Wand, Knife and Silence
Moon: Hello everyone, I'm back! Now, some of you may haven noticed that there is a poll on my profile, about which story I should write next. Please vote there! I treasure my reader's opinions! Anyway, this chapter expands on the scope of things somewhat and leaves a few more implications to Harry's water troubles. Please do tell me what you think after reading! I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 7: New Arrivals and Grim Signs
"Is there a reason Ron Weasley was throwing up all over the table this afternoon?" Daphne asked Ginny as the scowling redhead walked out of the Great Hall, her shoulders rigid with annoyance.
The blonde kept step with the irate girl, one eyebrow raised. Ginny was a Weasley, and it surprised absolutely no one that she inherited Molly 'the Howler' Weasley's temper. People who angered her usually ended up regretting it. "I just about lost my appetite after that display." Daphne added. "What possessed you to do something so public? You're lucky McGonagall wasn't in the room."
"Ronald Weasley had the nerve to tell me I couldn't go to the ball," Ginny snapped, expressive brown eyes flashing like lightning."He didn't want a boy anywhere near me, and when I told him I was going with Blaise he blew up worse then mum. I bet he's already owled her, I swear if she sends a Howler I'll incinerate it. He said something about their family that I most certainly wouldn't tolerate."
"I can understand that," Daphne responded diplomatically, "But did the rest of us really have to suffer for his stupidity?"
The redhaired Gryffindor considered that for a moment. "Perhaps not," Ginny said, her scowl depending, "I admit I lost my temper."
"Now that's not a surprise," Daphne said dryly.
Ginny turned her glare in Daphne, who rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit at that. "Oh Ginny, even you can't glare more fiercely then my mother. Sorry but that won't work on me."
Ginny pouted, and then giggled a little. "Feeling better?" Daphne asked. She often got under Ginny's skin with sarcasm because she knew it helped the girl loosen up.
"Yeah, sort of. Oh Merlin, I hope Blaise didn't hear Ron's comment." Ginny sighed. Ron was her brother, but his attitude got him into loads of trouble. She had no idea what Hermione had seen in him, and had given a breath of relief when she broke up with him.
"For Ron's sake or his?" Daphne asked in bemusement.
"Both," Ginny said, "It's horrible to hear anyone say that sort of thing and I know that neither Harry nor Blaise would take it lightly. I imagine I saved Ron from a worse hex by hitting him then."
She relaxed and skipped forward a few steps. "At least I have a date to the ball. Blaise is very interesting, and charming for a boy."
"I know. I heard all about that from Susan Bones." Daphne said with a slight smirk. She was rewarded with Ginny death-glaring her.
"That's not funny," Ginny growled.
"Sorry," Daphne said mildly. She figured it was better for Ginny to know about these things then finding out after she may want to get closer to the boy in question.
"Who are you going with, Daphne?" Ginny asked.
This time Daphne did give Ginny a rather uncharacteristic grin. "Harry Potter-Zabini." She said.
Ginny blinked and stared at her. "Did you just make a joke?" She asked. "The Ice Queen has a sense of humour?" She said the last part with an innocent inflection; she had heard Daphne joke, although it was a rare occurrence.
Daphne rolled her eyes. "You of all people know that I do have a sense of humour, I just don't let it show much. I assure you I am very serious; Harry invited me to the ball."
Ginny stared at her for a second and laughed, jumping up and down. "I'm glad to hear that Daphne! Figures Harry would be the only boy in the school not intimidated enough to approach you and ask you out! If he can talk down a Horntail he can handle you."
It was Daphne's turn to scowl, though it was somewhat tampered by the fact that she agreed with Ginny – most boys didn't have the guts to approach her. And yet Harry had done it without looking even slightly afraid, or weirded out by the fact that she was friends with a Gryffindor or associating with a known blood traitor.
It was a refreshing change, and she was looking forward to what they might talk about when the ball rolled around.
Suddenly, Astoria hurried around the corner and skidded to a halt in front of her sister.
Daphne's younger sister was rarely seen without a skip in her step or a bright story to tell, and Daphne treasured her. She usually hung over the younger girl like a hawk, watching for danger, though she let Astoria make her own friends. The two were close for pureblood siblings.
Astoria was a wild spirit, so this kind of energy wasn't unusual, but there was an excitement to her eyes that was impossible to deny. Her blonde hair was out of its usual braids, hanging around her face like a messy halo. "Sis! Ginny! You're not going to believe this!"
"What Ash?" Ginny asked curiously.
