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Chapter 6.
Mask.
Second year.
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Time for Harry and the girls to return to Hogwarts finally came on the first of September.
Harry did not want to advertise his new relation with Daphne. As such, he could not give Daphne the same clothing he and Su had, for only family members or retainers were allowed to. So, he settled on the next best thing. Daphne would continue to dress in a Hogwarts robes, however underneath, she wore armor as good as Harry's.
When they arrived at platform nine and three quarters, they discovered they could not go forward. There was a barrier at the entrance.
"What is it?" Daphne asked.
"There is a magical barrier. It is strange magic; I do not recognize it."
"Can you break it?"
"Of course. It is too weak to hold me." Harry's hand flashed forward and a wave of magic hit the strange barrier, collapsing it.
Harry, Daphne, Su, Lilith and the serpent flies went through the entrance.
Since pictures were taken when they met Lockhart, everybody knew who they were. It was hard to miss the two foreboding presences - Su and Harry. Daphne could not intimidate people like them. She was quite jealous.
The crowds hushed as they passed. Harry paid them no mind. They climbed on the train.
Fortunately no one tried to disturb them.
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When they reached the station in Hogsmeade, they walked towards the carriages. Harry and Su gave the thestrals a few pats.
Most people looked incomprehensibly at them since they didn't see the invisible animals or they didn't know about the thestrals, but some looked really freaked.
In the Great Hall, Harry and Su went to the Ravenclaw table and Daphne to the Slytherin.
The first years entered and were sorted. The seats near Harry were empty. None of the first years approached them, none except one - Luna Lovegood. She looked slightly insane and she sat next to Harry.
"Harry Potter, I'm Luna Lovegood."
Harry nodded warily and looked in her eyes. She had no shields, but her mind was so strange and alien that she didn't need them. Harry quickly withdrew, not wanting to alert the blond to his presence.
"You're infected with Darklings like me," she exclaimed. They make people dislike us."
"I see," Harry said slowly. "I suppose that's good of them. Thanks to them I'm not too irritated by annoying people."
"Yes," Luna said happily. "It's so nice of them." Luna then ignored Harry and started to eat.
'Strange girl,' thought Harry.
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Harry and the girls were taking a walk through the castle. Daphne had devised a plan that would take advantage of their special abilities. Harry would explore the castle, using his abilities to read auras. In this way, they would find any anomalies: warded or hidden locations. When they found one such place, they would change into their pixie form and try to gain entrance by bypassing any protection.
Slytherin's secret chamber was warded against almost all forms of entry, pixie included. It was unknown if the other founder's rooms were warded against pixie magic as well. Slytherin was a paranoid man, so it could be possible that the other rooms were not as well warded.
Even if they were unable to gain entrance, it would still be helpful. It would mean that there is something well hidden, protected and (most likely) valuable.
Hogwarts was very large. Their search would take months or even years.
Harry sensed a magical discharge. Two of the armor suits started to swing their swords. They would have hit Harry with the flat of their blades, but he ducked under them.
Daphne and Su blasted the suits with bone-breaking curses.
Harry searched for the source of the attack and summoned it. An elf flew towards him and Harry stunned it before it could do any more magic.
Daphne looked confused when she saw their attacker. "What the hell? An elf?"
Harry levitated the elf into a secluded classroom. He locked the door and cast powerful privacy charms. He also cast a strange ward.
"What was that?" Daphne asked.
"It is a ward that prevents house-elves apparition," Harry explained. "Now, let's see what he's here for." He woke the elf and delved into the mind of the creature. Five minutes later, he came out, grinning evilly. "Oh, this is perfect."
"Harry Potter sir can not stay at Hogwarts..." the immobilized elf said.
"I know Dobby," Harry interrupted the elf. "I know that Malfoy gave a student a dark artifact. I know about the danger to the school and students. However, I am not in any danger, so there is no need to try to hurt me to leave school. I have everything under control. You will not try to harm me or my friends. Is that understood?" he finished sternly.
"Yes, Harry Potter sir."
"I will try to free you from Malfoy and you can be my house-elf if you wish."
