Dog Star Rising

Dog Star Rising

[Author's notes: This fan fiction depicts some events that I would like to see occurring in the early portion of Book VII in the Harry Potter series. Perhaps it has something to do with losing my own father this past year, but I just can't seem to bear seeing Harry lose every father-figure that appears in his life. I wrote this in honor of Dad, and of other adoptive fathers everywhere. Harry, I believe, is lucky enough to have two.]

Chapter One

Ron stared in disbelief at the boarded-up shopfront of Borgin and Burke's. Clearly, there was going to be no chance of going in to look for a suspicious gold locket--no business was being transacted here, and none had been for some time. A large sign in the window read:

CLOSED

All items on these premises have been confiscated

by Order of the Ministry of Magic.

A reward is offered for information leading to

apprehension of the proprietors.

If the locket had ever been here, it certainly wasn't now, and standing here looking at the empty building was going to accomplish nothing except drawing unwanted attention, even on these nearly-deserted streets.

Ron, Harry and Hermione had waited until after Bill and Fleur's wedding to begin their own private war against Voldemort. Then, as agreed, they had slipped quietly away together during the height of the reception, leaving behind a note:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Harry, Hermione, and I have decided that we're not going back to Hogwarts this year. We can't just sit quietly in school with a war going on outside. We're adults now, and we have a right to join the fight against You-Know-Who if we want to.

We know we have to do this. Our minds are made up, so it'd be no use arguing about it. Please try not to worry too much about us. We may be moving about for awhile, but we'll be in contact when we can.

Love,

Ron

That had been two days ago. So far, checking here in this secondhand shop in Knockturn Alley had been their best idea for trying to trace the Horcrux that had been stolen from Voldemort's hiding place. Now, they were back to square one.

Ron turned to take the news of this unwelcome development back to Harry and Hermione, who had remained in hiding, fearing that the shopkeeper might recognize them. He had taken only a few steps back toward the alley where they were waiting when he heard a familiar voice just behind him say, "Ron Weasley!" The sound of the voice was accompanied almost at once by the feel of a tight grip on his elbow, and he swung around to meet the exasperated face of Remus Lupin.

"P-Professor Lupin--" he exclaimed.

"Obviously you're all right, thank Merlin," his former teacher began. "Now, where are the other two?"

Ron hesitated to answer, and Lupin glanced around at the street. Behind Ron's shoulder, three brooms were visible, leaning against the wall of a narrow alley, with three battered trunks lying next to them. Stepping quickly toward the brooms, and without letting go of Ron's arm, he spoke into the mouth of the alley. "Harry? Hermione?"

The forms of the other two teenagers slowly emerged from under the Invisibility Cloak. Lupin herded all three a bit further into the privacy of the alley before speaking again. "Are you aware that half the Order are out looking for you right now? And here you are, on the public street in a dodgy section of town. If I hadn't decided to come down to order the grindylows and kappas for my second and third years this term--! Come on. You'd best come back to Hogwarts with me. We'll sort this out there."

It was Hermione who spoke first. "No, thank you, Professor. We have plans of our own. We're not returning to school this term, you see."

"Yes," said Lupin darkly. "I had heard that rumor. Well, may I ask where you're planning to go from here? It will be dark in a few hours; where are you going to spend the night?"

"In case you've forgotten," Harry answered, with a set, stubborn look to his jaw, "I do own a house."

Lupin let out a snort that seemed equally divided between anger and amusement. "No, Harry, I haven't forgotten. Neither has anyone else. Even though we can't use it as Headquarters anymore, with our Secret-Keeper gone, it was the first place everyone thought of looking when you went missing. Apart from any Death Eaters that may be lurking in the vicinity, if you go there tonight you will be met by Moody, Shacklebolt, and perhaps a few others. Last night or this morning, you would have met me. The Aurors, by the way, have been talking about throwing the three of you into protective custody in a Ministry cell if they get their hands on you, but if they're in a particularly foul mood, they may just hand you over to Molly Weasley instead."

