Sirius was white as a wall, Remus trembled and Tonks' hair had taken on a shocking platinum colour.
"Harry, are you alright?" Lupin asked.
"Thought we'd almost lost you here," Sirius said, but the tremble in his voice betrayed his weak attempt at a joke
"Yeah, I think so," Harry uttered absentmindedly and he stared at the black snake in his hands. They were trembling.
With a conscious effort, Harry slowed his breathing. He was still shivering. But not only of fear. His body was brimming with energy. He had just died, hadn't he? And Death had tried to warn him, but who could've known these walls to be so damn dangerous?
A hysterical laugh was building in his chest.
He had died. And yet he was living.
"Third time's the charm..." Harry muttered, crazed thoughts cursing through his mind. A chuckle broke over his lips.
"Can you walk?" Tonks asked, successfully distracting him and keeping him from giving in to the breakdown that had been about to happen. Harry looked up and into her concerned eyes. He needed to gain back some control. He exhaled and then consciously let a grin flash over his face. It was surprisingly easy to ignore the feelings rising within him and to pull up a mask of emotions.
"Only one way to find out, huh..." he said. He ignored the hand he was offered to pull himself up, not ready yet to let go of Death, bringing the creature closer to his body as he stood up. Back on both feet, Harry took a moment to find his balance and Death proceeded to snake its way under his shirt.
The creature curled around his torso in a strange mix of a hug or a death grip, but Harry was grateful and he folded his arms, unconsciously putting up another barrier between Death and the others. He was still shaking, but other than that, he showed no outward sign of his disturbed state of mind.
"Come on, let's try to get over here," Remus said and Tonks guided Harry to a chair not far away, while Sirius was hovering over them in concern. Harry sat down, wiping the sticky mess of spit and tears from his face.
"Do you feel dizzy, or tired?" Lupin knelt down and took his face in both his hands to look into his eyes. He felt Death pull tighter around his body, almost in a painful way, but he could only feel grateful at the weight curled around his body. Then Lupin's words slowly began to sink in and Harry truly thought about how he felt. On a physical note - albeit sore - he felt ...great. In hindsight, it had been a miracle that he hadn't been bouncing with every step on his way over.
The werewolf tilted Harry's head to get a better look at his pupils.
Harry was suddenly reminded, that Lupin had been the most competent teacher in Defence against the Arts he'd ever had over the course of his school years. "Maybe we should call Severus," Remus said, turning to Sirius.
It meant something, that Sirius didn't complain. He only nodded, pale faced and concern in his eyes.
Making a decision, Harry brushed Remus hands aside. "I'm fine, really," he said firmly. His decisiveness seemed to unsettle the others earlier impression.
"If you are sure," Sirius said uncertainly. Remus stood up. The werewolf was suddenly frantic.
"I don't know how this could happen. I mean how- I just used a few detection spells, nothing serious, it shouldn't have-"
"It's not your fault, Moony." Sirius put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's this house."
"I still think that we should call Severus. Just to be sure," Tonks said. "I've never seen something like that."
"Really, I'm fine!" Harry insisted. The thought of being examined by Snape wasn't very high on his bucket list. Harry himself didn't really know what exactly had happened and if Snape found something off the norm, it was likely that Dumbledore was immediately there to hover over him. It would only draw attention. Playing it down was the best he could do.
"Should we call Severus, what do you think?" Remus said and turned to Sirius. "Or do you have an explanation of what happened?"
The latter turned to look at Harry. "Perhaps it's just some old curse sticking to the walls and it was just some irregularity and now there's nothing to worry about. Some of the wards have the tendency to drain energy if they consider something as a threat, it's not unthinkable that they could knock someone out," Sirius said. "That at least was their purpose some decades ago."
"You talk of them as if they were sentient," Tonks said with a frown.
"It's your call," Remus began hesitantly, "You know this house best, but..." The werewolf shared a look with Sirius.
"Yeah," the Animagus said after a while, apparently giving it to their silent conversation, "Just because he seems alright it doesn't mean that there wasn't some nasty curse hidden within these walls. If it means to call Snivellus-" Remus scowled - "to better be safe than sorry, I'm all for it," Sirius said. He sounded reluctant but the gravity of the situation seemed to outweigh his dislike of Snape.
He shared a look with Tonks and the Auror whispered two words, conjuring her Patronus. A glowing bunny appeared and sniffed her hair before it hopped through the air and disappeared through a wall.
