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Harry Potter and The Force of Magic Chapter 6 (Friends and Feelings)
🕑 Added 2022-11-12 20:04:12 +0000 UTCDear Harry
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope this letter gets to you this year, along with the presents of course. I can't believe I'm going another year without seeing you on your birthday! Hedwig's been brilliantly quiet, so my mum and dad haven't suspected anything at all, which is very good. That sort of explains one of my gifts, I suppose. If you followed the envelope's instructions, you'd have opened this before the presents. I have left a little note inside of each parcel explaining why I got you them, as I didn't want to spoil them all for you. I know we've not had much of the holidays yet, but I already really miss you. Fingers crossed, the rest of the Summer goes quickly! Enjoy your birthday! Love, Hermione.
P.S. Open the presents from biggest to smallest. P.P.S. Mind the largest present - it's fragile.
Harry read the letter for what must have been the millionth time since his birthday. He could remember clearly opening the presents she had gotten him: Following Hermione's instructions, he had opened the largest parcel first. Under the paper, he had found a baby blue-colored box. Carefully opening it, Harry found a delicious round chocolate cake with scarlet icing all over it.
On the top, the words -Happy Birthday, Harry! ~ Love Hermione- had been carefully piped in banana-flavored yellowy-gold icing, along with a yellow orb which Harry took to be a smiley face and a white blob he assumed was meant to be Hedwig.
The note inside the box confirmed only one of his assumptions.
'I'm so sorry the pictures are bad; I've never iced anything before! The yellow one is meant to be a Golden Snitch, and the white thing at the bottom was Hedwig, but they didn't turn out too great. I made the cake the other day when my parents were at work. It's actually quite fun, breaking the rules.' Harry had chuckled at her while opening the next present.
He found a brand new pair of leather Seeker gloves with a note that read, 'I noticed that your pair were getting quite small, so I thought you could do with some new ones. They're supposed to be better at conserving heat, but I'm not sure how good they'll be.' The next present was a brush about the size of Harry's hand. For a moment, Harry was rather confused.
Why on earth would he need a hairbrush? Maybe Hermione was trying to tell him something...But then Harry had read the note, 'It's not for you, it's for Hedwig. May you enjoy her grooming as much as she does.'
This time, Harry laughed at himself for being so thick. The penultimate gift was rectangular in shape and reasonably solid. Harry guessed it was a book. He was correct. Harry did not, however, guess that it was a chess book. Upon seeing its name and author, Harry laughed so loudly that Moody walked inside, asking if anything was wrong.
The book was titled: A Beginners Guide to Chess by Anne Ight. Ingenious, Harry had thought to himself, Completely mad. The note Hermione had left with it said, 'I apologize for the pun, but I had a look through it, and it seemed rather helpful. I hope that it enables you to beat Ron at least once.'
Finally, Harry had unwrapped a small bottle with a cork on the top. Inside the bottle, he noticed, was a tiny curled-up piece of parchment. On the bottle's side was a sticker saying, 'Open when all seems lost,' in Hermione's swirly handwriting. He slipped it into his pocket before reading the note, 'If you ever feel lost or alone, open the bottle for advice. There is, of course, a little bit of magic to it. See if you can figure it out. Have a wonderful birthday!' After that, Harry really did.
"Thanks!" Harry said, wiping away tears from his eyes. Ron had sent him gifts as well; amongst them was a sweater with the letter H on top of it. Ron had also sent a couple of sweets that he said were made by his mother.
Tonks had gifted him a wand holster, saying he needed one; every great wizard had one. Despite not knowing each other for that long, she spent the entire day with him. Bringing him to different shops and places he had never been before and despite his protests the entire day. Tonks had spent the money instead of him, saying he needed money, and he was still young.
At the end of the day, they shared a big hug that both enjoyed.
Now
"Here, girl," Harry said, giving Hedwig the letter he had written for Hermione and Ron. Giving her food, the owl looked pleased and happy before he jumped from the window, flying away. Harry looked at his flying figure with envy; it had been three weeks since he had tried to use wings, and so far, not much luck; he felt as if he was missing something but couldn't quite tell what.
The wings would always dispel a few moments after he used the spell; at first, he had thought he was still not ready yet, but after weeks of constant failure, he was beginning to think that he was doing something wrong and not just him not being ready yet.
His eyes turned to the open book on his bed; two weeks ago, he had been out with Tonks again; this time, he bought several books that explained wandless magic and how to use it.
