Time of Reckoning
AN: This is completely unplanned, I just woke up one morn, and here the idea was. I know not where this story leads, but hope that you be patient and allow me to do my best unto this idea. I will need help; yours in particular.
Harry had just descended the last marble step into the Entrance Hall when Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle emerged from a door on the right that Harry knew led down to the Slytherin common room. Harry stopped dead; so did Malfoy and the others. The only sounds were the shouts, laughter and splashes drifting into the Hall from the grounds through the open front doors.
Malfoy glanced around - Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers - then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, "You're dead, Potter."
Harry raised his eyebrows.
"Funny" he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around."
Malfoy looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him; he felt a kind of detached satisfaction at the sight of his pale, pointed face contorted with rage.
"You're going to pay", said Malfoy, in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father . . ."
"Well, I'm terrified now", said Harry sarcastically. "I s'pose Lord Voldemort's just a warm-up act compared to you three - what's the matter?" he added, for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had all looked stricken at the sound of the name. "He's a mate of your dad, isn't he? Not scared of him, are you?"
"You think you're such a big man, Potter", said Malfoy, advancing now, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison -"
"I thought I just had", said Harry.
"The Dementors have left Azkaban", said Malfoy quietly. "Dad and the others'll be out in no time . . ."
"Yeah, I expect they will", said Harry. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now -"
Malfoy's hand flew towards his wand, but Harry was too quick for him; he had drawn his own wand before Malfoy's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes.
"Potter!"
The voice rang across the Entrance Hall. Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office and at the sight of him Harry felt a great rush of hatred beyond anything he felt towards Malfoy . . . whatever Dumbledore said, he would never forgive Snape . . . never . . .
"What are you doing, Potter?" said Snape, as coldly as ever, as he strode over to the four of them.
"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir", said Harry fiercely.
Snape stared at him.
"Put that wand away at once", he said curtly. "Ten points from Gryff -"
Snape looked towards the giant hour-glasses on the walls and gave a sneering smile.
"Ah. I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hour-glass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to -"
"Add some more?"
Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone, steps into the castle; she was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well.
"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forwards. "Out of St Mungo's, I see!"
"Yes, Professor Snape", said Professor McGonagall. shrugging off her travelling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two - Crabbe - Goyle -"
She beckoned them forwards imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward.
"Here," said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's, "take these up to my office for me."
They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase.
"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall. "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"
"What?' snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. 'Oh - well - I suppose . . ."
"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom and Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor s hour-glass as she spoke. "Oh - and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass. "Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr Potter, I think, Professor Snape - so there we are . . ."
A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nevertheless.
"Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this," Professor McGonagall continued briskly.
(Excerpt from Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix – Chapter 38)
Harry just stared at the wand in his hand. When had it become so automatic; the cursing, the jinxing, the hexing? How was it that he no longer had to think twice before flinging out offensive magic?
Gently resheathing his wand, he looked up to see Malfoy staring back at him with unadulterated hatred. Hatred towards him, for putting his father in prison. He imagined that despite appearances, the ferret was probably attached to his father.
In his mind's eye he was assailed with the image of Lucius Malfoy as a doting father. A father that loved his son. A father whom he had thrown into Azkaban.
He felt sick to his stomach. It was easy to demonize the enemy, to create an expression of ultimate evil, but even the Devil is kind to his own. Was he right about his methods? Was he doing the right thing? Sh- No, now was not the time for this..
Parting his lips and wetting them slightly, he murmured, "Treasure him- your father. Tell him what he means to you and keeps him safe, some of us never get the chance."
With that repartee, he walked away slowly, too deep in thought to see Malfoy's stunned expression or the expression of suspicion that followed.
As the train slowed down in the approach to King's Cross, Harry thought he had never wanted to leave it less. He even wondered fleetingly what would happen if he simply refused to get off, but remained stubbornly sitting there until the first of September, when it would take him back to Hogwarts. When it finally puffed to a standstill, however, he lifted down Hedwig's cage and prepared to drag his trunk from the train as usual.
When the ticket inspector signalled to Harry, Ron and Hermione that it was safe to walk through the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten, however, he found a surprise awaiting him on the other side: a group of people standing there to greet him who he had not expected at all.
