#Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban rewrite

[yourgalgremlin]

Rewriting the Wolfstar Fight in POA:

SIRIUS: You MARRIED my cousin's daughter?!

REMUS: FAKE-married! You faked your death?!

SIRIUS: At least mine is forgivable!

REMUS: Oh so you're allowed to fake-DIE but I'm not allowed to fake-MARRY your niece?

TONKS: Hey my #1 wlw ship is w/ Fleur Delacour (the hot Veela) so Ima pack my ✨fake-DǏCK✨ for my REAL-gf. Bye✌🏼

[rewritingcanon]

gary oldman’s “I DID MY WAITING!!!! TWELVE YEARS OF IT!!!” delivery ate the whole franchise up idc

[mysoncookie]

Harry Potter fic recs

hey y'all I know that I said I was going to post more frequently but I got busy with passing school requirements to graduate

Anyways,

here's another fic recs from yours truly, as always if the creators of this fics see these and would like their works here removed then pls feel free to message me

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sugar, spice, and everything nice by gothmilf

Teen & Up, M/M, No Archive Warnings

Available on AO3, Complete | Wordcount: 4,568

Summary:

Seamus and Dean, digging into Malfoy’s three-tier chocolate cake. McGonagall snacking on Malfoy’s double chocolate chip cookies during Transfiguration the other day. Madam Pomfrey, gushing on and on about Malfoy’s madeira loaf cake. It’s all anyone wants to talk about anymore; in class, in the library, in the common room, in the halls.

Where are Harry’s ginger snaps? Harry’s double chocolate chip cookies and loaf cakes and muffins and pies? Harry’s bloody delicious macarons? Where are they? What is Malfoy playing at?

Alternative title: Draco Malfoy and How to Say Sorry Without Actually Having to Say it.

The Importance of Being Draco Malfoy by poppyhills

Teens & Up, M/M, No Archive Warnings

Available on Ao3, Complete | Wordcount: 66,159

Has an On Going Series Called "The Importance of Being Draco Malfoy"

Summary:

The answer to the age-old question, "What if instead of a scratch on the arm, Buckbeak had stomped on Draco's head instead and caused tragic memory loss?"

It was a truth universally acknowledged that the path to reforming a Slytherin prince never did run smooth.

Hogwarts AU Prisoner of Azkaban.

Draco Malfoy and his will to live (on rewrite) by JueShi_QingHua

Teen & Up, Gen, No Archive Warning Applied

Available on Ao3, Complete | Wordcount: 28,517

Has an On Going Series Called "Draco Malfoy Time Travel Chronicles"

Summary:

After the world screws him over and over non-stop, Draco Malfoy decides to take things into his own hands and stop this madness once and for all.

Or.

Draco travels back in time to change his past for the betterment of his future.

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if there was a mistake/problem with any of the links pls let me know ALSO I do not support jk rowling in anyway shape or form any hate towards the LGBTQ+ community or any marginalized groups should not be tolerated

[sunnyrealist]

The Sun, the Moon, and All Our Stars

Summary: Nine years after the events of Hogwarts Legacy, Sebastian Sallow has little hope for a positive future. While serving a life sentence in Azkaban, he managed to escape with the assistance of a terroristic organization of Dark wizards. When the Ministry of Magic eventually caught up with Sebastian, he struck a deal to serve as a double-agent and bring the gang to justice as a means to his freedom. Lonely, traumatized, and depressed, he never imagines his luck will change. But one moonlit night, it does. Fate intervenes in the form of Kate Mayflower, the Hogwarts assistant librarian. Infinitely optimistic and kind, she helps Sebastian find joy and peace again as he regains his humanity and rebuilds his life. While their journey towards happily ever after is a turbulent one, they slowly learn to trust in each other, believe in the power of true love, and heed the lessons from the past in order to grow.

Please note: This work is intended for an adult audience and minors should not read. There is a great deal of subject matter inappropriate for children (many spicy scenes, NSFW artwork, violence, various traumatic incidents, etc.). I will do my best to post specific content warnings chapter by chapter.

Characters and settings are based on Hogwarts Legacy and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Major Characters and Relationships: 25-year-old Sebastian Sallow x Kate Mayflower (Original Character) | Ominis Gaunt | Anne Sallow (deceased) | Ruby McKinnon (Hogwarts Legacy MC) x Poppy Sweeting | Pearl Abbott (Original Character) | Mayflower family | Sallow family

Prominent Settings: Hogsmeade | Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry | Hogwarts Library | The Three Broomsticks | Honeydukes | Diagon Alley | The Leaky Cauldron | Feldcroft | St. Mungo's | The Ministry of Magic | The Department of Magical Law Enforcement / DMLE | Azkaban Prison | Scottish Highlands

My fanfic features illustrations by @giselsann. Please check out her artwork on Tumblr and Twitter.

Links: -- Read on Wattpad: I am completely new to Wattpad as of January 2025! Note that there may not be as many chapters available here as there are on AO3 - it is because I am currently in the process of rewriting earlier chapters to better match the style and skills that have improved over the past year of writing. Whatever is posted on Wattpad is the new and improved version. -- Read on AO3: Please note that I am currently updating earlier chapters. Any chapters that have been refreshed will have notes at the top. Changes made will not affect the characters and plot in later chapters, unless otherwise noted.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

If the saga were rewritten again only this time from the perspective of another character in each book who would the characters be?

My choices:

Philosopher's Stone: Hermione and Ron

Chamber of Secrets: Ginny

Prisoner of Azkaban: Lupin or Sirius

Goblet of Fire: Cedric, Barto Crouch Junior or Ron (when he was angry with Harry)

Order of the Phoenix: Neville, Luna and Dumbledore

Half-Blood Prince: Snape and Draco

Deathly Hallows: Snape, Voldemort and Neville

Hmm, interesting idea. Honestly, I never really considered rewriting it because if I wrote it, it won't be Harry Potter. But I really love multiple POVs, and it's a fun thought.

The main concern would be how to not reveal the mystery too quickly in some of them. And I think sticking to a limited number of POVs and being very careful with them is the way to go here.

For Philosopher’s Stone, Ron and Hermione are solid choices. I agree with you there. Like, I imagine a chapter from Hermione's POV that she's crying in the bathroom and it ends with a cliffhanger of a troll barging in, then the next chapter is either Harry or Ron. I think it could be fun.

