Rumors and Shadows
"Pff, hahaha."
Sirius picked up the newspaper and, barely a few lines in, he could not help but burst out laughing at what was written there about his own godson.
"In that regard, he really is a lot like his father," he said while still laughing, reminiscing with clear amusement; feeling that James had lived through very similar moments himself.
"I do not think it is something to laugh about when one of Hogwarts' students is being labeled nationwide as a gigolo," said one of the portraits in the headmaster's office, his tone mildly disdainful.
Sirius shifted his gaze toward him, clearly annoyed. It was none other than Phineas Black, who was staring back at him with obvious reproach.
"You know, old man, I could very easily lock you up again like before. The only reason I let you stay free is because the others practically begged me on their knees," Sirius said, looking at him with complete contempt.
"Hmph, ill-mannered boy, remember—"
"Yes, yes. That you are a Black and all that rubbish I genuinely do not care about. I am the head of the house now, and the headmaster as well, so you had better shut your mouth," Sirius replied, his tone carrying a clear threat.
Phineas stared at him for a moment before crossing his arms and turning his gaze away.
Meanwhile, the other headmasters were little more than spectators inside their own frames. Only a few of them chuckled quietly at Phineas, and only those who had never been on good terms with him. That seemed to irritate him even more, so he simply turned around and left, disappearing from his portrait altogether.
Something Sirius paid no real attention to, as he went back to reading the newspaper detailing Harry's supposed romantic escapades, along with the enchanted photographs that accompanied the article, complete with movement and all.
In one of them, Harry was carrying Luna on his back while she seemed to be asleep. In another, Astoria appeared to have gone to complain about her sister, prompting Harry to give her some sweets while gently patting her head to calm her down. Ginny was beside her, earning a few sweets of her own along with a smile from Harry, which made the girl turn as red as her hair.
In the next image, Harry was chasing Daphne while she ran ahead with an amused smile. Another showed Harry being greeted by a few girls who approached to wish him luck in the trial, only for him to return a smile that made them run off, cheerful and flustered.
And the last image, taking up an entire page, was Harry's adult form after being transformed during the victory celebration; his face annoyed and expressionless, surrounded by an imposing aura, similar to that of those cold C.E.O.s women adored so much.
"Their personalities are so different… yet he really resembles them both," Sirius said as he stared at the image, letting his thoughts drift toward two people he could never forget.
While he remained somewhat lost in those memories, an irritating voice interrupted him once more.
"Hey, you," Phineas said again from his portrait.
That earned him a thoroughly annoyed look from Sirius for pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Why did you come back? You should have stayed wherever it is you went," he said irritably.
"This is no time for your nonsense. There is a problem at the Black house. Someone broke in and attacked your elf," Phineas said, frowning.
"What?" Sirius said, jumping to his feet before moving quickly toward the fireplace without asking anything further. "Black House, 12 Grimmauld Place."
He tossed the Floo powder into the flames and vanished in a burst of green fire.
…
Harry walked through the castle corridors with an expression completely devoid of emotion. Every few steps, a group of girls would stop him in the hallway just to greet him.
"Hi, Harry," they said with eager smiles.
They only received an annoyed glance in return before being completely ignored. Far from upsetting or discouraging them, it seemed to excite them even more, running off happily just for having seen his cold expression up close.
"Tsk."
Another irritated click escaped his tongue. He had already lost track of how many times he had done that throughout the day.
His body burst into red mist, which swiftly moved toward one of the windows, leaving the castle entirely and heading straight for a specific one. Moments later, his form reassembled, and he stepped back inside through the window with irritated strides.
The place was an empty room the group had claimed as their meeting spot, arranging it entirely to their liking.
Sofas, tables, and even a fireplace in the corner, making it genuinely comfortable for them.
As soon as he entered, Draco, who was seated and reading a golden book, calmly lifted his head. Daphne, sitting not far away, was absentmindedly fiddling with some of the grenades Harry had made and had left over, a lollipop stick poking out of her mouth. She glanced at him briefly before smiling.
