Sirius Black's Secret Love

Chapter Eight - Azkaban

Harry saw himself sitting in a small watercraft crossing the sea and headed towards an island with a foreboding stone fortress. There was a bitter wind tearing through his clothes that left him drenched with salt water. The moon was only a quarter full and was obscured by clouds making the night dark and oppressive. As the boat drew near the destination and its ominous structure, he felt an overwhelming sense of doom. The very ground seemed to radiate with an unspoken evil. There was no sign identifying the island or the dark stone building, but he knew from his sense of dread that it must be Azkaban.

Harry looked around the small boat and saw three hooded figures. None of them seemed to be aware that he had joined their group. The man piloting the boat had a silver hand and was clearly subservient to the others. As the boat bumped the shore, the tallest figure uttered a low growl of anticipation.

"Hurry up, Wormtail. Help me out," he snarled.

Wormtail had just stepped out of the boat and pulled it onto the ground. He reached into the craft and held his hand out for the two passengers. The tall man refused the extended silver hand with an impatient wave.

"Your other hand, Wormtail."

The servant complied and extended his other hand. The master then accepted the hand for assistance out of the craft. After stepping on solid ground, the master gripped his servant's hand tightly. He twisted the arm behind the smaller man's back driving him to his knees. The arm was yanked further back driving the servant's face into the mud. The tall figure then released his servant's hand as the man whimpered quietly.

"That's for allowing me to get wet. Get up, you sniveling coward."

The servant rose slowly, wiping the dirt and grime off his face. The three hooded men approached the dark stone structure and suddenly there were dozens of hooded creatures that joined them.

"Ahhh, it is time. My sweet pets, time for better delights. The Ministry of Magic has relegated you to guarding a few witches and wizards that they deem as 'dangerous.' And yet, you are literally starving. It is not fair and I am here to relieve you of this pitiful task. Tonight you shall be restored to your full glory and full potential."

The Dementors murmured with excitement.

"Yes, let us break open these crypts and see what is left. See what we can salvage and what should be destroyed."

Harry felt himself being transported alongside the hooded master and was propelled forward even as he found himself horrified at his surroundings. The tall man seemed to glide through the corridors and each cell door immediately sprang open as he passed by. Most were empty except for a soiled mattress, a grimy toilet and filthy straw and dirt that covered the floor. The master stopped at one cell that contained a woman reclining on a mattress. He gave a wicked smile that continued until it was a full leer.

"Lilith, my devoted servant. I have come to reward your steadfast loyalty."

The woman looked up with a look of utter adoration in her eyes.

"Master! You are here at last. I have dreamt of this day for years," she said kneeling in front of him with her head bowed.

"Come, come, stand before me. I wish to have a better look at you."

She looked up at him and slowly rose up before him. He took his hand and reached down to her groin and groped. She shuddered at his touch.

"Yes, you still appear ripe enough to bear fruit. You shall be rewarded with the ability to continue my bloodline. The next full moon we shall have the ceremony."

"Yes, master," she said breathlessly.

"And your husband? Is he still alive?"

"Yes, Cain is being held a few cells down. He has also been loyal to you. We shall eagerly await your bidding."

"Come, let us survey the rest of the crypt," he said as he extended his arm to her.

She took his arm and gazed up at him lovingly. Voldemort removed the hood from his head revealing the hideous snake-like head beneath it. He leaned down and started to kiss the woman.

*

"Arrrrgh!" Harry Potter screamed as he sat bolt upright in his bed. His scar felt like it was searing and white-hot. His heart was pounding and he put his hand to his forehead to try and soothe the throbbing. He looked around his room and saw that the other four boys were still sleeping soundly. His cry had been drowned out by Neville's snoring.

"Dumbledore," he mumbled to himself as he tossed back his bedcovers and leapt out of bed. "I must get to Dumbledore."

He threw on his bathrobe and slippers and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak as he quickly left the dormitory. Harry flew through the castle not even paying attention where he was going but following his instincts. He skidded on the floor as he rounded the corner in front of Dumbledore's office. He kicked and pounded on the wall outside the stone gargoyle.

"Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore! I need to see you!"

After a few moments he heard motion from within the chamber. Harry stopped the pounding and waited. Soon the door opened and a very tired and disheveled Dumbledore appeared before him.

"Yes, Harry. What is it?"

"I had a vision. Azkaban. Voldemort's overturned it," Harry panted.

"Come in and tell me everything."

Harry quickly related everything in his dream. He apologized that he hadn't seen the rest of what transpired. He felt embarrassed to say that he forced himself awake when he saw Voldemort kiss someone. It was more than he could bear seeing.

"Yes, well that is perfectly understandable. I think we should have you see Madam Pomfrey and get a potion for a dreamless sleep when there's the next full moon. I wouldn't wish anyone to see that kind of ceremony, even if it might provide useful information," Dumbledore said kindly.

"Thank you, sir."

"And now, I want to thank you for coming directly to me with this news. However, I shall wait until morning to alert the Ministry of this attack."

"Why wait sir?"

"Because if the events happened as you described, it would be very dangerous for any Ministry personnel to attempt to intervene. No, it is better that they wait until the light of day so they will be able to see any traps that might await them. Anyone that has been killed at the prison will still be dead in the morning. It is doubtful that anyone's life would be saved if the Ministry were alerted right now." Then Dumbledore sighed heavily, "It is very unfortunate that Minister Fudge did not heed my warning about Azkaban, nor take my advice to heart. Because of that Voldemort has reclaimed the Dementors and the few surviving Death Eaters that were still imprisoned in Azkaban. Harry it is time for you to return to your dormitory and try to get some rest. Please do not mention this to anyone else. It is best that your clairvoyant connection to Voldemort is not widely known and the fate of Azkaban will soon be common knowledge."

