the rise

chapter twenty

Albus Dumbledore hummed to himself, a jolly tune, as he unwrapped his fourth lemon drop. A treat he considered perfect, unparalelled in the confectionary world.

His eyes fell back to the Daily Prophet, idle on his desk. After all his work, all his charity, his patience, his love, this is how the Wizarding World repays him?

He supposed they would come for him soon, the old man sighed. It would be in the Holidays, nothing gets into Hogwarts without his knowledge.

Just outside the door, two somethings were well within Hogwarts walls. The most violent hexes they could find in rhe library at the tips of their tounges, huddled against a bookshelf.

"Wait..." Tom whispered.

"What?"

Across the wooden castle floor. Footsteps. Rapidly getting closer. Rythmical pounding.

Tom's blood rushed. Desperately he tugged Harry behind the shelf.

"Fuck"

The door twisted open. Harry felt nothing but the sweat pooling in his grip around his wand.

"Can you see who it is?" Tom muttered.

Carefully, Harry craned his neck. He caught a glimpse, it was all he needed.

"Its my Father, and some of his friends..."

"We should get out, they will be distracted now"

Breathing heavily, Harry shook his head.

"I want to hear what they are talking about"

"That's moronic, we have to get the fuck out of here Potter"

"No. We will leave soon, this will be helpful"

"Harry"

He was already moving, closer to the wall.

"Fucking Gryffindors"

No one was talking for a moment. Harry tried to even out his breathing.

"Sir..."

"My dear boy I am not abandoning this school"

"It'd be for your own damn safety"

"Hogwarts is the safest place in the world, I am fine"

"THE FUCKING BODIES ALBUS! They're in your walls"

"I would know if someone had arrived Sirius, I am not such a fool."

"Then it's a teacher, staff member... student?"

"My staff wouldn't betray me, do not even think about pointing fingers at Severus"

"He is scum Albus, I completely believe he would betray you in an instant"

"You weren't lying when you said chummy" Tom chuckled.

"I've never heard Sirius get so angry, and it's for Dumbledore..."

"He was never going to be on our side Harry" Tom's hand came to rest on the other boy's shoulder.

"I know"

"Come back to the Hollow, just for tonight. We will have to highten security around here before you can come back unsupervised"

"Ever so stubborn James... fine, for tonight. And only because you asked"

They heard the floo flare up and waited behind the bookshelf for a moment to make sure all three had left.

"Alright, lets run for it"

"We wont be able to get to him now, it will have to wait" Tom sighed, peeling his shirt off.

"The fucker will be at my house, probably in the Holidays too, maybe we have to make friends and I can have you over as a guest?"

"Your father did not strike me as the Slytherin tolerating kind"

"He tolerates me"

"You are a much better liar than I"

"I shouldn't appreciate that as much as I do"

"It is a simple fact, you even tricked that bloody hat. Speaking of, that thing can't be right can it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, two things. Primarily, on their first day a bunch of kids get their minds read by an old hat, which lives in Dumbledores office. Secondarily the thing toucbes every head in the year group, if a kid had nits or one of your awful Wizard diseases that is a superspreader"

"I'm too tired for plotting dear, and that almost sounds like the ravings of a paranoid germaphobe"

Tom shrugged, and slid into the bed next to Harry.

"We were lucky tonight. They could have arrived any time, as we reached the door, or well... we should be more careful"

"Probably" Harry hummed, his eyes already shut.

Tom smiled fondly. Potter couldn't care less about their failed mission if it meant he got to bed on time.

"Night Harry"

"Pomfrey said the petrifyied kids could be brought back today"

Harry's heart jumped. Carlos.

It was strange how much his absence had effected them. He wasn't entirely convinced that the events of last night weren't related to him and Tom missing the kid.

"Good news" Harry glanced at Dumbledore and shuddered.

His father and Sirius had returned. He resisted the urge to glance at Tom, there was no way his father wouldn't notice, let alone Sirius.

"Well, the roots would still be premature at this point, Madam Pomfrey is taking a risk with this" Hermione remarked.

"Can't hurt"

"I suppose not, but I doubt they will be back for a number of days. I can't begin to imagine the damage this will have done to their studies"

Harry blinked pointedly at Neville who smirked back.

"Regarless we have Defence with Slytherin first and Snape looks absolutely pissed"

The potions master did indeed look utterly fucked off, no doubt because of the presence of James and Sirius. Harry winced, there was no way he was getting through the next hour unscathed.

sorry.