As usual, the characters and places are J.K Rowling's.

Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter - I hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter 4

Harry woke on the first day of the last week of October, knowing that this week wouldn't go well and before he even got to breakfast, this was confirmed. The whispers were back and several times Harry felt spells narrowly miss him. All he could hear as he walked in the corridors between classes was whispers about the upcoming Halloween.

'I wonder what they will do about Halloween and the litany this year.'

'Mmm, there is an event on in Diagon Alley, my Mum owled me to say she was going and taking Ginny'

'I wonder why that traitor didn't die.'

'Have you seen the parade and fireworks they have a Diagon alley, my parents took us two years ago. He was there, of course, dressed in white with that symbol standing out. The fireworks were amazing'

The whispers followed him around. He could hear at breakfast that morning the older muggleborn students telling the first years the tales of the Halloweens that had gone before, the feast and the reading of the litany that was held at every major British wizarding centre since the death of his parents. Hermione predictably was full of questions but the older student, a Leanne Holms shushed her looking around nervously.

'We don't question the Dark Lord, remember, Hermione? And any way the main event may be different this year seeing as He is at Hogwarts.'

Harry wondered whether that meant him or whether the Dark Lord was really at Hogwarts. He was puzzled that in all these years apart from that one fateful Halloween night he had not seen the Dark Lord. He didn't know how often the Dark Lord usually came to Hogwarts or whether he often attended the Halloween events here but the implication in her words made him shiver. No matter what happened he was still likely to be part of the ceremony. He remembered previous Halloweens, the forced march down the street surrounded by hostile excited crowds jeering at him. The first parade when he was five, he remembered had at first been exciting, a change in routine, a chance to see different people and places. He remembered trying to run to look in shops and being held back by one of his guards. Then he had felt the atmosphere and had gradually sobered up, scared at the menacing feeling despite the jubilation that much of the crowd was showing. The feast afterwards he ate at a low table in front of the main dignitaries and as he ate he could feel every eye on him. Needless to say he usually wasn't very hungry. As the years had gone by the same routine had occurred, he had learned to dread Halloween although the only good thing was that usually the week before any punishments were either postponed or lessened. He had apparently to look in reasonable health for the public.

He made his way to Potions groaning mentally, no matter what happened in defence with Professor Thornfield, he still found Potions the hardest subject to attend. He came out of this class every time tired and covered in cuts and recently Professor Begg had been threatening to test the potions on him as well. He didn't want to think what some of the concoctions may do to him if this was carried out. He had been getting better recently avoiding many of the shoves and jostles but his hands still bore healing cuts.

Entering into the classroom, he groaned even further mentally, instead of Professor Begg sitting at his desk, the Professor sweeping in from the office door was Snape. He knew this had been the subject that Snape had taught for a while but he would rather face Begg than Snape who had so much more power over him, he thought rubbing the silver band around his wrist and going to stand in his assigned corner.

Professor Snape smiled internally as he felt the wave of horror that swept through Harry on his entrance to the classroom via the silver bracelet. The bracelet had been a good idea clearly by the Dark Lord and he had taken pleasure in seeing how Harry's emotions fluctuated depending on where he was. It had surprised him initially how much Harry hated him and after the last meeting, he had felt Harry's anger at the loss of his flying lessons. Coming back to his thoughts, he took the register pausing at Harry's name at the end, time to put step one into play.

'Ahh yes, Harry. Let us see how much you have learnt, shall we. Let's see if we can justify your place in this school. Come to the front' he said, although as Harry took his time weaving between the benches, he snapped sharply, 'now'.

Harry hurried up and took his place at the front of the classroom, shaking slightly. He wasn't used to this much attention in a class and he could feel the eyes of the class behind boring into his back.

'Tell me, what you would brew with a concoction of powdered scarabs, ginger roots and armadillo bile?'

Harry stood silently racking his brains for a potion that would contain these ingredients but he knew it was no use; they hadn't even covered scarab beetles or armadillo bile in lectures yet.

'So you don't know? Let's try a slightly easier one, then? What would the effects of polyjuice potion be?