It didn't take more than three minutes till the locks at the door clicked and the chain rattled.
"This must be him," Tonks said, looking over to the entrance. And she was right.
Sirius expression darkened when Snape entered with all the dramatics that came with wearing a black cloak to every occasion. The man spared Mrs Black's empty portrait a brief look but nothing else indicated what he was thinking. Only then turned to fully face them. His black eyes fixated Harry.
"I'm gone barely ten minutes and you already got yourself in trouble, Potter! I wonder why I still find myself surprised."
"Nice to see you too," Harry replied sarcastically as he reciprocated the man's look. Snape proceeded to overhear his comment and turned to look at Remus instead. Death shifted beneath his shirt and Harry quietly hushed the snake. The thought that Snape would somehow scrutinize the being like he would Harry had a bitter taste climb up his throat. Harry shifted till his wide shirt fell in a way that it no longer showed the odd bulges where Death was curled up beneath.
"Did someone inform the headmaster?" Snape asked the werewolf.
"You were our first call. We weren't sure if it's something that's to be taken seriously. Sirius mentioned it could be the wards," Remus replied.
"What happened?" Snape inquired as he moved closer. "Out of the way Black. Some people have to work." Sirius grimaced but shuffled aside. "Now," Snape continued as he stopped in front of Harry, "Don't spare me with the details. I don't want to have to ask you to repeat yourselves. One time listening to Potter's failures will be enough."
Harry's upper lip twitched in distaste. Always nice to reconcile with old acquaintances...
"We came about the topic of if a house can be connected to the magic of a person, or vice versa if you will," Remus began. "Sirius mentioned blood magic might be at play so I asked him if I could take a look at it-"
"You used spells?" Snape questioned.
"Yes," Lupin said. "Nothing too complicated. A few variations of the revelio charm, but before I could do anything else, Harry was asking for help. Nothing indicated anything..." Remus' frown deepened and guilt was taking over his expression. Snape watched him like a hawk before he finally turned to look at Harry.
"What happened, Potter?" he asked, a strand of oily hair falling into his eyes.
"My hands were stuck," Harry said, crossing his arms as much as was possible with Death hiding under his shirt. Snape shot him an unimpressed look. Harry stared back.
"Something black was creeping up his arms," Tonks added. "But it disappeared when he fell unconscious." The dark-haired professor tore his gaze away.
"He stopped breathing for a bit," Sirius supplied. He still sounded shaken. Harry's head snapped up. The statement shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did. Death hissed quietly beneath his shirt.
Snape hummed. "How long was he out?"
"A minute maybe?" Tonks guessed.
"Not more than two," the werewolf added.
The ongoing questioning while he was pointedly being ignored grated on Harry's nerves. "The wards in here were weak," he said prickly. He wanted to get over with this and if that meant he would have to speed this up himself, he was not objecting.
Snape sneered his dark eyebrows rising. "I wonder how you found out, Potter," he snarled and Harry's mood took a turn for the worse.
"Don't you-," Sirius started to defend his godson, but in this situation, it was misplaced. Harry shuffled further back in his chair while a silent conversation seemed to take place between Remus and Sirius, the former having silenced Sirius with a look.
"I do some reading in my free time you know," Harry retorted, his eyes scanning Snape's lean figure.
"I hadn't noticed," the man stated nonchalantly.
Harry scowled. "If your insides feel like they are being sucked out of your body, you tend to connect some dots," he snapped annoyed.
Snape shot him an odd look.
Tonks gasped, and Sirius said, "Harry!"
"Why didn't you say anything?" Remus asked and while Harry began to already regret his impulsive statement.
"Do you have Black blood?" Snape questioned and Harry couldn't keep his confusion from showing on his face.
"What?"
"Black blood. Are you related to the Black's, however distant it might be?" Snape elaborated impatiently.
Sirius took a step forward, interfering. "Dorea Black. My great-aunt married a Potter," he said and his eyes narrowed as they lingered on Snape. "But why would that matter? Where are you going with this, Snape?"
"If your ancestors, Black, used blood magic to tie their wards to their family members," Snape explained as if he was talking to a little child, "It is a reasonable approach to consider this a cause for Potter being attacked." He pulled out his wand and Sirius' hand twitched, but the potions professor fully ignored him as he turned his back.
