Stormseeker: Borrowed Destiny

I'm speaking with Moony and Sirius in the Defense office the next day. Despite their long separation and estrangement, they've fallen back into being old friends again quite quickly. I think, all things considered, both of them really need friends more than anything else.

"So, what's the plan?" I wonder. "Are you just going to keep living as a fugitive?"

"They can't keep the Dementors around Hogwarts forever," Moony says. "Dumbledore would never stand for it."

"Well, it's not like I can go and try to get a fair trial now, can I?" Sirius says, barking a laugh. "It would be less than convincing to testify under Veratiserum that yes, I did indeed kill Peter, just not when they thought I did."

"We're going to need to come up with some sort of safe haven where you can stay," I say. "Someplace that isn't Hogwarts, that is."

"Stormseeker, where did you get these friends of yours, anyway?" Sirius says. "Your Slytherins have all but taken it in stride that the dog that's been living in their dorm is an escaped murderer. And they're... less of assholes than I had expected."

"Purely by accident, I assure you," I reply, chuckling and thinking back to my inadvertent confession of murder back when I started this life. "Unfortunately, the only adults that know my secrets are the two of you, and Dumbledore. And I don't know how much Dumbledore can or will do here."

"I don't know about convincing the Ministry, but Dumbledore is a good man," Moony says. "He'll believe that Sirius is innocent."

"I'm not innocent, just belatedly guilty," Sirius corrects him.

I chuckle softly. "Dumbledore's not as good as some think he is, but I think he'd help us. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for all he's done for me."

"Perhaps it would be best, then, to go and see him as soon as possible," Moony says.

Sirius slips the cloak on again, and the three of us head over to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore looks up from his work as we come inside.

"Good evening, Harry, Remus," Dumbledore says. "Sherbet lemon?"

"No thanks," I say. "There are important matters which we must speak to you of."

We bring Dumbledore up to speed on the matter of the Potters' Secret-Keeper and who really betrayed them. About the Weasleys' rat, and how Peter is now dead.

"Peter's death will complicate things," Dumbledore says. "But I can hardly allow the Boy-Who-Lived to go to Azkaban." He looks at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"I don't want to go back there either," Sirius says, pulling off the cloak.

"Hello, Sirius," Dumbledore says. "In light of recent revelations, it's good to see you alive and well."

"It's good to be alive and well," Sirius says. "And the boys have been good about keeping me safe and well-fed, even if they didn't realize it was me for most of that."

"So I thought you were just a starving stray at first," I say. "Well, you were, I suppose, just a starving stray wizard."

"Of course, you realize that you actually killing Peter will make it difficult to clear your name?" Dumbledore says.

"I don't care," Sirius says. "The little rat had it coming."

"Understandable," Dumbledore says gravely. "But the matter remains as to what to do with you. Do you have any properties that you could take refuge in?"

"Well, I suppose there's always Grimmauld Place," Sirius says, making a face. "I'd really rather not go back there, though, but I suppose it's technically mine now."

"I could have the place cleaned up a bit and put under a Fidelius Charm," Dumbledore suggests.

"I'd definitely rather not be cooped up in that house by myself, either," Sirius says. "That wouldn't be much better than just going back to Azkaban."

"Perhaps you could remain here at Hogwarts for the time being, and then spend the holidays there with Harry?" Dumbledore says.

"That sounds like a good idea," I put in. "I don't really have a base of operations that isn't Hogwarts, and I could really use one."

"I have to wonder just what you're doing that would require a base of operations..." Moony says. "You're a very strange boy, time traveler or no."

"Ah, so you've told them, have you?" Dumbledore says.

"I told them I'm an immortal time traveler," I say, looking at him with the implication that that's all I told them.

"Let him have his base of operations, if wants one, I say," Sirius says. "I suppose it wouldn't be such a horrible place if it were renovated a bit."

"I'll see what I can do," Dumbledore says. "Stay safe for now."

On Thursday evening, Moony calls me into his office. "I've found a boggart that we can practice your Patronus Charm again," he tells me. "I've got it stored in this cupboard here."

"Great," I say. I don't think I sound as enthusiastic as I should be, though.

"Are you sure you're up to this, Stormseeker?" Moony asks.

"There's no way in the Abyss that I'm backing down," I reply. "And if the Dementors come for Padfoot, I want to be able to ward them off."

It's strange to think how the revelation that my dog was really a man hasn't actually changed my feelings toward him much. I loved that dog, and now I love that man. As a dog. Yeah, so my head's still a little confused. But I'd be hypocritical if I got upset at him about pretending to be my dog. After all, I'm pretending to be his godson now, and won't tell him that secret for exactly the same reason he wouldn't tell me his.

