Search:

SIYE Time:9:45 on 29th March 2024
SIYE Login: no


The Beast Within
By hgromance

- Text Size +

Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:Draco Malfoy, Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, Oliver Wood, Other, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black
Genres: Drama, Romance
Warnings: Death, Mild Language
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 272
Summary: Two pivotal things happen the night of October 31, 1981. They will change the course of Harry's life. Forever.





Posting issue resolved. For the moment at least and hopefully permanently.
Hitcount: Story Total: 152338; Chapter Total: 5936
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Here's the next one. Hope you enjoy.




ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter


I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as
the need for a father's protection.
- Sigmund Freud


Harry slept most of Sunday. He slept right through Ginny's visit before supper. He slept most of Monday, too, waking long enough to take his dose of Wolfsbane potion and a Nutritive potion. Lunchtime he ate a few bites of a turkey sandwich before curling up, this time on the spare bed, and sleeping some more.

Tuesday, he was awake more, ate a little more but still tired easily. His throat still hurt making the Wolfsbane potion burn a little more than usual. His joints decided to join his muscles in their protest of movement, making Harry really wince and moan whenever he moved. He still hadn't managed to lose that tingling in his nose responsible for his practically constant sneezing. He mostly sat around and read when he wasn't sleeping.

By Wednesday, Harry was feeling more energetic. The low-grade fever he'd had went away. Now if he could just stop sneezing! Hermione came by when she could to give Harry any new assignments and picked up his completed work. Ginny stopped in when she could in between classes and for a little while after supper.

Thursday, Remus made him go to his classes. Harry grumbled about his uncle's timing and having the first class he attended this week be Potions but it didn't dissuade Remus. The two downed their doses of Wolfsbane and Harry left. The good and kind of funny thing was that wherever he walked, everyone gave him plenty of room. He guessed they didn't want to catch his cold. He couldn't blame them. He didn't want it, either. He would have gladly given it away. It was just funny to see them split around him as much as space allowed.

His nose was tingling again. Great. And with Potions being a double class this morning there was no way he could hold it off that long. Ugh. He really despised being sick. Stepping into the dungeon classroom, he took the table he'd been sitting at and unpacked his cauldron and Potions kit. A few minutes later, Ron, Hermione and Neville came in.

“Harry!”

Hermione practically squealed upon seeing him. She dumped her stuff at her adjacent table and gave him a hug.

“It's good to see you back in class.”

“I just wish it didn't have to be this one. Someone has a twisted sense of humor.”

“Well, the sooner you get back into the routine, the better off you'll be.”

“Yeah.” Sniffle. “I know. Doesn't make it any nicer, though.”

Neville shared Harry's table setting up to his left. “You sure you want to be this close to me? Not afraid you'll catch something?”

Neville shrugged. “Nah. That's what Pepper-Up is for. A simple trip to Madame Pomfrey would take care of it. Why didn't you go see her?”

“It came on so suddenly, it wouldn't have done me any good.” Harry sniffled and rubbed his nose. It only made the tickling worse. “Besides, for some reason, it's never helped me much.”

“Odd.”

“That's what I thought,” Harry agreed.

Snape swept in the room and stopped the instant his black eyes found Harry. “Well, looks like Potter has decided to finally join the rest of us commoners.”

The greasy-haired professor continued to the front of the room and stood beside his chalkboard. A tap of his wand revealed the potion they were to work on. Harry nearly groaned aloud. The potion required powdered moonstone–a powder so fine it tended to linger in the air. What was worse, Snape wanted them to create their own powder instead of using any that had been bottled. He was seriously doomed. And by the expression in the professor's eyes, the man knew it, couldn't wait for the moment to yell at Harry.

Harry practically held his breath the entire time he was crushing his moonstone. Some Slytherin thought it funny to blow at Harry any collected moonstone dust from his tabletop. On more than one occasion, Harry had to stop what he was doing, certain he was about to lose his private battle. Then, he finally did lose the battle. Snape was in the middle of warning the class of the necessity of getting the second part of the potion correct. Arm on the table, Harry buried his face and did his best to smother the sound.

Snape jumped on the opportunity he'd been waiting for. “Potter! Pay attention to what you're doing or you're going get an explosive potion. Or maybe that's what you're trying to do. Are you, Potter? Are you trying to explode your cauldron?”

Harry tried really hard not to let the second one loose. Don't. Hold it. Don't do it. Don't do it. No, no, no, no, no! Aw, shoot! It came out anyway, followed quickly by a third. Students in his general direction scooted as far away as they could get. Except Neville who tended both Harry's cauldron and his own. Surprised yet thankful there didn't appear to be a fourth, Harry sniffled and tried to rub away his headache.

“Potter, you never answered me.”

Harry jumped. He hadn't realized Snape had come to the back of the room. Moving only his eyes, he looked up at the looming professor

“No, sir. I wasn't.”

Snape narrowed his eyes as he stared at Harry. “Interrupt my class again and I'll toss you out. It'll be a zero for the day. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Longbottom, leave Potter's cauldron alone. He gets his grades on his own; no help from anyone.”

Snape turned away and Harry dropped his head in his hand, feeling all-around miserable again. Snape had taken no more than five steps away from Harry's table when Harry was completely caught by surprise and had no chance of getting it quieted in time. Dang! He should have known he wouldn't stop at three.

Harry, hand over his nose and mouth, looked up in time to see Snape slowly turn back around to face him.

Very deliberately, the man walked back to Harry, leaned in and with an ice cold voice said, “Get out of my classroom. Now.”

The Slytherins, naturally, snickered at Harry's misfortune. Angrily, Harry crammed his supply kit into his rucksack, turned off the heat, put on a glove and walked over to a sink to empty and rinse his cauldron. He slipped the rucksack's strap onto his shoulder and headed for the door.