There was Mad-Eye Moody, looking quite as sinister with his bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye as he would have done without it, his gnarled hands clutching a long staff, his body wrapped in a voluminous travelling cloak. Tonks stood just behind him, her bright bubble-gum-pink hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the dirty glass of the station ceiling, wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple T-shirt bearing the legend The Weird Sisters. Next to Tonks was Lupin, his face pale, his hair greying, a long and threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers. At the front of the group stood Mr and Mrs Weasley, dressed in their Muggle best, and Fred and George, who were both wearing brand-new jackets in some lurid green, scaly material.
'Ron, Ginny!' called Mrs Weasley, hurrying forwards and hugging her children tightly. 'Oh, and Harry dear - how are you?'
'Fine,' lied Harry, as she pulled him into a tight embrace. Over her shoulder he saw Ron goggling at the twins' new clothes.
'What are they supposed to be?' he asked, pointing at the jackets.
'Finest dragonskin, little bro',' said Fred, giving his zip a little tweak. 'Business is booming and we thought we'd treat ourselves.'
'Hello, Harry,' said Lupin, as Mrs Weasley let go of Harry and turned to greet Hermione.
'Hi,' said Harry. 'I didn't expect . . . what are you all doing here?'
'Well,' said Lupin with a slight smile, 'we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home.'
'I dunno if that's a good idea,' said Harry at once.
'Oh, I think it is,' growled Moody, who had limped a little closer. That'll be them, will it, Potter?'
He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering through the back of his head and his bowler hat. Harry leaned an inch or so to the left to see where Mad-Eye was pointing and there, sure enough, were the three Dursleys, who looked positively appalled to see Harry's reception committee.
'Ah, Harry!' said Mr Weasley, turning from Hermione's parents, who he had just greeted enthusiastically, and who were now taking it in turns to hug Hermione. 'Well - shall we do it, then?'
'Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur,' said Moody.
He and Mr Weasley took the lead across the station towards the Dursleys, who were apparently rooted to the floor. Hermione disengaged herself gently from her mother to join the group.
'Good afternoon,' said Mr Weasley pleasantly to Uncle Vernon as he came to a halt right in front of him. 'You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley.'
As Mr Weasley had single-handedly demolished most of the Dursleys' living room two years previously, Harry would have been very surprised if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered two to one. Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed; she kept glancing around, &s though terrified somebody she knew would see her in such company. Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.
'We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry,' said Mr Weasley, still smiling.
'Yeah,' growled Moody. 'About how he's treated when he's at your place.'
Uncle Vernon's moustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Possibly because the bowler hat gave him the entirely mistaken impression that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, he addressed himself to Moody.
'I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house - '
'I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley,' growled Moody.
'Anyway, that's not the point,' interjected Tonks, whose pink hair seemed to offend Aunt Petunia more than all the rest put together, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. 'The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry - '
'- And make no mistake, we'll hear about it,' added Lupin pleasantly.
'Yes,' said Mr Weasley, 'even if you won't let Harry use the felly-tone -
'Telephone,' whispered Hermione.
'- Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to,' said Moody.
Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His sense of outrage seemed to outweigh even his fear of this bunch of oddballs.
'Are you threatening me, sir?' he said, so loudly that passers-by actually turned to stare.
'Yes, I am,' said Mad-Eye, who seemed rather pleased that Uncle Vernon had grasped this fact so quickly.
(Excerpt from Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix – Chapter 38)
"Enough."
One word was all it took to gain everyone's attention.
"We're not getting anywhere with this, and threatening my uncle here would just give him an aneurysm and me a headache. Leave him be, I'll stay in touch with you anyway. Afterall, you'll probably be stationed to watch me again."
Throwing around a sullen look, he was suddenly struck by inspiration.
"Tell Dumbledore to send me Dobby."
Seeing confirmation from Moody, he ushered his relatives towards the car parking lot, giving everyone the required hugs and handshakes that comprised of goodbyes.
It was time to think.
AN: And that's a wrap! Not much action this chapter, afterall, this was just a prelude. The story truly begins in the next chapter. I look forward to your help.