Calm Before the Storm
For the weeks following the first, classes continued as usual and life at Hogwarts began to settle into a new normal to the point where everyone would’ve forgotten that Sirius Black was still at large if not for the occasional sighting of a dementor that got a bit too close to school grounds for comfort.
Speaking of classes, Defense Against the Dark Arts quickly became everyone’s favorite class which wasn’t a surprise considering they finally had a competent professor teaching the subject now.
Professor Lupin managed to find a perfect balance between theoretical and practical that made the class engaging enough that students were actually excited to receive homework because they knew they’d be able to practice what they studied in the next lesson and would be more motivated to learn.
However, on the opposite end of the spectrum was Care of Magical Creatures which spent every lesson since the first one on the care and keeping of flobberworms and horklumps, the two most boring creatures to possibly exist. The only useful thing about those lessons was when they had to extract and milk the creatures for their mucus and juice which were considered valuable potion ingredients.
It seemed Hagrid was on a short leash courtesy of the School of Governors and the Ministry but hadn’t been fired yet which was considered a win in the quartet’s books. Luckily, he also hadn’t lost much of his nerve due to the professors rallying behind him as he assured the students that they’d be able to move on to other creatures once the heat from outside parties died down enough.
As for the rest of the classes, the core classes were still the same as ever though they were now learning more advanced materials.
Study of Ancient Runes, which was the only other elective Seth took, was really interesting as he’d seen all sorts of runes from different cultures during his adventures but never really sought out how to read and use them until now. And even though he wasn’t in Divination, he was able to see how his fellow students, especially the Gryffindors, reacted to it.
Many began believing in the practice wholeheartedly whether it be through the paranoia of superstition or because they genuinely believed in the validity of that branch of magic despite its rare and inconsistent nature. This was especially the case with Lavender and Parvati who spent all their lunch breaks with Trelawney and would return with infuriatingly smug looks as if they knew something others didn’t. Other students treated the class as an easy elective meant to lighten their course load.
And then there was Hermione who seemed to be pushing through despite her absolute hatred for the subject.
Speaking of Hermione, Seth noticed how, as the days passed, she seemed to be running more on fumes and sheer force of will to an unhealthy degree. This was in addition to her strange disappearing and reappearing acts where he could’ve sworn she already left for one class but would be sitting in the room of another by the time he arrived or how she would be right behind him and the boys but when they turned around, she would be gone or running to catch up to them.
This left him wondering what the hell she was up to and how she was able to pull this off. He was torn between confronting her directly about it or going to McGonagall whom she said made the arrangements for her class attendance this year. Either way, he had to do something before she crashed and burned in the most spectacular way possible.
At the start of October, a buzz began as preseason practice for Quidditch began. This led to Harry becoming the second person of the quartet to have a packed schedule.
“Oliver really wants to win the cup this season,” Harry explained when Ron and Seth expressed their concern over his lack of free time, “He’s a seventh year and he hasn’t won the cup yet so this year’s his last shot.”
And it seemed the rest of the Gryffindor team was just as eager to fulfill this goal as Oliver was as they’d be seen barreling down to the Quidditch pitch three to four times a week right after dinner and only returning just before curfew began.
One such night saw Harry clambering back into the common room, cold and stiff but clearly pleased if the large, satisfied grin on his face was any indication.
Seth looked up from his charms homework and waved over at Harry just a bit too eagerly. It was clear he hoped the bespectacled boy’s arrival would be enough to break the uncomfortable atmosphere that had settled due to the cold war Hermione and Ron were still engaging in.
“What’s going on?” Harry asked as he joined them, looking around at the excited chattering of third years.
“It’s the first Hogsmeade weekend,” Ron said as he looked up from his star chart. He pointed at the new notice that was pinned to the bulletin board. “It’s set for the end of October, on Halloween.”
“Oh…” Harry said, good mood ebbing away. He flopped down on a nearby chair.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to go next time, Harry,” Hermione sympathetically said, “They’re bound to catch Black soon. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Well I think Black’s not fool enough to try anything at Hogsmeade so you should go ask McGonagall if you can go, Harry,” Ron suggested, “The next one might not be for ages!”
“Ron,” Hermione scolded, “Harry’s supposed to stay in school especially since Black is still out there.”
“Well he can’t be the only third year left behind,” Ron argued just for the sake of arguing.
“Can you guys stop talking as if Harry’s opinion doesn’t matter?” Seth snapped at them, brow twitching from annoyance.
Ron and Hermione at least had the decency to look chastised but still continued to glare at each other.
Harry leaned over to Seth and quietly asked, “Have they been like this all evening?”