"You know how Harry and Blaise just came by themselves first because it's NEWT year?" Astoria demanded. Without waiting for an answer, she continued eagerly, "Well their entire Duelling Class decided to handle their NEWTs abroad so they can be here to support their classmates! More Verona Initiative students are coming here!"
She spun around, "Come on! They'll be entering the courtyard any minute! Hermione's already waiting for us there!" With those words she bolted in the direction she had come from.
Daphne and Ginny exchanged a quick look and ran after the irrepressible young girl.
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Harry grinned in relief as a sea of familiar faces marched through the gates of Hogwarts. Other students were lining up along the edges to get a glimpse of these strangers. He, Blaise, Hermione and McGonagall were waiting in front of the doors as their teacher approached.
Albus was standing slightly to the side, along with Maxine and Karkeroff. The Headmaster watched these new arrivals with his usual twinkling eyes, but underneath that there was a certain amount of trepidation. The fact that these students were arriving late made him think that something had happened that he wasn't aware of. He hated it when this kind of thing happened.
Carol Winter and Dmitri Starikov were also there, watching the other students come in curiously.
Astoria ran up to where her older friend Morag was holding her place in the crowd and squeezed through. Draco thought about getting closer there, but decided not to when Daphne and Ginny appeared alongside her a second later.
Harry saw the girls and shot them a smirk. Daphne's lips twitched into what was almost a smile for a split second, before she went back to scowling. Blaise watched the exchange in amusement and nodded at Ginny before returning his attention to their approaching class.
Neither boy even attempted to hide their grins as their Duelling teacher, Nikki Strode, lead the group in, radiating authority with every step she took. Her carmel-colored hair was pulled back in a single braid that went down her back, complementing her darker skin. She was wearing a leather biker jacket over black jeans, her wand holster attached to her belt. Her face was heart shaped and there was a sharpness to it that belied her age. Her eyes were grey like a coming storm, watching the other students and McGonagall as she closed the distance between herself and the door.
McGonagall stepped off the stairs and offered Nikki her hand. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Verona Initiative. My name is Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts."
Nikki smiled and took McGonagall's hand. She had a strong grip. "Pleased to meet you Professor McGonagall. My name is Nikki Strode, I'm the Duelling instructor here on behalf of our Headmistress." She turned her attention to Harry and Blaise. "Gotten into trouble yet, boys?" She asked sweetly, but there was a steel edge to her tone that they didn't miss.
"Not yet miss." Harry replied lightly.
Nikki raised an eyebrow. "And you've been here for longer then a week. That must be a personal record."
"Well, does a fight with a Horntail count as trouble?" Harry offered.
"If you've been paying attention in my class, I'd say it wouldn't be," Nikki responded offhandedly.
Albus's eyes widened. This woman must be teaching her students some truly powerful or brutal tactics, if that was her response to a Hungarian Horntail. He'd known that Harry having an assassin for a mother was dangerous enough, but if his school had been adding to those teachings, how was he going to move Harry back to the path of forgiveness and second chances?
"I'll show you where your students will be settled, if you'd like," McGonagall said.
Nikki nodded, "thank you Professor," then she turned to her students. "Students! Your attention please!" She barked. The chatting group of duellists immediately fell silent and faced their teacher in neat rows.
McGonagall's eyebrows shot up, she'd never seen a group of teenagers respond to an instruction so quickly, and she'd been a teacher for quite some time.
Perhaps she and this new teacher could discuss her methods of class control.
"Dinner will be served in the Great Hall, you all know where that is by now," Nikki said in a booming voice that belied her petite frame. "You should be organized for the ball that will be happening tomorrow, if not, you'll be practising with me in the evening instead. This is not an opportunity for you to shrink your schoolwork."
Several kids in the group snapped their fingers, found out. A couple of Hogwarts students just watched Nikki with near-frightened awe.
"This lovely lady will direct you to where you will be sleeping afterwards." Nikki indicated Hermione with one hand. "You're allowed to mingle with students from the other schools; I encourage it. However I expect you to show them the same respect you show your peers. Understood?"
"Yes Professor!" The Italian class said in a single ringing voice. Nikki nodded, looking pleased, before turning on one steel heel and following McGonagall inside.
The group split up, looking pleased. Ginny lightly elbowed her way over to him and Blaise as Hermione remarked, "Professor Strode has an aura to her, I'd say."
"Most people do," Said a new voice. Harry grinned as told old friends walked up to him.
They were brother and sister, judging by their identical wavy brown hair and blue eyes. In a surprising change from the norm, the boy was slender and almost waif-like in appearance, while the girl was a hulking, though far from unattractive amazon who had a good head on her brother.