Somewhat tense, Harry looked up at Snape who began to make some complicated movements with his wand before a wave of dark soothing magic washed over him.
Snape frowned and made another movement, repeating his actions, before he asked, "Where did it happen?" He barely let Tonks finish as she answered before he was already sliding towards the spot. The next few minutes no one spoke while Snape moved alongside the walls, his fingers trailing over the rough wallpaper while he muttered various spells.
Some tension bled out of his body and instead of being annoyed, Harry found himself intrigued.
To the others, it probably didn't look like much, but Harry observed closely everything that Snape did.
He could see how the network of wards in the walls reacted to the man's subtle inquiries, his dark oily magic slipping into the cracks like fog. Whenever they pulsed or spiked under his scrutinization, Snape pulled back, turning to another spell to continue his examination. The tightly stacked layers of his aura shifted every time there was a change in the wards' reaction to his spells.
While it was taking much longer than Harry's exploration of the wards earlier, it made his own attempt look like the equivalent of poking a snake with a stick.
Perhaps he should've been a bit more careful, but in the end, he'd come out of the encounter relatively unscathed, hadn't he?
Eventually, Snape put away his wand and with a thoughtful look on his face returned to them. "Indeed, just like I suspected."
"What?" Surprisingly it was Sirius who addressed him first.
"The wards Black are tied to your blood. It's a double-edged sword, blood magic. Your ancestors had probably never considered that all their heirs would either end up dead or in Azkaban." The pointed look directed towards Sirius did not go past without reaction. The Animagus bared his teeth in an almost animal way. "The wards - only linked to the blood of heirs that were absent - were not grounded in any other way. These aren't banal spells that simply lose their strength and fade when time takes its toll. The kind of magic used to erect these wards was made to last. With nothing to stabilize them, they shrivelled away, weakening with time," Snape elaborated, "But one of your late relatives, apparently thought to weave in a distinctive feature that enables them to recover and reach their former state. It's a delicate piece of work. Very subtle, but strong. I doubt any of you would be able to perform it, even if instructions were accessible. Most likely they have been drawing from your strength for weeks now in an attempt to slowly recover what was lost." Snape stared at Sirius. "But that being said, if you idiots hadn't tried to do whatever you caused with your incompetent wand-waving, they would've probably never latched onto the boy." Remus seemed to shrink back with guilt but a wilder part in his aura expanded unnaturally. The wolf apparently, didn't agree. "Potter here had just enough blood in his veins to be picked up upon by whatever spells were used back then. And unlike you, Black, he wasn't recognized as a member of the family and they saw fit to drain him."
"And what happens now? Could they become dangerous again?"
"I doubt it," Snape said and his black eyes flashed, "A few simple charms from your side, Black, and it would've never happened. Now it's too late either way, but it won't repeat itself."
"How are you so sure?" Tonks interfered from the sidelines. Probably a good thing, as Sirius looked ready to jump the man in front of him.
Snape scoffed. "Look at the boy. Is he breathing? Then it won't repeat itself. Or do you think wards as ancient as these wouldn't be able to drain someone's life force if they needed to? From what I've seen it looks like they will recover their former strength. Fainting though," Snape looked at Harry, "Seems like a less than justified reaction, but we are already used to that Potter, aren't we?"
A prickling heat built in Harry's stomach at the thinly veiled insult. The irony of Snape accusing him of seeking attention when he truly had been dead for a few minutes was unbelievable. And while Harry was looking at Snape with a distasteful look, the ground beneath his feet creaked.
"I will inform the headmaster about this incident," Snape announced while out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed spindly cracks in the floorboards as the wood under his shoes slowly began to rot away. For a second Harry's mind was wiped empty. He hadn't had a bout of accidental magic in years... This was worrying, but his annoyance at Snape outweighed his concern. Quickly he pulled himself together and as he shifted in his seat, Death began to slither up his torso and even the wide shirt couldn't hide the creature's presence any longer.
"Death," Harry greeted the snake intentionally as it began to peak out of his collar. A smirk flashed over his face when Snape flinched away and while the others weren't spared either, it was Snape who had paled noticeably.
Meanwhile, the snake settled happily upon Harry's shoulders and he leaned back, trying to hide his satisfaction.
Apparently, it didn't quite work, as Snape's dark eyes pierced right through his. "Have you experienced recent memory losses? Strange thoughts invading your mind-" the professor started, but almost immediately Remus interrupted him.