Seth sighed in exasperation. “You have no idea. I am this close,” he pinched his fingers together until they were close enough to almost touch, “To just shoving them into a closet and barricading the door until they either make up or kill each other.”
“Er, how about we do that as a last resort?” Harry said.
“Ugh, fine,” Seth reluctantly agreed, “But enough about that. How do you feel about not going, Harry?”
“Umm… not as bad as you’d think cause Hermione’s right. Black will be caught eventually. And it’s not as if Hogsmeade trips are a third year thing only. I am still disappointed I won’t be able to go with you all that first time though. It would’ve been really fun.”
Seth patted him on the back in comfort. “I know, it sucks. But there’s no point in dwelling on it now especially since you should probably start on your homework already. I know you didn’t finish your star chart yet.”
Harry scowled and playfully shoved at him, making Seth laugh and startling Hermione and Ron out of their glaring contest.
“Want to copy my star chart, Harry?” Ron asked, seeing the other pull it out from his bag.
“Ron,” Hermione said disapprovingly.
Ron pointedly ignored her and she opened her mouth to say something scathing when Crookshanks leapt onto her lap. A large dead spider dangled from his mouth.
“Did you catch that all by yourself, Crookshanks?” Hermione proudly cooed. Crookshanks gave a pleased meow in response. “Oh what a clever boy you are!”
Crookshanks purred contentedly in her lap before he locked his yellow eyes on an unnerved Ron and began to chew the spider up.
Ron scowled. “Does he have to eat that in front of us?”
Hermione pointedly ignored him, continuing to coo at Crookshanks, making Ron’s scowl deepen.
Seth snickered. “Better watch how you talk to Hermione, Ron, or else Crookshanks might eat your face for being mean to her.”
Harry laughed when Ron paled and began to scoot further away from the cat.
“Just keep him over there, alright,” Ron warned, “I’ve got Scabbers asleep in my bag.”
The quartet returned to their homework. Crookshanks continued to stare at Ron, tail flicking about restlessly. Seth frowned to himself as he observed the cat’s odd behavior, noting how his gaze was trained on Ron’s bag where a rat-sized lump was barely visible.
Before he could say anything though, Crookshanks suddenly lunged at the bag, startling everyone, and sank his claws in. He teared at it ferociously.
“Get off you stupid animal!” Ron shouted. He tried to pull the bag away but Crookshanks clung on, hissing and slashing.
“Ron! Don’t hurt him!” Hermione cried out.
The whole common room watched as Ron flung the bag around with Crookshanks still latched onto it. Scabbers came flying out of the bag and landed on the ground with a panicked squeak before peeling away in terror.
“Catch that cat!” Ron shouted as Crookshanks freed himself from the remains of the bag and sprang over the table to chase after Scabbers.
George made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed. Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw.
Ron and Hermione hurried over. Hermione grabbed Crookshanks around the middle and heaved him away. Ron threw himself onto his stomach and with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by the tail.
“Look at him!” Ron roared furiously, holding Scabbers in front of Hermione, “He’s just skin and bone! And it’s all your fault! You just had to get that stupid cat!”
“Hey! There’s no need to be rude to her like that!” Seth said, stepping in between the two in order to shield Hermione.
Ron looked affronted by the fact that Seth would dare to defend her. “Her cat is trying to kill my rat!”
“Calm down, Ron,” Harry tried to say placatingly, “It’s not Hermione’s fault that cats chase rats. It’s just what they do.”
“Who cares!” Ron cried out, “I already told her to keep that stupid cat away. There’s something wrong with it!”
“There’s nothing wrong with Crookshanks and don’t call him an it!” Hermione tearfully shouted.
“I can call it whatever I like! It’s trying to kill Scabbers! He was here first!”
“Okay, that’s enough!” Seth snapped irritably, “You need to get over yourself, Ron. There’s nothing wrong with Crookshanks but there is definitely something wrong with that rat.”
Ron looked at him as if he’d just said something completely stupid. “Of course there is. He’s ill!”
“And I don’t buy it!” Seth rebuked, “You can’t sit there and tell me that there isn’t something more to Scabbers when the lifespan of a common rat is five years at best and he’s been around for more than double that without a lick of magic in him!”
The people around them start whispering curiously to each other. The twins and Ginny look especially thoughtful.
Ron scowled. “Well Scabbers is a Wizarding World common rat, not a muggle one so obviously he’s got a longer lifespan.”
“And denial isn’t just a river in Egypt,” Seth shot back.
