Harry Potter and the Crystalline Darkness

Chapter 27

Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room and looked around with satisfaction. People were sitting, lying or sprawled all over the place and there was a veritable mountain of ripped wrapping paper and gifts sitting in piles everywhere.

Sirius and Remus were sprawled in front of the fireplace with Fred and George, something that was making everyone nervous every time they looked over in that direction. Ron and Hermione were sitting together in one of the over-stuffed chairs near the Christmas tree talking quietly, Hermione in Ron's lap. Neville and Luna had copied them in another over-stuffed chair. Mr Weasley was over at a table on one side of the room catching up with Bill and Charlie while Mrs Weasley was suffused with delight as she spoke with Percy and Penelope nearby. Tonks was lounging on several cushions on the floor along with Jun'ko and Tien and the three of them seemed to poking gentle fun at each other. Master Nhean was sitting in an armchair talking with a slightly uncomfortable Severus Snape who was lying on a couch on Poppy Pomfrey's strict orders. Harry was sitting on a small couch nearby with his arms wrapped around Ginny and feeling very content.

Ginny looked up from where she had been examining the emerald necklace Harry had given her for Christmas. "You look pleased," she observed.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had," he said with immense satisfaction. "I thought last year's was good. This one was better."

"It has been good," Ginny agreed. "Mind you, Fred and George have been on their best behaviour. Normally there are a lot more explosions."

The young couple looked over towards the fireplace and both shuddered at the animated expressions on the faces of the four pranksters lounging there.

"The day is young," Harry said lightly.

"Mmm," Ginny agreed. "We've still got Christmas lunch to go. Ample opportunities for the four of them."

"Shall we tell your Mum?" Harry asked idly.

"I'm sure she's already prepared," Ginny replied with a grin. "She's had years of putting up with Fred and George. I don't think the addition of Sirius and Remus is going to bother her."

Harry chuckled and Ginny leaned into him a little more. "Have I thanked you for my necklace?" she asked.

"Several times," Harry replied dryly.

"You really didn't have to spend so much," Ginny said feeling a little overwhelmed. It was by far the most expensive present anyone had received.

"I didn't," Harry said shyly. "It was my Mum's. There's a larger vault that contains all of Mum and Dad's things as well as the Potter family stuff that I don't officially have access to until I graduate. Siri took me there during the summer holidays. He wanted me to be aware of it and to know about some things I'll have to deal with almost immediately after I have access to it. He suggested I might want to pick something out for you. I'd...already got your birthday present by then so I decided to pick something out for Christmas. Siri described all of Mum's jewellery and I liked that piece the best." He paused and looked nervous. "You do like it, don't you?"

Ginny swallowed hard. "I love it, Harry. It's beautiful."

"So are you," Harry said still in that shy tone. "I think Mum would be pleased to see you wearing her jewellery."

"We've got very similar colouring so it will suit me," Ginny said with a small laugh.

Harry grinned wryly. "I know. Sirius keeps teasing me about the Potter men preferring red-heads."

"Hmmph," Ginny grumped. "I'd say the Potter men simply have good taste in their women."

"I'm not going to argue with you," Harry said hastily

A chuckle from Master Nhean caught their attention and they looked over to where the diminutive Night Master was sitting with Professor Snape.

"It is a wise man who learns not to argue with the woman he loves," Nhean intoned with mischief in his eyes.

"I think that's the first time I've ever been called wise," Harry said dryly.

"I feel I must agree," Snape said with a twitch of his lips. "I would also like to thank you for your gift, Mr Potter." He gestured to the book in his lap; he had one hand lying on it very possessively. "I was wondering where you managed to obtain it. I believe it is out of print."

"Uh, same place I got Ginny's necklace," Harry stammered. "It was in the Potter vault. There were two copies of it in there. Sirius told me it was rare and since there were two copies, I thought you might find it of more use than I ever would."

A small smile crept onto Snape's face, surprising the two students. "I believe I will however by the end of your Tyro I think you will find the other copy of value as well."

