Harry Potter and The Secret of The Heirs

Chapter Eighteen

The Unexpected Christmas Gift

Harry held his tongue. Despite his reluctance to, he held his tongue. He really didn't want to, but he knew that it would make Sirius' blood boil, and that wasn't exactly something Harry wanted to do that afternoon. In fact that was not something Harry ever wanted to do.

They walked into Sirius and Chrystal's sitting room.

Sirius and Chrystal were waiting for them, in the sitting room that joined their two bedrooms. Harry himself had not been in here before; usually he had just walked into Sirius' bedroom. This sitting room was a large contrast from Snape's. It was somewhat brighter, there was far more colour. The room itself was filled with pastels; the couch being a light blue colour, the two arm chairs a pale blue. Chrystal's black cat Maestro was sitting comfortably on the sofa. Curtains hung by the windows and these again were blue, but more a bluey-green colour. The room felt much more open, much friendlier. A glass topped coffee table sat between the chairs, with a large bunch of lilies sitting in the vase. The table had been set with scones, jam and cream as well as a pot of tea. Very Un-Sirius like, must be Chrystal'sdoing. He just hoped she hadn't made them.

'Thank you for having us, Sirius, Professor Àille,' Hermione said as she and Harry sat down on the sofa.

'Call me Chrystal, Hermione,' she replied laughing. 'I'm not your teacher now.'

'Okay, Chrystal,' Hermione seemed somewhat embarrassed as Chrystal poured tea for them and Sirius offered them scones.

Sirius broke the silence.

'I owe you an apology Harry, for not telling you about Chrys and me sooner,' he said. 'I just wanted to keep it to myself for a little while. But Chrys was getting impatient, as women do. I'd like you to be my best man by the way.'

Harry was touched. But he was also very surprised. Sirius surely had closer friends; he had a brother-in-law as well.

'Me?' he asked. 'Why not Remus?Surely there's someone else?'

'It would have been James,' Sirius said very quietly. 'Remusis a wonderful friend, but he's not James. You and I have connected in a similar way Harry, I can't explain it, but I feel closer to you than I do to Remus. And it's not because you look like your father.'

'I'd be happy to,' Harry replied. He really would be.

'Well now he's got a best man. I need a bridesmaid,' Chrys said laughing. 'Guess I better start looking. Somehow I don't think a dead splitting image of Lily's going to appear from the ground. At least I've got six months to find a new best friend.'

At what could have been construed sadly, everyone laughed. Harry was quietly relieved.

'I want you to wear a kilt by the way, Harry,' she said.

'A kilt?' Harry said in surprise. Somehow Harry couldn't really imagine himself in a kilt. He didn't think he had the legs for it.

Hermione stifled a giggle. Obviously she was picturing Harry in a kilt as well.

'You should have told me this before, Sirius,' he said. 'Hermione obviously thinks I'll look ridiculous.'

'No actually I don't, Harry,' she defended herself. She grinned cheekily at him.

'Sorry, Harry,' Sirius said. 'She's a Scot, I'm a Scot and apparently it's traditional for Scottish wizards to get married in kilts. Alec did and I'm quite sorry I missed that one. The photos are fantastic. I bet Maddie made him.'

Sirius winked at Harry.

'We'll do some leg shaping together eh?' he said with a laugh. Chrystal gave him a look and Sirius quickly changed the subject.

'Anyway, enough of that,' Sirius said. 'Let's get on to the real reason we asked the two of you up here. You need advice on what to do with yourselves and as you both don't have wizard relations, we're here to offer you our advice. It may no be good advice, but we're going to give it to you anyway. And besides, you need to take your minds off Hogsmeade.'

Harry quietly agreed to that. There was nothing more he'd like. He also had absolutely no idea what it was that he wanted to do once he finished school and that was only six months away. He felt his only real strength was Quidditch, but it wasn't like he could play Quidditch forever.

To his surprise Hermione wasn't jabbering away, in a situation where she normally would be. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something.

'What do you think I'd be good at?' he asked timidly. 'The only thing that I'm really any good at is Quidditch and you can't play that forever.'

'That's true,' Sirius replied. 'Most players reach their peak in their late thirties and retire in their early forties, but they all have another job as well. Chrys is an Auror as well as a Quidditch player, or for now a teacher as well as a Quidditch player. James had another job as well.'

Harry looked at him with eyes wide open.

'My dad played Quidditch?' he said. 'I knew he played as a Chaser for Gryffindor, but he actually played in the league?'

'He played for England, Harry,' Sirius said. 'I forget that you don't know some things that are simply common knowledge. Lily was an Auror by the way. I figure you don't know that either.'

Yet another fact that Harry didn't know. Things that so many other children took for granted, Harry had no idea about. He was learning so much, since he'd meet Remus, Sirius and now Chrystal, although Hagrid had told him a bit as well. Next time anyone made a crack about his father's career; he could tell them that he was an athlete.