"Try not to piss her off," The girl said with a smirk. She surveyed Hermione, Ginny and Daphne. "These your new friends, Harry? Or have you been spending your extra time escaping angry older brothers?"
"Hey, I resent that," Harry said indigently. "They're my friends. Daphne is my date to the Yule Ball, actually. Daphne Greengrass, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, these two are our oldest friends – Shadow and Sasha di Angelo."
Shadow was holding a book held open to the halfway point by two of his fingers. He said, "Hello. So this is Hogwarts? I heard the teachers spend more time hunting down monsters and maniacs in its halls then they do teaching." He said bluntly.
Hermione, being a very studious learner, took offence to this, standing up to her full height. "Excuse me? I'll have you know that I've been taking classes here since I was eleven," She said belligerently, "And I have one of the highest averages in Britain."
Shadow blinked and regarded her with something like curiosity. Sasha rolled her eyes, "Shadow, you've got to invest in talents other then making people angry when you're in a new place."
To the girls, she said, "Don't mind him; he spends so much time reading that sometimes he forgets how to interact with normal people."
Shadow scowled at his sister and Hermione's eyes widened somewhat at this comment, while Ginny did her best to drown her snickers. That was the exact way she would have described Hermione herself during her first year, before they started getting friendly.
Shadow held his book against his chest and muttered, "Sorry."
"Nice to see you, Shadow." Harry said.
Shadow looked at Harry and said, his voice serious with a streak of concern. "I read your letter about the second task. Are you sure you're going to be able to handle it? It's been years since the accident, and you can barely talk about it."
Daphne was startled to see both Harry and Blaise grimace at this. Harry turned his wand over and over in his hand, his eyes shadowed as though holding something back.
"Is that why you guys decided to come after all?" Harry asked with an affection that, while real, seemed strained. "To cheer on little ol' me in person?"
"We figured you'd need it," Sasha responded. "Seriously, Harry. Of course we wanted to come. It was Professor Strode who decided the whole class would go with us."
"I'll thank her for that," Blaise murmured. "I'm sure mother will to,"
"Hang on," Daphne cut in as politely as possible, not sure how to take this new development. The shadow on the usually completely unaffected Harry was unnerving. "I don't understand. What accident?"
Harry shrugged, doing a good job of trying to look as though it were simply a matter of personal taste. "I don't like deep water too much," He said. "Second task involves the lake, apparently. It's not a big deal."
Daphne wasn't fooled. Harry's body language, subtle as it was, was screaming that no, it was a big deal, but he clearly wasn't about to say so in the courtyard full of students. The short look of concern Blaise gave him simply confirmed her suspicions.
Ginny, while she didn't catch the look, seemed to realize that they needed to move the conversation elsewhere. She said, "Hey, how about we show you guys around? Hogwarts is a big place, and if you get lost you have to deal with Peeves and Filch."
It worked. Blaise smiled gratefully at her and said, "That would be nice, Ginny. Thank you." He turned to the di Angelo siblings. "Come on. Hogwarts looks beautiful on the inside."
Sasha grinned and said, "High praise coming from you, Zabini. Usually you only have critical things to say."
Ginny smiled and headed for the doors, being unanimously declared tour leader without a word. The others walked along behind her, except for two.
Shadow di Angelo and Hermione Granger paused on the steps and looked at each other. There was a short pause. They scowled at each other, raised an eyebrow challengingly, and then followed the group.
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Astoria watched as her sister vanished into the school, feeling a bit put out. "I could have showed them around," she mumbled.
"Astoria?" Astoria turned around to see Draco standing in front of her, looking a little awkward but smiling tentatively. She beamed back; she liked seeing Draco smile. It suited him far better then it did the sneer he'd been wearing for five years.
She hadn't liked Draco at all, initially, because of all the grief he gave Daphne over being friends with Ginny. She had jumped in to defend her on several occasions, often calling Draco names Daphne had to write home about.
But then she'd seen him breaking down after his father was imprisoned both physically and mentally, and she felt pity. She extended a hand of help, and slowly Draco got back on his feet. He didn't throw the word mudblood around like it was going out of style, he seemed nicer all around.
Astoria's Ravenclaw friend Morag had wondered about Draco's sincerity, and had stalked him around the school until she was satisfied he was whistling a different tune. The thought still made Astoria giggle. Morag was a Beater for the Ravenclaw team, and quite formidable in personality. Mark Moon was frequently heard comparing her to a Valkyre. With both Morag and Daphne looking out for her, no unscrupulous boy dared approach Astoria.
