52Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Harry's POV
Harry woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in weeks. The feel of the familiar blankets and bed, the soft purr in the air of the castle's magic, told him he was home. Sure, it wasn't the same, but it was enough for him to feel safe.
He let himself linger in bed for a few moments before he reached out to the table next to his bed to grab his glasses and wand. A quick Tempus told him that he still had plenty of time to get breakfast.
So, he got up and got dressed.
He did so quietly because he could make out two bodies still in their beds. He couldn't tell who they were but judging by the stories he had been told and what he knew of the adult versions, he was betting it was his father and godfather and that Remus had already snuck off to study. He smiled and made his way out of their dorm room.
He was right in his guess, because when he entered the common room. Remus was laying across one of the couches, reading. He was surprised to see that Lily was sitting on the floor below him, writing away on a piece of parchment. Both stopped when he entered the room. His mother gave him a smile and went back to her work, but Remus' kept his eyes on him. Harry felt his heart beat a little faster, a small part of him feeling like a prey under the gaze. He forced a smile and hurried out of the common room. Trying to figure out why Remus was looking at him like that.
It scared him. In the years since he had met the werewolf he had never before felt like a prey around him. Harry had to stop and remind himself that this was a younger Remus and maybe the wolf was feeling territorial of someone moving into his space. He sighed, maybe Draco would know if that was something he should be worried about.
He wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, so he yelped when a hand shot out and pulled him into an empty classroom.
"Shut up," Malfoy hissed at him.
"What the hell, Malfoy?" he hissed back.
"I wanted to speak to you before breakfast," the blond shrugged.
"You couldn't have just asked?" he asked rubbing the spot on his arm where he had been grabbed.
"Not as much fun," Malfoy muttered.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"What did you want?"
"You have to show me this place we are supposed to meet. I figured we could do it before breakfast. We can also set a specific day and time." Harry sighed.
"Fine. Come on."
He had decided to show Malfoy the Room of Requirements a few days before when they were discussing meeting up somewhere private. After all, sitting in the library talking about time travel and the future wasn't a smart plan. The best place Harry could think of was the same room him and his ex-friends had used for D.A. meetings. At first he felt a little guilty about showing it to anyone else but then he remembered his friends weren't really his friends. So, his guilt slipped away.
"You okay?" Malfoy whispered low from behind him.
"Fine," he whispered back.
Then didn't speak again until they reached the 7th floor.
"Here," he said and enjoyed the confused look on Malfoy's face. When he found they were standing in front of a wall and not a room.
Chuckling softly, Harry closed his eyes and walked back and forth 3 times, thinking "We need somewhere safe, private, and comfortable to meet, to find a way back home." On his third time a door appears, and he heard Malfoy gasp.
"This is where you were hiding," the blond muttered out as he moved past to open the door.
"Kind of," Harry said following behind him.
"Kind of?" Malfoy asked, looking back at him.
"It changes. Depending on what you need," Harry said, looking around the room. It was kind of simple, two long couches and two armchairs, set around a large circular table. Candles and lamps set around the room lighting it up in a bright warm light. To Harry surprise the far back wall was covered in bookshelves. There had to be a couple of hundred books lining the shelves and Harry wondered if they would be useful in their search.
"And what did you need?" Malfoy asked moving to study the shelves.
"Somewhere safe, for us to research a way home," he muttered dropping down on one of the couches, he took in the rest of the room. There was a small bathroom off to the right and a few more shelves along the remain walls filled with everything from caldrons to quills.
It would be perfect for what they needed.
"Malfoy," he called over after letting the blonde look over the books.
He heard the Slytherin sigh before he turned and walked over to the sitting area.
"How often should we meet?" he asked once the other student had sat down.
"Not every day," Malfoy stated. "People would grow suspicious."
"But often, right?" he asked, trying to hide the worry in his voice. Because he wasn't sure how long they would be trapped here but the sooner they got home the sooner the better. His life might be a mess right now, but he still had people counting on him. Just because Ron, Hermione and the Headmaster turned out to be liars didn't mean everyone else was. Plus, he needed to get back for Sirius. Even if he had no one else he had his godfather.
"Twice a week?" Malfoy asked.
Harry nodded his head, already planning on sneaking into the room more often than that.
"What days? Time?" Malfoy asked, sounding a little frustrated.
He opened his mouth but slammed it back down. They hadn't gotten their timetables yet. So, he didn't even know what classes he had and when. He sighed.
"I think we are going to have to meet back here again tonight with our schedules to set up a time."
"Fine," Malfoy muttered. "Let's go eat."
They got up and walked out of the room. Harry stopped right outside the door.
"Hold on," he muttered. Then closed his eyes and thought at the castle.
"Please save this room for us." He was about to pull away when another thought came to him. Password should be Ferret," he thought with a chuckle.
"What are you doing?" Malfoy asked watching him with a suspicious look.
"I asked the castle to remember that room. So, we can always get back into it. Even leave stuff there for later," he said and started walking away. He heard Malfoy's hurried steps as the blonde rushed to catch up to him.
"And just how do I get in the room if you aren't there," Malfoy asked.
"Oh, just walk in front of that wall three times thinking about that room," he said sending the other student a smile over his shoulder, speeding up his steps.