Ron made a face at the muggle saying. “What does that even mean?” Then he shook his head. “No. You know what, I don’t care. I need to go give Scabbers his rat tonic now.”
And with that, he left without another word, storming away out of sight up the stairs to the boy’s dormitory and leaving Harry and Seth behind to console a tearful Hermione.
Ron was still in a foul mood the next day, refusing to talk to Hermione or Seth at all. This made Herbology class unpleasant as he, Hermione, Seth, and Harry were grouped together to work on the same puffapod.
“How’s Scabbers doing, Ron?” Harry asked in an attempt to break the stifling tension.
“He’s hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking,” Ron angrily replied and he stormed away to grab more pails before anything else could be said.
During lunch, Hermione decided to sit at the Ravenclaw table and distract herself by debating about Arithmancy with Padma and Michael. Harry and Ron stuck together with the rest of the students giving them a wide berth, deterred from getting near due to the severe frown that marred Ron’s face.
Seth decided this was as good a time as any to ask the other Weasleys about Scabbers since Percy had already proven himself to be a useless jerk. He walked over to the Hufflepuff table where the twins were strategizing with some Hufflepuffs and Slytherins about this year’s prank checklist. Ginny sat nearby, carefully taking notes as she read through her charms textbook.
“Hey Ginny.”
Ginny looked up and smiled. “Hello Seth. Did you need something?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Can I talk to you and the twins real quick?”
“Sure,” she said before turning to the twins, “Fred, George, put a cork in it and let Jordan take over for a moment.”
Fred clutched at his chest as if he’d been shot. “Oh George! Look at the attitude our poor, innocent little sister is sporting.”
George nodded mournfully as if it was indeed a great tragedy. “I know. It’s absolutely dreadful how she’s speaking to us, her dear older brothers.”
Both sniffed and wiped away faux tears as they threw an arm around each other and crowed together, “We’re so proud!”
Ginny rolled her eyes but was smiling with fond exasperation. “Whatever. Now hurry up before lunch is over.”
The twins passed off the discussion to Jordan and made their way over.
“So Seth,” Fred began.
“What did you want to talk about?” George finished.
“Is it about Ron? Cause Percy already read the riot act to him,” Fred continued.
George grinned mischievously. “And we may or may not have put a spider on his pillow right after.”
“Huh. Well that explains the screaming last night,” Seth said, surprised and yet not, “But no, that’s not what I want to talk about. Can you tell me anything about how Scabbers joined your family?”
The three Weasleys shared contemplative looks with each other.
“I can’t answer that since I remember Scabbers being in our family since forever,” Ginny responded.
Fred nodded. “Not surprising really since he joined us not too long after Ron was born. Just showed up in the garden one day and apparently Percy liked him enough to want to keep him around as a pet.”
“That makes him, what? Around 12 years old now?” George remarked, counting out the years with his fingers.
“And you guys are absolutely sure he’s nothing more than an ordinary rat barring the abnormally long lifespan?” Seth pressed with a skeptical frown.
“Pretty sure, yeah,” Fred said, “He’s never done anything more than eat, sleep, and do his business like any other rat.”
“We’ve also wondered how he’s managed to live so long but we really haven’t a clue,” George added.
“It could be that mum’s cooking has some sort of magical property to it that’s helped him live so long,” Fred speculated.
“He might also have some sort of passive magic that extends his lifespan which is why the shopkeeps couldn’t detect it,” George theorized.
“Or maybe he’s an animagus,” Fred jokingly added.
“Yeah. Might be some poor bloke who’s in debt and wanted to run away from it or just wanted to live a simple life of no responsibilities as a rat,” George said, playing along.
“But that’s highly unlikely since all animagus are registered with the Ministry. Even the illegal ones eventually get caught and registered,” Fred added.
“It’s also a very disturbing thought too,” Ginny remarked, shivering in disgust, “Imagine having a grown witch or wizard just living in your house and you’d never know.” She looked apologetically to Seth. “Sorry we couldn’t be more helpful.”
“It’s fine. You’ve definitely given me some food for thought,” Seth said, waving off her apology.
He got up to leave but Fred grabbed hold of him before he left and leaned in close to whisper, “You’ll let us know how your investigation into whatever this is goes, won’t you? Especially if there’s any chance that the rat is more than it seems.”
“Of course,” Seth agreed, speaking lowly, “I promise you and George will be the first to know.”
Fred nodded and let him go before plastering on a customer service worthy smile. “Pleasure doing business with ya, Seth! You can pick up the stuff from our dorm later.”
“Yeah. Thanks again for the discount,” Seth nodded along, “I’ll see you guys later.”