Ron gulped, and Hermione shifted nervously. Harry's expression, however, did not change. "Does anyone remember that we're legally adults now? Hermione and Ron have been for ages, and I had my birthday yesterday. We can do what we want to."

"No, Harry. I haven't forgotten that fact. There was a party planned for you on your birthday; did you know that? A pile of presents is sitting back at the Burrow, including one from me. We were all rather hurt that you didn't choose to spend your seventeenth birthday with those who care about you."

Harry sighed. "I spent my birthday with my parents this year--we went to Godric's Hollow yesterday. I felt it was where I needed to be."

Lupin bowed his head for a moment, and when he looked up again, his tone was considerably more gentle than it had been until now. "Please, Harry--all of you. Come back to the castle with me. You need a place to spend the night, and you'll be safer there than anywhere else."

Ron and Hermione had been having a whispered conference. Now she interjected, "Harry, Ron says the shop was no help. If we go to Hogwarts with Professor Lupin, maybe I can check the library one more time for some idea where to look next."

Harry shot her a meaningful look. "Remember, Hermione, we aren't going to let anyone else get involved in this."

Lupin interjected, "I can virtually guarantee privacy for Hermione if she wishes to use the library. I am staying at the castle right now because I'm trying to strengthen its wards and defenses before the start of term. Most of the teachers are spending the holiday with their families--even Argus Filch, if you can believe he has a family. Hagrid is in his cottage as usual, but in the castle itself, there's only me and the Divination staff--one of whom never leaves her tower and the other of whom spends most of his time outdoors."

"How about Tonks?" Ron broke in with a sly grin. "Does she visit often?"

"If you must know, Ron," Lupin responded with a faint smile, "I am trying to keep my distance from Nymphadora. She is a cheerful and vibrant young woman, but she has a tendency to be a trifle clingy. In any case, she is on duty at the Ministry this evening. Now, what do you say? Shall we leave this alley and continue our conversation elsewhere?"

"On one condition," said Harry firmly. "Will you swear that you won't contact anyone else or tell them you've seen us?"

"All right, Harry," Lupin sighed. "I won't contact anyone tonight--on my honor as a Marauder, all right? I can't promise to keep this quiet any longer than that; Molly and Arthur are frantic with worry, and they're not the only ones. In return, though, I'll expect you to listen while I attempt to talk some sense into you myself. Are we agreed?"

After a moment, Harry nodded.

"Come on then," Lupin urged. "There's a public Floo connection not half a block from here. We can travel directly to the fireplace in my office."

*****

Professor Lupin, as it turned out, had chosen the same office for his return to Hogwarts as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that he had used during Harry, Ron, and Hermione's third year. Once again, a large glass tank stood in a far corner of the room, waiting to be the home of some exotic Dark creature. Bookshelves lined the walls, and in another corner the door leading to Lupin's private quarters stood slightly ajar. Lupin directed his three guests to stack their belongings at the back of the room and sit down in wooden chairs that he Summoned from their place around a small study table. He sat down behind the desk, facing them.

"First of all," he said, "I have to make it quite clear that I am not speaking to you in my capacity as a professor. Indeed, since you are not planning to return to school this year, I am not your professor, so there is no need to address me by title. In fact, I wish you would all call me 'Remus.'" He looked around at them and smiled tentatively. "By now, we have all been through enough together to consider ourselves friends, I hope. Harry, you have been special to me ever since you were born, and Ron and Hermione, I've become quite fond of you as well in the years we've known each other. It frightened me terribly when you all disappeared. I know that Sirius is the one you always were closest to, and I can't hope to take his place, but do you all trust me at least somewhat by now?"

Harry looked at the others. "We can try to call you 'Remus,'" he said. "It's hard not to think of you as 'Professor Lupin,' though, because you were our favorite professor ever--"

"You sure were!" Ron agreed, and Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

"--and of course we trust you," Harry went on. "We know you were worried about us, and we're sorry, but honestly, this is something we've got to do. It's better, for your own safety, that you don't know anything more about what we're doing right now. We would tell you if we felt like we could."

