Shattering Timelines

Three days had passed since the argument with Regulus and not much had changed. The Marauders still hated him for intruding into their space and most of the other Gryffindors followed their lead except for Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Gwen. Nobody else would come near him. Even the teachers seemed wary of him. He was far too smart for their liking. Harry had been forced to dumb down his assignments because everything they were teaching seemed extremely easy to him even though the rest of the seventh year students were having trouble. He had been forced to learn so much during the war that everything being taught now seemed dull and painstakingly easy. He wouldn’t be surprised if he could easily pass his NEWTS now even without taking the classes. The only class he was having problems with was Arithmancy. He only knew the basics (mainly because he listened to Hermione go on and on about how interesting the class was. He did listen to her...on occasion.), and Regulus still refused to talk to him.

There were only two classes Harry hadn’t taken yet, and they were the ones he was worried the most about. Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. Potions was just potions. He had never liked that class, even though he had gotten significantly better at it during the war. Who knew potions would actually turn out well if you didn’t have people throwing random things in it? Harry was worried about DADA for a completely different reason. Normally, he wouldn’t be worried about Defense, but there had been rumors spreading that Dumbledore had managed to hire an Auror that had fought against both Grindelwald and Voldemort before he had been forced to leave the force due to an injury. From the sounds of it, this professor was just as paranoid as Moody and just as crazy as Fake-Moody. Harry was going to have to be careful not to draw very much attention to himself, not to mention, monitor the spells he used. He couldn’t afford to slip up and use a gray or, Merlin forbid, dark spell around a retired Auror.

“What do you think will happen in Defense? I heard the professor’s a real hard ass,” Alice asked as they wound their way through the castle corridors. Defense was one of the few classes Harry had with the girls. It was also one of the classes Harry had with all of the Marauders which was another reason he was worried about this class.

“I don’t know,” Lily grumbled, “He changes it for every class. The first class that had him say they had mock duels all through class. The second class says they went over the theory behind the most common curses and counter-curses. The third class claim he started to teach them how to use a mass protection charm. I just can’t get a read on this guy.”

“Well, he sounds like he’s better than last years.”

Harry looked at the group curiously. “What was wrong with last years?”

Marlene snorted. “He was a total crackpot. He kept going on and on about how to let your magic ‘blossom into a beautiful flower whose light will protect you’. We all think he was on some kind of potion.”

Harry winced. Their previous professor sounded like a combination of Lockhart and Trelawney. “Well, maybe this professor will be better.”

They rounded the corner to the DADA room and stopped when they saw the large group of kids waiting outside the door. It seemed as if everyone had decided to take the class in order to protect themselves or their loved ones during this war. Harry had to hide a wince when he noticed that this class would consist mainly of Gryffindors and Slytherins. It was as if Dumbledore wanted to start a bloodbath. Who puts the two most volatile houses together for the one class they spend throwing spells back and forth?

Bellatrix, Lucius, Rabastan, and Narcissa were standing by the door sneering at anybody who came to close to them. Severus stood towards the edge of their group, not too close as to be a part of it, but close enough to be associated with them. Gwen whimpered slightly. “This is going to be horrible.”

Bellatrix’s eyes snapped towards Gwen. A malicious gleam entered her eyes. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Little Miss Guinevere Coulby! The naïve little Gryffindor princess! Tell me, dearie, how’s Daddy?” Bellatrix paused in mock concern and pouted “Oh that’s right. You wouldn’t know.”

Gwen gasped sharply and flinched away slightly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Alice and Lily glared at Bellatrix and stepped in front of Gwen, blocking her from view as Marlene comforted her. “You’re one to talk,” Alice snarled, “Everyone knows your daddy would have left long ago if it wasn’t your bitch of a mother.”

“Please,” Bellatrix drawled, rolling her eyes, “My mother knows how to control a man. And it’s not like my father would leave because I had magic. Filth leaving filth. Kind of poetic, don’t you think?” Gwen stepped closer to Marlene. “Oh, are you going to cry? Is the poor baby going to cry? Somebody get her a pacifier; I don’t want to hear her whining through class.”

“I’d be happy to help,” Lucius smirked as he drew his wand and flicked it at Gwen. Her quiet protest was cut off with a choking sound as a bright pink pacifier appeared in her mouth. The Slytherins laughed as Gwen tried to pull it out, but Lucius must have put a sticking charm on it because it remained steadfastly in her mouth.

Bellatrix cocked her head. “Hmmm. It seems to be missing something.” She flicked her wand, and a large diaper appeared on the outside of Gwen’s uniform. “There, that’s better.”

Gwen turned bright red as the Slytherins roared with laughter. Lily quickly spelled the diaper away, but the pacifier wouldn’t disappear.