Draco gestured to the Verona students, who were wandering about the courtyard chatting with different people. Astoria even saw the perpetually silent Selene Moon sitting next to another girl her age. "They're an interesting lot." He said. "My last year looks as though it's going to be interesting."
Astoria nodded. "Yup. I can't wait to see what Harry does next task; the way he fought the dragon was amazing."
"He certainly handled the fight better then Weasley." Draco noted. Ron Weasley had gotten the lowest score for how badly he'd botched his fight; Poppy had been treating him for serious burns for the entire evening that day.
The silver blonde clasped and unclasped his hands, before glancing in Morag's direction. She was in the middle of an animated conversation with the Drumstrang champion. Draco looked Astoria in the eye. "Um, Astoria, if I may be so bold as to ask...do you have a date to the Yule Ball?"
Astoria blinked at the question. She shook her head. "No, not yet. A lot of the guys around me have already paired up." She looked at her friend for a second before a thought struck her. "Hey Draco, will you be my date?"
Draco's smile widened ever so slightly. It made him look younger, like an actual teenaged boy. "I was about to ask you that," He said. "Will your sister mind?"
Astoria waved a hand over her head, the wind sending ripples through her wild hair. "Daph trusts me to make my own judgements by now, I think." She said. There was a part of her that was sure Daphne wouldn't let her, but she was going with Harry Potter – why should she complain? "My dress is arriving after dinner."
Draco looked very happy at this pronouncement, and that made Astoria's heart warm. "I'll meet you there, then." He said.
Morag cast a discreet glance over her shoulder to where she could see Astoria and Draco talking. Astoria's face lit up, and while she couldn't see Draco's Morag was willing to bet that the boy had asked her to the ball.
"You're fond of her?" Morag blinked and sheepishly returned her attention to Dmitri. He indicated Astoria with one strong finger.
"Yes." Morag said. "She's a friend. A wild spirit, if you will."
Dmitri chuckled. "I know at least one girl like that in my school. Most high class girls seem more like porcelain dolls then anything else these days. It's tragic."
Morag crossed her arms and smirked a little. "Thank god for muggle parents, huh?" She grinned. "I've always been into sports. I can't imagine being one of those stuffy aristocrats."
Dmitri looked wryly at her. "My father and mother are aristocrats." He said.
"Present company excluded," Morag amended.
"Good save," Dmitri responded. "Will you be going to the ball? Or is the thought of being in a dress to terrible to comprehend?"
Morag snorted. "I'm perfectly capable of wearing a dress for a few hours!" She retorted in good humour. "I just don't make a habit out of it. They're usually quite constricting and terrible to run in." She scowled at this point. "Besides, most boys seem to feel emasculated at the idea of dating a girl their physical superior."
"Then they are fools," Dmitri said flatly. "I'm without a date as of now, would you do me the honour of accompanying me?"
Morag was thrilled; she hadn't been talking to Dmitri for that long even and he'd proven himself an intelligent companion. And now she had a date to the ball!
Now she'd like to see her roommates say that she was more a boy then a girl.
Carol Winter was also having a surprisingly rational conversation with a Slytherin boy named Theodore Nott. She wondered why her Charm wasn't turning him into a mindless wreck like most of the other boys she had spoken with, and filed it away in her mind for further consideration. Right now, she simply enjoyed the luxury.
At least she didn't have to go with the Weasley boy, who'd actually approached her earlier that day. Some people didn't know how to answer to the word 'no'.
Mark Moon went to sit by his sister, watching the crowd come in. He glanced at her, sideways. "Something's going to happen," He said, reading her expression.
"Something big." Selene responded simply. "Something that will affect the future of our country."
Mark looked seriously at his sister. "For better or for worse?"
"I don't know." Selene said simply.
"We'll have to watch and wait," Mark decided. "Perhaps its finally time for our family to join the war on Voldemort."
"...Maybe." Selene murmured.
Megan Jones was currently chatting up one of the Italian students, feeling more in touch with the world then she had three years ago when her close friend Cedric Diggory died. It was tentative, her agreement to go to the ball with him. Her father was ecstatic when she got her letter that evening, knowing that her daughter was getting back on her feet.
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"You can't wear that."
"Why not?"
Ginny was holding up the dress she'd been intending to wear to the ball for Daphne to inspect. Her mother had sent it to her a few days ago. The Slytherin heiress looked very nearly horrified.
"Because it looks like your the third person who's worn it! It's two sizes too big for you, its out of style, and the trimming on it is simply criminal!" Daphne exclaimed. "People will laugh at you if you go out in this."
"It's hardly the worst thing I've seen in the shops," Ginny said, "And besides, it was my mother's first."