"Your loyalty is admirable," Moony says. "Alright, you already know how to cast the spell, so let's move on to testing it. Are you ready?"

I nod. "Let's do it." I focus hard upon my thoughts of Sirius.

Moony opens up the cupboard, and backs away. A Dementor slowly moves out, looking at me with its hooded face. It starts to drift toward me, emanating bone-chilling cold.

I must stay focused. "Expecto Patronum!" I cast. Wisps of glowing, silvery vapor erupt from the end of my wand.

But I can't hold it for long. Terror strikes deep into the core of my being. Would I risk my soul, even for Sirius? My half-formed Patronus vanishes, and darkness clouds my vision. My cousins are screaming in my mind again, echoing over and over.

"Stormseeker!" Moony says. "Are you alright?"

The Dementor boggart is gone again, and I find myself laying on the floor of the office. I'm still trembling, and can't manage to form any words. Moony hands me a Chocolate Frog, and I nibble on it a bit.

"I think that needs more work," I mutter. I'm a little annoyed at myself for my performance. "But at least we know that my boggart is, indeed, a Dementor now. I didn't expect it to be so much like a real Dementor, though..."

"Boggarts of wizards can't actually cast spells, but they do take on the characteristics of other creatures," Moony says.

"I see," I say. "Alright, let me give it another shot."

"Very well," Moony says. "Nod when you're ready with your happy thought."

This time I focus upon the taste of pancakes. The hope for lifetimes. I give a nod, and Moony opens up the cupboard again, and again the boggart Dementor emerges and turns toward me.

"Expecto Patronum!" I shout.

Cloudy mist emerges from my wand like a glowing shield, and for a few fleeting moments, it seems to be holding off the negative effects of the Dementor. But it's not enough. My focus slips, my concentration wavers, and dark thoughts penetrate my mind. I can start with a blank slate, sure, but everything crumbles, sooner or later. Everything I might hope for falls apart before my eyes. What's the point in trying? All I do is make things worse. And I hear my cousins screaming, and know I have no hope of saving them, ever, in any life, no matter how many times I try.

"Stormseeker!" Moony is saying. "It's alright, it's gone again. You should eat some more chocolate. Come on, wake up..."

"I'm here," I say, taking a bite of the chocolate he offers.

"You're doing very well, all things considered," Moony says.

"I still couldn't hold it," I grumble. "And that was the best thought I could come up with."

"It may be that, given your unusual magical proclivity, you will need to come up with a storm-related memory in order for it to work," Moony muses.

"I've been thinking about that, since you mentioned it before," I say. "But I can't come up with anything good that's happened during a storm of any sort..." I don't spend a lot of time outside as it is, never mind when it's raining. "Meh, I'll try something, though." Maybe something lightning-related, at least.

"Maybe we should just call it a night here," Moony suggests.

I shake my head. "No, I'll give it one more shot, at least."

"Alright," Moony says. "Let me know when you're ready."

Thinking about the night I murdered Lockhart, I give a nod. Moony opens up the cupboard for a third time, and the boggart Dementor emerges, drifting toward me. It meets my rage and hatred, the pleasure I took in destroying someone who threatened those I care about. I can't even manage to get the incantation out. I drop my wand and fall to my knees, screaming. Sorrow, regret, despair...

"Chocolate, Stormseeker," Moony urges me as if from a long way away, even though he's right next to me. "Eat some chocolate."

I obey reflexively and eat up every bit of chocolate that Moony offers me. I think I have something else to add to my list of 'never again' now. You can't fight Dementors with dark thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Moony asks.

"I'll be fine," I murmur. "More chocolate."

"What happened, Stormseeker?" Moony asks, giving me a large bar of Honeydukes chocolate. "What went wrong that time?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I mutter. "But at least I didn't hear my family screaming as they're dying that time. It was still worse."

"You hear Voldemort murdering James and Lily when Dementors are near you?" Moony asks.

Sure, let's go with that. I nod absently. That was just a boggart. Just a boggart. How does anyone who goes to Azkaban stay sane? How did Sirius ever manage to escape? If that was what probably happens to Death Eaters, I can't imagine that any of them could emerge with their minds intact after even a week with the Dementors. Even a day!

"I think that's definitely enough for the night," Moony says. "Eat that chocolate all up."

Nibbling on the chocolate along the way, I leave of the Defense office. I don't head up to Gryffindor Tower, however, but rather down to the Slytherin common room, and go inside and straight to the third year boys' room in a bit of a daze. I plop down on the couch that's still sitting in there and lean back in a slump.

