18. AZKABAN
The small boat rocked unsteadily with the irregular, but nonetheless strong strokes of the guard who was bringing them to the island of Azkaban. Harry shivered in the cold sea breeze and pressed closer to Severus, who did his best to shield him from the swashes of salty water that time and time again sloshed into the boat, soaking their shoes and robes.
"Remember that potion, Snape," the guard said gruffly as Severus helped Harry to climb onto the battered wooden landing stage.
"You'll have it by the end of the week." Severus nodded sharply at him and led Harry down the narrow path to the looming cross-barred door that led down into the prison.
The bare, hard, unforgiving, jagged rocks soared into the sky, almost black in their colouring, seeming to swallow up the little light that managed to break through the clouds. The door was small, made of massive iron that almost hissed in warning as Severus pushed it open.
This was the kingdom of the Dementors and no human was here. Except for the prisoners. All the formalities had been conducted in the shabby building on the mainland that still looked so much more welcoming than the prison.
The tunnel that took them deeper into the heart of the island was even darker and damp. Something that Harry sincerely hoped was water was running down the walls and dripping to the floor. The deathly presence of the Dementors hung over everything and they already sucked the happiness out of them, feasting on their fresh emotions.
The tunnel was straight, only lit by a torch every twenty metres that only served to send sinister shadows over the cold walls. It was several long, silent minutes before Harry saw the first shadow of a Dementor glide towards them and his breath hitched painfully in his chest as the wave of coldness crashed over him.
Severus raised his wand, shooting a silvery wisp towards the approaching creature, rubbing Harry's arm with his other hand. "We are here to see Sirius Black."
The creature took a long shuddery breath, but then slid back into a side corridor, allowing them to pass.
"Severus." Harry trembled, screams and cries echoing distantly through his mind as he wrapped his wings around himself.
"Here, eat that chocolate. It will help you." Severus handed him a huge bar of chocolate, gently tugging him down the corridor. "Black's cell is on the deepest level so this won't be the last encounter with them."
"I can hear how Voldemort killed my parents," Harry whispered and Severus' arm around his waist tightened.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" the black-eyed man asked, concerned, slowing his steps.
"We are already here and I want to see him," Harry insisted. "I just hate those Dementors."
Severus nodded and they continued down their path in silence. Every time a Dementor approached them, the Potion's Master conjured up his Patronus and they were left alone again.
"Cell 118," Severus muttered, pointing his lighted wand at the rusty and askew numbers on the wall next to a grilled door. "That should be it. You will stay with me all the time, Harry," he whispered and Harry nodded obediently.
Severus sighed, but extracted a rusty key from his pocket and pushed it into the locket with some difficulties, turning it around with a crunching sound. At first glance, the cell seemed to be empty and even darker than the cells they had passed. A small cot, with thin, moth-eaten blankets stood under the only small window through which dusty light fell. Other than that, the cell was bare, but Harry could feel the shadows concentrate in one of the corners and he could feel his dominant. His Sirius.
"What do you want?" the voice that greeted them was hoarse from years of disuse and the man that followed it out of the shadows was thin
and skeletal.
The once so tan skin had become shallow and stretched over the protruding bones and although Harry had been clearly the thinner one in the past, he wasn't so sure about that anymore. The once glossy hair, Sirius' pride, now hang limply around his shoulders in matted black strands. But it was still his Sirius.
The veela sniffed the air cautiously, his storm-grey eyes landing on the elf. "Harry?" he asked incredulously, "Harry?"
"My name is Harry Potter," Harry said, trying to keep his voice under control. "Dumbledore sent me back into the past where we met. I didn't know about you and now I want answers, Sirius. I deserve answers."
"Harry? My Harry," Sirius repeated as if saying his name would make it more real. "I looked for you for so long. I couldn't find you, Harry..."
"We haven't come for you to pour out your heart, Black," Severus spat, putting himself between the two creatures when Sirius made to pull Harry into his arms. "You will not give Harry any kind of order or I'll stun him and we will never come back. And of course, you won't touch him, either."