“Allow me, my beautiful Lily-flower,” a voice called from the back. James Potter and the rest of the Marauders pushed their way through the crowd. James extravagantly twirled his wand and Gwen’s pacifier disappeared and a beautiful white lily appeared between her lips. James plucked the flower from her mouth and bowed to Lily as he presented it to her. “A lily for my Lily.”

“You’re stooping low just for a fuck, Potter,” Rabastan called out, “Honestly, a mudblood? I guess it is true. The Potter family has sunk lower than ever,”

James froze, and everyone took a slow step away from him. He turned on his heels and slowly stalked towards the group of Slytherins like a predator circling its prey. “What did you say?”

Rabastan stepped forward until they were nose to nose. “I was just expressing my surprise that you would go as far as to fuck a mudblood bit-” he was cut off as the bell rang. Everyone froze as they waited for the professor to appear. The door to the DADA slowly swung open with a slight creak. “This isn’t over.”

       Rabastan stalked into the room with the rest of the Slytherins. The Marauders shared a look before they silently raised their wands at the group's backs. With several extravagant movements that would have made the Weasley twins jealous, they hexed the group. With a loud bang, the Slytherins were thrown across the room. They landed in a moaning heap at the front of the classroom. The Gryffindors laughed as they began to filter into the room after the Marauders. Shrieks of outrage filled the room when the Slytherins realized just what the Marauders had done to them.

Rabastan had acquired some rather unfortunate features. He looked as if he was part pig. His sharp nose had been transformed into a pig’s snout. His eyes were extremely small and beady. Rabastan looked dumbly at his hands and feet which had been transformed in pig hooves. What put everybody over the edge and caused a new bout of laughter were the floppy pig ears he had acquired and the pigtail poking out of the back of his pants. He snarled at James as best he could with a pig snout and opened his mouth to curse him, but instead of words, a high pitch squeal filled the air.

Loud wailing filled the room. Dear old Bella did not like her new look. The Marauders had gotten revenge for Gwen by making Bellatrix look like a toddler. Her black curly mass of hair that she seemed to actually take care of in this time was pulled up into two uneven pigtails. Her pristine uniform was turn into a pink onesie covered in teddy bears and from the puffiness around a certain area, it was obvious that a diaper had been spelled onto her as well. Harry had to wonder where the two purebloods had ever seen a muggle onesie.   

Lucius had been turned into a classic clown, complete with the red nose and clown suit. His beautiful blonde hair had been transfigured into a Weasley red afro. With a half terrified and half furious look, Lucius slowly reached up to feel his hair.

Narcissa had gotten off lightly. Instead of the extravagant changes to her appearance like the rest of her friends, she simply looked as if she had had paint dumped over her. Several different colors of paint. She was drenched from head to toe in red, yellow, blue, and pink paint. Very carefully, she wiped the paint away from her eyes.

“You filth!” Bellatrix shrieked, evidently having gotten rid of the spell that had caused her to cry like a baby, “How dare you do this to us!”

Sirius smirked as he took a seat beside James with Peter and Remus seated behind them. “Just reminding you that station isn’t everything. After all, you’re supposed to act like a pureblood lady, but here you are, acting like the child you are.”

Bellatrix snarled as she transfigured her uniform back to normal. She glared at the rest of her friends when she saw they hadn’t gotten rid of the enchantments. “What are you waiting for!  Are you honestly so pathetic that you can’t get rid of a few spells from these pathetic blood traitors?”

Narcissa kept her face calmly blank as she quickly got rid of the paint covering her and hurriedly put Lucius back to normal. Rabastan fumbled with his wand since his hands had been transfigured into hooves. With a fire in her eyes Harry had only seen when she was dueling someone in his time, Bellatrix growled and snapped her wand at Rabastan, quickly getting rid of the pig hooves and ears, but the snout and tail stubbornly remained.

Sirius cockily leaned back in his seat and put his feet on the desk. “I guess Lestrange truly is a pig! Now the whole school will know his true nature.”

Rabastan growled and grabbed for his wand. Harry shook his head as Sirius and Rabastan began to toss spells and insults back and forth. It reminded him of the many fights he had had with Draco only crueler and more vicious.

While they watched the ensuing duel, Harry quickly walked over to the desk that Lily was sitting at, as everyone began picking seats with their friends. He had had very little time with his mother so far, and he wasn’t going to waste any moment he may get with her. He forced himself to walk at a normal pace instead of bolting to her side like he wanted to. “Does this always happen when a large group of Slytherins meet Gryffindors?” Harry asked as he dropped down into the seat beside Lily.

Lily jumped slightly before smiling cheerfully at him. “More often than not,” she said brightly before looking at him questioningly, “I’m surprised you’re sitting with me. I would have thought you’d be sitting with Gwen since you’ve become so close to her.” Lily grinned as she winked at him.