"Are you saying that Harry is possessed?" he asked.
"It is indeed a possibility."
"Just because I got a snake, I am now Voldemort incarnated?" Harry asked and crossed his arms. Tonks gasped silently at the name. Snape's eyes meanwhile snapped to Harry's.
"Stupidity seems to run the family I see. No Potter-," Harry raised an eyebrow, an icy calmness bleeding through his limbs. But then his attention was caught by a sound that almost resembled a growl. Sirius was about to leap at Snape. He looked like not even Lupin would be able to hold him back now. Any other time, Harry would've appreciated some much-needed entertainment, but right now he just needed some peace and quiet to mull things over. He stood up, stepping between the two men who glared at each other.
Harry shot Sirius a look and the Animagus stopped reluctantly. Something in his godson's expression seemed to have told him that this wasn't his fight.
Harry turned to look at Snape and he kept quiet for some time, thinking about what he would say. Death slithered slowly around his neck, the weight already having turned into something familiar.
"I am not my father," Harry said quietly, but with a steely edge to his voice. "Actually I'm quite sick of being compared to my parents. The first thing I get to hear when I meet new people is that I look like James except for the eyes, which look like Lily's. It was nice to hear that when I was eleven. Mostly because nobody ever told me about them. Surely not Petunia or anybody else I met before Sirius or Remus.
Hearing about them made them real. But they are dead, nothing will change that," Harry looked into Snape's eyes and beneath his expressionless mask, there was a spark of fear. While it should be impossible for Harry to know that he had been in love with his mother, Snape had never been stupid. "If you hate me, do so because of me and not because of my father."
Snape's eyes had widened and his gaze lingered a fraction too long for it to seem like the speech hadn't affected him before he turned away.
"I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary," Snape stated into the room. "But I would keep a close eye on him. If he shows signs of being cursed, call me immediately."
Harry exhaled relieved. At least that interrogation was over.
They all stood there, awkwardly, until Remus said, "We will, Severus. Thank you."
Snape looked at him for a moment before he nodded sharply and headed for the door. Just when it slammed shut, Harry caught a movement above him and he thought to have spotted a slim, fleshy string which quickly disappeared.
Barely five seconds later, the first flaming mop of hair appeared on top of the staircase, confirming his suspicions that they have been listened to.
"Hey Harry, we thought that we heard a commotion," George said, coming down the stairs. "Not even a day here and already making trouble." A mischievous smirk split his freckled face.
Harry couldn't help but grin. He had almost forgotten how different George had been when Fred had still been alive. "Snape mentioned something similar," Harry said while Fred appeared behind his brother.
"Quite the competition, George," the other twin announced, faking a serious nod, "We gotta step up our game, can't let ourselves be out-shined by some scrawny run-along now, can we?"
"But seriously," George began, "Why are you're all looking like a crying ghost flew through your guts while you tried to take a dump on their toilet?" He shook himself. "An experience I don't recommend by the way."
"Perhaps it was the sight of that dungeon-bat's enormous nose that is responsible for their troubles. After all, it caused more than one good wizard to take flight," Fred said to his brother just as they reached the end of the stairs.
"A frightening sight to behold, indeed," George added and Sirius barked a laugh. Even Remus gave in and a small smile appeared on his face.
"The wall tried to eat Harry," Tonks helpfully supplied and the curious faces of the twins immediately clung onto her.
"The wall tried to eat you?" George asked interestedly as his gaze eagerly jumped over to Harry.
"Why?" Fred added, piercing Harry with a look that was just as curious. Apparently, this was exactly the topic they had been waiting to ask about.
"You won't be the only ones interested in hearing the story. The others are long waiting for us to come down as dinner is ready," Remus said. "If you would be so kind as to fetch the others and tell them, then we'll have enough time to discuss the topic."
The twins obliged, though reluctant, their eyes lingering as Harry made no move to accompany them.
"Let's go downstairs," Remus suggested, "Any longer and we'll have to face Molly's wrath."
Tonks made a face that showed exactly what she thought of this notion and they all started to head for the basement.
They walked through the door at the end of the entrance hall and at the end of the narrow staircase they had already been caught up by the twins, Ginny, Ron and Hermione who looked like they had sprinted down the stairs. They exchanged a fleeting greeting and then moved to walk downstairs.
