Phoenix Rising

Chapter 4: Back to Hogwarts

Harry laid awake that night, his mind spinning on how he was going to tell Lupin about all this. And how was he going to manage to act normally around Severus? He was a Gryffindor, and despite his Slytherin traits, that meant he was brave. He'd handle it. Even if the entire Potions class stared at him like he had suddenly grown two heads, and for that matter, even if the entire school stared at him.

Slipping out of bed around midnight, Harry made his way down into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Lupin was already there, sipping at some hot chocolate.

"Couldn't sleep?" Harry asked, covering how excited he was to see Lupin here, all by himself.

Lupin shook his head. "No. Too worried. The students know I'm a werewolf and I'm sure they are going to remind me of it."

Especially that worm Draco, Harry thought bitterly. But then he remembered that Draco was Severus's nephew.

"I want to talk with you," Harry said, sitting in the seat beside Lupin, forgetting about the food he had come down to eat. "It's about Severus."

"What about him?" Lupin asked, looking at him strangely.

Harry took a breath. "Did you know he was married?"

"Florence Wilkes?" Lupin asked softly, putting his cup down.

"Yes," Harry answered, ignoring the questioning look Lupin was giving him. No doubt Lupin wanted to know how Harry had found out about it. "And he has two kids."

"What?" Lupin asked, his eyes wide. "He has kids?"

Harry nodded as the house made funny settling noises. "When his wife died he did something with them and then obliterated his memory of what he had done. He was scared of the Ministry getting at them, or Voldemort. He has no idea of where they are. But," Harry took a deep breath, "Evan Rosier did a Remembrance Spell on Severus before Severus obliterated his memory and the information can be retrieved with a spell that Melusine is currently working on. We will need to help her gather ingredients for it. I would like your help. But I don't want to tell Severus what we are doing until we know that his kids are all right."

Lupin's eyes had gone so wide, Harry was afraid they might fall out. And his face was white. "How did you find out about all this?"

Harry shrugged. "I would rather not tell you but it is all true."

"No wonder why he's so miserable," Lupin muttered, turning around to face the kitchen door, his body slumped. "I've been an idiot."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Third year," Lupin sighed. "I kept bothering Severus about how he frowns all the time and never looks happy. No wonder why he was so nasty to me when I did it. If I was him, I think I would have hit me."

"Now that you know," Harry said, "you can be nicer to him and more understandable."

Lupin nodded his head. "I will. Does Dumbledore know?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I don't think it's something Severus likes to tell anyone about. He probably doesn't see the point since he thinks there's nothing anyone can do to help."

"I'll help you," Lupin assured him.

"Good," Harry said, sighing. "Melusine gave me a sphere that has a hole in it. I'm going to keep it in my trunk and I can communicate with her that way. If you ever want to, just roll up a piece of parchment with your note written on it and slip it in the hole and then tap it once. She said to be sure to only tap it once since other people, including Severus, also have them and we want our message to go to her and not them. Her messages will appear in it also and we just take them out."

Lupin nodded distractedly. "I can't believe he has kids."

Harry watched as Lupin continued to drink his hot chocolate with shaking hands.

"He must be so scared," Lupin sighed.

Harry, not having thought that the news would upset Lupin so much, laid a hand on his arm. Lupin had always been the sensitive one, though. Harry should have known it would have upset him a little. He didn't hate Severus like Sirius did, after all. "We'll find them."

Lupin ran a shaking hand across his forehead. "Why didn't he give them to Dumbledore?"

Harry looked away. "My source says that Severus felt Dumbledore had my dad, mom, and me to worry about and couldn't be bothered with his children."

Lupin hit the table so hard with his hand that Harry heard the table crack. Startled, Harry looked at him with wide eyes.

"You know," Lupin said hoarsely, "he's probably right. But Dumbledore had so many he had to protect that sometimes he had to pick and choose who he wanted to save. No wonder why Severus hates us all. We failed him."

"Well," Harry said, "we won't fail him again. I, for one, plan on doing anything I have to to get his kids back for him."

Lupin smiled at him. "Me too."

"Me three," said a voice behind them.

Harry whirled around to see Sirius taking off an invisibility cloak. His eyes were awfully bright.

"How?" Harry asked, wondering when Sirius had stolen it, and feeling slightly mad. Though not much considering how bright Sirius's eyes were.

"Dumbledore gave me one so I wouldn't have to stay in my dog form constantly. I was testing it out, following Lupin down and then preparing to scare him," Sirius explained, sitting down and sighing. "How old are his kids, do you know?"

Harry nodded his head, glad that Sirius wasn't demanding to know how he knew all this. "Seventeen, that's the boy, and fifteen, that's the girl."

"That's got to be tough, teaching kids that are the ages his kids are," Lupin muttered.

