Title: The Curse of Slytherin Trilogy: Part II: Secrets to Keep (07-11)
Author: Shayla
Series: Harry Potter
Started: 19.10.2002
Pairing: SS/HP
Warning: Slash, Rated: R because there might be some rape later; also some angst, as well as gen. change although it will only happen once in PART 1 as far as I have planned and I will mention some sort of mpreg in PART 2 …
And in this fic I do not take in consideration the events of OoP.
Beta: NOT BETAD!! I don't have anyone to help me out with this so forgive my many mistakes, I'm not a native English-speaker and my friends accuse me of being a Coma-Eater --'
Summary: Harry is having weird dreams. Voldemort tells him a few secrets that he probably wouldn't have believed under normal circumstances. After that encounter Harry is not really up to do anything and wants only to be left alone as soon as possible. Sadly, things are never easy for him considering that he has a curse on him that will bring upon the birth of a long dead wizard…
Disclaimer: I wish Harry Potter were mine, but it isn't…sighs I guess there are other people who feel like this, right?
Note to Part II: As in the 1st part the 'dream sequence' in the end is mostly Harry's POV… and some is Salazar's…
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Part - Secrets to Keep Chapter 7----------------------------------------
The House-Elves and the teachers who had not been injured during the earthquake had more or less returned Hogwarts to its usual state. Two days had passed since then, Madam Pomfrey had done her magic and almost everyone was back on their feet helping rebuilt the damages and still somehow managing to attend the few classes that had not been canceled due collapsed classrooms or hallways leading to them. To the dislike and surprise of most the dungeon had been one of the few places that had remained intact and the Ravenclaws had been moved down since their dorms had taken most of the damage.
Draco sat annoyed in the Great Hall at dinner picking with his fork aimlessly around in his plate while he glanced form time to time to the door hoping to see Harry come in. He knew that the Gryffindor had been found but was kept secluded from the others. And he also knew from his father that the boy had escaped the Death Eaters that night before. His father had been outraged and Draco really hoped that Tom wouldn't get all the blame for it. His father was as merciless as the Dark Lords was rumored to be, and most of all, Lucius Malfoy detested failure above all.
To his right Goyle asked him something but Draco ignored it letting his fork fall loud on the plate and getting up leaving the hall alone, aware that various eyes followed him due his odd behavior lately. He sighed; he couldn't help worrying about his cousin, over the last month he had actually come to like Harry. Maybe he should simply try to sneak into Harry's room in the infirmary to see how he was. Damn it, if at least someone would tell him what exactly had happened two night ago, he might be able to stop worrying.
He went up the stairway that leaded to the hospital wing as Harry came walking rather unsteadily down towards him. Draco froze in mid-step starring at him. In less than 15 seconds the Slytherin had jumped the remaining stair separating them up and grabbed Harry by the wrist shocked at the bandages on his arms and injuries on his face. Harry winced from the pain Draco caused on his arm and tried to flinch away only causing his injured ankle to complain painfully against the sudden movement.
"What happened?!" Draco was barely able to contain his calm and loosened his hold on the boy to move his arm around the other's waist to help him walk down. The thought that someone might see them like this didn't even come across his mind.
Harry smiled dryly. "Not here, okay?" he croaked, his voice sounding like it didn't want to obey his command.
Draco's pale eyes locked with Harry's but the blond remained quite and leaded them slowly to a nearby room. Taking a quick glance inside that it was empty and they wouldn't be disturbed, both boys entered. The Slytherin helped his cousin moved over to a seat in which he sank slowly hissing at the pain that was visible on his pale face.
Draco reached carefully to the patched area on Harry's forehead. "You look like someone had thrown you at a bunch of wolves."
"That would come close to it…"
Draco lifted his eyebrow quizzing in a way that reminded him painfully of a certain Potion Master, but Harry remained quite until Draco sighed heavily and knelt down before the other and taking his hand in his caressing the back with his thumb.
"Father told me that you were caught by … You-know-Who…"
Harry turned his face away closing his eyes holding back tears. "Yes…"
Draco took a deep breath, he wanted to rampage in fury at Harry's lack of self-preserve, at his stupidity, at his lack of normal common sense, at his irresponsibility and there were a few other things that he would gladly throw at him, but he could see that the emotional stress was still closed up in the others heart and that he would have to act very subtle to get a clear answer to his questions.
