Foreshadowing the Unexpected

Connor allowed himself to be guided to his feet, and obediently drank from the tumbler that was placed in his hand. The cool liquid helped to revive him a little, and he looked over to see that Rupert was being supported by Ginny and Professor Snape.

"How'll we get t' the Shriekin' Shack?" Connor asked, frowning when he noticed that his speech was slurred. His head felt stuffed with cotton wool, and he was unsteady on his feet, as if the floor were pitching slightly beneath him.

"We're going to Floo," Harry told him firmly, bracing Connor up with a strong arm. "It will be a tight fit, but we'll be fine. Just follow along with me, that's right."

Connor could tell that he as being managed, but couldn't work up the emotion to care. "Feel strange," he said. He really wanted to ask more questions, but he couldn't get his mouth and his brain to cooperate with each other to articulate any of his thoughts.

"It's the potions," Harry told him. "They're doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing. Just keep moving your feet, and we'll let you rest again when we get to Remus's."

Connor obligingly shuffled his feet along, allowing himself to be led out of the curtained-off area and toward the back of the hospital wing, toward Madam Cosgrove's office. "S'there a Floo inere?" He didn't remember a fireplace in Madam Cosgrove's office.

"Just through here, Con, that's a boy," Harry said, tugging Connor gently past the small office and into a larger sitting room that Connor had never noticed before.

"Sit now?" Connor asked tiredly.

Harry puffed out a breath and eased Connor onto a small sofa. "Just for a minute," he said, walking back to the doorway and looking back the way they'd just come. "They're bringing Rupert, now."

"S'nice," Connor said, and closed his eyes.

"Oh, no you don't!" Harry's voice held a hint of a chuckle, and Connor opened his eyes again in confusion. Harry tugged on his arm to urge him to his feet again. "No going back to sleep, not just yet."

Connor swayed on the spot, then just leaned into his father's solid form and relaxed into the warmth and familiarity until he heard Professor Snape's voice nearby. "Go through with Connor first," he directed. "He's more accustomed to Floo travel, so he shouldn't be much trouble. It's only a few grates away."

Connor pushed away from his father long enough to try to focus on Professor Snape, and said the first thought that came into his head. "The firs' years all think yer a vampire, y'know." It really hadn't been what Connor had been meaning to say, but couldn't bring forth the words he'd felt were so important just a moment ago.

"Indeed," was all the reply that Snape gave. "The Floo powder's on the table there, beside the grate."

Connor's face was buried in his father's chest once more, and it was a few tricky moments before he found himself being held tightly to that chest while his father called out, "Shrieking Shack!"

The next thing that Connor knew, he was lying face-down on a carpet beside his father, who was swearing badly. He felt several hands lifting him to his feet, but his legs didn't seem to want to support him.

"Easy, there, son," Harry said. "Just take a couple of steps backward."

Connor did what he was told, and was rewarded with a sofa hitting the backs of his knees. He collapsed backward onto it, and tried his best to lay down and curl up on it.

"Connor," a voice said firmly. He thought it sounded like Madam Cosgrove, but he didn't remember her being in the hospital wing just now.

"Just leave him, Grace. He'll be fine for a couple of minutes." Connor recognised that voice as well, but didn't remember Remus being in the hospital wing, either. What were all of these people here for anyway? Oh, yeah....

There was a whooshing sound somewhere in the background that Connor vaguely recognised as the Floo, but didn't feel coordinated enough to lift his head to find out who had arrived.

"Do both Connor and Rupert know what's going to happen to them now?" Madam Cosgrove's voice asked, penetrating the fog around Connor's brain long enough to make sense to him.

"I know," he said in that strange voice that was not quite his own. He tried to raise his hand, as if her were in class, but his arm didn't want to be raised. "Yer gonna lock us up!" he announced.

There was a stifled sob nearby that made Connor knit his brow and want to open his eyes to find out why his mother was upset, but there were suddenly fingers threading through his hair that felt so nice, nothing else mattered very much.

"Both boys are aware of all of the possibilities," Snape's voice announced. "We need to get on with this, to make sure the potions have time to work fully."

"I've got the rooms prepared. The one was already done, because it's where I normally spend my transformations. Everything's been removed from both spaces, and I've cast Cushioning Charms across the walls and floor, to give them some semblance of comfort." It was Remus's voice that Connor was hearing, now, and he felt reassured, knowing the his uncle was nearby.

"When will you give them the last potion?" Ginny was asking.