"So, how are we going to go about getting his kids back?" Sirius asked.

Harry shook his head. "That's Melusine's job. We just do what she asks us. You heard how to use the sphere?" Harry asked Sirius.

Sirius nodded, scratching his head. "Yeah. But we have to do something besides sit on our hands and wait around."

Harry looked at Sirius and decided to try for it. "Melusine said that it would be a good idea for Severus to be rid of his hate and anger before we find his kids. She's been working on it all summer and it's working but she feels that maybe having a friend or three on our side might help tremendously. Lupin and I are going to try for it. How about you?" Harry ventured.

Sirius glanced at him, his face unsure and embarrassed. "He hates me and I kind of feel the same way. I want to help you get his kids back," Sirius carried on before Harry could protest, "but I don't know about being friends with him."

Well, Harry decided, that was something. "Okay, then just me and Lupin will try. Melusine said that he would probably try to shove us away but not to let him."

"I won't," Lupin promised.

Harry yawned, glad to get one thing off his mind. "I'm going to bed," he announced.

He left Lupin and Sirius still stilling there and when he had closed the door he heard Sirius's voice say, "No wonder why Snape acts insane."

Harry was actually surprised that Sirius was so understanding, but then again, Sirius was probably the one person that did know what Severus was going through the most, having been away from Harry for twelve years, wondering what was going on in Harry's life. Wondering if Harry was safe. Lupin probably had wondered too but he could have found out easily enough by contacting Dumbledore, Sirius hadn't had that option, he had been left to worry.

But, Harry guessed, that understanding still didn't make Sirius like Severus. Harry could see that. There were some people you felt sorry for and wanted to help but didn't want to become friends with.

Harry went to bed, feeling relaxed for the first time since he had jumped headlong into that Pensieve. With two adults on his side, and Melusine, this might just work.

Harry dreamed about a girl that looked like Katrina who, for some reason, was chasing Trevor the toad through the thick undergrowth of a forest. A boy was following her but Harry couldn't see his face. Voldemort appeared out of nowhere and aimed the killing curse at them. Harry started to scream when the girl dropped, pushing the boy down, and turned into a basilisk, causing Voldemort to turn into a stone statue that they dragged home, Harry still couldn't see the boy's face, and used for a lawn ornament. It was a favorite target of birds.

It was a most satisfying dream.

Rested, Harry got up and prepared for another trip to Hogwarts. He was nervous! Lupin and Sirius both looked exhausted. Harry had the feeling they had been up talking all night.

The trip to Hogwarts seemed like a dream. Both Lupin and Sirius (in his invisibility cloak) slept while Ron and Harry played the Muggle card game of Uno. It was a quiet game and wouldn't wake anyone up. Hermione was reading a book on Prefects. Harry had the feeling she was trying to tell Ron, without actually saying it, that she was a Prefect. Harry just hoped that Ron wasn't too dense to get it, Harry certainly had.

When the train finally stopped at Hogwarts, Lupin and Sirius (still in his cloak) went off to join the teachers while Ron, Hermione, and Harry went into the Great Hall and sat with the other Gryffindors.

Severus was sitting next to Trelawney and Flitwick. Neither of them were talking to him, of course, but since neither of them were talking at all, Harry guessed that didn't matter much.

As McGonagall read off the names of the first years, Harry darted a glance at the Slytherin table. Some of them, like Harry had figured, looked smug, like they knew something no one else did, but not the majority. Most just looked like they always had, scowling and unpleasant.

After the last student had been sorted, Harry dug into his food, glancing occasionally at the Head Table. Severus didn't talk to anyone during his meal, which was normal for him, and left, with most of the Slytherins, right after he had finished.

Harry went to bed right after his meal, while everyone else stayed in the common room and talked about the upcoming year. His dream was not so pleasant this night. Nagini was circling Severus as he stood in front of Voldemort. Severus wasn't reacting as Voldemort, with his wand pointed at Severus, muttered Crucio over and over again. Severus's knees weren't even buckling, he just kept staring at Voldemort with his cold and dead black eyes. Voldemort finally had enough and set Nagini on him. Severus didn't even blink as the snake bit his leg, entwining her body around him.

With a start, Harry woke up, glad that his scar wasn't hurting. It had just been a dream, not a vision of things happening.

As they ate their breakfast, Harry looked over his schedule. Double Potions was first thing that morning, with the Slytherins. Harry's heart beat faster. He wanted a chance to see Severus but was also scared that he would give himself away. His feelings toward Severus had changed so much that everyone, and especially someone as sharp as Severus was, would be able to tell it instantly. No matter, Harry was just going to have to deal with it.

