Sunday got off on a rather sour note.
Harry and Ron had rolled out of bed in great spirits, dressing in comfortable silence as they pulled on trousers and shirts. Hermione, as usual, waited for them in the Common Room, but she had a rather irritated look on her face.
'What's up, Hermione?' Ron asked, looking down at his best friend's disdainful face.
'Twittering idiots in the tower,' she breathed heatedly. A loud squawk drowned out her next words. Harry and Ron turned around to see a squadron of Gryffindor girls following them.
'Harry this and Harry that,' Hermione grumped. 'All last night, stupid Quidditch game! Sorry, Ron,' she added hastily, seeing the look of disbelief on his face. 'I don't hate Quidditch... but I don't need to be treated to speculation on the musculature of every male Quidditch player at Hogwarts.' She crinkled her nose.
'On their what? Blimey, you girls talk about some dirty things,' Ron said. He took a step back at Hermione's raised eyebrow, and the Trio plodded down towards the Great Hall, both boys trying to lift Hermione out of her irritation by entertaining her with stories of Seamus' sheninagans in the boy's room. Slightly mollified and vastly amused, the threesome sat down at the table and prepared to eat.
A loud screech on the other end of the Great Hall interrupted the look of happiness on Ron's face, fork halfway to his mouth.
'Oh, Draco!' the voice screeched, and Harry's shoulders slumped. As Pansy shrilled and squeaked about the power and the glory that was Draco Malfoy, Harry watched the look of annoyance of Hermione's face and the outright disgust that bloomed on Ron's.
And the day had started off so well.
---
After a short and unsatisfactory breakfast, Hermione bade goodbye to Harry and Ron and rushed off to the library, bound and determined to find more information about Hogwarts during the years Lily, Professor Snape, and Professor Lupin had attended Hogwarts. 'They were all here at the same time,' she had said before she left, shaking her head.
'Weird, when you think about it,' Ron said. 'I mean, Professor Lupin.... he looks loads older. Bit rough around the edges, actually. And who can tell with Snape? He could be five hundred; I think he's a vampire.'
'Ron!' Hermione said. 'Professor Snape is not a vampire. He's just a bit pale.'
'He's really pale,' Ron countered. 'His skin is whiter than Fred's ar-'
'Well,' Hermione huffed, crossing her arms and cutting Ron off, 'so is Harry's. They're nearly the same colour, look.' She picked up Harry's arm. 'Harry's is just healthier looking.'
'Which just proves it,' Ron said triumphantly. 'Snape just can't bear to be in sunlight, and that means-'
'RON!'
'Okay! Sheesh!'
And so Hermione bounced off, and Harry and Ron wandered the hallways for a while, talking in whispers as they passed by other students. They theorised on Snape's alleged paleness, although Harry was far too kind to point out that Snape came out to Quidditch games in sunlight, and the sorting of Lily and her two friends, and what their life had been like at Hogwarts. Soon talk moved to Harry's lessons later that day with Professor Lupin, and somehow ended up with talk of the Chamber of Secrets.
'Why's he even after you?' Ron asked after a while.
'Dunno, really.' Harry shrugged.
'I guess power-hungry, scaly-skinned psychopaths really don't need reasons,' Ron said decisively. 'Maybe, I dunno, he had a thing for your mum?' Ron let out a yelp as Harry slugged him jokingly in the arm.
'That,' Harry declared, 'is quite possibly the most repulsive thing I have ever heard coming out of your mouth, Ron. My mother and that- that-' He shuddered. 'I should wash your mouth out with soap.'
'You can scrub my brains while you're at it,' Ron groaned. 'I just had a mental image that has destroyed my will to live.'
'And you deserved it,' Harry laughed. 'Git.' Ron elbowed him, and they turned their conversation to lighter things.
---
Several hours later, Harry and Ron were comfortably ensconced in the Common Room, slowly sinking into one of the cushy chairs as they ate the last of Ron's chocolate frogs. The sun was slowly dropping below the mountains when Hermione breezed in, looking refreshed.
'I didn't find much,' she announced without preamble. She stood in front of Ron and Harry, who looked up with slight interest, chocolate smeared around their lips, one streak reaching up to Ron's nose. Her lips quirked, but she said nothing, merely folding her arms and striking a triumphant pose. The boys continued to look up at her.
'Boys,', she muttered in a rather unkind tone. Sighing, she produced a small, much battered and water-stained book out of her bag.
'Oh look, a book!' Ron said brightly. 'Who'd have thought, finding one of those in a libr-OOF!' He gasped as Hermione plopped her rather heavy bag into his lap, sitting next to Harry.
'It's a book about the last five years of You-know-who's reign,' she whispered. 'Specifically, about the people who fought him! Harry, your mother has a whole chapter devoted to her! And Professor Lupin as well!'
Harry, who had been attempting to dislodge Hermione's bag from Ron's legs, whirled his head around so fast that there was a snapping noise. He looked intently at the book in her hands, holding his own trembling ones tightly together.
