My Godfather

Chapter XVIII: In Trouble

"Hermione, not now. I'll do it later." Harry protested. The girl had been after him all week, insisting that he complete his homework. He still had a few days before he could go back to classes and Hermione felt it would be best if he were up to date with all his work.

The boy didn't agree with this. After being freed from the Hospital wing, he had been holed up in Sirius' quarters for the past few days. He was bored to death but that didn't mean he had to do his homework to fight the boredom. Hermione sniffed at him disapprovingly but didn't push him any further.

Instead, the three of them played exploding snap for a while. They were all enjoying themselves but Harry's fun ceased the moment Sirius came into the room, floating a tray of the boy's potions. "Ugh! Again! Dad, can I pleeease take them before bed instead? That way, I'll be asleep and won't have to feel their horrible taste in my mouth for the next hour. Pleease?"

"Certainly not. You're taking them now and not a minute later." Sirius said firmly. This had become a routine between them. Harry always tried to persuade Sirius to grant him some reprieve from those horrible medicines but his dad was immovable.

Ron and Hermione had become accustomed to this little banter between the two of them. They were the kind of simply natural moments that made one think that Sirius had raised Harry since his infancy. The two of them promised to meet Harry later before going off for classes.

"You either take these on your own or I'm more than willing to shove them down your throat." A few months ago, such a statement would have had Harry quivering fearfully but now he just laughed and accepted the potions from Sirius.

"Fine, I'll take them. But only because you're the world's greatest dad. And you're the most stubborn person I know." The man felt touched by Harry's words but he simply rolled his eyes and gave his pup an affectionate wink. 


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Three days later, Harry was finally ready to get back to his lessons. He'd taken Hermione's advice and had completed his homework. Classes continued in full swing and Harry had a lot to cover up. He didn't hear the creepy voice after the incident and for that, he was utterly thankful. The only lesson he did enjoy those days was Defence against the Dark Arts.

"So when are we getting back to Quidditch practice?" Harry asked George; when all of them were sitting in the common room. "Oh, you don't know, mate? Quidditch's been cancelled for the rest if the year. Mcgonagall' orders. Said it wasn't safe to play anymore. Wood was furious."

Great. Just great. The one thing he was looking forward to was gone. With a sigh, he slumped in his seat, looking more forlorn than ever. "Tough luck, mate. We're all equally miserable." Fred sympathized with him.

Harry went up to his dorm to put his books away when he saw something sticking out from his trunk. He reached forward and pulled it out. It was that diary he had found all those days ago. He'd completely forgotten about it. Just out of curiosity, he flipped it open. Written in tiny gold print on the right hand corner of the first page: Tom .M. Riddle. He'd heard that name somewhere. He simply couldn't recall where.

A week or so after resuming classes; the whispers started. He began noticing the changes a few days later. Students talked in hushed voices wherever he went. It was nearly impossible for him to remain at a certain place for more than fifteen minutes. They looked at him like he was some sort of abomination and it bloody hurt.

All sorts of rumours were spread about him. It was the same old story everywhere. 
"Potter's a bit on the freaky side."
"Why wasn't he petrified like the others?"
"He was just attacked. That's weird."
"Did you know he can speak to snakes?" 
"Yeah. Apparently, he attacked his muggle cousin once."
"What if he's the one behind all this?"
"He attacked his family! Merlin knows what he's capable of."