"Potter," Malfoy hissed trying to catch up to him again. "What else?" Harry had to stop himself from laughing because of course Malfoy had figured out he was trying to put some space between them and seeking out a more populated area.
"What?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.
He heard the blonde growl. As Harry rounded a corner he saw the doors to the Great Hall and slowed his steps.
He waited for Malfoy to get close enough before he turned around with a smirk on his face.
"Oh, I set a password."
"And what is the password?" the blonde asked sounding apprehensive.
"Ferret." Then Harry all but sprinted into the Great Hall.
"EVAN!" he heard Malfoy shout behind him. He laughed out loud and darted over the Gryffindor table, ignore the looks he got for his laugh or the ones that were sent towards the Slytherin as he stormed into the Hall.
Harry sent the blonde another grin and sat down at the table. He could tell that Malfoy was tempted to stomp over and yell at him but either his pureblood manners stopped him from making a scene or he was already plotting his revenge. Because the blonde sent him a glare then moved to sit at his own houses table.
"What did you do?" a quiet voice asked, causing Harry to look up. He hadn't noticed that Pettigrew was here, and his good mood vanished at the sight of the other student.
"A prank," he muttered and started scraping food from the center of the table onto his plate.
"What kind of prank?" a different voice asked. Causing him to look up behind him as James, Sirius and Remus joined him at the table.
"Oh, just set a password of something of his," he said with a shrug, hoping they bought his slight lie.
"And he's pissed why?" James asked.
"Oh, the password is something of a joke," he said with a smile.
"Nice," his godfather said, sitting next to him.
"So, how come you transferred in so late?" Remus asked from the other side of Sirius.
"We wanted to learn at a school," he said, looking down at his food. "Get a better handle on stuff before we head out into the world." He hated lying and knew that he should meet their eyes and sound confident. So, they didn't think anything was off about what he was saying but he just kept thinking of the fact that he was lying to his father, his godfather, and a person who was like a father to him. Something inside him didn't like it.
"You okay?" James asked, and Harry wanted to cry a little because he was already recognizing the voice.
"I'm fine" he said, finally looking away from his bacon to look at his father.
"Homesick?" Lily asked as she sat down next to Pettigrew. He looked up at her and something inside him broke. Watching his mother sit there next to the man who would betray her. He shoved his food away and rushed to his feet.
He knew he shouldn't, but he ran out of the room. Needed to get as far away as he could. He made it out the door before he slammed into another person.
He stumbled back and tripped. He hit the ground hard.
"Sorry. I'm sorry," he said, trying to get to his feet.
A hand appeared in front of him and he took it. Once on his feet he started running his hands down his robes trying to smooth them and get any dirt off them that might have found its way there from the floor.
"Are you alright?" the quiet voice asked.
Harry looked up, the tall student in front of him ranging of familiarity, and it took his brain a moment to figure it out. "Yeah. Thank you." He felt weird saying something nice to Snape. But the kid in front of him had helped him up and asked if he was okay. Something Snape in his time would never have done.
"Are you crying?" Snape asked.
"No," Harry snapped.
Snape took a step back, there was a hurt expression on his face. Something that Harry was sure he would never have seen on the cold-hearted older version. It made him feel guilty.
"Sorry," he whispered. "Thank you again for helping me." Before Snape could say anything, he pushed passed him and hurriedly walked outside.
He found a bench outside and sat down.
He wanted to scold himself for running away like he had but he knew that if he hadn't he might have done something else. Something worse. Like punch Pettigrew in the face. He also knew that he had to get a handle on his emotions because he couldn't do that again. Evan Ellis had no reason not to like the rat, and if he kept acting like he did the other would get suspicious. He was already getting strange looks from Remus, he couldn't afford to draw that much attention to himself.
He sighed and dropped his head into his hands.
A short time later, someone sat down next to him on the bench.
"Go away," he muttered expecting Malfoy.
"Nope." Sirius's voice startled him.
He snapped his head up.
"Sorry thought you were Luke."
His godfather tilted his head, then nodded. "Your friend started to follow you but for some reason," a weird flat tone crept into his voice. "He saw me chasing after you. He handed me your schedule and then walked off."
Harry snorted. Malfoy in his own way was trying to help. He sent someone he knew Harry trusted to talk to him. It was strangely nice of the pureblood but also not what he needed at the moment.
"You don't seem bothered, that he sent me instead of coming himself?" Sirius questioned, "I thought you were friends?" This time Harry did laugh. Which earned him a curious look from his godfather.
"Luke is well Luke," he said, trying to think of a way to describe their weird friendship. "We are all we have, here I mean. So, he cares. But his family is…"
"Traditional?" Sirius offered him.
He nodded his head. "Yeah. They don't really show emotion. So, he tends to do things in weird ways. He probably figured I would yell at him to get lost, if he came. Which I guess I would have. So, he sent you."
"Why not just tell me to get lost?" Sirius asked.
Harry lowered his head again, he wanted to say because you're family.
"Because I don't want to seem rude," he said instead.
"Evan, if you want to be alone. You can tell me to get lost," Sirius said calmly.
Harry fought the urge to pull into himself.
"Thank you," he said, forcing his body to relax.
"So, classes?" he asked sticking his hand out for his timetable. Thankfully Sirius allowed the subject change and handed him schedule.