“And Potter? Don't you dare show your face again until this–whatever it is–is gone.”

Seething, Harry marched up to his dorm, muttering all the way. Forcefully unzipping his bag once in his room, he took out his Potions supplies, threw them on his bed and tossed in a tablet of parchment, crammed in his Monster Book of Monsters text and tossed the bag onto the floor. Shoving his Potions stuff to the foot of his bed, Harry sat and fumed. It wasn't his fault! He couldn't control it! It wasn't like he wanted to sneeze all the time. Quite frankly, he was developing a pretty bad headache because of it. Gah! Enough already!

Harry exhaled deeply and lay down. Big mistake. All the tension suddenly drained away leaving him feeling relaxed and comfortable. Of their own volition, his eyes closed and Harry nodded off.

0000000000


“Harry!” a feminine voice urgently yet softly called to him. Then a touch on his shoulder.

“Ginny!” a male voice cried in alarm.

Harry startled awake and bolted upright, eyes scanning his surroundings frantically. Ginny stood next to him. It had been she who'd awakened him. Standing not far from the foot of his bed was Ron, wand drawn and pointing in Harry's direction. Hermione stood with Ron, her hand on his wand arm like she was trying to lower it.

“What time is it?”

“Nearly eleven, Harry,” Hermione answered. “Are you coming to Care of Magical Creatures?”

Harry massaged his forehead a moment and sighed. “Yeah, I'm coming.” He yawned, ran his hand over his face and painfully left the bed.

“Are you sure you're up to it, Harry?” Ginny asked, eying him with concern.

“I'm fine, Ginny,” Harry said, trying not to give away how much he hurt.

He grabbed the strap of his bag and hitched it over his shoulder unable to stop the quick little gasp of pain that escaped. Tossing his heavy cloak around him, he stood there facing Ron, whose wand was still out. Ginny noticed the drawn wand and took the few steps necessary to reach her brother and batted his wand away.

“As you can see, I'm fine so put that away before you hurt yourself or someone else with it.”

Ron looked extremely reluctant to put away his wand but he no longer had a ready excuse to keep it out so he put it away, mistrust swimming in his hard blue gaze.

“Come on, we barely have time to get down to Hagrid's hut. He's supposed to be teaching us about salamanders today.”

As the four of them walked back down the stairs, Ginny broke the silence.

“So, Potions didn't go well, huh?”

“Not, really, no. I guess I'm just lucky he didn't give me detention. He told me not to go back until I was well again which would be fine with me but I have a feeling I'll be back there again soon.”

“The git.” Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. “It's not like you could help it.”

Harry shrugged. “Like I said, it could have been worse.”

Outside, Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and forced him to keep walking toward Hagrid's hut and the large bonfire in a paddock next to it. It didn't stop the redhead from watching Harry with narrowed eyes. Harry chose to ignore him and stopped on the path.

“Okay, now tell me how you really feel,” Ginny said, her serious eyes watching his every move.

Harry's shoulders drooped. “Not great and with–well, you know–doesn't help, either.”

“I figured as much. I'm sorry, Harry.”

“Don't worry about it, Ginny. I'll survive.”

“At least it's Thursday. The weekend will be here soon. You can sleep all you need to then.”

“Yeah, it's just getting to the weekend that'll be the trick. Hey, I better go. I'll see you later.”

“I'll see you at lunch.”

Ginny watched, concerned for her friend, as Harry plodded his way down the path and over to the paddock. He stood alone, away from the others, dropped his head onto the arm resting along the top of the fence. Even from here she could see how weary he was. Why did Fate have to be so cruel? If anyone deserved a decent life it was Harry. In her opinion, he could do with a nice long break. Too bad Christmas was still a little over a month away.

The thought of Christmas made her panic. What would she get him? She had no money, really. She'd have to give it some thought. The cold wind picked up, reminding her she was outside, in the middle of November. She stayed, watching Harry until Hagrid gathered the class together, then turned and ran up the path and into the castle. An idea had occurred to her so she had a letter to write.

0000000000


Ginny, not having a class that morning, got to the Great Hall a little early for lunch. She hoped to get a chance to speak with Professor Lupin before too many students showed up. The timing gods were on her side. Remus walked into the Great Hall and Ginny jumped up to meet him.

“Professor, may I speak with you a moment?”

“Certainly, Miss Weasley.”

Remus led her over to an unpopulated section of the Entrance Hall. “How can I help you?”

“Christmas is coming up,” Ginny all but whispered, “and I wanted to know what to do for Harry. I don't have any money, though. What do I do?”

A kind smile graced the man's features. “You've already given him the greatest gift he's ever received. Anything else is unnecessary.”

Ginny blushed at the praise but doggedly continued. “And if I wanted to do something else?”

“Then I'd say anything that has personal meaning would be a good idea.”

Ginny, exasperated, huffed. “Well, that doesn't help me much.”

Remus chuckled. “You'll understand if you just think about it.”

The Entrance Hall came alive with the sounds of students flooding in. Remus gave her shoulder a little pat before entering the Great Hall. Ginny decided to wait for Harry before going back inside the Hall. Just as she'd figured, Harry, bag slung across his body, slowly brought up the rear of the pack. His face looked flushed and she worried he was feverish again. She met him halfway across the room.

“Hey, Harry. Are you okay? Dumb question, of course you're not, exactly. You're face is red so I was worried you might be getting sicker.”

Her concern sent his stomach quivering again. He didn't think he'd ever get used to someone other than his dad's best friend caring about him. Even Sirius' concern took him by surprise still. That was to be expected, really, since Sirius was busy trying to hunt down Greyback at the moment so wasn't around as much as either of them would have liked. He smiled faintly down at the girl who had so completely slipped past his emotional walls.

“I'm alright, Ginny. We had to get close to the bonfire in order to study those salamanders. That heat was more intense than I thought it would be.”