He then left the Great Hall and made his way to the Transfiguration classroom, arriving just as the bell signifying the end of break rang out.
McGonagall looked surprised to see him. “Mister Sorenson. You’re rather early to class considering lunch just ended.”
“I was hoping to talk to you before class started,” he explained, “It’s about Hermione.”
She nodded in understanding. “I see. I assume it’s about how Miss Granger is handling her current course load?”
“Yeah. She’s burning the candle at both ends and anyone with eyes can see that she’s gonna crash soon and crash hard,” he said with great concern, “Is there any way you can talk to her about lightening her load a bit? Maybe drop a class or two?”
For a moment, McGonagall was quiet. Then she asked, “Have you spoken to her about this yet?”
Seth shook his head. “No. She’s already going through a lot and I didn’t want to spring this on her without some kind of plan. Plus I don’t know if me talking to her would make any difference.”
“I believe it would make more of a difference than you think, Mister Sorenson,” she said. “Tell me, how do you think Miss Granger would react if I, a professor and her Head of House, told her she must reduce her course load?”
Seth pondered over it for a bit before wilting in realization. “She’d probably think that you don’t believe she has what it takes to keep up and instead of her physical health falling, it’ll be her mental health.”
“Precisely. Until Miss Granger admits to the problem herself, there is little I can do other than force her to stop which will prove to be more detrimental than beneficial.”
“So you’re saying there’s nothing I can really do except be there for her and hope for the best?”
McGonagall shook her head. “Not necessarily. I find that a conversation with a trusted friend can be quite the successful method of intervention.”
Seth sighed wearily, wondering why he became the more emotionally intelligent and thus, designated mediator of the quartet. “Guess so. Do you have any idea on how I can even start that conversation though?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” McGonagall assured with a smile.
The bell rang again, signaling the start of classes and bringing the conversation to an end. The rest of the third year Gryffindors began to pour in.
“I suggest you take a seat now, Mister Sorenson,” McGonagall said, her sharp gaze landing somewhere behind him, “And I believe Miss Granger could do with some support.”
Seth frowned and turned around to see Hermione glumly walking in as Ron pointedly stomped away from her and sat at a table faw away from where they usually sat with Harry awkwardly joining him. He also saw Lavender glaring at Hermione through tearful eyes with Parvati also joining in while the rest of the Gryffindors awkwardly took their seats.
“Yeah. I’ll go do that now. Thanks Professor.”
He went over to join Hermione who visibly perked up at his presence.
“You alright? What happened?” He asked her in concern.
“Can we…not talk about it? At least for now?” She weakly answered.
“Alright. I’ll drop it, for now.”
“Thanks Seth,” she quietly whispered.
It was then that McGonagall cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention and began the lesson.
On Halloween morning, the tension between Hermione and Ron had mostly abated due to the fact that it was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year and everyone was excited for it.
Everyone except Harry of course.
“We’ll bring you loads of sweets back from Honeydukes,” Hermione promised.
Ron nodded eagerly. “Yeah, loads. And you know the Halloween feast is tonight too.”
“Yeah, great,” Harry said flatly, appreciating their efforts but still not feeling better for it.
Seth patted him on the shoulder. “C’mon Harry. Just cause you can’t go on this trip now doesn’t mean you can’t go on others. Besides, you’ll finally have time to talk to Snape again.”
Harry perked up slightly at that. “You’re right. I’ve been meaning to ask him about Lupin but I’ve been so busy with school and Quidditch.”
“See? This day’s not going to be all that bad,” Seth said before leaning in to whisper to him, “If anything, I got the short end of the stick since I have no idea how long this truce between Hermione and Ron is going to last.”
Harry snorted in amusement. “God speed and good luck then, mate.”
Seth made a face. “Yeah. I’m definitely going to need it.”
Harry waved them off at the Entrance Hall before wandering away, trying to think of where Professor Snape would be since surely the man wouldn’t still be in the dungeons even on a weekend, right? He was turning into another corridor, still lost in thought when he heard a voice from inside one of the rooms he passed.
“Harry?”
He paused then doubled back to see who had spoken and saw Professor Lupin curiously looking out from his office door. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at Hogsmeade with the others?”
“My form wasn’t signed,” Harry responded.
“Ah,” was all Lupin had to say with a look of understanding. Then he considered Harry for a moment. “Well why don’t you come in? I’ve just taken delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson.”
“A what?” Harry asked, curiosity convincing him to go inside.
He followed Lupin into his office where a large tank of water sat in a corner. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns pressed its face against the glass, pulling faces at them while flexing its long spindly fingers.
