Harry Potter and the Crystalline Darkness

Chapter 20

Harry stalked through the corridors, the envelope containing the letter from his Aunt clutched in one hand, his other hand gripping his cane overly tightly, his knuckles white. He hadn't opened it yet. Ginny had offered to read it to him but he had refused. He wasn't sure what his Aunt had written and he really didn't want to expose his girlfriend to any of the unpleasantness his relatives were so capable of. That had also been his reasoning behind not allowing any of the others to read it either. So that had left his godfather and guardian. The others had wanted to come with him but he had vetoed that idea as well, causing more than a little angst of the part of his friends. They had calmed down a little when he said he was going to see Remus and Sirius but they had demanded to know everything as soon as possible after he got back. Harry had reluctantly agreed then hurried out of the common room.

When he reached the portrait that guarded their rooms, he knocked sharply and opened the door. When he walked into the living room, Sirius and Remus were both sitting in chairs in front of the fire, reading.

"Harry!" Sirius said, seeing the closed expression on his godson's face. "What's wrong?"

"I need one of you to read this to me," he replied in a tight voice, thrusting the envelope out in front of him.

Sirius leapt out of his chair and took the envelope, turning it over to read the return address. He swore and thrust the envelope at Remus before ushering Harry over to the couch. Harry dropped his cane to the floor and slumped down onto the rather comfortable piece of furniture. Sirius sat down next to him and threw an arm around his shoulders. While this was happening, Remus had also read the return address and was now turning the envelope over and over in his hands. He looked over at Harry.

"Are you ready?" he asked gently.

"Not really," Harry replied in a slightly shaky voice. "But do it anyway."

Remus nodded and opened the envelope. He pulled the letter out and cleared his throat before beginning to read.

Dear Harry,

I know that you will probably not welcome this letter but I ask that you please hear me out before throwing it away. I also know that you will probably also find this request rather presumptuous given the way we have treated you in the past but I honestly do not know who else to turn to. Marge has given us up for dead, considering us nothing more than a disgrace, and there is no one else that we are close to that could help us.

Dudley has been acting very oddly the last couple of months. I had thought he was doing well in his new school, his grades had been good and his reports were also good. But then he met some odd friends, older men mostly, and since then his behaviour had become very strange. He is not rude or violent but he has become very secretive and he has been asking about you in a very strange manner and with a very odd expression on his face.

Last night, while he was out, I went and investigated in his room. What I saw shocked me deeply. Harry, I believe that he has fallen in with some kind of cult. There were the oddest death's head symbols on some papers he had and a strange black cloak and white mask. They seem to fit the descriptions Lily used to tell us of those supporters of that Dark wizard but I understood from what I heard of these people from her that were not interested in those such as us. I looked at some of the papers and while I didn't understand what was on them, I did see some names. Anton Dolohov, Bella Lestrange, Dray Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were among the names I could make out.

Harry, I'm terribly afraid that Dudley is in some kind of trouble. I know you have little reason to want help us but I truly do not know who else to turn to.

Yours,

Petunia Dursley

Silence reigned in the room after Remus finished reading. Finally Harry leapt to his feet and started pacing the room wildly, barely missing the low table.

"She actually wants me to help her! After everything she and that lump of lard of a husband did to me!" Harry railed, nearly knocking the table again. "Why should I? I should just let them rot!"

He continued on in that vein while Remus and Sirius sat and watched, allowing him to get his anger out of his system. After nearly half an hour, when Harry was finally starting to wind down, Remus placed the letter on the table next to the couch, stood and walked over to stand in front of the gesticulating Harry. He placed his hands on the young man's shoulders.

"Harry!" he said gently. "Come and sit down."

Harry stared at him intently for a moment then nodded curtly. He stomped over to the couch and flung himself down next to his godfather. Sirius immediately wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and Remus sat down on the other side of the distressed young man.

"Those were the names of Death Eaters," Remus said calmly.

Harry, who had been glaring sightlessly at the fire, suddenly slumped, all of the anger draining out of him. "I know," he said wearily. "I know."

"We'd better tell Dumbledore," Sirius said. "He'll know better than us what we should do."

"Now?" Harry said in an odd tone.

Sirius looked down at his godson and was surprised to see tears welling in the young man's eyes, tears he was clearly trying desperately to stop.