Sirius' gaze snapped up to the Potion's Master and he nodded reluctantly, his eyes surprisingly lucid. "I just want a chance, Snape."
Harry felt another Dementor approach and sheathed his wand, bringing Severus with him as he cast his own Patronus, which was much stronger than Severus'. The memory of a sunny day when Sirius had pulled him closer in Care of Magical Creatures, patting his hair. Prongs stepped out of his wand, proudly raising his antlers as he took stand in front of the cell. Sirius gasped softly.
"We haven't got all day, Black," Severus said, a look of disgust etched into his face as he sat down on the small cot after a quick Cleaning Charm; he had closed the door after them and now pulled Harry closer.
"Why did you betray them, Sirius?" Harry whispered. "How could you?"
"Harry, I didn't," Sirius argued urgently. "I loved your parents. Lily and James, they made me your godfather, did you know that? James said that since we couldn't find you, they would give me another Harry to care for. You were everything for me. Ask Remus. He can tell you. When James asked me to be their secret keeper, I told them to take Pettigrew instead. I thought it was the perfect plan, Harry, I really thought so. I thought Voldemort would be after me and no one would even consider weak, little Peter... It was my fault, Harry, and I'm sorry, but I didn't betray them. It was Pettigrew."
"You killed him," Harry said softly, holding back his tears. "You killed him."
"I didn't, though I would love nothing better than to wrap my hands around his pudgy neck and squeeze the life out of him." Sirius growled angrily, his hands twitching. "I cornered him and he screamed that I had betrayed Lily and James, that I had killed them, then he blew up the street and transformed into a rat after he had cut of his finger - "
"Oh, really, Black, you had sixteen years to come up with a good excuse and that is the result?" Severus stood. "Harry, let's go, alright?"
"What about the trial, Sirius? If you are really innocent, why did they condemn you? All they had to do was use Veritaserum or look at your memories..."
"I didn't have a trial, Harry," Sirius answered quietly. "They had Dumbledore's testimony that James wanted to make me his secret keeper and a street of Muggles that repeated what Pettigrew had shouted at me. I guess they didn't deem it necessary."
Harry gasped and Severus sneered. "As if a trial would have made a difference. Even you can't be so stupid as to consider this, Harry."
Sirius snarled at him. "Don't speak to Harry like that."
"You want to make us believe that Pettigrew not only was faster than you in drawing his wand, but also managed to blow up a whole street and transform into a rat at the same time? Oh, I almost forgot he also cut of his own finger, didn't he?" Severus mocked.
"Peter is an Animagus," Harry whispered. "And I do believe him, Severus. You can think me naive and gullible, but I believe him."
"He tried to kill me in sixth year," Severus spat.
"You were a nosy prat," Sirius snapped. "And that still doesn't mean that I would kill my best friend or Harry. Please, Harry..."
Harry stood up from the cot, moving into Sirius' arms and burying his head in the tattered robes. "I'm sorry."
"Don't," Sirius whispered back, inhaling the scent he so loved. "It was stupid to trust Pettigrew."
"Why did you, Sirius?" Harry demanded. "After what he tried to do to me, you just forgave him?"
"No, Harry, I never did," Sirius said softly, throwing a cautious look at Severus, who was watching them warily with his wand raised. "I cursed him so badly he spent the rest of the school year in St. Mungo's. He was expelled like Dumbledore had promised and he took his NEWTs more than a year later.
"I couldn't imagine that Voldemort would take Pettigrew in, it was just such an absurd idea. He was only a simpering weakling to me with no magical skills to speak of. I thought he would steer clear of Voldemort and his Death Eaters because I couldn't imagine that he would muster up enough courage to face them. He always admired James so much and he apologised so often for what he tried to do to you that even I thought he was really sorry. We began to trust him again, and it was clear that I was the obvious choice for being made secret keeper.
