"Look, I don't now how you managed to convince the old fool, but clearly it's not working," Severus said, taking the Sorting Hat from his head and placing it on the table, "what did you expect to happen?"
Harry shook his head, unsure. "I just feel like I'm missing something."
"It clearly works to sort new students, maybe it needs a new student to speak?" Lily added.
"You're sure there's no code word?" Remus asked.
"I doubt it. The Founders wouldn't leave something so important to a code word. It's not hidden or forgotten, like this room," he gestured, "what else do we know about it?"
"Well it reads minds." Remus answered.
Severus gave him a look of condescension.
"It reads minds… Of course!" Harry said.
"Brilliant, I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Severus, I mean… I think I might know what we need. Maybe," he said looking at Lily, "maybe it needs something that's already in the castle." He stood up.
After a moment, something clicked with Lily. "It makes sense."
"Come on, we're going to the 7th floor." he said excitedly.
Together they ascended the stairs once more, to stand in front of the familiar wall, and the door with the golden handle appeared. Remus all too eager stepped ahead to enter.
"Remus, hol-"
But he was already crumpled in a heap on the floor, clutching his head. "Rrrgh, what is this!?"
Lily intercepted the crystal and Remus could breathe again, Harry helped him up. "Well, I don't know. But I've been calling it the Legilimency Crystal, it does the same thing as someone entering your mind. I used it to train my occlumency, Lily too."
Remus and Severus took a second to look at Lily, who was standing there seemingly unfazed.
"It focuses on only one person." she said.
"You can do that?" Remus said coming to his senses.
"Takes training. Harry, want to try it then?"
He nodded, slowly approaching the artifact. Its lights were darting all over, searching, dimming, changing hue to red, blue, and back to yellow. They all watched in silence as Harry lowered the hat over the crystal. He startled back when it came to life.
"Ooooh! Blimey! Well, good to see you too, old friend!"
It took Harry a second to realize the hat wasn't talking to any of them, they all watched in wonder as the hat conversed with... whoever, its leather features exaggeratedly folding about.
The hat continued. "Really? Really!? Ohoho, you don't say. He did? Wh- Oh did they now? Yes, yes, I know, but still. Remember Iacus? Well, I guess not."
The hat then realized his audience and turned to look, its eyes seemingly going between the four of them with a knowing frown and grin. The hat cleared its throat, if it had one, and spoke in a voice like honey and thyme. "Sorry, bit of catching up. I suppose I wasn't awoken from my slumber for no reason."
Harry went to speak but the hat interrupted.
"Hmm, yes. Remus, glad with your sorting? Well not everything works out perfectly. Lily! Haha, I can see you've found a calling. Still, brilliant results on your O.W.L.'s by the way, very proud of you. And Severus, did you find your place? I know it wasn't easy but… well, tough choices."
Lily laughed. "Thank you Mr. Hat. I think our sorting turned out fine, eventually."
"Good. Good." the hat said, satisfied.
"Um. Actually we wanted to talk to you about something." Harry interjected.
"Do tell, not that I'd need to hear to know, but words add such a nice formality to things, don't you think?"
He nodded, not sure he was following. "Well to start off, we found the fifth dorms."
"The first dorms you mean, but continue."
"Right. We need help, well I do. There's a dark wizard, and I want to stop him. But we don't know how to-"
"Oh, of course I remember that little twerp." the Hat said with disdain. "Thought he was sooo smart and so special."
There was a mocking emphasis on the word 'special', and Harry didn't imagine he'd ever hear anyone be so dismissive of Voldemort. He would laugh, if not for the fact that the villain was a danger to him and everyone he knew.
"And what, you want me to solve all your problems? Weave my Hatty magic and carve a path of destruction straight to this ne'er-do-well's burrow?"
Harry was stunned. "Could you?"
The hat sighed. "I can see you're bordering on desperate, young man. But look around! This is Hogwarts! It's a place to learn and grow, not a beggar's refuge. If this Tom that plagues you so is really so powerful to have you beat, then maybe he should be ruling the world of magic. Do YOU think he should?"
"No! I can't let him."
"Well. Then grow." the Hat said matter-of-factly.
Lily stepped in. "We do really want to, but how are we supposed to stand against a wizard who rivals even the Headmaster?"
"Always looking up, and you think that's your limit? Sad state of affairs that this establishment should sink that low." it said somberly.