Again Harry stood silently, feeling gradually angrier as Snape set out to deliberately humiliate him, watching as Snape stalked across the dais above him.

'Don't know? Seems you can't justify your place here, does it? Let's try an easier one then? How would you brew a forgetfulness potion?'

Harry forced himself to answer this time. 'I don't know, sir.' He could feel the class behind stirring as someone knew the answer to this one at least and added bravely 'but I think someone may do behind me, though sir, perhaps you could ask them?'

The moment the words came out of his mouth he knew that they had been a mistake. Snape whirled round and slapped him hard pushing him back where he stood. There were gasps behind him at the physical punishment but Harry knew that wouldn't be all, it never was. He dropped his eyes as Snape stared furiously at him, worrying now about what his punishment would be.

Above him he heard Snape say, 'Cheek is never rewarded, you will stand in the corner with your back to us for the rest of the lesson.' As he turned to go back to his usual corner, his shoulder was caught and he was instead directed to a corner at the front of the classroom, where feeling like a child in disgrace, he miserably took his place feeling the stares behind him multiply. He could hear Malfoy laughing with his friends at him and the other Gryffindors whispering furiously until Snape shouted 'Silence' and complete silence fell across the classroom.

'For your information, a concoction of powdered scarabs, ginger roots and armadillo bile would produce a wit sharpening potion, a polyjuice potion drunk with the essence of another person in it will turn you into them for an hour and a forgetfulness potion is brewed with crushed sea snail shells, diced tumeric root, knotgrass and pomegranate juice. Well, why aren't you copying this down?'

Harry could hear the rustles as the students hurriedly got out parchment, ink and quills. He could hear Malfoy ask as this happened. 'Sir, where is Professor Begg today?'

'Professor Begg is unfortunately indisposed and I am taking his classes for today. Now back to the lesson, who can tell me about the properties of Bugloss and Dogsbane when combined together?' As Snape continued with his lesson, eventually setting the class to producing the Falsehood detecting potion, Harry listened from his corner. The potion was a lesser form of Veritaserum, which only showed when a person was lying and didn't force them to tell the truth. Strangely he actually found Snape's teaching clearer than Begg's perhaps because Snape was the better Potion Master. His position as the Dark Lord's personal Potion Master showed this. The Dark Lord still feared assassination attempts and would only eat or drink when he knew it was safe, at least this is what Harry had heard. Not having seen the man it was difficult to tell.

During the practical part of the lesson, Harry could hear Malfoy and Ron especially complaining about having to prepare their own ingredients for a change but Snape ignored them and Harry was left isolated in the corner wondering what was going to happen to him.

Eventually the lesson ended and as the students were leaving, he was called out of his corner and told to follow Snape back to the Headmaster's office, where he stood nervously in front of the desk as Snape ignored him straightening out the desk and reading several messages before lifting his head.

'What have you been taught about not being cheeky?' he asked.

Harry, still looking at the floor, miserably mumbled 'not to be, sir'

'Speak up, boy, or else I will wash your mouth out with soap again, you are skirting very close to it.'

Harry did look up swiftly at this and then returned his gaze to the floor. He had been subjected to this several times over the years after he had been cheeky or rude and the unpleasant taste of the soap, the spell used lingered in his mouth for days. 'Yes, sir' he said clearly this time.

'Now do you have a reason for your disgraceful display today?' Snape demanded

'No, sir'

'Now to your punishment, as you clearly aren't fit at the moment to associate with the high standing pupils of this school, you will remain in isolation for the rest of this month. Through that door,' he said indicating a small door in the room, 'is the room you will not leave until told. You may leave your books here.'

Harry shuffled over to the indicated door and as he went through, it slammed behind him with all the finality of a prison door. This was a new punishment and he didn't know what to expect. The room itself was small and contained only a bed, a toilet and a sink. Harry sat on the bed slowly wondering what he was to do for the next few days, whether he would be fed and how long the magically produced light would stay on for. His stomach rumbled as he realised it was dinner time and he knew his feeling that morning had been correct; this was going to be a bad week.

