Magic At Its Deepest

It was a very nice living room. The furnishings were all quite elegant, almost certainly antiques, and dripped good taste. The sofa and chairs were fashioned from mahogany and crowned with rich brown cushions. Harry recognized the room immediately - it was the same one he'd seen in his dream of Pettigrew. When he glanced down, he found that he was lying on the same carpet Pettigrew had been on. His hands were untied - perhaps Malfoy didn't think him a threat, since his wand was gone - and Sirius was sitting up next to him. He smiled faintly at his godfather. "'Lo, Sirius. All right?"

"Yeah," Sirius said, returning his smile. It wasn't exactly true, but he'd been worse. Their struggle with the Death Eaters had been quick and almost painless - the hallway they'd been in was much too small for them to dodge curses coming from that many people at one time. Sirius had barely taken two steps in the direction they'd come before he was hit with a Stunning Spell, and when he woke up, "Harry...when Malfoy comes back, if he's alone, I'm going to distract him - I'll turn into the dog and jump him, he won't be expecting me to be quite so large. I want you to run for it."

"I'm not leaving you!" Harry said, horrified. "We'll figure out..."

"Harry! Listen to me," Sirius said firmly. "You need to be at Hogwarts. You need to run, get Dumbledore, tell him where I am."

"It'll take too long! I can't Apparate, and anyway he's got my wand, I'd have to..."

"Take the Knight Bus. You've done it before," Sirius said implacably, and when Harry continued to stare at him in silent horror, he said, "Harry...I've got a better chance with you free than I do with you here."

Harry swallowed, then nodded once, somberly. "Yes, Sir," he said softly. "Sirius...I love you."

Sirius reached up and ruffled his hair with a slight grin. "Love you too, kid," he said. "And...if anything goes wrong..."

"I'll figure out how Mum came back from the dead, bring you back too, and kick your arse," Harry said firmly.

"That's my boy."

"Well, isn't this sweet?" said a sneering voice from behind them, and they looked up, scowling, into the pointed face of Lucius Malfoy. "Gryffindor bonding rituals, no doubt. Such a touching domestic scene, I hate to interr--AAAH!"

Sirius, true to canine instinct, had gone straight for the jugular, and Harry got no small amount of satisfaction from the panicked look on Lucius Malfoy's face when the massive dog crashed into him. He would have liked to stay behind, but he knew Sirius was right - he had to get loose and go to Dumbledore, and Malfoy probably had goons waiting outside the door, waiting. So he ran, surprising Malfoy (who hadn't expected him to just abandon his godfather that way), darting through the halls and hoping that he would find an exit soon.

He didn't - but he did find something better. Something wonderful. A broom, mounted on the wall of what he decided had to be Draco Malfoy's bedroom. Malfoy's bedroom, all on its own, was the size of Number Four Privet Drive. That didn't really surprise Harry, as the Malfoys' sizable fortune was common knowledge (mostly because Draco never stopped talking about it). The broom was Malfoy's old one, a Comet 360, and the moment Harry jumped on it, he knew Ron had been right when he said it wasn't nearly as good as the Nimbus 2000 Harry had once owned. As for the broom Sirius had given him, well, comparing the Firebolt with this broom was like comparing the Comet with the broom a Muggle swept his floor with - there was no comparison. The phrase 'beggers can't be choosers' sprung to mind, though, and besides, Harry found it very appropriate that Draco Malfoy's old broom was going to save him and Sirius from Malfoy Manor. With that thought in mind - and happily picturing Malfoy's face if he ever found out - Harry jumped back on the broom and turned around, heading back the way he came.

When he got back to the living room, Sirius was lying on the floor, back in human shape, screaming and convulsing, and Malfoy was standing over him, his back turned to Harry, his wand trained on Sirius' chest. Harry knew the Cruciatus curse when he saw - and heard - it, and he urged the broom forward, furious at the sight of his godfather's suffering, and kicked Malfoy in the back of the head. Malfoy was so involved in watching Sirius suffer that he didn't realize Harry was behind him, and probably never even felt the blow to the head that left him sprawled unconscious on his living-room floor and freed Sirius from his torture.