So he asked again a little calmer and raising his hand to wipe the tears from Harry's face "What happened?"
A flash of a similar motion passed trough Harry's thoughts and he flinched away from the touch gaining a questioning expression, but no more. "Harry?"
More tears came out of his eyes as he threw himself into his cousin's arms, aching for someone to understand and to protect him. Under sobs he told Draco about Tom's summon, how scared the other had been for Harry's safety, how Harry had done the spell to see if the other was telling the truth, the trace of the Imperio up to the arrival of the Death Eaters. How Tom disguised himself as Voldemort again and Harry had been trapped and finally his escape. He left out the part with Snape, he wasn't able to talk about it just yet. He had closed the mere thought of the other man off his mind for the time being until he would be able to confront it, which most likely wouldn't be anytime soon.
During all this Draco held him lovingly, like an older brother his younger sibling, motioning his hand in circling and comforting movements over Harry's back. He simply listened, not interrupting, not commenting; just assuring his cousin that he would be there if needed. And Harry was thankful, because unlike the adults, Draco didn't push the matter. He would give Harry the chance to process the events on his own accord and time. He didn't want to force the memories and fears to resurface; the only thing that he could sense from the blond was a strong aura on which he could lean for reassurance. Right now, Harry needed someone closer than friends, he needed a family, and Sirius wasn't there to help him.
Finally as he finished, Draco made him sit back on the chairs and took the boy's hands in his own once more. "Yes, I had heard rumors about the curse of those descendants to Slytherin." Draco gave him a sad smile. "In our 2nd year, I was worried you had opened the chamber and would turn out to be an heir, part of my family." He gave the last part a mocking tone.
Harry managed to smile shyly back. "No wonder you were stresses when it turned out true." He said cleaning with his sleeves the traces of tears of his face feeling better and safer than when he had left the infirmary without permission.
Draco smiled warmly standing up and pulling Harry into a hug. "If you need me, you just have to say it Harry, and I throw this whole cover aside and-"
Harry pushed back from him, holding tightly onto the other's shirt. "Don't! We don't want your father getting more suspicious about us as it is."
"But-"
Harry shook his head and leaned his face against Draco's chest taking in a deep breath. The blond saw the white knuckles as he reached up to loosen the other's hold carefully.
"Not yet, Draco… Give me some time to… get used to all this…Keep it a secret…please…"
Sighing heavily Draco laid a hand on his cousin's head ruffling lightly the black hair. "All right… but at least let me do some researches on the spells you mentioned the old man told you about." Harry looked up to him with watery green eyes that made Draco angry the moment he saw them. The pain in them was something he had never thought to see in the Gryffindor's eyes. It was the reflection of a haunted soul in a place where it no longer could find its way home. "Let me help you…" he said in a whisper not sure if the other could tell that all he really wanted was for Harry to be safe and loved.
Nodding slowly Harry let go of the other and reached into his pocket and pulled out two crumbled pieces of paper. Handing it over he took his glasses off and tried to clean his face from the tears with his sleeve again while Draco looked over the spells.
"Well… I'd have to look this over in the Restricted Section." Draco passed a hand over his face moving some lose bangs behind his ear, he had let it grown during the last year and it was starting to bother him that it fell into his face while reading. "This goes way into Dark Magic! I can't believe your parents did this to you!" He gasped awed. "I'll probably have to ask my mom for books on this… This is… is…"
"Fucked up?" Harry asked cleaning his glasses now with his shirt.
The Slytherin nodded. "And there is something else that bothers me…" Draco narrowed his eyes as he took a closer look at the scribbling at the border of the page. "This is Tom's handwriting… but Tom is usually only interested in screwing my old man's plans…This doesn't make much sense."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked putting his glasses back on and sitting carefully back on his seat trying not to make any unnecessary movements that would cause him pain. "I told you he said that he didn't want me to be forced to marry you and bear your children and also to prevent me from opening the chamber…"
"A bit late for that, but no, that's not what I mean…well, actually it is but…" The blond sighed again. "You see, Tom is really mad if you come to think of the fact that he's been under the Imperio for over 40 years and was dead some time in between. What would he gain by telling you this, if he didn't tell my father that he found out you could no longer marry me?"
"Well, it's not that I can't, I simply won't." Harry answered plainly, his voice was starting to gain a normal tone to it.
