Harry's POV
The next morning Harry came down the stairs, dressed in some new dark jeans and a jumper with a snitch being chased by an owl. He spotted Hermione reading in a chair, and looked over her shoulder to see what she was so absorbed in. It was the temporary Merlin's book, although it was glamored to look like a textbook. He knew that it would disappear tonight, so he let her read. He sat in one of the comfy chairs and pulled out his own book. After an hour of them reading, Neville came down.
"Come on, guys, let's go eat," the now not shy boy said, poking Harry's book, making it hit the other teen's nose.
Harry mock glared at him, and growled, "Wanker." He was actually glad the boy had come out of his shell. This guy was easy to like, he was so laid back. He didn't know what Neville had been like before, but judging from when they met, the other teen had come a long way.
"Teenager, so duh," the sandy-haired boy laughed. It felt good to have someone to joke with. The other boys in his dorm were more removed from him than Harry was. They still remembered how he acted the last three years and were unsure about his new confidence. Well, Ron still thought of him as a traitor, but he didn't count the redhead's opinion for much. "Hermione, let's go," he said louder, turning to his female friend and nudging her book lightly.
"Oh," Hermione startled and dropped her book onto her lap. "Sorry, Neville I just got caught up in one of the retellings." The book was full of wonderful examples of when and why to do magic. She had been caught up in one of the times that Merlin had rescued King Arthur, and this time the magic had gone right. It was truly fascinating. And she wished that this was a real book that she could keep forever. She was of the opinion that it should be published, for everyone to read. She was going to make sure she had a good argument to get Harry to do so.
"Yeah, those were interesting, but it's breakfast time," he said as his stomach growled. He rubbed it and gave the other two a look that said to hurry up, because he was starving.
"Alright. Harry? How long will this last?" she asked, holding up the book, before putting it away. She stood and shouldered her bag, waiting for her dark-haired friend to get up and come with them. Now that she thought about it she was quite hungry as well. She wondered if it was because of all the magic they used last night.
"You should be able to read it once more tonight," the teen replied as he stood and tucked his book in his TARDIS pocket. He then draped his arm around her shoulders and led her to the portrait. "I'd say you could read it today, but I have plans and I'd like you guys to come with." He gave her a wink and didn't elaborate.
"Are we all going?" Neville asked as he walked on Harry's other side.
"That's the plan. There's someone I want you to meet. He's an alright bloke, and I'm hoping you will help me with some things." He made an 'it's a secret' motion so his female friend wouldn't question it.
Neville figured it might be this 'Sirius' bloke. He didn't know if it was Black or someone posing as him. He'd have to wait and see. If the person was a threat to his friend, well, he'd be there to protect Harry.
With that the trio left the dorm, they met up with Luna and went to breakfast. Hermione was bouncing with suppressed excitement. She wanted to talk about everything, but she knew she couldn't do it here. Luna was content; she had come further in this magic than she ever thought she could. Her discussion with Flitwick and stemmed the bullies for now, but she wanted to be able to protect herself, so she was giving it her all. The books Harry had lent her helped her fears immensely, though she was still held back by her mum's death. Neville stood prouder and stronger. He dreamed all night that his parents were whole and at home. He even had a dream that his dad took his Uncle Algie to task and booted him out of the family. The twins had been up way earlier than the other four and were going over pranks and plans at the Gryffindor table. They had some parchment laid out and were scribbling away.
"You two should put that away for now. We're going to go meet someone that I think you'll like a lot. Do you want to come?" Harry asked as he escorted the girls to their seats and then around the table and sat across from them. He had no idea just how right he was. It was one of the twins' greatest dreams to meet one of the Marauders, but the amnesiac didn't know that.
"We'd love to," they said as each picked up some of the papers and tucked them into their bags.
"Great," Harry said as he served himself a very large breakfast with plenty of meat. He made sure to make up some bacon and cheese, and sausage and egg, sandwiches to put in his pocket for later. They ate in quiet discussion about Magical Theory, and soon enough were done. The boy hero stood and said, "Come on then, let's get started. It's going to be a long day." He figured that they all needed to talk. He looked at Hermione and could see she was about to burst with questions.
"Aren't you supposed to tell someone that you're leaving the castle?" Hermione asked, lifting her bag to her shoulder. She really wished he wouldn't fight with all the adults, not that he didn't have reason, but it would make for an easier time.
"Meh, we're not going to be off grounds for long." He waved his hand and then had a thought. "Actually, why don't you guys head for the Room, and I'll be there in a few minutes," he said, thinking it would be easier to bring one person in than hiding a half a dozen out. It would be a waste of time to drag them to the Shack and then bring them back. That and he'd have to add them to the wards, so, no, this would be simpler. "Practice your magic and stuff. Try and figure out what we're going to do with all that shite," he added as an incentive.