For Chamber of Secrets, Ginny is the obvious choice. The main risk is that if Ginny is a POV, it'll be really hard to keep the readers guessing about who the heir of Slytherin is. Even if the readers know she has the diary early on, it's enough to undercut the mystery. Maybe she could have a few chapters in the end to cover her side of what happened. I imagine towards the end, after Hermione gets petrefied, we start getting Ginny's POV that goes back in time a bit, shows her losing time, and writing to Tom. The reader would feel the dread build up slowly and then, bam, she's writing her own death message on the wall while crying, and then we cut to Harry's POV. I think maybe for the second POV, we could get away with a Tom POV? But like, not one that makes it obvious he's writing to Ginny. Like, the POV would cover Tom's diary experiences before coming into Ginny's hands in a way that'll leave the reader uncertain who he is and how he connects to everything. Bonus points if the reader gets attached to Tom and then recognizes him when Harry gets his hands on the diary. The reader would then be shocked and heartbroken when Tom is revealed to be Voldemort.

For Prisoner of Azkaban, I think Lupin would be a fun one. More stories of the marauders, his guilt and wondering if he should tell Dumbledore Sirius is an animagus or not. Like Ginny, Sirius reveals the mystery too fast if he's a POV. I would actually want to hear from Hermione in this book. The time turner is a mystery, but it's not the main one, and I feel it can be used for fun shenanigans from her POV. Also, we could discover Lupin is a werewolf throughout the book with her.

For Goblet of Fire, so with Barty Crouch Jr we have the same problem as with Ginny and Sirius. The readers get answers too fast. So, I feel like Ron and Cedric are really solid options for this book, I agree with you there. And maybe once Barty is revealed we can have like 1 chapter from his POV to sum the situation up instead of listening to the varitesorum interrogation, or during the interrogation we have this chapter and get his thoughts too. I just don't think his is a POV that'll work if we want to keep the reveal at the end. But I love Barty, so I can give him one chapter at the end.

For Order of the Phoenix, I want Sirius' POV a lot. This is the book that should make the reader connect with him the most so his death hurts the most. So, I want his POV, well see a bit from the Order without revealing all of Dumbledore's cards. The second POV, I think either Neville or Luna are a good choice, but I'm leaning towards Luna here and Neville in DH.

For Half-Blood Prince, Snape is a very fun POV here, and so is Draco. Draco’s POV in this book would be fascinating. The thing is, both of them would reveal everything too fast. So, I'm thinking some chapters from Snape's POV that are carefully selected to not reveal too much, but show a little of what's going on with the Death Eaters and Draco's book long breakdown, without revealing he's on Dumbledore's side. It's the book named after him, so I feel he should get a POV there. The second extra POV, I think, could be someone like Pansy or Blaise Zabini, maybe? Like, a Slytherin student we don't really know that'll shed light on what's going down in their house in the wake of Voldemort’s return. But they'll still not really know what's up beyound, Draco has a mission, and we're growing a little concerned.

For Deathly Hollows, I definitely agree on Neville being a POV. It'll be great to see what's going on with the DA at the school through his eyes. As for Voldemort and Snape; Snape, I feel, would be too revealing, and Voldemort would be a fascinating POV, but I think it wouldn't really fit what the book is going for. I think Draco could be a better POV here to show the Death Eater side of things, without undercutting any tension. He'd just up the tension, becouse he'd have a shitty time. Also, Draco POV adds another mystery to the book: "where is the Dark Lord disappearing to?" It'll kind of mirror Harry wondering the same thing about Dumbledore in OotP and HBP and could be really interesting.

[ao3-fanfic-rec]

Lionheart by greenTeacup

Fandom: Harry Potter

How Draco Malfoy met a girl on a train, ruined his life, started a war, and ended one.

Hermione Granger x Draco Malfoy, >500k words, AU - Canon Divergence - Gryffindor Draco, Slow Burn, Golden Trio Hogwarts Years Rewrite

Ongoing as of 2023 - 08 - 19

Thoughts: If I fail my econ final tomorrow - you can blame it on this fic for being extremely addictive. I think I spent about 3 solid days reading this (the fic is complete up to the end of Goblet of Fire era). Come for Dramione, stay for the found family aspects, banter and absolutely hilarious Author's notes. The stress this fic has put me through with just the Prisoner's of Azkaban section is enough to send me to an early grave.

[endversewinchester]

Harry Potter???? in 2023??? read something else

Actually noonie, if we are being honest I've done HP since I was... 6-7? Which was right around the time prisoner of azkaban (movie) came out and I just never stopped. So yes. In 2023, and most likely for the rest of my life. Why? Core childhood franchise, along with a few others you can guess from looking at my blog.

But before you double down and call me transphobic or accuse me of supporting JKR, let me get ahead of you by saying the books I'm screenshoting on this re read have been with me for at least 6 to 7 years, meaning far before her current behavior. Let me also tell you I own every single DVD since I was 13-14 (as the last movie came out in 2011 and I'm not sure when the DVDs were sold). TLDR; None of what I am doing right now is generating any sort of revenue for JKR, and hasn't for almost a decade at this point.

And not that I owe you any sort of explanation, but what inspired me to read the books again as an adult was people pointing out how horrible they were. And while they were certainly far more problematic than my childhood self remembers and also lacking in several aspects, there is still worth in them. Regardless of her incompetence as a human being and her attempts of rewriting history by saying trans people and their allies are death eaters, that is not the text. The text for HP, even with all their issues, is still about fighting fascism, and prejudice, and not judging others for things beyond their control. That was the meaning child!me took from this, as did millions of people across the globe, and I am very reluctant to let that be erased away by a crazed woman and her followers.

So no. I am not ditching Harry Potter. But lets say I caved and did. Did you see how much money Hogwarts Legacy made? I didn't buy a copy. I don't even have a console. Do you see how crowded the theme parts are? And the reboot is going to be designed for children a lot younger than you and me. Kids the same age I was when I joined the universe. Therefore me not touching HP? Not doing anything. To think you can cancel a franchise this big is a bit amusing to me, and it tells me you are too young to have experienced the "Harry Potter fever" as it was called when the movies were still coming out.

My solution, noonie? First of all. Stop being a creep. Crawling into people's messages won't get you allies for any cause, and allies are what trans people need right now. You aren't just alienating the terfs and other types of weird conservative bs, you are alienating people that are willing to listen and help. Oh and for the love of god. Stop the banning books dialogue. You know who does that? The Catholic Church. And Nazis. Done with that first part? Cool.

HP is massive. So massive a company as big as WB can't afford to buy her out. So what do we do? We use her IP against her.

If instead of trying to bully people you took your time to get them on your side with a fanbase as big as Harry Potter's? The amount of support you'd be able to build up would be absurd. Here in Brazil a trans woman streamer donated all of the profits she made during HL to a reopen a trans shelter for kids that either run away or are kicked out for being themselves. Another one donated 10k for a different shelter. The HP fans are doing a whole lot more activism than you at this point.

In short, anon: No. I will not. And while you keep punching the edge of a knife, I'll find smarter ways to fight AND keep something that meant a great deal to me. Have a lovely day.

