Midnight & Destiny | Harry Potter FanFiction

Capitulum Novendecim

The trip home had been a quiet but quick one. Professor Dumbledore had given Sirius a portkey which transported Sirius, Remus, Harry and Tonks to this kitchen of Black Manor. Sirius and Remus wasted no time putting Harry to bed after giving him the potions the Healer had prescribed. Harry slept an entire day and night without waking and without nightmares but the Marauders weren't surprised. They had discovered that Harry slept fairly well as long as someone was in the room with him. It was almost like Harry could sense that he wasn't alone and felt safe which was enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

When Harry finally awoke he had to smile at the sight of Midnight sleeping next to him. The dog was making 'putt-ing' noises followed by soft whimpers while his legs moved. Harry had to hold back a laugh at the thought of Sirius having dreams of chasing something like any normal dog would. After sliding his glasses on, Harry didn't have the heart to wake Midnight and carefully crawled out of bed, realizing that his soreness and exhaustion was thankfully gone.

As quietly as possible, Harry crept out of his room and took the usual path down the hallway to the staircase to see that Remus was sitting in front of the fire watching the painting of Prongs, Moony and Midnight playing. From the amount of sunlight that was shining in Harry figured it had to be late afternoon at the earliest. Walking down the stairs, Harry could hear the sounds of a dog barking playfully and had to wonder how long Remus had been simply watching the painting, remembering the past. When left alone Harry knew his guardians had a tendency to dwell on what might have been, especially when they remembered the Potters. The loss of their friends was a pain that never seemed to actually go away.

"Mischief managed," Harry said softly as he approached the sofa Remus was sitting on from behind. At the sound of the password, the three animals stopped playing and ran back into the forest. The trees stopped moving and it once again was the unmoving painting that Sirius and Remus had opened on Christmas morning.

Remus quickly looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Good afternoon, cub," he said and motioned for Harry to sit down next to him. "I take it Padfoot is still sleeping."

Harry nodded as he took the offered seat and immediately felt an arm wrap an arm around his shoulders. "He seemed to be enjoying his dream too much to wake him," he said with a grin which Remus returned. Looking at his guardian, Harry couldn't help but notice the shadows under his eyes. Evidently not everyone in the house had been catching up on their much needed rest. "No offense, Moony, but you look exhausted. Have you slept at all?"

Remus chucked and pulled Harry closer. "No offense taken," he said in an amused tone. "I have slept, Harry, just not much. I had quite a few matters to take care of." He pulled out the latest issue of the 'Daily Prophet' from his robes. "I was going to hide this but it would probably be better if you knew what to expect when you returned to Hogwarts." Remus handed over the paper. "Somehow Rita Skeeter found out about the hearing. The good news is she isn't blaming you."

Harry could only groan in annoyance. This was the last thing he needed. Now everyone was going to know what he had managed to hide for months. "She never does," he muttered bitterly as he unrolled the newspaper to see the headline on the front page. "She's too scared of Sirius to say anything against me anymore but she always manages."

MINISTRY'S DESIRE TO CONTROL BACKFIRES

The appointment of Dolores Umbridge as Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position at Hogwarts was greeted with mixed reviews in September, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, ensured the public that his appointed member would be up to the challenge to instruct the children of Hogwarts in a way the Ministry declared appropriate instead of the colorful tutelage Professor Dumbledore had provided in the past.