Harry looked at her dumbly until realization dawned on him. Harry blushed bright red before stuttering, “I-I don’t like Gwen!”

The backpedaled when he saw the affronted look on Lily’s face. “I mean, I like her, but I don’t like her!”

“Well, why not!” Lily said defensively, “She’s an amazing girl! You couldn’t do better!”

“I-I...” Harry stuttered before he stopped. Something was wrong. His magic prickled uncomfortably just underneath his skin. He ignored his mother as she huffed in frustration and carefully looked around the room. Sirius and Rabastan were still dueling, their friends were either cheering them on or trying to separate them. The rest of the class was scattered around the room, chatting with their friends as if nothing was wrong. Nothing was out of order except… “Who closed the doors?”

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably the last one in.”

Harry shook his head. “No. I walked in with Gwen and Marlene. We were the last ones in.”

“Maybe somebody got up and closed it?”

“Who in their right mind would close the door on a professor?” Harry said as he stood up and walked over to the door. Harry reached for the door handle but his hand stopped inches away from it. His eyes widened. He knew this spell. Harry spun around and shouted a warning, but froze when a feeling of despair washed over him. He was too late.

The temperature in the room plummeted, and people stopped what they were doing in favor of shivering and asking their friends what was going on. The windows of the classroom frosted over, and people could see their breath. The talking slowly pattered to a stop as the hopeless feeling got worse. Harry tried the door again, but no luck. They were locked into the room.

 A chest at the front of the room that the class hadn’t noticed before began to rattle. The students watched with apprehension as the simple padlock bent with every movement until with one terrifying crack the lock snapped off. Whimpers filled the room as a bony hand grasped the edge of the chest. The Ravenclaws at the front of the room quickly scrambled back away from whatever creature that had escaped its confinement, but Harry knew it was no use. They wouldn’t be able to escape a Dementor in a locked room.

Harry quickly made his way to Lily ignoring the shrieks that filled the air when the Dementor appeared. Lily, that was his mission. He trusted James to his friends, but Lily was alone. He had to stay focused; he couldn’t succumb to the fear, not with his mother’s soul on the line. Lily was crying quietly when he finally pushed his way to her. “Come on, Lily. We have to go.”

Lily whimpered and shook her head. “She said I’m a freak. She would say I’d deserve this.”

Harry glanced up at the Dementor. A silver cuff on its bony wrist kept it chained to the chest. It would give them a few minutes, but Harry doubted it would hold long. “Petunia’s a bitch, but even she wouldn’t wish this on you. Don’t give up.”

Doubt flickered in Lily’s eyes before she nodded determinedly. A smile flickered across Harry’s face for a brief moment. “Good. Do you know the Patronus charm?”

Lily shook her head causing Harry to hold back a sigh of frustration. This was not the best place to teach the charm. Harry took a deep breath and began to explain the spell. “All you have to do is think of your happiest thought and say ‘Expecto Patronum’. But your happiest thought has to actually be your happiest thought. It can’t be as small as getting what you wanted for your birthday. Do you understand?”

Lily glared at him. “Ho-how can you ex-expect me to think of my hap-piest memory when I feel as i-if I can never be happy again?”

“Just try your hardest,” Harry said as he glanced back at the Dementor. It had almost broken the chain.

“Why don’t you do it yourself if you’re an expert on this?” Lily snarled. At least she was showing an emotion that wasn’t fear or sadness.

Harry tried not to flinch at her statement. “Trust me. I would if I could.”

He used to be able to cast the Patronus charm, but that was before everything went to shit. He lost everything in that goddamn war. He lost his friends, his family, and his fucking happy memories. Everything was tainted by either death or betrayal. Harry couldn’t think of the times when he, Ron, and Hermione had been the Golden Trio without thinking of how they betrayed them. He couldn’t think of his parents, Remus, or Sirius without thinking of how they died for him. That war had ruined everything for him.

Harry jerked out of his thoughts as a loud snap filled the room. The Dementor had snapped the chain and was coming right at them. Harry quickly position his body in front of Lily, so she would have more of a chance at escaping or at least living longer. “Lily, you have to try!”

The Dementor was coming straight for them ignoring all the other students in favor of going after Harry. Lily fumbled with her wand, her numb fingers dropping it. “Hurry!”

“Ex-Expecto Patronum!” She stuttered, pointing her wand at the Dementor. Not even a wisp of silver smoke came from her wand.

“You’re gonna have to have a happier memory than that!” Harry growled through clenched teeth.

“I-I can’t! That was the happiest memory I had!”

Harry didn’t have the chance to reply before the Dementor swooped down upon him. Just like that, every motivation that had been keeping him alive for the past three years was gone. All hope, all happiness was sucked out of him.