"But sir, I told Ron and Hermione about my earlier visions..." he began.

"Yes, well, I don't think they need to be burdened with the thought of Voldemort wanting to impregnate one of his servants. There's nothing they can do about that and frankly, telling them would serve no purpose other than in horrifying your friends."

Harry nodded and slowly made his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He was thankful that by using the Invisibility Cloak none of the passing ghosts or poltergeists bothered him as he walked by lost in thought.

*

The next day Harry found himself walking around in a daze. He had a hard time concentrating on anything and just followed Ron around to the classes. He couldn't explain to his friends what was bothering him, because of Dumbledore's insistence on keeping the information about his dream a secret. His mental preoccupation caused ten more points to be taken from Gryffindor when Harry didn't realize that Snape had asked him a question about memory potions.

The next morning however, the entire school was abuzz as soon as the morning mail arrived. Everyone started pouring over the copies of the Daily Prophet that had been delivered by owl post. A large picture on the front page was of the brooding fortress that had haunted Harry's dream.

Azkaban overturned - the latest scandal to rock the Wizarding World

By Hearst Seldes, Managing Editor

Late Halloween evening the prison fortress of Azkaban was emptied of its guards and prisoners. The Ministry of Magic sent investigators to the island yesterday after an anonymous tip was received that there might be some trouble.

The investigators found all the cell doors had been opened and were empty. The bodies of two prisoners were found dead. It appeared that their bodies had been dumped into the sea and had washed ashore. Those prisoners were positively identified as being Thanatos Travers and Antonin Dolohov.

It is not known whether the missing prisoners are alive or dead. The investigators from the Ministry think that the Dementors had become restless due to the small number of prisoners that they were guarding.

Dementors are known to feed off the emotions of humans and, it may be presumed, there were simply not enough prisoners locked up to satisfy their needs.

The presence of Dementors at Azkaban has been the source of controversy in the Wizarding World since it was first introduced in 1982 by then Junior Minister Cornelius Fudge.

It was thought that allowing these foul creatures to work as prison guards would prove to be beneficial by isolating them from the regular wizarding population. It would also remove the risk of guarding dangerous dark wizards by 'normal, good wizards.'

And since prolonged exposure to Dementors is supposed to drain witches and wizards of their powers, it was thought that this would be a good long-term solution.

It is not known if the Dementors simply gave their Kiss to all the prisoners and then dumped their soulless bodies into the sea or if some of the prisoners escaped.

Albert Albini, a ranking member of the International Confederation of Wizards said, "I for one was always nervous about having You-Know-Who's greatest supporters in charge of guarding convicted Death Eaters. I wouldn't want the job, myself mind you, but I never slept well when I thought about it. Now, with the rumors that the Dark Lord might have returned...well I worry what might be waiting for us all."

Minister Cornelius Fudge however feels that Albini's concerns are overblown. "I went on a tour of the facility a few months ago. It is true that there were not many prisoners left. It seems that many wizards simply die from depression after being exposed to Dementors for too long. So, while they hadn't been sentenced to death by the Council of Magical Law, it seems that they are probably all dead now. Which of course is no great loss. We shall however, have to find new guards to work at Azkaban once we have any new lawbreaking witches or wizards that deserve imprisonment."

The Ministry of Magic was reluctant to release a list of prisoners whose bodies were not found, but relented when reminded that the public should consider them to be potential fugitives.

The prisoners not accounted for are:

Cain Lestrange

Lilith Lestrange

Milton Mulciber

Cyncus Norris

Augustus Rookwood

The only other time that there was an escape from Azkaban was two years ago by the notorious Sirius Black.

That escape led to an extensive manhunt. It was suspected that Black wanted to kill Harry Potter. As a result Dementors were stationed at Hogwarts for that entire school year. Black was briefly detained after abducting Potter and two other students while on grounds of that school. However, Black escaped mysteriously before the Dementor's Kiss was performed. He has not been seen near the school since and still eludes recapture. This has been a source of great embarrassment by the Ministry.

One anonymous source at the Ministry told this reporter that the investigators are considering the possibility that Sirius Black was behind the breakout of Azkaban so that he would have ready followers from his former inmates.

Black is widely believed to have been You-Know-Who's second in command, but that this was only revealed with the betrayal and death of his former best friend James Potter.

Pictures and stories regarding these fugitives' crimes are on page 3. Please be on the look out for these witches or wizards and report any suspicious activity immediately to the Ministry of Magic.

In other news from the Ministry, Amos Diggory has been named the new head of the Council of Magical Law. Story on Page 7.

Harry turned to the inside of the paper and saw the face of the woman he had seen in Dumbledore's pensieve and in his dream. He shuddered to see the evil glare in her eyes. He looked at the other pictures and was disturbed to see that they had included Sirius among them. He hadn't wanted to see that the paper would link these stories, but he had to admit that it was natural that a newspaper would include Sirius in this story since he was still a fugitive from justice. Harry was relieved to look at the photos printed of Sirius and know that "Joseph O'Brien" didn't resemble either the before or after photos shown.

