Harry Potter and the Keeper of the Portals

Chapter 1

Harry awoke. His face was pale and sweaty. He had had the same dream three times already this week. The same flash of green light and deafening screams while Lily and James Potter fell to the floor.

He rubbed his eyes, put on his round glasses and looked in the mirror on the wall. He was getting taller. It must be all the food I'm getting for once!

Though, thin, his muscles were bigger and firmer, mingled with a few bruises. Must be from Dudley punching me more than usual! Harry Potter was finally sixteen. He smiled for the first time in months.

Well, it's not your birthday everyday.

The lightning shaped scar on his forehead stood out from under his jet-black fringe, and his bright green eyes were slightly red, from just waking up.

The morning was rainy and dark. Harry stuck his head out the window and felt the soft patter of the rain on his face mixed with tears.

Who was he kidding?

He was miserable!

If only Sirius was here.

Sirius' smile and laughter raced through his head. He remembered how Sirius died. He remembered crying his name. He buried his face in his hands for a moment and then shook himself. He's gone, he told himself, gone.

Hedwig his snowy owl hooted from her corner. He patted her on the head and filled her bowl with birdseed ("Only to shut it up!" Uncle Vernon said).

He looked out the open window again. To his great surprise, about fourteen owls were flying towards the window. He stepped back to let them in. They started fighting to deliver their packages and letters first.

"Relax!" Harry hushed them.

He recognised only three of them. One was a large Hogwarts owl, one was a tawny and the other was about the size of a tennis ball and zooming madly around the ceiling. "Pig," Harry muttered disgustedly.

He opened the packages eagerly. From Hagrid, he received a set of gold coloured quills and bottles of all different colours of ink and a card with Happy Birthday Harry, scrawled on the inside.

From Hermione he received a large crystal. He held it up to his face and a sort of warmth and happiness grew in his heart.

A little note in the card read:

This is a Nagelian crystal, Harry. Just hold it tight and you'll feel happy and calm. Try to cheer up and Happy Birthday, love Hermione.

Harry held the crystal up to the light. On the wall there was a rainbow of colours reflected from it.

"Wow!" he sighed and put the crystal on his bedside table.

From the Weasleys there was a bumper pack of Weasley's Wizard Whizzers and a note saying:

Have fun with your cousin! The joke shop is coming on great! Happy Birthday, Harry and make sure the muggles are treating you right.

He also got twenty galleons from the editor of the Daily Prophet and a small note saying sorry. Harry snorted at this. He didn't need their condolences.

Some were letters and packages from people he didn't even know. He got a large box of Honeydukes chocolates, a set of gobstones and a new schoolbag that had charms around it that prevented it from ripping, getting dirty and getting stolen. Many cards were there too, including a letter from someone who calls herself Stacey who is planning to do obscene things to him.

"I must watch out for her." Harry breathed, laughing slightly.

He walked downstairs to the kitchen where Dudley, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia sat at the table, eating breakfast in the gleaming white kitchen.

"Breakfast is in the fridge," Petunia snapped with a look of deepest disgust.

"Oh look, it's that boy around the house again!" Vernon laughed.

"Letters," Harry muttered and Vernon gave him a pleading look.

Dudley went eating his breakfast, as he had not noticed.

Odd, Harry thought. Why didn't he snigger at me? An owl flew in the open window. Vernon grunted to show he was angry but didn't say anything. He obviously remembered the threat Moody and Lupin gave him at the end of the school year, that they would come to the house if they heard Harry was being mistreated.

Harry opened the letter eagerly. It read,

Dear Harry,

Remus Lupin here. We haven't heard from you in three days so we are coming to retrieve you tomorrow. I suggest you get your things packed and ready to go.

The daily prophet has had they're fair share of say about you. I'm sure you received the twenty galleons as a sort of sorry payment for the slander they have been writing about you though it should have been at least a million! They have also written about how you, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna Lovegood saved the prophecy from Voldemort. All of you are famous now (not that you weren't already famous enough)!

We have very exciting news for you and everyone else when you get to Grimmauld Place. Everyone from the Order of the Phoenix will be there and we have cleaned the house up a treat!

We all look forward to seeing you,

We can't wait to see you, from Remus Lupin.

A little happy bubble grew inside Harry.

"What is it?" Vernon asked fearfully. He has been afraid of Harry getting post ever since he met Moody.

Harry liked it when Vernon was afraid.

"Lupin and Mad Eye Moody are coming to retrieve me tomorrow," he replied. "What? Why? We haven't done anything to you! Why are they coming? I thought you were writing letters to those freaks. I..." but Harry cut across him.

"No, I asked them to come and pick me up. I said that I better get out quick before you all went mad from being so nice to me and we sure don't want that!" he lied silkily. The effect of these words seemed to make the vein in Vernon's temple go haywire and his face go purple with rage.