"I just don't understand what you're thinking," Remus continued. "Why don't you want to come back to school this term? I always thought you were happy here. I was looking forward very much to seeing my three favorite students in class, and Minerva is now in the difficult position of having to select a new Head Boy and Head Girl, not to mention finding a new Griffindor Quidditch Captain."

"I made Head Girl?" Hermione squealed, and all three males rolled their eyes and shook their heads at each other.

"Was there ever any doubt, Hermione?" Lupin asked. "And Ron, though your academic record is no better than Ernie Macmillan's or Anthony Goldstein's, the staff unanimously decided that your services to the school over the years made you the clear choice as well. Technically, I probably shouldn't have revealed the news this way, but unless you change your minds, the honors will have to go to someone else anyway--probably to Mr. Goldstein and Miss Patil from Ravenclaw."

"Blimey," said Ron. "I hope I'm not anywhere close by if Mum ever finds out there was almost a third Head Boy in the family."

"Look," said Harry, "if you two want to go back this term, I won't stop you. I know how much those awards mean to you, and you've both really earned them."

"Are you mental, mate?" Ron shot back. "Yeah, this is a real honor, but we know there are more important things than school, and we're not letting you go out there alone, are we, Hermione?"

A few minutes earlier, Hermione had seemed nearly ready to leap out of her chair and run around the room screaming with joy, but she had composed herself quickly. "Of course not, Harry. You know that," she said.

"Are you certain that anything really is more important than your schoolwork right now?" asked Remus, a bit more sharply. "Aside from planning for your future careers, don't you want to complete all the training you can before taking on the Death Eaters?"

"You were here last June, Professor--Remus," Hermione said firmly. "You know that the Death Eaters don't intend to wait until we've finished our training before they come after Harry--or any of us. We've had to fight them more than once already, and you have to admit we've done quite well."

"Yes, Hermione, you're right," Remus agreed. "The Order members are well aware of how much help your D.A. group gave us when the castle was attacked. That's one more reason we've been counting on your help this year. Younger students will need your protection."

"You'll want to talk to Neville first thing, then," said Harry. "In our absence, he and Luna and Ginny will need to take over the group. I'm sure they'll be proud to help all they can, and the castle should actually be safer for everyone if I'm no longer in it."

"But what about your own safety, Harry?" asked Remus. He had stood up, and now his voice was as close to shouting as any of them had ever heard from him. "Don't you realize that now that you are of age, the protection that Dumbledore laid on you when you were a baby is no longer in effect? I've had no sleep for the past two nights, thinking about you out there, vulnerable and in danger. The security at Hogwarts is not foolproof, I know, and Merlin help us, it's even weaker now that Dumbledore is gone, but this is still the safest place you could possibly be. You can't take chances like this with your life--or with Ron and Hermione's lives."

"I've told you," said Harry. "I'm an adult. I can do as I
see fit--and I don't intend to change my mind."

"Have you all gone mad?" Remus exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. Of all the stubborn, idiotic--even Sirius would have showed more sense at your age! This is unacceptable, simply unacceptable! You're refusing to listen to reason. If you were a few years younger, I would put you across my knee!"

"Right," said Harry flatly, rising from his chair. "I think this conversation is over. We'll be out of the castle in the morning." He turned, and began to walk toward the door.

Before he had gone more than two steps, however, Remus snapped, "Stop, Harry! We're not finished here!"

Harry turned and saw Remus's wand pointed straight at him.

"I am the last of your father's old friends, Harry," Remus said. His tone now was deadly calm, but his eyes blazed. "I will not let you throw your life away. Make no mistake--I will stop you by force if I must."

"Dumbledore once said to us that it takes as much courage to stand up to our friends as it does to our enemies," Harry replied, raising his own wand in response to the older man's challenge. "If this is how you want it, Remus--"

Remus's lips formed the words, "I'm sorry, Harry."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other in consternation. Before either of them could react, however, a new voice said firmly, "Expelliarmus!" All eyes in the room followed Remus's and Harry's wands as they sailed across the room toward the door to Remus's living quarters. The grinning man lounging in the doorway who reached out neatly to catch them looked exactly like Sirius Black.