The Man Who Knew Almost Nothing

Chapter Eighteen

Never had a dream come true

Harry wasn’t sure if the tour of the castle did Gilderoy any good or not. After they had retrieved Sirius from Remus’s office where the pair had spent much of the afternoon talking about old times, they trio returned home. As they ate a late supper Harry questioned Gilderoy about his memory and Hogwarts, but Gilderoy claimed that it had stirred no memories, good or bad.

“It looks like it was all for nothing, Harry,” he sighed into his teacup.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Of course.”

“Then it was well worth it,” said Harry. “What about you, Sirius?”

“It was nice ...” he said.

“And?”

Sirius looked at him with troubled eyes and replied, “Nothing you need to worry about, Harry. Remus and I had a quiet chat by the fireside. Nothing more.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was what we needed,” said Sirius.

“Then why do you look so sad, I wonder,” thought Harry, though he chose not to probe any deeper with his inquiry.

“Cheer up, Sirius. It will all work out. I know it will,” Gilderoy told him with a reassuring smile. He knew better than to ask questions. Or perhaps he didn’t know the questions to ask.

“Thanks,” said Sirius before leaving the table to go read in his room.

“Poor fellows,” said Gilderoy quietly as he began clearing the table. “I hope we never end up like that.”

Harry chuckled and put an arm around him as he stood at the sink, kissing him on the neck before saying, “No chance of that. But don’t fret too much over them. They don’t like it either, and what’s more, they will get it right again someday, just like you said. They love each other too much to let life or anything else stand in their way forever.”

The next morning lessons began again for Gilderoy, but this time, he had two willing teaches to instruct him in the fine art of wizardry. Sirius could not sit idly by while his godson taught rudimentary magic to Gilderoy. He had to add his advice and suggestions.

“Why are you only teaching him charms? Shouldn’t he know some Transfiguration magic too? Or what about Defense Against the Dark Arts? Surely that might come in handy one day,” said Sirius.

“Charms was his best subject, right? Maybe he should master that first,” said Harry.

“I have my doubts - excuse me, Gilderoy - that he was ever a qualified Charms master. We all know he was shite for Defense Against the Dark Arts, now don’t we?”

“Sirius!” Harry exclaimed. Then he remembered the pixies. “Well, not this time. Right, Gilderoy?”

“Right!” he nodded.

“I could always fetch a boggart ...” Sirius hinted. His method of instruction would probably bear a striking resemblance to that of Professor Lupin.

“Not today,” said Harry before turning to Gilderoy. “Today we will be learning a Summoning charm. After all, you were focused enough to apparate that one time. This shouldn’t be so difficult.”

“Excuse me while I take shelter under the kitchen table,” said Sirius with a slight chortle.

Harry had wisely started the lesson with a pair of balled up socks, which had neither sharp edges nor considerable weight. They had sailed across the room at a ridiculous speed on Gilderoy’s fifth attempt, narrowly missing Hedwig, who was not at all pleased. Control seemed to be a big problem until Sirius pointed out that Gilderoy wasn’t holding his wand steady.

“Don’t give him anything sharp,” Sirius warned time and again. “He’ll have our eyes out before the day is done.”

“You’re just sulking because you want to make him an Animagus,” said Harry.

“I would love to see the form he takes if he could manage it.”

“Animagus?” questioned Gilderoy.

“Transfiguring oneself into an animal,” Harry clarified.

“Can you do that?”

“Not quite,” said Harry, wincing as he remember trying to turn into a stag like his father. It had been painful and only partly successful. “But Sirius can,” he added.

“What do you turn into?” asked Gilderoy.

“A dog,” Sirius shrugged, putting his book aside.

“Can you do it whenever you want?”

“Yes.”

“Can you do it now?”

Sirius looked a little smug. It was a great trick to be an Animagus. It required years of study and practice. And Sirius had gotten around the ‘official’ parts of that for a very long time, though he had dutifully registered after the war.

“Oh, don’t torture him, Sirius, just do it so we can get on with the lesson,” said Harry.

Sirius shrugged and a second later there was a large black dog curled up in the chair where he had been sitting. The chair creaked under his weight. The dog yawned and blinked at Gilderoy placidly.

“Magnificent!” said Gilderoy with a rather foolish grin on his face.

Sirius barked and resumed his human form.

“It comes in handy sometimes,” he said. “I would never have survived Azkaban without the skill.”

“Maybe someday ...” Gilderoy said, hesitating a glance at Harry.

“Maybe,” agreed Harry reluctantly.

“Let me see your wand,” said Sirius. “After all, some wands are better for that kind of work than others.”

“But you didn’t use a one,” said Gilderoy, allowing Sirius to examine his wand.

“Don’t need to anymore. Practice, you know,” said Sirius thoughtfully. He tapped it and frowned. “What’s its core made of?” he questioned, recognizing the wand as a foreign model.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Gilderoy.

“It’s heavy. It feels like opal to me,” said Sirius, his eyes looking momentarily troubled.