"Harry! I can't believe it happened," Hermione said trembling.

"Well, Dumbledore expected that. He told Fudge last June it would happen. I'm just surprised it took so long," he replied.

"Why do you think that was?" Ron asked.

"Maybe Voldemort wanted time to infiltrate the Ministry before attacking Azkaban," Harry suggested.

"Did you see what the crime that the Lestranges and Norris were convicted of?" Hermione asked looking at the paper. "They tortured Frank and Claire Longbottom. Do you think they're any relation to Neville?"

"Probably. Neville did grow up with his grandmother," Harry said quietly. He wanted to be careful and didn't want it to seem too obvious that he knew they were Neville's parents.

"Oh, that's right. Poor Neville," she sighed heavily.

"Well, don't say anything to him until...well, until you can talk to him without sounding like you pity him," Harry said resolutely. "I'm sure that they were somehow related to him and it's probably still pretty painful."

"It says here they used the Cruciatus on the Longbottoms. That explains why Neville reacted so strongly last year when Moody, er, Crouch did his lesson," said Ron.

Harry looked down the table and saw Neville trying to eat his breakfast in total oblivion. It was hard however when so many people were pointing at him and whispering as they read their newspapers. Harry looked up at the faculty table in time to catch Professor Figg's eye. She looked distraught and quickly left the table clutching one hand to her mouth and another to her stomach.

*

That night as Harry went to brush his teeth before going to bed, he saw Neville in the bathroom. A first year was just leaving, Harry looked around to be sure they were alone.

"Hey Neville, how are you doing?"

Neville shrugged his shoulders.

"I've had better days."

"Yeah. I didn't tell anyone, but I'm sure..." Harry began.

"You didn't have to. Today's paper announced it for everyone. At least it as good as spelled it all out. It might have been better if they had. I wouldn't have had so many people come up to me all day. Or just pointing and whispering at me. I now understand why you always comb your hair down over your forehead. Trying to hide from all the peering eyes, something that people gawp over."

Harry nodded and put a hand on Neville's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through this, Neville."

Neville gave him a wan smile. "Thanks, Harry. You're a good friend."

Harry felt a little guilty at that. He didn't feel like he had been much of a friend towards Neville for the last five years at all. He watched Neville leave the bathroom and saw the boy's rounded shoulders as if he were burdened with a heavy weight. He then looked up at the mirror and studied his own reflection and wondered which boy had gotten the worst lot in life.

*

A few days later Ron had been waiting for Hermione to come into the Gryffindor common room after the library closed.

"Umm, Hermione," Ron sniffed. "I was looking through that book on Greek Myths and I began thinking about Filch. Did you ever wonder about him and Mrs. Norris?"

Ron opened up the book to a page where a man was standing whose body was covered by eyeballs.

"Well, what do you mean?" she asked quickly licking her lips.

"You know...Argus looking over a transfigured woman?"

"Er, what are you two talking about? I haven't read this stuff before," Harry said blinking.

"Well, it starts off with Zeus. He went after anything in a skirt," Ron began.

"Sort of like Snuffles in his younger days," Harry interjected.

"Oh, really?" Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm, yeah. Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Please continue."

"Anyway," Ron continued. "Zeus was spending time with a pretty young thing named Io and his main wife Hera came along. Zeus saw her coming and tried to hide Io quickly, so he transfigured her into a calf. It was a snow white calf that was as beautiful as the young woman."

"And Hera wasn't fooled for one minute. But she had the upper hand," said Hermione as she leaned on Harry's shoulder and turned her face upward towards him. "All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and say, 'Oh what a beautiful calf. May I have her?'"

Harry felt a little warmth flush through him with Hermione's playacting.

"So he gave her the calf?" he asked with a strangled voice.

"Of course," said Ron. "Then Hera asked her faithful manservant Argus to watch over the calf. He had one hundred eyes all over his body. So he always had some eyes awake at any one time."

"Ron, do you think Mrs. Norris is a witch that's been transfigured and Argus Filch is watching over her?" Hermione asked.

"Why not? After Scabbers, I'm willing to look at any animal around here skeptically. And you've got to admit that Mrs. Norris is a strange name for a cat."

"It's the name of a character from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen," Hermione protested.

"And she's...?" Ron prompted.

"A famous nineteenth century British writer," Hermione said with an edge to her voice.

"Mmm, hmm. So do you think it's likely that Argus Filch is a big fan of nineteenth century Muggle literature?" Ron asked.

"Well, when you put it that way..." Hermione began.

"Yesss and you've got to admit that when she was petrified he acted as if he had lost a loved one. As if she were a person and not just a cat."

"You're right on that point, Ron," said Harry.

"And Cyncus Norris was one of the prisoners in Azkaban. What if Mrs. Norris is his wife? And somehow Filch was told to look after her? What if she's another Death Eater and has been here at Hogwarts gathering information for You-Know-Who?"

Harry glared at Ron and hissed, "Voldemort."

"Sorry, Harry," Ron shook his head. "I just can't bring myself to say that name. Anyway, what if she's been patiently waiting for her husband to show back up?"

"Why would a Squib watch over a transfigured Death Eater?" asked Hermione.

"Maybe he was in love with her and maybe he thought she loved him in return? He does refer to her as 'my sweet.' So maybe he thought he was protecting her when in reality she was just hiding from the Aurors and has been spying on Dumbledore all this time."
"I don't know, Ron," Hermione said skeptically. "Don't you think Dumbledore or one of the faculty would have thought of that before?"