'Great work, Hermione,' Ron groaned, finally setting her bag down. He leaned over Harry and looked at the book.
'Harry?' she said softly. He looked up at her. 'Harry, would you like me to read part of the chapter out loud?'
He swallowed. 'Yes,' he said shakingly. 'But not here. Too many people.'
Harry stopped for a moment and looked around. Surrounding him were his fellow Gryffindors, Neville and Ginny working on Herbology, Dean sketching next to a window, Colin prancing around with first years, telling them stories... all friends, all trusted, but not with this.
'Steps to Hogwarts,' Ron said, nodding. They got up and left the room with as little fanfare as possible, Harry skulking behind Ron in order to escape Colin. They walked down the hallways, not really speaking, but in perfect step.
When they'd reached the stairs, they sat together. There was still enough light in the sky to read, but Hermione waved her wand and muttered an incantation, and the book floated in the air. With a quiet Lumos!, she leaned her head and her wand forward and began to read. Harry and Ron sat in silence.
'Lily Evans was a Muggleborn who began her years at Hogwarts in 1969 and was sorted into Gryffindor; she is best known for being the mother of Harry Evans, saviour of the Wizarding World, and for her personal fight against Voldemort, leading her to become one of four who defied Voldemort three times and survived.
'During her years at Hogwarts, Lily was marked as a rather exceptional student, excelling especially in Potions and Charms. Although she was not known to have a natural aptitude for Defence against the Dark Arts, her proficiency in Charms and her desire to fight Voldemort led her to become on the top students in that class as well, beginning her third year. She also had an interest in spell theory, which many believe was vital to her skills.
'During her years at Hogwarts, Lily did not participate in any clubs, although she was close to one Roberta Flannigan and occasionally stepped into Charms Club to tutor other students at Roberta's request. Other than that, little is known of Lily Evans outside of her academic career. She was, by all accounts, not particularly social, although she is universally praised as being kind-hearted and always open to helping out.'
Hermione stopped for a while, the light of her wand casting shadows across her face. Ron had his eyes closed, not asleep, but letting everything sink in. And Harry stared out into nothing, wondering about his mother, and wondering on how everyone in their world seemed to know of her, but no-one knew a damned thing about her.
'Who were you?' he whispered. A faint shadow in one of the towers, looking down, shook it's head as it watched the Trio sit, and wonder.
It supposed that they would know soon enough.
---
Harry scooted along the hallways. Although the book that Hermione had found had little substantial information about his mother, it was better than nothing. He privately reminded himself to thank Hermione again later.
He was so intent on rethinking what he had learnt that he was surprised to look up and see that he was at the door to the Defence classroom. On the other side sat Professor Remus John Lupin, close friend and constant companion to Lily Marie Evans. It was strange. He knew that most of the professors at his school were familiar with his mother, but this was different. This was a friend. This would be the difference, he mused, between Professor Trelwany, who had merely taught Harry, and Ron, who knew Harry inside and out, a hundred years from now.
'Professor?' he called out, after he had knocked on the door. 'Professor, it's me, Harry.'
'Oh? Do come in, Harry, the door's open,' Lupin's voice called out. Harry nudged the door open to see Professor Lupin relaxing in a chair, a huge slab of chocolate on the table next to him.
'My apologies,' he said kindly. 'I was dozing off a bit when you knocked.' Harry nodded a bit shortly, then sat down on a nearby stool.
'So, are you ready?' Remus asked.
'Yeah,' Harry said. He pulled out his wand, then cleared his throat.
'Okay,' Remus said. He got up, adjusted his robes a bit, then strode to the cabinet where the boggart was kept. It was rocking wildly.
'Alright, Harry, here we go!'
The door of the cabinet swung open, and cold descended into the very marrow of Harry's bones. Rotting, scabbed hands reached for him. As the things mouth- a hole where lips should be- began to come closer, the sound of Lily Evans began to resound in Harry's head, and for a moment, ridiculous as it was, it seemed to Harry Evans that his mother's soul was caught within the Dementor.
'Expecto...' he panted, holding up his wand. 'Ex... ex....'
All he heard was screaming as the wand fell from his fingertips, and a blessed blackness drove itself into his mind.
---
When he came to, he found Lupin in the awkward position of trying to straddle him while shoving unwieldy chunks of chocolate into his mouth.
'Ah, Harry,' he said, stepping up. 'Gave me a bit of heart failure there for a minute.'
'Sorry,' Harry mumbled. 'I just heard my mum again in my head.'
There was a short silence while Lupin considered him closely.
'You hear Lily,' he said softly.
'Well, yeah,' Harry said a bit snappishly. 'Dementors... bad thoughts... you know...'
Lupin said nothing, but sat back down. He waved his wand in the air, and two cups of steaming cocoa zoomed towards them. 'There's only so much of a chocolate bar one can take,' he explained as he waved a mug towards Harry. 'You'll feel better.'
Harry took the cup and drank dutifully, but he felt rather guilty; it was almost like he needed to have the Dementor need him, to hear his mother's voice, even if it was in panic, in fear. To know, to understand that someone, anyone had ever loved him so much...