[authormitchel-blog]

Part 10: P.O.A. Redone

Ron’s leg healed. Fred mercilessly teased Millicent about being engaged even for a short while to a rat. The Malfoy ring was returned to Draco and most likely being burned for purification purposes. Harry saw Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint playing a pickup game during the day, and it was a sight as the two master players were finally playing just for fun.

            Harry knew that it would take time for Sirius to be free entirely, but he was glad that his days at Pivet Drive were numbered.

            Malfoy and Millicent’s engagement was officially off and the girl had never looked happier.

            “So, how long before you’re engaged again, Bulstrode?” asked Fred as they waited to board the train.

            “I’m sure there’s already a line forming,” she answered distractedly. “So you better hurry up and grab a number.” She smiled brightly at Fred who if Harry wasn’t mistaken was sporting a but more red in his cheeks.

            “You wish, Bulstrode.”

Millicent flipped her hair to the shaved side and blew him a kiss as Ginny Weasley laughed at her brother’s retreating back.

            Harry felt a thump to his back. Malfoy had bumped into him then sneered at him until he caught site of Millicent.

            “Feeling a little on edge, Malfoy?” asked Millicent. “Maybe you need some tea, I could make a few suggestions.”

            Malfoy paled then called for his minions and Pansy who looked all too pleased to be at his beck and call.

            “What was that about?” Harry asked Millicent.

“Remember that tea I gave Malfoy loads of for his pre-bonding?”

            Harry shook his head.

“It was hysteri-tea,” she said and if Ginny hadn’t been laughing before she sure was now.

            Harry was oblivious. “I don’t get it.”

Ron walked up and asked what was going on. Ginny leaned over and whispered something in his ear, and he too, started laughing.

            “Oh, Bulstrode, you even have Fred and George beat on this one,” said Ron.

Harry was still blank, as the three purebloods giggled together.

            “It’s a tea used by a special clientele,” said Ron.

Then Millicent, “It’s a tea that used to be given to really hyper children. Their parents noticed that when they gave them the tea the kids would quiet down, but when they overused it, the kids were worse than ever. They would flip out at the most simple things and go into a downright panic when anything so much as startled them. After those discoveries the use of the tea was banned from the ministry.”

            “Until you gave it to Malfoy,” Harry said, finally getting it.

“Yup,” she said. “I’ve been giving it to him all year, which might explain a few of his more, uh, interesting moments.”

            Harry thought back at Draco nearly throttling Nott when he almost bumped him into the water in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and when the panicked looks and said, “You’re an evil genius.”

            “You know it, and don’t get on my bad side, Potter.”

“Never,” said Harry.   

Hermione sat in their compartment on the train. She had given her Time Turner back to McGonagall. On the ride back to London, Harry got lost in his friends conversation, only stopping when he got a letter from Sirius and Remus saying that they would see him soon.

            &&&

Back at the Dursley’s, Harry marched upstairs to his room, Uncle Vernon on his tails. “You already have quite the list of chores, Potter, so I wouldn’t suggest getting comfortable.”

            Harry knew that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.

Then just as he was about to close his school trunk for the last time until the summer was over, he heard a knock at the door and smiled, Aunt Petunia’s voice echoing loudly.

            “And who do you think you are?”

Harry heard the footsteps of someone entering the house, then a voice saying, “I’m Harry’s godfather, and I think it’s time we had a little chat.”

[darling-hogwarts]

i’ve said it a thousand times and i’ll say it a thousand more.

this series from ron’s pov would be so SO cool

((and then be totally honest, i think i would probably like the ron version just as much if not more. like with the same events going on, and the story isn’t changed, harry still has all of his hardships and challenges and whatever, just viewed from ron’s lens. that pov would grant more insight into the burrow and the other weasley’s, how ron feels about all of the events that go on, plus more clear elaboration on how he feels about hermione earlier on))

((completely an unbiased remark by the way, obviously, certainly no favouritism detected here nope, i would never be biased (/s, /j)))

[styxhuntress]

Fanfic Idea #2

Rewriting scenes and creating new ones from Harry Potter (or any fandom since it’s universally compatible), but from other characters’ P.O.V.s while keeping them in character and not diverging or contradicting what’s canon.

Examples:

The night Harry’s Parents died from either Lily’s or Voldemort’s POV.

Oliver Wood’s reaction to McGonagall putting Harry on the Team and then their first practice. 

Or Ginny P.O.V. during the Chamber of Secrets. 

Or Sirius and/or Remus P.O.V. during the Prisoner of Azkaban. Or Even Peter Pettigrew’s reaction to Sirius escaping.

Cedric Diggory’s P.O.V. During the Goblet of Fire, 

Draco’s during the Half-Blood Prince, 

Dumbledore during the Order of the Phoenix, 

Voldemort’s during the Deathly Hallows or honestly any of the books/movies. 

Or even scenes with these characters that take place during or even before the books/movies that are never referenced in the books/movies because it’s not Harry’s P.O.V.

And this type of prompt is compatible with any fandom. Which makes it more awesome.

[iwouldlovetobreackitoyou]

For the Love of Merlin! | Masterlist

Also publishing on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/RiderBlueMoon

Azurielle Black; she is an intelligent, mischievous and quiet student in her fifth year at Hogwarts. But, her world came crashing down at the news of her father, Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban. With her feelings resurfacing for a certain red headed twin, she finds herself having to balance the safety of not only herself, but also the people around during her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Follows the storyline of 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', this is a story rewrite in the perspective of Azurielle Black (MY OC)

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen - Coming Soon!

[limetimo]

RAB fics I read (4-10 March)

Sanctuary by sliebman10 Focused mostly on Sirius' efforts for the Werewolf community but Regulus is doing all the paperwork for the Werewolf and House Elf sanctuaries :D

The Marauders and the Philosopher's Stone by SilverShadow1 Regulus finds HP and the Philosopher's Stone in the Room of Requirements and reads it with his boyfriend James, the Marauders and Lily. Very good take on the trope of Marauders reading the HP series!

Perfect Places by wtfmylove Bellatrix did a murder and Regulus is on the verge of passing out because of how hard he works to save the family company from falling on its face. Accepting a contract from James Potter would be a saving grace - too bad Regulus would rather die than work with the brother-thief in any capacity.

Musical Theatre AU (working title) This is so good! Pianist Regulus is working on a musical and James Potter is one of the stars. Reg reconnects with Sirius and there's Jegulily endgame, feat very cute baby Harry!

rewrite my heart (let the future in) by secretpersona Regulus Black. Pandora Lovegood. Dark Lord, forbidden romance, fuck Dumbledore, great friends, SOUP! Go read it if you haven't yet.