“That's good. That you're not feeling worse, that is. Come on, let's get some lunch.”

Harry was glad she didn't suggest dropping off his school books first. As it was, he seriously considered going to his afternoon classes without the proper books. Or maybe he could just summon them. Wouldn't that be wicked if he could get it to work from that distance? He chuckled at the thought.

“Care to share?”

Harry blinked and turned away from the main staircase. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking how nice it would be if I could just summon my next classes' books.”

“Come eat and then maybe you can try it.”

The mischief dancing in her eyes made him laugh. “Yeah, could you imagine? Books, parchments, quills and a bottle of ink flying this way, bouncing off people along the way.”

Ginny laughed as she took a spot at the table making the fluttering in his stomach grow more pronounced and Harry fumbled his plate. Ginny gave him a look he couldn't interpret. Harry said a silent thank you to Fate or whatever that his face was already red so his embarrassment could go unnoticed. Hopefully, she just thought he dropped his plate due to being ill. Maybe that's why she gave him that look. He'd been feeling that weird little tickling sensation awhile now. Maybe he should talk with his uncle about it. He gave himself a mental shake.

“I don't know, though,” he said, picking up the conversation. “Summoning charms I'm not all that good at. Yes, I can do them but I'm not so sure about this distance. Not to mention it'd be more work if I didn't get it right and everything scattered all over.”

“Good point. I still would have loved to have seen that. Maybe we can practice, you know, work on your distance.”

Harry's brows jumped. “In the castle?”

“Sure, why not? I could stand on one floor and you could stand on the one above or below it. Or maybe we should start with you at one end of a hallway and me at the other.”

Harry mulled it over. It had merit. “Hey, do you think you could help me with that fifth year spell I've been working on?”

“Sure, but I'm not sure how I could help.”

“Well, I could try to silence your footsteps or something.” A gleam lit his green eyes and a smirk curled upward a corner of his mouth. “Or your voice.”

Ginny gasped and started to smack Harry's arm for even suggesting the second one until she saw him flinch a little in expectation of the pain. It served to remind her how close the full moon was again and how much Harry hurt already. She followed through with the motion but gave him a light and playful shove instead. Besides, she hadn't really been upset with him. He didn't tease her often and she liked it when he did.

“Prat,” she said with a laugh and dove into her meal.

A wide smile stretched his lips. She'd accepted his teasing for what it had been. He couldn't explain how that made him feel, other than to say it felt...good. He turned his attention to his own lunch, the smile never leaving his face.

0000000000


“What are you thinking?” yelled a man, pacing in front of a fire. Another man sat in one of the luxurious chairs close by, seemingly not the least bit bothered by his own shabby appearance or the man's rage. “You're going to mess everything up! I have a plan to get Potter out of the castle for good. I don't need you showing up and putting them on guard.”

“I couldn't care less what you need or don't need.”

The pacing man's attitude morphed from rage to sly. “What if I could let you have the run of the castle once Potter and all his blood traitor friends are gone? We could turn it into a school for Voldemort. It would be a crushing defeat for Dumbledore. Imagine how we will be rewarded when Voldemort returns and finds his enemies already defeated.”

“What makes you think he is coming back? He disappeared when he tried to take out that Potter brat.” The unkempt man smiled wickedly. “I got my revenge. I couldn't let him grow up thinking he was a hero.”

“I know Voldemort will return. He took steps to insure it. I don't know what those steps were but I'm positive he'll be back. I plan to be ready. Will you join us? Again?”

“Depends. How do you plan to get rid of Potter?”

“Simple. Expose him for what he is. Once the world knows his secret, they'll turn on him just like they've done with every other of your kind. Dumbledore will be sent away for even allowing Potter to attend school and especially not without consulting the other parents.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

The man smiled and unpleasant smile. “I have my ways.”

“And if you don't succeed?”

“I will. It just may take a little time. Try to be patient. These things can't be rushed.”

The seated man narrowed his eyes in an effort to intimidate his companion. “You'd better hope it does.”

The sly smile slipped from the other man's face. “Do not threaten me.”

“I'll give you the rest of the school year. That's what, a few months? Just remember–I live for revenge.”

The man standing smoothed his silken robe, the only sign he was a bit nervous. Feeling his point had been made, the other man stood and left the opulent estate.

0000000000


Finally, classes were finished for the week. He'd made it! Harry tossed his bag into his trunk and collapsed face-down onto his bed, arms and legs splayed across its surface. He felt 80 percent better now. Seriously contemplating just staying there for two days, he yawned. The door opened but Harry ignored it, closing his eyes. He nearly jumped off his bed when he felt a tickle on the back of his leg. As it was he yelped and flipped over.

“Hey!” he cried, laughing. “That tickled!”

“It was supposed to, Harry,” Ginny said, a giant mischievous smile on her face, her eyes twinkling.

“You think it's funny, do you?”

“Why, yes, I do, actually.”

Harry's gaze turned predatory and Ginny started to back up. Forgetting about his aches and pains, Harry sprang off his bed, caught Ginny and tickled her–everywhere. Twice she nearly got loose so he got her up against a wall and continued the torture.

“Okay! Okay!” Ginny cried between gasps, tears leaking from her eyes. “Please! Harry!”

All of a sudden, Harry's world spun 180 degrees and then pain exploded along his mouth and jaw. Crumpling to the floor, Harry tasted blood. He'd bitten his lip. Harry lay there, unable to believe what just happened.

“I told you to stay the bloody hell away from her! Ginny, I warned you, didn't I? I warned you he'd hurt you.”

“Harry!” Ginny knelt over him. “Oh, Harry. Are you okay?” She turned on Harry's attacker.

“What the bloody hell, Ron?”

“He was hurting you. I heard you begging him. You were crying.”