After Harry had sat there for an hour or so, a house elf popped into existence with a bowl of soup. Harry ate it thankful he wasn't to be starved but then a thought crossed his mind that they needed him to be healthy for Halloween. Then he wondered how they were managing Halloween if he was stuck in this room. Finishing the soup, he went back to his bored thoughts until the light in the room faded and he found himself going to sleep.

The next day passed in a similar fashion. A house-elf delivered meals although they all tasted strangely similar and Harry lay on his bed bored until the light faded again. He couldn't help thinking how far behind he would be getting in all his classes. It took him enough time as it was to keep up with the classses, to catch up would be nearly impossible.

He spent some time musing what the taste of the meals was. After some thought it came to him, the meals tasted of healing potions. He looked down at his hands and sure enough, the cuts were disappearing quicker than he healed naturally.

While not painful, this punishment had to be one of the most boring he had received and he welcomed the house elf the day after, which came bearing a book and a collection of potion ingredients to prepare. He scowled at the flobberworms, which he had been faced with preparing before and turned to the book, which was his potions textbook. He lay there on the bed reading the recipes and trying to grasp the effects of some ingredients on others until he got bored. Then he set to work with the ingredients and rapidly prepared the flobberworms, thinking it was much easier without a class around him. The house-elf came back and collected the prepared ingredients as Harry washed his hands trying to get the flobberworm mucus from them. That evening he heard the door unlock and Snape came in.

'Tomorrow is Halloween. You will not be going to Diagon Alley though as your bracelet restricts you to Hogwarts. Instead we are to have our own litany reading for which you will be present. It has been decided that this year you are old enough and therefore you will read the litany to the staff and students. You will spend the day kneeling before the Dark Lord's picture in the Great Hall; you will not say a word other than reading the litany. Any divergence from this and you will be punished.' With this Snape swept out of the room his robes billowing behind him and the door locked itself once again leaving Harry to imagine what tomorrow would bring.

Harry woke to find clothes laid out at the bottom of his bed and a new shower. Having showered he dressed himself sadly in the white clothes with the ever present design on them. Every year he had been presented with white clothes on this day, to stand out in them walking through Diagon Alley. His guards and teachers had always mocked at the innocence that white showed but Harry didn't think he was that innocent, not now at any rate. He supposed the vigil this year was taking place of the walk, a way for him to be exposed to the students without going over the top. He really didn't look forward to kneeling in one place for a long time though.

Having got dressed he found himself with nothing to do until lunchtime when having had lunch, Snape appeared and he was marched down from the office to the Great Hall. Here all the students were sitting laughing and having fun, until he and Snape appeared in the door to the Hall. Then silence spread across the hall and all eyes were riveted on Harry's small figure. Snape walked forward to the front of the hall, leaving Harry stood in the doorway.

'Today is the anniversary of the Dark Lord's victory over the corrupt regime that formerly imposed its power over our land. Today, we celebrate the new order and remember the mistakes of the old ministry, in the hope that these same mistakes will not be repeated in the future. You are the symbols of the new future, the hope that the new regime will continue to flourish and it is for this that you work and play hard, here at Hogwarts. Here you learn and forge connections that will last you for your lifetime. We will celebrate this evening with a feast and the annual reading of the litany of sins but for now we have a treat that normally occurs in Diagon Alley at this time. The living symbol of the Dark Lord's benevolence and the crimes of the past order will kneel in vigil here under the portrait of our great Leader. Come forward, traitor.'

Harry walked slowly forward as the jeers started. Insults to his parents and others of the old regime rang around the hall lead by the Slytherins. At the top table, Harry could see some of the staff sitting in rigid silence, McGonagall with her lips pressed firmly together looked disapprovingly at the antics of the students.

Harry had never known the hall was so long but he reached the end and knelt as gracefully as possible at the spot indicated by Snape in front of the portrait of the Dark Lord. Bowing his head with his back to the students he fought to keep tears from coming. The jeers always stung, as memories of his parents and the manner of their death swept through his mind. He heard behind him students leaving the hall for their afternoon lessons and he felt himself relax slightly as the threats from behind lessened.