When they reached the big kitchen, Harry had come to the conclusion that he would fare better if he pushed some things to the back of his mind. For now at least. Once their group trickled into the room, his eyes moved to scan the new area in an old Auror-habit. Smoke was hanging in the air just below the narrow ceiling, Bill and Mr Weasley sat on the other side of the table and Mundungus was sleeping in his chair.
"Harry! Nice to see you," Mr Weasley said after he had jumped up and shaken Harry's hand. "Molly sent Sirius to deal with the portrait, I know it must have been not the best first impression of this house."
Harry snorted and with a dry smile he said, "Considering that the house tried to eat me, as Tonks would say, the portrait wasn't the most concerning thing."
"WHAT?!" As if the words had summoned her, Molly Weasley was suddenly standing next to them. "Remus, what happened?!" She looked at Lupin who had the misfortune of just passing by Harry as the crowd behind them descended onto the table. A small smirk flashed over Sirius' face when Harry caught his eye. He walked past them and let himself fall into a chair at the end of the table.
Meanwhile, Tonks had been swarmed by the teenagers and appeared to be just telling the same story.
"Nothing too concerning Molly," Remus said and Harry wanted to laugh as just a few minutes before he seemed to take the topic rather seriously. "There was an issue with the old wards in the house. They happened to pick up on Harry, but he's alright now. Snape came by and looked him over-"
"Severus was here?" Mrs Weasley turned to Harry. "Harry, are you feeling alright?!"
Harry sighed, not too keen on being fussed over and pestered with questions. "I'm fine, Mrs Weasley," he said and put on a smile which seemed to do the trick and appeared to have her calm somewhat.
That was until Ron - who had been listening to Tonks version of the story - turned to them and said, "You stopped breathing Harry?!"
"Remus!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed shocked and turned to face the werewolf, who as someone she'd considered responsible had failed to mention this small detail.
Ron shot Harry a sheepish look, realizing his mistake while Harry used the opportunity to slip past Molly and Mr. Weasley who was also staring at Lupin with wide eyes.
He quickly moved over to where Sirius was watching the whole situation with an amused expression.
"Sit down Harry," Sirius addressed himi once he'd crossed their distance and pointed to the empty chair next to him. "You know Mundungus?"
"Somebody said my name? Fully agree with Sirius," the other wizard said groggily lifting a hand as if he wanted to vote for something.
"The meeting is over Dung, Harry's here," Sirius said while everyone sat around the table.
"Huh," Mundungus said gazing through his red-brownish hair. "Merlins pants, is he? Yeaahhh ...everything's 'lright with ya 'Arry?" He pulled out a black pipe and soon he sat in the middle of a smoky cloud. "I owe you an apology."
"For the last time Mundungus!" shouted Mrs Weasley, who had now turned to Tonks who she now apparently deemed the more reliable storyteller while occasionally questioning Remus. "Stop smoking that herb in the kitchen!"
"Sorry Molly," Mundungus said sheepishly. "Listen, I wouldn't have left, you know, but there was this one-time deal." It took a moment till Harry remembered that Mundungus was supposed to watch him while he was attacked by dementors. The memory flashed into his mind vividly, before he pushed it back.
"It's okay," Harry said absentmindedly, while he was eyeing Sirius. His godfather seemed deep in thought about something.
Mundungus cleared his throat. "What kinda snake is that?" he asked once Harry looked at him, his watery eyes fixated on Death who was curled around Harry's shoulders. "Looks like it's worth a few Galleons." The man leaned forward in interest a hand already reaching out to touch the black scales.
White hot anger sank its claws into Harry's guts, flashing between his bared teeth as he hissed, "Don't even think about it." His eyes still narrowed, while unreasonable fury burned through him, Harry glared the rascal down who pulled back and raised both of his hands in defence.
"Hey, relax, I wasn't trying to offend you, or whatever," Mundungus said defensively. Death hissed quietly and he slithered down Harry's shoulders and over his arm till he was fully resting on the table. Immediately Harry moved his hand so it was covering a part of the smooth body of the snake. Death curled around his wrist, pupil-less eyes fixating Mundungus whose gaze flickered between him and the snake. The man moved to lean back in his chair, occasionally throwing them a weirded-out glance.