"I feared..." He swallowed heavily. "I searched for you everywhere and in one Order meeting - you know about the Order, don't you? - In one of our meetings, Snape said that Voldemort had been interested in you. I was afraid that somehow you had fallen into his hands and I... I loved James, he was my best friend, my brother, but I might have betrayed him if I would have got you back, safe and sound.
"So I suggested Peter. Harry, I will never forgive myself for that, but I didn't want them to die."
"I know," Harry said softly. "Severus?"
"It still seems like a load of codswallop to me." Severus scowled, but his expression softened as he saw Harry tense. "But I know how much you love Harry, Black, and that's the only reason why I want to believe in your innocence, but that doesn't help any. If you don't have any proof you will still spend the rest of your life in Azkaban."
"I think I have proof," Harry murmured, kissing Sirius' cheek. "I will get you out of here, I promise. Believe in me, please?"
"Always," Sirius answered softly. "I love you, Harry."
"I love you, too," Harry answered, taking Severus' hand in his. "I'll leave my Patronus for you and I'll try to hurry."
"I'll wait for you." Sirius smiled gently at him. "I have waited so long that this won't make much of a difference."
"It makes a difference to me," Harry replied before turning away, dragging Severus with him.
"I know he isn't lying," he said softly as the reached the exit again. "I can tell when a dominant is lying to me."
"I didn't say he is," Severus returned. "I used Leglimency on him. I wouldn't have let you go near him if I thought you were in danger from him. I know that he truly believes what he said, Harry, but that still doesn't make it true. Sixteen years on your own with Dementors as the only company can make you believe your own lies if you tell them to yourself often enough."
"I think I know where Peter is." Harry looked up at him, pleading. "Wouldn't that prove his innocence?"
Severus sighed, easily lifting Harry back into the boat, and wrapped his right arm around the petite boy. "Where?"
"The Weasleys," Harry stated confidently and then added softly, "Thank you." Severus only grunted.
The boat started moving again, the waves slapping against its sides as the building on the main land slowly moved back into their sight. Harry's hand felt cold in Severus' grasp and the Potion's Master knew that it would be a while before the usual warmth would return, before the voices of his past would fade away. He had never liked Black and he wouldn't bother to pretend now. Harry would see right through his lies, but could Harry also see through Black's lies?
Black's story wasn't completely impossible, though in Severus' opinion unlikely. Hadn't Black realised that even if he couldn't be the secret keeper himself that Pettigrew was a bad choice? But what Black had said was true, to some extent, because Remus had also forgiven Pettigrew after a while, claiming that if he could forgive Sirius for almost killing Severus, he could also forgive Peter for almost raping Harry. Severus wasn't as forgiving.
But why hadn't Black convinced the Potters to take Dumbledore as their secret keeper? He snorted at that thought, earning him a weird look from Harry, because he could think of a few reasons. Dumbledore had the air of a nice old grandfather, but he would just have loved to have that kind of power over the Potters to make them live their lives exactly how he wanted them, too. Severus trusted Dumbledore, but that didn't mean he would give the Headmaster even one ounce more power than was absolutely necessary.
But why not Remus? And here, too, the answer was glaringly obvious to the Potion's Master and he felt rage rise in his chest on behalf of his lover. Black and Potter had thought Remus was the traitor. Only a Gryffindor could jump to that conclusion and believe that weakness and cowardice was a substitute for loyalty and friendship. So did that mean that they had thought that Pettigrew's fear and his incompetence would keep them on their side, that he was a loyal enough secret keeper? Severus didn't know anymore.
When he had prodded Black's mind, the prisoner hadn't fought it though he was sure that Black had noticed the intrusion. For a split second, Black had turned his eyes away from Harry to glare at him, but then the surprisingly strong barriers around Black's mind gave way and snippets of memories passed in front of his eyes: The Dark Mark over the Potter's house. A crying baby in a damaged cradle, the famous scar burning an angry red. A conversation between Potter and Black, somewhere in a shabby shack with cracked furniture lying around, dusty and dirty. Black standing at his cell window, his fists balled. A busy street and a small man with a wand facing him, shouting. Those memories, they didn't prove anything, not his guilt, but not his innocence, either. Though if Severus was completely honest - and he made a point to be completely honest with himself at least - he had to admit that Pettigrew's betrayal seemed much more likely than Black's.