"Once we have them situated in the prepared spaces," Snape said decisively. "The effect will be almost immediate, so that will be easiest."

Connor could feel himself being lifted off of the sofa, but no one was trying to make him walk again, which was good. The smell of the jumper against his cheek told him that it was his father that was carrying him, and so he relaxed and let himself be carried down a flight of stairs. He could hear Rupert descending behind them, and his muffled voice saying, "I want my mum!" It made Connor sad; then he heard his own mother murmuring soft comforting things to the other boy, which made him happier.

"How will you get them to drink the potion when they're like this?" Connor heard Ginny ask.

Connor could feel himself being lowered to the floor, and flailed a little bit at the sudden swooping sensation--once he was lying down, he felt safer. He let himself be eased out of his dressing gown, and his socks gently tugged off, but couldn't think why this was being done. The room was pleasantly warm, though, so he didn't protest.

"I'll cast a mild thirst charm on each of them, and they'll drink it readily enough. It's not unpleasant tasting, so there shouldn't be any problem," Snape was explaining in a patient, if detached sort of voice.

Remus's voice was further away than Snape or his parents', but Connor could hear him saying, "Elizabeth's just arrived to see that I'm properly secured in my study for the night. Please, as soon as you know anything...."

"As soon as we know, you'll know," Harry's voice promised.

None of this was making much sense to Connor. He understood that something important was happening to him, and he knew that he had known just a moment ago what it was, but now he had forgotten.

"We love you, Connor," his mother's voice said in his ear. He could feel her kiss his forehead, and could feel dampness against his skin, but couldn't figure out what might be causing it.

"We'll be just outside the door the whole time," his dad said, equally close, and sounding as if he had a bad cold. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," Connor answered slowly, feeling he had to force the word out past sluggish and numb lips.

He heard Professor Snape mutter something, and suddenly Connor wanted nothing more than he wanted a drink of anything that might satisfy his thirst.

"Here you are, Connor," Madam Cosgrove's voice was in front of him, he could feel his shoulders being lifted, then a tumbler being held to his lips.

Connor drank down the drink, which was mint-flavoured, greedily, and was trying to say, "thank you," when the world went blank, and nothing mattered at all.

Connor's head ached terribly. The room he was lying in was blissfully dark, though, so he just stayed laying face down on...the ground? It seemed too soft for that, but there was no feeling of texture beneath his cheek or his hands, just an indefinable softness beneath him. He opened his eyes in the dark, and could barely make out wooden floors and walls, with no sign of windows or a door--though he couldn't be bothered to attempt to locate any.

He faded out again, and let sleep buffer the thoughts attempting to intrude into his foggy mind.

When Connor had his next bout of self-awareness, his mind was still very fuzzy, and he had no recollection of where he was or how he had gotten there. It seemed to him that this would ordinarily have scared him, or at least caused him concern, but now he just felt hazily puzzled by it. He took mental stock of himself, registering that not only did he have a huge throbbing headache, but that there was a horrible acrid taste in his mouth, and his whole body seemed heavy and achy to the point where he wasn't even willing to endure the inconvenience of moving so much as a muscle unless strictly necessary.

He slept again.

He became conscious of a sound in his ears, and it took several moments for him to pinpoint the source of it. It was his own breathing, in through his nose and out through his mouth, and his own steady heartbeat rhythmically keeping his blood and oxygen flowing, keeping him alive. It was comforting and fascinating and terrifying all that the same time. Where was he?

More sleep.

Other noises trickled into his awareness. He wasn't sure if they had been there the entire time and he was just now noticing them, or if these were new noises intruding on his solitude. He strained to identify them without moving his body at all.

Was that someone speaking? Laughter? Tears? Both? The deep rumble of masculine voices from far away, and softer, dulcet feminine tones--there must be people around somewhere, maybe in another room. There was a sound of a door opening, and footsteps, as if many pairs of feet were walking to and fro in a nearby corridor. Heels striking against wooden planks that reverberated somewhat through this space and echoed in Connor's ears as he lay with his head pressed to the not-really-a-floor.

There was the murmur of a voice from somewhere near his feet, on the other side of a wall or door, that sounded like someone was asking a question, but Connor couldn't make out any of the words at all. An answering rumble was equally indistinct, but sounded masculine.

Connor furrowed his eyebrows, not really wanting to be disturbed just yet, but unable to pinpoint why. He felt tired and thirsty and disagreeable suddenly, and the ache in his limbs was becoming more pronounced. He longed to fall back to sleep and forget all of the strangeness, but was denied that wish by the sound of a door opening, quite nearby.

