Fallen Angel

Chapter Fourteen: Fall Down

December dawned and with it, Sirius's exit from the castle and the grounds of the wizarding school in Scotland. Harry had remained in his dormitory as soon as he'd woken up and showered from a restless sleep, instructing Dobby to bring him some breakfast so as he wouldn't have to deal with the Great Hall that morning. As soon as he'd finished his eggs, sausages, and toast, he casted a Cleaning Charm upon his hands and went downstairs to the common room, staring out at the expansive grounds where Hogwarts sat.

Snow had fallen during the night and with it, various footprints of a plethora of students who had gone out as soon as breakfast was over. As he stared outside, face pressed against the window pane, he saw the figure of Sirius, making his way presumably from the Entrance Hall and onto the grounds, and into the Forbidden Forest beyond. Harry saw that the man appeared to be sullen in his demeanor, leading Harry to believe that Sirius was saddened by the outcome of their conversation the day before, as well as being unable to say goodbye.

Harry pushed off from the window then, remembering that he was due to meet Ron, Hermione, and Draco in the library before lunch to do some work on their transfiguration essay, which was due the following Friday. Just as he was about to head back upstairs to gather his things, there was a sudden whoosh of something, which caught him completely off-guard. The thing, enrobed in a distinctive silver light, was that of a wolf Patronus, and Harry held his ground, knowing that Remus would likely want a word with him, based on his behavior of late.

Harry, intoned the wolf, please meet me in my office at your earliest convenience. I asked Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco of your whereabouts, and they stated that you were in the dormitory still, and that you were due to meet them in the library before lunch. This will not take long, I assure you, but do bring your things anyway.

Harry watched as the wolf disappeared, and he had detected a slight edge to Remus's voice. He sighed, quickly summoning his things from his dorm before making his way out of the portrait, his wand in his pocket. Drawing his bag further up his shoulder, Harry trudged out of the domain of Gryffindor Tower, and towards the Serpentine Corridor. Once he arrived, he pushed open the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and walked through it, towards the staircase in the back, before he climbed up them and let himself in. The familiar sight of Remus's office did nothing to calm him, and, as he stepped into Remus's inner chambers, he felt a lump rising in his throat.

"Remus?"

Remus was sitting in one of the armchairs beside the fire, a tea service laid out upon the glass-topped table between the two chairs. He slowly lifted his eyes to Harry, his hands steepled beneath his chin, and slowly opened his mouth. "Come in, Harry."

Harry swallowed, but nevertheless crossed the room, the door swinging shut automatically behind him, and made his way over to the chair. At Remus's nod, he told the enchanted tea set upon the table how he liked his tea—milky, two sugars—and soon the individual cup came flying into his hands. Harry, who had by this time lowered his bag to rest upon the side of his armchair, tentatively took the cup into his hands, and began to sip it. Black tea, his favorite, he thought to himself, and suddenly realized that he didn't know what Remus's favorite kind of tea was, but knew that this was hardly the time to ask such a question.

"Harry," Remus said after several minutes of silence; the only things that could be heard in the interim were the fire crackling beside them, and the occasional intake of breath whenever Harry sipped at his tea. "I wish to discuss Sirius with you."

Harry banished his tea cup back onto the table; suddenly, he was not thirsty anymore. "I suppose I can understand that," he said quietly, his fingers already clawing at his palms. "What did you want to know?" he asked.