Ron groaned at seeing what was first. Hermione didn't groan but she didn't smile either. Neville squeaked at seeing what was first. Harry wondered if Neville knew that Neville's dad had known Severus when they had been in school. Was that part of the reason Severus was so mean to Neville? Neville reminded him of Neville's dad, a man that two of Severus's own friends had tortured. Harry shuddered, not sure how he would have been able to handle teaching a child whose parents Ron or Hermione had tortured. What did you say to someone in that case? Maybe you just hoped they never found out.

Harry grabbed his potions book and ran down into the dungeons, followed by Hermione and Ron, to grab a table near the front. Might as well start trying to make friends. Severus was at the blackboard, writing down ingredients.

"Good morning, sir," Harry said brightly as he walked into the classroom and sat at the front table.

Ron gawked at him. Hermione stared but sat down next to him anyway. Ron looked like he wanted to grab a back table but decided that having Hermione's help was worth sitting near the front.

Severus looked at them oddly but didn't say anything as he went back to his writing. The class was mostly like all the others, except that Harry was paying attention and taking in every word Severus said.

While Severus was lecturing at the beginning, Harry copied down what he was saying with rapt attention, glancing up at Severus once in awhile to show that he was listening. When it came time for the potion making process, Harry didn't even need Hermione's help. He carefully prepared the ingredients like Severus had said in his lecture and added them in the correct order.

His potion turned the brilliant shade of purple it was supposed to.

"Nice potion, Potter," Severus complimented to the astonishment of the entire class.

Harry grinned up at him, not realizing until now how badly Severus must have been shaken up by Harry's guilt over Cedric's death. Melusine had been right about that.

"Thank you, sir," Harry said.

He went on to the other kids and Harry realized that while Severus wasn't exactly being nice, he was making an effort not to be too mean. Severus was probably so used to making waspish remarks that they just flew off his tongue and he had to work on not letting them.

But, Harry saw, he had gotten more biased towards the Slytherins. Harry didn't mind. With Voldemort on the rise the Slytherins needed to know who they could turn to for help.

Draco's, of course, was the best potion in the class, even though Harry's was a brighter purple.

"He's so unfair!" Ron muttered as they packed up.

Harry shrugged. "If Sev.. Snape wants to favor Draco, let him. Hermione is several teachers favorites and you don't get onto them for favoring her."

Harry turned around to see Severus standing behind him, looking slightly surprised. Harry suddenly realized that he had never complimented Severus before or defended him or... thanked him.

"By the way, sir," Harry began, as the rest of the class filed out, only Ron and Hermione remained, "I would like to thank you for saving my life in first year and trying to in third year. And for sticking up for me when Fudge was denying Voldemort's return. I'm sorry I didn't say so before, but I was just a kid back then. Thank you."

Harry smiled at him again, noticing Severus looked too stunned to reply, and hurried out to make it to Divination. Ron, Hermione, and Severus were left standing there, all in shock. Hermione and Ron shook themselves, realized where they were, and hurried after him.

"Are you crazy?!" Ron bellowed as they sprinted up the stairs. "He tried to get Sirius killed!"

"I know that," Harry said calmly, "but Sev.. Snape did believe that Sirius was after me. He didn't know about Pettigrew or anything and he probably did believe that Lupin was helping Sirius, too. They had been old friends, after all."

"Maybe," Ron muttered darkly.

Hermione, with the Prefect badge pinned to her robe, just looked at him oddly. "I better go to Arthimancy."

She left and Ron rounded on him. "Did you know that she was a Prefect?!"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Good, Ron was so mad about Hermione's being a Prefect that he would forget about what had happened in Potions. "No," he lied, "when did she tell you?"

"Last night," he muttered as they climbed up the ladder, "after you went to bed."

Harry made sympathy noises in his throat as they went through the trapdoor. Nothing had changed in the way of decor or smell. Harry was going to have to ask someone to teach him a magical way to cool down his body for this class, it was stifling.

Trelawney told Harry to watch out for a bushy brown haired girl who would be his doom. Harry snickered. Trelawney still didn't like Hermione for her running out of Divination in third year.

The rest of the day was a blur. After the last class, Harry rushed up to his room and opened the trunk. There was a note, written on homemade paper. The paper was rough and had a greenish tint to it.

The note, written in black ink, was short: 'Need the hair of someone who loves Severus. Put the hair in the vial I sent. If the clear liquid inside glows red, it means they love Severus, and send me at least ten of their hairs. The stronger the red glow, the better.'

Harry plucked out the vial that had appeared in the hole and frowned. Who loved Severus? Harry liked him now, but that wasn't love.

Testing, Harry plucked out a stray hair over his forehead with a wince and slipped it into the opened vial. A faint pinkish glow.

Whose could he get? Dumbledore's?

Harry was going to have to get Sirius and Lupin's help with this one. Sirius would be especially good with use of his own invisibility cloak.