"Is he still asleep?" Connor recognised that voice. It was undeniably his mother's voice. She sounded worried.

Connor squinted against the sudden light, even though it wasn't even remotely bright. He didn't try to lift his head or speak or move in any other way.

"His eyes are open." Ms Grayson? What was she doing here? "He must be awake. I don't want to disturb Severus while he's dealing with Rupert, but I don't know if this is normal behaviour. He said to call for him if there was a problem or if Connor was acting strangely."

"Let's give him a minute," Ginny said, coming closer, and kneeling on the floor beside Connor. "Let him wake up a bit. He's had quite an ordeal, and the potions may still be keeping him confused."

Connor felt his mother's long fingers combing through his hair, and closed his eyes in appreciation of the comforting gesture. He took a deeper breath than he had previously done since waking, and inhaled the scent of lavender and rosemary that seemed to follow his mother wherever she went. He heard her relieved chuckle, and a sniffle as she continued to coddle him.

"That's better," Ms Grayson said. "At least he's reacting, now."

"How is he?" came a voice from the same spot near Connor's feet where his mother and Ms Grayson had appeared from. His father's voice.

"Still a bit out of it," Ginny answered, "but I think he'll be fine." There were definitely tears in her voice. Connor opened his eyes again, beginning to feel worried about her.

"Snape will be here in a minute, after they've moved Rupert," Harry said, coming to sit in Connor's line of sight. Harry looked terrible--haggard and red-eyed and even a little bit mad. Connor found it a curious sight, but it didn't particularly bother him at all. Harry gave a weak smile. "Hey, son, just lie still for a little bit longer."

Connor really hadn't planned to do anything else, so he blinked owlishly at his father before closing his eyes again and drifting off.

Connor was rudely awakened next by two pairs of strong hands pulling and pushing him into a sitting position. Words like "hold him up " and "keep his head steady" were tersely spoken, but Connor was pretty sure that none of these words was directed at him. He allowed himself to sink backward against the torso of the person supporting him from behind, and closed his eyes again.

"Just hold his head, and I'll get the potion into him." That was unmistakably Professor Snape's voice.

Connor felt a firm, warm hand on his forehead and an arm around his chest, but didn't fight being restrained against the person behind him. He didn't even bother to open his eyes. He felt cool dry fingers against his chin, and obediently let his mouth fall open. Someone pressed a glass to his lips and poured a sweet, syrupy liquid onto his tongue. It tasted of citrus and honey and other comforting flavours, all mixed together. The cool fingers pushed his chin up, making his mouth close, and Connor rolled the sugary mixture around in his mouth before those same fingers massaged his throat, compelling him to swallow. The process was repeated again before Connor was allowed to slump backward again.

"That should help to revive him some," Professor Snape said. "Get him moved upstairs into a bed. He'll need a thorough examination as soon as possible. He should be able to speak and answer questions in just a few minutes, once the potion has time to work its way through his system."

Connor still felt lazy and weak as he was lifted up into his father's strong arms, but he was beginning to understand that all of these people around him whenever he woke were there because they were worried about him. He let his head fall against his father's shoulder and asked in a week voice, "M'I in trouble?"

Harry paused and looked down at Connor with an unmistakable expression of relief. "No, Con," he said in a shaky voice. "You're not in trouble. I'm going to take you upstairs and put you to bed, and we'll see how you're doing, all right?"

Connor tried to focus on anything through the miasma of disjointed memories and feelings that seemed to be flitting in and out of his head as insubstantial as mist, but slowly coming clearer. "Where? Home?"

"No, son, we're not at home, we're at Remus's house. Just relax and let the potion work, and things will make more sense in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Dad," Connor murmured quietly. He pressed his face into the soft jumper by his cheek, shivering a little as he was carried into the corridor and felt the air from the hallway against his skin. A moment later, he could feel a warm blanket being laid over him, and he sighed in contentment.

"Straight up the stairs to the end of the hall," came a female voice that wasn't Ginny's.

Connor opened his eyes to see Ms Grayson's kind face looking over her shoulder as she led the way up the steps. Connor could hear more noises as his father carried him through the house, though he was having problems placing all of them. There was the quiet chime of a clock somewhere nearby; footfalls up ahead of them at the top of the stairs, and muffled voices; the sound of someone wailing behind a closed door as they passed it.

