His love for Potions I ✔

Chapter 45: Grimmauld place (wohoo!)

Harry held his breath when Professor McGonagall went around with the list of students staying for Easter holidays and he didn't put his name down, but she didn't appear to think anything of it. He didn't want to answer any questions about it, since Sirius was still technically an escaped convict, even if the Ministry was making absolutely no effort to catch him. (His conversations with Hermione on the subject had been pithy.)

The next step was a little more fraught. He waited until Draco had finished dinner and left alone, and slipped out of the great hall after him.

"Draco."

Draco turned, giving him a cool look.

"Yes?"

"D'you still have that-" a first-year wandered past and Harry paused. "Fake wand?"

"Yes, as it happens."

"Get it from an adult wizard, did you?"

"Again, yes."

"Can I borrow it?"

"If I may borrow your cloak sometime."

Harry frowned.

"I thought not," Draco said with a nod.

"Yes," Harry said, trying not to think too hard about it.

Draco gave him a very considering stare. Harry shrugged.

"I'll have it for you tomorrow."

Harry was going to stay in a wizard's house with a wand without the trace. It did not particularly matter to Harry that the wand did not like Harry very much - instead of bright red and orange sparks, purple drips of light fell lazily from the wand when he tried it. Lazy was a good way to describe the wand's apparent personality - it would do what you wanted, sort of, eventually, if you shouted loud enough and really concentrated, but it was nothing like the light, fiery feeling of using his own holly wand.

#

Harry told none of his friends about his Easter plans, on Sirius' quiet instruction. Instead, he packed his bag after everyone had gone to bed, with things for the week and a few assorted bits of this and that that barely fit in his trunk. His bag, which was somewhat Extended these days, held everything without a mutter. Harry and his invisibility cloak made it onto the train just before departure, and he spent his time lurking awkwardly in the train corridor.

It was good practice, he told himself bracingly, for stealth. Even if it did feel a little silly.

#

Harry slipped into the loo of the Muggle side of King's Cross and came out visible again. And lurked. Awkwardly.

"Hullo, Harry," said a quiet voice, almost lost in the bustle of the muggle train station. Harry looked around and stopped dead.

"Professor Lupin?"

"I told you to call me Remus," his old professor said, still tired and careworn, but with a small smile on his face.

"I thought-" Harry glanced around. "What're you doing here?"

"Picking you up." Lupin - Remus - smiled. "Padfoot's still talking me into bad ideas, it turns out."