Chrystal spoke up.

'I think you'd be a pretty good Auror yourself, Harry,' she said. 'That is if you can stand the Ministry but there's nothing to stop you from playing Quidditch as well. Nowadays you need another career if you're going to play Quidditch, given the wizarding lifespan.'

'Barty Crouch Junior said I'd be a good Auror,' he whispered. 'He said Hermione would too. I don't know if he was serious or not.'

'You like to work things out, Harry,' Sirius said. 'You like to solve mysteries and you protect the innocent. It's almost the perfect career for you, but you're the one who's got to be happy. If you want to lay Quidditch, you ought to be applying for the Draft soon. Who needs a Seeker or a reserve, Hon?'

'Um, well the Prides don't, of course,' she said with a smile. 'I can guarantee that because I don't intend to quit. The Appleby Arrows I think are on the look out for a reserve although they might get that from trading. The Bats don't need one, their Seeker is the Irish Seeker, so I think they'll be fine for a couple more years, the Cannons aren't looking but should be, perhaps the Catapults, they're in Wales, their Seeker has just retired at the age of fifty, should have retired years ago if you ask me. Then there are the Harpies who are looking, but you're not a witch so you can't play for them. You're not the right kind of person to play for the Falcons. The Kestrels need a reserve; they're in Ireland. The Magpies are on the look out; they haven't had a decent Seeker since Eunice Murphy died in forty-two. Puddlemere United may need a reserve; I believe you know their Keeper. Perhaps you should ask him. There's also the Wasps, but they've just recruited Cho Chang as their reserve, so you should probably stay away. The Tornados don't need either I think, but the Wanderers are after a Seeker.'

'Hand on a minute,' Harry said. He was a bit overwhelmed. 'What are my options?'

'Well the best bet would be try to set up a private deal,' Chrys said. 'That is if you'd like to go anywhere in particular. You probably need to know someone to set it up. Or you can nominate for the Draft, and depending on how many Seeker's nominate you may be picked up by someone. Understand?'

Harry nodded. He wondered if he could make a private deal. Who did he want to play with anyway?

'So the teams looking for Seekers, starters or reserves are Puddlemere, the Wanderers, the Kestrels, the Magpies, the Cataputsand the Arrows. Possibly the Falcons as well. I'd be surprised if you're not approached before the Draft anyway, but you should nominate, so that teams know you're thinking about it. That is if you want to pursue that path. Shall I get you the paperwork?'

'Definitely,' Harry said. 'I may as well open all pathways.'

He'd better owl Oliver Wood, see what the situation was at Puddlemere.

Discussion turned to Hermione.

'Well, I'm not entirely sure what I want to do yet, although I've narrowed down the options,' she said. 'I think I want to be a Teacher, an Auror or a Healer. My parents would like me to be a Healer, they wanted me to be a doctor.'

Chrystal had a very serious look on her face.

'This applies to both of you,' she said. 'How do you feel about killing someone?'

Harry was shocked.

'I don't want to,' he said.

Hermione agreed.

'Okay, I think I've phrased that wrong,' Chrystal said. 'If you were ordered to kill someone, would you?'

'Whom am I ordered to by?' Hermione said.

This shocked Harry as well. Hermione would contemplate it. That was a bit of a shock. He wouldn't, the only person he'd kill was Voldemort.

'Say you were given an order to kill every Death Eater, whether or not they were acting under the Imperius or not. Because that is what will happen if Voldemort fall's again. Whoever is in charge of Magical Law Enforcement will give that order. They can't risk him rising to power again. Unless it's Alastor Moody of course.'

'I would try every other mean possible to bring them in before I would even consider killing them,' Harry said. 'Even a Dementor's kiss.'

'But that is killing them, Harry,' Hermione said. 'You cannot live without your soul.'

'But it's not the same, Hermione,' he said. 'I wouldn't actually have to kill them.'

'If you were an Auror, I guarantee you will be placed in this situation,' Chrystal said. 'A good Auror is one who will not kill because they have the power too. A good Auror will only resort to those means if it is the last resort.'

Harry picked up on something, a vibe that was in the air.

'You were an Auror when Crouch gave you unconditional powers, weren't you?' he asked Chrystal.

'That's right, Harry,' she replied softly.

'Did you ever use it?' Harry asked. 'Did you ever kill anyone?'

'Just one, Harry,' she said, even more softly than before. His face obviously showed a look of surprise. 'Believe me Harry; I have regretted it for the rest of my life. I cannot justify it, though I think almost anybody else would be able to. I didn't have a choice. It was them or me, they would have gladly killed me, and there was no possible way to restrain them. Yet, the guilt remains. It will remain forever.'