"S'wrong?" Connor asked with a frown when he heard the sounds of misery, now behind them as Harry lengthened his stride and entered a quiet room with the curtains drawn over the windows.

"Nothing for you to worry about just yet," Harry said in a thick voice. "You just lie here and rest."

Connor wasn't sure that this was such a good idea, and fought the sleepiness that was still overtaking him every time he closed his eyes. He could swear that there was haze of smoke in the air, and smelled sage burning. Incense? He listened intently. He could still hear distant crying if he blocked out the sounds of movement around him as the bedcovers were turned down and Connor was settled onto plump pillows. "Who izzit?"

No one answered him right away, then Snape strode into the room with a small vial, an eye dropper and a glass of what appeared to be water in his hands. He sat beside Connor and set the vial and the glass on the bedside table before pulling his wand and lighting it.

Professor Snape peered into Connor's eyes, tested his reflexes, and performed several diagnostic charms with a detached sort of competence that no one seemed to want to interrupt. Once he was finished, he took the vial and dripped four drops of a clear, sour-tasting liquid under Connor's tongue. "Drink this," Snape said, pressing the glass of water into Connor's hand.

Connor was surprised to find that he suddenly had the strength to hold the glass, and to raise it to his lips. The cool, fresh water was the best thing he'd ever tasted up to that moment, and he slowly drank the entire glassful without pause. No one stopped him or told him to take slow sips.

As he was handing the glass back to Professor Snape, Madam Cosgrove came into the room, carrying a clipboard, and began her own careful examination, making copious notes as she asked Connor question after question about his hearing, his vision, any pain in his limbs (which was only a mild annoyance by now), and a dozen other seemingly trivial details. Connor found that the more he answered, the stronger his voice became, and the less confused he felt.

As the matron asked her questions, Connor's memory of the previous day began to come into clearer focus, and he began to feel very tense and apprehensive. Why wasn't anyone talking about this? "It was Rupert, wasn't it?" Connor asked Snape quietly, not caring that he was interrupting Madam Cosgrove's seemingly endless questions. He knew that of all of the people there caring for him, Professor Snape would be the one least likely to prevaricate or beat around the bush. "Rupert was the one I heard crying."

Professor Snape sounded tired, and looked utterly exhausted. "The transformation was hard on him," he said.

Connor's stomach clenched, and he twisted his fists in the sheets as the air whooshed from his lungs. Professor Snape's statement was blunt, but didn't hold any of the anger or disgust that Snape had recently held in reserve for Rupert.

"I--I'm," Connor was at a loss for anything to say. He couldn't suck in any air, and the edges of his vision blurred alarmingly. The whole world had just changed in the space of a few seconds.

"Breathe!" Professor Snape's harsh command, along with a sharp jarring rap between his shoulder blades, forced Connor to take air into his lungs, clearing his vision and helping him to calm down a little.

Harry was instantly on the other side of the bed, taking one of Connor's hands into both of his own. "Just breathe in and out, son," Harry coached quietly, squeezing the hand and leaning close. "You're fine. Do you hear me? You're fine!"

Connor shook his head almost violently in denial. "How can I be fine?" he moaned. "How can anything be fine ever again?"

"Connor!" The new voice in the room was enough of a distraction for Connor to snap out of an imminent panic attack and see his uncle Remus standing in the doorway, looking angry. "You didn't transform last night!"

"I didn't?" Connor breathed out in confusion. "But the room, and all of the potions, and the--"

"For the love of all things, didn't any of you tell him?" Lupin asked harshly as he stormed in, unceremoniously shoving Professor Snape out of the way and sitting on the bed beside Connor.

"He was disoriented until just a couple of minutes ago," Ms Grayson said from where she was standing off to one side. "He's just barely remembered why he's even here."

"You're not a werewolf, Connor," Remus told Connor, looking him straight in the eye so that there could be no mistake. "You were in a potion-induced state of unconsciousness the entire night and barely moved at all."

Connor nodded in understanding and felt the tears of both relief and horror rise up in his eyes. "But Rupert wasn't so lucky."

"No," Lupin said honestly. "Rupert underwent a transformation."

"How is he?" Connor asked sadly, wiping away a tear with the back of his free hand. He could easily recall how awful Rupert had looked the previous month, as well as the pain of the injuries he had absorbed from him.