"You're just feeling bad because you didn't think of it before. Little Miss Expert on Greek mythology," he said gleefully teasing her.

"That's not true," she said defensively. Then she paused. "Well, maybe a little...okay...I'll admit it just this one time. You're right. I'm kicking myself because I didn't think of it. Are you happy now?"

"Yes, I am," Ron said smugly. "It's not everyday that the Great Hermione Granger admits she was wrong."

"So Ron, any thoughts as to how we should go about testing this theory of yours?" she asked.

"Not really," he sighed. "Think we should tell McGonagall?"

"No." Harry said. "She'd never believe it. If for no other reason than she never thought of it before either. She'd be much tougher than Hermione to admit that she was wrong about something. No, I think we need to talk to Professor Figg. She's a former Auror and she might listen to us if for no other reason than she hasn't been here for years. So she won't blame herself for overlooking it."

"Okay," said Hermione. "When do you want to talk with her?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. If there's a Death Eater here at Hogwarts, we need to get them exposed right away."

"You don't want to try tonight?" Hermione asked.

"No. I don't want to start prowling around the faculty quarters at night. Snape or McGonagall would skin us alive for that. Especially for something they probably would dismiss out of hand."

*

The following day was a Sunday and they decided that Hermione should be the one to go up to Professor Figg after breakfast. No one would think twice about Hermione asking a teacher a question outside of class. Figg nodded and when they left the Great Hall, Harry and Ron quickly followed them to her office.

"So what do I owe this honour that the Great Trio wants to speak with me?" she asked as she casually readjusted an earring.

"Umm, well we have something that we thought of that if we're right could be very dangerous for the safety of this school," Harry said as he pushed his glasses up.

"What is it?"

"Well, we were wondering about Argus Filch and his cat," said Ron.

"What about his cat?" Professor Figg pressed.

"We don't think it's a cat. We think it might be someone who's transfigured. Possibly the wife of a Death Eater or maybe a female Death Eater," Hermione chimed in.

"Why do you think that?"

"A few years ago when a basilisk was set loose in the school, his cat was petrified. He didn't react like someone does when a cat is killed. Even if it's a very loved pet. He acted as if it were someone that he loved. Like it was a woman," Harry said solemnly.

"His cat's name is Mrs. Norris. And we just have doubts that he'd be a fan of Jane Austen. And now that we've read about Cyncus Norris escaping from Azkaban..." Hermione trailed off.

"His cat's name is Mrs. Norris?" Professor Figg said startled.

All three nodded at her.

"I didn't know that," she said looking off into space. "Thank you for telling me. I shall look into the matter. Thank you."

She absentmindedly dismissed them and sat staring in the distance.

"Well, at least she didn't tell us that we were nutters," said Ron.

"Yeah, and that's exactly how McGonagall would have responded. Nutters," said Harry.

Later Hermione went to the library while Ron and Harry headed for Quidditch practice. The whole school was getting excited because the first match of the season was this Saturday and after a year without Quidditch, the school was eager to have the return of their wizarding sport. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin were given extended practice times on Sunday since they were competing in the upcoming match.

They were in the locker rooms changing into their practice uniforms when Dean Thomas came in holding something under his cloak. He slipped it out and handed it to Ron. As he turned it over, Ron saw that he was holding a mask with a green snake's face painted on it.

"What is this Dean?" Ron asked looking as if it were about to attack him.

"It's a mask that goalies use in hockey. I had my folks send me two of them and I painted them."

Dean put his mask on and it bore a grinning skull on its face.

"Umm, Dean - why do you need masks?" asked Harry.

"Well, those Bludgers are pretty brutal. I'd hate to take one to the head. So I had Hermione help me to put some charms on them. They're Bludger resistant and they don't interfere with your peripheral vision."
"Really?" Ron said as he tried his on. "You're right. I thought I wouldn't be able to see very well."

"Besides being protective gear, I thought it might give us a little edge. You know, a bit of psychological warfare."

"Don't you think those designs are a bit much?" Harry asked.

"Why?" Dean asked defensively. "We're going up against Slytherin. Think they'll be afraid to see a skull or a snake? Come on, the snake's on their crest and a skull is practically their unofficial symbol. So what's the problem?"

"I don't know...I just get a bad feeling about this," Harry said shaking his head. "Well, come on. Let's get going. We've only got three hours on the field."

The practice was fast and furious. After it was over, Harry felt very confident going into the match. He had never seen his team work with such skill and precision. He saw the advantage of having a practice team to try out their moves on. Ron narrowly edged out Dean with a lower goals against average and was named to be the Keeper for the upcoming game.

After showering, Ron and Harry were alone in the locker room changing into their clothes. They were quietly talking about what steps they thought Professor Figg might take to investigate the Mrs. Norris mystery. Then Ron changed the subject to something that made Harry feel very uncomfortable.

"Why do you think Figg started wearing full robes? I mean at the beginning of the year she just wore short cloaks. You could see her clothes underneath. Now those robes she wears reminds me of the Fat Friar."

"I dunno, Ron. Maybe she got tired of guys like you staring at her chest," Harry retorted.

"It's not just her chest, she's got legs that go on forever. Can you blame me for looking? Who else am I supposed to look at? Old McGonagall?" he shuddered. "Dumpy Sprout? Or crazy bat-eyed Trelawney?"

