The Unwelcome Return

Why did I come back, why on earth did I agree to do this. If I had just refused to leave my house I would still be under the illusion that Sirius was alive and well, I wouldn’t be sat hunched up in a corner of a room feeling like crap. I was scared to tell you the truth, I was scared blind, if someone like Sirius failed…I just can’t. Oh look at all the self pity. I hate that quality in a person, I despise it, but here I am being that. I don’t wish to be like that but I really can’t help it, I was really looking forward to seeing him. Someone came into the room and sat in front of my on the bed, I glimpsed up to see who it was. It was Harry.

I racked my brains for something to say, but all I wanted to know was how Sirius died, but this wasn’t the place or time to do so.

“Harry I have no idea what to say to you.”

“How do you know who I am?”

“Oh come on, hair, eyes, the looks…got the Quidditch skills as well?”

“I’m Seeker for Gryffindor.”

“You know your father was Chaser then?”

“Yeah. You were at school with my parents?”

“Yes I was. Sirius almost got me killed once, sent a bludger right at me. You father didn’t help, he thought it was hilarious, though it wasn’t so funny when I caught the Snitch.”

“You weren’t in Gryffindor then.”

“No, guess they didn’t tell you that.”

“Mrs Weasley just told us to avoid you. I suppose I shouldn’t have come up here.”

“So why did you?”

“You were so upset about Sirius I presumed you knew him well.”

“I did, your parents and Remus too.”

“So I guess you know of Snape.”

“Course I knew Severus, we were in the same house.”

“You’re a Slytherin?”

“Was. Harry you’ll soon fond out that house’s mean diddly squat in the grand scheme of things. When you stand against Voldemort, it’s all about sides, not who you were in school.”

“So you are a Slytherin no more?”

“In part, but I still adore green and have an affinity with snakes. You’re not going to go all Gryffindor on me are you?”

“I thought houses didn’t matter?”

“You’re still in school.”

“So how do you know my mum and dad?”

“A long and laborious tale I would much rather leave till never.”

“Oh right. I know this seems like an odd question now, but what’s your name?” Maybe it Is this house that prevents the sharing of names.

“HARRY! What are you doing in here? Awful things could have happened to you and we couldn’t have done anything!” Molly swung through the doorway at a great rate of knots, throwing clouds of dust into the air when it hit the wall.

“I’m fine.”

“Well we didn’t know that, we were worried about you. Come now Harry, dinner’s ready. You too.”

Great, dinner with a group of people who didn’t want me here, not only that, people who warned others to avoid. It’s simple, people as a whole don’t forgive and forget, they say so and believe so for a while, but it creeps back over time and becomes a overriding thought about that person. Sometimes even escalating past truth and letting it evolves into fiction and myth, which as it seems is what occurred here. I was seated at the end of the table with empty seats either side, preventing close contact with anyone, but I was not one for allowing this to stop me.

“I’m missing something, Molly I’m sure you can help me out.”

“What is it?” Her voice was sounding tired.

“Chains, I don’t have any chains.”

“Why ever would you need chains?”

“I’m a prisoner aren’t I? No physical, verbal, emotional contact, that’s solitary confinement.”

“Don’t be smart with me, or I’ll-”

“Or I’ll what, what can you possiblely try on me.”

“There are several Order members that will help me.”

“Molly, stop it.” Remus attempted to cease Molly’s words, but alas to no avail. “It would take more to bring her down.” Remus then sent a small smile at me from the kitchen doorway, he then came in with a couple of plates of food in his hands. “May I sit here?”

“I should ask Molly, she is the matriarch.”

Another smirk was unsuccessfully suppressed before he sat down beside me, he then leant in quite close and whispered, “You should have seen Severus’s face when I told him you were being contacted.”

“What do you mean?”

“I swear I saw the tiniest smile. I thought it was a smirk at first, it only registered after I left, of course I was sent away as the werewolf. Whatever you did to him, he still remembers.”

I could have leapt on Remus right there and then and thanked him several times over and then once more, but I was interested in this unrecognisable smile. Dinner was a silent affair and I couldn’t care less about it, maybe I was foolish to place so much hope into such a tiny thing. Who cares? It was obvious that Molly’s low opinion of me wasn’t going to be changing in the near future.