Black was a man he could grudgingly respect, but Pettigrew was weak and selfish and cowardly. Pettigrew had tried to rape Harry. Black might have tried to kill Severus, but to want to rape someone just because they felt neglected called for a whole different level of baseness.
His arm tightened around Harry's waist as he thought back to that day. Even though it lay almost twenty years in the past, it was still fresh in his mind. The look of fear on Harry's tear-stained face, the uncontrollable trembling of his limbs, the heart-wrenching sobs. How Black had immediately taken Harry in his arms and rocked him slightly, comforting him. How he had chosen to stay with Harry instead of taking his revenge on Pettigrew.
Severus knew without a doubt that Black loved Harry, that he would do anything for him. Would it be so bad to get him out of Azkaban so that he could take care of Harry even if he was guilty? It was certainly wrong, but wasn't it an option? Severus was willing to do about anything for Harry and in the state of mind Black was in at the moment, there was nothing he wouldn't do for Harry.
Black didn't have an obvious motive to join the Dark side and he had never seen him at a meeting. Could it be that the loss of his mate had driven him insane? It was likely, but Severus had also seen how Black had went back to his old cheerful self with baby Harry in his arms, how he had stopped brooding and relaxed slightly, telling the small Harry all about his parents and their school time, but most of all about his submissive Harry. It was rather ironic in hindsight. Black undoubtedly loved both Harrys while Pettigrew had seen them both as a nuisance.
"Can you apparate us?" Harry startled him out of his musings and he nodded, wrapping Harry in his arms before he whisked them away.
The first thought that passed through his mind as he saw the Burrow was how all the Weasleys could possibly fit in there. Then he decided that he didn't want to know. There were still lights on in the ground floor and in several of the bedrooms.
"Harry, we have a plan, right?" Severus stopped him. "Because assuming that Pettigrew is really here and really an Animagus, it could turn out difficult to get a hold of him, once he's warned."
"I think he's hiding as Ron's rat, Scabbers," Harry answered softly. "Ron always has him in his cage, and Hermione hexed it indestructible after Ron dropped it once."
"So we'll just go in there, take the rat and be gone again?" Severus raised one eyebrow skeptically.
"I thought you could do that spell that forces an Animagus back into their human form." Harry looked pleadingly at him. "Please, Severus? You've been so great so far, don't desert me now."
Severus scowled at him. "Playing the pity card on me is not one of your smartest moves, Harry." The elf just looked at him with big eyes, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "That doesn't work on me, as you well know, brat," Severus continued not quite as sternly as he had planned. "Fine, wait a minute." Severus finally sighed, pulling Harry back to his chest, before he wove an Anti-Apparation Ward around the place, finishing his work with a simple magical border that would at least detain a possible escapee. "Now we can go. As if I would ever desert you, honestly."
"I knew you were a genius." Harry grinned cheekily up at him.
Severus scowled, but let himself be dragged down the overgrown pathway, almost stumbling over one single boot, which made his scowl deepen. Harry didn't loosen his grip on the Potion Master's hand as he knocked against the door frame, and Severus wasn't sure if it was because of nervousness or because Harry thought he might take the first chance to disappear into thin air and hide away in his safe rooms in Hogwarts. The thought was tempting.
"Oh, Harry dear." Molly Weasley pulled her surrogate son into her wide, strong arms before she even spared Severus a glance. "We didn't expect you. Come in, come in. I don't want you to catch a cold. Have you already eaten? I'll make you something. Ron! Hermione! Harry is here! Come down, you two."
She ushered them inside, giving Severus a warm smile, which irritated him a little, before she shouted up the stairs, dragging Harry into the kitchen.
