Forsaken
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,158
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,158
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
The Phoenix Rises
Chapter 24 - The Phoenix Rises
It rained the entire week. Normally, he loved the rain. It had this refreshing quality about it - the trees seemed greener, the air more brisk. When he was at
the castle, he could spend hours in his quarters, reading beside an open window and just listening to rain.
Severus sighed dejectedly and pulled on his cigarette. He blew the smoke at the ceiling, staring at it blankly from his position on the sofa. He never thought
he would actually miss being at the castle. For all of the grief and stress that accompanied grading countless mundane essays on the properties of aconite
and hellebore and walking circles around the castle on patrols, Hogwarts was his home. It always had been, ever since he was a small boy. Sure, his
years as a student were less than memorable, but there had always been glimmers of redemption in them. He still remembered the tingling excitement of
walking back through those huge doors as a professor, despite being unable to really make the kind of impact he desired to make, especially with those
students in Slytherin House. It was always the expectant faces of the first years that made him the most bitter and resentful about the unavoidable constraints
on his behavior. Of course, his frustration helped evoke the necessary emotions of hatred and contempt for all of the students.
But there were the select few - the very select few - who were privileged to see the other side of his persona. Those were the students he cherished
most dearly. There hadn’t been very many of them over the past sixteen years until recently, when it had become very clear to himself and to Albus that
intervention was absolutely essential, even to the point of risking his reputation as a member of the Inner Circle. And now - finally - they could reap the
benefits of those long, late night conversations.
He lifted the parchment up off his chest and reread it once again, his lips slowly drifting upwards.
Hi Raven -
I just wanted to let you know I got through those books you sent. I’ll send them back to you once I get to school, as our owl is decrepit and can’t handle
heavy loads. I don’t see why Mother just won’t get a new one. She doesn’t even like the thing.
I’ve been practicing, like you told me to. I can do some of the simple jinxes and charms - Jelly-Legs, Disarming, Body binds - but I still can’t get enough
power into my shields to hold them for very long. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Pansy’s here with me for the rest of the week. Her dad had some business in Thailand and won’t be back before the first. Her mum went with, so she’s
here.
Hi Raven! Hope Potter’s not driving you crazy cooped up in that house. You tell that punk to write us back.
That was her, if you couldn’t tell. Guess I better go. I just wanted to let you know about the books. Hope things are well with you.
Blaise
He sighed as he folded the letter and tossed it onto the table.
“You’re moping,” said a quiet voice above him. Severus smirked and crushed his cigarette out in the ashtray.
“I always mope before the start of term,” said Severus, half-teasing. “Most depressing time of the year.” Harry smiled and sat in Severus’s chair, dressed
warmly in a pair of trousers and a sweater he’d borrowed.
“How are you feeling today?” asked Severus. The boy looked ruefully at him, his green eyes sparkling with mischief.
“I’m fine,” said Harry. “And before you ask, yes, I’m hungry.”
“I don’t know that I have any food left,” said Severus as he got up from the sofa. “We may have to go out.” Harry made a face.
“We might as well go to Diagon Alley, then,” said Harry sullenly. “I didn’t get school robes when I went last time and all of my old ones are about four inches
too short. I’m also out of all of my potions ingredients, since we’ve had to brew quite a bit this summer.” Severus yawned and stretched his arms above his
head. Harry grinned.
“Of course, we can wait until you’ve had your mid-morning nap, old man,” he said breezily. Severus scoffed and ruffled Harry’s hair.
“I see your charming wit has come through completely unscathed,” he said drolly.
“Of course it has,” said Harry. “I have to brush up before classes start, you know.”
“Christ,” muttered Severus as he walked upstairs. “I better not get any owls about you.”
“I make no promises on that, sir,” said Harry as he hopped up and followed him. “A lot can happen in three and a half months. I’m not the one forcing me to
stay there.”
“I prefer to say I politely asked you to stay,” said Severus lightly, noticing the undertones of bitterness in the boy’s words and feeling guilty for lying to him.
