Chapter 9
Rescue
Harry Potter woke up early in the morning and left Hogwarts by using one of the secret passages that he had discovered. He had a meeting to attend outside of the school.
There was a field around Hogwarts that kept people from apparating in and out. If he wanted to reach his destination, he needed to be outside of the field. It wasted time, but sometimes, to get what he wanted, he needed to be patient.
The secret passage that he was taking had an exit point within Hogsmeade, in one of the shops near the border farthest from Hogwarts. Harry was wrapped within his invisibility cloak. He'd also thrown a muffling charm on his feet. This allowed him to easily slip outside, with the shopkeeper being none the wiser.
He was fortunate that the dementors were not allowed to enter Hogsmeade. Yet even so, an aura of depression hung over the tiny village. Desperation. Fear. Anxiety. Like a thick smog, these negative emotions polluted the streets.
What had once been a lively hamlet filled with friendly faces, now there was only a desolate street with a few people darting from one building to another, as if they were afraid of staying outside for too long. Harry ignored this, entered a small alley, and apparated, disappearing with nary a crack.
Apparating was not a pleasant magic. Whenever Harry used it, he felt like he was being forced through a very small tube, as if his insides were being squeezed, his body compressed. However, he had learned to deal with the discomfort. It only lasted for an instant anyway.
Seconds after apparating, Harry appeared in a small alley within Diagon Alley. He stashed away his invisibility cloak, put up the hood of his robes, and then stepped onto the main street and merged with traffic.
Because of the early hour, there weren't that many people present; he saw a couple of adults walking down the street and shopkeepers opening their stores. Above, on the second floor of several buildings, lights were turning on as people got a start to their day. He imagined it would get busy some time within the next few hours.
Harry's destination that day was Gringotts Bank. He had a meeting with Ragnarok.
The bank was mostly empty, as he had expected. Walking up to one of the tellers, Harry didn't even bother waiting for them to finish their task, but instead he placed a notification on the table.
"I have a meeting with Director Ragnarok."
The goblin stopped what he was doing—counting jewels, it looked like—glanced at him, and then looked down at the notification. From the widening of the goblin's eyes, he knew what this notification meant. He stopped everything that he had been doing and hopped off of the stool.
"Follow me."
Harry followed the goblin into the side passage that took him to Director Ragnok's office. The goblin knocked on the door once, received permission to enter, and walked inside.
Harry waited outside. He knew how this worked. The goblin would introduce him, and then Ragnok would let him enter. Protocol was important to goblins, even if time was money and standing around waiting wasted time.
"Director, the person you have an appointment with is here," the goblin said.
"Send him in," a voice said from inside.
The goblin came back out and held the door open. "Director Ragnok will see you now."
"Thank you."
Harry walked inside. The door shut behind him, leaving him alone with the director. As he'd expected, Director Ragnok was sitting behind his desk, leafing through documents. Harry didn't let this bother him and took the chair in front of the desk, waiting for Ragnok to finish. Unlike with the other goblin, he couldn't afford to be rude here.
"Lord Harry Potter," Ragnok began at last, "for what reason have you called this meeting?"
"I have a basilisk corpse," Harry got right to the point. "It's about fifteen meters long. I'd like to extract its organs and sell them as potion ingredients, and I'd like to sell the skin to clothiers."
"But you need manpower and professionals in potioneering and physiology to extract the parts," Ragnok concluded. "Plus, you need a seller."
Harry nodded. "Yes. If you can supply me with the people to extract and someone to sell the basilisk parts to, I will split the money earned with Gringotts fifty-fifty."
Leaning back in his chair, Ragnok fixed him with a contemplative gaze. "That is a generous offer. However, I get the feeling that there is more to this than simply extracting potion ingredients from a basilisk."
"The basilisk is located at Hogwarts." Harry shrugged. "Within the Chamber of Secrets, to be exact."
Ragnok breathed in through his nose. "That does make this difficult, then. As you know, we goblins are not allowed on Hogwarts ground without permission from the headmaster."