Harry knew such magic was very rare; the number of wizards throughout the entire history that could use Wandless magic could be counted with the finger of one hand. Hell, not even someone like Dumbledore could use wandless Magic.
Tonks had asked why he needed to read about it; Harry simply said that he found it fascinating, not really saying that the reason was that he thought his Holy Magic couldn't be used well with a Wand. Harry didn't want to be stuck in a situation where he would be without a wand and be defenseless again. He wanted to be able to fight even without one, and using Wandless Magic would be a good start.
After purchasing the books, he buried himself in them; even Tonks commented that he must really like reading about them.
Since knowing her, their 'Friendship' had grown quite immensely, with her now acting with him more like a friend rather than a bodyguard. Harry hadn't felt the jolt of lightning again with her, but every time they shook hands or did anything involving touching her skin, he would feel as if his body was suddenly on fire, and he wasn't sure how to extinguish it, and not sure if he wanted to, Harry didn't know Tonks felt the same as him.
Thankfully Moody never commented on it, and it seemed he didn't really care much about what they did as long as they didn't do anything stupid that could get them both in danger.
Harry sat crossed-legged on his bed, grabbing the book he put on his lap and changing the page of it; he briefly thought of the letter he sent to Hermione.
After learning that he was living in an apartment, both Hermione and Ron offered for him to come and live in their houses if he wanted, but Harry kindly declined their offers. He didn't want to do his spells in places people could see him. He had nothing against it, but he still didn't know everything about Holy Magic yet, and there was still the danger of using a spell that might harm them.
He wanted to have a good grasp on it before actually showing it to anyone.
Harry had found himself thinking more of his bushy-haired friend and hated when his mind went to certain places he really wished it didn't, especially after his birthday. Harry wondered if this had anything to do with whatever happened that day in the Chamber of Secrets; he hadn't had any headache since then, and while he was happy about it, he wanted to know if his body was going through changes that he didn't know about, other than becoming a teenager.
Suddenly a knock on the door was heard, making Harry jump up a little; he had been too deep in his thoughts.
"Harry, are you awake?" Tonks's voice was heard from the other side of the door.
"Come in, Tonks!" Harry said, inviting her in; he quickly grabbed his shirt from the floor, wearing it as the door opened; Tonks walked inside, not saying anything, which was strange; she closed the door before turning to look at Harry.
"Harry, there's something I need to tell you about Sirius Black," she said, her voice sounding serious, unlike the playful one she usually had whenever she talked with Harry.
"What about him?" Harry questioned, hoping she would tell him what Sirius's relationship was with his parents, but he noticed how nervous this Sirius Black topic was making the usually fun-loving woman.
"Sirius Black was put into Azkaban prison for life for betraying James and Lily Potter to You-Know-Who and murdering their friend, Peter Pettigrew, and twelve Muggles. Back in November of Eighty One, he was captured laughing like a madman after blowing up a street, which killed Peter and the Muggles, all that was found of Peter was his pinky finger." Tonks explained with a sad gaze directed at Harry. "Everyone is convinced that he broke out of Azkaban to kill you, Harry."
So that's who he was; if they entrusted me with him, they must have trusted him with their lives!! Harry thought, feeling his anger rising. The walls started shaking as his eyes turned golden.
"How did he betray them to Voldemort!?" Harry questioned angrily, standing up from the bed and starting to pace the floor.
"Sirius was a good friend with your father when they were in Hogwarts; they were famous for their pranks. Some wizards still talk about them, about their pranks, and even mother mentions just how close your father was with Sirius, almost like brothers." Tonks answered with a grimace.
"After that Halloween, everyone assumed Sirius had done it because he was from the Black Family. They were known to be a 'Dark' family and supported You-Know-Who and his Pureblood ideology."
"He was their friend! Why did he do it?" Harry questioned angrily, his voice getting louder with every word he spat out; the furniture around the room started shaking violently as if answering to Harry's anger.
"No one knows, Harry," Tonks replied softly, trying to calm the young Wizard down.
"Everyone believes that Sirius was the only one who knew where your Parents were hiding, and that was how You-Know-Who found out. The fact that he killed Peter was only more proof in the eyes of the masses. 'Just another Black.' was the thought at the time, and it was all the explanation most people needed." Tonks finished before patting the bed next to her, trying to get Harry to sit down again.
"So he's trying to come after me to finish what Voldemort started?" Harry asked as he slowly made his way over to the bed and sat down. He was impressed to see that Tonks had barely flinched at hearing Voldemort's name.