It was Draco's time to shake his head. "No, you can't… at least not anymore…I'm sure Riddle wouldn't simply let you go without making sure that you can't!" Draco's face turned away trying to come up with some reasons for Riddle's behavior from what Harry had told him, then the Slytherin's eyes widened. "Oh shit!" His face became suddenly as pale as Harry's. "I think I know why the old geezer did this…" Harry's eyes fixed at him but Draco shook his head biting down on his thumb. "I'm not entirely sure, whether I'm right with my assumptions…" With Harry's current state he couldn't tell the other that Tom might have put another spell on him to screw up Lucius's plans. No, he couldn't say such things out loud… not with out confirming them first…
"Draco!"
The blond sighed. "Look we don't have time to talk about this right now, I'm sure someone must already be out looking for you and I seriously don't want both of us getting into trouble." Running would be the best choice for now, Harry was in no state for the truth that his speculations might behold.
"Just tell me, Draco!" Harry said pushing himself to his feet forgetting for a moment that his ankle was still not fully healed. He fell almost over and his cousin caught him just in time. Harry blushed. "Thanks."
"You sure are a lot of trouble."
Harry stuck playfully his tongue out at him. "Not my fault." Suddenly his vision blurred and Harry found himself in a room filled with students sitting at their desk listening attentively to the teacher at the front. Harry pushed himself from Draco away blinking and rubbing his eyes for a moment. As he looked around again, the room was back to only them and the few dusty seats and desks.
His cousin reached out concerned. "Are you alright?"
Nodding slowly Harry answered: "Yes." What the hell had that been?! Taking a deep breath Harry spoke again: "Maybe you're right." He paused. "I should go before they start wondering where I wandered off to again…" The Gryffindor said absentminded, that vision or illusion or whatever it had been, was starting to freak him out a little.
"Okay…" Draco narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he watched the other leave the room. There was something Harry had not been telling him from the start. At first he had thought that it was probably nothing important but the other's odd behavior just now was proof enough that it was something Draco should go investigate further. Although his biggest concern were the unanswered questions concerning Voldemort, he needed to speak to the Dark Lord himself.
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Harry stopped on his way to the Gryffindor Tower leaning against the wall to lighten the weight on his ankle and ease the pain. At this hour everyone was either at the Great Hall or on his or her dorm. Luckily enough he had not run into anyone yet. He certainly didn't want to explain why he looked so beaten up. He closed his eyes catching his breath, he felt totally drained not only physically but also mentally. His thought wanted to drift to the night at Voldemort's but he was afraid to remember more, he was afraid of having to think of what he had done that night. Don't think, don't think, he repeated in his mind like a mantra.
"Hey!"
Harry opened his eyes surprised. A blond man was grinning down at him. He was much taller than Harry and the stranger radiated pure confidence.
"Hey!" the man said again and extended his hand. "Come, we're going to be late!" his blue eyes were friendly and you could see the smile reflecting the same comforting and cheerful feeling.
Harry flinched away instinctively from the offered hand but as he did so the image of the man vanished with it.
"Merlin, I'm going insane!" he whispered hurrying to get away from there. Fleeing somewhere where he could feel safe.
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"What do you mean he's missing?" Severus asked annoyed. "I thought you said he was in no state to leave the infirmary."
"Well, since he's no longer here, he somehow did manage to get out." Madam Pomfrey said rather stressed. "I have over a dozen students here, Severus. You certainly can't expect me to keep 24/7 an eye on him, do you?"
Severus narrowed his eyes dangerously, but he knew very well that she was right. "Tell Minerva. I'm going to look for Potter." He whirled around growling under his breath at the boy's inability to remain in one place where he was safe. He stalked down to the Great Hall in search for Potter's friends hoping to find the boy and then tell him into his place. It was starting to get annoying having to look for him all over places.
"Severus!!"
He stopped not having noticed anyone following him and looked around but found himself alone in the hallway. He shook his head, but as he was about to continue the voice called him again and this time his eyes fixed on one of the portraits on the wall.
"What is it? I'm busy." He snarled.
The woman in the picture rolled her eyes. "Well, and here I came especially to tell you that there has been a snake following you for quite some while now." She pointed at the small creature at her feet in the picture. "I think it has been trying to get your attention."
He narrowed his eyes confused as the dark slithering creature lifted its head up and hissed at him.