"It was an--unusual transformation," Remus said cautiously. "We're not sure if it was because of the Healing you performed on him, or the potions that Professor Snape provided, or a combination of any number of things. Though Rupert's body appears to have undergone a standard change, he seemed relatively calm during his confinement, and didn't display any of the feral behaviour that was expected."

"What does that mean? Is he not a werewolf, then?" Connor asked, looking to each adult for answers they didn't have.

For a long moment, no one answered.

"It would appear," Professor Snape said finally, sounding tired, "that Mr Dursley may be something else all together different, now."

After telling him about Rupert's transformation, no one would answer any more of Connor's questions regarding Rupert, except to say that he was still weak and emotionally turbulent. They really didn't know anything more than that for the time being, and made it clear that it wasn't something for Connor to worry about in any case. He was absolutely forbidden to go and see Rupert under any circumstances. After everything that had happened lately, Connor was not inclined to argue.

"Could you just tell him that I'm sorry?" Connor asked quietly when his father was leaving the room to check on the other boy.

"I'll tell him," Harry had said solemnly.

Professor Lupin and Professor Snape also disappeared into the room where Rupert was ensconced as a patient, and Madam Cosgrove said that she needed to be getting back to the school. Professor Lyra stopped in to see Connor briefly , checked to make sure that his mental shields were fine, and was happy to announce that they were in perfect shape. For the rest of the time, Ms Grayson and Ginny sat with Connor, trying to tempt him to eat, talking, and helping him to the loo and back.

"Why am I still so tired?" Connor asked with a yawn a couple of hours later when Professor Snape came to check on him again.

"You were unconscious before," Snape said while taking Connor's pulse. "It wasn't a natural sleep, so you didn't really get any rest. The potions should almost be clear of your system by now. You should be able to join your classmates in the Great Hall by dinnertime."

Connor cheered up at that thought and tolerated further examinations without complaint.

Connor was just getting dressed in his school robes (which Madam Cosgrove had brought to him) , preparing to go have dinner with his friends, when Harry came into the room and smiled brightly at him.

"You look good!" Harry said, patting Connor on the back, obviously pleased.

"No offence, Dad, but you don't. I think you even have a couple of new grey hairs, now," Connor said with a small smile. He knew it couldn't have been easy on his parents to endure the wait last night, to find out if their child's life was going to be turned inside out, literally, over night.

"I earned every one," Harry said, running his fingers through his own hair with a rueful expression.

"You have to look very closely to see them," Ginny said supportively. She had a few premature grey hairs of her own threaded through the red, and seemed inclined to be magnanimous about the subject. "You do need to have a shower and clean up a bit before going to Surrey, though."

"Surrey?" Connor asked.

"I need to go and talk with Rupert's parents," Harry said grimly. "They need to be informed of how things turned out, and decide out how they want to handle it."

Connor nodded slowly. He wondered how people as intolerant as he knew the Dursleys to be would react to finding out that their youngest son was no longer completely human. He didn't envy his father for having to break the news to them, nor Rupert's parents for having to deal with it. "Not the sort of thing you want to send by owl," Connor murmured.

"No," Harry said. "I just wanted to stop in and see you first, and make sure that you're all right.

Connor smiled and held his arms out wide to show that he was, indeed, fine. "Remember, no talking to anyone about--" Harry began.

"I know, Dad," Connor said. "I have to act like everything is normal."

Everyone stood quietly for a moment, before Ginny finally spoke. "Harry - go get washed up now. Connor, don't forget your things in the infirmary on your way to dinner. I'll be staying here with Rupert until we know he's well enough to go back to school, so if there's a problem, you can owl, or ask Remus."

She ushered both Harry and Connor to the Floo, then hugged and kissed Connor before nudging him forward. Connor stepped into the grate and threw down a handful of powder, calling out, "Madam Cosgrove's office, Hogwarts!"

-----------0----------

"Connor! We tried to go see you in the hospital wing, but they said you were quarantined!" Rachel said as Connor joined his friends at the table in the Great Hall.

"Yeah," Connor answered with grimace, "it was some weird virus or something. That's why I was acting so strange before. Sorry if I scared any of you--I'm fine, now."

"Did they ever find out what it was?" Ivy asked, scooting over to make room.

"Nope," Connor answered. "It burned itself out before they could do much, then they kept me away from everyone else until they were sure it was over, and made me sleep a lot."

"Bet you're glad to be better," Zack said from across the table, pushing the bowl of mashed potatoes toward Connor, who was busily piling his plate.

