Strange Places (Discontinued)

Chapter Two

The smile slid off Harry's face, and a worried frown replaced it. His eyes darted to his friends who looked equally worried. Moony had tensed, though he remained silent.

"Sirius," Harry said after a long moment of silence. "I can't tell you. I wish I could, but I can't."

"But you know," Moony said. "All three of you know?"

It was more of a question than a statement, and Sirius knew the answer even before Harry spoke.

"Professor Dumbledore told me after... After what happened at the Department of Mysteries. He told me not to tell anyone. He made an exception for Ron and Hermione, but he said not to tell anyone else."

"I see," Sirius said, though he did not see at all. "But he must have thought I was dead then. That's probably why he made the exception only for your friends."

Harry looked completely miserable. "He made the exception when he came to collect me from the Dursleys this year," he said in a low voice. "He knew you were alive then."

"I see," Sirius said in a flat voice. "So I'm good enough to put my life on the line for that bloody prophecy, but not trustworthy enough to know what it is!"

"Sirius!" Remus' voice was shocked, and Sirius stopped, raking his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he told Harry. "I'm not angry at you or your friends, but- Nevermind. I know it anyway,"

"Know what?" Hermione asked in a shaky voice.

"The prophecy of course," he said, as the words came to him. "And since Voldemort sets so much store by it, maybe it is time I had a hand in your education the rest of the holidays."

"Dumbledore is giving me private lessons this year." Harry said.

"That's after school reopens, isn't it? Till then, it won't hurt you three to learn some advanced defensive magic. Will help you in your NEWTs too. Have you given a thought to what you want to do once you leave school?"

"We thought..." Ron muttered, "we'd like to be aurors..."

"But we didn't get the necessary grades for potions," Harry said, and Sirius could hear the disappointment that he was trying to hide. "So, that's a bust,"

"Dumbledore will find a way," Sirius said. He felt certain of it. If Dumbledore wanted Harry to take potions in his NEWT, he would find a way. "Anyway, you three rest for now. Moony and I'll draw up a list of spells for you to learn."

"But we're underage," Hermione said. "We cannot practice spells,"

"Don't worry," Sirius winked at her. "We have ways around that. None of you are going to get in trouble with the ministry."

He left them to their devices in Harry's room and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Kreacher was there, muttering to himself. Sirius' face wrinkled in distaste at the sight of the Elf. He knew of the role Kreacher had played in luring Harry to the ministry. Dumbledore had offered to take him to Hogwarts where the other House Elfs would keep an eye on him, but Sirius had declined, bringing him here, and ordering him never to leave the house. All the Black family heirlooms that Mundungus had pilfered from Grimmauld Place were now in the small room where Kreacher slept. It was not kindness that prompted Sirius to keep Kreacher with him. It was mistrust, and the realization that Kreacher would obey any direct orders he gave.

"Dinner is ready, Master," Kreacher said in tones of utmost loathing.

"Good. Go to your room now, and stay there till I want you again," Sirius said coldly.

"You're too harsh on him," Remus sat down at the kitchen table.

"He's the reason I nearly died, and Harry nearly fell into Voldemort's trap." Sirius said grimly.

"Dumbledore-" Remus began when Sirius made a grimace.

"Let's not talk about that man,"

"I'm sure he must have had a good reason to want to keep the prophecy a secret." Remus bit his lip, and then said hesitantly, "You said you know the prophecy."

Sirius rubbed his face tiredly. "I do. Since I came back... It's like I know things that I've no way of knowing. They just come to me. Sometimes they make no sense. Sometimes they do."

"And this prophecy is one of those things,"

Sirius nodded. "It is horrible, Moony. I can't think how Harry is able to hold up. It's too heavy a burden for any child."

"Tell me," Remus said, and really, if he couldn't trust Remus, there was no one he could trust, and so he told him.

"Neither can live while the other survives," Moony's voice had a hollow ring to it.

"That's what it says," Sirius confirmed.

"He needs all the help we can give him, and even then... Sirius, this is Voldemort we're talking about! If Harry is to face him alone, it just scares me to think of it!"

"I know," Sirius said. "But look on the bright side, Moony. Voldemort doesn't know the prophecy yet, and there's no specific timeline before Harry might need to meet him. That meeting could be many years in the future."

"Do you think we'll have that much time?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged. The honest answer would have been no, but perhaps they would be lucky. Perhaps Voldemort wouldn't gain so much power for some years. Perhaps Scrimgeour would be able to provide strong leadership and direction, though Sirius had his doubts about it. He knew Scrimgeour had some agenda regarding Harry, and that was the reason why the ministry had been so eager to have Harry's guardianship transferred to him. They wanted to remove him from Dumbledore's influence. But his current anger at the man notwithstanding, Sirius knew that removing Harry from Dumbledore's influence so he could be a poster boy for the ministry was a bad idea, not to speak an impossibility. Harry had his own mind, and the thought made Sirius so proud.

"It's just the two of us now, Moony," Sirius said softly. "Did we ever think of a day when James might be dead and Peter would betray us?"

Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "So many things have changed, Sirius. But we need to take care of Harry now. We've to do what we can for him."

"For all three of them," Sirius said. "For, I don't see them letting him get into any trouble by himself, do you?"

Remus chuckled. "I guess not. He's lucky to have them."

The front doorbell rang. They looked at each other and stood, drawing their wands. The fdelius charm ensured their protection, but there was no need to take any chances.

"Kreacher," Sirius said. "Get the door,"

They stood, wands aloft, watching the door. It was Dumbledore who came into the kitchen, followed by Snape, an expression of utmost revulsion was there on the potion master's face.