Her temper combusted. Advancing on her brother, she yelled, “You bloody idiot! He was tickling me! I started it by tickling him! You have got to get over whatever it is you have against Harry and leave him alone. And I know just the thing to get my point across.”

Before Ron could say a word, she had her wand out and cursed him with her famous hex. Happy with her handiwork, she returned to Harry's side. His lower lip was swollen and bleeding. A bruise already marked the spot Ron's fist had hit. Gingerly, she swiped away some of the blood.

“When you told me you'd be a target, Harry, I never expected it to be from my brother.”

Here it is. Here's where she tells me she's had enough and doesn't want to be friends anymore. I knew it would come eventually. Harry nodded in resignation and looked away not wanting her to see how upset he was.

“Yeah, I guess not one of my better jokes, huh?”

“What's going on in here?” Hermione asked, taking in Ron's battle with his bogeys and Harry on the floor.

Harry turned back to Ginny, ignoring Hermione completely, a mix of disbelief and joy that she hadn't left him where he sat radiating off him.

“Harry, you didn't think...? When I said, that day, that I'd always be there for you, that you weren't alone anymore, I meant it. You sealed your fate when you stuck up for me against those girls.”

“Ginny, take that hex off your brother,” Hermione demanded.

Ginny ignored her. “I've been permanently stuck to your side. You can't get rid of me. I'm like a...” She searched for something fitting to compare herself to. “I'm like a garden gnome. I keep coming back.”

Harry chuckled. He'd not seen one but having read about them, he knew just how stubborn and difficult to get rid of they could be.

“I get it, Ginny. Thanks.”

“What happened to Ron?” Fred asked, walking in on the scene.

“More like, why did Ginny curse him?” George corrected.

“Yes, that's a much better question, Forge.”

“Hermione?” the two asked simultaneously.

“I don't know,” she yelled, exasperated. “I can't either of them,” she waved a hand at the two on the floor, “to answer me.”

Ginny helped Harry to his feet and promptly blushed at the crowd gathered around the doorway. She certainly hadn't meant to make a scene but Ron had deserved what he'd gotten. Hermione stood in front of the group, hands on her hips and looking irritated. Fred and George wore matching grins. Others were out in the hallway. Ron was still flapping his hands at his face and yelling.

“What happened? And why did you Bat Bogey Ron?”

“Because Ron was an idiot, that's why.” Ginny took Harry's hand and pulled him toward the door. “Harry needs to see Madame Pomfrey so if you lot wouldn't mind getting out of our way...”

The crowd parted for them and Ginny led Harry straight down the stairs. Hermione tried again to get details but Ginny just hollered over her shoulder to ask Ron. She led him all the way to the Hospital Wing, not letting go of Harry's hand until Madame Pomfrey came out of her office. The loss of contact stirred within him a longing for it again. Confused, he turned his attention to the nurse.
“This will be easy to fix. Just be still.” Poppy waved her wand over Harry's mouth. Then she slathered a thin layer of bruise paste over his jaw. “There, that should do it. Now, care to explain what happened?”

Harry hesitated but Ginny had no such qualms. “Ron hit Harry. He's had it in for Harry from the beginning. Typical Ron, he saw something, misinterpreted it and reacted.”

“What exactly did he misinterpret?” Poppy asked, suddenly wary.

Both kids' faces turned bright red but for two different reasons. Ginny knew exactly what the nurse was inferring. Harry was embarrassed at getting caught acting so...silly.

Chin up, Ginny met the woman's eyes. “Harry was tickling me and I was begging him to stop. Ron came in, heard me and pulled Harry away from me.”

If Harry had been looking, he'd have seen the quick smile that momentarily lit the nurse's features. But he missed it; his eyes were fixed on the wall behind her.

“Harry,” she tenderly got his attention, “it's great to see you having some fun.”

Surprised at her words, Harry could barely speak. “Y-you're not going to say anything to Uncle Remus?”

“That'll be up to Miss Weasley.”

“I'm writing Mum again.”

Harry whipped around to his companion, suddenly fearful. “Again? Ginny don't. It's okay.”

“No, Harry, it isn't. Ron hasn't let it go so it's time to call in Mum.”

“But Ginny, I don't want to cause any--”

“Don't worry, Harry. Mum already loves you and I'm hoping she'll let you come over during the Christmas holidays.”

“She what?” Harry was stuck on the 'already loves you' part.

Ginny gave him an overly innocent look. “You think I haven't written home to my Mum about my best friend?”

“Ginny, you didn't--?”

“Of course not, Harry. I just told her how sweet you are and how much you've helped me.” She giggled as she watched his face turn red. “I think she'd adopt you if she could.”

“She wouldn't if she knew.”

“Harry,” Ginny, hands on her hips, fully faced him, “that wouldn't matter to her. She and Dad have taught us to look beyond the things that make us different, to find the common ground. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about.”

Reluctantly, Harry nodded his acceptance.

“Alright, then. Off you two go. It's suppertime.”

“Thanks, Madame Pomfrey.”

“You're welcome, Harry. And I'm glad to see you're feeling better.”

Harry was feeling better. He'd sneezed only once during Charms, twice during Defense and none at all during History. His headache was gone, his throat didn't hurt. Yes, definitely on the mend. That's not to say he didn't hurt at all, but that was another matter entirely.

“Yeah,” Ginny agreed, after a few minutes of silence, as they headed down to supper, “you look a lot better than you did yesterday. Does it always go by so quickly?”

“Usually. The first two days are the worst because it comes on so suddenly. Seven days later, it's gone as if it had never been around. It's kind of weird.”

“Well, anyway, I'm glad you're better.”

“Thanks. Me, too.” He spied his uncle heading down the stairs and called out to him to wait. He turned back to Ginny. “There's something I need to talk to him about. Do you mind if I catch up to you in a few minutes?”