"Mmhmmm," Connor nodded, taking a huge bite of roast chicken.

"Didn't they feed you at all?" Quentin asked, watching Connor dive hungrily into his meal.

"Mostly soup and stuff," Connor said after swallowing. "I'm starved!"

Connor was surprised to find it was true. The moment he sat down at the table, his mouth began to water, and his appetite returned in full.

"He's back to normal, all right," Rachel observed happily. "We're glad you're back, mate," Quentin said, offering a bowl of glazed carrots to Connor, who took it with a grin. "We need help revising for our Potions final! With the Quidditch Final coming up, we're all going spare trying to find time for practice and revision!"

Connor groaned as he remembered that exams were only a week away. "I'll help you with Potions, if you lend me your Transfiguration notes for animals to objects."

"Deal," Quentin smiled.

Connor looked at his friends and suddenly felt sorry for everything he had put them through over the past school year. They had stood by him, even when he couldn't be truthful or forthcoming about things with them, and they cared about him in spite of the fact that he wasn't quite "normal". He wondered if Rupert had managed to make friendships strong enough to see him through the hard times ahead of him, and what he would tell them.

"You all right, Con?" Zack asked. "You look a million miles away."

"Just thinking," Connor said with a reassuring smile, "that you guys are great friends."

"Don't you forget it!" Ivy teased.

"I won't," Connor promised, getting back to his dinner.

---------0--------

Over the next few days, Connor had very little time to think about anything but his upcoming exams. All of his teachers seemed to be revising an entire year's worth of lessons in one week, emphasising the most important bits that they could expect to see on their tests.

Professor Snape still allowed Connor to help him brew another Calming Draught on Wednesday evening, but said nothing about Rupert or the events of the recent full moon. Connor took the hint, and didn't ask.

Rupert made an appearance at breakfast on Thursday morning, and Connor was glad to see that he was surrounded by a small knot of other first year Slytherins who looked curious, and maybe even concerned, about where he had been. Professor Lupin told Connor later that his classmates believed that Rupert had been called home for a family emergency. It seemed that no one found any reason to question that excuse. Rupert looked paler and more tired than he had before, but that could be easily dismissed by saying that he was out of sorts from dealing with his recent trip home.

On Saturday, most of the school abandoned their studies for the day to watch the Quidditch Final. Connor wished his friends good luck, then followed the game as best he could from the Astronomy Tower with a pair of ancient Omnioculars and the Marauder's Map spread out and weighed down with books on each corner.

Professor Lupin joined him there and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Connor watching the match on the map, but admitted that it was a very clever solution to Connor's not being able to attend in person.

"Your grandfather, James, used to use the map to spy on the other team's practices when we were at school," Remus told Connor converstaionally.

"I wish I'd known him," Connor said with a grin. He liked hearing about the original Marauders, especially since he knew what kinds of adventures they must have had with the map. How many could he and his friends duplicate before their time at Hogwarts was over?

"He had an adventurous spirit," Remus said as they watched the players flying in formation up and down the pitch. "I think it's hereditary."

Connor grinned and watched the match in companionable silence with his uncle.

Gryffindor won the Quidditch Final two hours and twenty-six minutes after it began, and Connor folded up the map and headed back to his common room to celebrate with his friends.

-----------0----------

The rest of the weekend was spent on revision, mostly sprawled out on the grass with a large number of other students from different houses, all going over various subjects like one big study-group. Many of them had been summarily ejected from their common rooms by fifth and seventh year students who were stressed out over O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s.

Connor didn't mind. It was a beautiful weekend, and one of the last he would spend at Hogwarts until next September. What better way to enjoy it than by being surrounded by friends in the fresh air under the blue sky?

Monday came soon enough, and everyone was embroiled in their exams.

Connor waved at his cousin Marcus, who was the only Weasley taking the O.W.L.s this year. Marcus waited anxiously outside the Great Hall for his first exam to begin, pacing back and forth distractedly. Connor didn't know what he was so worried about: Marcus was a Ravenclaw, and a prefect, and both of his parents were brilliant. Uncle Bill had gotten something like twelve O.W.L.s when he went to Hogwarts, so surely Marcus had no worries.

At any rate, Connor had his own exams to sit for. Today was Transfiguration and Charms, and he wasn't looking forward to either one.

Professor Thompson stood at the front of the classroom and called them forth one at a time during the written exam to watch them turn a teacup into a toad. When it was Connor's turn to go before the professor, he felt as though he might be sick for a moment, before performing the charm with his eyes half-closed.

