the castle. Walking past the Dementors seemed like asking for trouble and now he knew what it was that he heard when they came near he was not in any hurry to hear it again.
Harry spent the morning working on his divination. Professor Trelawney had been a disappointment but the class work was not. Harry re-read the section on reading tea leaves and then he decided to try it again. He called Dobby for some tea and then he carefully followed the instructions.
Sitting back on the sofa he sighed, either he was doing something wrong or he was misinterpreting something. He glared at the lumps of soggy tea, there was a bird in the future section of the cup indicating good news, and a chain on the bottom of the cup which suggested an early marriage or an unexpected legacy. There was also what looked to be a letter M, possibly a message from someone with the initial M; however, there was no rat, no wolf and no dog. Harry sighed the cup, while likely accurate, was no help at all, perhaps his question was not clear enough.
He called Dobby again and asked him to clear away the tea things and he made his way to the Great Hall for lunch. The Hall was mostly empty since most people opted to go to Hogsmeade. Harry headed over to the Slytherin table and sat at the end by himself.
Severus was not at lunch, Harry knew he had a lot of brewing to do; Dumbldore had him making extra potions this year. Harry was annoyed about that, he wished he could get the Headmaster to leave Severus alone, the way the Dark Lord had agreed to leave him alone.
Harry was lost in a fantasy where he told Dumbldore that if he did not stop taking all of his betrothed’s spare time he would join the Dark Lord; when he became aware of someone calling his name. He pulled himself out of his fantasy and tried to focus on the shabby-looking Professor calling his name.
Harry felt his eyes harden involuntarily as he looked at the man and he did not reply, instead, he raised an eyebrow in a way which reminded Lupin of Severus.
“Harry, Professor Snape has asked me to teach you the Patronus charm and I wondered if you might have time for tea after lunch,” the defence teacher said.
“Actually, I asked Professor Snape to teach me,” Harry said coldly. “He said Dumbledore wants you to do it,” Harry replied. His attitude and body language leaving no doubt as to his thoughts on the matter.
“Professor Dumbledore Harry,” Lupin corrected.
Harry did not acknowledge the correction. “So why do we need to have tea?” he asked instead.
“We don't have to, but I told you I would like to get to know you,” Lupin said uncertainly.
Harry gave a curt nod. “Severus told me I should give you a chance, so you get one more and that’s it,” Harry told him in a hard tone. “...and you had better apologise to Severus for that stunt in defence.”
The defence teacher looked slightly pained “I am sorry about that Harry, I never meant to upset you.”
Harry raised his eyebrow again.
“Of course, I will apologise to Professor Snape,” he finished quickly.
Harry put the last piece of sandwich in his mouth and looked thoughtfully at the shabby man, he wondered briefly why he always looked like he had been dragged through a hedge backwards, as Aunt Petunia would say. Not that Harry could talk, he supposed the phrase had almost always been directed at him whenever his aunt had said it. Finally, he swallowed his food. “Alright, we can have tea, I will meet you at three. Where?” he asked.
“My office, in the defence room?” it sounded like a question but Harry replied as if it had not been. Surely the teacher did not need Harry’s permission to use his own office.
“Alright, see you there,” he agreed. he finished eating and quickly left the Great Hall. He wanted to check that his betrothed had eaten.
It turned out he could not see Severus; the man had put wards on his private Lab which made Harry wonder what he was up to. So instead he sent Dobby to check on the man and he filled in the few hours between lunch and tea with Lupin by getting a start on his Transfiguration essay.
At ten to three he put his books away and headed to the fourth floor to the defence room. He was not in any particular hurry to see Lupin but it would be impolite to be late when invited to tea. Lupin had tea ready when Harry arrived they sat at the teacher's desk while Lupin served the tea. Lupin seemed unsure of what to say once they were seated with their tea so Harry started the conversation.
“What’s that?" he asked pointing to a strange lizard-like creature in a glass tank.