Harry hummed noncommittally as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe of Severus’s room. Severus stood in front of the mirror and flicked
his wand into his hand.
“I can only apologize so many times, child,” he said softly. He traced his eyebrows, changing their color from black to brown. “I don’t like the idea of taking
you with me whenever we get some solid information. Anything could happen -“
“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be going by yourself,” said Harry forcefully. “What if something happens to you and you can’t get help in time?”
Severus blinked quickly as the charm on his eyes took effect, lightening his black irises to an intense shade of blue.
“I need you at the school, Harry,” said Severus, looking at Harry’s stern face in the mirror. “Blaise and Pansy will need your help and support. There will
be no one there they can safely turn to if they get into trouble.”
“Not that I’ll be that safe for them to talk to,” muttered Harry.
“Speaking of Blaise and Pansy, you need to write them back soon,” said Severus as he waved his wand above his head. His silky black locks turned the
same color brown as his eyebrows and shortened significantly. He finished the disguise by softening the sharp features of his nose and chin. He exhaled
and smiled smugly at his reflection in the mirror. He turned and raised an eyebrow at Harry.
“Are you wearing that?”
“Uh,” said Harry, glancing down at his clothes.
“I was just asking,” said Severus, grinning. “Though you probably need to wear a thinner shirt if you’re going to be fitted for robes.”
“Oh, right,” said Harry. He walked across the hall as Severus pulled off his shirt on the way to his closet.
~+~
After an uneventful meal at the Leaky Cauldron, they bought all of Harry’s potion ingredients, along with more parchment and ink. They saved the robes for
last, which turned out to be a good decision on Severus’s part.
Harry stood furiously on a stool at Madam Malkin’s, flinching away from the clerk as she stuck him for the fifth time with one of her pins.
“Ow!” said Harry angrily. “That’s my leg, not the robe!”
“Harry,” said Severus warningly.
“Yes sir,” growled Harry, wincing at the feel of yet another pin. Severus stepped to the side a little, checking that his disguise charms were still firmly in place
in Harry’s mirror. He ruffled his hair, still getting used to the thickness and shortness of it. Finally, the clerk sighed in relief.
“We’re done, Mr. Potter,” she said meekly. Harry ripped the robes off his head and thrust them at her as he stepped off the stool. He stormed past Severus
and waited outside while his robes were wrapped up. Severus pulled a bag of coins from his robe pocket and walked up to the counter.
“How much for Harry’s robes?” he asked kindly, not reacting to the sound of sobbing coming from the back room. Malkin gave him a forced grin.
“Today’s your lucky day,” she said softly. “I’ll give them to you for half price, since you were kind enough to let my new clerk assist you.”
“Oh, that’s not at all necessary,” said Severus quietly, counting out twenty gold pieces. “He was quite a handful.”
“But I insist,” said Malkin forcefully, pushing part of the coins back at him. Severus leaned his arms on the counter and gave her a grin. He was shocked to
see her blush.
“Alright, Marion,” he said, picking up ten coins. “Fetch your wonderful clerk for me.”
“Bridgette! Get out here!” shouted Malkin, causing Severus to start slightly. A very shy and red-eyed girl came hesitantly out from the back room, pins stuck
all over her robes. Severus sauntered over to her and tilted her chin up. He smiled kindly at her, his ego soaring at the sight of her pink cheeks. A man
could get used to this, he thought as he placed the coins into her hand.
“Thanks for all of your help today,” he said softly. He winked at her and grabbed Harry’s parcel off the counter, his temper rising as he walked out of the
shop.
“I cannot believe you did that,” he hissed, grabbing Harry roughly by the arm as they walked down the street. “I have never been so embarrassed in my
life.”
“Liar,” muttered Harry furiously, ripping his arm out of Severus’s hand. “I think I lost quite a bit of blood in my legs, thank you very much.”