"Hey, Pronglet," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

Harry was silent for a moment, seemingly struggling with himself. "I'm sick of this!" he half-yelled as the tears now fell freely. He threw himself into his godfather's arms.

"I'm so sick of it all," he continued, his voice muffled by Sirius' jumper. "Why can't they just leave me alone?"

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry and rocked him gently. He didn't know which 'they' Harry was talking about but either way he just didn't have an answer for his godson's question; he wasn't sure anyone did. He looked up when Remus touched him lightly on the shoulder.

"I'll go up and talk to Albus," the werewolf said softly.

Sirius nodded and watched his friend pick up the letter from Petunia Dursley and quietly leave the room. He then turned all his attention back to his distressed godson. He felt a little helpless, unsure of what to say or do exactly. He hadn't known this might be in the job description when he had accepted the role of Harry's godfather. He snorted quietly; most of what had happened in the last seventeen years hadn't exactly been in the job description. He would do what he could though. He knew that Lily had been a little dubious about the idea of him being named godfather and Merlin knows he'd been more than a little irresponsible in his youth. But he had fallen in love with Harry from the first moment he'd laid eyes on him in St Mungo's, barely an hour old, and had quickly promised himself he would never let any harm come to the boy. He snorted softly again; he hadn't done that very well either but he knew that mostly wasn't his fault.

He felt Harry's sobs dying down and pulled back fractionally. He tipped the young man's head up and gave him a gentle smile. "Hey, Pronglet," he said softly.

Harry gave him a weak smile. "I'm sorry," he said in a shaky voice.

"Merlin, Harry!" Sirius said in disbelief. "You have nothing to be sorry for!"

"I got your jumper wet," Harry replied with wan humour.

Sirius stared at him for a second then started laughing, wrapping his arms around his godson in a firm hug.

"I've got plenty of jumpers, Pronglet," Sirius said with a barking laugh as he wiped the tears from Harry's face. "Moony keeps buying them for me for some reason."

Harry gave a tiny snort of laughter, Sirius' wry sense of humour edging past his upset. "Probably trying to keep you out of the leather jackets."

"Yeah, the man has no sense of style. He wears tweed after all," Sirius replied with a smile. "You can't ride a motorbike wearing a jumper. Riding a motorbike demands a leather jacket." Sirius paused and Harry gave him another small smile. Encouraged, Sirius continued. "Got one for you too but Moony won't let me give it to you. He doesn't want to encourage you to get on the bike. He says it's bad enough that you insist on flying around on your broom." He paused again and said in a conspiratorial manner, "Moony's not a very good flyer."

This surprised a burst of laughter out of Harry and the young man finally relaxed. Sirius slowly let him go and Harry settled back on the couch again, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"You don't have to help them, you know," Sirius said matter-of-factly. "Nobody would fault you if you didn't, considering the way they always treated you. They gave up any right to your care or concern a long time ago."

Harry looked down and plucked at the hem of his shirt. "I know," he said softly. "But Dudley's gotten himself mixed up with the Death Eaters somehow and he probably doesn't realise how bad they are or that they don't really like him. They'll probably kill him when they're finished with him just so he can't identify them."

Sirius nodded dubiously. "Not to sound too callous but so? What did Dudley ever do to help you?"

"Nothing," Harry said with a one-shouldered shrug. "But I can't let that happen to him."

Sirius looked at Harry with a proud smile. "You're a good man, Harry. James and Lily would be so damn proud if they could see you right now."

Harry looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Sirius said in a slightly exasperated tone. "Why wouldn't they? Harry, I love you dearly but sometimes I wonder about you. You are a wonderful, brave and loving young man. Everyone else can see this; I don't know why you can't."

Harry ducked his head as he blushed. Sirius looked at him with love and amusement.

"Never mind," the animagus said fondly as he ruffled his godson's hair. "We can work on your self-esteem issues later. Now, do you feel up to going to see Dumbledore?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I suppose so."

The two of them stood and Sirius picked up Harry's cane from where it had been droped. He handed it to his godson and they headed out of the room. As they walked down the corridor towards the Headmaster's office, Harry looked up at his godfather.

"Do you really have a leather jacket for me?" he asked curiously.

"Of course!" Sirius replied with a wicked grin. "A black one." His face fell. "Bloody Moony won't let me give it to you," he repeated with exasperation.

Harry looked at Sirius with amusement. "Okay, what exactly did you do to him with the motorbike that gets him so worked up about it?"

