Harry Potter: Eclipse.-Chapter 80:

Returning to Grimmauld Place, Harry told the men he would go and put his stuff away before dinner. He barely stopped himself from running upstairs with glee. Carefully pulling out a box lined with runes and heavily warded, Harry allowed his magic to surge, making the box open. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the book. All day Harry had been almost fanatically caressing the soul container with his magic. He was still wearing the locket; a notice-me-not charm and an anti-removal hex placed on the necklace just in case someone got too nosy.

Wearing the locket soothed something within Harry and, if he could have guaranteed the diary's safety, he would have kept it on him. However, he didn't want to risk Tom's soul like that, so instead he had created a box that was practically indestructible. It would take an experienced team of curse and ward breakers to get into without Harry's permission. Placing the diary inside, Harry caressed it one last time before resetting the charms and curses.

He had worked for a week on the box, looking up the spells in his own books then later in Black library books. The box masked even Harry's ability to sense the soul piece, so Harry didn't need to worry about if Grimmauld did get raided; the chances of anybody being interested in a box which gave off little magical signature was small. Returning to the kitchen, Harry saw that Kreacher had make a light dinner for the three of them, having been told they would eat out for lunch. Tucking in, Harry realised he had yet to write to Severus about obtaining Remus' Wolfsbane. He reminded himself that he would do so after dinner and left straight away to make sure he wouldn't forget again once he was finished eating.

Entering the library, Harry settled into his own chair and summoned some parchment and ink.

~

Professor Snape,

You gave me leave to contact you if I required your assistance during the summer holidays. I'm sure you're aware, as I have no doubt you have been contacted, that you have realised what it is I have done to remain safe from my relatives.

I know from a reliable source that you hold no love for Sirius Black and I do not blame you for it. Yet, I hope you would consider meeting him again and trying to bury your past feelings. The man you knew is not the man I have come to know; he has changed and he really is a great guardian for me. I honestly feel like I have a family in Sirius.

However, I seem to have gone off track. I know that this is not the type of help you were offering me sir, but honestly, I didn't know who else to ask. As you're probably aware, Mr. Black and myself have an acquaintance who suffers from a monthly lunar related condition.

As you know, getting a reliable source of Wolfsbane is difficult as many of the mainstream apothecaries sell diluted potions. If you could, I, along with Sirius and our acquaintance, would be immensely grateful if you were to brew us a monthly supply of the potion. The cost of ingredients and labour would be covered by Sirius.

I understand if you don't feel able to do so and, if that is the case, I would be grateful for you to recommend a different source of the potion.

Gratefully, Harrison J Potter

~

With the letter written, Harry went and found Hedwig who was fluffing her wings in Harry's room on her perch.

"Hey there, beautiful girl. Would you mind taking this to Severus Snape for me?" he asked the snowy owl as he scratched behind her neck in a way she loved.

Hedwig took the letter and gave Harry an affectionate nip before she took flight. Since Harry had started to write to his friends near daily, he no longer f elt like he was ignoring her and letting her sit idle.

~

With the letter written and everything prepared for the trial until tomorrow's meeting with Dodge, Harry decided he would dedicate more time to his search of Tom's cure. He had been going through all the Black family books that related to soul magic and had yet to find an answer, however, if asked, he would probably count as a master of the art with all he had learnt.

Looking through the shelves, Harry felt more than hear Sirius come in. The man sat in the chair closest to Harry;s and waited for Harry to return. Once Harry had found a book which looked promising - Core and Soul Magic Stretching - he returned and sat down. However, he didn't pick up the book and immediately start to read. Instead, he placed it down by his chair. Harry could feel Sirius through their bond; ever since the day at the bank their godfather bond had subtly faded, so for Harry to feel his emotions and intents they had to be strong. The man really wanted to talk to Harry.

"I just want you to know that you can trust me, Harry. I know with your past you may find it hard to believe, but I really am in your corner. I will never judge you for anything, or any branch of magic you wish to study, but please - I've noticed the books you've been reading. Soul magic is dangerous. I trust you, I know you're a strong wizard, much stronger than you let be shown, but I want you to be careful," he said. Sirius looked both desperate and defensive, like he expected Harry to lash out.

Harry sighed. "I know this answer won't help ease your worry much, but I need you to trust me for just a bit longer. I do know what I'm doing, just please...." Harry trailed off, unsure how to answer.

Sirius sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I want to tell you a story. You know how I mentioned my cousin Bella and how we were never that close? Well, it's because Bella loved the Dark arts - which is fine, there's nothing wrong with loving them," Sirius quickly added, making sure Harry knew he didn't care about dark magic. "But you see, although she was - is - a powerful witch, she experimented a lot with them. She did things when she was young, younger than you, that twisted her magic - her mind. She's broken. I do trust you, Harry, but I would never forgive myself if I just sat back and watched you do something like Bella did to herself. The Dark arts are addictive, and for Dark witches and wizards - which, like me, and I suspect like you are - they make you feel powerful. I was too young to do anything about Bella, I didn't understand, but I can do something about you. Now, I will not tell you or force you to stop, but I will say this: I need you to be careful. I can't lose you, Harry."

Harry sighed. He wanted to tell Sirius the truth now, but for some reason the words just wouldn't come out.

Instead, he stood and hugged the man. "I promise Siri, you will not lose me."

Sirius inhaled Harry's scent deeply and kissed his head. "I had better not or I will find a necromancer and force you back," he vowed.

Though Sirius was probably just exaggerating, Harry thought he heard a hint of truth.

~ freёweɓnovel.com

After their chat, Sirius left Harry alone in the library with his books. With his concentration shot, Harry picked up the book and sighed. There wasn't much in it that he hadn't already learnt. It didn't help that Tom had seemingly done the impossible and had created multiple horcruxes, making it hard for Harry to find any cases of something even barely similar happening. After another hour, Harry closed the book with a sigh. He was beginning to think that his conviction that the answer was somewhere in the library was wrong. Stretching, Harry felt restless and decided to blow off steam in the duelling room.

Entering, Harry was surprised to see Remus and Sirius engaged in a duel. With the full moon only a week away, Remus was slightly more aggressive than usual and Harry noted he tended to try and avoid confrontation as a personal rule a week before moons - when he could avoid it, that is. However, seeing the two men fight, Harry was impressed: Sirius had come far in his recovery. His form was not yet perfect, but it was a long way away from what it had been, and his magic was almost back to full strength.

Seeing them fight, Harry picked up on their styles: Sirius was looser in his form naturally, his agility making his movements hard to predict, whereas Remus was stiffer but his wolf gave him lightning reflexes. Sirius used unconventional methods when duelling, some of his spells being used to throw his opponents off such a prank spells and jinxing his surroundings, whereas Remus stuck to more traditional combat spells. Both were powerful, but Harry could see that it was Sirius who would most likely win. He seemed to come alive when duelling, the thrill making his magic hum excitedly.

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