Apparently, Sirius hadn't paid much attention to Harry's and Mundungus' conversation. But the silence seemed to cause him to shake off his sombre mood and he turned to Harry. "And how was your summer?" he asked, while he eyed Death almost as reserved as Mundungus, though probably for different reasons.
At Sirius' question, two sets of memories came to Harry's mind. On the one hand, there were the weeks with the Durselys, spent on hard soil to listen to the news and on the other hand - just as lacklustre - the recollection of days blurring into months, lived in monotonous indifference before he'd re-encountered Death. "Miserable," Harry replied.
"Well I don't know why you are complaining," Sirius said and a weak grin appeared on his face, "Personally, a Dementor attack would have been a welcome disturbance of the boring life in here. I haven't left the house in months. Thanks to Wormtail, Voldemort knows that I'm an animagus. I'm not much use to the order right now, at least that's what Dumbledore thinks and if I get captured again...." He trailed off and shadow seemed to darken his face.
Harry watched him attentively. He could relate to Sirius more than ever. Only encountering Death for a second time had freed him from the sensation of being stuck in a place where every meaningless day had bled into the next which felt just the same.
Like his endless walk next to the empty train tracks in that purgatory-like place, his life had felt like an infinite loop. Nothing being able to get rid of the feeling that settled inside his brain, like an itch he couldn't scratch nor numb, whatever he tried.
And Sirius experienced the same thing Harry had, namely being stuck in a place where nothing eased the boredom that was slowly bleeding into every crack. "Well then-" Harry found himself say as he looked into Sirius' face - "to hell with that!"
"Harry!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed and Harry briefly turned his head. If her tone of voice was anything to go by, Remus had successfully managed to downplay the earlier issue with the wards latching onto his magic.
"Well, it's true," Harry muttered and looked Sirius once more. Meanwhile, Lupin left Mrs Weasley to her devices and walked over to them, while the witch headed for the stew that was cooking in a big pot over the fire. "He can't keep you from leaving the house from time to time," Harry continued, addressing his godfather. "Go get some cigarettes, walk around as a dog. Hell, go to a bar. This is your house! You choose if you leave it and you choose who you want to stay here," Sirius watched him as if he never had seen him in his life. In the meantime, Remus had crossed the distance and sat down next to them. He caught the end of Harry's speech and had been listening with a frown on his face. Harry's fingers absentmindedly petted over Death's scales while the snake lazily pressed into the touch.
"It's not like I tell you to walk through Diagon Alley," Harry added. "Visit a muggle club for all I care. You could change the way you look, there are enough spells for that." With a brief glance at Remus who still wore a torn expression Harry added, "And take Lupin with you, he looks like he could use some fun!" The werewolf gaped at Harry who grinned. Sirius had raised his eyebrows. "Kingsley leads the division against you, he can easily continue to lead everyone in the wrong direction. And if you are spotted, well that's bad luck," Harry said grimly. "But you can always start to hide again, though I think if you are holed up in this house for another four months, you'll probably do something that is easily more reckless than going out on the weekends."
"Knowing Sirius, you may be right," Remus said eventually.
"And you could really use some fun," Sirius added with a smirk. The werewolf smiled and Sirius' laughed as he reached to pat Remus' back.
Harry watched their interaction with a raised eyebrow. There was something going on that a younger version of him had apparently failed to pick up upon. But before he could dig deeper, he was interrupted by Fred and George who had charmed the giant pot filled with stew, a chug of butter-beer and some knives, that now directly shot towards them. Sirius and Remus ducked under the table, but Harry stopped. Panic flooded his senses when he saw where one of the knives was going.
In the blink of an eye, Harry plucked it right out of the air. Barely an inch above where Death was curled up in his snake form.
Thankfully nobody seemed to have noticed, because Mrs Weasley had instantly started to shout, "JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC, DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO USE IT FOR EVERY SINGLE THING-"
Only now Harry felt the sting in his hand where a faint red line ran down his palm. Blood. Quickly he let go of the blade and picked up Death. Relieved he let out a shaky breath. His fingers trailed over the scaly surface of Death's skin. The black snake darted its equally black tongue in and out, scenting Harry's bloody palm. After the first few calm breaths, Harry's look fell upon the bloody knife. How the hell had he been able to catch that so easily? Even with his seeker reflexes, it was an almost impossible feat. Frowning Harry looked at the black snake which innocently slithered closer to him.
"Merlin- Harry!" Sirius said after he showed up from under the table and saw the cut in his palm.