"Humph. Go mad, us?" snapped Petunia.

Harry smiled smugly. Making others feel bad or angry helped take the pain away. Dudley just continued eating his bacon. His fat posterior was hanging over the edge of his seat.

Harry reached into the fridge and pulled out a cheese sandwich and a glass of orange juice. Sitting down beside Dudley he found out he was crying silently into his plate. "What the..." Harry whispered.

Dudley suddenly got up and pulled Harry by his sleeve into the hallway.

"What?" he shouted.

"Don't you dare let on to Mum that something's wrong!" Dudley whispered, dangerously.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, he got so nosy to the fact that Dudley had not been seen with his friends as much as he used to.

Dudley breathed in deeply as though he was trying to find the right words. "I just found out my girlfriend is one of you! Do you have any idea of how perfect she was, about how kind and gorgeous she was until I found out she was like you?" he said with his face burning with anger.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"I'm not telling you, but don't you dare tell anyone, or I'll rip you apart!" Dudley replied.

"Yeah, like they would believe me!" Harry retorted.

Harry sat down at the table again and started eating and Dudley drew a finger across his throat threateningly.

Aunt Petunia looked up. "Dudley-kinns what's wrong?" she asked, running over to him with a look of the deepest worry.

"N-nothing mum," He stuttered. "Only t-tired that's all!"

"Well go back to bed darling," she said, her voice dripping with sympathy, "my little Dudders needs his rest!"

Harry stifled a snigger. He could understand the shame though. Dudley was the type of person who treated wizards and witches like they rolled around in the mud and took their clothes off for money! And he's been going out with someone like that! Petunia would never forgive him.

He couldn't help wondering who it was though. Another witch in the neighbourhood would mean that he wasn't completely alone. Besides Mrs. Figgs that lives just down the road! Harry suddenly started laughing. Did Dudley really have a girlfriend? Let alone a nice looking one as he put it.

Harry ate the rest of his breakfast and walked back upstairs and reread his letter. The happy-bubble returned to his heart. He was going back to Grimmauld palace! Lupin, Mad-Eye, Ron, Hermione and all the other Weasleys would be there too. He felt like he was going home at last.

He got up, packed all his things (which hardly took more than an hour) and went to his desk to write a letter to Lupin. It read,

Dear Remus,

I actually wanted to embarrass the Dursleys by not writing so you could come over. I can't wait to go back to Grimmauld Place.

How is everyone? I'm okay but the Dursleys don't even acknowledge me anymore, which suits me. Can you bring Moody with you? Vernon is terrified of him.

Say thanks for all the presents to everyone!

Can't wait to come home, from Harry.

There! That looked fine. Excitement was flooding through him. He walked over to Hedwig who affectionately nibbled his ear while he tied the letter to her leg.

Harry watched her soar out the window and disappeared over the horizon.

Harry awoke to the doorbell ringing. A loud angry voice travelled up the stairs.

They're here! He bolted down the stairs. Vernon was holding a baseball bat and was holding it in a threatening manner. He was shaking with fear though.

Harry waved at the two men at the door.

"Hey, could you help here?" Lupin asked in his usual kindly manner. Moody pushed Vernon out of the way and hobbled toward Harry.

Petunia came in the door with a plate and cup. She looked at Moody with his mutilated skin and features and ran screaming from the room.

"She's not the only one scared," he said, his magical eye swivelling through the top bedroom, "the fat one is up there crying!" he snorted.

"Dudley!" Vernon gasped and ran up the stairs as far as his fat legs could carry him. "Got your stuff ready, Harry?" Lupin asked.

"Yep," he replied and went up the stairs to retrieve his trunk. He quickly grabbed Hedwig who was still in her cage.

After everything was loaded into the magical car that Lupin was driving they were on their way. Harry watched as houses and trees jumped out of the way, not even listening to the conversation that Lupin and Moody were having. Before Harry knew it he was at Grimmauld Place.

The house squeezed into place and he almost ran through the door, slamming it into the wall. He felt like an excited little child on Christmas. He was finally going to see his friends again for the first time in MONTHS!

Stopping in mid run he looked around the house.

It was beautiful. The black old staircase was now wooden and varnished so brightly it seemed to glow. There were no longer any portraits of evil looking witches and wizards. In their place there were portraits of celebrities talking gently in their frames. The walls were no longer black but soft colours like white and cream.

The only thing he recognised was the old curtain that hid the portrait of Sirius' mother. She had thrown them open and started screaming at the top of her voice, "YOU CHIDREN OF FILTH! RUINING MY HOUSE AND DESTROYNG MY POSESSIONS! HOW DARE YOU ENTER AFTER MY DEATH AND KILLING MY LOYAL HOUSE ELF!"

Lupin ran in and closed her curtains quickly.

" Please try not to bang the door Harry!" he said, panting.

"Er- what did she say about the house-elf?" Harry questioned.