"I didn't realize that it was up for debate," Hermione stated as she tilted her head. "I mean, it belongs to the school." In her mind it was clear from the start. They would fix it all up and then hand it over to the Board or something.
"And that is one of the things we'll be pondering. Just go and leave some for the guy I'm bringing." He really didn't want to have this argument in the Hall. He had no problems doing it behind closed doors.
"Fine," she huffed, and then turned and stomped off. While she was now behind Harry, she still had her morals. To her, keeping any of the things they found on school grounds was stealing. She would make sure her views were known.
"We'll talk about it, Harry. I'm sure that we can come up with a good solution to make everyone happy," Luna predicted and then kissed his cheek. She then skipped out of the Hall and followed Hermione. She wanted to give anything that would further the school to the Board, but there were things that would only be useless to them. That and there were families out there that had lost great treasures. Who knew, there might be something that could bring the Weasleys prestige. She recalled many diaries as she sorted through the books and she knew that if she had found one that belonged to her mother, she'd want it back.
"Right," Harry said to her backside as it wiggled with each skip, and then shook his head to clear it. "You guys go with them. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said as he turned to his remaining friends.
"Alright, Harry," the three male teens said as they too got up and left the Great Hall.
Harry made it out of the building, and when no one was around he turned himself invisible. He called up his map, and then went to the Shack and woke Sirius with a bucket of water. "Why are you still asleep?" he asked the wet man.
"Damn, Harry, don't do that!" Sirius shouted as he jumped out of the soaked bed. He reached over, grabbed his stolen wand and waved it to dry himself. He then stomped over to the set of drawers and got some clothes for today. He had had a great time shopping the last few days, and the stuff at Tylor's Threads were really form fitting. They made his younger body look good.
"Just answer the question," the teen snickered.
"I was up sending letter to Waters all night, trying to clear my name. Thanks for hooking me up with Winky, by the way. Anyway, it seems that Fudge want to get on your good side by making me free. That article you had Skeeter run was a Merlin sent. I want the story behind that by the way. Anyway, the Kiss on Sight order is gone, but they want to make sure the case is solid before they give me a trial." It had been a long night. He hadn't even made it to bed until around two in the morning, but they were making great headway.
Harry wandered around the room, while his godfather got dressed. "That's good, I guess. I mean, I don't really know this Fudge bloke, and if he is a bad as they say, well it's going to take more than him doing his fucking job to get on my good side." He was firm in his stance that adults should be doing what they were paid to do. He would make sure that the Minster knew that when, or if, they met.
"I guess I can see that. Still, with me a free man, we can live anywhere in relative peace," the dogman said as he buttoned his last button.
"We'll see what happens," the teen said with a shrug, dismissing it for now. He still had plans on renting or owning a flat in non-magical London. "I came to sneak you into the school. We found this wicked room where you can practice your magic," Harry said, turning around and all but bouncing in place. "Wait until you see it. It's huge and has all this crap in it. Right now, we're fixing everything and making it whole and new. You could do that and get your wandless magic working."
"I thought the Marauders found all the secret rooms. I don't remember a room like that," the young-looking man stated, as he rubbed his chin. He still wished he had his goatee. Unfortunately, his facial hair didn't seem to be growing with the glamor. Maybe he'd ask Harry to tweak it. It'd make him look older and he could pick up more birds.
"The Grey Lady directed me to it. There was a Dark object that Voldemort ruined. Her mum's diadem. She wanted me to cleanse it. When I did, she moved on," was the slightly mysterious reply.
"Yeah, I meant to ask what all that moaning, and wailing was. It was heard clear down in Hogsmeade." He had sat up all night that night wonder just what was going on in the school. He even debated going and checking it out, but in the end figured that the staff would solve whatever it was. He then spent the day after listening to the villagers talk about it.
"Oh, that. Well, it was the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady having their final confrontation. See what had happened was…" and Harry proceeded to tell him about the ghosts, their history, his part in it and final days. He did tell his godfather that it was Snape that helped his amnesia along, albeit not directly. That made Sirius growl and promise retribution. As he talked he led the man to the tunnel, and then stopped at the end to finish his tale. "… they're both gone now," he ended with a shrug. He was a bit miffed that the Bloody Baron had moved on. He really had had plans for that ghost. Now, he would have to remake all his ideas around the spirit's departure.
"Wow, I never knew all of that," Sirius said, thinking that there was far more to Hogwarts than what he had learned while there, and chastising himself for not talking to the ghosts when he was a student. It made sense, after all. They would be a wealth of information, that he and his buddies could have used to pull more pranks. He looked around the tunnel. He had been so caught up in the tale, that he blindly followed his godson. "How are you going to get me in the school? I mean, yeah I look young, but not that young." He knew that if he were seen, one of the teachers would call him out. He wasn't prepared to be caught yet. Not even his lawyer knew where he was.