“A water demon,” Lupin elaborated, “Thought it was an appropriate lesson after we’re done with kappas. Would you like a cup of tea? I was just thinking of making one.”
“Maybe another time? I was looking for Professor Snape,” Harry said apologetically.
Lupin jerked slightly, almost dropping the spoon of tea leaves before regaining his composure and putting on an air of nonchalance. “Oh? Do you mind if I ask what for?”
“We were going to talk about my mum,” Harry answered obliviously, “When she was young, er, rather before she went to Hogwarts, Professor Snape was childhood friends with her.”
Lupin couldn’t hold back his surprise at that point, dropping the tea cup in his hand where it landed on his desk with a clatter. “He talks to you about Lily?”
“Er, yeah?” Then Harry’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, Lily? Did you also know my mum?”
“I-”
A knock on the door interrupted Lupin before he could answer. He cleared his throat and shouted, “Come in!”
The door opened and, speaking of the devil, in came Snape. He was carrying a goblet that smoked faintly and stopped at the sight of Harry. His eyes then darted over to Lupin and back to Harry and then back to Lupin.
Lupin smiled in an attempt to dissipate the sudden awkward atmosphere. “Thank you very much, Severus. Could you leave that here on the desk for me?”
Snape set down the goblet, eyes still darting back and forth between Harry and Lupin.
“I was just showing Harry my grindylow,” Lupin offered in explanation.
“Fascinating,” Snape casually drawled, “Do be sure to drink that immediately, Lupin.”
“Yes, yes, I will.”
“There’s also an entire cauldron full when you need more.”
Lupin nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Severus. I’ll be sure to stop by tomorrow to take some more.”
“Of course,” Snape said, unsmiling. He started to back out of the room and Harry quickly ran over to him.
“Professor Snape, are you free at the moment? I had some things I wanted to ask you.”
Snape nodded, expression softening by a tiny, barely noticeable margin. “Of course, Mister Potter. Come along then.”
Snape left the office and Harry followed but not before turning back to Lupin who seemed surprised by the polite, almost pleasant demeanor Snape had when speaking with Harry.
“Thanks for showing me the grindylow, Professor Lupin. And maybe we could have some tea later?”
Lupin snapped out of his shock and smiled. “Of course. You know where to find me.”
Harry eyed the smoking goblet curiously before turning away to catch up to Snape. Lupin watched him go with a contemplative expression.
Harry soon fell in step with Snape and the two made their way down to the dungeons.
“Professor, can I ask you a question?” He hesitantly asked.
“You already have, Mister Potter,” Snape said, smirking slightly at Harry’s scowl, “But I suppose you may ask another.”
“...Do you and Professor Lupin know each other?”
Snape inhaled sharply, tripping a bit over his feet, before regaining his footing and releasing a steady exhale. “Why do you ask?”
“It’s just…during the welcome feast, you looked really angry at Professor Lupin, like he’d done something to personally offend you and…he also seemed to know my mum…”
Snape didn’t answer immediately and the silence began to drag, making Harry believe he’d stepped on a land mine of a question. It wasn’t until the pair reached the potions classroom that Snape finally spoke.
“Professor Lupin and I both attended Hogwarts the same year as your mother and father. In fact, Lupin was one of your father’s best friends.”
“Oh!” Harry said, suddenly giddy with excitement. Then the implication of it hit and he wilted. “Oh. So then, he also bullied you?”
“No,” Snape said as if it pained him to admit, “It was mainly James Potter and-” He cut himself off, realizing he was about to say something damning. Harry eyed him suspiciously and he cleared his throat. “Remus Lupin was more of a bystander. However, he never allowed the others to step over the line and go too far, especially after an incident during our fifth year.”
“Oh…who else was my father friends with?” Harry asked, not planning to let go of the tidbit Snape almost dropped.
“You should speak to Lupin if you wish to know more,” Snape said in an obvious attempt to change the subject.
“But-”
“I’m sure Lupin also has many school yard stories he’d be willing to share about Lily and James Potter as well,” Snape said with the clear warning to drop it.
“Alright. I’ll be sure to do that,” Harry said, dropping it.
Snape nodded sharply. “Good. Now since we’re here, we might as well be productive.” He gestures for Harry to follow over to a workstation that’s already been set up for a basic potion as if he’d anticipated Harry seeking him out. “As you know, your mother was brilliant in potions, Harry, and it greatly pains me as her friend to see how you continue to be so abysmal at the subject so we shall spend the rest of the day correcting that.”
Harry made a face at that and let out an exaggerated groan that made Snape’s lips twitch up at the corners before the two began an impromptu tutoring session.