Dripping With Sin by ScreamingFae Vampire Barty is obsessed with Regulus, looking GOOD

The Way I Do by rsbarelle sweet little uwu Regulus with massive issues and depression ending in Jegulus

I Didn't Catch Your Name by Kach_wow a comedy of errors and near misses, Regulus is so relatable to me lmao

this is me trying by witchhunts HE'S TRYING! Regulus gets yeeted to like fifth year (I'm reading too many Regulus time travels from cave to pre-Mark years I'm starting to mix them up :( )

Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Azkaban by Trex_patronus WE LOVE! Look at them Black Brother Azkaban escapees go :D

Best Friend's Brother by zeppazariel I CAN'T BELIEVE ITS FINISHED!!! It starts with like, fluff, then there's ANGST then there's fluff with background angst followed by ANgST ANGST ANGST and after everyone gets the therapy they need it's like. The FLUFFIEST domestic fluff, tooth-rotting, makes you scream fluff. Anyways Jegulus and Wolfstar, kinda like Identity Porn/Secret Identity because nobody knew Regulus was trans :D

our hearts beat as one by coincidences Ghost Regulus working with Dumbledore and Harry on destroying the Horcruxes! ♥♥♥

Star Stepper by Ourania95 15yo Regulus broke his wand and run off to Muggle London. I LOVE watching Orion lose his shit while Regulus is like "I found a library! I washed in a water fountain! I got a job! I'm so good at this runaway thing :)" He's a CUTIE I want to SQUISH him

lycoris radiata by nyxveuss time travel baby! yeeted from the cave to pre-Mark, Regulus has actual friends and I love it for him.

Open Season by avidita I didn't know Silver Fox!Severus was a thought I would ever entertain... but I'm intrigued. Thankfully 60yo Severus isn't into 20yo Regulus (who crawled out of the cave in like 2023s) sooo Regulus is gonna have to suck Teddy Lupin's dick I guess lmao. It's far more than what I just said but that's what the last published chapter was about basically and it's fresh on my mind xD BAMF Regulus! Give it a go!

A Matter of Convenience (Stores) by chillsoya Regulus is James' Secret Santa! Very sweet

Omnia vincit amor by aureusprongs Regulus is tired of being nice. He just wants to go... apeship :D

Living It All by orphan_account for AlmostARealHobbit 15yo Regulus lost his sight in a traffic accident and now lives with Sirius and also matchmakes Sirius with his music teacher Remus :D

Forever by orphan_account Wolfstar YouTubers AT! Very sweet! Regulus only has a little appearance but is very important for the plot :D Also he's deaf

Devil Town by GenderlessGeek75 Sirius and Regulus were removed form their abusive house hold and placed with the Potters! Muggle AU, mind the tags for past abuse and lasting psychological and emotional trauma

 Pandalily & Jegulus Muggle AU Pandora and Regulus have coffee shop, Lily and James have a bookshop, Pandalily and Jegulus ensue :D

Retribution by Kira_readsbooks James suffers a horrible Boulder injury during a game of Quidditch and accidentally takes Regulus to the ground with him. The two boys are trapped in the infirmary together for, well, weeks.

It Is Sweet and Fitting How He Died for His Country by rsbarelle Regulus can swing. Haunting, exquisite

stargazing Regulus Lives and is a Care Of Magical Creatures Professor!

Rest In Peace? No, Live In Peace by A2idB1u3 shit happened and Barty Crouch is raising Harry Ogni Parte È Viva (Every Part Is Alive) by euphorial_docx Italian Regulus has a crush on his older brother's friend from uni. They shouldn't. but they do. Jegulus

forbidden fruit Jegulus porn with plot, Regulus is tutoring James in Potions but... not much studying is done lol

Freedom Tastes Like Spit by CalypsoTempete Disinherited Regulus is crashing on his brother's couch... making out with his brother's best friend... such is the taste of freedom

The Horcrux Hunt by Keysie AAAAAAAAA yes, Remus and Regulus enemies to besties through the hardships of a Horcrux hunt! BRILLIANT! read it if you haven't yet

With You I’d Dance in a Storm by fuckboyregulus James is trying to reconcile the Black Brothers. It's not a smooth sailing

[batmansymbol]

Summary: The night that Harry and Dumbledore return from the cave, the Death Eaters are delayed from reaching the top of the Astronomy Tower for one more minute. Draco Malfoy lowers his wand. // A Deathly Hallows rewrite in which Draco accepts Dumbledore’s offer to fake his death and go into hiding with the Order of the Phoenix.

Find CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE on: FFNet and AO3

The insurgent group known as the Order of the Phoenix, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent, has struck another blow to Wizarding society—this time at Azkaban Prison.

Near midnight on Friday, saboteurs orchestrated the violent breakout of Azkaban’s full population, more than 600 prisoners. The Daily Prophet can exclusively report that the revolt was spearheaded by convict Ron Weasley, 17, a close associate of notorious madman Harry Potter. Other criminals now at large include those responsible for the massacre at Malfoy Manor in December.

Now an already grieving Wizarding community must contend with further losses of life. Eyewitnesses report that the Dementors, who have guarded Azkaban faithfully for many years, were driven out of their senses by the prisoners’ revolt. Between the merciless attacks of the Order and the Dementors’ confusion, 32 casualties have been tallied so far.

Long famed as an impenetrable fortress, Azkaban had not seen a mass breakout until two years ago, when several prominent members of Wizarding society, wrongfully imprisoned, were liberated. At the time, articles by this paper failed to acknowledge the flawed charges that led to those citizens’ unjust sentences (for a full retraction, see pg. 7).

[daddyembo]

A short analysis of the Harry Potter Fandom

One of my favorite things about the Harry Potter fandom is how we react to JK Rowling's biases, be them manifested in subtle in-text exclusion or overt statements on social media.

Rowling created a rich literary universe that preaches inclusion and equality while simultaneously implying the opposite. In her writing, we see moments where she strays from the positive message she attempts to maintain - moments where her unconscious biases peek through, whether she intended to let them in or not. We are all familiar with one example of this: Rowling imagined Dumbledore as a gay man, but she never confirmed this in text - in fact, she might never have imagined this in the first place, but waited to edit her own character until years after the books were published. So, what does this say about Rowling's bigotry? Some might say that bigotry did not play a role in her textual exclusion of Dumbledore's orientation, which is, context aside, an insignificant detail. However, without arguing over semantics, her decision was biased. Dumbledore cannot serve as representation when there is no evidence of what he is supposed to represent. In this way, Rowling implies her belief that LGBTQ+ people are acceptable - as long as the cishet majority is not made to think about them. A similarly biased reader can read the entire Harry Potter series without once being forced to confront how they feel about a major character being gay.