They both laughed at the images.

"Come on, Ron," said Harry. "Figg's old enough to be your mother."

"I don't think my mum ever looked that good. I don't think any guy here would lust after my mum. But, I know that lots of guys have been having some wicked dreams about Figg."

Seamus and Dean just came out of the showers.

"You guys talking about Fabulous Figg?" asked Dean.

"Ron is," Harry muttered. "I'd be careful. Remember Seamus is a prefect. He might take points away for talking about a teacher with such disrespect."

"Why? Were you guys talking about her body?" asked Seamus.

"Yeah," admitted Ron.

"Why would I take points away for talk like that in a locker room? I'd have to take points away from meself. I mean, she's hot. And is it just me or has her body gotten better since school started?"

"It's a good thing we wear these everyday robes, otherwise Ron would be in trouble if he had to stand in front of Figg's class to do a report," laughed Dean.

"That's true," laughed Ron.

"Come on, Harry," teased Dean. "Do you mean to tell us that you've never had any lewd thoughts about her?"

Harry then remembered his envisioning her with Sirius last summer. He swallowed hard.

"I thought so," Dean said. "Stop beating up Ron for just saying what every guy has been thinking."

Harry had finished dressing and grabbed his broomstick and headed out the door.

"Why don't you guys just go and hack off. Do it quietly though. I don't want to hear that while I'm trying to sleep."

The room burst into laughter as he left.

Harry was halfway back to the castle when Ron caught up with him. "Hey Harry, there's something else that's I've been thinking about."

"Does it have to do with Figg?"

"No."

"What is it then?"

"Do you think Hermione's still a virgin?" asked Ron.

Harry stopped walking and looked at him. The thought had never occurred to him. "Uh, yeah. Why? Did you hear anything?"

"Well, she visited Krum this summer."

"With her parents there as chaperones. I'm sure nothing happened," Harry said.

"Think about it, Harry. Krum went to a school where they teach the Dark Arts. Do you think he wouldn't use some spells to keep her parents sleeping while they..."

"Ron, I don't think she likes him that way," Harry protested.

"Yeah, so you think he's honourable and wouldn't try using some spells on her to umm..."

"Why would he do that?"

"Why do guys get girls drunk? So they can have their way with them. And why do guys date younger women? Because then they have a power difference. She should never have gone out with him," Ron stated flatly.

"I think she'd tell us if she needed help."

"You know Hermione. She has a hard time admitting that she's wrong. I don't think she knows how wrong it is for her to be dating this guy. She's totally unhappy with him, but yet she still is going out with him. It's just wrong. It's just wrong," Ron muttered.

"Well, I don't think she's done anything with him. What do you think?" Harry asked.

"He better not have laid a finger on her," Ron said darkly. "If he did anything to her - I'll kill him. I swear I will."

Ron started walking angrily toward the castle. Harry just stood there thinking about what his friend had said and hoped that his fears were unfounded.

*

A few days later, during the morning breakfast a large tawny owl dropped a letter in front of Harry. The outside was marked Private. He opened it carefully and held it so that no one else could read it.

Hey Harry,

I need to talk with you. Please meet me behind the greenhouses today at 12:30. I would have enclosed a hair in this letter to prove it was truly me who sent this note, but after Professor Figg's class - I'm very paranoid. Please come alone and don't tell anyone. It's very personal.

Cho

"Who's that from Harry? Snuffles?" Ron asked.

"No and I can't say. It's personal," Harry said as he tucked it into his book bag.

At lunch that day he glanced over at the Ravenclaw table and saw Cho get up and leave. She looked him directly in the eye and cocked her head to the side as if pointing to the door outside. She then ran her fingers through her hair and picked up her book bag.

Harry quickly finished his lunch and excused himself saying that he needed to take a walk and would meet his friends in class. As he approached the greenhouses, Harry's stomach felt like it was in his throat. What did Cho want? He found himself hoping that she had changed her mind about him. When he turned the corner and saw her pretty face, his heart skipped a beat.

"Hey Harry," she said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Umm, hi Cho," he said blinking slowly.

"Thanks for coming. I've got a problem and was hoping you might help me."

"What's up?"

"Summers Montague, the new captain of the Slytherin team has been bothering me. He's been pressuring me to go out with him. I don't want to date anyone right now - but I'd never in a million years want to date him."

Nope, she hasn't changed her mind at all, he thought disappointedly.

"What do you want me to do?" Harry asked.

"You're playing against them this Saturday. I was hoping you might say something to him. Maybe teach him a lesson?" she said slyly.

Harry nodded slowly. "I think the Weasley twins might be persuaded to help me out on this."

Cho looked relieved.

"Thanks Harry. I knew you'd understand," she said as she squeezed his shoulder.

He smiled wistfully at her. "Anytime."

*

Harry had followed Dumbledore's advice and had asked Madam Pomfrey for a potion for dreamless night's sleep. He desperately wanted to avoid witnessing Voldemort's unholy ceremony. He was glad that he had taken that precaution as Friday morning he awoke with his scar throbbing dully. He wasn't sure what exactly it portended, but he was glad that he hadn't experienced any visions associated with it.

Saturday morning came and it was overcast, but not storming. Harry was glad for that. He hated playing Quidditch in lousy weather. Today promised to be cool and crisp. He was excited to be captain and try out the new game strategies on the team he hated the most: Slytherin.