"Stormseeker?" Draco says. "Are you alright?"

"Just got out of Patronus practice with Moony," I mutter.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Draco says.

"It was against a boggart Dementor," I add.

"I take that back," Draco says.

Padfoot puts his head in my lap and comforts me with doggy cuddles. "I'll be alright," I murmur. "Thanks, Padfoot."

I just want to curl up and sleep right now. I pop another Dream Sweet into my mouth along with the rest of the chocolate I've been given. Blaise winks at me as I curl up on the couch and go to sleep.

Dueling Club on Saturday sees a fierce increase in competition between the four groups. Although there had originally been five, Ron decided to join his little sister's group toward the end of last term, making the Fire Guardians an even more formidable foe. Ron's real skill lies in tactics and strategy, not so much in leadership and actual combat ability.

Today, the Fire Guardians are fighting a group match against the Owl Order in the midst of the Great Hall. Storm Army sits watching from one end of the room, and the Fluffy Bunnies from the other end.

"I wouldn't have expected Ginny to be that good with curses," Draco says, looking vaguely impressed.

"Draco, is that a crush I see?" I say teasingly. "Planning to marry her now?"

Draco snorts softly. "I'm totally not."

The Owl Order is made up mostly of Ravenclaws with a few other assorted students mixed in. They have the advantage of being better with the actual spells, but their combat skill is lacking. The Fire Guardians, on the other hand, might not be as good with the spellcasting, but their strategy is tight and they're quite fierce in battle.

"Looks like the Fire Guardians have this one in the bag," Neville comments.

Suddenly, the gates to the Great Hall open with a bang, and several adult wizards I don't recognize stride inside.

"What is going on here?" asks the well-dressed man in the middle, looking over the duel.

"Wands away," Snape tells the students. "Dueling Club, Minister Fudge. I might ask what you are you doing here as well."

"That looked more like open warfare than dueling!" Fudge sputters. "What are you teaching your students here? I demand that you shut down this club at once!"

"Minister, did you really come all this way to criticize our extracurricular activities?" Snape says.

"No," Fudge says. "I've received a tip-off that Sirius Black is hiding inside of Hogwarts castle itself!"

The other students in the room look quite alarmed and several of them gasp, but Storm Army exchanges nervous looks, and my blood goes cold in dread. This isn't good. Did we let something slip somewhere? I was sure we were good about using, even overusing, privacy spells. We've gotten used to using them whenever we discuss any sensitive matters.

"Gather all the students into the Great Hall," Fudge demands. "I must have the Dementors search this castle from top to bottom in order to find him."

"Cover for me," I whisper to my friends, and I turn to quickly slip out of the Great Hall.

Once out of sight, I race down toward the Slytherin common room. There's several other Slytherins in the room who aren't in the intermediate dueling club, but they hardly notice me.

"Padfoot!" I say, clambering into the boys' dorm. "They know you're here. We need to hide you."

Sirius shifts into human form. "What's going on?" he asks.

"Dementors are going to search the castle," I say.

"Shit," Sirius mutters. "How did they find out?"

"I don't know," I say. "We need to hide you."

"The cloak won't fool Dementors," Sirius says. "I might be able to hide in animal form, but if somebody's tipped them off about my Animagus form, I'm screwed."

"I can take you to the Chamber of Secrets," I say. "Nobody will be able to find you in there."

"You found the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius says.

"Long story," I say. "Tell you later. Put the cloak on and come on. We've got to go."

I head out into the Slytherin common room again, Sirius following invisibly behind me. Gemma intercepts me and says, "What are you doing here? I've got to get everyone to the Great Hall, now! Come on!"

"I'm sorry, Gemma, but I can't do that," I reply quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Gemma wonders.

"Pretend you didn't see me," I say. "I was never here. I'm not even supposed to be here at all, right? I've got to go."

Gemma stares at me for a few moments, and then nods. "Fine, get out of here, then. And good luck with whatever it is you're doing. You'll need it."

Luck never favors me, but I just nod to her and head out of the Slytherin common room. The most direct route to the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets would take us through the Great Hall, so we'll need to avoid that and detour around it. I race through the castle, comforted by the sound of canine footsteps padding behind me.

As we approach the Forbidden Restroom, I notice the way ahead is blocked by Dementors, by feeling them rather than seeing them. I shake my head to Padfoot and try to circle around. Just as I think we might find another way out, I can sense the Dementors approaching from the other end of the corridor. We're trapped between two groups of Dementors.