“How can you tell?” asked Harry.

“I worked for Ollivander one summer to raise some funds. He offered me a permanent job after I got out of school, but I turned him down,” said Sirius, returning the wand to its owner. “I think this would be a fine wand for transfiguration work,” he added. “Though it is probably a good bit more accustomed to charms.”

“Thank you,” said Gilderoy.

Their morning was occupied by magic lessons for Gilderoy, but afternoon was the time when Harry would sit down in front of the typewriter and work on his memoirs with Sirius and Gilderoy listening attentively. Sirius nodded approvingly as he listened to his godson recounting his first days at Hogwarts, something that he had missed out on. Harry glanced at them from time to time, Gilderoy sitting by the hearth and Sirius resting comfortably in a nearby chair, and felt glad that he had the chance to share with them. As evening neared Harry slowed down and finally sighed, settling against the couch and smiling.

“That’s a nice beginning, isn’t it?” he yawned.

“I suppose you’ve earned your supper,” said Sirius with a chuckle, reaching for a book on the end table. His fingertips brushed a card that was laying there. “An invitation?” he questioned.

“Defeat of Voldemort Ball and Dinner,” shrugged Harry.

“Oh, yes, Remus mentioned it,” he said, chuckling at the pictures included in the invitation.

“And?” asked Harry, a grin coming to his face.

“He said that I could go as his date, no strings attached. I am considering it ...”

“Gilderoy and I are going together,” said Harry.

“He dances too? Aren’t you lucky! Remus has unfortunately always had two left feet, not that he doesn’t try,” chuckled Sirius.

“I dance?” questioned Gilderoy. “No, that can’t be right.”

“We have a couple weeks. We could teach him,” suggested Sirius. “And by that, I mean you can teach him and I can enjoy the show.”

Later that evening after dinner while Gilderoy was washing up, Harry and Sirius moved all the furniture out of the sitting room and rolled up the rug to provide them with a dance floor of sorts. There was a bit of a smirk on Sirius’s face as they levitated the couch in Harry’s bedroom.

“Almost ready?” Harry called toward the kitchen. Gilderoy was drying his hands and unrolling his sleeves.

He grinned as he answered, “Absolutely!”

“Music?” Harry asked Sirius.

“It would be my pleasure,” said Sirius, pulling out his wand and casting, “Cantus tripudio!”

A soft melody perfect for dancing began to fill the air as Harry pulled Gilderoy from the kitchen and onto the make-shift dance floor. He seemed a bit nervous. Sirius stood near the hearth and out of the way. Harry guided Gilderoy into position, showing him where to put his hands, before taking the lead as the more experienced dancer. Most of his dance partners over the years had been content to follow.

Harry began moving slowly and counting the rhythm in Gilderoy’s ear as they danced, shuffling at first, but their movements growing more fluid after a few minutes. Gilderoy mastered the basic steps rather swiftly.

A grin spread slowly over Harry's face as they continued dancing, moving closer together.

“Dancing must be like riding a bicycle,” Harry mused, gazing into Gilderoy’s forget-me-not blue eyes. The nervousness had faded from them. Harry was losing himself in their warmth and depth.

There were tears shining in Gilderoy’s eyes as he listened to the music and looked into Harry’s smiling green eyes. The cottage, the entire world with all of its worries and cares, had seemed to fade away around them as they both became lost in the soft, wonderful music and the eyes they were looking into, filled with happiness and wonder.

Gilderoy leaned toward Harry and gently kissed him as they continued to dance close to one another.

“I love you,” he whispered softly.

“I know,” said Harry, returning the kiss. “And I will always love you.”

Harry rested his head on Gilderoy’s, breathing in the scent of his hair and relishing the romantic moment. Life and love had never been so sweet, so perfect for either of them.

“Harry, is dancing always like this?” asked Gilderoy softly in his ear.

“Not always,” said Harry. “But maybe for us ...”

Leaning away, Harry smiled and spun his dance partner around. Gilderoy laughed as Harry caught him and held him close for a second before their feet found their rhythm again.

“Always for us.”

As the music ended Harry pulled Gilderoy into his arms and held him as they stood in the middle of the sitting room. They lingered there for several minutes, enjoying the closeness, too emotional to speak. Harry closed his eyes and sighed softly. Everything was so perfect.

“Great music, Sirius. Thank you,” said Gilderoy, glancing into the kitchen where Sirius had retreated to give them some privacy.

“I always liked that one,” he shrugged. “Heard it while I was on the run ... It reminded me of ... Remus and the dances they used to hold at Hogwarts back in our day.”

“Thanks. It was wonderful,” said Harry, wiping his eyes and grinning at Gilderoy. “And, I dare say, your feet remember more than you do. I imagine that you were once quite the dancer.”

“Were? Once?” chuckled Gilderoy, pretending to pout.

“Still are!” laughed Harry.

“And hope to be for a good many years to come.”

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