Eating breakfast before the matches was always difficult for Harry. His nerves had always gotten the best of him and even though he knew he should eat a good meal for energy, he had a hard time getting anything down.

"Harry, do you know why the Malfoys and others like them hate us Muggle born witches and wizards so much?" Hermione asked.

"I thought it was because they're racist," he answered.

"That's part of it. But what is the root of racism?"

"I don't know. Hatred?"

"Fear. Fear of losing power. Fear of change. Fear of something different from themselves. That's what oppression is all about. They hate us because they fear us," she answered proudly.

"I don't get it," said Harry. "Why would they fear us?"

"We're from a different culture and we will question their social structure. We represent a threat to the status quo. We're subversive," she giggled. "I've never thought of myself as being subversive before. But I kinda like it."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," said Ron.

"I heard someone once say that the Beatles had more influence with the fall of Communism than did the arms race with the Americans."

"The bugs?" Ron asked quizzically.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Next thing you're going to tell me is that you've never heard of Princess Diana."

"Who?"

"Oh honestly, Ron," Hermione said exasperated. "Next summer you and Ginny need to come to my house for a week. I'll give both of you a crash course on Muggle popular culture. Believe me you need it desperately."

Then she turned back to Harry. "I think we can have just as big an impact on changing the Wizarding World by introducing Muggle concepts. We can start with some pop culture."

"How?" he asked.

"Well, we can't play music here because the enchantments would interfere with our stereos. But we can always sing," she said conspiratorily.

"Sing? I can't sing. I'd sound like Trevor. Besides my voice is changing," Harry protested.

"You won't have to sing, Harry. Leave that to me," she said smugly.

Hermione turned to Dean and started whispering in his ear. He looked at her, smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

*

As the team was gathered around the locker room all dressed in their uniforms, Harry rose to speak.

"Okay, team we're about to take to the field. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say as the captain other than I think we look sharper than I've ever seen us. Let's just go out there and show them what we've done in practice and I'm sure we'll win. And, uh, Dean had something he wanted to say."

All eyes turned to the reserve Keeper.

"We are the best team. The whole school is going to know it after today. We've got the best players, the best game winning strategies and the best fans. Today, since I can't be in the air with you - I'm going to be leading some cheers in the stands. It'll be loud, it'll be boisterous and most of all it'll be fun. The other houses won't know how to react, but you'll know that it means that every Gryffindor is pulling for you. Go Gryffindor!"

They left the locker room full of nervous energy and excitement. The teams met each other at the Quidditch pitch and sized each other up. The Slytherins had added a few new players, but they had kept with their practice of brawn over brains. The only female on their team was Millicent Bulstrode. She was easily larger than any of the Gryffindor players. She had a square head and body and scowled at Harry and Ron.

Harry went to shake hands with the captain of the Slytherin team, Summers Montague. They gripped each other's hands and exchanged a look of contempt with each other. Fred and George stood on either side of Harry and looked like big burly red-haired bookends. The Weasley twins growled menacingly at Montague.

"The first match of the school year is about to begin. Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" Lee Jordon announced. "The teams are now taking to the air and the captains are exchanging a handshake."

"Prepare to die, Potter," Montague hissed under his breath.

"It'll take more than a game of Quidditch to finish me off, Montague. You are warned to leave Cho Chang alone. She's not interested in you."
"She's not yours, Potter!"

"That's right. She doesn't belong to anyone. So just sod off!" Harry snarled as he released his grip.

"Captains, please mount your brooms! It's been a long time since we've had a game, make it a nice clean one!" demanded Madam Hooch.

Ron placed the snakehead mask on his face and immediately the Slytherin team started pointing at him and arguing. Montague flew towards Madam Hooch.

"What the Hell is that? I want to lodge a protest. Their Keeper is wearing an unapproved uniform."

Hooch motioned Ron and Harry to come forward.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" she asked.

"It's protective gear, Madam Hooch," said Ron. There's nothing in the rules that says a Keeper cannot wear a mask to protect themselves."

"We double checked the rules," said Harry.

"Yes, well it is unusual, but I suppose it's not violating anything. You can keep it. Let's start the game already! Mount your brooms!" she commanded.

"After a quick conference, it seems that the game will begin," announced Jordan. "The Gryffindor Keeper appears to be wearing a green mask of some kind. I can't tell the design from here, but the Slytherins don't seem pleased at all. Madam Hooch has just released the Bludgers, now the Golden Snitch.

"And now the Quaffle is up. Yes! Angelina Johnson a seventh year Gryffindor has gotten possession of the Quaffle. She's zooming towards the goal and Oh! Saved by Keeper Bulstrode. She passes the Quaffle to - oh and intercepted by Spinnet who passes to Bell who SCORES! Gryffindor is the first to score. Now Slytherin is in possession. Montague with the Quaffle. He's going towards the scoring area."

Montague flew towards the hoops and found not only Ron defending the hoops, but Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet flying nearby. As he tried to get a clear scoring position, the Chasers would block him.

Then a Bludger grazed his left arm.

Montague turned to scowl at Fred Weasley as Katie Bell stripped his hands of the Quaffle.

"Bell steals the Quaffle! She streaks toward the Slytherin end and passes to Johnson who SCORES! Twenty to Zero Gryffindor. Montague once again has possession of the Quaffle. He looks determined to score this time. The Gryffindor chasers are again in a formation blocking him. He passes to Warrington, who shoots and - stopped by Ron Weasley, Gryffindor's new Keeper.

