Chapter 12: Secrets

Harry clamped Zazu's beak shut. "Ex-nay on the ince-pray." Harry hissed. "Understand?" He asked. Zazu nodded fast.

"Harry! What has Zazu done to you?" Sarabi said in an affronted tone.

Harry then turned to the class. "Uh, old family friend." He laughed and scratched. "Kind of a babysitter/nanny thing." Zazu glared at his young charge and poked his head with his beak. "Ow." Harry said. "Ok ok, more like a messenger." Zazu looked indignant as Harry told them his "true" occupation.

"Well he does tell you goings on in the Pridelands so he kinda is a messenger with a fancy title." Harry defended himself from his father's cheeky smile.

"I am a Major Domo thank you very much. Zazu said with a puffed out chest.

"Messenger in a suit." Harry muttered to Ron who smirked. Zazu floated above his head and pecked him again. ("Ow!")

Harry frowned as his parents chuckled at the duo's antics. Zazu's favorite method of getting Mufasa to pay attention to his lessons when he was young was to peck him on the head.

"Ok ok!" Harry said, rubbing the pecked area. "Later." He said to Zazu. "I'll talk to you later, my quarters are on the third floor, behind a painting of Pride Rock." He said to the hornbill. "The password is Sarabi." He whispered to Zazu who nodded in understanding before taking off to the large human dwelling.

"I'm your password." Sarabi muttered. He must still be hurting.

"So who was that Harry?" Ron asked as Hagrid went on about baby unicorns.

"Old friend of the family." Harry said in a tone that clearly said "drop it."

"Well that's true. His family has been Major Domo since before my grandfather's time." Mufasa mused. "His mother was the last Major Domo before she retired."

That night...

After bringing Zazu some fruit from the Kitchens, Harry sat down in one of the armchairs in his "common room" like area that had his bedroom off in a separate room. "So, what do you want to know?" Harry asked the Major Domo as he ate a rather big strawberry.

"What's a strawberry?" Harry asked. And suddenly a bowl full of plump, juicy red fruit appeared in his lap. He tried one and smiled.

Timon and Pumbaa where hunting for grubs in the grounds right now and would be back later.

"Where have you been all these years? Your duty as the-"

"I'm not the King Zazu." Harry cut the bird off.

"Yes you are." Mufasa assured his son. "You are my son. And the one true King." He moved closer to his human son's ear. "Don't ever doubt that again."

"Yes Daddy." Harry said looking down in shame.

"But Young Master you don't unders-"

"I'm not the King. Uncle Scar is." Harry cut Zazu off again and the bird huffed. What happened to that innocent child who was excited about being King?

"He died with Daddy." Harry whispered but his parents heard and frowned.

"Harry you don't-"

"Save your breath Zazu, I'm not going back." Harry said as he glared at Zazu who gulped. "Listen to me Zazu, these people don't know anything about my dad alright? And you. Will. Not. Tell. Anyone." He broke a quill in several pieces as he said this making Zazu flinch. "Understand?" He asked as he muttered a quick "Reparo." And the pieces of the quill fell back into place.

"Now your sounding like a Slytherin." Snape mused. Slytherins used any means to achieve their ends after all.

Zazu gulped and nodded as the portrait door opened and Remus and Sirius came in.

"I was actually just about to go to bed Sirius, Remus." Harry told his godfather and teacher. "Goodnight." He left the "Common Room" and left his bag next to the armchair as Zazu sighed.

"Nothing like adolescent agonizing is there?" He asked the two humans.

"No. No there isn't." Minerva and many of the teachers sighed. They had to deal with daily drama.

"Remember us at that age Remy?" Sirius asked as he looked at the closed door of Harry's bedroom

"Yes, didn't you use to snog anyone who showed interest in you? I remember you fooled around with a 3rd year ravenclaw boy for a while."

"!" Minerva said in a shocked tone.

"I was fourteen! It wasn't that much of a age difference!" Sirius defended himself. "And we still fool around now and then!"

"I DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!"

"Sometimes with me in the mix." Remus volunteered.

"I didn't need to know that either!"

"And sometimes I'm Padfoot when we're alone. He sure loves doggystyle with Paddy."

"OR THAT!"

Zazu raised an eyebrow at the two who reminded him of his cousins who always ruined special family occasions. "Well, I suppose I'll go off to the Owlery, there was a lovely female snowy owl I saw earlier who caught my eye."

Hedwig glared at the book Zazu. How dare that bastard cheat on her with that eagle owl! The riff raff of the owl world they where!

He rubbed the underside of his beak with his wing. He bid the now arguing pair goodnight and flew out the portrait door.

Harry's Voice is heard over several images: Living Beings are complicated creatures. On the one hand able to perform great acts of charity (We see Mr. Weasley gratefully accepting the grand prize drawing at the Ministry)

Ron grinned. That year he got his own wand.

But on the other, capable of committing the most underhanded acts of betrayal (We see Scar lying on Pride Rock overlooking the Pride Lands and gazing to the far off gorge where Mufasa died with an evil grin)

Mufasa and Sarabi growled at the bastard who dared call himself Mufasa's brother.

Its a constant battle that rages withing all of us, between the better angels of our nature, and the demons of our innermost thoughts. (Harry tosses and turns in his sleep, eventually looking up at the night sky of his ceiling (Charmed the same way as the Great Hall) and seeing Leo shining dully) Harry wondered if his father was really watching over him right then in the future. And sometimes, the only way to ward off the darkness, is to shine the light of compassion (We see Nala leaving the Pride Lands in search of Harry).

"That was very moving." Luna said in her dreamy tone. "But the nargles are probably bothering Harry so much that his sleep is disrupted."

"Nala's coming?" Harry perked up.

"She did indeed Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said as he levitated the book to himself again. "Chapter 12: The 4 Champions."

Mufasa and Sarabi frowned. They hoped that that didn't mean what they thought it did.

To Be Continued...

Review Review Review!

Dean the Cuddly Fox