"And what exactly does it want?" he asked looking at the woman in the picture. "I'm not exactly a frequent in Parsel, unlike Potter." Potter? Where had that thought come from?
The woman in the portrait complained about his rudeness, but he ignored her as he leaned closer inspecting the snake still hissing as though trying to tell him something. Maybe Potter had sent the snake and he was in trouble?
"Would you shut up." He growled finally at the woman who glared at him indignantly.
"I was only trying to help." She said annoyed before walking out of the picture insulted.
Severus rolled his eyes before turning to the snake. "Can you understand me? Can you bring me to Potter?"
The snake hissed back and he wasn't really sure whether it really understood him, but it slithered onto the next picture turning a moment to see if he followed before continuing. Thankfully there seemed to be enough paintings along the way which made following it easier until he reached a dark corridor without portraits the in fourth floor, which to be true he couldn't remember ever coming across. Hurrying along the seemingly endless dark corridor he ended in a dead end. He sighed and took out his wand whispering a Lumus spell and passing his hand over the surface of the wall and coming at the corner with the next wall across a minimal sign of Hogwarts. He let his finger wander over the surface while he knelt down to examine it. Pushing it, he heard a series of chains mechanism before the wall slid to the side revealing a bridge somewhere outside the castle. Taking a step outside, the wall moved back into its place.
He leaned slightly over the edge to gain a bit of orientation. He could see a long way down. He wasn't necessarily afraid of heights, but this was even for him somewhat uncomfortable. He looked up and found himself looking at a ceiling. Maybe this was a passageway. Taking a deep breath he continued on until he reached another wall. He leaned over the reeling again and saw that there seemed to be various arcs following like the one he was in at the moment. Almost as though he were in between a bridge's arcs. He turned to the wall again searching for a familiar sign like before, this time seeing it at the ground's corner. Reaching out he pushed it again and the wall opened up as before. Letting him through to the next arc. This went on five more time until he finally reached one of the Towers. The wall slid open this time and he found himself standing at the entrance of a round room with the signs of the Four houses on its walls. At the center was a circular altar. A wand and a bow floated above it protected by shields. Both were covered in Runes. He approached the center as the wall slid close again. Coming closer he was able to read names carved on the altar's stone surface. He leaned closer paying attention as to not to touch the shield. The writing was difficult to read; apparently time had taken its toll on it.
"… ave…law…" He narrowed his eyes. "Ravenclaw?" He looked up to the bow. Its dark wooden surface reminded him indeed of the dark feathers of a raven. He walked around and examined the wand closer without touching it and was not much surprised to read the inscription of Hufflepuff underneath. Somehow he had the feeling that something was missing. Continuing to move around to read the rest of the names on the surface, he came across the empty spaces of Gryffindor and Slytherin before bumping into something on the ground and falling face down over none other than Harry Potter.
Severus was about to snap at him when he noticed that the body remained unmoved and that some of the boy's smaller wounds had reopened and were soaking his bandages with blood. Sighing he got back up to his feet and kneeled down reaching with an arm underneath the dark haired boy's neck and with the other under his legs heaving him up into his arms. The boy immediately curled against his chest hanging on to him but not waking up. It was almost a reflex, which startled him. Looking around for a way back he found a staircase leading down further into the tower. Realizing that the chances to go back the way he had come from were down to 'not likely', he proceeded downstairs.
A sudden hissing sound made him turned around alarmed, but he couldn't find the source for it. Shaking his head he continued quickly but cautiously on. Had he bothered to look once down to the boy in his arms he would have surely have seen the source of the sound. There he would have seen a pair of yellow eyes starring at him curiously from underneath the Gryffindor's sleeve.
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Harry opened his eyes and cursed himself the next moment for his stupidity.
"Harry?"
He tried to open his eyes again, this time slowly and narrowing them a little, seeing a blur of hair in his vision. Where were his glasses?
"Hermione?" he asked, his throat was dry and it hurt to speak.
"Oh, Harry!" she said. Her voice seemed to be filled with pity as she patted his hand. "What happened?" she asked softly.
"Yes, what happened? I was ready to get a fit when I saw Snape walking by with you looking like a dead corpse."
Harry turned his head slowly narrowing his eyes to gaze this time at a reddish blur, which had to be Ron.