"Angelina Johnson has the Quaffle. She dodges a Bludger. Passes to Bell who passes to Spinnet and SCORES! Thirty to Zero, Gryffindor! No sign of the Golden Snitch yet, but this game looks like skill is outdistancing brawn."

"Watch it, Jordan," snapped Professor McGonagall.

"Sorry, Professor. Slytherin's captain once again has the Quaffle. He's hoping to break his streak of bad luck and score this time. He's flying around trying to find an opening..."

Then Harry started to hear a commotion coming from the stands. Hermione and Dean were leading the section in a new cheer. The students were stomping and clapping. The sound started low and then it started to grow.

Boom, Boom, Crash.

Boom, Boom, Crash.

"We will, we will rock you!"

BOOM, BOOM, CRASH.

BOOM, BOOM, CRASH.

"WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU!"

Harry was glad that Dean had warned his team about the cheer. None of them really had known what to expect, but the Slytherins were caught totally off guard. Montague was so startled that he lost his grip on the Quaffle and Angelina Johnson stripped it from him and headed towards the other end to score. Fred then pelted a Bludger in Montague's direction.

"Leave Chang alone!" Fred shouted.

The Slytherin captain swerved and avoided being hit. But the Bludger zoomed on straight towards George who used a backhanded swat and the iron ball hit Montague square in the ribs.

"Take that Summers!" George yelled.

Draco Malfoy had jumped at the booming sounds from the stands and almost lost hold of his broomstick. Harry had a knowing grin on his face. Hermione was right. We are subversive, he thought.

Then he saw the Golden Snitch glinting four feet above the ground. He dove quickly while Malfoy was still staring at the Gryffindor fans stomping and clapping in the stands.

"Potter has started to dive. He's after the Golden Snitch. This game could be over soon. Now Malfoy's woken up and started following. Toooo late! Harry Potter got the snitch! Gryffindor wins the game 190-0. I don't remember the last shut out we've seen. This was an incredible game."

The stadium was filled with sounds. Boos coming from the Slytherin section and cheers from all the other sections. Harry proudly thrust the Golden Snitch upwards for all to see and to the approving roar of the Gryffindor fans.

"We Are the Champions! We Are the Champions!" Hermione and Dean were singing loudly and waving their arms to get others to join in.

The Slytherin team left the field without congratulating the Gryffindors.

Harry chuckled inwardly in wondering what Malfoy was thinking of this display of Muggle enthusiasm. Then he was swarmed by his teammates who attacked him with bear hugs and pats on the back.

Later as Harry was leaving the Quidditch pitch, he heard a familiar voice call to him.

"Potter. What was that display today?" Snape snarled. Professor McGonagall was standing near him and had a shocked look on her face.

"In the air or in the stands?" Harry asked.

"Both! I've never heard such a racket before."

"It was just a little demonstration of house spirit. It's a common chant used at Muggle sporting events. It's from a song by the rock band Queen."

"That's been done before?" Professor McGonagall said sounding surprised.

"It's done all the time," Harry smiled. "Some of my classmates thought it might give us a little boost. It did raise my spirits a bit."

"Yes, well I guess it doesn't break any Quidditch rules, although it is highly unusual," she said.

"Yes, well congratulations on your win," Snape said with his eyes narrowing. "I'd suggest your housemates not get too excited. There's still the rest of the season to go."

Harry looked up at the stands and saw the entire Gryffindor section were swaying and singing "We are the Champions" to the utter dismay of the Slytherins who were leaving the stands and sneering.

"Potter, may I have a word with you?" Snape said sharply as Professor McGonagall walked towards the castle.

Harry swallowed hard and nodded.

"I don't know what you think you're playing at, but that mask was ill advised."

"Why?" Harry demanded. "Because it reminded people of the evil that's out there, waiting for them?"

"No, you little snot. Because in trying to compare yourself to the Dark Lord, even in jest, you make him seem less fearful. That skews reality and that'll prove to be dangerous later when the students have to decide where to cast their allegiance. Potter, you shouldn't be trying to intimidate others in this school. They'll wind up resenting you. That'll harm everything we've been working towards."

"That's just rich," Harry spat. "You've done everything you can since my first day here to intimidate the hell out of me."

"Do you know why?" Snape sneered.

"You seem to think that I was raised as Prince Harry and not just Plain Harry. As if I were pampered and came here expecting everything on a silver platter. Do you even know what my home life was like? I grew up with an aunt and uncle who treated me either as if either I didn't exist, as if I was their whipping boy or that I was the family embarrassment. I slept in a cupboard under the stairs while my cousin Dudley had two bedrooms. He was given anything that he wanted and was never once reprimanded for beating me up. The only thing that they ever bought for me were these glasses. Otherwise, I've only gotten Dudley's cast offs. I learned early on that nothing I ever did would please my aunt and uncle. So I stopped trying to earn their approval because it would never happen. I see the same thing with you. It doesn't matter what I do or say, because you have it in for me. So, I'll just have to go on without your approval like I've survived without any respect or approval from my own flesh and blood."

"Are you quite through yet?"