“Sure, Harry. I'll see you, later.”

Ginny greeted Remus, which he returned, and continued on down the stairs. Turning back to Harry, he asked. “What can I help you with?”

Harry cast a furtive glance around, saw that more students were coming and moved out the way. The two walked down to the ground floor, neither speaking. By mutual agreement, they stepped over to a secluded corner. Harry could feel the heat in his face but forced the words out anyway.

“I want to get Ginny something for Christmas but I haven't a clue what to get her. What do I do?”

A corner of the man's mouth twitched but it was the only outward sign of amusement. “That's a tough one, Harry.” He laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. “I'm sure she'd like whatever you were to give her.”

He nearly laughed aloud at the frustrated expression that crossed Harry's face. “However, you can't go wrong with something that has meaning, something personal.”

Harry nodded, looked around again and then asked, “Can we go to your quarters a minute?”

“Sure, Harry.”

Sensing something serious was coming, Remus walked with Harry to his door, unlocked it and ushered Harry inside. They went and sat on the couch.

“Now, what's worrying you?”

Now, that he had the older man's attention, Harry wasn't sure how to go about saying it. After a few false starts, he blurted it out.

“Sometimes I feel kind of funny. I mean, I get this...tickling feeling... here,” he palmed his stomach, “and sometimes it feels all nervous-like and then here,” his hand slid up to his chest, “tightens up and it's hard to breathe, but...it's not a bad feeling. More often than not, it's a really good feeling. I just can't explain it. What's wrong with me?”

Remus pursed his lips, rubbed his chin. “Well, when was the last time you felt this way? How often have you felt this way?”

“It's been off and on for a little while now. I guess I kind of felt that way earlier today when I was with Ginny. Come to think of it, I'm usually around Ginny when it happens, sometimes when she touches my hand or my arm and other times when she doesn't. I really like it when she does touch me.”

Remus toyed with his bottom lip in an effort to not smile. That answered the question of whether Harry had noticed Ginny was a girl. Merlin, he sounded just like James had. Now, how should he handle this?

“Tell me something, Harry. What do you think of Ginny?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that. What do you think of her? How does she make you feel?”

Harry looked unsure of the point of the questions but answered them anyway. “Well, she's great. I mean, she's been so nice to me, even after everything she's found out.” He started to smile. “I feel really good when I can make her laugh. And, well, she can make the day seem better.”

“If you were to describe her to me, as if I hadn't met her, how would you do it?”

“Er, well, she's stubborn, strong, but also sensitive. She has a temper but she keeps it in check pretty well. She's smart and funny; she loves a good prank. She plays Quidditch.”

“Okay, you've told me about her personality. Now, tell me about her physical features. How would you tell me she looked?”

“Okay, er, well, her long hair is a fiery red color but it also has lighter colors of red in it too. It's kind of pretty, especially when the sun hits it just right, and it smells like some kind of sweet flower. She has light brown eyes, kind of...I don't know...the color of honey, I suppose, that...well...sparkle.”

Harry could feel his face burning and he didn't dare to look his uncle in the eyes. The man cleared his throat and took a breath before responding.

“Well, Harry, it seems to me as if you already have your answer. You just have to figure it out on your own.”

“What? You're not going to explain anything?”

“This is one time in which I can't. Sorry, Pup. Tell me this, though. Do these feelings make you uncomfortable? Do you mind them?”

“That's the funny part. I don't. I actually kind of like them.”

“Then I say just go with it. Enjoy those sensations and think it all through. I know you'll figure it out.”

“Well, okay. I should probably get to supper anyway.”

“Yes, you should,” Remus agreed, barely containing his smile.

After seeing Harry out, Remus leaned on his door and snickered. He almost wished he could be there when Harry finally figured out what was going on. In all honesty, he couldn't have picked a better girl to catch Harry's interest. He couldn't wait to see Sirius and tell him of this latest development. He sighed. Little Harry wasn't so little anymore.

0000000000


“Sorry that took longer than I thought it would.”

“You don't have to apologize, Harry. You can talk to whomever you want whenever you want.”

Harry gave her a brief smile before digging into his supper.

“Everything's okay, right?”

Harry, caught with his mouth full, nodded. Once he was able, he replied with, “Yeah, no worries. Just something I wanted to talk about.”

“Good.”

About that time, a decrepit-looking owl flew in, envelope flapping in the breeze. Since the mail ordinarily came in the mornings, the owl caught lots of attention, many pairs of eyes following its progress all the way to the Gryffindor table and therefore saw it crash land in front of Ginny, knocking over her pumpkin juice.

Hiding her embarrassment with irritation, she huffed. “Errol, you menace. Here, let me take that letter before you completely ruin it.”

While Ginny retrieved her letter, Harry sopped up the juice and refilled her goblet.

“Thanks, Harry.”

She settled down to read the note. Less than a few seconds later, she was beaming and showing Harry how it had been addressed.

“She included you, Harry.”

Harry was stunned. She really had included him. His breath hitched slightly as a strong emotion he couldn't name filled him until he thought he'd burst with it. A huge smile slid across his face. Ginny continued reading her letter. Maybe a minute later, she gave a little joyful cry.

“Yes! She's inviting you to spend part of the Christmas holidays with us, you and--” She almost said Professor Lupin but corrected herself in time. “--and your uncle. She says you're welcome to come over as often as you like.” Ginny looked up at her friend and smirked, a playful light dancing in her eyes. “I told you she loves you already.”

0000000000


After Harry's fifth stifled yawn, Ginny grabbed his quill and snapped his book shut. “Go lie down, Harry. I'll wake you in an hour.”

The full moon had come the previous night and now Harry could barely keep his eyes open. He, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in a partially empty common room at one of the study tables trying to get the rest of their work done. When Ginny spoke, he stared at her, uncomprehendingly, for a moment until his fatigued brain caught up.