"Nothing!" Sirius protested, trying to look innocent and failing.

"Uh huh," Harry said with amusement. "And what was this nothing?"

"It really was nothing," Sirius protested. "I just gave him a lift back to his apartment after we'd gone out one night with Prongs and Wo...well, we'd gone out." Sirius shook his head mournfully. "Moony insists on thinking I was drunk."

"And were you?" Harry asked, struggling not to smile. He was glad of this silliness. The upcoming talk with Dumbledore was likely to be unpleasant and he didn't really want to think about it too much.

"No!" Sirius said indignantly. "I'd had a few ales, I'll admit that, but in no way was I drunk. I flew that bike nice and smoothly with an absolute minimum of aerobatics. It's not my fault that Moony's the worst flyer I've ever seen in my life."

Harry couldn't hold it back anymore and burst out laughing. Sirius grinned down at him and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"So want me to sneak you that jacket?" the animagus asked with a grin.

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "But only if I get a ride on the bike," he said then he paused and on odd expression crossed his face. "Though if what Hagrid told me is right, I think I already have."

A sad smile crossed Sirius' face. "Yeah, you have."

They walked in silence for a moment then Sirius grinned again. "I reckon Ginny might like your jacket as well."

"Huh?" Harry said, looking confused. "Why would she be wearing it?"

Sirius snorted with amusement. "I'm not saying she'll be wearing it, I'm saying she'll probably like it on you."

"Really?"

Sirius snickered. "Oh yeah. Girls like leather, Harry. Trust me, I have experience in this. Wear the jacket with jeans, a white t-shirt and boots and you'll be beating the girls off with a stick, my boy."

Harry snorted. "You mean Ginny will be beating the girls off with a stick. I don't need to attract the girls, Siri, I've already got one."

"Well, true," Sirius conceded. "But there's nothing wrong with letting the others know what they missed out on."

Harry laughed. "Well, maybe, but I don't want to upset Ginny."

Sirius shook his head mock-mournfully. "Harry, Harry, Harry! You're too young to go the same way as Prongs! At least he waited until after we finished Hogwarts to slide fully under Lily's thumb. You're already there! Live, my boy, live!"

Both of them burst into laughter and it took Sirius three attempts to get the password out in a form that could be understood by the gargoyle. It finally leapt aside and they headed up the stairs still spluttering with laughter. When they walked into the Headmaster's office, both Remus and Dumbledore looked up in surprise to find them laughing. Remus was rather pleased, clearly Sirius was better at this whole parenting thing than he had given him credit for.

"Are you going to let us in on the joke?" he asked mildly.

Sirius and Harry looked at the smiling werewolf and burst out laughing again. Remus raised an eyebrow and looked over at the Headmaster.

"Why do I get the feeling that I might be part of whatever those two are finding so funny?" he asked drolly.

"I have no idea, my boy," Dumbledore said with an amused smile. "But I do believe you might be right."

"Alright, you two," Remus said archly. "What's so funny?"

Harry struggled to get himself under control. "Siri thinks I'd look good in leather. I told him I didn't want to get in trouble with Ginny," was all he could manage before starting to laugh again.

Remus considered this for a moment as he put two and two together then he sighed. "Oh, give him the jacket then, Padfoot," he said with amused resignation. "But if he falls off that damn bike, it's on your head."

"Remy!" Harry yelped. "I'm not going to fall off. When have I ever fallen off my broom?" He paused then continued hurriedly. "In normal conditions, not as result of Dementors or people trying to hex me or anything else like that, because that doesn't count."

Remus opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the Headmaster.

"I think this is a discussion the three of you need to have a bit later," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with delight.

Remus subsided and Sirius and Harry sat down. Dumbledore waited until they were settled then picked up the letter and looked at Harry.

"What do you want us to do?" he asked kindly.

Harry's good humour disappeared in a flash and he sighed. "Help her," he said quietly.

"Are you sure?" the Headmaster asked gently.

"Yes, no, I think so," Harry replied as he ran a hand through his hair. "I...Dudley's got himself caught up in something that I'm sure he doesn't understand. He probably thinks that these people really do want to be his friends, the spoilt berk. But you and I know that Death Eaters don't make friends with Muggles. So they're after something." He paused and sighed. "Probably me...and, while I've got no love for the Dursleys, they don't deserve that."

Dumbledore looked at the young man in front of him with approval and pride. "Very well," he said. "I think we will keep you away from this as much as we can though."