The Hat looked over them and twisted into a devious smile. "But perhaps not all is lost. I can see a strength in you four, one I haven't witnessed often. Very well, my little dragon eggs, I'll tell you your next step, the proverbial griffin to carry you to greater heights."
They all waited with bated breaths as the Hat was about to speak his revelation.
For knowledge great and power above,
For answers you must seek
When what you have is not enough,
Heed well the words I speak
A mystery where it began,
The place where it all started
Go prove to me you're worth a damn,
As we will soon be parted
The hat's dark apertures pierced right through the four of them, and Harry could feel a chill run along his spine. The whole room had dropped a few degrees in temperature. He had stood before Voldemort and felt fear, true fear. But this was different, like standing at the foot of a mountain, reeling at the sight of its clouded peaks.
After what felt like an eternity, the Hat's features changed to a casual look. "Well, move along now. Don't waste your time, I'll be staying here. Selwin and I have a lot to talk about, don't we?" it said looking below to its rim.
Unsure to bring up the issue of having him returned to Dumbledore, Harry made his way out and the rest followed. They didn't speak the whole way to their secret retreat, afraid the walls might be listening.
-sSsSsSsSs-
"Can someone explain what just happened?" Severus said.
"We're the luckiest wizards in centuries is what I think happened." Harry said looking pensively.
"But we don't know anything. 'Where it all started', what does that even mean?"
"We'll find out," Remus said, "that hat – if it even is a hat – it believed we would find the answer, so we will."
"How do we even know we can trust it?"
"Look around," Lily said, "look where we are. Does this magical place really feel like the kind to trick us? I think the Founders were waiting, for someone to find all of this. If that's us..."
Remus laughed. "I still have trouble believing it. Imagine the centuries of patience, to have faith, in us?"
"Don't sell yourself short, Remus. It's like the Hat said, if we can grow stronger, how can we fail?" Lily said.
"Wonderful optimism Lily, but still, 'where it all began'?" Severus asked again.
They all sat in silence wanting for an answer.
-sSsSsSsSs-
They had talked about the meaning of the phrase, at length. Where it all started, but where what started? They theorized Riddle's start, the start of Zonko's Jokes and Jest Empire, the start of magic itself. They didn't know, and in the end the only thing they could agree upon was that it had to be connected to Hogwarts. The castle felt different now, more like beast with claws and fangs and dark secrets in its bowels. Every torch cast new shadows, every stone looked more weighty and the teachers who roamed its halls more like prey than wardens.
Lily had shared a similar impression. He was glad he wasn't alone with his realization. Something else had changed, he looked differently at their arch enemy, not an insurmountable incarnation of evil, but a wizard, a very powerful one. He had seen this confidence reflected in his comrades, they all felt more imposing, more self-assured, and he hadn't heard a complaint about the foolishness of their endeavor from Severus since.
Something else came up, a very happy something. Lily had suggested they resume their passion on the night of the 30th, since they would probably spend New Year's Eve all of them together. He couldn't wait.
They included Melissa whenever they could, since no amount of bickering was moving them forward. Sometimes she would opt to stay in the library, sometimes Remus would join her. Most of the time they spent doing what magical students would do, lounging about, talking in the fresh air of the courtyards, walking around the grounds, playing around with spells, flying.
This time he had his first flight just the two of them. Lily never looked more beautiful as she did in the sky with him, they even shared their first airborne kiss.
The night of, he was delighted to see her wear her hair in a braid, a new picture of her to enjoy. As they kissed and explored each other's bodies he was reminded of McGonagall's dance lessons. Things went so much more smoothly with the right partner. They didn't speak a word as they moved upstairs, working off touches and glances.
In the mist of their new relaxed rhythm her clothes slid off like oily layers of paint. Undoing the clasp of her bra as she taught him, he saw her eyes grow darker. Their movements like water, they found new depths, occasional bubbles of pleasure and joy rising to the surface. He felt lightheaded and yet more present than before. Green in green they tested, ever more new and pleasurable sensations. They pushed the pace, eager to test their new limits.
White clouded their vision as they sensed their partner's climax, in the afterglow of their coupling they begged for spent touches of lips and limbs, never feeling so close. They lay next to each other, breath in tandem, preparing to savor the night.
-sSsSsSsSs-
For New Year's eve they went by the lake. Everyone was glad to be there, even Melissa was laughing, something he hadn't seen her do very often. They shared Nathan's bottle of firewhisky and Lily and Remus put on a dazzling display of fireworks. Calm seemed to settle on their winter break.