"Well," Lupin started uncomfortably, "He er- he died. It was old age!" he added hastily.

"I bet Hermione was upset about that!" Harry said.

Harry walked into the living room and found a woman already in there.

The sight of her took him by surprise. She didn't look remotely like a woman at all. She was sitting on the large sofa. Where her legs should have been there was a long, thick tail, like a snake's and it was a scaly, poisonous looking green.

Her skin was pale and green coloured and her nails were long enough to gouge someone's eye out.

Her eyes were a dark red colour, like Voldemort's and where there was supposed to be hair there were snakes protruding from her scalp like thick green dreadlocks.

She looked suspiciously at him and one of the many snakes coming out her head hissed at him.

Before Harry knew what he was doing, he whipped out his wand and shouted, "STUPEFY!" The spell caught her, lifted her off the ground and slammed her in to the wall.

Mrs. Black's screeches could be heard from the hallway as Lupin came running in. Harry could hear Moody trying to close the curtain over Mrs Black's portrait.

"Oh Harry! What did you do that for?" Lupin walked over to the snake woman slumped on the floor and helped her to her... tail. Confused and shocked at what Lupin had just done, he muttered a small apology.

"Are you all right, Blaise?" he asked her kindly.

"Yes." she said, her voice was kind and warm. Harry had been expecting a hiss. He whispered his apology once more.

"It's quite alright. It's nice to finally meet you Harry Potter though this wasn't the sort of warm welcome I was expecting. It happens quite often, really," she laughed, brushing the dust from her slender waist.

Now that Harry saw her up close, she was quite beautiful.

Her waist was slim and she was wearing a sort of dark green bikini top. Her eyes, now that he saw them were nothing like Voldemort's at all. They were warm and inviting. Her face though, Harry had never seen a face like that! It was so...pretty!

She held out her hand formally and said, "My name is Blaise Raven!"

She seized Harry's outstretched hand. They felt surprisingly warm and they were strong and yet delicate.

Hermione and Ron walked into the room. They took no notice of the half snake woman and instead ran to Harry and greeted him merrily.

"Hey thanks for the great presents you guys!" he said.

"It was nothing, really!" replied Ron, his ears going pink.

"How were you over the summer? Did you read the report of that school that was blown into rubble? Only two people survived. A 5^th year and a teacher!" Hermione said dramatically.

"WHAT?" Harry said horror struck. He wondered what happened and who did it but he knew the answer immediately.

"Yeah," Blaise cut in, "it was horrible. My friend was one of the survivors. It was just one of Voldemort's ideas of fun. Those poor children!"

Ron flinched at the name but Blaise took no notice.

"I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but it's been nagging at me all day! What exactly are you?" Hermione questioned.

Blaise just smiled and put her hand to her chin, trying to find the right words, "Well, I'll give you a hint. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was Medusa!"

"Oh," Hermione replied, "you're a gorgon!"

"Well not exactly," she began, "my powers exceed Medusa's. I can turn people to stone and back again. Medusa could turn people to stone but she could not reverse it. Watch." She pointed to a book on the table beside the couch.

The tip of her tail touched it and it instantly turned into stone. She touched it again and it turned back.

"Wow," Ron breathed. "Have you got any other powers?"

"Yes," she replied. " I'm quite quick despite this tail, and the snakes on my head are poisonous. Also, about that name gorgon, that was just a name given to Medusa by the Greeks, but to be honest, there is no such thing as a gorgon!" Blaise explained.

"But Medusa had four powers!" Hermione interrupted. "Well, er- yes. I er- also eh-eh had the same power and I er..." she trailed off.

Hermione didn't press on the matter. I was obviously very personal.

Lupin watched them it was a mildly interesting program.

"You said you had good news for us!" Harry turned to Lupin. Hermione and Ron looked around too.

"Ah, yes," he began, "well, Blaise here is going to be your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and Professor Umbridge has been removed and all her decrees. So you get to play Qudditch again!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione whooped.

The rest of the day, Lupin sat chatting to Blaise and giving her tips on teaching, while Ron and Hermione were having a ferocious argument about S.P.E.W.

"Just look at Dobby," she shouted at him, "he's happy isn't he?"

"Only because he was treated horribly by the Malfoys!" he retorted.

"But they were all treated horribly!"

"Not like Dobby was," he shouted back, "as they don't get kicked around all the time do they?"

Hermione didn't answer. She obviously didn't know what to say. She just glowered at him and walked off.

The night rushed in rainy and dark.

Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the night persuading Ron to stay on the Qudditch team. He agreed only when Harry said that he was one of the best keepers since Oliver Wood.

It was very hard to sleep that night. Every time he tossed and turned he could smell Sirius. He was sleeping in his bed and holding the pillow tight as if it were Sirius himself.

His last thoughts were if only as he silently cried himself to sleep.