"So, what is it, Mister Gigolo? Did your fans finally riot and try to stab you in the corners of the hallways?" she said with clear amusement at his expression.
In response, she only received Harry's robe, balled up and thrown straight at her face, knocking her to the floor.
Harry dropped onto one of the nearby sofas and let out an audible, annoyed sigh.
Daphne tossed the robe back the same way, but Harry simply tilted his head and dodged it.
"You are not actually upset over that nonsense, right?" Draco asked as he returned his attention to the book, turning the page with complete calm.
"Oh, the newspaper does not bother me at all. I am just giving them what they want from me," Harry replied with a slightly dark smile.
"Ugh… now I understand why Fleur says you are a villain," Daphne said, pretending to shiver.
Harry shot her a sideways glance.
At that moment, the door burst open with a dull thud, and Hermione stormed in with a truly foul expression. Unlike Harry, she looked genuinely angry, not pretending in the slightest.
"So I am a second option they can just settle for? I am a consolation prize?" she said, clearly agitated, having overheard the comments of several students in the hallway before arriving. "That Rita Skeeter should be sued for defamation," she added, her firm steps echoing through the room while her friends watched calmly.
"Then you would rather be the first option," Daphne asked with a mocking smile.
The moment Hermione heard that, she stopped rambling about laws and, without any warning, rushed at her and jumped on top of her.
"Aaah! She finally snapped!" Daphne shouted as Hermione attacked her, the two of them rolling across the sofa before tumbling to the floor, pulling at each other's cheeks and pinching without mercy.
Harry and Draco watched them for a few seconds before completely ignoring them.
"Still, those images are quite difficult to take," Draco commented calmly, addressing Harry, seemingly unfazed by being part of a few false rumors himself.
"I looked into it a bit. Rita Skeeter is known for exactly that. Getting information not many can, and taking pictures that should be impossible, in places that should be impossible," Harry replied evenly. "But by analyzing the photos and making a rough conceptual map of where they could have been taken from, and how," he added.
Hermione immediately got back to her feet, her hair completely ruined, just like Daphne's, but her expression was now filled with interest.
"That is true. We can do that, and get a clearer idea of how she might be doing it; whether she uses hidden cameras or something similar," she said quickly, her face turning completely serious.
She then turned toward Daphne, who was fixing her blond hair with obvious annoyance.
"Come on, you are helping me," Hermione said, grabbing the newspaper from the table to examine the photos.
"I am busy. I have to go extor— train my champion," Daphne replied, but she did not get to say much more before Hermione grabbed her by the arm and dragged her along almost by force.
Harry and Draco watched them leave. Then Draco turned his gaze back to Harry.
"Now that they are gone, what do you want?" he asked, looking at him as if he knew perfectly well that Hermione and Daphne leaving had been part of the plan.
Harry met his gaze and gave him a faint smile.
"I need your help with something special and private," he said.
Draco studied him for a moment before nodding slowly, waiting to hear what he needed.
Harry opened his mouth to explain, but before he could say anything, a sharp crack echoed through the room, and a house-elf appeared right between the two of them.
Harry and Draco looked at him closely, recognizing him immediately.
It was Kreacher, the house-elf of the Black family; in other words, Sirius's elf.
Both of them frowned at the sight of his condition. He was covered in bruises and blows, with several visible wounds.
"Kreacher, what happened to you?" Harry asked, his tone serious.
The elf dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"It does not matter… it does not matter to Kreacher… they took it. They took it. Please help Kreacher, they took it. The one Master Regulus left to Kreacher… they took it," the elf sobbed, completely overwhelmed, before losing consciousness and collapsing.
Harry and Draco reacted instantly, moving fast to catch him before he hit the floor. As they held him in the air, the two exchanged a look, their expressions completely serious.