"I…" he sighed, he wasn't really sure what had happened. Somewhere on his way to the Gryffindor dorm… his memory seemed to be lacking the information on what happened. "I don't know." He stated slowly, fear starting to rise in him again. Something was wrong with him, very, very wrong. He closed his eyes before opening them and almost screamed out in shock as his vision moved from nothing more than blur to perfection in a matter of seconds. He could see clearly without his glasses.
Oh, god!!
He starred at Hermione and then at Ron and at the blond man looking concerned down at him from the end of the bed. It was the same blond who had been in the corridor earlier. His breathing started to come in short and raged breathing.
"Salazar?" the blond asked concerned.
And then a shrieking scream filled the infirmary.
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Albus Dumbledore watched as Harry sat curled in a sheet in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth whispering to himself. His frightened eyes moving quickly around, alarm and panic was visible in them.
"Albus I cannot approach him without having him panicking more than he already is." Madam Pomfrey said. "And I don't dare use a spell with him in such an unstable state."
The old wizard turned to her. "And Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger didn't tell you what caused this?"
She shook her head. "They say he woke up and just looked at them before he started to scream seemingly without a reason."
"You don't suppose this is an effect of what might have happened to him while he was held by Voldemort?" he asked concerned visibly in his eyes.
She took a deep breath, ignoring that he had used the Dark Lord's name and looked over at the boy on the ground. "To be true, I don't know. " she sighed tiredly. "It might be, Albus, but I can't say for sure." A pause. "I… I also thought that maybe, considering all that has happened to him, we should send him for a few days over to St.Mungus; they are more experienced with traumas than me … "
"GO AWAY!!" Harry screamed as he waved with his arms drastically around himself as though trying to fight something off him. Tears rolled down his eyes as he backed further into the corner. "Please go away!" he pleaded sounding desperately. Putting his arms around his legs he cried there.
"Albus!" Minerva came in looking a little out of breath followed shortly by Severus. "Mr. Weasley told me you wanted us here immediately. What happened? He looked rather pale and panicked."
"This happened." He moved aside motioning with his hand towards the boy at the corner. "I thought that one of you might be able to get closer to him since he doesn't seem to want either Poppy or me approaching any closer than this." His eyes shone in the same tiredness that lurked in the medi-witch's, just that his seemed more intense and confused than hers. "I mean you're his Head of House Minerva and you Severus are a little more experienced than us in handling such cases as this one."
Minerva looked pitiful at Harry. She took a quick glance at Albus who nodded her to try her chances, so she approached slowly. "Harry, it's me, Professor McGonagall." She closed the distance between them slowly in order not to frighten him further than he already was. "Harry?"
The boy lifted his gaze slowly, his green eyes obviously scared. "Professor?" he asked weakly.
"Yes, Harry, it's me." She said as she knelt down in front of him. "I want to help you." She smiled warmly at him before reaching out with her hand to comfort him.
Suddenly he pushed her away jumping up and scramming over to hide underneath one of the beds.
"Don't touch me!!" His raged breathing came faster now than before and Madam Pomfrey was starting to fear he might over ventilate. Considering the state he was in right now, it wouldn't really be a good thing.
"We have to do something." The medi-witch declared. "He's starting to get worse and if he keeps moving about like this he will only end up reopening more of his wounds."
Minerva stood up. "Severus…" she looked meaningful at him.
The man growled annoyed. "Alright." He said lifting his arms in defense. "Not that he will have more trust in me than in his own Head of House." He said out loud moving carefully over to the bed. It was rather rare that he had to deal with such a large case of intense disorientation and panic as Potter was presenting. He had dealt with a few in the past considering the families some of his Slytherin came form, but never so farfetched as the current display Potter was giving them. Unless of course, this had to do with… He shook slightly his head to get the memory of the Gryffindor laying naked and willingly under him. He sat down across from Harry not pretending to come any closer; he just looked calmly at the boy.
Those green eyes starred at him. Fear was beaming in them so strongly that Severus was starting to feel uncomfortable under that gaze. So he stretched his hand forward, just waiting, not speaking knowing too well that sometimes words did more harm than good.
He heard the murmur of the other three behind him mix with a soft hissing sound coming from Potter's direction. It sounded almost like there was a snake with him there. Yet he didn't dare to move as not to scare the boy even more.
"Slytherin…" Harry said slowly.
Severus was startle a bit by this but did not let it show on his face. "Yes, I'm a Slytherin." He stated slowly.