‘You deserve this,’ the voice in his head whispered, ‘They’re all dead because of you. If you had never been born they would all be alive. Mum, Dad, Remus, Sirius. They’d all be alive. Why are you even trying? It’s not like you can actually win. You’re up against too many people. Voldemort, Dumbledore, the Ministry. You can’t win.’

Harry gasped for air as the Dementor leaned in closer to his face. ‘This is a gift,’ the voice tried to convince him, ‘You won’t have to see them die all over again. You don’t have to worry about any other lives that you have to save. You don’t even have to worry about the blood on your hands.’

Harry flinched as the Dementor drew back his hood revealing the dried carcass of a face underneath. ‘How do you think your parent would react if they found out about all the lives you took? How you turned to the dark arts? What would Sirius say if he saw what you have become? This is a mercy killing. Accept it.’  

A single tear rolled down his cheek. The voice was right. He could never win. His parents would hate him if they ever found out about the terrible things he had done. The one last hope he had of having a family would shatter when they found out.

Suddenly, he felt something shift on his neck. Kali carefully nudged his neck before sharply digging her claws into Harry’s skin. Harry gasped as memories began to flood his mind.

James laughing as he made small versions of the Marauders’ animagi dance over his crib. Dad.

Lily rocking him to sleep while singing a lullaby. Mum.

Sirius laughing as he and Harry successfully pranked Remus. Sirius.

Remus smiling softly as he asked Harry to be Teddy’s godfather. Remus.

Harry holding Teddy for the first time and smiling as the boy changed his hair to match Harry’s. Teddy.

Determination filled Harry as he snapped the Elder wand out of its sheath. He would live for them. “EXPECTO PATRONUM!!”

A blinding white light filled the room as he cast the charm point blank at the Dementor. An inhuman shriek filled the air as Prongs came bursting out of the Elder wand. But he wasn’t the only one that came out of the wand. A silver doe came running out after it, followed by a shaggy dog and a snarling wolf. A hysterical giggle escaped Harry’s lips as a tiny wolf pup came bouncing out after the wolf.

 Padfoot and Prongs viciously attacked the Dementor as the doe and Moony kept the other students as far away from the fight as possible. The small wolf pup stood protectively in front of Lily who must have been pulled away from Harry sometime during the attack. James held her tightly to his chest as they watched the fight with wide, disbelieving eyes.

A snarl brought Harry’s attention back to the Dementor in time to see Padfoot leap into the ear and snap his jaws around the Dementor’s neck. The smoky dog growled and shook the creature, trying to kill the thing that had almost hurt Harry. A shriek filled the air before being cut off by an ominous snap that could have only been the creature’s neck. Padfoot shook the Dementor’s body a few more times before sitting back proudly on his haunches. With an expression that could only be described as a grin, Padfoot barked happily at Harry.

Harry chuckled slightly as he made his way to the dog and knelt in front of it. “Good job, boy,” Harry whispered as he scratched behind the dog’s ears, “I’ve missed you.”

An unhappy looked crossed over the dog’s face before a mischievous look entered his eyes, and he jumped up and licked Harry across the face. Harry shuddered at odd, cold feeling that almost reminded him off walking through a ghost. “Ugh! Padfoot, did you have to do that?!?”

A soft, cold nudge to his hand distracted him from Padfoot. The doe and the stag were standing beside him nervously pawing the ground. Harry smiled softly at the two. “It’s alright, guys. Padfoot got rid of the danger.”

 Prongs seemed to nod before nudging Harry’s cheek and disappearing. The doe seemed more reluctant to leave and looked Harry up and down as if checking for injuries. Harry laughed quietly before whispering, “It’s alright. I’m fine.”

The doe still looked hesitant but nodded anyway. She quietly walked forward and rubbed against Harry affectionately before disappearing as well.

Harry glanced over at Moony and his pup. The wolf was curled protectively around the pup, eyeing anything suspicious in the room. The little pup yipped excitedly when he noticed Harry’s attention on it. Harry scratched behind the pup’s ear before smiling at Moony. “It’s all right now. There’s no more danger for you to save me from.” The wolf eyed Harry carefully, trying to see if he was actually telling the truth. After a moment, the wolf seemed to find what he was looking for because he nodded and picked up the pup ignoring the sharp yip in protest and disappeared like his friends.

The playful growl was the only warning Harry received before Padfoot jumped on him. Evidently the dog was tired of being ignored. “What are you still doing here, you mangy mutt?!”

  Padfoot barked and sat on him ignoring how Harry tried to push him off. “Get off, you mutt! The danger’s gone! You can go now!”

The dog growled at him and surveyed the room one last time. After carefully looking over everything, he turned back to Harry with a happy grin and licked him across the face for good measure before disappearing. Harry wiped his face, trying to get rid of the weird cold feeling. “Stupid dog…”

A crash at the front of the room disturbed the silence. The door leading to the professor’s office had been blown off its hinges by a man in his late fifties judging by the gray in his hair. “Is everyone alright?” the man called out gruffly.