Harry looked up and frowned. "Why?"

"Because there is a good possibility that this is some kind of trap," the Headmaster explained patiently.

Harry blinked. "Oh! I didn't think about that."

"I shall deal with this myself," Dumbledore continued. "Petunia knows me and will hopefully trust me."

Harry nodded dubiously. "If you're sure."

"I may ask you to come along if there are problems," Dumbledore replied. "But I would prefer to keep you out of it if possible just in case it is a trap."

Harry nodded again and Dumbledore stood.

"Now I suggest the three of you head off to your beds," he said kindly. "You all have classes tomorrow and we can do no more about this tonight."

Harry, Sirius and Remus all stood and quietly made their way out of the office. When they got to the point where Harry had to leave them to head up to Gryffindor Tower, they stopped.

"Are you going to be okay?" Sirius asked with a concerned look.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Good," Sirius said after a short pause.

Remus gave Sirius a look and the animagus grinned and gave Harry a hug before heading down the corridor.

"You do know I'm not upset about you riding the bike, don't you?" Remus asked a little anxiously. "I just worry about you."

Harry smiled at his guardian. "Yeah, I know. But I'm a good flier." He gave a small grin.

Remus sighed. "And I'm not," he replied dryly. "Just be careful, Harry."

"Always," Harry said seriously.

Remus nodded and gave Harry a hug before giving him a small shove in the direction of the Tower.

"Now get to bed," the werewolf said with a smile. "You've got Defence Against the Dark Arts tomorrow and you'd better be alert for it."

Harry laughed and headed up the corridor. When he crawled through the entrance hole he was completely unsurprised to find his friends sitting and sprawling around the fireplace, waiting for him. The rest of the common room was empty and he quietly walked over and joined them, sitting in one of the large squashy chairs in front of the fire. Ginny immediately got up from where she had been lying on the floor and cuddled up next to him in the big chair. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair and her perfume. He felt a lot of the tension drain out of him and he tilted her head up and kissed her softly.

"Oy!" Ron said with amusement as the kiss intensified. "That's my sister you're mauling there."

Harry and Ginny broke apart and Harry looked over at his best friend. "Why, I do believe you're right," he said with mock-surprise.

The others chuckled then Hermione fixed him with a stern look.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" she asked.

Harry tightened his arms around Ginny and she responded by gently stroking his hands.

"Dudley's gotten himself into trouble," Harry said finally. "The Death Eaters have been...getting close to him."

"Death Eaters?" Ron objected. "But he's a Muggle. Why would they have anything to do with him?"

"Because he's Harry's cousin," Neville said flatly.

"Yeah, that's what we think as well," Harry said grimly. "Aunt Petunia wrote to ask if I would help. She thinks he's in big trouble and I agree with her."

"So are you going to help?" Ginny asked softly.

"Yeah," Harry replied heavily. "Well, Dumbledore is anyway. He wants to keep me out of it as much as he can."

"Why?" Hermione asked. "Not that I don't agree with him. I don't think you should have anything to do with those horrible people again."

Harry smiled at her then sobered. "There's a good chance that this is some kind of trap. I mean, why else would Death Eaters make friends with Dudley?"

The others exchanged grim looks.

"How would Draco have known that you would help the Dursleys though?" Hermione asked with a worried frown. "I would have thought that Slytherin thinking would assume that you would completely abandon them after what they did to you."

"Voldemort," Harry said unhappily. "It's probably come from him. He's been in my head after all. He probably understands me better than Draco."

Hermione's worried look was suddenly shared by everyone and Harry started looking distinctly upset. Ginny looked around at the others with exasperation and when her gaze came back to Harry she sighed gently. She reached up and pulled his face down to hers and kissed him gently. Harry didn't respond at first then he seemed to realise what was happening and the kiss rapidly became rather heated. It took Ron's rather embarrassed throat clearing and Hermione's giggling to break them apart and when they did Harry blushed furiously. He did notice that Ginny wasn't blushing and looked rather smug.

"Do you feel better now?" she asked in an amusingly coquettish tone.

Harry's blush deepened and he began to smile again. "Yes, much," he managed to say.

"Good," Ginny replied. "Because we've got classes tomorrow and I think it's time we all went to bed."

Harry grinned as the others laughed. "Yeah, that's what Remus said."

Ginny returned the grin and the six of them headed off for their dorms.