"That's what everyone seems to think," Tonks said as she began rubbing his back soothingly. Harry unconsciously relaxed into her hand even while thinking about how he would tear Sirius to pieces; with his new power, he would use Sanguis on him to make sure there would be nothing left of him, nothing but ash.
"If he finds me, I will turn him to ash," Harry promised himself, but Tonks heard his words, still rubbing his back.
"You won't be alone, Harry. I will be there whenever you need support," She spoke softly; her words made Harry feel relaxed entirely against her.
After ten minutes, which felt like seconds, Tonks pulled away from him despite liking the feeling of having him close. Her eyes briefly glanced at his green eyes before going down to his... okay; Tonks get a hold of yourself! Don't be stupid, and most importantly... don't be Stupid, she thought, forcing herself to stand up from the comfortable bed.
Forcing herself to look at the door, she suddenly had an idea of what to do and to perhaps lighten up the gloomy mood.
"Harry, how about we go outside?" She offered, wanting to lighten up his mood. Harry quickly accepted before walking outside beside her.
After telling Moody they were going outside for a few hours, the man told them not to get late and reminding them of the safety question. They were walking through a crowded area of Diagon Alley when...
"Harry?" A voice came from behind them. Harry turned around, startled, and turned around in time to be engulfed in a tight hug, almost making him fall on his butt.
"Oh, Harry, it is you!"
"Hermione?"
"It's so good to see you!" Hermione beamed, and then she did something she had done only once before. She kissed his cheek.
"Hermione!" Harry protested, growing very red in the face, but no one was watching except for Tonks, of course, who was snickering. They both suddenly felt a jolt of electricity throughout their entire bodies. Harry's breath stuck in his throat, looking at her from up close, and she looked prettier than ever before.
"Who is she?" They both turned to see Tonks looking at them with raised eyebrows.
"Ahh, right. Hermione, this is Tonks; Tonks, this is Hermione," Harry said; both girls shook hands.
"You are Hermione that Harry has been talking about all the time!" Tonks exclaimed with an innocent grin; Harry blushed furiously, while Hermione looked pleased to hear that and wondered what Harry had said about her.
"Nothing bad. I hope!" She said, elated.
"Only the good parts," Tonks replied, sending Harry a wink, making the poor boy turn red from embarrassment, looking down at his feet, not baring at look at Hermione. Harry prayed someone would suddenly show up to save him from the embarrassment he felt when...
"Harry!" A voice shouted to Harry's left; he looked up to see Ron walking up to him, followed by what seemed almost the entire Weasley family!
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed, surprised; first Hermione, now Ron. The day was just getting better.
"How are you doing, mate?" Ron questioned, shaking hands when he noticed Hermione walking up to them with a woman he didn't recognize.
"Wonderful to see you, Harry, my dear," Molly said, giving Harry a big hug. Stepping back, he turned towards the twins, who were both grinning like madmen.
"Is good..."
"To see..."
"You, Harry," both exclaimed before slapping his shoulders; Harry greeted them back before shaking hands with Mr. Weasley. Percy simply gave him a look.
"Harry is good to see you!" Ginny said slyly, stepping in front of Harry.
Harry greeted her back; he turned around to see Tonks talking with Hermione in hushed tones; whatever it was they were talking about, it was making Hermione nervous based on the way her body was pacing around, especially with the blush on her cheeks.
Ron soon walked in front of Harry, asking how he had been, saying he was happy that he didn't need to live with his relatives anymore.
"Is something happening between you and Hermione?" Ron suddenly asked in a hushed tone to his ears.
Harry turned abruptly towards him, now blushing red. "What?!!" He exclaimed, not expecting that question; Ron simply gestured for him to keep his voice down.
"Why would you think that?" Harry asked with a much lower tone that only Ron could hear; the latter snickered when he heard him.
"Well, the way she hugged you. I doubt even her parents receive that kind of hug, and there's nothing wrong with it if you like her," Rob said with a little shrug, not seeing why Harry was kinda overreacting.
"What about you then?" Harry questioned, turning the topic to Ron, not answering what Ron asked him, something the ginger boy noticed but didn't comment on it.
"I'm not sure yet," Ron said with a little shrug looking around, trying to see if anyone was eavesdropping on them.
"Lavender is not that bad looking; I'm hoping Hermione can perhaps introduce me to her," Ron whispered with such a low tone that even Harry had trouble hearing, despite being right next to him.
Before Harry could comment on that, the middle pocket of Ron's jacket started whirling around.