And then suddenly the boy launched himself into his arms grabbing onto his robs. "Keep him away! Keep him away!!" Harry cried hiding his face against the Potion Master's chest, holding almost desperately onto him. "He won't go away!! Gryffindor he says!! Get away! Get AWAY!!!" The boy sobbed in his arms and Severus suddenly felt something lull him to put his arms around Harry and comfort him.
"It's alright, there's no one here to harm you." He said more softly than he remembered ever talking to anyone. "You're safe."
His last word seemed to have the wished effect because he felt Harry's muscle relax under his touch and sink further into the Slytherin's arms falling into a sudden state of sleep.
"Well you handled that pretty well." Madam Pomfrey's voice made Severus realize that he was till on the ground embracing none other than Harry Potter. Gathering his mind back into normality and fighting of the magic that seemed to call him back to the boy, he stood up pulling the boy with him and laid him down on the bed in front of him.
"Well, that's what you called me for. To do the job." He stated as he loosened Harry's grip off him.
"Gryffindor…" the boy spoke in his sleep and curled up as Severus let go of him. "Away… away…"
"Maybe instead of sending Mr. Potter to St.Mungus, we could let Severus treat him for a while." Pomfrey said as she approached to check the sleeping boy's pulse, knowing that what she had said to Albus earlier had not pleased the old man at all. He didn't want Harry to leave his care and the safety of Hogwarts while he still had a word to say about that.
"What?!" Severus exclaimed irritated by her and the magic that kept calling him back to Potter. "I have enough work already, and it would seem rather suspicious if I started to take care of a Gryffindor. It's wouldn't go unnoticed by anyone!"
"Poppy is right, Severus, maybe just for a while you could take care of him and-"
The Slytherin turned to the headmaster narrowing his eyes. "NO!" he said. "I did what you asked already, don't make me do this!" he snarled before making quickly his way out of the infirmary before he would loose control of himself.
"I'm starting to think we're lacking some serious communication." Minerva sighed heavily.
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Harry awoke to the shifting of his bed and a hand moving some of his hair behind his ear. Alarmed he sat up crawling away from the touch.
"Harry, it's me!"
Harry narrowed his eyes seeing once again only a blur. "Draco?"
"Hell, yes!" the Slytherin said a little stressed. "What is going on with you? First I see Snape carrying you half dead and than you freak out like… like this." He pointed at the new bandages at Harry's arm.
The Gryffindor closed his eyes and he felt Draco move closer. He tensed at it, and it must have been visibly because as he opened his eyes he could see Draco's expression change into a hurt one, even if it was somewhat unclear to make out in the dark.
"I'm sorry…" tears were staring to form in his eyes. "I don't know what's going on with me." The loss of control was gnawing on him tremendously. "I feel like I'm freaking out." He finally declared starring down at his trembling hands. "I'm seeing people and things that shouldn't be there and … and…" tears rolled out of the corner of his eyes and this time he did not bother to stop the other from giving him a comforting embrace.
"It's alright, Harry. I'm here to help you. Shh…"
Two weeks had passed since then and Harry was far away from scared now, he was frustrated and depressed but most of all annoyed by the fact that his hallucinations didn't stop from hammering onto him. Although the blond man that had scared the wits out of him back in the infirmary didn't reappear. He didn't know whether that was good or not.
"Mr. Potter!"
Harry looked startled at Professor Sprout.
"Well, Mr. Potter, since you seem to be busy with your thoughts somewhere else and can't answer the question about the uses of the Soil of Persaveous, I will take 5 points from Gryffindor for inattentiveness and 5 more for your seemingly increasing disinterests in participating in this class." The Professor said looking displeased at him.
"Persaveous is simply a plant for the use of Shrinking Potions as long as its used as powder otherwise it is useless for Potions. Unless, of course, you bread it in dark places which will cause for it to grow poisonous Also it has the tendency to lure its prey like a flower before trapping it in it's glue like liquid, which it also only produces under extreme darkness and humidity. Once trapped, the liquid dissolves the prey by causing a chemical reaction on the skin, which peals painfully off. That alone does not always kill the enemy, which is why during the Dark Ages it was used as torture device by Dark Wizards." Harry replied frustrated.
Professor Sprout starred at him for a moment. "Well, I seem I was a little quick in my assumptions. I will return Gryffindor it's 10 points and give you another 10 for your correct answer."