When nobody answered, he began to carefully check everyone, making sure that there was no physical damage to anyone. Harry ignored the professor and walked over to Lily. “Are you okay? I know you were behind me at the start of the attack, but everything after that was kind of… blurry.”

Lily nodded shakily, snuggling closer to James without realizing it. She looked close to tears. “I-I’m fine.”

Harry glared at her causing her to roll her eyes.

“Fine. I’m not fine, okay? I feel like shit, and I’m cold, and tired, and achy, and feel like I just had a panic attack. Are you happy now?” She snapped at him. James pulled her closer to him. “I think you need to leave, mate.”

Harry blinked up at him in shock. “I was just checking to make sure she was alright! Anyone who says they’re fine after a Dementor attack is either lying or not right in the head!”

“So that’s what that...thing was? A Dementor?” Lily asked, a spark of curiosity entered her dull eyes, making her look healthier.

“Wait,” Harry asked slowly, “You guys don’t know what Dementors are? That’s why you didn’t know the charm?”

Lily shook her head. “No, I’ve never heard of them. Have you?” Lily asked James tilting her head up, but only managing to look at his chin. With a blush as red as her hair, she shoved away from James’ chest a crossed her arms defensively. Clearing her throat she asked again, “Did you know anything about Dementors, James?”

James pouted, extremely put out by the fact that he wasn’t holding Lily anymore. “Only a little,” he grumbled, “All I know is what Dad’s told me which is they guard Azkaban. That’s all I know.”

“And what about you, Mr. Emrys-Slytherin? What do you know about Dementors?” a voice behind Harry said, causing him to jump. Nobody had sneaked up on him in years.

Harry turned slowly to face the professor. He reminded him of Moody only more sane. The man looked as if he had been in the military. He stood with his back ramrod straight and his eyes assessing every part of the room. His grey eyes had a certain steel in them that Harry had only seen in the most battle-hardened warriors.

“Class dismissed,” he barked at the students without breaking eye contact with Harry. Harry began to mentally reinforce his occlumency shields, “Go eat some chocolate. It’ll make you feel better.”

The class began to filter out, and Harry turned to walk over to Lily and her friends when the professor stopped him. “Emrys-Slytherin, stay here. I need to speak with you.”

The few students who hadn’t left yet, looked at Harry curiously before the professor’s glare sent them running. Harry watched as Lily and her friends paused at the door and looked hesitantly back at him. He gave them a small smile and a nod towards the door, signaling them to leave without him before turning back to the professor.

“You know my name, yet I don’t know yours,” Harry stated once the room was clear.

“Auror Jethro Gris,” the professor said stiffly, “But you may call me Professor Gris.”

Harry eyed the man curiously. If he played his cards right, he might be able to tell if Gris was connected more to the Ministry or Dumbledore. “Auror, huh? What are you doing at Hogwarts in times like these? Why aren’t you out there, fighting the good fight with Ministry?”

“I believe I am the one asking the questions here,” Gris said sharply. So much for that idea.

Harry smirked and spread his arms. “Well, I’m standing right here and you haven’t asked me a single question yet. I got a little impatient.”

Gris glared at him. “In all my years, I’ve never seen such a reaction to Dementors. You knew what was going to happen before it happened. How exactly did you know?”

“Instinct,” Harry said, eyeing the professor suspiciously, “How did you see my reaction? You weren’t even in the room. You didn’t show up until after the attack.”

The Auror’s jaw tightened slightly. Harry gaped at him before exploding. “You planned it! You bastard, do you have any idea how bad things could have gotten if I hadn’t been able to cast the Patronus charm!?! That Dementor could have sucked the soul out of any one of your students which is a fate worse than death, and where were you? Having a party in your office? What the hell were you thinking? Was it ‘Oh, let’s see how these defenseless teenagers react when I throw a Dementor into the room with them. That’ll be fun!’. What were you thinking?!?”

“Mr. Emrys-Slytherin!” Gris barked, “Calm yourself!”

“Calm myself! Calm myself? You let a Dementor loose in a classroom full of students, and you’re telling me to calm myself?” Harry exclaimed in disbelief.

“Mr. Emrys-Slytherin, the Dementor was never supposed to escape into the classroom. It was only supposed to be a small demonstration to show the students what exactly a dementor is and the effects it could cause before we went over it in class,” Gris stated calmly.

“What exactly made you think that was a good idea?” Harry hissed, “Why didn’t you explain what dementors are in class and then maybe, maybe, bring in something that had the same effects as a Dementor? Wouldn’t that have been better than having it escape into a classroom full of defenseless students!”

“I wanted the students to get a feel for the creature without adult supervision. Students act differently when a teacher is watching them. Plus I needed to know who is the most advanced in the class, which is most obviously...you.”