He managed quite a handsome little toad, even if the spots on its back still resembled the design of little flowers that had been on the teacup to begin with. He felt he'd done reasonably well on the written portion, and began to relax once the practical was over with. All in all, he felt that he'd done well, considering the trouble the subject had given him earlier in the year.

Lunch that day was a quiet affair, with most students spending the time with books propped up in front of their plates, revising madly for the next exam of the day. One of the older girls at the Ravenclaw table even burst into tears and ran from the room while her friends all watched sympathetically.

In the Charms exam, Connor's Cheering Charm on Ivy worked beautifully. Connor thought it might have been because Ivy was almost always cheerful anyway, or because he'd already had the charm performed on him, and was too happy to be too nervous. The written part of the exam was a little tougher than he would have liked, but not torturous, either.

The common room that night--and every night for the rest of the week--was eerily quiet, with only the rustle of parchment as people turned pages of notes or books.

The remainder of exams week went reasonably well. Connor actually enjoyed his Defence Against the Dark Arts Exam, with Professor Lupin's legendary obstacle course out on the grounds. In Care of Magical Creatures, Connor passed his written exam with little trouble, but lost points (and a pocket on his cloak) for failing to learn that he shouldn't keep snacks in his pockets when clabberts were in evidence. Advanced Potions was more difficult than Connor expected, and he secretly wondered if Professor Snape hadn't given him a more difficult written exam than the rest of the class had gotten, but still felt he'd done well.

On Friday, exams were finally over, and students had a week to relax until the test results came out. Students slept late and spent a good deal of time outdoors, enjoying fine weather and relaxing after their busy week.

There was a last Hogsmeade visit for those above third year on Saturday; Sunday was spent in a massive, all-house, pick-up Quidditch match, that Connor managed to sneak out and join.

Students spent the he rest of the time hunting up items that had been lost over the course of the term and packing things away in their trunks. The Marauder's Map was entrusted to Zack for the summer, since his parents wouldn't know what it was even if they see it; Rachel planned to spend part of the summer with Ivy ; Zack was planning on visiting the Malfoys while Connor was gone to Peru. They all hoped to meet for at least a couple of days before September first.Grades came out on the last day of term.

Connor, Ivy, Rachel, Quentin and Zack had all passed with good marks. Along with their grades, there was a list of holiday assignments from their professors and a reminder that magic was not to be used over the holidays. Connor had a short note along with his Underage Magic Use Statement saying that he would be allowed to use his wand "in the course of his work with noted Potions Mistress Drina Ayala while under her strict supervision, as necessary for his coursework as seen fit by her." There was also a warning for him not to misuse the privilege.

The next day, the train from Hogwarts pulled out of Hogsmeade Station, taking the children away from the school for two and an half months. The ride was spent playing games and performing bits of magic at the last minute, just for fun. And then, before they knew it, they were back in London, where parents were eagerly waiting for them.

Connor stepped off of the train and was let through the barrier into Muggle London with his friends. He was not surprised to see a sea of redheads suddenly bursting into joyful shouts as the Weasleys greeted each other happily. Lucy, Ian and Adam all rushed forward to greet Connor as soon as they saw him, and Connor allowed himself to be hugged by his sister and his little brother before being tugged into the tumultuous crowd of waiting parents and newly arrived children.

Ginny embraced him warmly, and Harry smiled proudly. Zack's parents and Ivy's parents both waved, and there was general chaos for w few moments until the crowd began to thin out. Expecting to leave now, Connor was just about to turn and reach for Clio's cage when a young man that looked about seventeen years old that Connor didn't know came forward. He was tall, and wiry, with blonde hair and a friendly face.

"You must be Connor," he said, holding out a hand in greeting.

Surprised, Connor automatically shook hands and nodded. He noticed Rupert standing behind the young man, and saw a resemblance, mostly around the nose and mouth. He realised that this must be Rupert's brother, Kyle. "Yes," he admitted. "I'm Connor."

"I'm sort of a cousin of yours, I suppose. My name's Kyle, I'm Rupert's brother."

Manners had Connor answering, "It's nice to meet you," even while his eyes scanned the area for signs of the other Dursleys. He didn't see any evidence of them. "Are you here to pick up Rupert?"

"Yes," he said, sounding a little strained, and glancing at Harry for a split second. "Our parents couldn't make it."

"He's got a new car!" Rupert piped up, sounding excited.