Harry looked a little dubious. "I hope so. Did the Guild approve of your method of magically monitoring a potion?"

"They are in the middle of doing some extensive testing of it," Nhean responded. "They want to be absolutely sure it works under as many conditions as possible before they disseminate it through the Guild. Some of our members can react badly if something they are using to replace their lost sight fails on them."

Harry nodded firmly. "I can understand that," he said fervently. "But it does work?"

"Yes," Severus replied. "However Nhean wishes to wait until the Guild formally approves of it before I teach it to you."

"That's okay," Harry said. "It's probably better to wait. If it does fail in some situations, I want to know about it before I start using it."

"You're nervous about that sort of thing?" Nhean asked cautiously.

"Yeah, a bit," Harry replied. "I know I'd be pretty disconcerted if something like that suddenly stopped working just as I was relying on it."

"Do we need to do more work on doing things without Oversight?" Nhean asked with concern.

"Um, I don't think so," Harry replied. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Nhean nodded thoughtfully. "I might get you to start working with Jun'ko and Tien on that score. I know you can move around fairly well without your Oversight but I might get them to start working on fighting without Oversight."

Harry gaped. "Is that even possible?"

"Of course it is," Nhean said firmly. "It's not easy but it is something I always intended you to work towards."

"Oh," Harry said nervously. "It sounds dangerous."

Snape snorted derisively but both Nhean and Harry ignored him.

"We'll start with unarmed combat," Nhean said soothingly. "Only once you have established some expertise with that will we move onto doing this with weapons."

"Oh, okay," Harry said relaxing a fraction.

"You lot aren't talking business at Christmas, are you?" came the cheerful question from one of the twins.

"Because you know there's a penalty to be paid if you are," the other one finished.

Snape glared fiercely at them and the twins pretended to cower in front of him.

"I'm hit!" Fred said rather melodramatically as he collapsed into his brother's arms. "Go on without me, Forge! It is your destiny!"

George slowly and dramatically lowered his supposedly dying brother to the floor as the room erupted in laughter and proceeded to weep and wail over his "dead" body.

"Oh, my dear, dear brother, Gred!" he wailed. "However can I go on without you? To think that you could withstand the trials and tribulations of the dreaded Umbridge only to be felled by a Snape." He leapt to his feet and struck a dramatic pose. "But I shall persevere! Onwards to our noble destiny!"

With that he charged across the room and sprawled down next to the laughing Remus and Sirius. Mrs Weasley picked her way through the wrappings and presents to George and swatted him on the back of the head while smothering her laughter.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Severus," she said as she fixed Fred with as stern a look as she could manage.

"Do not apologise, Molly," Severus said with amusement lurking in his eyes. "Would that it was true," he finished slyly.

The laughter, which had been tapering off, erupted again at that and Bill and Charlie began poking fun at their brothers. Nhean chuckled as Fred scampered off the join his twin then looked at Harry.

"I shall defy the brothers Weasley only a little more," he said. "I would like to step up your training in manipulating magic strands. Particularly considering what happened with that magical trap when you were bringing the antidote up to the Hospital Wing."

Ginny shuddered and Harry tightened his arms around her in a reassuring manner. Snape frowned at this.

"What precisely happened?" he asked curiously.

Harry hesitated for a moment then swallowed hard before describing the trap that had been left, most likely by Pansy, and what he and the others had done to get rid of it.

"The castle can be a little forceful when she wants to be," Harry concluded as Ginny shivered again.

Severus, in the meantime, was more than a little startled. No one had mentioned this little incident to him. From what little he knew of the ways of the Guild from his reading and the few scraps of information Nhean was willing to share with him, what Harry had done was remarkable for someone with as little training as he had.

"Are you sure it was Miss Parkinson?" was all he asked however.

Harry shrugged. "Well, that's just an assumption. Hermione said that time-release spells aren't that difficult once you know what you're doing and I somehow doubt Crabbe and Goyle would have the knowledge to set that up."

Snape snorted. "Indeed. They would have neither the knowledge nor the power required."