My heart racing, I dart inside an empty classroom, followed quickly by Padfoot. "Colloportus," I say. Then I levitate all the furniture in the room to barricade the door.

"That won't keep them out for long," Sirius says, taking off the cloak.

"We're trapped," I say. "I can't... I can't cast the Patronus Charm."

"I don't think I could manage it, either," Sirius says quietly.

"I'm not going to let those fuckers give either of us the Kiss," I say. "Death first."

"You'd be willing to die for me, Stormseeker?" Sirius says.

"I'm immortal, remember?" I say. "The Dementor's Kiss is about the only thing I've heard of that might actually be able to kill me. I can... I can go back. I can still save you. But not here. Not now."

Sirius nods grimly, and says, "Then, better death than the Kiss."

I'm shaking a little at the feeling of the Dementors nearby. They're battering at the doorway. The tables and chairs are starting to come down. "Goodbye, Padfoot," I murmur.

I focus upon all of my rage and hatred and pour them into my magic. There's no joy or happiness in this, not even sadistic pleasure. Just the fury of the storm. There will be the salvation of death in the midst of the raging storm.

"FULGORIS!" I scream.

A powerful blast of lightning rips apart the classroom. But I'm only aware of it for a fleeting instant. The pain coursing through my body ends quickly, and darkness takes me.

I wake in my bed in the Gryffindor boys' dorm, and roll over. I don't want to get up yet. Death and despair, sorrow and hopelessness. Lingering effects of being near so many Dementors, I know. I can't shake it easily, though. Damn it, I need to move. There's chocolate in my bag of holding. I can't bring myself to want to do anything other than curl up hopelessly in bed, however.

Sirius. I have to save Sirius. What's the use, I can't save him, they're just going to-- no, stop it, stop it, I have to-- I have to save Sirius!

I push through the clinging despair and grab my bag, rummaging through it until I find a bit of chocolate, and shove it into my mouth. That helps to dispel the cold that was so deep I didn't realize how far it had gone.

Sirius. Shit. They're coming for Sirius. I have to save Sirius. I don't know how they found out, but they're going to show up and search for him at around half past one this afternoon. I sigh in relief as I realize that. I have plenty of time to get him to safety.

I climb out of bed and get dressed, and head straight down to the Slytherin common room before breakfast. The boys in the third year room are still waking up and getting ready, in no great hurry.

"Morning, Stormseeker," Theodore says.

"Muffliato. Colloportus," I murmur. "We've got an issue."

"What's going on?" Draco wonders.

"It's too early in the morning for issues," Blaise groans.

"Somebody's tipped off the Ministry that Sirius is inside of Hogwarts," I say. "They're coming for him during Dueling Club this afternoon. They're going to have the Dementors sweep the whole castle looking for him."

Sirius shifts and takes on human form. "Wait, what?" he says. "How did they find out?"

"Not sure," I say. "I can only assume that we must have been careless once, and someone found out."

"Or we've been betrayed," Theodore adds.

"Nonsense," I say. "None of you would betray me. And why over this?"

"That's what we thought about Peter, too," Sirius reminds me.

I sigh. "Fine. I'll concede the point that we may have a traitor in the circle. But I'm not going to start glaring at everyone suspiciously. It's not important right now. We can deal with it once Sirius is safe."

"How did you even find out about this?" Sirius asks.

"Because I just died to keep the Dementors from Kissing us," I say. "Blew up a whole damned classroom with an overpowered Lightning Curse. I tried to get you away, but I couldn't, and we wound up trapped..."

"I understand," Sirius says quietly, looking at the floor. "This whole immortal time traveler thing is still a bit strange to me."

"You get used to it," Draco says. "I've lost track of how many times he's shown up at breakfast bitching about dying."

"Alright, Sirius, I need to get you out of the castle," I say. "I'll get you out to the Forbidden Forest so you can hide out there. I'll come back and get you once the coast is clear, alright?"

Sirius nods, and goes to pull on the invisibility cloak. I lead him out of the Slytherin common room and up the stairs, and then lead him across the castle to the Forbidden Restroom. I don't know what the teachers finally had to do to get the Chamber of Secrets message to finally go away, but at least it's not there anymore. I gesture to thin air and step inside. The room isn't even flooded or anything. Myrtle doesn't spend a lot of time here anymore.

"I thought you were taking me to the Forbidden Forest," says Sirius' voice from the air. "What are we doing in the girls' loo?"

"I lied," I say. "I wanted to see if the Dementors wound up going to the wrong place.

