Beyond the Emerald Green

Special Thanks: To RavenNat and 007, two awesome beta readers!

Chapter Four

Experience

What happened during the following three days of his first experience was all a blur to Harry. Sirius had taken him directly home to Stag’s Head from the small town that had quickly erupted into chaos. Copies of The Daily Prophet that Hedwig had brought him gave a mild story of the events that had happened. Sirius said that it was a good thing, so as not to greatly alarm the populace. The family whose house was invaded was having a private funeral, and the aurors who were involved in the fray were invited. Harry at first refused to come, but Sirius insisted that he should go. Sirius himself couldn’t, for his name wasn’t yet completely cleared and his attendance would cause alarm. So, on the third day after the small battle, Harry went to the service.

Not too many aurors were able to attend, for those who were able were put immediately back on assignment. Sirius had somehow convinced Moro to give him and Harry some time to themselves- so Harry was able to go. There was already a memorial service for Sally Packard, and Harry at the time was so in shock that he couldn’t entirely remember it all. But it was this funeral that Harry would always remember.

It was held in a secluded garden somewhere in Oxford, away from Muggle eyes. The pastor delivered his monologue and the wife of the man who was murdered gave a tearful statement. Harry couldn’t look at her face, standing discretely at the back of the black robed crowd. However, when he did glance up at the casket, flowers covering the wooden top, he met eyes with the little girl whom he had discovered hiding in her hallway. The look in her eyes as he met them held a deep message. It wasn’t of anger, but of hope. It confused Harry, and he cocked his head slightly as he watched her eyes.

Try… please try. This can’t go on. Her gaze bore into his before she looked away to say her final goodbye to her father.

Harry shook himself and quietly stepped back to leave. He stuffed his hands in his robe pockets and kept his head low so as not to be discovered. Yet when he was preparing to apparate, someone gently called his name.

"Harry!"

He looked to see a tall man with flaming red hair wearing green robes come striding toward him. The first real smile in days cracked on Harry’s face as he got closer.

"Ron!"

Ron broke into a trot and nearly threw himself on top of him.

"Harry! Oh, man! Am I glad to see you!"

"I’m more than glad to see you! What’s up? You graduated already too?" Harry pulled apart to look at him. Ron was beaming proudly, hands on hips.

"Everyone! Our whole class! No one would tell us why, but a few days after you left we were all given final exams and graduated the next! Even Noin got out with decent scores. We’ve all been apprenticed!"

"That’s great!" Harry smiled, running a hand through his hair. Ron laughed a little, nodding. After a moment, however, people were walking past them as the funeral had ended. Some paused a moment to glance with muted awe at Harry, but continued on their way. A few shook his hand and praised him; Harry murmured hollowed thanks. Ron looked hesitant and unsure as the crowd thinned, and shuffled his feet and averted his eyes.

"Er… I heard about all that had happened. My senior is Julian Ossom. See him? He’s over there; the tall one with big eyes."

Harry looked over to where he was pointing and saw the same huge wizard that he had met at Sally Packard’s house. One thing he didn’t notice while there, however, was just how large his eyes were. Harry nodded and looked away.

"Yes, I’ve met him. Nice guy. He knew my father."

"Yeah, he’s great. Although, he insists on me wearing my apprentice greens, though. You’re lucky you got Sirius and don’t have to wear yours. They’re itchy." Ron grimaced and scratched his arms.

"Don’t worry. When you’re out on assignment with your senior, you have to dress Muggle-style… so as not to be too obvious. Or in your regular wizarding robes. At least that’s what Sirius told me." Harry shrugged.

"He didn’t come, I see. Oh, yeah… that’s right, he can’t, really. Well, anyway… besides what happened, has it been everything you thought it would be? I was assigned to Ossom the day after the… er… incident. So I have yet to do anything, really." Ron said.

"A lot more than what I expected. A lot." Harry answered distantly, watching the young girl and her family leave. Ron looked where Harry was staring and let out a quiet sigh.

"You didn’t think this would never happen, did you?" Ron asked quietly.

"Not this soon. Not the first time." Harry answered after a moment, blinking as the family drove away in a car provided by the Ministry of Magic.

"This may not be the last, Harry. You know that even you can’t prevent it."

"I can try, Ron." Harry looked away.

Ron made a noise to protest, but stopped himself and sighed again. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, before Ron cleared his throat and bounced on his heels, eager to cheer his best friend up.