After the last goblin rebellion, a treaty had been made between the goblins and wizards. In return for having ownership of the bank that wizards used, the goblins were restricted from certain places. One of those places was the Ministry of Magic. Another was Hogwarts.
Of course, this restriction could be circumvented if they received permission. Since the contract that kept them from entering was a magically binding one, verbal or written consent was required.
Words had power. Harry had heard this a lot in lectures and from books, and no one could deny the effects that words had on people. Hitler had spewed vitriol and incited a war that claimed many lives, countries had been toppled by the words of others, celebrities were defamed by gossip journalists, and royalty could have their heads placed on a chopping block with a few well-placed rumors. Yes, words had the power to change the course of history.
Beyond the political machinations that a few well-placed words could cause, there were even more far-reaching consequences in the magical world. Words didn't just have power, they didn't merely affect the way people thought through rhetoric and charismatic individuals. Words were power. Some magical creatures could be defeated on words alone, such as the sphinx. Concepts, spells, runes, everything began and ended with words. In a magically binding contract such as the one that bound the goblins, words meant everything.
"Then in order to allow your people to enter, I would need to have Headmaster Dumbledore give you express permission."
"Yes."
That could be a problem. Harry didn't think the headmaster was wary of him, but asking for permission to let the goblins on school grounds would certainly arouse suspicion. What's more, if Harry asked Headmaster Dumbledore to let the goblins into Hogwarts, he would be asked to explain why, and he didn't want to reveal that he was using the Chamber of Secrets as his base of operations inside of Hogwarts.
"I will work on finding a way to get your people inside," Harry said at last. "In the meantime, I'd like you to put out feelers to find people who would be interested in acquiring basilisk parts."
"I'll get to work on that." Ragnok nodded slowly. "I already know a few people who would be interested. However, if we're going to get the most out of this, then we'll want to get more people involved and put the ingredients acquired on a bid. Basilisk ingredients are rare, so if we play our cards right, we could make a killing. You said this basilisk was over fifteen meters long?"
"Somewhere around there," Harry said. "I haven't been able to measure it because it's body was twisted, but I've estimated it to be between twelve to fifteen meters."
"That means it's an old basilisk," Ragnok murmured. "Only basilisks that live for at least a thousand years get to be that long. That means the magic inside of it is incredibly potent. If what you say is true, then we may be able to make upwards of several hundred million galleons."
Harry nodded noncommittally. He truthfully didn't care about making more money. His coffers were already quite full, and he was making even more money by investing in the non-magical stock market. His main goal in all this was to acquire basilisk ingredients for his own use. Harry also wanted to gather the skin to create magical resistant clothing.
I won't be able to get any work done while that corpse is in the chamber…
It was regrettable, but he supposed that was how things sometimes went. He could still do his more formal studies, but any and all of his current projects required massive transmutation circles that would take up most of the floor.
"In that case, I'll get started on coming up with a means of getting your people into Hogwarts." Harry stood up.
"Very well. I'll send a list to you in one month's time of the people who have expressed interest in buying the basilisk ingredients," Director Ragnok responded.
"Then we have an accord," Harry said.
"Indeed."
Harry Potter left less satisfied than he had hoped. He wanted to get rid of that corpse, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen for a good while. Still, at least he was making some progress.
That didn't make him feel better, though.
XoX
Daphne's idea to confront Harry required people who were knowledgeable about Hogwarts. It was clear to her that the reason they hadn't been able to find Harry was because he knew the castle better than they did. He knew its secrets, its secret passages, and he used those to move around unobtrusively, invisibly. If they wanted to find him, then they needed to be capable of tracking him down despite this.
That was why she had Neville ask Fred and George Weasley for help, why she and everyone else were currently sitting in the All-Commons Common Room with the Weasley twins.
No one else was present. Daphne had set up a small ward so that people would shy away from the common room. This normally wouldn't have been possible, but she'd had some help from the house elves, who had, for whatever reason, agreed to aid them after Susan explained what they were doing.
Daphne had explained what was happening with Harry to the twins. They were surprisingly quiet as she spoke. Even their expression were a bit more serious than she would have thought possible. They didn't ask questions, they didn't speak, they just listened right until the very end.