"Which is why you shouldn't wear it," Daphne responded hotly. "You'll look like a child playing a dress-up instead of a mature young lady. There will be three other schools here! You need something more presentable!"
"It's all I've got, Daphne," Ginny responded, disgruntled. "May I remind you that my parents aren't as rich as yours."
Daphne's eyes softened at the reminder, before abruptly becoming all business.
"Follow me," She said briskly, taking Ginny's hand and leading her towards the Slytherin dormitories. Ginny squeaked in protest, but got ignored. "I got something for you, because I thought this might happen."
Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but Daphne got there first, "This isn't charity, Ginny, this is me being a supportive friend. I'm helping you out with something."
Ginny considered her response for a second, but in the end she just smiled in relief. "Thanks Daphne." Part of her was relieved she wouldn't have to wear her mother's dress.
"Am I even allowed in your dormitory?" Ginny asked nervously as they stepped into the Slytherin common room. It was green and cold-looking, with a definite high-class look to it. There were several girls milling around in the common room, but they hardly blinked as Ginny was lead in by Daphne.
"Lending a hand to your Griffin friend, Daphne?" A girl with red hair a few shades darker then Ginny's asked. "I was wondering who that second order was for."
"I've spent money on you too, Tracy. Don't look at me like that," Daphne retorted, though she smiled at Tracy as she and Ginny walked past. Tracy was one of the only friends Daphne had following her friendship with Ginny and her cementing her status as Slytherin's 'Ice Queen'.
Ginny smiled cautiously at the other girl and was rewarded by the Slytherin offering her a friendly look in return.
That wasn't so bad.
Daphne went straight to her dorm. An expensive looking, shimmering emerald green dress lay on the bed, with jewels lining the neck and the train. The light and darker shades blended together beautifully. A gold necklace with opal stones lay against the neckline. There were matching high heels sitting on the pillow. Ginny couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
"That's your dress?" She asked Daphne when the other girl finally let go of her hand and walked up to the bed.
"Yes," Daphne said, fiddling with the lid of another white box. "And this one is yours."
She opened the box, and Ginny gasped. Daphne lifted out a fire-red dress with gold lining and held it out to its full length. There was matching ruby jewelry inside the box, and a light line of sapphires studded the neckline. It probably cost more then most of the clothes she'd ever worn combine, and it was far more money then she would have meant Daphne to spend on her.
"I...oh Merlin...thank you Daphne!" Ginny said, pulling her friend into a crushing hug. Daphne let out a small woof, and seemed a little put out at the indignity of it, but after a second she smiled too.
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It was a muggle swimming pool, on the outer edges of London. It was an apartment building, so no one was watching the water and no one was currently inside it. Though that might be due to how late it had gotten.
Harry stood at the edge of the step of the shallow end, grimacing. Even the soft lapping of the water against the steps made his stomach clench and turn over. At least it's an improvement from a few years ago, he thought ruefully. Back then, just the sound of water would turn me into a statue.
He looked down at the pool again. Start easy. Just shallow water. You can stand upright.
Harry took a single step down, submerging his ankle in cool water.
The effect was immediate. His leg went completely rigid, and a violent shiver went up his body. His insides turned to ice. A dryness came to his throat.
Harry swallowed hard and brought his other foot down to level, his hand gripping the iron railing. Slowly, he forced himself to stop shivering. After a few seconds of processing the shock, the muscles in his legs loosened ever so slightly.
Progress.
Harry's breath rattled in his ribcage. Slowly, against his wish, he slipped into the rest of the way, bringing the water up to his knees.
Panic swelled up in his throat, and his legs gave out from under him. He collapsed under the surface, feeling iron, unfeeling hands grabbing him and pulling him under, his didn't dare scream or he would loose what little air was in his lungs. The world around him was dark, he couldn't see, the surface seemed miles away -
Harry broke the surface with a gasp, staggering backwards and collapsing on the stairwell. Water rushed up to his waist, causing him to shake like a leaf on the wind.
In a flash, Harry disapparated and collapsed on the tiled floor. His cold body trembled and then lay still.
"Damn it."
End Chapter
We will find out exactly what made Harry aquaphobic soon enough. Now this story will be dealing with a cast bigger then ones I've handled before, and several recurring characters have been given a voice now. The Moon siblings won't get too much focus, given that my other idea Coming Winter will be focused on them, but they will do things here. I like giving more minor characters in different houses characterization, hence Morag and Megan's involvement. Also, Nikki Strode is going to romance a member of the Hogwarts Staff, but expect her to kick some ass first. More on all of the above next chapter, where the Yule Ball will take place.
Read and Review please!