Harry smiled weakly, before leaning back into his seat. The answer had come to him although he had no idea what he had been talking about. It was as though the information was simply inside his head to access like some lexicon. He seriously hoped this had nothing to do with what Tom Riddle had warned him about.
"I am starting to think that she's taking the gardening too seriously, does thou not think the same?"
Harry looked startled at the tall woman next to him.
"Are thou all right? Thou seem pale…" she reached out to touch his forehead.
Harry jumped alarmed up from his seat stepping away.
"Mr. Potter, is something wrong?"
He turned confused to Professor Sprout and then back to the empty space next to him.
"I… I think I… I need to go to the infirmary… I suddenly don't feel very well." He said before gathering his things together and running out of the classroom like he was being pursued again by Death Eaters.
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Draco found Harry an hour later sitting by the lake. His gaze once again fearful and depressed, as he seemed to be in the last days…
"Did you see a ghost again?" he asked not sitting down next to his cousin in case someone came by and saw them.
"You know, I've heard a song once in the radio that started 'You only see what your eyes want to see'…" Harry looked up. "I really wish that were the case with me. This whole matter is starting to make me think I'm nuts…"
"I talked with Riddle, he said that those might be signs to… the curse…" Draco looked with his pale eyes down at the other. "You know what that means."
A simple nod was the answer.
"Your magical power will start decreasing soon, if that's the case." Draco's voice sounded empty of emotions, he had seriously no idea how to handle the current situation with his cousin.
Harry looked down at his hands, closing them slowly into fist. "I'm going crazy." He started slowly. "I can't concentrate on anything and whenever I have a moment of free time I can only think of this curse." He hugged himself shivering but not from the cold. "I'm scared Draco…" he whispered loud enough for the other to hear. "So very scared…" a suppressed sob escaped him. "I don't know what to do anymore. Sometimes I think that maybe it might be better if I ran up to your father and ask him to rid me and him of myself."
Draco dropped to his knees grabbing Harry by his shoulders and shaking him to look at him. "Don't you dare ever say such a thing again, let alone think it!!"
Harry's lips formed weakly to a little smile. "It was just a thought, not something I would seriously do, especially when my godfather is coming tomorrow."
Draco let out a relief breath. "Damn it, Potter, don't do thing like that to my poor heart!" letting go of him, but not bothering to stand up he continued to speak. "But listen, Harry, if you need to occupy your mind with something maybe you'd like to take with me the NEWTs."
Harry raised an eyebrow up. "You know that those aren't due until next year."
Draco shrugged. "Father talked to the Minister of Education and they agreed to let me take the exams during the course of this year." His expression darkened. "Apparently my father has something planned for the start of next year and doesn't want me to continue assisting to Hogwarts. I could ask for you to get the same permission."
Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "You're going to ask your father to ask the Minister of Education to let me graduate a year earlier?"
"No." he sighed frustrated, sometimes Harry was just too damned Gryffindor. "I'm going to blackmail him." The Slytherin grinned. "After all what kind of image would he get if he didn't allow the Boy-Who-Lived the same privileges a Malfoy can get." He chuckled amused and lighten the mood between them again. "Imagine the title it would have on the Daily Prophet: Our Savior, Voldemort's arc enemy, Boy-Who–Lived is not allowed to graduate, but Death Eater son is." Draco laughed. "Don't you think that would make a beautiful headline."
Harry laughed with him, letting his mind forget why he had been so confused in the first place. "Okay, do your Slytherin thing so I might get rid of having too much free time to wallow in self-pity and I can get finally some descend sleep."
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The strings pull at my arms and legs as I try to move, but my only success is to make them move tighter around me. I cannot hide away, I'm scared off the things my mind knows and has seen, because deep inside I am aware that those are not my thoughts… not my memories.
And the more I struggle to find release of this nightmare, the more the figure in front of me becomes visible to my eyes. I can see him trying to find release of his own chains, which hold him trapped, while at the same time he holds the strings that are attached to me.
My puppeteer…
His green eyes flare with defiance and I can only try to scream for help. But to no success...
He grins amused watching my efforts.
He opens his mouth and all I hear are hissing sound escaping his lips and waving forward to embrace me. They touch me almost intimately and I realize in frustration that every soft hiss I hear pulls gently at my magic. And it answers him, rising from my skin pulsing forward to meet him…
I have no control…
Not anymore…
Not… much at least…
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TBC in Chapter 08
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