"I must've nicked myself when I pulled it out of the table," Harry lied.
"Here, let me take a look at your hand," Remus said and he touched the wound with the tip of his wand. A murmured episkey later the cut was gone.
Mrs. Weasley was still going, "-DIDN'T HEX EVERYTHING IN REACH; PERCY-" she stopped dead in her speech.
Awkwardly they began to eat. Vaguely Harry remembered that Percy hadn't been too keen on his family for quite some time. Eventually, the tension bled away, and conversations started to pick up. Bill was talking to Mr Weasley and Lupin about the relationship between goblins and humans, Tonks entertained Ginny and Hermione by changing her appearance and Mundungus told a story to the twins and Ron.
Harry turned his head when Death slithered up his arm, settling around his neck and partly beneath his shirt. "I'm glad you're alright," he found himself whispering, not quite knowing why, but feeling the truth ring in his words.
"I'm Death," Death said and Harry got a vague sensation of amusement. "I can't be killed."
Harry huffed, somehow embarrassed and irritated at the creatures response. "Fine. I'm not gonna mention it again." Harry stopped, when he noticed Sirius watching him curiously. Fortunately, just this moment, someone else addressed the man.
"Sirius," Mrs Weasley began with a strained voice after she looked away from Mundungus and then shot Sirius an equally dark look, "There might be a boggart in the desk in the drawing-room. Maybe we should let Mad-Eye take a look at it. And the curtains in there are full of doxy's, you know. I thought we could start cleaning it tomorrow."
"Looking forward to it," Sirius said sarcastically and pushed his empty plate away. His gaze lingered on Mrs. Weasley for a moment before he turned to look at Harry. "Actually Harry, you surprise me. I expected you to ask thousands of questions about Voldemort as soon as you got here."
The mood in the room turned icy.
Harry looked at Sirius and a small smirk appeared on his face. "I was kinda busy, trying not to get killed by your house, Sirius." His godfather's mouth twitched amused and Harry continued, "But now that you mention it-"
"Harry is too young for that," Mrs Weasley interjected. Her hands were clenched, her knuckles white.
"Since when do you have to be in the order to ask questions?" Sirius retorted daringly, his grey eyes wandering over to the red-headed woman. "He has every right to-"
"Hey how is it, that Harry gets to ask questions and we don't?!" Fred asked angrily.
"You are too young, you aren't members of the order!" George imitated Mrs Weasley, "Harry isn't even seventeen yet!"
"It isn't my fault, that nobody told you, what the order is doing. That was the decision of your parents. Harry on the other hand-," Sirius started.
"It isn't your choice to decide what is good for Harry," said Mrs Weasley, a dangerous glint to her eyes as he stared at Sirius.
Meanwhile, Harry leaned further onto the table, crossing his arms. He was following the conversation with raised eyebrows. Death hissed quietly. "You didn't forget what Dumbledore said, I suppose?" Mrs Weasley said. Harry snorted.
"What exactly do you mean Molly?" Sirius asked and Harry was impressed with the dangerous undertone in his voice.
"That Harry only hears, what he has to hear," she said.
Ginny, her brothers and Hermione looked from Mrs Weasley to Sirius and back again. Remus' eyes were fixated on his friend.
"I don't intend to tell him more than he has to know, Molly," replied Sirius. "But as the one witnessing Voldemort's return, he has the right, more than most-"
"He isn't a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" said Mrs Weasley. "He is only fifteen and-"
"And he managed to go through more than most of the members of the order. And with more than some of them can claim about themselves."
A grin flashed over Harry's face when he thought about Moody.
"Nobody doubts what he has done!" Mrs Weasley said her hands clenched into fists. Death was curled around Harry's arm now. "But he is still-"
"He isn't a child anymore," Sirius said roughly.
"But his isn't an adult yet!" Mrs Weasley said her voice raised, "He isn't James, Sirius!" Mrs Weasley said. This seemed to have hit a certain spot and Harry was now more than aware, why Sirius had been this thoughtful earlier.
"I am very aware of who he is, Molly. Thank you," Sirius said icily, and Harry couldn't help but compare him to an older version of Draco Malfoy. The boy had also been able to stare someone down this coldly. His mother had been a Black after all.