To quickly add a few other examples: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black have a close relationship that can easily be interpreted as romantic; the text does not state so, but it doesn't deny such a relationship exists, either. Rowling did that herself, after the fact. Rita Skeeter, a "manipulative" character we are supposed to despise, is described explicitly as bearing masculine and ungraceful features, implying the gross caricature of a trans woman so often seen in popular media. I recommend Contrapoints's youtube video on JK Rowling for a wonderful, in-depth analysis of Rowling's transphobia and related bigotry - it's thorough and empathetic, so you don't have to worry about your favorite author being unfairly eviscerated. It's all pretty fair.

Anyway, you get the picture. JK Rowling gets so unbearably close to including positive representation of LGBTQ+ communities and other minority groups in her writing, but at the last minute, her biases slip through the cracks and withhold the necessary pieces. However, wherever representation is close to the surface, this fandom is ready and willing to snatch it up.

Since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published, fans of the books - mostly LGBTQ+ readers - picked up on the disappointingly subtextual relationship between Remus and Sirius that we are all familiar with. If it had been overtly stated in the book, fans would've written plenty of fanfiction anyway, but it wasn't - and thus, the Marauders fandom was born of spite for what could've been. Readers reimagined a second, equally vivid universe that took place before the events of the Harry Potter series, and what makes this universe so special is that it was created as a direct response. It was a rebellion - an outcry against Rowling's frustrating biases, and a declaration that even a universally loved series like Harry Potter could be improved greatly.

After the events of the last two years - you know, JK Rowling's infuriating essay and everything that went along with that? Yeah. The fandom has used that same rebellious energy to slam Rowling's worldbuilding right back into her face. Marauders content is gayer than ever. Drarry is somehow - despite never really going away - making a resurgence. For every character, LGBTQ+ headcanons have doubled or tripled - and I think what I'm getting at here is that Rowling did this to herself. It was her pseudo-representation that prompted her readers to create their own, solid representation.

In conclusion, I'll say it - we are rewriting the Harry Potter series. What other piece of media is so heavily edited and embellished in the communities of its fans? Media is open to interpretation, no matter what JK Rowling says about authorial intent. We took what was once subtextual and made it canon, in a way no less valid than the original text. I know this is long, but if you've gotten this far into my ramblings... just think about that. Think about the creative power of a community together. Think about how this fandom fights against Rowling's biases not because we hate her work, but because we love it. And please - keep it going.

[ao3feed-snape]

| HOUSE OF BLACK |

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/3Fu4TcY

by TypicalNerd98

“she was the brightest but most distant star” -d.j

Elara Aurora Black.

The daughter of the infamous Sirius Orion Black, the murderous raving lunatic. And of his best friend turned husband, werewolf Remus John Lupin.

Growing up under her strict but caring aunt Narcissa, made her into an elegant and intelligent girl.

A perfect heiress of the nearly extinct House of Black.

That was the whole purpose of the girl’s life. To bring back the ancient and noble house back on its feet. To make it matter in the wizarding world, once again.

What choices will she make, along the way?

Will she remain on that path?

Or will she choose a different one?

Read to find out.

 •BASED ON HARRY POTTER: year III to —

•I DO NOT OWN THE STORYLINE OF THE HP MOVIES OR BOOKS. I ONLY OWN MY CHARACTERS AND THE CHANGES I’VE DONE TO THE STORY.

•THIS IS A HEAVY REWRITE OF “Even in the dark times family will find each other”

•WOLFSTAR!PARENTS (NO MPREG!!)

Words: 459, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Multi

Characters: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Draco Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Portrait Walburga Black, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, George Weasley, Fred Weasley, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall

Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Draco Malfoy & Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Wolfstar Child AU, Elara Aurora Black, No mpreg, Angst, Family Reunions, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Established Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Werewolves, Slytherin, Hogwarts, Wolfstar Parents, Protective Remus Lupin, Sirius Black Needs a Hug, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Developing Friendships

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3Fu4TcY

[authormitchel-blog]

P.O.A: Part 6

Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless; he smiled at the class as they took their seats, Nott waved at him.

            “I’m glad you’re back, sir,” said Nott.

“Me too, Theodore, thank you for the get well note, it was very appreciated.”

            “You’re welcome, sir,” said Nott. “Ah, Mrs. Davis,” Professor Lupin acknowledged her raised hand.

            “Um, Professor about the paper Professor Snape assigned us, I didn’t….”

            “It’s okay,” Professor Lupin said. “You don’t have to worry about the essay, but,” he said looking at Malfoy. “If you have already done it, I will count it to you as extra credit.”

            When class ended Lupin called after Harry. “I’d like a word, if you don’t mind Harry.”

“Sure,” Harry nodded. “Are you all right?” said Harry, sitting on the couch. “I’m fine, Professor.”

            Lupin smiled at him, letting the lie lay. “Sir, it was the dementors.”

“Yes, I don’t think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time…furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds.”

            “Yes,” said Harry. “But why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just….”

“It has nothing to do with weakness,” said Professor Lupin sharply, as though he had read Harry’s mind. “The dementors affect you worse than others because there are horrors in your past that the others don’t have. Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places and glory in decay. They drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Muggles can feel them, they just can’t see them. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself…soulless and evil. The leave you with nothing but your worst experiences. And what happened to you Harry, that’s enough to hurt anyone. You have nothing to feel ashamed of.”

            Harry started at Lupin’s desk, his throat tight.

“When they get near me I can hear Voldemort. I can hear him murdering my mum.”                                  Lupin reached out and squeezed Harry’s shoulder. He pulled back.

“Why did they come to the match?”

            “They’re getting hungry. Dumbledore won’t let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up. I don’t think they could resist the large crowd around the pitch. All that excitement, emotions running high….it was their idea of a feast.”

            “Azkaban must be horrible,” Harry muttered. Lupin nodded firmly. “The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea but they don’t need walls when their prisoners are all trapped inside their own heads incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most of them go mad within weeks.”

            “But Sirius Black escaped from them. He got away.”

Lupin’s briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it. “Yes, Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn’t have believed…. Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of their power if they are too long in their presence.”

            “But you…” started Harry. “On the train..”

            “Yes, there are certain defenses one can use.”

Then Lupin seemed to study him again, his tie and the cut on his cheek that he hadn’t bothered to get healed.

            “I could teach you?” Lupin offered.

“Really?” asked Harry.

            “I don’t pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Harry, quite the contrary, but…” The man seemed to stop and think.

            “But you need to be able to defend yourself so if you want to lear….”

“I want to learn,” interrupted Harry. “When can we start?”

            Professor Lupin seemed to consider him.

“It’ll have to be after the holidays. It seems as if I have chosen a very inconvenient time to fall ill.”   

            What with the promise of anti-dementor lessons from Lupin, the thought that he might never have to hear his mother’s death again, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Harry’s mood took a definite upturn even if he still wasn’t allowed to visit Hogsmeade.

            On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Harry bid good-bye to his friends, then turned up the marble staircase alone, and headed back to the dungeons. Snow had started to fall outside the window, and the castle was very still and quiet.