"Didn’t think we’d see each other again so soon! I almost feel stupid for getting nearly all gushy when we saw each other last!"

Harry couldn’t help but let a grin slip.

"Yeah… but we both know you were the one most upset. I knew it wouldn’t be long- I told you so!"

"Aw, now come on! You know that you were just as emotional as I was! If it weren’t for our manliness, we’d be bawling together like too pregnant women reading a romance novel!"

That got Harry to laugh, and they were both supporting each other to keep from falling over. After a few minutes, feeling suddenly stupid for breaking out into hysterics at a funeral scene, Ron calmed himself enough to let out a question that stunned Harry.

"Have you heard from Ginny yet? Can you believe she’s graduating?!"

Harry let his laugher die out and he looked at Ron with a mixed expression that made Ron grin.

"S-she is? No… I… she must have… er… Sirius probably got…"

"I only got her letter this morning. It’s probably waiting for you at home. Speaking of home- I’d love to come check out your place with Sirius. From what you told me in your last letter, it sounds fantastic!"

"Well, I’d love to have you and everyone over… but I have to ask Sirius first. You know the rules." Harry took a deep breath.

Ron looked slightly defeated, looking over to his senior who seemed to be preparing to leave.

"Ah, yes. Yeah, well, drop me a line when you are able to. You are going to come to Ginny’s ceremony and the party at my parents’ house afterwards, are you?"

Harry nodded a little too quickly, feeling dizzy once he stopped. Ron laughed at him and cuffed him on the shoulder.

"Send Hedwig when you can. I’m sure her letter will explain more. Right now-"

"Weasley! Time to go!" Ossom called to him, waving his arm. "Evening, Harry! Take care of yourself!"

"-I have to go." Ron smiled sadly. "But we will see each other soon."

"Right. See you later, then." Harry shook his hand, stepping back.

Ron grinned and jumped on him again, ruffling his hair while Harry gave a weak protest until Ossom shouted for Ron once more.

"Watch out for yourself, buddy. I’ll see you." Ron walked off.

"Bye." Harry said, turning around reluctantly and apparated back to Stag’s Head.

*

Five days later, after an entire night of careful begging earlier that week with Sirius, Harry found himself thrown into the crowd forming inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Only a year before, Harry himself was in that place last- graduating alongside his friends. It seemed like it was a lot longer; much had happened to him since then. But now, the last of his friends was finally graduating, and Harry felt something inside of him swell with an excitement he couldn’t understand.

He spotted the Weasleys fighting for the first row of seats and moved to greet them. Fred and George, looking particularly much older and professional, had bribed a little boy that was saving seats with a package of dung bombs to give them up. Triumphantly, they moved down and waved everyone to join them. When they saw Harry, creeping up behind Ron and Percy, they let sly grins appear on their faces.

"LOOK OUT RON! PERCY! IT’S FILCH!" George shouted, pointing at Harry.

Ron and Percy went white and twisted around. Harry smiled cheerily and waved.

"Hullo!"

"Oh geez, George! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Harry! You made it! Fantastic!" Ron grabbed him.

"Really, George- act your age." Percy rolled his eyes.

"What? Ol’ Prefect Percy scared of little ol’ Filch?" Fred laughed.

"Hush you two, honestly!" Mrs. Weasley turned in her seat, then she spotted Harry. "OH! Harry, dear! Come here, come here!"

Harry smiled and sidled over to her, nearly being suffocated in her grasp as she hugged him. She fussed and smoothed out his hair, before Ron pulled her away.

"C’mon, mum… leave him be."

"Nonsense! I haven’t seen my Harry in nearly a year and you deny me my right to fuss?! No, sir. How are you Harry? Eating well? You could do with some more vegetables, I believe. Is your senior treating you right? Where’s your sweater? It’s supposed to be chilly tonight… you’ll catch cold." Mrs. Weasley had to be pulled away by Mr. Weasley to get her off of him.

"Hey, Harry. How’re you?" he grinned at Harry.

"Fine, sir." He grinned back.

Charlie and Bill were there as well, and they all chatted until Dumbledore appeared and the procession of seventh year graduates made their way down the isle. The caps and gowns the graduates wore were coordinated with the house they belonged to. Gryffindor was first in line, about a dozen or so graduates wearing scarlet red. Harry strained his vision to pick out Ginny, but her hair blended in with her attire and it wasn’t until she was standing clear across the hall that he saw her.