"Oh Harry Potter is the bestest wizard to take Dobby..."
"Good. Go back to the Malfoys. Do not come until I call you. When I do, it will be your chance to gain freedom."
"Yes Harry Potter sir."
Harry ended the elf's immobility and the ward. "Now go."
After the elf popped away, Harry laughed evilly. "This is going to be so good."
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Harry and Su had their first DADA class with the griffindorks. Hermione gave him a weak smile and Ron gave him a murderous glare. It was unfortunate that Malfoy was not there because as much as Weasley and Malfoy hated him, they hated each other more. Harry just stared at the redhead and Ron finally looked away, uncomfortable under the green gaze. Harry put the annoyance out of his mind. After all there were bigger ones, like Lockhart.
The annoyance strode in the classroom like a conquering hero. Harry paid little attention to him and used a mental probe. Fortunately, the man had no mental shields. Harry carefully explored the mind and was appalled. He thought that what the professor wrote was the man's imagination. The truth was that he was stealing people's accomplishments. First he interviewed them and then memory charmed them. The man was practically a squib. The only thing he excelled at was memory charms.
"Mr. Potter."
"Yes, professor?"
"Why are you not writing?"
Harry glanced at the test Lockhart gave the class while he was in the mind of the professor. He glanced at the questions and frowned in disgust. "I don't see why I should know what your favorite color or when your birthday is. How is this going to help me deal with dark creatures?"
"Well you see..." Lockhart was obviously trying to find a reason. Hermione was waving her hand in the air as if she wanted to answer the question. "Ah Ms. Granger, please go ahead," the professor said, relived.
"Is it because you wanted to see if we read the books? If we know insignificant answers like what's your favorite color, then we know the answers to more important questions."
"That's very good, Ms. Granger. Ten points for Gryffindor."
"That's stupid," Harry intervened. "If that is true, the students will concentrate on learning nothing but insignificant facts to get higher grades instead of concentrating on important facts. This class is a waste of my time."
"Mr. Potter, This class is one of the most important classes. It would not be wise to fail it."
"I don't need good grades to get my OWLs. Classes are unimportant in the great scheme of things. Instead of learning your biography, I will skip your classes from now on. It is obvious you are incapable of teaching. I will learn more if I read the standard second year manual in private."
"You'll have to take that up with the headmaster." The professor looked disgruntled, but said no more. Some time later, after the test was finished, he presented some "dangerous creatures." The students laughed at the Cornish Pixies. Harry and Su did not.
'Cornish Pixies,' Lilith snarled. 'They are not very smart. They lack the magical power Dark Pixies or High Pixies have. However, they are still nasty buggers. They are a servant race to the High Pixies. They are used as common troops. Many of our kind died by their hands. They are even more bloodthirsty and cruel than their masters.'
Lockhart freed the pixies. He tried to contain them but failed and fled the classroom, letting the students deal with the creatures.
Harry and Su retreated in a corner.
The Cornish Pixies were making chaos in the classroom, when all of a sudden, they stopped.
'What happened?' Harry asked.
'They felt us, or more specifically you,' Lilith said. 'They can feel that you are Dark Pixies. If they could, they would torture and kill us.'
The freed pixies snarled murderously and flew towards Harry and Su.
Harry erected a shield with his left hand and launched cutting spells at the attackers with his wand hand. Su did the same.
The students watched in horror as the pixies were cut in half and listened to their dieing screams of agony.
The severed body of a pixie fell on Hermione's desk, splattering her precious books and scrolls with blood. She shrieked in outrage. Whether it was the dead body or the sacrilege of damaging a book, was unknown.
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After dinner Harry and Su were called by Dumbledore.
"Lemon drop?" asked Dumbledore.
"No," answered Harry. "Why did you want to see us headmaster?"
"This is about your conduct in your defense against the dark arts class."
"What exactly are you referring to?"
"I'm referring to two things," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "First, there was your conduct towards your teacher."
"That man is not fit to be a teacher," sneered Harry. "He is nothing more than a glory seeking hound. Have you even read that man's books? Most of them are grossly inaccurate. He's obviously not fit as a teacher. His books are not school books. They are fantasy novels, bad fantasy novels if you ask me."