            “Psst…. Harry!”

He turned, hallway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George, peering out at him from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch.

            “What are you doing?” said Harry curiously. “How come you’re not going to Hogsmeade?”

            “We’ve come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go,” said Fred, with a mysterious wink. “Come in here….”

            He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed witch. Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry.

            “Early Christmas present for you, Harry,” he said.

Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it one of the desks. It was a large, square, and very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George’s jokes, stared at it.

            “What’s that supposed to be?”

“This, Harry, is the secret of our success,” said George, patting the parchment fondly.

            “It’s a wrench, giving it to you,” said Fred. “, but we decided last night, your need is greater than ours.”

            “Anyway we know it by heart,” said George. “We bequeath it to you, Harry. We don’t really need it anymore.”

            “And what do I need with an old bit of parchment?” said Harry.

“A bit of old parchment!” said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. “Explain, George.”

            “Well….when we were in our first year, Harry, young, carefree, and innocent..”

            Harry snorted. He doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.

“Well, more innocent than we are now, we got into a bit of bother with Filch..”

            “We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor, and it upset him for some reason….”

“So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual….”

            “Detention.”

“Disembowelment.”

            “And after noticing a drawer marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous.”

“Well, what would you’ve done?” said Fred.

            Fred then held out the parchment.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, “I solemnly swear that I up to no good.”

            And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider’s web from the point that George’s wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed.

Messers. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present

The Marauders Map

            It was map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it. He saw Dumbledore and Mrs. Norris. Everyone in the castle.

            This map showed a set of passages he had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead….

            “To Hogsmeade,” said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. “There are seven in all.” They then laid out all the passageways. The ones that Filch knew about and the ones that only they knew about. Including one that led right into Honeyduke’s cellar.

            “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,” sighed George, like he was lovesick. “We owe them so much.”

            “Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers,” said Fred solemnly.

            “Right,” said George briskly. “Don’t forget to wipe it after you’ve used it…”

            “or anyone can read it,” Fred said warningly.

“Just tap it and say, ‘Mischief Managed!’ And it’ll go blank.”

            “So, young Harry,” said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, “mind you behave yourself.”

            “See you in Honeydukes,” said George winking.

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

            Harry found the passageway easy enough, with the help of the map and his invisibility cloak and was in Hosgmeade before he knew it.

            He found Hermione, Ron, and Neville in Zonkos, and Millicent and Blaise in the Stationary shop. He had to side step Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy to get to them, but it was worth it. He sidestepped Crabbe, causing him to bump into Malfoy who dumped a whole vial of ink down his front. Harry followed it with the quick dry charm that he uses on his homework then fought to stifle his laughter as Malfoy was told he would have to pay for the solid gold vial of ink, not that he couldn’t afford it.

“Shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?” Ron asked, pulling his hands to his mouth to puff warm air on them.

            Harry was more than willing; the wind was fierce and his hands were freezing, so they crossed the road, and in a few minutes were entering the tiny inn.

            It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of warlocks at the bar. Ron offered to go get their drinks as Millicent and Hermine shared a knowing look.

            They made their way to the back of the room toward a small vacant table. “Merry Christmas!” said Ron happily, handing them their butterbeers.

            Harry drank deeply. It was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted and it seemed to warm every bit of him from the inside.

            A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Harry looked over the rim of his tankard and choked.

            Professor McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic.

            Millicent and Blaise seemed to work together to usher Harry out of sight, underneath the table.

            Next, he saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels, and heard a woman’s voice.

            “A small gillywater….”

“Mine,” said Professor McGonagall’s voice.

            “Four pints of mulled mead…”

“Ta, Rosmerta,” said Hagrid.

            “A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella…”

“Mmm!” said Professor Flitwich, smacking his lips.

            “So you’ll be the red currant rum, Minister…”

“Thank you, Rosmerta, m’dear,” said Fudge’s voice. “Lovely to see you again, I must saw. Have one yourself, won’t you? Come and join us….”

            “Well, thank you very much, Minister. So, what brings you to this neck o the woods, Minister?” came Madam Rosmerta’s voice after a moment.

            Harry saw the lower part of Fudge’s thick body twist in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. Then he said in a quiet voice. “What else, m’dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?”

            “I did hear a rumor,” admitted Madam Rosmerta.

“Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?” said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.

            “Do you think Black’s still in the area, Minister?” whispered Madam Rosmerta.

            “I’m sure of it,” said Fudge shortly.

“Do you know I still have trouble believing it,” said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. “Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I’d have thought… I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you’d told me then what he was going to become, I’d have said you’d had too much mead.”

            “You don’t know the half of it, Rosmerta,” said Fudge gruffly. “The worst he did isn’t widely known.”

            “The worst?” said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. “Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?”

            “I certainly do,” said Fudge.

“I can’t believe that.”

            “You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta,” murmured Professor McGonagall. “Do you remember who his best friend was?”      

            “Naturally,” said Madam Rosmerta, with a small fond laugh. “Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here…ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!”

            Harry nearly dropped his tankard with a loud clank.

“Precisely,” said Professor McGonagall. “Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course, exceptionally bright, in fact, but I don’t think we’ve ever had such a pair of troublemakers….”    

            “I dunno,” chuckled Hagrid. “Fred and George Weasley could give ‘em a run for their money.”

            “You would have thought Black and Potter were brothers!” chimed in Professor Flitwick. “Inseparable!”

            “Of course they were,” said Fudge. “Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him.”

            “Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?” whispered Madam Rosmerta.

            “Worse even than that, m’dear….” Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. “Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn’t an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them their best chance was the Fidelus Charm.”

            “How does it work?” said Madam Rosmerta.

Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. “An immensely complex spell, involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find, unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!”

            “So, Black was the Potter’s secret keeper?” said Madam Rosmerta.

“Naturally,” said Professor McGonagall. “James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself… and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potter’s Secret-Keeper himself.”

            “He suspected Black?” gasped Madam Rosmerta.

“He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements,” said Professor McGonagall darkly. “Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who.”

            “But James Potter insisted on using Black?”

“He did,” said Fudge heavily. “And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed….”

            “Black betrayed them?” breathed Madam Rosmerta.

“He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters’ death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it..”

            “Filthy, stinkin’ turncoat!” Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.

“Shhh!” said Professor McGonagall.

            “I met him!” growled Hagrid. “I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an’ James’s house after they was killed! Jus’ got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash acorss his forehead, an’ his parents dead….an’ Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin’ motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin’ there. I didn’ know he’d bin Lily an’ James’s Secret-Keeper. Thought he’d jus’ heard the news o’ You-Know-Who’s attack an’ come ter see what he could do. White an’ shakin’ he was. An’ yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN’ TRAITOR!” Hagrid roared.