An unconscious smile spread on his face as he watched her. She had grown tall, her red hair smooth and wavy around her face. There were only faint splotches of freckles on her cheeks, not entirely visible from where he was sitting. Her eyes were a golden brown, reflecting the light from the hundreds of floating candles above them. She was looking at Dumbledore, who was delivering his speech, when she turned her gaze at Harry. He felt the world crawl to stop as he was held in her gaze. Ginny smiled and he returned the gesture, before Ron elbowed him roughly in the arm.

"Ow… hey! What gives?"

"Look." Ron whispered, pointing further down the row at Fred and George, who were hunched over a banner with the words:

GINNY WEASLEY IS THE HOTTEST GRADUATE!

"Oh, no… they’re not!" Harry gasped.

"I think it’s funny." Ron began to giggle silently.

"Hush, Ron." Mrs. Weasley hissed from the row in front of them.

Harry worriedly looked back at Ginny, but she was no longer looking at him. The Gryffindors were now lining up to receive their diplomas and Dumbledore was calling out names while McGonagall gave them out. Harry tried to grab George’s attention, but with no avail. Ginny was almost last in line, but Dumbledore was going rather quickly and soon it would be too late. Whipping out his wand, Harry muttered the first spell that came to mind.

"Weasley, Ginny!" Dumbledore announced. Ginny walked across the platform to McGonagall.

"GO GINNY!" Fred and George shouted, throwing up their banner. Harry frantically read the words, worried that he had made it worse than before. It now read:

GINNY WEASLEY IS THE BESTEST GRADUATE!

Harry let out a great sigh of relief, and watched as Ginny happily left the platform with her diploma. She turned and laughed quietly at the banner, then looked at Harry. He gave a feeble wave as Fred and George did a double take at their message.

"Hey! We didn’t write that!" Fred looked indignant.

"Yeah, that’s not as funny!" George whined.

All of the Weasleys turned and looked at them; Ron nearly busted his gut to keep from laughing.

"What are you talking about, boys? I think this is the first decent thing you’ve ever done for your little sister." Mrs. Weasley eyed them.

The twins went scarlet and slowly sat back down in their seats, magicking the banner away and crossing their arms. Harry hid himself when they looked his way, pretending to look for Ginny, whom he could see clearly standing with the other Gryffindors. She was smiling at him, and when he grinned back, she looked away as her face went pink.

For another hour, the ceremony went on. Fred and George began to fidget and complain like four-year-olds before it finally ended. By the time the crowd had dispersed and the graduates reunited with their families, Harry’s watch was flashing urgently that he was needed. He grimaced, and impatiently shuffled his feet as he watched Ginny talk with her family and friends. When she saw him, her smile wavered and she excused herself.

"Congratulations, Ginny. You looked beautiful up there." Harry’s heart flipped as she came near.

"Oh, Harry! I’m so happy you came!" Ginny sighed, standing close in front of him that he could smell her sweet perfume.

Harry had to fight to keep his eyes from glazing over.

"It’s great to see you."

"I’ve missed you, Harry. It’s been nearly a year, now." She looked down at her feet.

"I know. I’ve missed you, too." Harry took her hands in his. Her smile returned, but her expression became puzzled when she noticed his watch.

"You… you have to go so soon?"

Harry sighed and nodded.

"I’m sorry, Ginny. If I could, I would stay with you for much longer… but…"

"I understand." She nodded solemnly, dropping her hands from his.

"Ginny, I-" Harry frowned.

"No, Harry, it’s alright. I’ll write you. There’s always the future- we’ll meet again." Ginny leaned over and kissed him not quite on the lips, and walked away.

"Ginny, wait!" Harry called to her, but she had already disappeared in the crowd of her family. He felt his flipping heart still itself and sink. Mentally, he cursed his job and the watch that reminded him of it. If Ginny thought that he valued his job over her, she was far from the truth. His job as an auror was merely the unwilling priority- he was making sure Ginny stayed safe, this way. Harry knew that Ginny understood, but it didn’t make the absence any easier.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave, before Ron stopped him.

"Hey! Hey, are you just gonna leave without saying goodbye?!" he asked sharply.

"I’m sorry, Ron. I have to go right away, I’m being called." Harry muttered.

Ron looked crestfallen, glancing back at his family in the crowd behind him.