Sirius certainly felt the pain stop, though - he lay on the floor, panting, and then raised his head, eyes widening at the sight of his godson. "Harry..."

"I found a broom," Harry said quietly, and dismounted, then started searching Malfoy, grinning in triumph when he found their wands stuffed in the Death Eater's pocket. "Excellent." He took the wands, then walked over to Sirius, broom. His grin faded, and he eyed the older man worriedly. "Can you stand?"

Not 'Are you all right?', because he knew Sirius wasn't. Sirius smiled up at him, holding out his hand. "With some help."

Harry took the hand and pulled him to his feet. Sirius stood there for a second, wobbling slightly, then looked apologetically at his godson. "I was wrong," he said, and promptly passed out.

Harry yelped in surprise, barely managing to catch Sirius before he could hit the ground. "Bloody Hell." He got back onto the broom, then put a Feather-light spell on his godfather, hauling Sirius up in front of him. Flying was awkward, with one arm wrapped around Sirius, but he managed to go all right until he could get down to the road, where he landed, stuck out his wand arm, and waited. He didn't have to wait long - seconds later there was a loud bang, and the Knight Bus appeared in front of him. Stan Shunpike emerged a second later and opened his mouth to deliver his usual address, but Harry cut in before he could. ""I need to get to Hogwarts, Stan."

Stan closed his mouth, blinked, and then grinned. "'Arry! 'Arry Potter!" He crowed, delighted. "Look Ern! It's 'Arry Potter! 'E's alive after all!"

"Hi, Stan...yeah, I'm fine. Listen, can...."

"An' 'ere we'd all thought you were dead! After that attack on the Ministry, we said, 'That Potter boy's had it for sure this time, an' Black with him.' An' 'ere you are, right as rain!"

"Yeah. Right. Rainy." Harry looked nervously over his shoulder, then back at the conductor. "Look, Stan..."

"An' that's Sirius Black!" Stan peered interestedly at Sirius' prone form. "Is 'e dead, 'Arry?"

Harry briefly considered hitting Stan for the casual way he said that, but decided against it. "No...not dead, just unconscious..."

"An' 'e really dinnit kill anybody? I'll tell you, it gave me a right start when I read that. Said it to Ern, dinnit I, Ern? Dinnit I?"

"Yeah, it shocked everybody..."

"An' then we heard your mum was back! An' I said to Ern, I said, 'Ern, that Potter's mum, she's come back from the dead! Wonder how it happened.' How'd it happen, 'Arry?"

"I dunno. Listen, Stan..."

"Dinnit think anybody could do sommat like that...'course, dinnit think anybody could put paid to You-Know-Who either, an'..."

"STAN!" Harry, having finally lost his patience, bellowed the conductor's name at the top of his lungs. Stan, taken back, paused, and Harry continued in low, fierce tones. "Sirius and I just got away from the people who kidnapped us, who were holding us in a house just over that hill. They've tortured Sirius with the Cruciatus Curse. We barely managed to get away, and they're coming right now. The only reason they're not already here is because there are anti-Apparition charms around the property, so they have to chase us the old-fashioned way. But they are coming, Stan, and if we're still standing here when they come, they're going to catch us and give all of us to Voldemort." Stan went white and took a step back, and Harry stepped forward. "I don't think I have to tell you what Voldemort's going to do to me and Sirius, and I doubt if he'll be any more merciful toward somebody who was going to help us. So unless you're in a quick hurry to die a slow and very unpleasant manner, I suggest you stop talking and get us out of here."