Harry fought against the urge to start pacing. “Why the hell didn’t you run in when the Dementor escaped its chains? And why did you charm the door closed?!”

Gris' head snapped up when Harry said that. “What do you mean the door was charmed shut?”

Harry paused from his inner rant about idiotic teachers endangering students. “Wait, so you didn’t charm the door closed?”

“No,” Gris said grimly, “If things went wrong, I would want everybody to be able to get out safely. What can you tell me about the charm?”

“Well, I said it was a charm, but it was more of a ward,” Harry said slipping back to when he used to be debriefed by the Order, “It keeps a person from getting within six inches from the object the person cast it on. It’s ca-” Harry paused. When had this spell been created? He knew Voldemort created it during the first war, but when did the Order find out about it? He couldn’t afford to slip up now. “It shocked me when I touched it too long,” Harry finished lamely.

Professor Gris went over to inspect the door. He cast a spell on it, but nothing happened. Gris huffed before turning back to Harry. “Well, from the sounds of it, the spell on this door was the same one that was cast on my door,” Harry’s head shot up, “But it’s gone now. Not even a trace left.”

“So that’s why you didn’t come in when the Dementor escaped from its chains?” Harry asked.

“It took me several minutes to get through the ward, and even when I did the door wouldn’t open. I had to blast it off.”

Harry nodded before heading towards the door. Maybe this revelation would allow him to leave without having to explain the patronuses that even he didn’t understand. “Well, this has been very informative, but I’ve got to go. Don’t want to be late to potions!”

He had just made it to to the door before the professor stopped him. “Emrys-Slytherin, you and I both know the next potions class doesn’t start until after lunch. Plus you still have some explaining to do.”

Harry stifled a growl of frustration before forcing his mask back on and turning around to face Gris. “Of course, Professor. I just wanted to read up on the subject a little before I went to class.”

“If you haven’t done that before now, you’re already screwed,” Gris narrowed his eyes, “And stop avoiding the subject.”

“Well you have yet to ask me a question, so I don’t exactly know what the subject is,” Harry snarked back.

“What happened when the Dementor attacked you? Why did it attack you? And how did you manage to kill it?”

“I would have thought an auror like you would know what a simple Patronus charm is,” Harry sassed. He really did not want to try to explain what happened to the Dementor to Gris. Harry had a theory about what may have happened, but it wasn’t something he could tell the Professor. He was supposed to be keeping his head down, not drawing attention to himself.

Gris was beginning to look frustrated. “Yes, I know what a Patronus charm is, but you’re what, seventeen? And you were able to cast not only one but five fully corporeal patronuses. Nobody has ever done that before. Even the most powerful witches and wizards can only cast one corporeal patronus.”

Harry quickly tried to come up with a lie, any lie to get him out of this situation. “I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken. I only cast one patronus. Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Gwen cast the other ones.”

“No, they didn’t,” Gris growled, “I saw Ms. Evans when you were trying to teach her the charm. She didn’t even produce mist. Plus, you seemed especially attached to the patronuses like they were your own.”

Harry shrugged. “I’m friends with all of them. Of course, their patronuses would like me.”

“When did you learn how to cast the charm and who taught you it? It’s extremely advanced. I’m surprised you can even cast it.”

“An uncle of mine taught me it a few years ago,” Harry said throwing his hands up, “Look I got to go. I’ve got to meet up with Lily, and it’s almost lunch.”

Gris seemed to be weighing his options. Finally, he sighed. “Fine. You’re dismissed. Go eat some chocolate.”

No sooner had the words left the professor’s mouth had Harry bolted from the room. He quickly ran through halls of Hogwarts. He was beyond frustrated. He had wanted, needed, to fly under the radar and what did he go and do? He somehow managed to produce not one, not two, but five patronuses. This was going to spread through the Hogwarts rumor mills like wildfire. Hell, Dumbledore probably already knew what he had done.

This was all that stupid professor’s fault. Who in their right mind would let a Dementor loose in a room full of kids? Harry’s eyes grew darkened in remembrance. Voldemort had controlled the Dementors during his time. He would send them out whenever he wanted to send a message to the light. A murderous expression stole across Harry’s face when he remembered how Voldemort had sent the Dementors to attack one of the muggleborn safe houses the Order had set up. Twenty-five muggleborns ages eleven to thirteen had lost their souls that day. Harry still believed it would have been more merciful to just kill them, but maybe that was Tom’s point.

Harry turned down one of the lesser used hallways. It was darker with spider webs on the ceiling. Perfect for Harry’s mood.