“That is a Chupacabra,” Lupin said with a smile. “They are kind of cute but if you happen across a pack of them they will drain you completely of blood.”
“Charming,” Harry replied. “So why does Dumbledore want you to teach me the patronus and not Severus?”
“Profesor Dumbledore Harry and I am not sure. Would you rather Severus do it?” he asked.
Harry raised his eyebrow. “Would that make a difference if I did?” he asked.
“Of course, I would not go against your will. However, it is in your best interests to learn the charm and it is a defensive charm,” Lupin told him.
Harry considered that and nodded. “Alright then, tell me about this charm,”
Lupin nodded and began to explain. “The Patronus charm is a defence against dementors; it chases them away because it is the opposite of the dementor itself. A Patronus is created from happiness and combined with the protection of the spell it drives away the darkness which is what a dementor is, it is darkness.”
“I see, so how do I cast one?” Harry asked.
“You need a happy thought and a lot of magic. Severus seems to think the magic will not be so much a problem as the happy memory,” Lupin said sadly.
Harry drank his tea and thought about that, why would Severus have said Harry would struggle to have a happy memory? He had a lot of them now since he had been placed in Slytherin and had gone to live with his parents and of course, there was Severus. “I am not sure why he thought that, I have plenty of happy memories, he knows that,” Harry retorted.
“You do?” Lupin asked.
“Yes,” Harry said crossly. “I have the memory of my sorting into Slytherin, and my first Christmas with my parents, brother and Severus; there’s the day Severus took over guardianship of me and told me I would never have to go back to the Durselys, as well as my birthdays with my parents. Lots of them!”
Lupin gave Harry a sad smile, “I am glad you have those happy memories, but I think Severus meant that usually the memory people use is one which comes from their childhood from their family. I understand that you have family now but I think Severus was trying to give me a different message,” Lupin mused.
Harry opened his mouth, then he closed it, as he realised that Severus had been warning Lupin about the effect the dementors had on Harry and that Harry had not had the best childhood before coming to Hogwarts. He looked at the floor uncertain if he should tell Professor Lupin what he heard when the dementors came near.
Before he could decide there was a knock on the door and Lupin called for the person to come in. The door opened to reveal Severus holding a large goblet filled with some kind of potion. Severus seemed to hesitate in the doorway when he saw Harry.
“Ah Severus,” Lupin said easily. “Is that my potion?” he asked. The potion looked and smelled foul and it was smoking.
“Yes, you should drink it directly. If you need more let me know I made an entire cauldron full,” Severus said glancing at Harry.
The young Slytherin met his betrothed eye. “Did Dobby find you?” he asked casually.
Severus smirked at Harry. “He did, thank you the soup and sandwiches were just what I needed,” he told him before leaving the room.
Lupin was looking curiously at Harry. “Dumbledore had him brewing through lunch again. He doesn't eat enough as it is without that,” Harry said fiercely.
Lupin wisely said nothing, instead, he turned his attention to his potion. He drank the whole glass and then grimaced “Disgusting,” he said with a grin at Harry. “Pity sugar makes it useless.”
Harry’s mind was racing; what potion would Severus be making for Lupin? It was not a potion Harry had ever seen before, he would be doing some research on potions which smoked.
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The Hogsmeade visitors arrived back an hour before the Halloween feast was due to begin. Draco had bought Harry a block of Honeydukes finest chocolate and some sugar quills which pleased him immensely. Harry sat back and listened to the third years telling him all about their day; it was warm and pleasant and Harry found he was not even sad to have missed out. It was much nicer to know that he, had been missed.
The feast was fantastic, the House Elves just kept surpassing themselves. While the students gorged themselves on pumpkin cooked in many different ways, Harry couldn't help a small amount of trepidation. So far his experience of the Hogwarts Halloween feast had not been ideal and Harry could not help wondering what would happen this year.