Ron let out a tired sigh before he pulled out Scabbers, who didn't seem to want to stay still. "What's wrong with him? He looks... pale!" Harry said as he took a closer look at the rat.
"I don't know; he's been like this for a few days. I'm bringing him to the Magical Menagerie. Perhaps they could help him," Ron explained as the trio walked towards the place; Hermione also wanted to buy a pet.
Reaching Magical Menagerie, Hermione started looking for a pet; first looking at the different owls, Ron put Scabber on the counter so the one working there could check on him.
Harry was standing beside Ron when the man working there started checking on him using charms; soon, he returned the rat to the counter before addressing Ron.
"There seems to be nothing wrong with him! How long have you said you had this rat?" He questioned.
"Eight to nine years, I think. He has been with the family for a long time now," Ron answered the man, who arched an eyebrow.
"Strange! Rats mostly live for three to four years. Perhaps he's from a magical specie, but even if he is, he's still very old. Perhaps his time is just coming," the shopkeeper explained before grabbing several bottles with odd designs filled with red and green liquids.
"I have tonics if you want, they will help him a bit, but beyond that, I can't do anything else," The shopkeeper explained; Ron grabbed a few tunics before asking the man how much that would be.
"Ten Knuts, young man," the man said as Ron searched his pocket before putting the money on the counter.
"I'm really sorry, Ron," Harry said sadly as they walked away from the counter.
"Don't worry, Harry; it will be weird not to have him around-" his words stuck in his throat when they both saw Hermione walking towards them with a cat.
The cat was fat, fluffy, ginger-furred, flat-faced cat that was apparently half Kneazle.
"I was going to get an owl, but I really want-" she read the name on the cat's tag around her neck.
"Crookshanks. That name suits you, doesn't it?" Hermione stroked the grumpy-looking ball of fur.
"You are going to get a cat?" Ron asked, bewildered and pulling Scabber away, especially when he noticed the cat eyeing the rat as if it was his next meal.
"What if he eats Scabbers?" Ron exclaimed; Hermione simply rolled her eyes.
"Don't be like that, Ron, he's gorgeous," Hermione said while stroking the cat's ears, who meowed in approval.
"See, he and Scabbers will become good friends," Hermione stated with a proud smirk; Harry thought that was highly unlikely, especially with the way the cat was eyeing the poor rat.
"Cats and rats are not friends! Hermione," Ron protested, but his words fell on deaf ears as Hermione bought the cat and ignored Ron's protest.
"Just make sure not to leave them in the same room, alone," Harry whispered to Ron when Hermione walked away, still peeting the new cat. Ron simply nodded along with it despite not liking this at all.
They spent the rest of the sunny day exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas that dotted the cafés. Hermione (who had - of course - already completed all of the homework that had been set for the Summer) helped Harry with essay after essay and diagram after diagram until they were all completed to a reasonably high standard.
Then, the pair visited the shops to buy the things they needed for school. They had both grown a lot over the holidays and needed new grey Gryffindor jumpers.
Sirius Black
He felt as if someone was banging his head with a hammer, everything was ringing, and the dizziness wasn't helping; after minutes of his head moving around, he started to see a little better. Trying to move, he felt something around his wrist and knees, soon understanding he was tightened to a bloody chair.
"Hey?!" Sirius shouted in alarm when he realized he had nowhere to go and his wand wasn't in his pocket.
His eyes looked around the room; the chair was in the center of a square room with furniture and a couch. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Sirius tried to look over his shoulder, but couldn't bend his neck, so he waited when in front of him walked Andy.
A smile of relief formed on Sirius's face, dreading that he was stuck in the room of a psychopath somewhere; just as he was about to open his mouth and speak, Andy raised her hand, stopping him from speaking. Her eyes looking at him with loathing and anger.
"Give me one good reason not to inform the authorities, Black?" She questioned, folding her arms.
Sirius noticed from the corner of his eyes that her husband was in the same room, just a little behind the chair. His attention quickly turned to her. He quickly remembered why he had gone to Andy, he needed help, and he needed to act as soon as possible.
"Peter is still alive; he was the one who betrayed James and Lily..."
Comments
REDdragon
Are they just not seeing his eyes glowing or do they just not think it’s a trick at the light because if someone eyes are glowing I think I would notice
Drinor
Well, Sirius wants to be part of Harry’s life and doesn’t want to screw it up. Thank you for reading my story.
Drrakkos
Excellent, i love when plan's for Sirius involve Andromeda, not very autor's use Andy to help him.