Seth, Ron, and Hermione wandered through Hogsmeade, taking in the sights and going into each and every shop like a bunch of tourists if two of those tourists were in the midst of a cold war with each other while the third was just unfortunate enough to be stuck as the middleman while feeling a lot like a third wheel at the same time.
Thankfully, there were at least a few warm spells and it was during one such warm spell while they were exploring Zonko’s that Seth tried to ask about Scabbers.
“So how’s Scabbers doing? Still hiding under your bed?” He casually asked.
“No. He’s under my pillow now,” Ron responded with a short tone.
“Oh, that’s good. Does he still look the same or is he finally getting some meat on his bones?”
Ron eyed him suspiciously. “Why? You want to help fatten him up so that monster can eat him?”
Hermione scowled. “Crookshanks is not a monster! He’s a cat and you’d know that if your brain wasn’t so shriveled from how little you use it.”
Ron turned red with indignant embarrassment. “Well at least I’m not a try hard know it all who spends more time buried in books than outside, getting sun and touching grass.”
Hermione looked ready to throttle him until Seth hurriedly intervened. “Oh look! Something cool and shiny! Let’s go check it out, Hermione.”
He bodily steered her away from Ron who turned away with a huff and went to join Dean and Seamus who were carefully examining a stack of dungbombs. The two ended up in the muggle pranks section where Seth patiently waited for Hermione to calm down.
“Oh! That stupid Ronald! He’s so infuriating!” Hermione huffed and puffed.
“Well what can I say except boys are stupid around this age and we don’t get better until we’re at least 18, with a few exceptions of course,” Seth gently consoled.
Hermione let out a harsh breath, expelling the rest of her anger, and looked gratefully at him. “Thank you Seth. If you hadn’t stepped in…”
“You would’ve smacked him to next week and back,” he finished for her while nodding sagely, “Yeah, I know the feeling.”
The two began to walk down the aisle and browse the displayed items for sale.
“So how are you doing with your classes?” Seth tried to casually ask.
“What do you mean?” Hermione said with a guarded expression.
“It’s just,” he paused to carefully formulate his response, “You’re not looking so hot. You’re pale. You got eye bags that are Gucci quality. Honestly, you’re kinda looking how I did last year and I was possessed by an evil diary!”
“I’m fine, Seth,” she defensively responded.
He frowned in frustration. “No you’re not. You’re obviously overworked and-”
“And what?” She cut him off harshly, “Do you think I can’t handle it on my own? A few extra classes are no burden to me.”
He raised his hands in surrender, already getting the answer he was looking for. “Alright. You’re right. You’re fine, you’re smart, and you’re capable.”
She nodded sharply. “Exactly. Now if that’s all?”
He dropped the subject and the two resumed browsing the store until they eventually met up with Ron before leaving. The trio wandered aimlessly through town with the cold war back on but now in the negative hundred degrees.
Thankfully, an escape from the metaphorical brutal chill came in the form of one Draco Malfoy who waved over urgently at Seth as soon as the two made eye contact.
“Will you guys be fine if I leave you alone for a few minutes?” He asked Ron and Hermione with a serious expression.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “We’re not going to murder each other the moment you look away, Seth.”
Ron paled slightly at her comment but nodded sharply in agreement.
Seth grinned. “Great! Then why don’t you two go get a drink at the Three Broomsticks and I’ll join in a bit, yeah?”
Ron and Hermione huffed but went along with his suggestion, changing direction to make their way to the Three Broomsticks while still resolutely ignoring each other.
Seth silently prayed for his and Harry’s future sanity once Ron and Hermione were older and smart enough to get over themselves and get together.
“Finally!” Draco exclaimed once Seth finally came up to him, “Do you know how long I was waiting to speak with you?”
“You know you could’ve just come up to me and asked, right?” Seth said, amused. Draco scowled in response. Seth grinned and laid off the teasing, for now. “So what do you need?”
Draco suddenly became uncharacteristically hesitant. “I, um, I suppose I need some advice.”
Seth frowned in confusion. “About what?”
“About, er, about how to tell someone something very important and potentially life altering.”
Seth immediately clued into what the other was talking about. “Is this about Harry and Sirius Black?”
Draco nodded, not even bothering to deny it. “Yes. Once news of Sirius Black’s escape was released, my mother spoke to me about him and…well…I may not like Potter and I never want to be friends with him, but even I’m not cruel enough to withhold information that could have a potentially devastating life altering effect.”
“I see…and you’re not going to tell me what it is?”