"But…"

"I’ll get Sirius to give some more time off soon… but right now he’s got me really busy. I’m lucky I managed to come to the ceremony at all." Harry lamented.

Suddenly, Ron’s watch began to vibrate, and he looked down at it to notice that, it too, was flashing a notice from his senior. Ron frowned and shook his head.

"Thus begins the end of our social lives." He muttered, shoving his hand into his own pocket.

"Let’s say goodbye together, then." Harry forced a small smile.

"Oh, I see what you’re playing at… you’re just happy that you won’t be the only one getting lectured on the importance of family." Ron grinned.

Harry looked at him for a minute, then back at the other Weasleys.

"It’s because our family is important that we sacrifice our time to make sure we have one to go home to." He whispered.

Ron stared at him a moment, then nodded. Together, they bid their farewells.

*

"Are you paying attention, Harry?"

It was the following day. Harry sat cross-legged in his armchair, facing the large windowed wall that let in the morning sunshine. Sirius was standing off to the side, looking at him sternly, with his wand tapping his shoulder in impatience.

"Earth to Harry."

"Huh?" Harry blurted dumbly, not breaking his gaze from the window. He was still troubled by the way he had parted with Ginny the day before. To make himself feel better, he had stayed up later than usual to write a long letter to her. Hedwig still hadn’t returned with a reply. It was hard to keep his mind away from the feeling, even with Sirius beginning his lessons in Animagi transformation. Moro had ordered that Harry learn as soon as possible, for it was just too dangerous walking around as himself- being so well known to the wizarding world. It would continue to be difficult to do undercover investigations like the first assignment he took part in, without being an Animagus like Sirius and the others.

"Come on, Harry. You need to pay attention. Becoming an Animagus is not an easy task, even for talented wizards like yourself." Sirius scuffed.

"Alright, alright." Harry turned in his chair to face him.

"Now, in order to assert your form…"

For the next four hours, Sirius went through the rigorous incantations and spells that needed to be set in place to initially let Harry become an Animagus. Harry fought hard to clear his mind and pay attention, and was relieved that the lesson was doing so easily. Like Sirius had said, it was not an easy task. It was more complicated than the Patronus charm, in that there were more set spells to chant. Sirius said that once the initial spells were recited and performed, they wouldn’t have to be again. To transform after the first time, all that one had to do was say Anjamori mentally.

Finally, well after they had paused for lunch, Sirius announced that Harry should proceed to try and initialize the procedure.

"Okay," Harry said skeptically. "But what happens if I take on the form of a… of a fish, or something?"

"Either make sure that you’re underwater when you transform, or become very talented at holding your breath for an extended period of time." Sirius grinned.

Harry tossed his head in exasperation.

"You’re so much help."

"Hey… I’m teaching you, aren’t I? I suffered just as much as you are right now, perhaps more since I didn’t have such a talented teacher to help me!" Sirius said smugly.

"Fine. Well, here goes nothing…"

Harry closed his eyes and held his wand with both hands, slightly away and in front of him.

"Anjamori jarosopium cara car no’ ‘tui esquirious transimophi svan anjamorius!"

Instantly, his wand began to glow a golden-red color. The light began to compete with the sunlight coming in from the windows. Then suddenly, the color spread through Harry’s hands, up his arms, and spread all over his body- until he, too, was glowing golden-red. Sirius watched him carefully, nodding encouragingly as Harry opened his eyes in astonishment.

"Keep going, Harry! I think you’ve got it!" he cried.

Harry swallowed hard and closed his eyes again.

"My soul is the window… luos anjamori… I open it with my will."

At this point, the glowing light aura that surrounded him became so bright that Sirius squinted. Harry pushed everything out of his mind except the spell, feeling all his power go into his words… power that he had only felt a few times in his life.

"Transimophi svan anjami… my soul has a form… anjamori jarospium cara. I am who I am to be… transimophi… my will can command… car no’ ‘tu… allow myself to take my form… anjamorius!"

There was a loud and sudden POP! Harry’s wand turned back to it’s original color and fell to the floor. Harry went to catch it, but found that instead of reaching out a hand… he reached out a paw.

"Oh, Harry! You did it! I can’t believe it! Harry! Harry, you’re amazing!" Sirius was beaming. Harry looked at him closely, and found that he could make out every strand of gray hair that was fighting the black ones on his head. He knew his glasses were sharp, but they weren’t ever that good. Then he looked back at the paw that had stretched out instead of his hand. What he saw made his heart stop.