***

Whether it was the way Harry spoke to him, his use of Voldemort's name, the thought of Death Eaters coming after them or a combination of all three, something lit a fire under Stan's backside. He helped Harry get Sirius and the broom onto the bus, laid Sirius down in one of the beds, and even offered, just this once, to waive the customary fee. It transpired that the bus couldn't go on the actual grounds, so Stan let them off at the gate, and Harry pulled Sirius back onto the broom.

Due to his panic over Sirius' condition, he did something which was very much against the school rules, and which he would never have done under usual conditions - he flew up to the entrance closest to the Infirmary, opened the doors with a flick of his wand, and kept flying, through the school corridors over the astonished heads of several of his fellow students (and a teacher he was going too fast to recognize) and right up to the infirmary door. Only because the thought of Madame Pomfrey's retribution scared him did he dismount outside her doors, hefting Sirius in his arms and carrying him inside.

"Mister Potter!" Pomfrey said, stunned, when she saw him. "What...how..."

"Sirius needs you, Madame," Harry said, walking past her and putting his godfather in a bed. "Help him. I have to find the Headmaster."

"Just a moment, young man! You aren't going anywhere until I've checked you out!"

"I'm fine!" Harry said, perhaps a bit too loudly. "Sirius is the one who's not conscious, in case you didn't notice!"

"Mister Potter..."

"I have to find Dumbledore..."

"I am here, Harry." Albus Dumbledore sailed into the room, beaming jovially at Harry. "Escaped again, I see. My dear boy. So glad to see you alive. And...Sirius..."

"He's unconscious, Professor," Harry said, a little calmer now that Dumbledore was there. "How did you know..."

"Professor McGonagall was kind enough to fetch me after you flew over her head," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "She seemed to think your temerity in flying around inside the castle indicated some urgency on your part."

"Oh. That was her?" Harry blushed faintly. "I didn't recognize her."

"Understandable, given the speed at which you were going. She's gone to fetch Professor Lupin and your friends from class. Your mother has already been informed."

"Class?" Harry said, startled. "But...it's still Saturday...isn't it?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, my boy. It's Monday, and we've all been very worried about you."

"Oh...but I...it was Saturday...he knocked us out, and we just woke up..."

"He probably kept you unconscious to prevent your escape," Dumbledore said. "Sensible of him, though keeping you in his house..." He came closer, peering at the boy worriedly. "Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry blinked a few times, then nodded. "Yes, Sir, I'm fine. It was Sirius who...I'm fine."

Dumbledore looked like he might say something else, but before he could, the door slammed open, admitting his mother, who flew across the room and embraced him. "Harry! Oh, Harry!" she gasped. "So worried...we were so worried..."

"I'm fine, Mum," Harry said, hugging her back. "I'm fine, I...oh, please don't." She had started crying, and he patted her back awkwardly, horrified. "Please, Mum..."

"I'm s-sorry! I c-can't h-help it," Lily stammered between sobs. A minute later, Ginny Weasley arrived in much the same condition, and Harry, knowing Hermione well enough to know that she'd be crying too, had the feeling he was in for a very long night.

***

Ron peered mournfully into his copy of Dream Oracles, ignoring Trelawney, who was prattling on about some Muggle nutter named Sickbed Friend or something like that. According to this guy, if you dreamed about a friend dying and mourned for them in the dream, it meant you wanted him dead. Ron had nightmares about people he knew dying all the time, and he certainly didn't want any of them dead. Well, maybe Malfoy, but he never mourned for Malfoy in his dreams, so there went that theory.

Last night he'd dreamed about Harry dying. Because Lucius Malfoy had him, and despite Fudge's protests about old wizarding families and generous donations, everybody knew the Malfoys were Voldemort's lapdogs. Everybody knew that when a Malfoy got his hands on Harry Potter, no good would come of it. Why else had Draco Malfoy looked so smug at breakfast that morning, so smug it had taken Hermione and both his twin brothers to keep Ron from beating him senseless? In the end, he'd settled down only because Hermione pointed out that if Voldemort hadn't killed Harry yet, and Ron beat Ferret-Boy to a pulp, Ferret-Boy was likely to write home, which would only make Ferret-Boy Sr. do something nasty in retaliation (she had called them by their proper names, but Ron preferred the ones he'd given them).