"So that's what's going on," Fred said—at least, she thought it was Fred.
"We knew that Harry was having issues of some kind," George added.
"But we could never figure out what."
"I guess now we know."
"Wait," Blaize cut them off. "How did you two know that something was going on with Harry?"
"You mean aside from his moody attitude and the fact that he's no longer living in the Gryffindor Dormitory?" George retorted. Under such flawless logic, Blaize could only blush. "That's simple."
"It's because he's been leaving Hogwarts," Fred finished.
Leaving Hogwarts? Harry had been leaving Hogwarts? She hadn't realized that such a thing was possible, but when she thought about it, Daphne understood that there were probably secret passages that lead outside of Hogwarts' grounds. It wouldn't have surprised her to discover that Harry knew several passages out.
"Can you tell us what passage he's been using to leave Hogwarts?" asked Susan.
"We can, but I'm not sure it'll do much good," Fred said.
George nodded. "We've only been able to catch him on occasion, and only when we're actually looking for him. It seems that Harry is being really cautious. He changes the passage that he uses to leave Hogwarts every day, and he always returns from a different passage."
"He also doesn't have any set pattern," Fred added. "Some days he might use one passage, and then go a week without using it again. Because there are so many passages at Hogwarts, determining which one he's going to use before he actually uses it is impossible."
"He's being awfully paranoid."
"Indeed, Forge. Indeed."
Caution did fit with Harry's modus operandi. Daphne had noticed it before, in his politics, in his views, in how he expressed himself. Even if he had radical beliefs that shook the wizarding world, he was cautious in how he presented them, making sure to gather suitable evidence to support his beliefs before doing anything. It seemed that this caution extended to his other activities as well. No, it seemed as if Harry was being even more cautious than he normally was.
What Daphne wanted to know was: Why? Was Harry doing something illegal, something that warranted caution? Well, leaving Hogwarts was against school rules unless it was for a planned trip to Hogsmeade, or the student had permission, but then that didn't answer her question: Why was Harry leaving Hogwarts? What was he doing?
"Then how are we supposed to find him?" asked a frustrated Tracey.
"It does seem rather hopeless," Lisa added. "If we can't figure out where he's going to be and intercept him, then Daphne's plan won't work."
Daphne bit her lip. She'd been betting on the idea that they would be able to predict where Harry was going to be. Then they would intercept him, force a confrontation, and make him confess his problems so they could help. However, if they couldn't figure out where he was going to show up, then confronting him would be impossible.
How frustrating.
"How do you two know which passages Harry's been using?" Astoria suddenly asked.
Everyone else stopped what they were doing and looked at the youngest girl there. She was sitting beside Luna, who they'd met up with again about a week after school started. The two of them seemed to have hit it off, perhaps because they were both younger than everyone else.
"Excuse me?" Fred asked.
"Since you know which passages Harry has been using to leave Hogwarts, it means you have a method of tracking people," Astoria said. "The only way you could track Harry was if you had something that allowed you to. What is it? How are you able to locate him?"
Daphne was startled, not that Fred and George had a method of tracking Harry, but that Astoria had figured that out. The thought had never occurred to her. Judging from the flabbergasted expressions of her friends, it had never occurred to them either.
Fred and George looked between each other. Their brows were furrowed as if undergoing a silent debate.
"She's asking about the magical device you have in hidden in your robes," Luna added, pointing at George.
"How did she…" Fred started.
"… Know about the Marauders Map?" George finished.
"I do not know what this 'Marauders Map' that you speak of is." Luna shrugged. "But the nargles are buzzing around your robes. That normally means you have a strong magical item on your person, or you have a strong magic, but these nargles are centered around a specific spot. That means it has to be a magic object."
Everyone gawked at Luna like she'd suddenly sprouted horns from her head. Luna had been something of an oddball since Harry befriended her, but her eccentricities seemed to become more apparent as time went on. In the end, Daphne decided that this must be another quirk of hers.
She looked back at Fred and George. "Do you have a magical item that will let us locate Harry?"