"That’s right, Harry." Sirius said enthusiastically. "You did it. You’re an Animagus now! Go ahead, take a look in the window at your reflection."

Harry turned his head slowly to look at the window, not noticing right away that he was a few feet shorter than he really was. When his reflection came into focus, Harry yelped… but it came out as a yowl.

I’m a panther! A black panther! His eyes went wide as he watched the image of a black panther jump and begin to growl.

He could hear Sirius laughing, and turned to scowl at him.

"If you’re that scared, go ahead and turn back. Remember… Anjamori."

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Anjamori.

With another loud POP! Harry was back to his original height, human and all.

"That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life!" Harry looked down at his human hands, which were black paws just moments before.

"Yes, it is strange in the beginning… but you get used to it. Besides- your animal form is the essence of your true soul. Mine is represented by a large black dog. You are represented by a black panther. The panther’s qualities reflect your own." Sirius patted his back.

"What qualities do I possess that a panther has? I… I thought I would…" Harry trailed off uncertainly.

"Thought what? That you’d be a stag like your father?" Sirius thought a moment, walking off a little to look out the window. "No… each person’s Animagus form is unique, it’s not hereditary. Your father was proud, headstrong, capable of taking care of himself, and able to lead when others could not. Those are, I believe, the qualities of the stag. You, on the other hand, are a free spirit… powerful, solitary, intelligent, adaptable, and resourceful. Panthers have those qualities as well. So, it is not surprising that you should transform into one."

Harry looked at the floor and breathed in slowly. He was all those things that Sirius said. It made him feel uncertain, however. Was it a good sign that he was a panther… or a bad one? Harry wasn’t sure what made him wonder about such a thing, but it distracted his already troubled thoughts.

"The only thing, however, Harry, is how to make a big wild cat blend in on the city streets. People don’t necessarily keep panthers as pets like a house cat or dog. I don’t know why I didn’t think you’d transform into anything but. Moro will not be too happy about this." Sirius turned to him.

Harry looked up at him with an expression that made Sirius cock his head with bewildered concern.

"You can’t change who I am inside… Moro will just have to deal with it."

*

Despite the fact that his Animagus form was a panther, Harry still managed to work with Sirius during several more undercover investigations and ambushes. With each victory, Harry’s spirits lifted, as there were no more casualties. His skills improved each time, and Sirius felt more confident in putting him into the confrontations. Just his appearance alone made the Death Eaters uneasy and even reports of Voldemort’s own personal skirmishes in public began to stop. This, however, worried Harry. He knew Voldemort too well for him to just give up. Voldemort would come up with another plan to kill him, and Harry became more cautious than ever.

And so another year had passed.

Harry had just returned from a short visit with the Weasleys, sitting down heavily in the now-worn armchair next to Sirius’ in front of their fire at Stag’s Head. In one year, Harry had grown to his full adult stature. It also showed in his face, although the days of stress could be seen clearly, making him look older. A long, tired sigh from behind him announced that Sirius was home. A hand suddenly appeared in front of his face holding a steaming mug of tea, and Harry took it gratefully as Sirius sat down in his chair beside him.

"So… how is everyone?" he asked wearily.

"Great. Ginny’s job at the Ministry is working out well." Harry took a long sip of his tea.

"Ah, good for her." Sirius nodded deeply. Although, he looked at Harry with a deep gaze that made Harry glance at him sidelong.

"What?"

"I’m curious. If… when… our jobs become needless, what do you plan to do afterwards?" Sirius fixed him with his intense and authoritative stare.

"Er…" Harry colored slightly. "Not sure. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering."

"Ah." Harry looked back down into his steaming mug. He thought for a long, hard moment. "You know… it’s really odd… but for some strange reason, I’m more afraid of the distant future than the not-so-distant future."

"Really?" Sirius looked nonchalant, but there was a glint in his eyes that made Harry look at him suspiciously.

"Yes. You wouldn’t have an opinion on this feeling, would you?"

Sirius looked like he was trying hard not to smile, shrugging again and looking away into the fire.

"Oh… well, every man is afraid of the distant future. But the future comes at different times for different men. The only thing you can do is follow your heart and do what it tells you to do… then everything will turn out just fine."

It was Harry’s turn to give him a sidelong glance.

"Since when did you get so philosophical?"

"Since I grew up." Sirius grinned.