"We just got an owl that you were back, dear." She pushed Harry down on one of the kitchen chairs, already pouring him a glass of pumpkin juice with her other hand. "Dumbledore suggested that you would need a bit of time to get settled. Ron and Hermione were going to visit you tomorrow..."
"Harry, you are back!" A bushy mop of brown hair rushed towards Harry, engulfing him in a hug. "I've just been packing my things for tomorrow. How was it in the past? Did you meet your parents? Did you keep up with your studies? You look..." She took a deep breath, critically assessing Harry's appearance. "What is bothering you? Is something wrong? Shouldn't you be in the school where you are safe?"
"Professor Snape came with me, Mione," Harry appeased her. "He's seeing to it that I don't do anything too stupid. Don't worry."
"Professor Snape." The young witch swirled around. "I didn't see you. How are you?"
"I'm quite fine, Miss Granger, thank you," Severus answered tersely, noting with trepidation as her eyes landed on his left hand that was still held by Harry.
"Oh, no, Harry." Hermione moaned, rapidly shaking her head. "Don't tell me you have fallen in love with Professor Snape. He's your teacher, Harry, it's against the school rules and - "
"Mione, stop!" Harry interrupted her, smiling absently at Mrs. Weasley, who put a plate full of food in front of him before leaving them alone. "Severus and I are friends, we're not together."
"But you are holding hands with him," Ron pointed out, disgust shining through his words as he made his way to the chair next to Harry's.
"Because it makes me feel safe," Harry argued, narrowing his eyes. "Please, don't be angry, Ron. Severus is great. He's become a good friend to me."
"Does that mean he won't take anymore points from us?" Ron asked hopefully, his eyes gleaming.
"Not at all, Mr. Weasley." Severus sneered at him. "Especially not after that demonstration of your abysmal potions skills before the holidays. I expect you for your detention Monday after dinner."
Ron's face fell and he started to grumble with displeasure.
"So how was it in the past? And have you met Sébastien yet? He is really nice, isn't he? He told me a lot about his work and his life. It was quite interesting," Hermione got back on track.
"And he plays Quidditch," Ron added. "I trained a bit with him and he helped us with our team. We're much better now. Won against Ravenclaw, in fact. When we win against Slytherin we have as good as won the Cup."
Severus sneered at him at the implication that Slytherin would lose.
"Yes, I've met him," Harry said softly. "He seems rather nice."
"I'm feeling a 'but'," Hermione observed. "What happened in the past? Besides the fact that you and Professor Snape became friends?"
Before long the whole story poured out of Harry and silent tears began to cascade down his cheeks as he came to the more recent events, though he hastily wiped them away.
"I've heard about him," Ron murmured. "Dad told us once. He said he's insane, Harry, that he laughed when they arrested him."
"Harry." Hermione grasped his free hand gently. "There was a good reason why they didn't give him a trial. All evidence pointed towards his guilt. Even though, of course, it's completely arbitrary and morally questionable."
"I know, Mione," Harry whispered. "But I also know him. My dad and he, they were like brothers. I can't believe that someone could change so drastically. That would be like you or Ron betraying me. If I can't believe in his innocence, I don't think I can believe in you, either. He was my dominant, he still is. I love him, only him."
"Harry, I can understand that this is hard for you, but you can't throw your life away just because he did so." Hermione squeezed his hand, maybe a bit too tightly.
"We went to Azkaban today." Harry ignored the startled gasps that followed that statement. "He said that it was Peter all along. Peter who betrayed my parents and Peter who killed those Muggles."
"How convenient that Peter Pettigrew is dead," Ron said without humour, and Harry glared at him.
"My father, Sirius and Peter became Animagi so that they could support Remus during the full moons," Harry explained. "My Patronus, it's my father, he could turn into a stag. Sirius is a dog Animagus and Peter is a rat."
"A rat?" Hermione's brow furrowed, a sure sign that she was thinking even faster than normally. "And Pettigrew, he..." She looked at Harry for confirmation and the elf nodded his head deliberately. "You think Peter is Scabbers."
