No Longer

A Quiet Recovery

Harry Potter**

"I just wanted a chance to say thank you for what you did back there," Harry said, smiling from under his hair at Frednaelleka.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just hate bullies. And anyways, I really do want to be your friend, but you're kind of hard to approach. At mealtimes you never sit with me and the other first year Ravenclaws, or walk with us in the halls. I even heard you chose a room in the feather section of the dorms."

"All true, but I honestly thought no one wanted to talk with me. I'm really small, and figured the best way to get by was to just focus on studying."

"Not that you need it!" Frednaelleka laughed, "You're so much better than the rest of us at everything! You're the first or only one to master spells, you know more about potions than any first year ought to, you even changed the potion as you were working on it! There's just something about you, Harry. I can't quite put my finger on it though."

Harry ducked his head and grinned bashfully. It was kind of nice just talking to a person his age, and to make it better, she was nice and he knew she couldn't be talking to him just to get time with Evan because she's stood up to the brat in front of half the first year population.

Their conversation was convivial, resulting in him knowing her as Nali, a family nickname, and them agreeing to spend some more time with one another. He hadn't the foggiest notion of how he'd get more of that precious commodity in order to be social with another person, but he was committed to making it work.

As their conversation drew to a close, he excused himself to go to the library, and she to her dorm. That wasn't, of course, where he intended to go however. 

Earlier, when he was speaking to Tom about what brought Voldemort to Hogwarts, he'd mentioned the Sorceror's Stone. Harry knew that the stone would be a great thing to have for potion brewing, and may have the ability to get Tom his body back. 

He was somewhat dubious about the latter, but figured it couldn't hurt to try. Well, he supposed it could hurt to try, but if there was a chance to return Tom to  his own body, Harry figured he had to chance it.

And anyways, foiling whatever setup the liar had in place might be fun, after all, mischief was a highly enticing option, even more so at school than in the real world. Something about how he was tied to Harry's identity, meaning he couldn't use all his cheats to escape because then Dumbledore would likely sus him out. The danger made it all the more compelling.

Using Hogwarts as a guide, he made it to the restricted third-floor corridor in under five minutes. She was just so helpful, and Harry enjoyed the feeling of another powerful being with him.

The door was easier to open than a cookie jar, and Harry felt his heart race when he saw the three-headed dog. It wasn't out of fear, no, it certainly was not. It was because of the certain sense that the dog was important somehow.

"Cerberus? Is that you buddy?" Harry queried hopefully.

He wasn't sure why he wished the hound before him to be Death's, but the thought excited him in a bubbly sort of way, as if Death were a relative that Harry liked to visit and Cerberus the friendly dog always waiting at the door when they met up.

The dog's long tongues lolled out, and his tail wagged as he raced forward and pounced, pinning Harry to the floor.

Harry was giggling uncontrollably as he was licked and the soft fur tickled him.

"Hi bubba. Oh you're such a good boy!" Harry cooed at the dog, scratching two of the heads behind their ears, "Okay, you must know I want to stay with you guys, but I really need to get through the door you've been set to guard."