The feast drew to a close with nothing untoward happening and Harry breathed a sigh of relief when they got back to the common room without incident. He had almost forgotten his worries when Severus appeared in the doorway of the common room telling everyone to return to the Great Hall; he gave no further information but when his eyes found Harry’s the boy knew something was badly amiss.
The third-year students returned to the Great Hall to find all the other students already there. All round the Great Hall there were groups of students with heads together hissing to each other. Harry tried to listen but he could not make out what they were saying. Harry was looking around trying to find someone to ask when the Headmaster appeared at the lectern and called for their attention.
“Students, a situation has arisen which requires the teachers and myself to search the castle. For your own safety, I must insist that you all stay here in the Great Hall. I look to the prefects and our Head Boy and Girl to watch over the students and ensure no one leaves this room. Oh yes, you’ll be needing…” He waved his wand and a pile of soft squishing-looking sleeping bags appeared in a pile. The headmaster did not say anything else instead he left quickly after his announcement. Harry looked for Severus but there were no other teachers present.
Draco nudged Harry and they both grabbed sleeping bags and dragged them over to where the other third years and gathered. Harry had just unzipped his sleeping bag when he felt the presence of two people behind him. Stiffening he turned around and found Fred and George looking worried. “Harry,” they said.
“Fred, George,” He replied. His relief showed on his face when he saw the twins.
“Look Harry, it might be nothing,” Fred said
“But it might be something,” George added.
Harry smiled a bemused smile, he had just finished reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and sometimes he thought these two sounded just like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. “Ok,” he said.
“It's just that when we got back to the common room tonight,” George continued.
“The fat lady was gone, and her portrait was destroyed,” Fred told him.
“...slashed,” George finished.
“That's awful,” Harry said with a worried frown.
“Yeah, the thing is when Dumbledore turned up one of the other portraits…” Fred went on.
“...A crazy knight, told him that…” George said then stopped.
“Told him what?” Harry prompted.
“It was Sirus Black who slashed the portrait,” they finished in unison.
Harry stared blankly at the two boys who were shuffling nervously.
“Sirius Black slashed the portrait of a fat lady?” He asked.
“Not just any fat lady Harry,” George said.
“The Fat Lady,” Fred emphasised.
“The guardian of Gryffindor Tower and the common room,” George explained.
“Sir Cardogan said he slashed her because…”
“She wouldn't let him in the common room,” Fred told him
“Everyone knows Black is after you,” George said seriously.
“...And Black probably thinks you're in Gryffindor,” Draco said softly from beside Harry.
Harry froze at those words was Black looking for him? Of course, the man would assume that Harry would be in Gryffindor; Harry remembered the fuss around his sorting all too well.
He looked at the twins. “Thanks,” he told them. “I appreciated you telling me.”
The twins nodded their heads and headed back to where the Gryffindors had all gathered together.
Harry climbed into his sleeping bag and thought about everything he had just learned. Black had been in the Castle and he had attempted to get into Gryffindor Tower, what would he have been looking for if not Harry?
He lay still as the people around him dozed off. Draco was curled behind him so close he was almost touching him. After some time he heard familiar footsteps. Harry honed in on them, hoping Severus was coming to find him, and then he heard his betrothed speak to someone Harry had not heard approach.
“What are you doing here?” Severus hissed.
Watching over the students Severus,” Lupin replied calmly.
“You stay away from Harry, Lupin! If I find that you had anything to do with this…” Severus said coldly.
“Me? Why would you?” there was a moment of silence and then. “No, I swear to you, Severus, I am not helping him. I would never,” Lupin insisted in a low tone.
Harry could practically hear Severus' lip curling. “I am watching you Lupin,” he warned.
“Severus if I were helping him, would I not have told him Harry was in Slytherin?” Lupin asked.
Harry could not hear Severus reply, as the two teachers had begun moving away from the sleeping students. Harry sunk further into his sleeping bag and rolled towards Draco. The blonde opened his eyes and looked at Harry. “We should write to Father in the morning,” he whispered.
Harry nodded.