            “Hagrid, please!” said Professor McGonagall, but Harry felt even warmer toward his friend then he thought possible. “Keep your voice down!”

            “How was I ter know he wasn’ upset about’ Lily an’ James?” It was You-Know-Who he cared about’! An’ then he says, “Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I’m his godfather, I’ll look after him…. ;Ha! But I’d had me orders from Dumbledore, an’ I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an’ uncles’s. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. ‘I won’t need it anymore,’ he says.

            “I shoulda known there was something’ fishy goin’ on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin’ it ter me for? Why wouldn’ he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he’d bin the Potter’s Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin’ ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o’ hours before the Ministry was after him.”

            “But what if I’d given Harry to him, eh? I bet he’d’ve pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes’ friends son! But when a wizard goes over ter the dark Side, there’s nothing, and no one that matters to ‘em anymore….”

            A long silence followed Hagrid’s story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, “But he didn’t manage to disappear did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!”

            “Alas, if only we had,” said Fudge bitterly. “It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew, another of Potter’s friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself.”

            “Pettigrew, that fat little boy who was always taggin around after them at Hogwarts?” said Madam Rosmerta.

            “Hero-worshipped Black and Potter,” said Professor McGonagall. “Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I…how I regret that now….” She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold.        

            “There, now, Minerva,” said Fudge kindly, “Pettigrew died a hero’s death. Eyewitnesses, Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later, told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, ‘Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?’ And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens…..”

            Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, “Stupid boy…foolish boy… he was always hopeless at dueling…should have left it to the Ministry…”

            “I tell yeh, if I’d got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I would’t’ve messed around with wands, I’d’ve ripped him limb from limb…” growled Hagrid.

            “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Hagrid,” said Fudge sharply. “Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was a Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people… I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggle screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him… a heap of bloodstained robes and a few….few fragments.”

            Fudge’s voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown.

“Well, there you have it, Rosmerta,” said Fudge thickly. “Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black’s been in Azkaban ever since.”

            Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh.

“Is it true he’s mad, Minister?”

            “I wish I could say that he was,” said Fudge slowly. “I certainly believe his master’s defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man…cruel…pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there’s no sense in them…but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You’d have thought he was merely bored…asked if I’d finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the dementors seemed to be having on him…and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know, Dementors outside his door day and night.”

            “But what do you think he’s broken out to do?” said Madam Rosmerta. “Good gracious, Minister, he isn’t trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?”

            “I daresay that is his…er. Eventual plan,” said Fudge evasively. “But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing…but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he’ll rise again…”

            There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass. Professor McGonagall and the rest rose from the table, bid goodbye to Madam Rosmerta and left, but Harry barely registered it.

            Harry rushed back to Honeydukes, through the cellar, and went straight toward his dormitory. He had stared at the photo hundreds of times, but if he didn’t know he would never have guessed that they were the same person. He opened the album, and stopped on a picture of his parent’s wedding day. There was his father waving up at him, beaming, the untidy black hair Harry had inherited standing up in all directions. There was his mother, alight with happiness, arm in arm with his dad. And there…that must be him. Their best man… Harry had never given him a thought before.

            His face wasn’t sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. Had he already been working for Voldemort when this picture had been taken? Was he already planning the deaths of the two people next to him? Did he realize he was facing twelve years in Azkaban, twelve years that would make him unrecognizable?

            But the dementors don’t affect him, Harry thought, staring into the handsome, laughing face. He doesn’t have to hear my mom screaming if they get to close….

            Harry slammed the album shut, reached over and stuffed it back into his cabinet, took off his robe and glasses and got into bed, making sure the hangings were hiding him from view. Then he heard the dormitory doors open.

            “Potter?” It was Millicent.

Then, “We’ll help you.”

            Harry opened his curtains.

“What?” he said.

            Millicent and Blaise stood there. “We’ll help you, find Black, take him out, whatever.”

“What?” Harry repeated again.

            Blaise stepped forward.

“Remember that we don’t think it’s the brightest thing to do, but we’re here for you no matter what.”     

            Harry nodded. “But we’ll be smart,” added Millicent. “There will be no barging around and knocking things over like the Gryffindors do, you heard what McGonagall said as well as we did. Black is smart, one of the cleverest boys in their year, and that means that we have to use all the cunning we can to catch him.”

            “He killed my parents,” said Harry. “He betrayed them. Did you know?”

He had already worked out that Malfoy knew. What he said in potions that day clicked with what he knew now, but he wondered if his friends knew anything about it.

            “I knew that Pettigrew’s mother only got to bury a finger after his duel with Black, but all it’s ever been is speculation, a legend that we were always too young to know the whole of, but Draco’s father,” said Millicent.

            “It was always rumored that Draco’s father,” Blaise whispered. “was in league with You-Know-Who.”

            The day only got worse when he received a letter from Hagrid. Buckbeak was being put on trial for what had happened with Malfoy, and from what Hermione could dig up, it didn’t seem as if he had the best chances.

            Harry wrote to Hagrid saying that he would try to help in any way that he could. If only helping meant that he could strangle Malfoy then he’d only be too willing to oblige.

            On Christmas morning, Harry woke and went to open his presents. It was still a novel experience, considering what he had lived with before, and he was thankful for every one, though at times he still thought he would wake up to an empty tree.

            He was just eyeing a present from Mrs.Weasley when something caught his eyes.

“What’s that?” said Blaise, looking over a rather large box of his own.

            “Dunno…”

            Harry ripped the parcel open and gaped as a magnificent gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread. Blaise dropped his package and jumped off his bed for a closer look.

            “That’s a Firebolt,” he said incredulously.

It’s handle glittered as he picked it up. He could feel it vibrating and let go; it hung in midair, unsupported, at exactly the right height for him to mount it. His eyes moved from the golden registration number at the top of the handle, right down to the perfectly smooth, streamlined birch twigs that made up the tail.

            “Who sent it to you?” said Blaise.

Harry look, but there was no card to be found.

            “It has to be Dumbledore,” said Blaise, and Harry found himself agreeing. In no universe would it have been from the Dursleys, and Harry highly doubted that Professor Lupin would have the funds, and as much as Professor McGonagall liked him, he did play for an opposing team. Maybe it came from Snape, he thought wryly before laughing a little at that absurd idea.

            “We should show it to Millicent,” Blaise suggested.

Millicent took one look at the broom and instantly said, “It’s jinxed.”

            “What?” Harry asked.

“It’s jinxed, it has to be,” she said. “No note, no return to sender. You get a random package with a madman on the loose, and you automatically think that what, it’s a gift from Merlin?”

            “Well, what do you want to do with it? Take it to Snape?”

Millicent shook her head.

            “You can’t be serious,” Harry said incredulously, clutching the beauty of a broom to his chest.

            “Snape will know what’s wrong with it, if anything, but he’ll want you to be able to use it,”

“He hates me,” said Harry.