"What?" Ron exclaimed. "Could you explain those mental leaps to me? What has Scabbers to do with anything?"
"They say that the largest piece they found of Peter was a finger. Sirius said Peter cut of his finger after he had publicly blamed everything on him," Harry said urgently. "Scabbers is missing a toe. And he has been in your family for how long, Ron?"
"He was Percy's," Ron muttered before his eyes widened. "Sixteen years, but..."
"Please, Ron, let us check," Harry begged. "I need to know."
"Fine." Ron sighed. "He's up in my room, sleeping. Not that he ever does anything else."
Severus thought that no amount of light and fresh air was worth it to have to climb such stairs as he followed Harry's insistent tug on his hand. Then he decided that he would have a phobia of orange for the rest of his life, provided that his eyes would ever recover from the shock as Ron switched on the light. The room was orange, messy, like the rooms of most teenagers, orange, with no apparent kind of order in the way clothes, books, sweets and rolls of parchments were thrown on the floor and orange. But nonetheless, Ron found his sleeping rat in a cage under a pile of robes and comics with an ease that commanded Severus' grudging admiration.
Harry carefully extended his hand, putting it against the bars of the cage, cocking his head and sniffing cautiously.
"And?" Severus asked impatiently. "Do you still want me to do the spell?"
Harry nodded his head, carefully lifting the still sleeping rat from its cage after Ron had opened the door and put it on the floor. The rat didn't wake under Harry's gentle touch, but Harry's face hardened almost imperceptibly, and he grabbed Ron's arm for support.
A blue-white light shot from Severus' wand and three pairs of eyes widened as the small fat rat twitched and convulsed before a human head grew out of the rat, then a body and finally the limbs.
"Sweet Merlin," Severus muttered in shock, but his wand was steady as he pointed it at his old year mate, who was looking up at them with watery eyes.
Hermione stared at the Animagus and cautiously took a step back before she pulled her wand and quickly locked the door and barred the only window.
Ron had gone pale, his freckles contrasting sharply with his bloodless face, but he followed Hermione's example and also trained his wand on his former pet.
"Peter," Harry said neutrally, seeming the only one who was really calm in the room. "Do you remember me?"
"P... Parker," the plump man squeaked, his eyes jumping from one face to the other.
"Potter, actually," Harry answered. "You are responsible for my parents' death, if that helps your memory."
"N... No, no, Harry, sweet child, I don't know what you are talking about," Pettigrew stuttered, his forehead glistening with sweat. "It was Sirius."
"Don't you dare, say his name," Harry hissed dangerously. "How dare you grow fatter and fatter while he suffers in Azkaban for your crime, how dare you lie to me, how dare you to breathe?"
"I didn't do anything," the Animagus squeaked, still sitting on the floor.
"That's a bit hard to believe, Pettigrew," Severus spoke up, running his hands up and down Harry's spine to calm him down. "That an innocent would choose to live sixteen years as a rat, hiding from his old friends."
"Not my friends, no," Peter exclaimed. "From Sirius, he wants to kill me, he's after me. He wants to finish the job for Voldemort."
"You are giving yourself too much credit, I assure you." Severus sneered. "Why would the Dark Lord care about such an unimportant, weak wizard like yourself? Unless he had a personal reason to want revenge, say, if you had told him how to find the Potters and had ultimately brought about his downfall? Now, Black, that's another matter, but he's still in Azkaban. One might assume you were quite safe from him..."
"You-Know-Who came back and he will free him," Pettigrew said after a pause.
"That's curious, isn't it?" Severus mused. "That the Dark Lord shows such a lack of interest in his supposedly most loyal Death Eater, after all the Lestranges were freed as was Rockwood and several others. I guess they forgot Black, didn't they?"
Peter silently moved his lips, but seemed to be unable to form actual words as his eyes flitted over the room, lingering on the door behind Severus.