With a vicious snarl, Harry slammed his fist into the wall. He hated thinking about everyone that had died. Those muggleborns had been innocent. They were so young, and Voldemort had condemned them to a fate worse than death. Harry leaned his head against the wall, ignoring the throbbing in his hand. It all circled back to him. Maybe if he had been a little faster, a little stronger, a little smarter, he could have saved them all. Maybe if he had killed Voldemort sooner-

Harry’s head snapped up when he heard a quiet sniffling. Harry looked around, but he didn’t see anyone. He began to search the corridor, looking for whoever was crying. Harry followed the sound to a small alcove in the wall that had a suit of armor in it. There hidden behind the armor and shadows was a small girl.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked quietly, kneeling in front of her.

Startled, the girl’s head shot up, and Harry’s eyes met the tearful blue eyes of the girl. Her face was half hidden by the shadows, but Harry could make out her some of her features. She had a small button nose and large, electric blue eyes, tinted red from crying, that would have looked as soulful as Luna’s had if they hadn’t been so sad.

The girl sniffed slightly as she tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. “What-What are you doing here? Nobody ever comes up here.”

Harry sat down on the floor in front of her and simply said, “I needed to get away for a little while.”

The girls sniffed loudly before holding her head up high. “Well, you can just go away! Go taunt some other girl, why don’t you! I am sick and tired of you people messing with me! Leave me alone!”

“I’m not here to taunt you. Why would I do that?”

She sneered. “Of course, you’re here to taunt me. You all do.”

Harry ran a hand through his hair. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here. My names Hadrian. I’m new. I just transferred this year.”

The girl closed her eyes slowly and hung her head, embarrassed. “I am so sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t know.”

She rubbed her eyes roughly. “Still. I practically verbally assaulted you, and you were only trying to make me feel better. I am such an idiot!”

“I very much doubt you’re an idiot. Now, are you going to tell me who made you cry so I can go kick their asses?” Harry said with a small grin.

The girl gave a watery chuckle. “You don’t even know my name.”

“That would help too.” A genuine smile played on Harry’s lips.

The girl smiled softly and held out her hand. “My name’s Theodosia. Theodosia BelleRose.”

“Enchanté, Mademoiselle,” Harry said with a smirk before kissing the back of her hand lightly.

Theodosia giggled quietly. “You know, you’re the first person to realize my surname is french?”

Harry shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a special guy.”

Harry grinned as Theodosia began to laugh quietly. Mission complete. The girl reminded him too much of Luna, and he couldn’t bear to see her so sad. It didn’t help he had a feeling Theodosia was crying for the same reason why Luna didn’t have any friends until her fifth year. “So, are you going to tell me why you’re sitting out here alone?”

“Oh, it was nothing. It was just-Oh Morgana, you’re bleeding!” She said as she grabbed his hand. The knuckles on his right hand were red and bloody. Harry blinked before grinning sheepishly. “I told you I needed to get away for awhile.”

Theodosia looked up from where she was inspecting his hand. “Well, I hope the other guy looks worse.”

Harry snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure that wall looks terrible with my blood stained all over it.”

“Ahhh. I know the wall you’re talking about. That wall has damaged many hands,” She pulled out her wand and began to heal his hand. When she leaned forward Harry caught a glimpse of her tie.

“You’re a Hufflepuff?”

Theodosia froze uncertainly. “Yes,” she said guardedly.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Harry replied when he saw her reaction, “I’m just surprised you’re all the way up here.”

The girl cut him off with a snarl. “Why? Let me guess. ‘Oh, Hufflepuffs are scared of heights so they don’t want to go anywhere above ground level.’ Or is it, ‘Hufflepuffs are scared of the dark, so don’t turn off the lights!’ You know you guys are prejudiced assholes, the lot of you!”

Theodosia began to stand up, but Harry threw his hands up, stopping her. “Woah! That’s not what I meant at all! I was just surprised that you came all the way up here when your common room is all the way down near the dungeons.”

“How do you know where our common room is?” She growled with narrowed eyes.

Harry fought not to roll his eyes. “I saw a group go into it one day while I was going to class. I didn’t realize the houses were so secretive about where they were.”

A pale blush spread across Theodosia’s cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “I jumped to conclusions again, didn’t I?”

Harry nodded and stood up. “Yep, you did, but you can make it up to me by eating lunch with me.”

Theodosia began to look embarrassedly down at her shoes. “Um, I’m not hungry.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed. It looked as if the reason she was up here crying was down in the Great Hall. “C’mon. You need the energy so you can help me go kick the people who made you cry asses.”

Theodosia gave a soft smile but shook her head. “Look, Hadrian, I really don’t want to go down to the Great Hall,” she crossed her arms in front of herself defensively, “I don’t want to face them just yet. Okay?”

“Okay,” Harry said with a small nod before grinning, “You’re only against going to the Great Hall, right?”

“Yes?” she looked at Harry oddly.