Draco pursed his lips and shook his head. “No. I’d prefer Potter to be the first to hear it.”
“Alright, fair enough.” Seth pondered for a moment. “Then how about I join you when you break the news to Harry? That way I can keep an eye on him afterwards and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid or impulsive in response.”
Draco slumped in relief. “Thank you,” he said in a way that made it sound like it pained him to even say it.
Seth grinned in amusement. “No problem. Just let me know when and where you plan to break the news.”
“I’ll send an owl,” Draco said. Then he ran off and disappeared into the crowd before Seth could even say goodbye.
He just shrugged it off and started making his way to the Three Broomsticks. As he passed by an alley, he heard a clatter and paused. He backtracked and when he looked into the alley, he saw a large black, shaggy haired dog pawing through the trash. He noticed how skinny the dog looked and immediately felt sympathy for it.
He slowly walked into the alley and carefully approached the dog so as to not startle it. “Hey boy,” he softly called out.
The dog paused in his pawing and lifted his head, eyeing Seth warily. Seth held up one hand to show he meant no harm while the other dug out some biscuits he swiped from breakfast out of his pocket.
“Here,” he said, offering the biscuits, “It’s not the best but it’s definitely better than getting sick from eating whatever’s in that trash can.”
The dog continued to eye him warily until he finally pushed himself off the trash can and trudged over. The dog sniffed cautiously at the biscuits before enthusiastically gobbling them down with a happy wag of his tail.
Seth chuckled and patted the dog on the head after he was done eating. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?”
The dog barked and panted, tongue lolling out and lips curled up into the dog equivalent of a smile.
“You know, my friend saw a large shaggy dog in his neighborhood. Then he saw a grim in his teacup,” Seth absentmindedly said, “I wonder if this means he’s going to get a dog or if a dog’s supposed to be part of some great change in his life in the future.”
The dog barked as if in answer, tail still wagging.
Seth gave the dog one last pat on the head. “Take care, boy, and I hope you find a good home.”
The dog barked again before trotting off. Seth watched him go but something niggled at the back of his mind like there was something more to that dog. He ended up shaking off the encounter and resumed his walk to the Three Broomsticks, this time at a faster pace just to make sure Ron and Hermione didn’t actually kill each other.
“Here you are, buddy. We got as much as we could reasonably carry,” Seth said as he dumped a large bag of brilliantly colored sweets onto Harry’s lap.
“Thanks,” Harry gratefully said as he picked up a pepper imp, “How was Hogsmeade?”
“It was…” Seth glanced between Ron and Hermione who were still not looking at each other and instead resolutely focused on Harry, “...alright.”
Harry nodded as his gaze also darted in between the two. “Cool. Where’d you all go?”
Once he asked that question, it was like a dam broke as Hermione and Ron gushed on and on about all the different places they’d been to in Hogsmeade. They bounced off each other’s remarks as if everything was fine and they hadn’t come close to blows and jinxes multiple times throughout the trip. Seth gave them an unimpressed side eye that had Harry coughing lightly to cover up his laugh.
“What did you do? Did you get anything done?” Hermione asked curiously.
“Snape tutored me a bit on potions,” Harry responded, “Said he didn’t want me disgracing my mum’s memory with my terrible potion skills.”
Ron frowned at that. “I thought you said he stopped being a greasy git to you.”
“He did,” Harry said in assurance, “I mean, he is. I actually felt like I got better at potions. It’s just…”
“The guy has no social skills or doesn’t like to mince his words?” Seth speculated.
Harry nodded. “Possibly both. But the second’s more likely.”
“And did you ask him what’s his deal with Lupin?” Seth asked.
“He said that Lupin was friends with my dad but that’s all. Told me to go ask Lupin myself if I wanted to know more.”
“Which is definitely a good idea,” Hermione agreed, “You could do with more connections to your parents, Harry.”
“Yeah. I just need to figure out when I should go talk to him,” Harry nodded.
Ron looked over to check the time on the clock and did a double take. “Which you can figure out later. The feast is starting in five minutes!”
And with that, the quartet hurried out of the common room and merged with the crowd of students making their way to the Great Hall which had been decorated with hundreds of candle filled pumpkins accompanied by a cloud of fluttering bats and many flaming orange streamers that fluttered across the stormy ceiling.
The jovial atmosphere and delicious food was enough to bring Hermione and Ron’s cold war to a stable truce, allowing Seth a moment of reprieve from being the poor man stuck in the middle.
The feast came to an end with a little show put on by the Hogwarts ghosts where they popped out of walls and tables into some synchronized gliding.
The quartet left the Great Hall in high spirits and followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to their common room. But when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.