"If... that man is a Death Eater," Ron said cautiously, looking apologetically at Harry, "why is he still here? Why didn't he join You-Know-Who?"
"Peter Pettigrew would not give up any perceived comfort, such as the care he received as your pet, Mr. Weasley, for supporting the Dark Lord." Severus sneered. "I assure you that most Death Eaters who had a choice in that matter did not join the Dark Lord after his return. The Dark Lord is not known for the good treatment of his followers. Am I not right, Pettigrew?"
Severus' face twisted into a grimace of disgust and true loathing as tears began to splatter down the other man's pasty cheeks and then he swiftly kicked him. "I should have known the moment you lay your dirty hands on Harry. Get up!"
As Pettigrew failed to obey and instead mumbled and pleaded, Severus stupefied and then shrunk him, something that Harry clearly remembered should never be done to a breathing being.
"Mr. Weasley, if you could inform your father of what we just discovered so that he may floo the Ministry and the Headmaster?" Severus asked in a voice that clearly indicated that he thought Ron should have done so in the first place. "Harry, I want you to go to bed."
"But I want to - "
"You look dead on your feet and you will under no circumstances once again go to Azkaban." Severus scowled at him. "Don't think I didn't notice that you nearly passed out or how pale you were. I assure you I'm quite capable of getting Black out of there."
"Will you floo Remus?" Harry asked and Severus nodded dutifully, absently squeezing the shrunken Animagus back into the cage. "And you promise me?"
"Yes, I promise if you go and sleep now." Severus glared at him until Harry had crawled into Ron's bed and then carefully tucked him in. "When you wake up Black will be out of Azkaban and back here. I promise."
"Thank you, Severus," Harry mumbled. "I know I've been annoying you."
"It was a very brave thing to do, Harry," Severus told him earnestly. "Something that Remus would probably also have done for me. Black is very lucky to have you."
Harry blushed, closing his eyes as Severus unfolded his long legs and strode from the room, the cage dangling in his hand.
"Wow," Hermione said softly, sinking down on the bed next to Harry. "He really likes you. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. And then Pettigrew..."
"Yes," Harry said softly.
"What did Professor Snape mean when he said that Pettigrew lay his hands on you, Harry?" Hermione asked after a while. "Why exactly is it that you came back? Dumbledore said that they would let you stay until after Christmas."
Before Harry could answer the door opened once more and Ron slipped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. "Dad contacted the Aurors and they took that rat with them for interrogations. Snape and Dumbledore went with them, too."
He also crawled onto the bed, lying down behind Harry so that the smaller boy was sandwiched between him and Hermione.
"What did your parents say?" Harry asked, craning his neck to look at his best friend.
"Nothing much, I think they are still in shock. Mum started crying when she heard the whole story and now she's baking to ease her nerves. Dad is just staring out into space." Ron shrugged. "I guess he blames himself because the Ministry didn't look deeper into all this. Apparently, he knew Black and Pettigrew though not too well."
"The Ministry made a big mistake to not give him a trial," Hermione stated. "It's against all legal principles, maybe that will make them realise that they are not above the law, either, and that everyone deserves fair treatment."
"Mione, not spew again." Ron groaned. "We have other things to discuss right now."
"Just because you are keen to push everything unpleasant as far away from you as possible, it doesn't make it less real," Hermione hissed at him. "You have to see things in the greater connection."
"I was only suggesting that Harry might be a little bit more important at the moment than the house-elves," Ron grumbled. "Excuse me, if I care more about my best friend than about some nameless creature."
"They have names!" Hermione exclaimed.
"But I don't know them," Ron shouted back and Harry covered his ears, burying his head in the pillows. "And most of them are happy, Hermione."
"It's still wrong," Hermione argued, scowling at him, waving impatiently when Ron opened his mouth again. "But maybe they can wait a bit longer. Harry, you haven't answered my question. What happened in the past with Pettigrew?"
"He was jealous because Sirius was spending more time with me and he was... angry because he didn't have anyone," Harry whispered. "He tried to... force himself on me because he thought Sirius wouldn't want me anymore if he did. But Remus came just in time."