“Well, then you shouldn’t be against going to the kitchens!” Harry began to lead her through the corridors.

Theodosia looked shocked. “You know where the kitchens are!”

Harry nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself. “Yep! I found it the third day I was here.”

Theodosia huffed. “I’ve been here five years, and I never found the damn thing.”

Harry chuckled. “Well, it was pretty hard to find.”

Harry looked Theodosia over. Although she claimed she was a fifth year, Harry had trouble believing her. She was shorter than him! Pretty much anyone older than a third year was taller than him, yet she was almost a head shorter than him.

Harry blinked when he realized he had almost passed by the fruit portrait. “This is how you get into the kitchens,” Harry smirked down at her and began to tickle the pear. It gave off a squeaky giggle, and the portrait swung open. The two were greeted with a flurry of activity and shouts when they stepped over the threshold.

House elves crowded around them. “Whats cans we do for the young master and mistress!” a tiny voice squeaked above the others.

“All we want is some lunch and a place to eat it,” Harry smiled sadly down at the house elves. They reminded him of Dobby.

The excited house elves quickly pushed them to a replica of one of the house tables and began to put mounds and mounds of different foods in front of them. Theodosia looked in awe at all the food. “This… This is more than what they make for feasts,” She mumbled in shock.

Harry shrugged. “They like being visited in person,” he said before turning and thanking the house elves.

After a few minutes of trying to calm tearful house elves, Harry and Theodosia began to eat their lunch. It was slightly awkward like usual first meetings are. It didn’t help that Theodosia being two years younger than him, and absolutely refused to talk about why Harry had found her in an old forgotten hallway on the sixth floor.

“So,” Harry began awkwardly, “what’s your favorite class?”

“Healing.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Healing? I didn’t know they offered healing at this school.”

“They don’t,” Theodosia began to play with her food, “I learn it on my own. A self-study, so to speak.”

“Isn’t that slightly dangerous?”

Theodosia rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m mending broken bones. I learn the small, household charms. Like healing a papercut or the flu.”

“That’s still impressive. I know those things are really hard to learn from a book,” Harry viciously stabbed his fork into a cooked carrot. He knew exactly how hard it was to learn how to heal from a book. He had spent weeks trying to learn how to heal his injuries during the Horcrux hunt from one beginner's book on healing. By the time he finished reading it, Harry could heal everything from a toothache to a broken nose, but had trouble healing anything cursed which was almost all the injuries he got. He eventually learned how to heal most cursed wounds but it involved a lot of trial and error.

  Theodosia smiled brightly. “You know how to heal!”

“Depends on what I’m healing,” Harry said cautiously.

“Well, we can teach each other!” Theodosia began to bounce slightly in her seat, “I can teach you what you don’t know, and you can teach me what I don’t know! It’ll be perfect!”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh come on!” Theodosia said excitedly, “It’ll be perfect!”

Harry thought it over. It would be safer if someone was there while she was trying to learn, and Harry could teach her some things she would need to know before the war got worse. And who knows, maybe she would be able to teach him some things. “Okay, I’ll do it, but only if you promise me that you won’t try to learn by yourself. It can be really dangerous, and I would feel more comfortable if I was there when you’re trying to learn.”

Theodosia huffed. “Fine, I won’t do it by myself.”

Harry gave a relieved smile. “Good. That’s much safer.”

“When are we going to start? I vote tomorrow. Oh! Where are we going to practice? I’ve been doing it in my dorm, but we can’t do it there,” Theodosia said happily. Harry shook his head. Girls. First, they're mad, then they're happy. Harry would never understand their emotions.

“We can start tomorrow if you want, and don’t worry I know a place we can practice.”

Theodosia glanced down at her watch. “Oh, Morgana! I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late for Ancient Runes!”

She quickly gathered her stuff and ran out the door. Harry sat at the table for a few minutes before Theodosia came running back in. “I forgot to ask you,” she panted, “Where are we supposed to meet tomorrow?”

Harry chuckled. “I’ll meet you at the statue of the half naked witch on the seventh floor.”

“Seventh floor? Why the seventh floor?” Theodosia asked curiously.

“It’s a secret,” Harry smirked. He loved showing people the Room of Requirement. Their shock never got old.

Theodosia looked as if she wanted to question him, but she looked at her watch again. “Whatever. I’ve really got to go! I’ll see you tomorrow?” She yelled as she ran out the door.

Harry chuckled and began to gather his things. He checked the time and winced when he saw he was an hour late to potions. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time he skipped potions class. Oh well, he had a lot of things to do without anyone around.

Harry felt Kali twitch around his neck. “How’d you know I was thinking about you?”

Kali immediately stopped moving.

“Hey, don’t pretend to be asleep! I have a lot of questions to ask you starting with what the hell happened when I was attacked by that Dementor! I know you had something to do with those five patronuses!”