“Watch it, child,” growled Severus dangerously. “You are on thin ice with me right now.”
“Yes sir,” said Harry sullenly.
“Psst! Potter!” hissed a male voice behind them. Harry spun around and grinned.
“Hey,” he said as Blaise and Pansy walked up to them. “You guys buying supplies too?”
“We would be if Pansy would stop looking at robes she can’t buy,” muttered Blaise under his breath. Pansy huffed quietly and crossed her arms. “But we
were wondering if we could talk to you. You have a minute?” Harry looked questioningly at Severus, who nodded.
“Behave yourself please,” said Severus sternly, glaring at Harry. “Miss Parkinson, Mr. Zabini. Good to see you.” He winked at Pansy and continued on to
the apparition point. Pansy smiled softly at his back.
“Hi Harry!” said another voice. Harry’s eyes widened as he slowly turned around and smiled at the voice’s owner.
“Hi Neville,” said Harry, glancing surreptitiously at Blaise and Pansy’s blank faces. Neville’s smile faded quickly as he came to a stop.
“Is everything alright here?” he asked cautiously. Harry quickly grabbed his arm, preventing him from slipping his wand into his hand. Suddenly, a light bulb
flicked on in his mind.
“You have a minute, Neville?” asked Harry casually.
“Piss on you, Potter,” murmured Blaise, sticking his hands in his pockets. Neville bit his lip and checked his watch. Harry grinned.
“Come on,” said Harry, walking back towards the Cauldron. He lifted the hood of his cloak as they stepped inside. Neville followed suit, glancing warily
behind him as Blaise pulled his hood up and placed his hand on the small of Pansy’s back.
Harry moved quickly towards the back of the pub and selected an empty booth. He sat facing the door and pulled an almost empty pack of cigarettes from
his cloak pocket. Lighting it, he tossed the pack on the table as a waiter came up to their table.
“Canna get yer drinks?” asked the waiter wearily.
“Jack and coke,” said Harry quietly. Blaise smirked at him and took the last cigarette from the package.
“Butterbeer,” said Neville meekly.
“The same for me,” said Pansy casually, her embarrassment betrayed by her flushing cheeks.
“I’ll have what he’s having,” said Blaise, nodding his chin at Harry. He lit his cigarette as the waiter walked away. They waited in tense silence as the waiter
returned with their drinks.
“How’s your summer been, Neville?” asked Harry softly. He took a small sip of his drink.
“Same old thing,” said Neville sadly. “Grandmother’s been worse than usual. I think this is the first day I’ve actually been let out of the house without her, but
only for a couple of hours. She almost didn’t let me send my owl back to McGonagall.” Harry sneered slightly at the name.
“Why didn’t you write us back, Potter?” asked Blaise, completely ignoring Neville. “We wrote you almost two weeks ago.”
“Well, I’ve been in bed unconscious for the past week,” muttered Harry, flicking his cigarette over the ash tray as he cast a quick Privacy bubble over their
booth. “Severus was a little overprotective as well.” Neville frowned, then widened his eyes. Harry looked apologetically at Blaise and Pansy and waited for
Neville to say something. Neville opened his mouth, but froze at the look in Harry’s eyes. He ruffled his dirty blond hair and sighed.
“Damn,” he whispered to himself. He took a long drink of his butterbeer. “You trust him, Harry?”
“With my life,” said Harry simply. “It’s a long story. I’ll have to tell you some other time.” Neville nodded and looked between Blaise and Pansy. “So what’s
the plan?”
“Hang on,” said Blaise swiftly. “Who said anything about you -“
“If he wants in, he’s in,” said Harry firmly. “He’s a good fighter and has experience.” Blaise pulled hard on his cigarette and leaned back in his seat, glaring
at Harry
“So,” said Pansy softly,” what is the plan, Potter?” Harry scratched his eyebrow with his thumb.
“We have to stay at Hogwarts until at least Christmas,” said Harry quickly. Pansy’s jaw dropped. She looked at Blaise and shut her mouth, pursing her lips
tightly.