There was silence in the room. Harry glanced at Sirius. It was evident that he already knew. Harry didn't know what to say, he had asked the question but he wasn't prepared for the answer.

'Your mum was different,' she whispered. 'She never would have done it. She would have rather died. But you're like me Harry, you would have, but you would still feel the guilt now.'

Harry nodded. He knew all about guilt. The guilt he felt over Cedric's Death would always haunt him, and the guilt he was feeling over The Shrieking Shack explosion wouldn't either.

Thankfully conversation turned away from guilt. Harry and Hermione made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. The place was so quiet.

*~*

It was very weird having three whole weeks to yourself at Hogwarts. He and Hermione got into an extremely bizarre routine. They would get up for breakfast, wait for the mail, and then Harry would practice Quidditch for a couple of hours while Hermione did some "light" reading or spent the morning with Chrys. It was quite odd the way that they were becoming such good friends. Harry was getting quite fit, as well as perfecting the manoeuvres that Ron had taught him. He needed to increase his skill level before the next game if it was likely that people would come and watch him play. Harry would then shower, meet up with Hermione and then they would make their way to the Library to do some homework before lunch. After lunch it was back to the books for "research" as Hermione called it, to try and find anything else they could about the face. Harry usually spent this time writing letters or daydreaming. Mid afternoon they would go and visit Sirius and Chrystal in the Staff Quarters for afternoon tea after which they made their way outside to the Quidditch pitch for some exercise, or they would take a walk around the grounds stopping in to check on Fang before dinner. After dinner they would relax in the common room for an hour or so, telling each other stories about events in their past.

Harry realised how little he knew about Hermione. Gradually over the holiday he was filled with a new admiration for her perseverance. Being around only Hermione was having a peculiar effect on him. It was almost spine-tingling. Harry was beginning to worry about what she thought of him, even more than he had before. The final part of their routine was Hermione coming to tuck Harry in, a seemingly odd ritual that Harry enjoyed because they would talk for hours before she would finally leave to sleep. He did wonder about the appropriateness of him letting another girl come a sit on his bed, tuck him in and give him a peck on the cheek before she left every night, but this was Hermione one of his oldest friends. It didn't mean anything. Or did it?

*~*

A week and a half passed before Christmas crept up on them. Harry awoke before Hermione, and ran into her room, jumping on her bed to wake her up, in a similar fashion to the way Leigha and Kaylah had before the races. He saw a huge smile appear on her face as he tried to kindle some Christmas spirit. She jumped out of bed and raced Harry to the tree that was in the common room under which there was a mountain of presents for the pair. They sat down in their pyjamas and opened their presents comparing what they had received. Mrs Weasley had knitted them jumpers, again and Hagrid had sent them some weird sweets from wherever he was. Sirius and Chrys had sent Hermione a very thick book, Harry only guessed it had come out of one of their conversations that they had had midmorning but the biggest surprise was the box that Harry received from the Durlsey's. It came with a note;

Dear Harry,

Vernondoesn't know I'm sending this so please don't write back and thank me. I hope you have a lovely Christmas. This is something I thought you might like. It was your mothers. I thought perhaps it's time you should have it.

Love

Aunt Petunia

Harry pulled off the wrapping and saw a thick old-fashioned book. Harry saw what it was immediately. It was a journal. Or at least that's what it looked like initially. When he tried to open it, he found it was a box.

When he opened it, he saw it was filled with sheet music. Hand written music. He showed it to Hermione who gasped.

'It looks as though she wrote this herself Harry,' she said. 'It's amazing. I wish I had a piano so I could play it to you.'

Yet another thing he didn't know about Hermione.

'You play?' he asked her.

'I've played since I was young,' Hermione said. 'My parents wanted me to have a very rounded education. I take it you never have.'

He shook his head.

Harry couldn't believe how much there was that he didn't know about his parents. This was just another example. But somehow this discovery made his mother more real to him.

Harry could picture it in his head. He saw his mother sitting at the piano with him in her lap waiting for his father to come home. She would play and sing to him while they waited. Harry didn't know whether or not this was an actual memory or just a dream.

'Is there a piano anywhere?' Harry asked Hermione who contemplated the answer for a couple of seconds.

'Perhaps we should ask Chrystal at lunch?' she replied.

They spent the morning lazing about the common room, every now and again pausing to look at the music again, when the time came to go and have Christmas lunch from the Great Hall, they immediately asked Chrystal about the whereabouts of a piano.

'Happy Christmas to you too,' she replied. There was a reminiscent look in her eyes. 'I know where one is. Lily and I used to sneak out so Lily could practice. I used to listen to her play, sometimes I would sing as well, but usually I'd just listen. It was so nice to listen to Lily. She was very talented. I'll show you where it is after lunch.'