'I miss her a lot.'
There was a bluntness and a rawness to Lupin's words that brought Harry zooming back to reality. He looked up to see Lupin looking aged and rather sad.
'Lily and I got on like no-one else did, except maybe Lily and Severus. Professor Snape,' he amended. 'But we were like three peas in a pod. Always the three of us, always on an adventure.' A wan smile crossed Lupin's face. 'We were a bit like you three,' he went on, 'though much lower profile. Everyone adored Lily, of course- except some of the prejudiced members of the school- but she always had this thing. It was... I believed she used the term 'Three Musketeers' once.' Lupin laughed a bit. 'She wasn't interested in the gossip that flew 'round school all the time. Every day, rain or shine, after food was eaten and schoolwork was done, we were searching some other part of the school. She wanted to see everything, know everything.'
'Sounds a bit like Hermione,' Harry said, a fond smile of his own crossing his face, 'with the wanting to know everything. And kind of like Ron too, always up for something new.'
'And a bit like you as well, Harry,' Lupin said. 'Not quite reckless- well, not most of the time, but remind me later to tell you about two Slytherins, a Hufflepuff and some Chinese Chomping Cabbage. Anyways,' he hurried on, trying to stave off the obvious look of amusement on Harry's face, 'I see a good deal of her in you. Your eyes, of course, but also... a sense of justice, and that things need to be right.' The look of amusement and fondness faded from Lupin's face. 'The determination... your mother always said it was her family's trait. And that, I think, I see in all three of you.' Lupin looked directly into Harry's eyes.
'Your mother,' he said softly, 'would definitely have approved of your friendship with Ron and Hermione.'
---
Harry started making his way back towards Gryffindor Tower, feeling as if he had drank 100 bottles of butterbeer. The fact that he had heard his mother's screaming was totally drowned out by Lupin's words- she would have definitely approved. He felt that, in some small way, that he was doing right by her, making her proud. It was with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step that he bounded into the Gryffindor common room.
'Harry!'
Ron waved him over, and he made his way towards his two best friends. Plopping down on a cushion, he cheerfully skirted over the issue of his failure to create a decent Patronus and went straight to Lupin's discussion of Lily. By the time the last word had fallen from his lips, Ron and Hermione were looking immensely pleased.
'But of course she would!' Ron said, puffing out his chest. 'Between Hermione's brains and my... my...'
'Ron's tactical skill and loyalty,' Hermione chimed in, throwing Ron a wry look, 'I think we've been fairly decent friends up to this point.'
'More than decent,' Harry sighed happily. 'The best.'
The smiles on the trio's faces felt as if they'd been permanently ironed on. Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance; after everything that had been happening lately, it was refreshing to see Harry so happy, even if just for a moment.
'So,' Hermione said briskly. 'Tomorrow.'
'Yes,' Harry said. 'That's generally what comes after today. What about it?' Hermione rolled her eyes, but grinned nonetheless.
'Are you two going to corner Cedric Diggory tomorrow? And Ron, you said you'd ask Ginny about Lovegood?'
'Oh yeah!' Ron said. 'I'd completely forgotten!'
'I'm shocked,' Hermione deadpanned. She and Harry looked at each other briefly before turning away, both trying not to laugh too hard.
'Ha ha ha, so witty, Hermione, you should have been a Ravenclaw,' Ron grumped good-naturedly.
'But then, where would you be?' she asked sweetly. 'Besides failing every course known to witches and wizards?' Ron blew a raspberry.
'Yes,' Harry said, before Ron managed to either annoy Hermione or draw her into a weird noise contest, 'we'll corner Diggory tomorrow. You're getting Greengrass?'
'Of course,' Hermione said, nodding. 'She seems... reasonable enough.'
'Reasonable reasonable, or Slytherin reasonable?' Ron asked.
'It's the same thing,' Hermione said in a clipped tone. She stood up. 'I'm going to try to get some studying in before I get some sleep,' she said, 'so I'm off to my dorm. Pray that Parvati and Lavender decide to talk about something other than Quidditch abs, or I may have to hex someone in the morning.'
'We've got Potions tomorrow,' Ron supplied helpfully. 'You could always do in Snape. The world would owe a great debt to you.' Hermione shot him a warning look, but he gave her such a cheeky grin that was unable to suppress a smile of her own.
'Good night,' she said, attempting to be stern. She headed off into the girl's dorm, and Harry and Ron both silently said a little prayer that Parvati and Lavender would see the light and keep their mouths closed.
'Reckon we should make up more stuff for Divination?' Ron said after a while.
'Probably for the best,' Harry said, shrugging. With a rather mournful sigh, Ron got up, dragged both his and Harry's bags over, and together, they sat and fudged their way through their Divination homework, the possibilities of tomorrow fading for a little while.
And for the evening, at least, they were not Harry Evans, war orphan, saviour and Boy-Who-Lived, and Ronald Weasley, youngest son of a youngest son and a poor boy; tonight, they were just two boys desperately trying to finish their homework.