            “Maybe,” said Blaise, “but he does love winning. And this is an international standard broom. You’ll be able to knock them all out of the sky.”

            “What about Lupin?” Harry thought suddenly.

“I don’t care with whom you share your broomstick, Potter, as long as you don’t get knocked off it again this year.”

            “Hey,” shouted Harry. “That happened what?”

“Two years running,” Blaise said, eyes rolling.

            “Right,” said Harry. “Fine, I’ll take it to Lupin.”

            Classes started after Christmas soon enough, and Harry was quick to catch up with Lupin about his promise of anti-dementor lessons.

            “Ah yes,” said Lupin, when Harry reminded him of his promise at the end of class. “Let me see….how about eight o’clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough.”

            “Still looks ill, doesn’t he?” said Millicent as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. “I wonder what’s wrong with him.”

            At eight o’clock on Thursday evening, Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but he lit the lamps with his wand and had waited only five minutes, when Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binns’ desk.

            “What’s that?” said Harry.

“Another boggart,” said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. “I’ve been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch’s filing cabinet. It’s the nearest we’ll get to a real dementor. The boggart will turn into a dementor when he sees you, so we’ll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we’re not using him; there’s a cupboard under my desk he’ll like.”

            “Okay,” said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn’t apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real dementor.

            “So….” Professor Lupin had taken out his wand, and indicated that Harry should do the same. “The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry. It is well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm.”

            “How does it work?” said Harry nervously.

“Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus,” said Lupin, “which is a kind of anti-dementor, a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor.”

            Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid sized figure holding a large club. Professor Lupin continued, “The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementor feeds upon, hope, happiness, the desire to survive, but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementors can’t hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it.”

            “What does a Patronus look like?”

“Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it, and you conjure it with an incantation, which will only work if you are concentrating with all your might on a single, very happy memory.”

            Harry cast his mind for a happy memory then inspired by the firebolt, decided on the first time that he ever rode a broomstick.

            “Right,” he said, trying to recall as exactly as possible the wonderful, soaring sensation of his stomach.

            “The incantation,” said Professor Lupin. “is Expecto Patronum!”

“Expecto Patronum,” Harry repeated under his breath. “Expecto Patronum.”

            “Concentrating on your happy memory?”

“Yeah,” said Harry, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. “Expecto Patronum….Expecto Patronum…Expecto Patronum…”

            Something whooshed suddenly out the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas.

            “Did you see that?” said Harry excitedly. “Something happened.”

“Very good,” said Lupin, smiling. “Right, then, ready to try it on a dementor?”

            “Yes,” Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding…..Any second now, he might hear his mother again…but he shouldn’t think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn’t want to…..did he?

            Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled.

            A dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him…..

            “Expecto Patronum!” Harry yelled. “Expecto Patronum! Expecto Pa….”

            But the classroom and the dementor were dissolving….Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother’s voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head….”Not Harry! Not Harry! Please, I’ll do anything….”

            “Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!”

“Harry?”

            Harry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He didn’t have to ask what had happened.

            “Sorry,” he mumbled, sitting up and feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses.

“Are you all right?” said Lupin.

            “Yes…..” Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it.

“Here….” Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. “Eat this before we try again. I didn’t expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had.”

            “It’s getting worse,” Harry muttered, biting off the Frog’s head. “I could hear her louder that time, and him….Voldemort.”

            Lupin looked paler than normal.

            “Harry, if you don’t want to continue, I will more than understand.”

“I do!” said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog inside his mouth. “I’ve got too. What if the dementors turn up at one of our matches? I can’t afford to fall off again.”

            “All right then,” said Lupin. “You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on…That one doesn’t seem to have been strong enough…”

            Harry thought hard and decided on his first Christmas at Hogwarts. Playing in the snow with the Weasleys, getting presents, getting whipped in chess by Millicent.

            “Okay, I’m ready,”

Harry cast the incantation again. “Expecto Patronum….Expecto Patron…..”

            White fog obscured his senses…big, blurred shapes were moving around him…then came a new voice, a man’s voice, shouting, panicking….

            “Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off….”

The sounds of someone stumbling from a room…. A door bursting open….a cackle of high-pitched laughter….

            “Harry! Harry…wake up…”

Lupin was tapping Harry hard on the face. This time it was a minute before Harry understood why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor.

            Harry heaved a breath.

“I heard my dad,” Harry felt like he couldn’t breathe. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard him, that I’ve ever heard his voice….he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it….”

            Harry suddenly realized that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off on his robes, pretending to do up his shoelace, so that Lupin wouldn’t see.

            “You heard James?” said Lupin in a strange voice.

“Yeah…” Face dry, Harry looked up. “Why? Did you, did you know my dad?”

            “I….I did, as a matter of fact,” said Lupin. “We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry, perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced….I shouldn’t have even suggested this.”

            “No!” said Harry. He got up again. “I’ll have one more go! I’m not thinking happy enough things, that’s what it is….Hang on…”

            He racked his brains. A really, really happy memory…one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus. Then Harry thought of what it felt like to finally leave the Dursleys for Hogwarts.

            Lupin made sure he was ready, then pulled the lid of the case open.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” Harry bellowed. “EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!

            The screaming inside Harry’s head had started again, except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio, softer and louder and softer again, and he could still see the dementor. It had halted, and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry’s wand, to hover between them and the dementor, and though Harry’s legs felt like water, he was still on his feet, though for how much longer he wasn’t sure.

            “Riddikulus!” roared Lupin, springing forward.

There was a loud crack, and Harry’s cloudy Patronus vanished along with the dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling as exhausted as if he’d just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the boggart back into the packing case with his wand, once again a silvery orb.

            “Excellent!” Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. “Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start.”

            “Can we have another go? Just one more?”

“Not now,” said Lupin firmly. “You’ve had enough for one night. Here….”

            He handed Harry some more chocolate.

“Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?”

            “Okay,” said Harry. He took a bite of chocolate and watched Lupin move to extinguish the lamps, he thought of how to ask his next question.

            “Professor Lupin?” he said. “If you knew my dad, you must’ve known Sirius Black as well.”

            Lupin turned very quickly.

“What gives you that idea?” he said sharply.

            “Nothing… I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too…..”

Lupin’s face relaxed.

            “Yes, I knew him,” he said shortly. “Or I thought I did. You’d better be off, Harry, it’s getting late.”

            Harry gathered his things. Lupin clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but Harry did. “I’m getting better, I think,” he said as they walked toward the door.

            “Do you think, Professor, that when I can cast a Patronus properly, I mean, that I won’t be able to hear them anymore?”

            Lupin stopped in his tracks, a horrible look on his face that he couldn’t wipe away fast enough.

            “I don’t know, Harry, I don’t know.”