Flight of the Fat Lady Part 2
On Halloween morning... looking desperately sorry for him.
Harry frowned. Things were especially bad when even his best friends pitied him.
"Yeah, loads," said Ron... Crookshanks in the face of Harry's difficulties.
Sirius felt slightly pleased to hear that. Maybe the pair weren't all bad.
"Don't worry about me,"... "Scared of passing the Dementors?"
Everyone glared at Draco.
Harry ignored him... "you can come and sit with us, if you like, Harry!"
Harry grimaced. He liked Colin but back then he really hadn't thought there could be anything worse than hanging out with a bunch of second years.
"Er - no, thanks, Colin,"... staring avidly at the scar on his forehead.
And of course, there was that too, Harry thought with a sigh.
"I - I've got to go to the library... "What are you doing?" Filch snarled suspiciously.
"He's not doing anything wrong," Sirius complained.
"Nothing," said Harry truthfully... Harry had passed out of sight.
"There's no rule that says they have to stay in their common room over the weekend," Lucius said irritably. This really wasn't fair. Draco always complained that the school gave Heir Potter special allowances but right now, he wasn't seeing that. He was seeing a young boy that was frequently being isolated from his peers.
But Harry didn't go back to the common room... I've just taken delivery of a Grindylow for our next lesson."
Sirius smiled. Would Remus finally talk about James and Lily?
"A what?"... but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"
Sirius laughed at that.
Harry looked at him... he couldn't cope with a Boggart.
Remus frowned. Why hadn't his older self made his reasoning clear about that? Then perhaps Harry might have opened up to him. They could have been closer. He was supposed to be something of an uncle to him. And his older self was failing royally.
Something of Harry's thoughts... that was obvious, Harry," he said, sounding surprised.
"Really?" Sirius asked, his eyebrow raised.
"I imagine my older self thought Harry would be scared of Lord Voldemort," Remus said.
Harry, who had expected Lupin to deny... it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort. "
Remus nodded, accepting his older self's reason.
Harry stared... Professor Dumbledore.
"I've never seen any point in fearing the taboo," Remus said. "Not since he was vanquished."
"Clearly, I was wrong,"... I imagined that people would panic."
"That's presuming the children knew what I looked like," Tom said quietly. There were few mentions of his appearance in the history books.
"I didn't think of Voldemort,"... fear. Very wise, Harry."
Albus nodded his agreement at that assessment.
Harry didn't know what to say to that... "You should drink that directly, Lupin. "
"I wouldn't be surprised if its poisoned," George muttered.
"Yes, Yes, I will,"... unsmiling and watchful.
Severus almost laughed. His older self was surprisingly suspicious. Although, he had to admit, he would have been untrusting too, his vow would have been uncomfortable leaving the child with a werewolf. And perhaps more significantly, a possibly accomplice of Sirius Black's.
Harry looked curiously at the goblet... there aren't many wizards who are up to making it. "
"It's a good job you were so rubbish at potions," Draco said, "or you'd have worked out he was a werewolf right then and there."
Professor Lupin took another sip... do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. "
Severus didn't even bother to look offended. He'd heard that before.
Lupin drained the goblet... The empty goblet was still smoking.
"You didn't even tell him you were friends with Lily and James," Sirius said, bewildered.
"There you go,"... they'd had the time of their lives.
"You'd have probably thought that even if it was awful," Hermione said softly.
"Thanks,"... how fast you want your letter to get there!"
Everyone laughed to hear that Hermione could get excited about the post office.
"Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge... really warms you up -"
"You could have," Sirius said with a frown. "You know its bottled right?"
"What did you do?"... any work done?"
"You can't get cross with him for not doing homework when you weren't," Seamus said.
"No," said Harry... "Is he mad?"
"I wouldn't poison a fellow teacher," Severus said sternly. Even the other staff members looked like they weren't sure they believed him, he noticed. Just what had he done in the future to lose their trust?
Hermione checked her watch... flickering toward Lupin more often than was natural?
Several people laughed at how suspicious Harry was.
The feast finished with an entertainment... "The Dementors send their love, Potter!"
Narcissa frowned but reminded herself that she must not lose her temper with her son in company.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed... The portrait seemed to be closed.
"That's odd," Sirius said.
"Unless she's gone off to get drunk with her friend Violet again," Remus replied.
"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice... "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."
"Well, that can't be good," Sirius muttered, tightening his grip on Harry.
People's heads turned... great chunks of it had been torn away completely.
"Definitely not good," Sirius said.
Dumbledore took one quick look... "Poor thing. " he added unconvincingly.
Minerva tutted. Sometimes she really hated Peeves.
"Did she say who did it?"... "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black. "
"I did that?" Sirius asked in bewilderment. It was hard to imagine himself doing anything quite so reckless, except well, he'd always been a little reckless and straight out of Azkaban without any form of treatment? Yeah, maybe it wasn't so unbelievable especially if he thought Harry was in danger.