"Harry, he is your teacher and you should respect him," Dumbledore said with a disappointed frown.
"He made us buy all of his books and they're nothing but junk. Why should I respect him? He used his position as a teacher to make us buy his books. I have nothing but contempt for him."
"Be that as it may, however he is a teacher..." Dumbledore began to say.
"Headmaster, you know that I do not respect people that don't deserve it. His morals aside, he is also a bad teacher and a bad wizard. He was not even capable of dealing with Cornish pixies."
"Ah yes, the pixies. They are all dead. Harry, why did you kill them?"
"They attacked us," Harry explained.
"Harry, pixies are innocent creatures. They were not attacking. It is in their nature to act mischievously. There was no need for death."
Harry sneered inwardly at Dumbledore's words. "I do not care how innocent they are, headmaster. They attacked us and we retaliated. And pixies are not as innocent as you say. Every creature is dangerous. Those pixies were perfectly capable of gouging our eyes. Pardon me if I don't behave like sheep to slaughter."
Dumbledore sighed again in disappointment. Harry my boy, there are better ways than violence."
"Really? Well, I wouldn't know. After all, I was raised in an abusive environment. That's all I know. You hit me, I hit you back."
"Harry..." Dumbledore began to say.
"Is there any other reason you wanted to see me for?" Harry interrupted.
"Yes, Harry, Professor Lockhart informed me that you would not participate in his classes again," Dumbledore said.
"Yes? What about it?" Harry inquired.
"Harry, you must go to classes."
"Very well, but only if you give me a good enough reason."
Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He was realizing that anything he said would not sway the young boy. Harry would not take weak excuses and platitudes like the rest of the Light side. There was nothing he could say to influence the young boy. Harry was obviously a powerful wizard. Dumbledore could not convince young Harry of Lockhart's competence. As such, the headmaster could not give a good reason for his attendance in that particular class. "No Harry."
"Very well headmaster. If that is all, I will take my leave. Good night headmaster."
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Some of the things Harry and his companions found out in the castle in the last several days were a few private chambers. One of these was one of Salazar's private chambers, accessible only to a snake speaker.
After Harry and Su returned to the Ravenclaw dorms, they transformed into their pixie forms and flew towards their new rooms.
Daphne was already there when they arrived. "So, what did the old bastard want?"
"He was upset because we are bloodthirsty killers. He also wanted us to go to Lockhart's classes."
"Well, I don't think that went well for you, did it?"
"No it didn't."
"Harry, I've been wondering..." Daphne said. "Why are you antagonizing Dumbledore so much? Aren't you afraid he'll do something to us?"
"Not really," Harry replied. "He still needs me. For now, he'll keep doing his grandfatherly act. He will not act rashly. If he ever tries something against me, he'll probably start with some memory charms and some behavioral modifications. We are all immune to them, so we're not in any grave danger."
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Next day at breakfast, the students had a new reason to fear Harry. He did not mind, neither did the girls. They were sitting at the end of the table. Su sat to his right and Daphne to his left. The seats around them were empty, like always, well almost always. Luna, in her usual fashion, plopped down next to Daphne and smiled her eerie smile.
Just then, the owls came with their letters, and the Daily Prophet.
Harry snatched his newspaper and opened it to the front page. "The new dark Lord goes berserk and murders innocent creatures." Harry read the whole article and snorted in disgust after he finished it.
"You should not read that Harry," Luna said. "That's how dumnasts infect people. They make people believe any nasty rumor they hear. They like to infest the Daily Prophet. You are lucky you're infected with darklings. They eat the dumnasts."
Harry frowned at the strange girl. Was the girl speaking in strange riddles or was he paranoid?"
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Some weeks later, Harry, Su and Daphne in their pixie forms were searching for anything strange in the dungeons.
Suddenly, Harry stopped.
"What is it?" Daphne asked.
"I think I found something," Harry answered. Harry went on a side passage and stopped in front of a blank wall. "There is a magical barrier here. It's a strong, but subtle one."