They sat at the high table and enjoyed the Christmas feast that had been prepared for them. Their number was few, Harry and Hermione, Dumbledore and McGonagall, Sirius and Chrystal, Snape and Arabella Figg whom Harry was only slightly surprised to see. Somehow he had sensed she was a witch, before he had found out that he was a wizard though. Harry shivered as he saw Snape. He still wasn't quite sure how to approach him, especially after seeing that photograph.

Everyone else was gone for the holidays, or gone for the day in the case of some of the missing staff members. They enjoyed the food before them, and everyone's spirits seemed to have lifted for the first time following the recent tragedy.

As they left the table, Dumbledore happened to comment that Harry and Hermione were standing under the mistletoe.

'You'll have to kiss her now, Harry,' said Sirius. 'I'll go first.'

He bent over and kissed Chrystal, before indicating that Harry should kiss Hermione. Harry turned bright red as he looked at Hermione with a questioning look.

He bent over and kissed her on the lips. A small brief kiss but one that evoked a feeling inside him, a surprising feeling that was different to that that of kissing Lavender. He quivered as he stepped back.

'I can't be feeling like this,' he thought to himself. 'This is Hermione; she's just a friend. I'm going out with Lavender. I lo, well I like her a lot.'

But he couldn't say he was in love with Lavender. It just wasn't true.

Chrys looked over and asked if he was okay before she led them towards a corridor that neither had ever seen before. They walked up a spiral staircase until they came to a door.

'Lamentoso,' she whispered. The door opened to reveal a small music room with a grand piano in the corner.

'I'll leave you to it,' Chrys said as she walked out the door.

Hermione sat down at the piano. She took out the top sheet of music. It looked old. Harry saw the date on it. 15/10/1981. It made his heart flutter. Hermione began to play. She was immersed in the music. The melody was enchanting. Hermione looked haunted. Then she sang.

I'm alone,

There's no one around me,

No one to hold me.

I'm afraid,

Looking over my shoulders

Dreading the day.

It's time to take control of things,

Don't be scared anymore

I feel pain,

There's no one to share it

No one to feel it.

Holding on,

Clutching to every moment,

Dreading the day.

And although I know things will change,

And the futures unsure,

It's time I took control

It's not time to cry,

Nor time to say goodbye,

It's not time to be afraid anymore.

It's time to stand up tall,

Time to answer the call,

It's time to live my life the way it's meant to be.

Not alone

There's someone here with me

Together,

We will stand,

We will face the future

Not afraid

And though I may fear for the day

With him to comfort me

Come what may.

It's not time to cry,

Nor time to say goodbye,

It's not time to be afraid anymore.

It's time to stand up tall,

Time to answer the call,

It's time to live my life the way it's meant to be.

Love will make me strong,

Give me the strength to carry on

In times uncertain

When the heart is troubled,

I know where I belong.

It's not time to cry,

Nor time to say goodbye,

It's not time to be afraid anymore.

It's time to stand up tall,

Time to answer the call,

It's time to live my life the way it's meant to be.

The haunting melody ended. Harry felt somehow his mother had managed to elicit the feelings that were inside so many people. He was shaking. Hermione had sung it with so much passion, he sensed that it illustrated her feelings as well. Tears were welling in his eyes as Hermione located the next piece of music.

Every night I lay in bed and

Slowly dream of things that haunt me.

And all that is there, is the one,

Who holds my heart within his hands.

You don't know the power he holds,

Over my life; can you feel it?

Then, he will come,

Steal my life

And he haunts my dreams,

Steals my slumber.

And will take my life.

Time and time again I see him

Breaking into my surroundings

Then I'm left all alone crying

Wondering what's left for me now

How can he take my life like that?

Take away all those who love me.

Yes, he will come

Steal my life.

He'll haunt my days,

Till they're over

Please don't steal my life.

Hermione stopped. Here eyes too were filled with tears. She turned to Harry.

'Why?' Harry said.

'She knew,' she said crying. Sobbing in fact. 'She knew that your dad was going to die. I think she thought you would too. She knew Voldemort was going to kill him. Oh Harry, she was so scared. She was facing life without the people that she loved. I know exactly how she feels.'

'What do you mean?' Harry asked somewhat resentfully. He sincerely doubted no one could completely understand the impact that the melody had on him. 'It's not like you're in exactly the same situation, is it Hermione.'

'I don't want you to die either,' she answered. 'Harry, I couldn't bear life without you.'

Harry didn't quite understand what she was saying. He was in complete denial of what had come over him in the last couple of days. The music appeared to have touched her almost as deeply as it had Harry. He was refusing to listen to her hidden message.

'Hermione,' he said, 'I'm not going to die. I'm not looking for trouble. I'm not going to search Voldemort out. I'll be there for you. I'm your friend. Always.'

'But, Harry,' she said, 'I want so much more than friendship.'

He looked at her in surprise. He could no longer ignore what she was saying.

'What did you say?' he asked.