“That wasn’t the original idea,” said Blaise, his voice dangerously calm.
“Sorry,” said Harry. “The change in plan wasn’t my idea. If you’ve got a problem, talk to Severus, not me.”
“So we have to be under McGonagall’s nose for a whole term?” hissed Pansy angrily. “Not to mention the pack of Aurors who are going to be breathing
down our necks in particular.”
“I’m not exactly on her list of favorite people at the moment, either,” muttered Harry, his temper rising as well. “She’s going to be watching me like a hawk, so
believe me, I completely sympathize with you here. At least you two are prefects.”
“Which means we’ll have Weasel and Granger on our asses as well,” said Blaise. He picked up his drink and took a long swallow. “This is really fucked up,
Potter.”
“I am well aware of that, Zabini,” said Harry tersely. He exhaled a cloud of smoke and rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. He pushed his glasses up
the bridge of his nose. “None of you have to do this. We’re going to be doing some serious shit, most of it very close to illegal. If you decide you’d rather sit it
out, you’re more than welcome.”
“We can’t back out,” said Pansy quietly. “Not now.” She met Neville’s intense eyes across the table and held his gaze.
“Count me in,” said Neville firmly. “All the way.” Blaise narrowed his eyes at him and slipped his arm around Pansy’s shoulders. Neville’s eyes flicked to his,
then back to Pansy’s.
“Good,” said Harry, slightly relieved but masking it under indifference. “Do you two know of anyone else in Slytherin who may want to join us?” Blaise
sighed quietly and twisted his cigarette out in the tray. He glanced at Pansy, who nodded at him.
“Caitlyn,” they said in unison. Harry sat up straight.
“Caitlyn Moon?” asked Neville incredulously. He looked at Harry in slight apprehension.
“I don’t think you’re one to talk, Longbottom,” growled Blaise.
“Why, you self-righteous prick!” hissed Neville heatedly, standing up from his seat. Harry grabbed his arm and slammed him back down into the seat.
“Sit down, you idiot!” said Harry fiercely. He shook his head and looked back at Blaise’s furious face. “Now, Caitlyn Moon. What is she good at?” Pansy
frowned at him.
“What the hell do you mean, what is she good at?” she asked indignantly. “She’s my best friend! She’s trustworthy.”
“What is she good at?” repeated Harry slowly. “Potions? Charms? What?”
“Charms,” said Blaise quietly, earning a sideways glare from Pansy. “She’s amazing. She’s almost as good as Granger, I’d wager.”
“Great,” said Harry. “We need someone who’s good with Charms. Try and talk to her before the first. I still don’t know if we can have regular meetings with
all of us. I’ll talk to Severus about it tonight and owl you with the details.” He finished his cigarette and stabbed it into the tray next to Blaise’s. “Leave
separately. I’ll get everybody’s drinks.” He pulled a small bag of coins out of his pocket and dug out ten galleons.
“Cheers, Potter,” said Blaise as Pansy stood up and readjusted her hood. He slid out of the booth behind her and went back through the stone wall to
Diagon Alley. Harry threw back the rest of his drink, clearing his throat as the alcohol burned a path to his stomach.
“Alright there, Neville?” he asked softly. Neville blinked and turned back towards him.
“I can’t help but notice you didn’t say anything about Ron and Hermione,” he said. Harry kept his face blank, feathers of doubt tickling his mind. “They aren’t
in on this, are they?”
“No,” said Harry. “They can’t be trusted with the information about our sponsor, as it were. They’d have me arrested.”
“I almost had you arrested,” said Neville honestly. He shook his head and sighed. “Sorry, Harry. This being a rebel is a new experience for me.” Harry
stood up and motioned for him to move. He patted Neville on the back.
“Liberating, isn’t it?” he said smugly. Neville snorted softly and grinned.
“Yeah, a little,” he said. Harry chuckled and walked towards the door leading out into muggle London.