Harry was about to answer when a trickle of pain ran through his scar. He hissed and stiffened.

"Harry?" Ginny asked with concern.

Harry did not reply but instead concentrated on that feeling of pain. It lingered for a few moments longer then faded.

"Potter?" Snape snapped.

Harry relaxed back into the couch. "It's gone. It was definitely Voldemort but it didn't last long."

"What was it?" Snape asked.

Harry frowned. "I...don't know," he said slowly. "I think he was pleased about something." He shrugged and snorted. "Maybe he got a really good Christmas present."

Severus grimaced and shifted slightly on the couch. Thanks to the antidote, the poison had left his system but the weeks of its presence in his blood stream had left him with some residual stiffness and aches. Poppy had determined that these would fade given time and rest, hence his position on the couch.

"I would think that any present that would cause the Dark Lord that much pleasure would not bode well for us," he observed.

Now it was Harry's turn to grimace. "I know," he said quietly.

Ginny looked at the two men and decided to change the subject. "Harry? What was that present you got from Sirius? You and he seemed to find it incredibly funny though I noticed Remus was rolling his eyes a bit. You wouldn't let me see it."

A blush crept onto Harry's cheeks, much to the amusement and curiosity of the others. "Er, that's something Siri has had for a while. He wanted to give it to me ages ago but Remy wouldn't let him."

"But what is it?" Ginny persisted.

"A leather jacket," Harry admitted. "So that he can teach me how to ride his motorbike."

Ginny's jaw dropped a bit and she seemed to eye Harry speculatively for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed and her mouth settled into a firm line. "You are not wearing that jacket around school," she insisted.

Harry looked surprised which caused Nhean to start laughing. Snape looked slightly confused however.

"Miss Weasley, why would you forbid him from wearing an item of clothing?" he asked curiously.

Harry opened his mouth to answer but Ginny beat him to it. "He's not wearing that where other girls might see him," she said hotly. "I worked damn hard to get Harry all to myself and I'm not letting some jumped up little tart try to take him away just because he looks good in a leather jacket."

Harry's blush deepened. "Ginny," he said soothingly as Snape started to chuckle deeply as well. "I'm only going to wear it when I'm riding the bike," he finished in a tone of entreaty, giving Snape and Nhean a look that said without words 'help me'.

"I should think that if Harry has not left you after everything that has happened in the last year and a half then some...er, what did you say...some jumped up little tart is not going to be able to now," Nhean said smoothly much to Harry's relief.

Ginny blushed a little. "Well, I suppose that's true," she admitted.

"Besides," Harry said wryly. "I really don't think they're going to be too interested in a blind man, leather jacket or not."

Ginny let out an exasperated sigh. "Harry! There is more to you than just being a blind man. You're handsome, you're kind, you're funny, nice, lovely and powerful." She stopped as she caught sight of Harry's surprised and slightly disbelieving expression and she growled in frustration. "Harry Potter! Honestly! And people think I have self-esteem issues at times."

Harry stammered for a moment. "When you spend so much time being told you're a freak, it's hard not to believe it," he said softly.

Both Snape and Nhean had heard that soft comment though they rather thought they weren't meant to and they exchanged surprised and incredulous glances.

"You are not a freak," Ginny said in a firm but equally soft tone. "I swear if I ever meet those Dursleys I'm going to teach them what magic is all about."

That surprised a laugh out of Harry and he ran a gentle hand down her cheek. "Maybe just Uncle Vernon and Dudley," he said with wry humour. "Aunt Petunia seems to have rather improved since I've been gone."

Ginny blushed and gave a self-conscious laugh. She then leaned up and kissed Harry softly on the lips. The young man curled a hand round the back of her neck and deepened the kiss somewhat though not as far as he would have liked, being aware of the considerable audience in the room. He pulled back with a sweet smile that was echoed by Ginny.

"Tell you what," he said quietly. "I'll start believing in myself if you stay away from the Dursleys."

"Deal," Ginny said with a growing grin.