"I am not so sure about that. Sometimes you talk about him as if you were thinking, that you've got your best friend back! Harry is not his father, as similar as they may be," Molly said with a glance at Harry. The twins shared a look. Harry was suddenly wondering if they caught his little argument with Snape earlier. Lupin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and shot him a glance. "He still goes to school," Mrs Weasley continued - "And the adults who are responsible for him, should not forget that!"
Harry was quite aware of the irony that during his school-years there had probably more attempts been made on his life than during half a decade of Auror duty.
"Are you saying, that I am an irresponsible godfather?" Sirius' magic twisted angrily, developing sharp spikes all over.
"I am saying, that you are known to act rash, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore always tells you to stay at home and-"
"Dumbledore's orders for me have nothing to do with this, if I may say so!" Sirius replied. As the argument went on, Harry felt himself leaning more towards Sirius and his frustration seemed to bleed over to him. He liked Sirius. In the few hours since his arrival with nothing more than echoes of former feelings connecting him to the people, he'd found someone whose point of view he could understand. Death apparently seemed to sense his dropping mood as he could feel the body of the snake tensing, eyes too intelligent as its head was pointing into the direction of Mrs. Weasley, quietly hissing in concurrence with Harry's darkening thoughts.
"Arthur!" Mrs Weasley said turning to her husband. "Arthur, say something!" Mr Weasley stayed quiet at first, and Harry was impressed by his calmness. He took off his glasses, cleaned them with his robes and then put them back on. Only then he began to speak.
"Dumbledore knows that the situation has changed, Molly. He wants that Harry, now that he is at the headquarters, gets told some things to a certain point."
"But that doesn't mean that one invites him to ask everything he wants to know!"
"I, personally -" Remus began quietly while Mrs Weasley turned to look at him in hopes of finding a supporter -"I think that it would be best if Harry hears about the facts - not all of them - by us and not some twisted versions from others." He glanced at Fred and George.
"Well," Mrs Weasley said heavily panting, "Well... I see, that I get outvoted. I just want to say something: If Dumbledore doesn't want Harry to know too much he has to have his reasons and as someone who only wants the best for Harry-"
"He is not your son," Sirius said quietly.
"But as good as!" she replied. "Who else does he have?" Mrs Weasley said.
"He has me!" Sirius retorted outraged and Death hissed. And Harry could see that surprisingly not only Sirius was angered by that statement if he was to go by the inwardly growling he sensed coming from the wolf within Remus skin.
"Yes," Mrs Weasley said, "the thing is, that it was very hard for you to care for him while you were sitting in Azkaban, wasn't it?" Sirius jumped up and Harry felt the need to step in. It was time that he spoke for himself and listening to this conversation slowly lost its appeal.
"That's enough," Harry said coldly, but he wasn't yelling. But perhaps this was just the frightening part because Sirius sank back into his chair and Mrs Weasley paled. Everyone looked at him. "With all due to respect Mrs Weasley. It isn't your decision either to decide what I get to hear, just as much as it isn't Dumbledore's." The whole room was listening now. "I find myself siding with Sirius here, and not because of the reasons you all may be thinking," Harry said and looked at Ron's mother. "Mrs Weasley, you have only known me about two more years than Sirius. You let me stay with you at the holidays, fed me and even given me presents for Christmas - and I appreciate that - but that doesn't give you the right to choose over my life." Harry looked at his folded hands and back up again. He spoke slowly but pointedly now. "Sirius knows that I am not my father. But I don't judge him, if he confuses me with him or if he acts rash. Because he lived in Azkaban for twelve years, which would leave everyone a little bit crazy!" Mrs. Weasley paled even more and the others stared at Harry. He turned to talk to everyone now. "But most of all, I won't sit here, while you talk like I'm not even here. You are supposed to be the adults here and until you have decided what you are actually willing to tell me, I am going to bed."
Harry stood up. He extended his hand and mostly to see everyone flinch once more he said, "Come on," to Death.
Harry had the feeling that the creature was amused. Its snake form slithered into his hands and Harry lifted it up until it was once again settled on his shoulders and walked away from the table. He hesitated for a second when he had reached the door and then turned around. Everybody stared at him. Suppressing a grin he said, "You know, it's actually quite bold of you to assume that I don't know anything about Voldemort's plans. After all, I have a vault full of money and an owl that is able to deliver letters." At the confused faces, he was met with a sharp smile appeared on Harry's face.
And before anyone caught on to the meaning of his words, he left the room.