The sound of Trelawney's trap door opening tore him out of his thoughts, and he glanced over his shoulder, his heart sinking as Minerva McGonagall emerged from it. It had been his experience, over the years, that seeing her in a place she wasn't supposed to be was never good news. "Professor," he croaked softly, and heard several intakes of breath as the others saw her.

"Mr. Weasley," she said quietly. "Will you come with me, please?"

"Death!" Trelawney gasped dramatically before Ron could react, falling into a mock swoon - and landing on the lap of a rather horrified Seamus Finnegan. "Oh, my dears! I fear...I fear Mr. Potter is...is lost to us! Death! Oh, poor brave boy, to be taken so young!"

"Actually, Sybill," said McGonagall mildly, "Mr. Potter is very much alive, or so he seemed when he flew through the hall on a broomstick with Professor Black in tow, not ten minutes past. Perhaps it's time you got your Inner Eye retuned."

Trelawney slid off Seamus' lap and landed on the floor with a loud thump. For a second, everybody in the room gaped at McGonagall in shock, and then Ron leapt out of his chair with a triumphant whoop and astonished his Head of House by hugging her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her in a circle. A second later, he returned to his senses, and he put her back down, blushing. "Sorry, Professor," he explained when he saw her dumbstruck expression. "Carried away."

McGonagall swatted at his hand, grumbling, but didn't look all that displeased. "Potter's waiting in the Infirmary, Weasley," she said. "You'll go at once. Professor Lupin is rounding up Miss Granger."

"Yes, Professor! I'll get my things..."

"We'll get them, Ron," Dean said, gesturing between himself, Seamus and Neville, all of them beaming at him. "You go. Tell Harry we're glad he's all right."

"All of us," Lavender put in, unusually somber. Parvati nodded, and Ron smiled briefly at them before following McGonagall out the door.

They were met shortly thereafter by Hermione and Remus, both of them smiling widely, though Hermione had tears in her eyes. Ron hugged his girlfriend happily, holding her tight. "He's OK, Hermione. He's gonna be OK," he whispered.

"I know. I know!" Hermione gasped tearfully. "I just...I worry so much..."

"Me too. I do too. But he's so strong, Hermione...he'll be fine, he'll be brilliant...he'll have us, and Professor Lupin, and Sirius... he'll be OK."

Hermione shuddered slightly, then pulled away from him, nodding. "You...you're right. Of course. He'll always have us." She smiled slightly, then more genuinely as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Let's go see him."

***

When they got to the Infirmary, Harry was sitting up in his bed, holding his crying mother under one arm and Ginny, also in tears, in the other. He looked up at his friends and smiled, and Hermione let out a soft, choked sound and ran to him, throwing her arms around him and bursting into tears. "Hey," Harry said worriedly, "I've only got two arms, you know..."

Ron snorted, but Hermione wasn't amused. "Oh Harry! We were so worried! You could have been killed!" she gasped between sobs. "And Sirius..."

"He'll be fine, Hermione. He bit Lucius Malfoy, so he might have rabies," Harry said, smiling as she rewarded him with a choked giggle, "but other than that, he'll be OK."

Hermione nodded, wiping her eyes. "I know. I know, I'm being silly..."

"Not really. I was fair panicked too, when I got here. Or didn't Professor McGonagall tell you that I tore through the halls on a broom to get him here?" At her startled gasp, he grinned. "It's true! Didn't even recognize her when I flew right over her head."

"Well, I certainly recognized you," McGonagall said with a sniff. "You're the only person in this school crazy enough to ride a broom indoors. Well," she amended after a second's thought, "the only person who's not a redhead."

Harry grinned at her. "I wouldn't have done it if Sirius wasn't in such bad shape. I'd be too scared of what you'd do to me."

TBC...