"Oh, well then… that must have been very recently, ‘cause I have yet to notice." He grinned back.

"Hey." Sirius pointed a finger at him. He opened his mouth again, but there was a sudden loud bang from the fire. Jumping slightly, they both looked into the sparkling embers to see the head of Moro looking back at them with a hurried expression.

"I hope I’m not interrupting anything important." He said shortly.

Sirius sat up straight and cleared his throat.

"Err… no sir, not at all. What can we do for you?"

"We’ve got a serious problem," Morro thought a moment. "No pun intended, Black."

Harry held back an outburst, but a snort slipped out. Sirius glanced at him with a hint of laughter himself.

"We can be there in a second, sir." Harry began to stand up.

"No, Potter… this can’t wait. I’ve got every man and woman enrolled in the Society scattered all over the place already, and I can’t do it fast enough. The thing is, You-Know-Who has gone abroad. No one can find out anything on where he is. But one thing we know for sure- he’s not in the country. Reports have been flooding in for the past 24 hours from every major country of gruesome Death Eater activity. You-Know-Who has been working on his foreign relations- gaining allies in France, Spain, America, and Japan. And the scary thing is… it appears that dark art activity here in Britain has ceased. I’ve already talked with the foreign leaders, and they’ve got their own resources strained. However, Japan is in the most need of assistance. I have already sent most of my aurors out to America and Spain, but the best of the best is being called for in Japan. Potter… I believe you are ready to go solo."

Harry’s eyes went wide and he immediately looked to Sirius. His face was set and grim; he didn’t look at Harry. Harry’s heart began to beat faster, unsure if the feeling he was having was excitement, fear, or both.

"If Black feels you are ready… but I already deem you so… you’re going to Japan to meet with Minister Yao Summon. He will fill you in on the details. Black, I need you here to sweep the region in case there are Death Eaters lying in wait." Moro said coarsely.

"With all due respect, sir… Japan is so far away. Yes… yes, I believe Harry is ready to work alone, but-" Sirius began.

"But under the current circumstances, I’m afraid we have no choice." Moro interrupted and turned back to Harry. "Do you accept this assignment, Mr. Potter?"

Harry bit his lip and his eyes wandered around the room for a moment. To work all alone, in a country thousands of miles away where they spoke a different language… to most likely encounter his greatest enemy- it was the reason he became an auror. He glanced at Sirius again, who refused to meet his eyes. However, Harry saw him nod slightly… just enough encouragement to let him decide.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Mr. Moro. I accept the assignment."

*

It was a hot June night that evening, and Harry had his large bedroom window open as he sat at his desk. Hedwig was perched on his shoulder, preening both herself and his hair at the same time. He was used to the usual avian affection, and paid her no mind as he continued to write the long letter he was involved with.

… and it won’t be so lonely. I’ll probably meet some Japanese aurors and make some interesting friends! But, don’t fret… you and everyone else will be on my mind every minute of every day I’m gone. Not that I don’t already think of you and everyone else every moment of every day! I’m sorry I’m going even further away, but the sooner this gets done… the sooner I can be home for good…

"Harry? Are you busy?"

Sirius was standing in the doorframe, wearing a sleeveless shirt and boxers that he usually wore to bed in the summer. His face was tight with worry, even though he was obviously fighting to look cheerful. Harry turned and smiled, flipping the letter over.

"No, come on in."

Slowly, Sirius wandered in, trying to look nonchalant and sat down cross-legged on Harry’s bed. He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back, letting out a long breath. Harry watched him with a small smile, ruffling Hedwig’s feathers as she began to nibble at his ear.

"What’s up?" he asked his godfather.

Sirius was silent a moment, before he took a deep breath and exhaled loudly again.

"Have you ever heard the story about the Trees and the Ax?" he asked suddenly.

Harry cocked his head and thought a moment.

"No. I haven’t, why?"

"I was just thinking… it was an old story I once heard a long time ago. I gave it no thought at the time, for it had no meaning to me then. But… now, strangely, it’s come back to me. It goes- a woodsman came into the forest and asked the Trees to provide him with a handle for his ax. Some of the Trees, wishing to save themselves, told the Woodsman where he could find a very young Ash Tree. The Woodsman then pulled the Ash Tree out of the ground. No sooner had the Woodsman carved the Ash Tree into a sturdy handle than he began to use his ax. He set to work right and left, felling the noblest giants of the forest. An old Oak, mourning the destruction of the mighty trees that had been his friends, said to a Cedar Tree nearby, ‘If we had not given up the Ash Tree to please the Woodsman, we all might have stood for hundreds of years.’ ‘Yes,’ said the Cedar Tree sadly. ‘We should have known.’"