“I just have a little bit left. I can finish it.”

Ginny snorted. “You'd better look again, Harry. Half your essay is gibberish.”

Sure enough, the last few paragraphs made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Groaning pitifully, Harry crumpled the parchment into a loose ball and sighed. He felt Ginny's hand on his back and his insides gave a little quiver.

“Go on, Harry. The couch is free. You're not going to do yourself any good like this.” He eyed the extremely inviting couch and she took his sleeve. “Come on. You'll feel better and you know it.”

Grabbing a throw pillow from one of the chairs, she set it at one end of the couch and eased Harry down, effectively hiding his grimace. As before, he was out the instant he was horizontal. A cold draft blew through the room. That was one thing she hated about the castle in the winter–the drafts. Spying a blanket over the back of another chair, she used it to cover Harry. Returning to Hermione, she noticed the girl had a silly grin on her face.

“What?” Ginny asked, fighting off the heat threatening to stain her entire face.

“It's just...you look so cute together, the way you take care of him and the way he lets you. It's sweet.”

“Well, his uncle isn't here so someone has to.”

“Uh huh.” Hermione didn't believe it was so innocent and it showed. “One day, Ginny, he'll come around.”

Ginny sighed. “I hope so.”

“Hey, Hermione, sorry to interrupt, but I'm not getting the Charms assignment. Can you help me?”

The two girls turned to Neville. Ginny moved some things around and made room for Neville. She also stacked Harry's books and parchments into a neat pile.

“Have a seat, Neville,” Hermione offered. “I'd be happy to help you.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate it.” He briefly glanced at Harry's books and tossed a glance over his shoulder toward the couch. “Is he okay? Is he really sick or something? I mean, he seems to sleep a lot and he gets really pale sometimes. And I've noticed there's times when he moves like he's hurting. I was just wondering if maybe he was seriously ill, you know, like some disease or something.”

Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks. Following Hermione's look of caution, Ginny turned to Neville and said what she could.

“Yes, Neville. Harry is sick. And it is something that keeps coming back. I can't tell you anything else though.”

“That's okay, Ginny. Thank you for telling me that much.” He glanced over his shoulder again. “It's too bad. He's so strong magically. He does things in Charms class that's beyond our level. And Defense class? Professor Lupin has been teaching us some basic spells but Harry's beyond that too.”

Neville fiddled with his text. Staring at the table, he softly spoke his next words. “There's some talk going around about Harry. Some say he's a git who thinks we're beneath him.” He looked up at the girls and rushed out, “I don't think that. I just think he hasn't been around many people. Maybe he's just feeling a little overwhelmed or something.”

“There's lots of gits at this school but Harry isn't one of them,” Ginny retorted, getting peeved. “I'm sure my brother is helping with that opinion, too, isn't he?”

“Er, well,” Neville hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It's okay, Neville, we know,” Hermione said, taking pity on the boy.

“I've tried to tell everyone to give him a chance but...”

“Harry doesn't make it easy,” Ginny finished for him. “I know. He just doesn't trust people very easily.” She cocked her head to the side as a thought occurred to her. “Why don't you hang out with us, Neville? Harry could use all the real friends he could get.”

“That would be nice but maybe you should talk to Harry first. He may not feel the same way you do.”

“He will. You'll see.”

“In the meantime, how about that homework?” Hermione redirected their attention.

0000000000


An hour later, Ginny woke Harry up and reminded him he had an essay to rewrite. Just in time, too, as a rowdy group of sixth year boys entered the common room, laughing and almost shouting. Grumbling a little, Harry sat down at the table again, still looking pale and tired. As he pulled out his parchment and ink, he greeted the other boy.

“Hi, Neville.” Harry paused, then looked Neville in the eye. “I want to say sorry for not being very friendly that day outside the greenhouse, when you came up to me. I wasn't very happy at the time. That's no excuse for rudeness, though.”

“That's okay, Harry. I understand.”

“I also know that some people are talking about me; I've heard them. I appreciate you taking up for me. I didn't expect that since you don't even know me.”

Neville shrugged. “I don't care much for those who talk of things they know nothing about. Anyone else would have done the same.”

“That's just it, Neville. They didn't. No one even tried. Then Ginny started sitting with me during meals and you know how she can be.”

Ginny, in mock outrage, started to smack Harry, but ended up giving him a little shove instead. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by Neville; however, the third year chose not to mention it. He grinned at their byplay and went back to his essay.

Harry began his essay but within a few minutes stopped again. “Hey, I need to work on a spell for Charms. Would you three be willing to help me?”

“What kind of spell, Harry?”

“Actually it's two spells. I want to practice long-distance Summoning. The spell I really need to work on since it's my extra credit work for class is a Silencing spell.”

“That's a fifth year spell, Harry.”

“I'm well aware of that, Hermione. Professor Flitwick okayed it as long as I kept a record of my progress. So far I haven't made any progress but then I haven't worked on it for awhile either.” He looked around at them. “So, willing to help?”

“You know I am,” Ginny instantly replied.

“Sure, Harry,” Neville said with a shrug.

“Of course, I will, Harry. It'll be exciting to learn a new spell.”

Neville looked at Ginny and the both of them started laughing. They were both thinking the same thing, 'Typical Hermione'.

Lunch came and went. The four of them now stood in the seventh floor corridor, a few feet from Gryffindor Tower's entrance, Harry at the far end, wand out and facing the girls and Neville. Each of the three held something different, varying in size, in their hands.
“Okay, Harry,” Hermione instructed, sounding very much like a professor. “Easy one first. We'll start with my pillow.”

Harry nodded, aimed his wand at the square throw pillow that had been borrowed from the common room and cast his spell. It jumped out of her hands and soared into Harry's waiting hands.