Nhean cleared his throat gently, causing the two young Gryffindors to jump and look at him with surprise. The Night Master was smiling gently while Snape eyed them with sardonic amusement.

"I believe we were talking about your training," he suggested, trying to bring the conversation back to its original track.

"Er, yeah," Harry said. "Um, I guess it'd be a good idea to do more training. I remember thinking that I wished I knew more about it before I started deactivating that spell." He paused. "Is there a way of stopping those weird side-effects of leaching the magic from the strands?"

"Yes," Nhean replied. "We just hadn't got that far."

Harry gave a sigh of relief. "Oh good, because that was definitely unnerving."

Nhean reply was cut off my Mrs Weasley announcing it was time to go downstairs for lunch and warning the twins, Sirius and Remus that any pranks would be looked upon dimly. The four pranksters gave her very innocent looks that nobody in the room believed for a moment and they all wended their way down to the Great Hall.

****************************************************************************

The next morning Harry stood outside in his new leather jacket watching Sirius wheel his motorbike up from where it was stored in a shed behind Hagrid's hut. The animagus was also wearing a leather jacket and was grinning broadly. Harry had managed to convince the others, with a little help from Remus, that he really didn't need an audience for his first attempt at riding the bike. He had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be anything like riding a broom and he wasn't that enthusiastic about making a fool of himself in public. Sirius wheeled the bike up in front of him and kicked the stand out.

"Now, how much can you see of the bike through the overlay?" Sirius asked.

Harry examined the machine in front of him. "Er, not much actually. Just the general shape of everything."

Sirius nodded to himself. "Kind of what I expected," he said. "Okay, we do this the long way then."

He gestured for Harry to join him and began describing each part of the bike, being careful to point it out and have Harry run his hands over it even if there was little to feel. He described what each part was for, how it worked and why it was important. Harry listened intently and realised that his godfather was actually quite a good teacher. For a brief moment he regretted dropping Astronomy then he concentrated on what Sirius was telling him. Once Sirius finished his spiel, he pointed to various parts of the bike at random and got Harry to tell him what it was.

"Excellent!" Sirius said when they finished that. "Hop on."

Harry did so, feeling a little awkward. That feeling faded as Sirius explained the mechanics of actually starting and riding the bike, as well as operating the flying and invisibility mechanisms. He got Harry to run through the process of starting the bike three times before he actually allowed his godson to start her up. Harry finally started to grin as he felt the engine growl underneath him.

"Alright, now release the clutch slowly and give her a bit of juice," Sirius said over the noise of the engine as he pushed the kickstand up with one foot.

Harry did so and yelped when the bike began to move and then wobble. He quickly steadied the bike and slowly steered it in a circle around Sirius. When he brought the bike back to where he started, Sirius moved in closely again and got him to tell everything he'd been told about changing gears. Harry glibly repeated Sirius' instructions and the animagus eyed him with amusement.

"Okay, Pronglet," Sirius said with a grin as he climbed on the bike behind his godson. "Let's see if you can put those instructions into practice."

Harry's grin faltered for a moment then that competitive fervour that always overtook him on the Quidditch pitch came to the fore. He drove slowly at first but with Sirius' encouragement and his own growing confidence, he was soon zipping around the grounds at a fair pace.

"Let's get airborne!" Sirius yelled into his ear.

Harry nodded and flicked the switch that engaged the flying spell. The bike took off rather smoothly and Harry couldn't resist a yodel of exhilaration as they flew through the air. He heard Sirius laughing delightedly behind him. He couldn't have determined how long they flew through the air before Sirius tapped him on the shoulder.

"We'd better land," he yelled cheerfully.

As Harry guided the bike back towards the entrance to the castle, they both noticed Remus come charging out and wave at them frantically.

"Moony looks a little worked up about something," Sirius bellowed and Harry nodded absently as he concentrated on landing the bike without killing or maiming either of them.

His landing was a little bumpy but didn't throw either of them off the bike so Harry counted it as a good one. He brought the bike to a halt with what he thought was a professional flourish only to have that completely ignored when Remus came running up to them.