"No!" said Harry getting four years of pent up frustration out. "I also didn't know that I was a wizard or what happened to my parents until Hagrid showed up and personally handed me my acceptance letter. My uncle kept destroying the dozens of letters that had been sent. They told me that my parents had died in a car crash. My aunt and uncle could have raised me as if I were another son. And my cousin could have been like a brother to me, but instead they tried to make my life as miserable as possible. They thought they could beat the magic out of me. Hagrid had to tell me what happened to my parents and why I have this scar. Then I come to Hogwarts, where for the first time in my life I wasn't being bullied and ostracized by Dudley's gang. And then you treat me as bad or worse than my own family. You purposefully embarrassed me on my first day of class. Just for sport. I know we're supposed to be on the same side in this war, but that doesn't mean I'll be coming to you for advice."

"Now can I say something?" Snape said coldly.

Harry thought of telling Snape off for his horrible treatment of Hermione and Neville in his class, but bit his tongue instead. He knew he was skating dangerously close to the line where if he crossed it Snape would explode. Harry could already see the veins in Snape's temples throb dangerously. If he brought up other students, Snape would see that as him being disrespectful of his teaching methods and that would clearly cross the line.

Harry locked his eyes locked with Snape and slowly nodded assent.

"I've been trying to make sure that you receive a balanced education. The rest of the faculty and wizarding world seemed to have been enamored by the sheer recitation of your name. I didn't want that going to your head. To go from the Dursley's to complete adoration would be very destructive. I wanted to temper that. So I deliberately treated you harshly. Coddling won't help you survive against Voldemort."

"That is your idea of balanced? Am I supposed to thank you for character building or something?"

"I don't expect any thanks, just a little recognition on your part that we are not enemies. And that Slytherin House is not the enemy either. Many of those children are going to be approached soon to join Voldemort's forces. It will be up to all of us to try and give them the desire and strength to turn him down. Pranks like that mask will only serve to harm our efforts. I suggest that you get rid of that thing."

"Okay," Harry agreed. "I'll take care of that. Anything else?"

"Those songs and that chanting..."

"I don't know," Harry gave a rueful smile as he shook his head. "I think my house really got into that. It might be hard to put the genie back in the bottle."

"Yes, music does have it's own magic. Very well, that's all Potter. And you played a good game out there."

"Thank you, Professor Snape," Harry said as he inwardly marveled at his telling off Snape and not losing any house points.

Harry tried to get the uncomfortable feeling out of his stomach as he went back to the Gryffindor common room that was wildly celebrating the victory. It was another party that went on for hours and Harry was happy to see Hermione and Dean revelling in their new roles as head cheerleaders. He hadn't seen her laugh and smile that much in months and he was glad to have had some small part in that. Neville also seemed to have found his smile again after a week of looking sullen and depressed. Fred and George were the centre of attention as they showed off their new wares and told uproarious jokes. Everyone seemed excited, except for Harry. His interaction with Snape that day kept coming back to him and served to temper his own enthusiasm.

*

The next day Harry groaned when he saw the morning paper. The headline screamed, "Gryffindor House the new breeding ground for Death Eater Activity?" The sports writer that covered the Gryffindor/Slytherin contest made accusations regarding the snake mask and "We Will Rock You" as signals to others in the school. It implied that you were to join with Harry Potter or be destroyed.

"Obviously that reporter has never heard of Queen," Dean groused. "I mean, how do they come up with thinking that 'We Will Rock You' is a threat? And obviously they've never seen hockey."

"Dean, I knew that mask was asking for it," Harry muttered.

"I'm glad I led the crowd in 'We are the Champions.' I almost had them sing, 'Another One Bites the Dust.'"

Harry closed his eyes. "Thank you Dean for that small favour."

"What do you care Harry? This stuff in the paper is nonsense and everyone with half a brain can tell that."

"That's easy for you to say Dean," Harry replied. "You're not famous. I'm known for something that happened when I was still a baby and have very little memory of. Most people in the wizarding world think they know me, but they've never even met me. So now, I've got this strange Dark Lord in training myth being perpetrated in the paper. I can't do anything about it, but I don't want to do anything to feed that fire either. We have to get rid of those masks."

End of chapter

Endnotes: I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing my last chapter: actongirlie, Lanski, Light of Zartha, and Sonya Rose Jaime Potter.

I want to take this time to comment on the number of prisoners in Azkaban. This is one of the many murky areas in canon. In trying to figure out how populated the wizarding prison actually is, I had to use the graveyard scene and what Sirius had said as guides. There were some gaps mentioned in the graveyard, but the exact size and numbers are imprecise. Plus we know that there have been deaths of prisoners at Azkaban. So I interpreted that there were not many Death Eaters left behind bars. I only created one Death Eater who I think was the Fourth Man in the Pensieve scene.

One reviewer had made a comment at the end of my chapter 6 saying that he was glad I had gotten away from the "namby pamby lovey dovey" scenes. Hmmm, I wonder if he thinks the scene with Voldemort and Lilith qualifies as that? Personally I think that anyone who would consider that exchange to be in any way romantic should seek psychiatric help. Immediately. (I still shudder when I think of them together. Brrrr.) I could not bring myself to explore that relationship more than exposing it. Should anyone want to wrap their minds around what the Unholy Ceremony might be like, feel free. Just remember that Fiction Alley does not host NC-17 writings. And I think that type of thing might just push it over the edge.

Stay tuned. Coming soon: Chapter 9 - Christmas at the Burrow. This might be one of the scariest chapters to read because it mirrors real life family stresses at the holidays. We shall see that the Weasley household is not all sweetness and light. It is a far cry from the Norman Rockwell/Hallmark Hall of Fame ideal. Instead it is far too human and everyone is in for a bumpy night.