“Okay, well, it looks like you're okay with that. Try Ginny's next.”

Ginny held Harry's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook. Again, Harry aimed his wand and cast the spell. As before, the book arced its way into Harry's hands.

“I don't think you're going to have any trouble with this distance, Harry, but try Neville's anyway.”

From this distance, Harry could barely make out the small bottle of ink. Taking a deep breath to help him concentrate, he aimed and cast. If it wasn't for Harry's quick reflexes, he'd have been hit. As it was, he barely caught it.

“Whoa. That one I could barely see.”

“But you still did it,” Hermione encouraged him. “Maybe we should go down to the next floor. You'd stay up here, of course, Harry.”

“Alright. Let's try it.”

The three went down to the next floor and signaled to Harry when they were ready. Using his hearing, he was able to discern where they were standing and aimed in that direction. Deciding to forego the bigger objects, Harry summoned the ink bottle. It bounced around on the floor below before getting part of the way up to him before it fell to the ground. Thankfully, it didn't shatter.

“Harry, what was that?” Hermione called from below, sound a little annoyed. “Why did you try for Neville's first?”

Harry stood at the rail and looked downward. “Just thought I'd try it to see what would happen. Neville, smart thinking putting on the unbreakable charm.”

Neville blushed. “My Gran put it on. I'm a bit of a klutz.”

“Oh.” For an awkward few seconds, no one said anything. Then, “Well, still a good thing.”

Neville retrieved the ink bottle from the stairs and rejoined the others. Harry summoned his text from Ginny, heard it bounce around before falling onto the stairs, only this time a little farther up than the ink bottle had reached.

“Well, that was a little better, I suppose,” Harry mumbled to himself.

“Not bad, Harry,” Hermione called up after seeing where the book had landed. “Much better than we could have done.

“Not bad but not good enough, either. Let me try the pillow.”

He got back into position. Just as he was about to summon the pillow, he heard something behind him. Turning, he saw nothing but emptiness. Putting it down to just the wind finding its way into the castle, he turned back around. Raising his wand to cast the spell, he began to shake–the same shaking he suffered through before a transformation. Breathing became difficult. Oh, no! This cannot be happening! What's going on? He gasped as a pain seared through his gut, doubling him over.

“Ginny!” he gasped. This is not good. Not good.Ginny!

Three sets of feet rushed up the stairs. Ginny knelt beside him.

“What's wrong, Harry?”

“You have to get me out of here,” he panted and let out a loud moan as another searing pain tore through him. “I'm not safe, Ginny.”

“Harry, what--?”

Ginny gasped when she managed to see Harry's eyes. Yellow. Wolf yellow. This was not good.

“I'm not safe,” he whispered. “I have to get out of here.”

“What's the matter with Harry?” Neville asked.

Ginny turned to Hermione. She'd knelt on Harry's other side and had seen his eyes, as well. Ginny was drawing a blank on what course of action to take, Harry's groans and gasps getting louder. Hermione jumped up and blocked Neville's view.

“Neville, go get Professor McGonagall. Hurry!”

Neville took off and Hermione refocused on Harry and gasped. His hands were already changing, slowly curling inward, and Harry had bitten his lip to keep from screaming. The bushy-haired girl paced back and forth, zooming through her knowledge of the castle, trying to figure out where Harry could safely go.

“Hermione, look!”

A door had appeared in the wall. Hermione opened the door and looked in. “It's a giant room. The castle must have made it. It's perfect. Quick. Let's get Harry inside.”

“I can do it,” he gasped. “Just go. I don't want to hurt you.”

He tried to stand but his legs wouldn't hold him. He screamed as the pressure built inside him. Afraid someone had heard Harry, the girls each grabbed an arm and hauled him into the magical room. Just in time. Another scream echoed in the room, accompanied by the ripping of fabric.

“Go!” Harry barely managed to say. “Please. I'm not--”

An even more tortured scream left him. The change was fully in progress now and it was happening much more quickly than usual. His bones and muscles shifted mercilessly. His nerves burned white-hot. The pressure magnified.

“--safe.” It was the last thing he said. Then there were nothing but his agonized cries.

The girls watched helplessly, until the clothes came off, as their friend endured the transformation again. Neither thought of the danger to themselves. At the end, the human cry-turned-canine yowl made them both shudder. It also served to bring Hermione back to reality.

“Ginny,” she tugged on the girl's arm, “we've got to get out of here. He's dangerous now.”

“I can't leave him.”

Their voices caught the wolf's attention and he stood, hackles raised and began growling. Then in one quick motion, it pounced. It never reached them. An invisible barrier blocked the charge. The black wolf bounced off harmlessly. It came back again and again, snapping, scratching and leaping, doing its level best to break through.

“Oh, Harry,” Ginny whispered, getting an uncomfortably close look at the very sharp teeth. “What happened?”

“Come on, Ginny,” Hermione tugged again. “That's not Harry. Not right now.”

“It's still Harry.”

“Ginny don't delude yourself. If he got through, he'd attack you. He wouldn't be able to help it. Imagine how he'd feel when he found out he turned you.”

“I'm not leaving, Hermione,” Ginny stubbornly said, squaring her shoulders. “The castle put up the barrier. It protected us. It's not going to let us get hurt. You go. Someone needs to be out there when McGonagall comes.”

It was obvious the girl didn't want to leave but she couldn't deny someone needed to be out in the corridor.

“Alright.” She gave a teary hug to her friend and walked back out the door.

Ginny turned back to the creature before her still trying to get through to her. Yes, she was scared, she'd be stupid not to be, but she felt the barrier would hold. She winced as the wolf launched itself at the see-through wall again. He was going to really hurt when he came back to himself.

Several minutes passed before the door opened again. Their Head of House rushed in, wand drawn, and hurried over to Ginny, a Stunning spell on her lips.