"Ah, I see," Sirius says. "Smart move. That way you'd know if one of the Slytherins is a traitor. But I don't think the loo would hide me from the Dementors."

"Heh," I say. "Watch this." I go up to the middle sink and hiss at it in the one Parseltongue word I know. It takes a couple tries, but I get the passage open. "The Chamber of Secrets."

"Whoa, you actually found the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius says, pulling off the cloak. "And you're a Parselmouth?"

I shake my head. "That's the only word in Parseltongue I know," I say. "Come on down." I hop inside and slide down into the darkness. Sirius comes down just behind me. I lead him down the tunnel and into the main chamber. Some of the basilisk corpse is still present, but Snape has already dissected the better bits of it for potions ingredients.

"You managed to discover a secret part of the castle that the Marauders didn't," Sirius says with a small grin. "We'll have to see about getting this added to the map sometime."

I lead him over to the library. "For the moment, this is Salazar Slytherin's private library. Feel free to look around. Assuming you know Latin or Middle English or something."

"I'll take a look," Sirius says. "At least there's no way the Dementors are going to find me down here. How did you ever find this place?"

"Long story," I say. "It took me two lifetimes, and I paid for it in blood. I'll tell you all about it later. I've got to get to breakfast before somebody wonders where I am." I pull out a box of chocolate and pass it over to him. "That's not much of breakfast, either, sorry, but it'll help if you can actually somehow feel the Dementors from all the way down here."

"Thanks," Sirius says.

I head back out, and wish I knew how to call for the damned stairs. Some spells and a Scourgify later gets me eventually back to the restroom again. I wonder if I should start carrying around a broomstick in my bag of holding or something. That might not actually be such a terrible idea.

I casually head over for breakfast as if nothing were going on. As I do, I'm running down in my head how or why someone might have tipped off the Ministry. Is one of my friends really a traitor? I can understand that nobody would have made the connection between the dog and the escaped convict, and now, not a week after that's been revealed, the Ministry is here looking for him. But I'd really rather think that we must have gotten careless, and an outsider found out and let the Ministry know.

Before Dueling Club gets going for the afternoon, I go up to speak with Snape quietly. "Professor," I say quietly. "I suggest sticking to something that looks safe and normal. The Ministry will be showing up today."

"What?" Snape says, looking at me with a scowl. "What makes you think that?"

"You really need to ask that question?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "My usual source, of course."

"Ah," Snape says. "Of course. I see."

"If they see us doing what looks to be preparation for warfare, they'll shut down the whole club," I say.

"Damn Fudge," Snape mutters.

I go over to sit where Storm Army is gathering. Once everyone is present, Snape announces that the planned group event has been postponed until next weekend, and that we'll be sticking to sparring and individual duels for the moment.

Right on time, the gates to the Great Hall burst open and Fudge walks in like he owns the place, flanked by the wizards who were with him before, whoever they are. Lackeys of his, I assume.

"What's going on in here?" Fudge demands.

"Dueling Club, Mr. Fudge," Snape replies.

"I see," Fudge says. "No matter. I've received word that Sirius Black is hiding away somewhere inside this very castle. I'm bringing the Dementors in to search every inch of this place!"

"I assure you, if Black were in the castle, I would drag him to you myself," Snape says.

"Be that as it may, Hogwarts must be searched," Fudge insists. "Bring all the students here to the Great Hall so that they're out of the Dementors' way."

Snape looks even more sour than usual at having to comply with this. Soon enough, the students are gathering up in the Great Hall. And it doesn't take too much longer for Dumbledore himself to arrive, looking less than pleased at the situation.

"Why have you threatened the sanctity of my school with these monsters, Cornelius?" Dumbledore asks. "I will not tolerate my students being placed in this situation."

"And I will not have Sirius Black hiding under your very nose!" Fudge retorts. "He's in here, and I will find him and have him Kissed!"

Dumbledore sighs. "If this is truly necessary, I must ensure that the students are protected. Expecto Patronum." A beautiful bird made of moonlight flies out of Dumbledore's wand and takes watch before the gates. He turns to address the students and teachers, who have been arriving hastily. "Everyone capable of casting a Patronus, please do so, and set them to guard the children."

The teachers begin casting their spells, bringing forth Snape's doe, Lupin's wolf, a cat from McGonagall, and others. The silvery, translucent animals take up positions around the Great Hall, keeping watch over the students and protecting them from harm. It's a wondrous and comforting sight to see. Even though the Dementors are streaming in through the gates, I cannot feel the effects of their powers behind the wall of protector animals.

But Sirius will be safe. Now there's nothing for me to do but sit and wait out the storm.