“Why isn’t anyone going in?” Ron asked.
Harry and Seth peered over the heads in front of them.
“It looks like the portrait’s closed,” Seth said.
“Let me through please,” Percy commanded, bustling importantly through the crowd. “What’s the holdup? You can’t all have forgotten the password. Excuse me. I am Head Boy.”
By the time he reached the portrait, a silence fell over the crowd.
“Somebody get Professor Dumbledore now!” Percy sharply ordered.
The crowd began to murmur and mutter amongst themselves as some of the Gryffindors peeled off to search for Dumbledore. Those in the back stood on their tip toes or tried to push forward to see what the fuss was about.
“What’s going on?” Ginny asked, having just arrived.
Before anyone could answer, Professor Dumbledore appeared, sweeping toward the Fat Lady’s portrait. The Gryffindors parted like the Red Sea to let him through and the quartet took the chance to move closer to see what happened.
“Oh no!” Hermione gasped as she grabbed onto Seth’s arm.
The Fat Lady was gone from her portrait which was slashed so viciously that strips of canvas lay on the floor. Dumebldore took one look at the ruined painting and turned his somber gaze to Professor McGonagall and Lupin who were hurrying toward him.
“We need to find her,” he said with a grim expression, “Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch and inform him of the situation. Professor Lupin, please gather the rest of the staff so we may begin the search immediately.”
“There’s no need for that, Headmaster,” Sir Nick said, floating down from above with a grave expression.
“Have you found her then?”
“Yes. She’s quite the mess, crying all over the place from shame. The Fat Friar saw her running through the landscapes up on the fourth floor, sir.”
“Did she say who did it?”
Sir Nick nodded with utmost seriousness. “It was Sirius Black.”
The candles all went out at once in the Great Hall. The only source of light came from the stars scattered across the enchanted ceiling. Quiet whispering still filled the hall as students wondered and worried about how Sirius Black managed to get into the castle and why was he even here in the first place.
Seth did his best to settle into the squishy purple sleeping bag. It felt a lot like he was camping outdoors despite still being inside the castle. Eventually, he fell into a light sleep that was occasionally broken each hour when a professor would appear in the hall to check over the students.
By the time it was three in the morning, most everyone had finally fallen asleep and Professor Dumbledore came in with the soft creak of the door.
Seth stirred awake but kept his eyes closed when he heard Dumbledore quietly call out to Percy as he came to a stop where the quartet had settled in.
“Any sign of him?” Percy murmured in question.
“No,” Dumbledore whispered, “All well here?”
“Yes. Everything is under control, sir.”
“Good. I’ve managed to find a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You’ll be able to move back in the morning.”
“And the Fat Lady, sir?”
“Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. She refused to let Black in without a password which was why he attacked. She’s still very distressed but once she’s calmed down, we’ll be able to restore her.”
The hall door creaked open again and the sound of swift footsteps followed.
“Headmaster,” Snape quietly said, now joining the two, “The third floor has been searched. He’s not there. Filius completed the dungeons as well. Nothing there either.”
“What about the astronomy tower? Sybil’s Attic? The Owlery?” Dumbledore asked.
“All searched,” Snape reported, “Aurora, Sybil, and Pomona have found nothing. It’s as if he’s vanished.”
Dumbledore sighed. “Very well. I didn’t expect him to linger.”
“Have you any theory as to how he got in?” Snape asked.
“Many and yet no way to truly test any of them.”
Snape hummed softly. “You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster? Just before the start of term, about what occurred all those years ago.”
“I do,” Dumbledore said, suddenly sounding weary and tired.
“You don’t think he may have…” Snape left the question up in the air, aware that there may be nosy students listening in.
“That was my next stop though I doubt we’ll find anything there.”
“It can’t hurt to at least seal it off or have the other end watched over.”
Seth felt the shift of Dumbledore’s shadow as if he were nodding. “I’ll speak with the Hogsmeade representatives to add it to the dementors’ patrol route. Speaking of, I must go down to inform them that our search is complete.”
With that Dumbledore swept out of the hall, quickly and quietly. Snape followed a moment after, leaving Percy to return to his rounds around the hall.
Once all three were gone, Seth opened his eyes and saw that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all awake. Their eyes wide open and burning with curiosity.
Seth groaned to himself, knowing that another investigation was soon to be under way. He also quietly cursed Sirius Black for breaking into Hogwarts and destroying every chance of having a quiet and low key year. If he ever came across him, he’d punch him so hard in the face that the man would be seeing stars before dragging Black’s psychopathic ass back to Azkaban himself.