"He's escaped," was the first words out of his mouth.

Sirius grinned at Harry and clapped him cheerfully on the shoulder as they both climbed off the bike, seeming to ignore his friend at first. "Great job, Pronglet!" he said, his eyes bright. "You're a natural. I knew you would be." He looked over at Remus. "Now what are you blathering on about, Moony old pal?"

"He's escaped," Remus repeated grimly.

Harry and Sirius exchanged blank looks. "Who's escaped?" Sirius asked patiently.

"Peter," Remus replied with a hint of bitterness.

"What?" Sirius yelped in unison with Harry. "I thought he'd been given the Kiss!"

"They delayed it," Remus said, the bitter tone becoming more prominent. "Apparently he said he had some more information and they believed him. They postponed the Kiss because what he said was something important. They delayed it until they could either confirm or deny his story and he escaped sometime yesterday."

Harry gasped and paled. "Oh no, that's probably what it was."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius demanded, his hand suddenly hard on Harry's shoulder.

"Yesterday," Harry babbled, slightly incoherently. "There was a moment, just a really brief moment when my scar hurt. It didn't hurt too badly and went away so quickly that I didn't think anything of it. All I could get was that Voldemort was really happy about something."

"Why didn't you tell someone?" Sirius asked.

"I did," Harry said indignantly. "Master Nhean and Professor Snape were right there when it happened."

"Why would Voldemort be happy about that little rat bastard escaping?" Sirius growled. "He has to know he sang like a bird in the Aurors hands."

"I'm sure he does and I'm sure Peter will pay for that," Remus replied sourly. "But Peter is also the perfect person for sneaky little spying missions. After all, who notices a rat?"

"Why didn't they tell us?" Harry asked.

"That they'd delayed the Kiss?" Remus asked. At Harry's nod, he continued. "Because they didn't think it would matter. No matter what he told them, it wasn't going to change his sentence. It was just a matter of timing. They didn't think we'd care when he was Kissed, just that it happened."

The low growl from Sirius was all the warning Harry and Remus had before the Animagus burst out in a vicious bout of swearing. Before either of them could do anything, Sirius had leapt onto his bike and gunned it into the air, disappearing before their eyes as the invisibility mechanism was engaged.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled after his godfather. He turned abruptly, wanting to head to the Tower and his broom but was stopped when Remus wrapped an arm around him, much as he had that terrible day in the Ministry of Magic.

"Let him go," the werewolf said sadly. "I don't think he'll do anything stupid. He's just...frustrated and angry. He wants nothing more than to see Peter out of our lives for good. He knows it won't bring back James and Lily or change anything that happened to you but he's afraid of what Peter might do."

Harry struggled against his guardian for a moment then sagged back into the older man's embrace.

"The Headmaster is going to strengthen the wards around the school," Remus said as soothingly as he could. "And instruct the ghosts and portraits to keep an eye out for a rat with a silver paw." He paused and much to Harry's surprise chuckled softly. "Professor McGonagall has promised to patrol the castle as much as she can in her animagus form. She seemed rather taken with the idea of playing ratcatcher."

Harry gave a small huff of laughter. "Maybe Ginny can join her."

Remus chuckled; Ginny had finally managed her animagus transformation about a month previous. She had been highly frustrated at not being able to join the others in their occasional jaunts through the Forest. She had been able to get through all steps of the process except the last one, the actual transformation itself. She had finally approached the Transfiguration Mistress and with Professor McGonagall's patient help, she had succeeded into transforming into the marmalade cat that the visualisation spell had shown her. Harry and the others had been highly suspicious and more than a little nervous about the secretive looks the two women tended to share from time to time since that day. This was not helped by the occasional sightings of two cats, one grey tabby and one marmalade, slinking through the castle.

"I've no doubts she will," Remus said, his mood lightening. "Come on. There's no point waiting out here. Sirius will be back when he's good and ready."

Harry stared up into the air where his godfather had disappeared for a long moment, unable to see anything through the Oversight. Finally he sighed and allowed Remus to steer him inside the castle.