"That swine!" Ron shouted, outraged, cracking his knuckles in a credible imitation of Crabbe and Goyle. "That disgusting little piece of shit! I'll kill him if I ever see him again!"
"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Still, a bit shaken perhaps, but I'm okay. Nothing happened," Harry appeased her. "But it was hard to leave Sirius immediately afterwards."
"Tell us about him," Hermione requested. "If he is your mate we will see him quite often."
"Yeah, tell us about the man who captured ickle Harry's heart," Ron teased him good-naturedly.
Harry smiled a bit dreamily, rolling around to his back to stare at the orange ceiling. "He's sweet and caring and really possessive. He was one of the best in their year, but he never spent more than an hour with his homework as a matter of principle. He is really tall, with black hair and he used to be really tan. He never played on the Quidditch team, but he was one of the reserve beaters. He was really good. He doesn't get along with his family very well because they didn't approve of him being a Gryffindor. He laughs a lot and loves to play pranks. He... He's just perfect."
Harry blushed brightly as Ron laughed at him, ruffling his hair. "Sounds like it, mate. If he's like that and treats you right you have my approval."
"Mine, too," Hermione added at Harry's questioning glance. "Anyone who can make you that happy is fine with me. And he must be something special if you went to Azkaban for him."
"Thank you." Harry smiled at them. "But I should really sleep now or Severus will kill me..."
"Man, it's weird when you call him Severus," Ron murmured. "It makes him seem so... human, I guess."
Harry chuckled softly. "I can stay here, can't I?"
"Sure." Ron nodded. "Do you want us to stay as well? Mione read something about that you would feel nervous if you're left alone, didn't you, Mione?"
"Oh, so you do at least listen to me." Hermione sniffed.
"That would be great," Harry interrupted them before they could start another quarrel.
"I'll get some more blankets," Ron offered, standing up.
Hermione stood up as well, looking around the room for a moment before she enlarged the bed with a swish of her wand, levitating Ron's things out of the way, just as Ron re-entered the room with an armful of blankets.
"You have to tell us everything tomorrow," Hermione stated, lying down next to Harry, who didn't reply because he was already fast asleep.
"Let him sleep, Mione," Ron murmured. "You know how Dementors affect him."
"He looks better, though, doesn't he?" Hermione returned. "Better than before he went into the past, I mean."
"I guess he's starting to get used to being an elf," Ron answered, shrugging slightly. "That was the purpose for this, wasn't it? I mean I doubt that they meant for him to fall in love with Black."
"Of course not." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Though they should have at least considered it. After all, he was the only possible candidate and I read that submissive elves automatically try to find a protector or dominant. That's also why Mr. Malfoy wasn't happy with this solution at all. I think he expected something like this."
"I expected something like this, too." Ron chuckled. "That's just Harry for you. And you have to admit it could be worse, Black could actually be a criminal."
"That's not funny, Ron." Hermione scowled at him. "Even if Mr. Black is exactly how Harry pictured him to be, he's still old enough to be Harry's father and Merlin knows how much Azkaban damaged him. He might be insane or cold-hearted or out for revenge on everyone who wronged him."
"Or he could still love Harry," Ron reminded her gently. "We will see, Mione. I trust Harry's judgment."
Hermione scrunched up her nose. "Harry is a bit naive sometimes, you can't deny that, and sometimes he has very curious notions of what is right and wrong. It just doesn't seem very sensible to let a stranger suddenly take care of him. Look what happened with him and Malfoy."
"Harry knew that he couldn't trust him," Ron muttered angrily. "And I'm sure they'll take precautions so that something like that won't happen again. They'll test Black before they let him even look at Harry. Don't worry, Mione, okay? Whatever happens, we'll be there for him. Let's sleep now."
Hermione sighed deeply, but closed her eyes, listening as Ron's breathing evened out, turning into a light snore and finally, she also drifted off to sleep.