How to Prevent a War

All Hallows Eve

When Halloween finally came around, Harry was in quite the low mood, as he usually was on that particular day. He never really trusted Halloween. Something always happened on that day, and even if nothing did happen, it was still the day that his parents had died.

For this reason, he'd hauled himself up in the far back of the library between the comics and fictional stories because there was very little chance anyone would come looking for him there. Ron, Fred and George rarely ever came in the library anyway, and Hermione and Tom both practically avoided this part like a disease.

The only one who might think of going there was Ginny, and she was currently really angry at him for hanging out with Tom. Once she figured out Harry really did enjoy the older boy's company, she refused to talk to him. It was quite disconcerting.

"Harry!"

The boy looked up startled and smiled when he saw his godfather approaching him. He hadn't seen much of Sirius the past few weeks due to Peeves' increased mayhem. Harry suspected Tom might have had a hand in that.

"Sirius, how've you been?" he asked.

"Been hunting the bloody poltergeist," Sirius muttered.
"Honestly, if I had known how terrible all the pranks are from the perspective of a caretaker, I'd..."

Harry grinned in amusement as Sirius frowned in thought. The former Marauder seemed to realize he would have been a joker no matter what he had known and he just shrugged.

"... never mind. How've you been lately, Harry?"

"I've been great, really," Harry replied smiling, before turning sad.
"But Gin refuses to talk to me after our last run-in with Tom."

Sirius lost all playfulness as well, and he looked at Harry worriedly.

"You have been getting really close with him lately," he muttered.

Harry frowned and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"I did," he admitted readily.
"Wasn't that the plan? I get close to him and save lots of lives."

"I know, I know," Sirius sighed, suddenly looking very tired.
"I'm still allowed to worry about my godson though. We both know what he can do. You more than anyone know what kind of man he becomes in the future. I just don't want to see you hurt."

A squeak was heard behind us, and Harry turned around quickly, eyes wide in horror as he saw the brown haired Ravenclaw third year with large foggy glasses and pimples all over her face. Even alive, she was easily recognized as Moaning Myrtle: Myrtle Warren! She stared at Harry and Sirius, eyes wide and hands slapped over her mouth. Moments passed in complete silence before the young girl turned away and fled the library.

"Wait!" Harry called after her, but he was already too late. The girl was gone.

"That could be a problem," Sirius muttered.
"We should look for a place to talk more privately from now on."

"I think that's a good idea..." Harry replied softly.

. . . . .

When it was time for the party at Slytherin to start, Harry was nervously waiting for his friends near the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Hermione joined him soon enough, and the two started talking about classes and how they differed from the ones they used to take in the future.

"Look at that, Traitor Potter has come to recruit the Weasleys for Riddle's army!"

Hermione and Harry fell silent and glared at Dennis McLaggen as the older boy approached them. All three of them had their wands tightly clutched in their hands as they sized each other up.