The afternoon dragged on. Snape came twice to allow Harry to stretch his cramping legs but by the time the students came in for the feast, he was heartily sick of the patch of stone he had been staring at. This time, Begg came to him and roughly pulled him up forcing him to stand on his cramped knees. He could hear Snape welcoming students to the feast and the litany being introduced.

'All apart from the First Years will know that I usually read the litany but this year it has been decided that the symbol of the previous regime will read the crimes, his parents and others were responsible.'

Harry was shoved to the front by Professor Begg and Snape handed him a scroll. All eyes were focused on him and he stammered slightly as he started to unfurl the scroll and read.

'This is the sins of the ministry, and the old order before the Dark Lord swept across and brought a new way to life; a way in which purebloods received their correct recognition. These are the crimes of the old order:

The previous regime was corrupt. Many people were tried and imprisoned for crimes they did not commit whilst others were allowed to walk freely committing atrocities without punishment, either in the name of the light, through bribery or claiming the imperious curse. Nowhere was this more concentrated than in the Order of the Phoenix led by the Greatest Traitor. This vigilante organisation operated for many years under the banner of the light, lording over the ordinary witch or wizard. They committed many crimes including illegal use of veritaserum, attacks on everyday citizens and torture. They tried to dictate their beliefs to all crushing the traditions that had sustained many of our families for centuries.

The Ministry were equally responsible for the faults of the last Government. They were weak allowing such vigilante organisations to exist. This weakness was caused by the presence of Muggleborn in the Government, who did not understand our world and sought to ally us to the weak muggle world. The Muggleborn stole jobs and wealth from those more deserving than them. No one put them in their rightful place instead this was encouraged by the Government and from the education at Hogwarts. Here Muggleborn were encouraged to think of themselves as equal in strength and power, this lead to the standards of the Great institution falling. Traditions were lost and magic watered down to cater for those who had never heard or practised. These children going through the school were brainwashed into thinking of the Great Traitor as a leader of our society, their loyalties to him rather than to the Government and the country.

Marriage was allowed between muggles and wizards creating a risk that our society will be exposed to muggles. This weakened our magic.

The Press was allowed free reign over publishing creating scandals and gossip rather than accurate news reporting. This meant our press became inaccurate and untrustworthy. Thus ends the Litany of Crimes. All Hail the Dark Lord for the new order in our world'

'All Hail' the students and teachers replied.

Harry rolled the scroll back up and was guided away by Professor Begg as Snape once again addressed the students.

'Now that the solemn part of our evening is done, we can now celebrate the changes in our society. I invite all of you to eat your fill and rejoice in the better society that we now live in.' clapping his hands, the feast appeared on the table and noise level in the hall rose as people began to eat.

Not that Harry saw any of this, he had been guided by Begg to a small room behind the dais and here he was left with some bread and butter to eat. Ignoring the food, he burst into tears, the emotions of the moment becoming too much. It was now approaching the time that his parents had been murdered in front of his eyes.

He was released from here by Thornfield and ordered to go back to his room after the feast. Going into his room, Harry tripped over a pile of parchment left near the door. Looking closer at the parchment, he saw they were covered in close dense writing and with sudden shock, recognised the writing as Hermione's. There was a note on top.

Dear Harry,

I don't know why you have suddenly disappeared but people are saying it is due to Halloween. I don't believe the way they treat you is right and this society is wrong. However we are both trapped in its coils now. I have copied my notes for you in case you need them and I have made a note of all the homework assignments for you, so you don't have a chance to fall further behind and get further punishment.

Hermione

Harry looked at the note stunned. No one since his parents had died had helped him like this giving help for nothing at least nothing he could see and from what he had observed of Hermione so far it was likely done without motive. He had been worrying about dropping further behind in his classes thanks to Snape although he now knew the Potions textbook much better. He decided that the best thing to do was to wake up early before breakfast and to try to complete something for the day's assignments then rather than starting to read through the notes now.

He tore the hated clothes off and stumbled towards the bed, collapsing in sleep. He slept soundly, not hearing the other students come in laughing and joking in the common room until McGonagall appeared and chased them to bed. For the moment, he was at peace.

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