"Let's see if we can enter," Daphne said excitedly.
Harry turned his body incorporeal and went straight through the wall. Daphne, Su and Lilith followed him. The four found themselves in a room. On one side of the wall, there was a fireplace with a couch and two comfortable chairs in front of it. On another there were many shelves of books and a door which led to something like a potions lab. On the third, there was a door that led to the rest of the castle. The fourth wall had another door, which led to a bedroom and the bathroom.
Harry, Su and Daphne changed back into their human forms. They started to browse through the books.
"This is Helga Hufflepuff's private library," gasped Daphne.
"So, what do we have here?" inquired Lilith.
"Most of the books here appear to be books on herbology and enchantments," Su said.
"Enchantments?"
"It's an advanced branch of magic," Daphne explained. "It can be used to imbue objects with certain magical abilities."
"Like what?" asked Lilith.
"Like the sorting hat or golems," explained Daphne.
"It would be nice if we could make golems. It's a mostly forgotten art," Harry said.
"Yes, it would be nice if we could make golems," Daphne said. "However, they are very hard to do. They are also very expensive."
"Expensive?" questioned Su.
"Yes," replied Harry. "From what I know, to make a golem, you need some very expensive ingredients and a lot of raw power."
"Well, we have plenty of magical power. And Harry is not poor," Lilith said.
"I don't think you understand Lilith," Daphne said. "By expensive, I mean really, really expensive. Harry has a nice little fortune, but it is not nearly enough to make more than a few high quality golems."
"I see," Lilith said with a disappointed sigh.
"It's not that bad," said Harry. We can worry about money later. I'm sure we'll manage something."
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The next night, Harry and the girls went back to Hufflepuff's chamber.
They were surprised to see Luna sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading a book.
'What's she doing here,' Daphne asked on their private silent link.
'I don't know,' Harry replied. 'Let's observe her for now.'
'I think she knows we're here,' Lilith said.
'What? How?'
'When we entered, she jerked in surprise,' Lilith explained. 'Also, her eyes tracked me for a second before she went back to the book.'
'Are you sure,' Harry asked.
'I'm positive.'
Harry and the girls flew around Luna. The girl behaved as if nothing was wrong. Suddenly, Harry zipped towards Luna's head. The blondes head jerked back for only a centimeter and her eyes blinked once. If Harry was not suspicious of her, he would have thought it was a coincidence. However, he was now sure it was not. The girl knew they were there, but feigned ignorance.
'You're right Lilith. She knows we're here. Should we reveal ourselves?'
'Well, she's acting suspicious,' Su said. 'I say, we interrogate and then memory charm her.'
Harry, Daphne and Lilith nodded in acceptance of her wariness. Harry, Su and Daphne changed back into their human form behind the girl and walked in front of her.
"Hello Luna," Harry greeted her pleasantly.
"Oh, hi Harry," Luna replied just as pleasantly.
"What are you doing here?" Daphne asked.
"Reading," Luna replied vaguely. "Are you affected by dumnasts as well?"
Daphne's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Guys, I think she's faking it.'
'Faking what?' asked Harry.
'Her insanity,' Daphne elaborated.
'Are you sure?'
'Yes, I'm sure; I'm a Slytherin after all.'
'Why would she do that?' Harry asked in confusion.
'I'm not sure, but I think she wants to make people underestimate her.'
'Shall we call her on it?' Lilith asked.
'Don't see why not,' Su replied. 'After all, we're going to make her forget about this.'
'Okay,' Harry nodded. 'Daphne?'
"Cut it out Lovegood," Daphne snarled.
"Cut what out?"
"The Loony act. We know you're faking it."
Luna fell silent for a few long moments. "Very well," she replied in a surprisingly sane manner. "What do you want to know?"
"First, why the act. Second, what are you doing here?"
"My mother told me about this place. It is a family secret. Every member of my family is told about this place. It was found 300 years ago by a member of my family and since then, we all come here to learn Hufflepuff's secrets. Most members of my family become extremely talented enchanters and spell makers."
"And the act?"