It was as they were coming back from the Great Hall at noon only two days later that Harry saw Severus grab Remus' wrist. He was sweating. By the look on his face Severus must've realized something.
With fire in his eyes he eyed them. "Room, now!"
Insecure they followed him. Harry shared a look of concern with Lily, they must be thinking the same thing. But how did Severus notice? Nobody sat as they arrived, Severus was pacing in anxiety or anger. He came to rest inches from Remus.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"What are you talking about?" Remus answered.
Again Severus grabbed his wrist, Remus straining against him. "Striation of the nails, coincidentally days away from a full moon, sweating, not to mention the scars. You're a werewolf!"
Remus pulled away his hand, a look of hurt and anger. "You can't tell that just from looking."
"Really? Did you know Melissa's father is working with Belby on the very subject? I'm surprised she didn't notice it first."
"I know all right!" Remus answered in despair.
"And what you didn't trust us," Severus said, looking over to Harry and Lily, "you… you knew."
Both of them averted their gaze.
"You should've told me." he said turning back to Remus.
"You think I'm proud of this? Think I'm glad shouting it on the rooftops?"
"It's dangerous."
"I know that! Every bloody moon three days in that stinking shack!"
Severus blinked and made for the exit.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked in panic.
"I'm going to talk to Melissa, with a bit of luck we'll be able to brew her father's prototype before then."
"Don't!" Remus shouted.
Remus sat down holding his head in his hands, trying to hide tears. "Please don't tell her, anyone but her."
Severus froze, his expression turning to confusion. Slinking in his black cloak he slowly made to sit down beside him. For a moment his eyes darted left and right, as if trying to solve the Sphinx' riddle. Finally a look of compassion settled on his face.
"Fine. But if we can do this… we should."
Remus quietly nodded.
"We should find her later. You still have a few days left before then. She's not in the same year so we won't have as much time to hang out when school starts again." Snape said, surprising everyone.
"Y'right." Remus said, eyes puffy and nose runny he half-smiled.
Remus took Severus' advice to heart, spending as much time as he could with Melissa. It was often just the three of them, which they spent a good chunk of in the library trying to make sense of the Hat's puzzle. They promised to meet on the 7th early in the Unity Room, one last time before the students would come back from break.
Harry wondered what would become of their group once school resumed. He couldn't imagine their newly forged friendship being so easily forgotten.
-sSsSsSsSs-
Remus was last to join them, he was beaming, probably glad the past three nights were over.
"How are you?" Severus asked.
"Fit as a fiddle." Remus answered, thumping his chest.
Lily sighed, lazily leaning against Harry. "It's been a week and we're not one step closer to the answer."
Snape snorted. "Starting to wonder if that old hat didn't take us for fools."
Remus sat down and poured himself some tea. "Don't be so gloomy. Though I'm going to miss seeing that painting so often."
"What that boring old cottage? I'm sick of it, already spent hours staring at it figuring out how to get in."
"I don't know, it's… humble." Remus said sipping.
"Humble..." Harry echoed.
"Like in, humble beginnings?" Lily asked.
They all stared at her. "What?"
"Lily you might've just found our answer." Severus said.
"But… it's just a painting right?"
"Of what? It's the only painting in the stairwell that's not a portrait. And it leads here." Harry said.
Lily stood up, leaving a patch of Harry's chest cold and lonely.
"I'm going to try something." she said.
They all followed her to the now less daunting invisible steps. As they left, the painting re-materialized, filling the hole.
"Revelio!"
"You think I haven't tried that?" Snape said.
"Oh shut up, I was curious."
With a sigh of disappointment they stood there.
"Are we going back inside?" Remus asked.
"A second, I wonder if..." She pointed her wand again. "Avenseguim!"
"Uh oh." Remus said as the painting started to vibrate.
For a second Harry thought the painting might hit someone sending them tumbling to the void, but it calmed. As it rested, a parchment unfurled to cover the canvas.
"It's… a map." Remus said.
"The highlands." Lily remarked.
In ink they could see the outline of a castle, Hogwarts, and a dotted line extending from it, to the north-east.
"There. It's near that stream, and that's the hills in the picture." Snape pointed out.
"Doesn't look too far." Harry said.
Remus laughed. "When do we leave?"
"Students will be here in an hour," Harry said, "guess we'll have to wait a while longer."