Harry stared at him until Sirius cleared his throat uncomfortably under his gaze.

"And?"

"And… well… the saying afterwards goes that if we want our own lives protected, we must protect the lives of others. I was thinking- that’s a lot like the assignment Moro has put you on. At first, I was against sending the best auror to a foreign country when the root of the problem is right here at home. But… in order to keep matters from getting worse, you need to be there to see what you can do. Japanese lives are just as valuable as British. In turn, we save ourselves." Sirius shrugged.

"Okay, you’re sudden transitions to philosophical wisdom is beginning to really scare me, Sirius." Harry blinked.

"Excuse me, but I am your senior… thus I’m supposed to know all this wise nonsense and convey it all without hopelessly confusing you." Sirius crossed his arms. "And I’m serious… no pun intended. Plus, I am your godfather and so I am always right."

Harry laughed so hard he fell to the floor, sending Hedwig to flap hard to the windowsill and watch disapprovingly. Sirius began to chuckle himself, but as Harry calmed down, he fixed him with his most piercing look.

"Harry, this is a major step. You’ll be on your own… away from all your friends- and me. I won’t be there behind you. I just want you to remember all that you’ve learned and keep your focus and a clear head."

Harry quieted and looked out the window. Hedwig had then began preening herself on the sill, most likely enjoying the light summer breeze that blew in from the sea. Sirius didn’t say anything more; the waves’ crashing on the rocky shore filled the room with its roar. Everything that Sirius had said Harry knew full well already. It had been a long time since he had been alone, but not long enough for him to forget. He didn’t like it, but loneliness and solving situations on his own was how he was raised. Going to Japan would not be as bad as everyone made it seem to be.

"But I know you can do this. Everyone who loves you, including myself especially, is very proud of you. I know your parents would too." Sirius whispered.

Harry looked back at him and nodded. With a small smile, Sirius got up and hugged him, then left the room for the night. The candlelight in the hall went out, and Harry turned back to his letter-

… I miss you with all my heart, and because I do it’ll only get me home faster. There is nothing to worry about, so keep your chin up! I’ll write you from Japan!

Goodbyes are not forever.

Love,

Harry

*

The owl from the Society that had arrived overnight with Harry’s assignment papers made it certain that he left on time. It didn’t leave until he was dressed and ready to go, with Sirius trudging behind him with a mug of coffee and a muffin.

"Sirius, you know coffee, aparating, and me don’t mix." Harry grumbled as he packed some last minute items.

"You need to eat something! For Merlin’s sake, it’s 5:00 AM!" Sirius shoved the mug in his hand.

"Exactly why I can’t ingest anything! It’s too early!" Harry shoved the mug back.

"Do not force me to bind your arms and legs together and force this down your throat!" Sirius growled.

He would do it, too. Harry thought grouchily. With a roll of his eyes, he reluctantly downed half the mug and ate the entire muffin.

"Good boy." Sirius grinned mockingly, dodging Harry’s reaction of a blow to the head.

"I’m ready… I think I have everything. Don’t I?" He asked Sirius.

"Looks like it." Sirius shoved his hands in his pockets, looking especially forlorn. Harry sighed, biting his lip as he looked at his godfather.

"Well, er… time to go then."

"Yep. Don’t wanna be late. Got to set a good reputation and show those Japanese how professional the British are." Sirius averted his eyes.

"Yeah…" Harry was fighting real hard to keep his face straight.

"Take care of yourself, Harry. I… I’ll miss you." Sirius looked at him then.

Harry hugged him, forcing himself not to loose his composure. Before he could do so, he apparated with a POP! Away from his home… away from his loved ones… to a place more dangerous than anyone could predict.

"So you left Britain."

"Yes."

"Did you know what you were heading in to?"

"Yes… and no."

"Did you really expect to come home?"

"Of course. What young person wouldn’t?"

"But you weren’t the average young person… you knew better."

"Yes… but I was stubborn."

"You still are."

"Thank you."

"I can see you still have a sense of humor."

"Perhaps."

"You came home, though."

"Yes."

"But you didn’t really come home."

"Hmm."

"What happened?"

"Destiny. Destiny happened."