Luna's eyes looked sadly in the distance. "When I was nine, my mother died. She was working on a secret project given by Dumbledore. I found her collapsed in our lab. She was cursing Dumbledore, Snape and Malfoy when I found her. Before she died, she told me not to trust Dumbledore. She said she died because of his stupid games. She told me to keep my talents hidden from everybody and to stay away from Dumbledore."
"I can understand hiding your talents, but I don't understand why you pretend to be insane."
"After my mother died, my father went a bit insane because of his loss. People started to not take him seriously. I wanted revenge. I realized that if I behaved like my father, people would not take me seriously. It would be easier to find out why my mother died, and have my revenge if people considered me harmless."
"So you want revenge," Harry asked.
"Yes, just like you," Luna nodded.
"Just like me? What do you mean?"
"I'm not stupid. Dumbledore did something to you. I can feel it. You hate him, and you want revenge. We can do that together."
"Together?" Harry asked.
"Yes. You are all powerful, but so am I. I could help you."
'Girls? What do you think?'
'I think she could be of use,' Su replied.
'I agree. If her family is so good at enchantments and spell research, we could definitely use her. She is also smart enough to not give herself away,' Daphne said.
'I too agree,' Lilith nodded. "She also has the ability to sense us. It would be wise to have her as an ally.'
"Okay," Harry nodded, smiled and gave his hand to Luna who shook it. "Welcome aboard."
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A few days later, on the Halloween day, Harry, Su, Daphne and Lilith changed into their pixie form and went in search of Malfoy. When they found him, they shadowed him and his two stooges for a few minutes, until they arrived at the moving stairs. When Malfoy was almost on top of them, Harry launched a tripping hex at him. Malfoy fell down the stairs, but fortunately or unfortunately, survived with only a few broken bones. Crabb and Goyle took the injured Slytherin to the hospital.
Harry hurried to the entrance to the Slytherin chamber.
"What are we doing?" Daphne asked.
"You'll see," Harry replied smugly.
When they reached the bathroom where the entrance was located, Harry ordered it to open. The four pixies flew down the entrance.
Some time later, they were in front of the basilisk. The girls shielded their eyes.
"Don't worry. Since we are all parselmouths, we are all immune to his gaze. I also cast a spell on him so he wouldn't kill anyone, only petrify."
"Oh, that's good," Daphne said.
"Hello Sam," Harry hissed at the snake.
"Greetings master. How may I be of service?"
"Well, we're going to take a walk through the school. We are going to petrify someone," Harry finished with an evil grin.
"That sounds nice Master," replied the basilisk. "May I eat them as well?"
"No, I'm sorry, but I have something better." Harry took a small box from his cloak and enlarged it. Inside it, there was a cow.
"Oh, thank you Master!"
"You can eat it later, after we finish."
"Yes master."
"For now, let's go up and find our pray."
"Harry? What are we going to do?" Daphne asked.
"We are going to petrify Crabb and Goyle."
"Is that wise? Only a speaker can order a basilisk. Won't we get in trouble?"
"No. Because of Dobby, we can pretend we are innocent. If someone accuses of us something, we can blame Malfoy. After all we have proof: his elf ... told us about Malfoy's plan. We have no idea where the diary is, only Malfoy knows that. We are innocent. Malfoy is guilty. Oh, how the purebloods will turn on Malfoy when they learn their children are petrified because of him. And how will they scream at Dumbledore for letting their poor babies get harmed."
"That's very Slytherin of you, Harry," Daphne said with a smile. "I love it."
"I knew you would Daphne-love. Lilith, where are our targets?"
"They are just getting out of the hospital," she replied.
Five minutes later, they were almost in front of the two boys.
"They are just around the corner," Lilith said.
One basilisk and four invisible pixies came face-to-face with the two Slytherin boys. As soon as the boys saw the giant snake, they turned to stone.
"That was really cool," Daphne said. "We should do this more often."
"We will," Harry said with a grin.
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Author Notes: I finally finished this chapter. If any of you wonder why Harry wanted to have proof of Malfoy's guilt, well... you'll see in the next chapter or two.
Thank you all for your reviews. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Please review.
Published: December 19 2008
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