Harry just smiled and waved his hand. Sirius became invisible and you could hear his shivering as the cold washed over him.
"That doesn't feel like a disillusion charm," the dogman said when the cold stopped.
"That's because it isn't," the teen stated and then reached out and pushed the knot. The Willow stopped, and he led the way to the castle. They walked quietly until they reached the seventh floor. The door wasn't there, so Harry paced and called it up. He heard a gasp when it appeared and led Sirius into the Room of Lost Things. "Hey, guys, come over here. There's someone I want you to meet," he called to his friends, who were spread out among the piles, as he made Sirius visible.
The other teens, who had been working diligently, came to see what who it was. None of them recognized the man who was standing by Harry.
"Guys, meet my godfather, Sirius Black," the dark-haired wizard said, pointing to the disguised man.
"Harry," Hermione said tentatively, taking a step back. "That's not Sirius. Sirius is much older and has darker hair." She then drew her wand and pointed it at the new person. "I don't know who you are, but you're not taking advantage of my friend's condition," she snarled.
The other four agreed and also pulled their wands. They too knew what the fugitive looked like, what with his wanted posters, and all the articles that were printed when he escaped. The man standing before them looked around twenty and had light brown hair.
"Whoa, guys, I put a glamor on him, so he could walk around," Harry said, standing in front of his godfather and holding up his hands. He had no idea his friends would react this way. But now that he thought about it, it was kinda cool that they were so protective.
"How do you know it's him? I mean, you don't remember the man," was Hermione's rebuttal, not lowering her wand. She would be damned if some stranger thought he could use Harry for his own gain.
So, Harry quickly told the story of how he ran into Sirius in Hogsmeade, and the few adventures they had had since. Sirius then turned into his dog form, which still a large Grim, albeit lighter in color. They gang lowered their wands, and the twins grinned at all the mischief the two had gotten up to. "Anyway, from what he told me, he should be a free man come this summer." His face broke out in a huge grin.
"Wicked," the twins said.
"So, what do you want to do first? More magic, or talk about shite?" Harry asked, relaxing now that his friends weren't threatening his godfather.
"I think we should talk first. I can't concentrate with all of this running through my mind," was Hermione's answer. She had so much to ask and she wanted to make sure that Harry wasn't going to do anything that would get him arrested.
The other teens nodded, and it was settled. Harry waved his hand to make a clear space, and then he called some of the fixed chairs to form a circle.
"Does anyone have anything to eat? Harry kind of dragged me here without breakfast," Sirius said, sitting in of the chairs and crossing his legs. He was just glad that no more wands were pointed at him.
"You can call Winky," Harry stated blandly with a lifted eyebrow as he too settled in one of the like new seats. He was going to keep his sandwiches for later. He knew they would work through the day and everyone would use a lot of energy.
"Right. Winky," the glamored man called to the air.
The little elf popped in. "What can Winky be doing for her master?" she asked.
"Can you bring me some breakfast, and this lot some tea?"
"Winky can be doing that," she said and popped away.
"You own Winky?" the bushy-haired witch said through gritted teeth.
"I thought we talked about this," Harry said, confused as to why she was reacting this way.
"Besides, Winky is well taken care of," Sirius stated with a wave of his hand. Lily too had been against house elf slavery. She ranted for hours about it, until they dragged her to Hogwarts' kitchen.
Hermione huffed and folded her arms. She would talk to Winky later, though she did admit the elf looked happy.
"So, what are your plans for the first task?" Neville asked, changing the subject. He had no clue what Hermione's problem was, but her tone suggested that an argument was to follow.
"Well, I need the twins help, and you guys to be on guard. I'm positive that someone is using this tournament to try and kill me. So, you five be careful. They might use you to get to me," our hero stated firmly. "That said, use the time in here, and right before you go to sleep, to put up some defensive spells, like shields and wards around your body and mind. I know all of you are proficient in Occlumency, so it should be easy. If you read the book thoroughly, then you will know all it takes is intent. I use that golden dome, and it works for me," he said, and then explained his proximity ward and how it functioned.
Everyone was listening to him describe it. They were all making plans to do something similar, each having their own ideas.
Winky popped back in, gave Sirius his breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, and then snapped her fingers and a small table appeared, which had a tea tray on it. Everyone thanked her and grabbed a cup.
They discussed the mechanics of wards for a while, and then Harry told them about Crouch Jr. That got them all talking excitedly and fearfully. They made plans to steer away from the man and talked about what they were going to do to help Harry. Ideas were thrown around until they had a solid plan.
Then dark-haired teen dropped another question, "So, what are we going to do with all this shite?" He waved his hand to encompass the entire room.
And the argument started.