“Don't, Professor,” Ginny begged. “He can't get through.”

McGonagall backed the young girl away from the barrier, wand still at the ready just in case.

“I sent Neville to get Remus and Dumbledore. Miss Granger, step out and watch for them.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Miss Weasley...Ginny. What happened?”

Ginny wiped away her tears and tried to steady her breathing. “I don't know. We were helping Harry practice long-distance summoning and then suddenly he collapsed in pain. His eyes had gone completely yellow. Hermione sent Neville to get you and then this room appeared. We managed to get Harry in here. The barrier showed up after he turned into the wolf and just as he tried to attack us.”

“You shouldn't have stayed in here. It could have been disastrous.”

“I couldn't leave him, Professor,” Ginny said, beginning to feel irritated.

“I commend you on your loyalty, Miss Weasley, but I--”

The door opened and the Headmaster walked in along with Snape. A few minutes later, Remus joined them. Hermione and Neville had been sent back to the common room. Remus looked upon the black wolf with concern. Snape's expression gave nothing away. Dumbledore appeared worried.

“This shouldn't have happened,” Remus said, shaking his head. “How could this have happened?”

“Was there anything unusual that happened last night, Remus?”

“No, nothing. Everything happened as it usually did. Harry didn't seem to have any unusual problems going through the change, either at moonrise or sunrise.”

He walked over to the invisible wall and placed his hand upon it. The black wolf continued to leap at the wall but it was obvious it was tiring.

“Miss Weasley, I hate to ask this of you,” the Headmaster kindly said, “but we need to know exactly what occurred in order to figure out how to get Harry back and to figure out what brought on another transformation.”

Ginny nodded. “I understand, Professor.”

She went through the events again.

“And you saw nothing out of the ordinary? You saw no one around you?”

“No, but we were all down on the sixth floor. I'm so sorry that we left him alone.”

Remus left the wall and embraced the youngest Weasley. “Hey, you were helping Harry. You couldn't have seen this coming. No one could have. He'll be the first to tell you this wasn't your fault.”

Remus looked back over his shoulder. “Albus, could a spell have done this?”

A moment of silence followed his question. “You mean like the animagus reversal spell?” McGonagall asked, catching on to his thinking.

“Yes, something like that. Could it be modified to force a werewolf to change?”

At a loss, she shrugged. “It's possible, I suppose.”

Dumbledore turned to their resident expert on the Dark Arts. “Severus, do you know of anyone using this type of spell? Have you heard of it having been used previously?”

“I haven't, Headmaster. However, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. The Dark Lord's followers were always coming up with new ways to strike fear into the hearts of the innocent.”

“To be certain if any spell has been cast, we'll need to check him. Minerva, escort Miss Weasley into the corridor.”

“You're not going to hurt him, are you?” Ginny turned fearful eyes to Harry's uncle.

“No, we're just going to stun him so we can check. Once we know if he was hit by a spell and perhaps by what spell, we'll know how to deal with it.”

“Okay.”

McGonagall laid a gentle hand on Ginny's shoulder and led her out to wait in the corridor.

“Alright. Stun first,” Albus instructed. “Once he's down, I'll perform the charm to reveal if any spells had been cast against him. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Headmaster.”

“Of course, Albus.”

“Now, how do we get this wall down?”

A slight shimmering answered his question. The disappearing wall caught the wolf's attention and he lunged. Three jets of light hit him and he went down. Another jet of light hit, creating a glow around the wolf, faint ribbons of colored light swirled through it with one darker color.

“That is the most recent spell cast. Do you recognize it at all, Severus?”

Snape studied it, nodding after a minute or two. “It does appear to be a modified animagus reversal spell.” He met the Headmaster's worried gaze. “It would seem someone else in this castle has knowledge of Potter's secret and is trying to reveal it.”

“I would suggest looking at young Malfoy,” Remus put in. “On more than one occasion, he's hinted he knew of Harry's secret. He's publicly linked Harry to werewolves a few times.”

“But is young Draco magically capable of this? Severus? You know him best.”

“He doesn't appear to be but it could be a ruse.”

“Well, now that we know...”

Remus walked over to the still unconscious wolf and pointed his wand. The instant the spell hit the wolf, it began to whine, the change beginning again.

“The Homorphus Charm?”

Remus threw a quick glance back at the older man. “Yes. Even though Lockhart was a fraud, he managed to teach the kids something. The Homorphus Charm will force a werewolf to return to human form.”

Remus conjured a blanket for Harry for when the transformation was complete. It took several agonizing minutes, but finally the man could gather Harry, cocooned in the blanket, into his arms. He worried what another shift so closely on the heels of the last would do to him. As it was, the boy was limp, barely conscious and trembling.

“I'm taking him to the Hospital Wing.”

“Naturally.”

Albus stepped outside to check for students. Once clear, he waved Remus forward.

“We'll uncover the truth, Remus. That's a promise.”

“It had better be soon. I'm not above taking Harry out of Hogwarts if I need to.”

With that parting shot, Remus strode quickly down the corridor, McGonagall and Ginny in his wake.




















Reviews 272
ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter




../back
‘! Go To Top ‘!

Sink Into Your Eyes is hosted by Grey Media Internet Services. HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related characters are trademarks of Warner Bros. TM & © 2001-2006. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions on this site are those made by the owners. All stories(fanfiction) are owned by the author and are subject to copyright law under transformative use. Authors on this site take no compensation for their works. This site © 2003-2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Special thanks to: Aredhel, Kaz, Michelle, and Jeco for all the hard work on SIYE 1.0 and to Marta for the wonderful artwork.
Featured Artwork © 2003-2006 by Yethro.
Design and code © 2006 by SteveD3(AdminQ)
Additional coding © 2008 by melkior and Bear