Kyle smiled back at his brother, then said to Connor, "Thank you. For what you did for him."

Connor wasn't sure what to say to that, so he only nodded. It wasn't as though he had planned to Heal Rupert the way he had, probably wouldn't have done it if Rupert hadn't grabbed him. He watched as Kyle took control of Rupert's trunk and walked away, talking quietly to his excited brother. Connor saw that his parents looked troubled for a moment, but then they were wreathed in smiles again and herded their children out of the train station to the car park.

------------0------------

The next morning, Connor woke to find his father shaking his shoulder. It was light out, but all that meant was that it was past four in the morning. Connor groaned and tried to bury his head under his pillow, but Harry just laughed.

"Sorry," Harry said in a teasing sort of voice. "I just thought you might like to go to the cliff with your old dad again, but if you're too tired--"

"I'm up!" Connor pulled his head out from under the pillows and sat up to prove it. "Are you serious? We can go right now?"

"Soon as you're dressed and fed," Harry said. "Don't forget to grab your cloak. I'll meet you downstairs."

Connor dressed and finished a hasty breakfast in record time, then followed his father out into the yard.

It was still very early, and Connor doubted that his brothers and sister at home were even awake yet when he landed beside his father on the same cliff overlooking the ocean as before.

Harry set down a rucksack between them and took out a thermos full of tea, pouring them each a cup before they settled down into companionable silence to drink it. Connor squinted slightly against the glare of the sun on the sea. The slight breeze and quiet crash of distant waves was soothing, making him relax where he didn't realise he'd been tense.

They talked quietly while they drank tea and snacked on some of the biscuits that they'd brought along. It surprised Connor when his father suddenly said, "Rupert and Kyle are settling into their new place by now."

"New place? Did the Dursleys move?" Connor was curious about what would happen to Rupert over the summer. Maybe his parents had decided to move to someplace safer for Rupert?"

Just two of them," Harry said meaningfully. "Rupert's parents didn't feel they could accept a werewolf as a son."

Connor was silent for a long time. He wasn't sure what to say to that--couldn't imagine what it might be like to have your own parents reject you for any reason. "They kicked him out?"

"Pretty much," Harry said truthfully. "I went to see them to explain things. They were upset, to say the least. Dudley insisted that it was my fault and told me to 'fix' it."

Connor snorted. He'd heard enough about his father's cousin to understand. "What did he do when he found out you couldn't?"

"He told me that I would have to take Rupert. That he wouldn't have a werewolf living with his family, endangering them all." Harry's tone was matter-of-fact, but gave the distinct impression that more than that had been said, and that this was the edited version of events."

You said that Kyle and Rupert were settling in," Connor said expectantly."Kyle overheard my discussion with Dudley," Harry explained with something like pride in his voice. "He isn't so willing to abandon Rupert as his parents are."

"But Kyle's just a kid," Connor said. "Are their parents going to pay for them to live somewhere else?"

"No," Harry said with a bitter tinge to his voice. "They're angry that Kyle chose to leave them. They won't encourage him by helping him that way."

Connor looked out over the sea while he turned things over in his mind. He took a sip of his tea before clearing his throat and asking, "What will they do?"

"Your mother and I are helping them," Harry said. "We've got them set up in a small house with a Floo connection set up, and made sure that Kyle has a car. I've offered him a job at the factory, but he's not sure about working in the magical community--afraid he won't fit in."

Connor just nodded. It was exactly what he would have expected his parents to do. Either that, or take in both Kyle and Rupert as extra children.

"At any rate," Harry continued, "we won't let them suffer for their parents' ignorance."

"I can't believe they'd just let their kids go like that," Connor said.

"Fear makes people do unthinkable things, sometimes."

Connor could tell from the far-off look in his father's eyes that he wasn't thinking only about the situation with Rupert, and remained silent.

"You've only got a week until you leave for Peru," Harry said at last, changing the subject.

"I know," Connor said with a half smile. "I'm a bit nervous. I'm not sure what to expect."

"Expect to do your best, and learn as much as you can, and it'll be worth it." Harry advised. "We're sending you so you can learn firsthand from another Healer. We don't expect you to do anything more than that."

Connor already knew this, but it was nice to hear. "Thanks, Dad."

"We're proud of you Connor," Harry said, resting a hand on Connor's shoulder and giving a little squeeze. "Ready to go home?"

Connor got to his feet and took one more look around before picking up his broom, ready for his next adventure.

END.