Again that look appeared on their faces, the one that said they were debating on what they should tell her and the others. She wanted to force the answers out of them. However, she knew that she couldn't. Doing that would have been wrong. Besides, the Weasley twins were devious tricksters who bowed to no one. If she tried to force the issue, she and everyone else would likely be preyed upon with humiliating pranks.
"All right," George said, reaching into his robes.
"We'll show you our greatest treasure," Fred added.
"But you have to promise not to tell another living soul."
It went without saying, but everyone promised not to tell anyone about whatever they learned here. With that, George pulled something out of his robes and set it on the table.
Old parchment, that was the first thing that Daphne noticed. It looked like a folded piece of old and faded parchment. Yellow and crinkled, there was no way of knowing its age, but however old it was, Fred and George handled it like it was the most sacred of treasures.
Fred carefully unfolded the parchment. Its total length was nearly five times larger than when it had been folded. There didn't seem to be anything special about it, though Daphne knew better than to just assume. If Fred and George had it, then it was something to be wary of.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," George said as he pressed the tip of his wand against the parchment.
Several gasps sounded out from all of her friends. Daphne didn't blame them. The parchment, which had appeared old and worn, suddenly transformed. Words appeared along the parchment, names, Daphne realized. Moony. Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs. They were not names that she knew. Yet the names soon vanished and were replaced with something else, something even more astonishing.
For depicted on the parchment was a highly detailed map of Hogwarts.
No. It's more than just a map, Daphne realized.
Located on the map were names, quite a few of which she recognized. Headmaster Dumbledore was in his office, and so was Minerva. The other teachers were located throughout the school, and there were the names of many students who she knew wandering the halls. What's more, all of the names were moving. In other words…
… this map tracked where everyone in the school was at any given time.
"That's amazing!" Tracey said. She seemed to be the only one capable of voicing her thoughts, not that anyone disagreed with her.
"Isn't it?" Fred said, sounding quite proud.
"Now you see why this is our greatest treasure?" asked George.
Daphne could certainly see why they coveted this item so much. A map that could tell you exactly where everyone in the castle was would be a boon to anyone. It also explained how Fred and George were able to create such elaborate pranks without anyone catching on.
She also had to marvel at the magic that must have gone into creating this map. She couldn't begin to guess at what sort of intricate spells had been cast on it, whether it had been created by runes, or if it had been enchanted. This sort of magical device went well beyond what they would learn at Hogwarts.
Harry would love to get his hands on this.
The moment she thought about Harry, sadness welled up inside of her as the strings of her heart were yanked on. However, that sadness soon turned into determination.
She didn't know what was wrong with her friend, but she and the others were going to get him back.
The old Harry that meant so much to her.
XoX
Two weeks passed since Harry had met with Director Ragnok. During that time, Harry hadn't had any success in figuring out how to get the goblins into Hogwarts. He couldn't just sneak them in. The problem was the magic that bound them to the contract. If they attempted to sneak into Hogwarts, the barrier that surrounded this place, the same one that stopped people from apparating, would repel them and alert the headmaster.
That wouldn't be good. It would be especially bad if he got caught. Harry didn't want Headmaster Dumbledore finding out about the basilisk, or the Chamber of Secrets.
Sitting in the Chamber of Secrets, on a chair that he had created from alchemy, Harry looked at the writings on his desk. They were his notes on the barrier that surrounded Hogwarts. He found that writing sometimes helped him think, and this particular subject was something that required a lot of thought.
There wasn't much information on the barrier, not its mechanics nor how it worked. From what little was written about it in the books that he had found within the Forbidden Section of the library, the barrier had been created by all four of Hogwarts founders. Ravenclaw had designed it, Hufflepuff had built it, Slytherin had initiated it, and Gryffindor had powered it. The four greatest wizards of all time had created this together, and it had only grown more powerful since then.
According to the books he had… borrowed, every headmaster who came after the four founders was responsible for adding something to the barrier, strengthening it. It was like something of an unwritten rule. This was done not only to help protect the students, but for the new headmasters to prove that they had what it took to be the headmaster.
Unfortunately, there was no information on what the previous headmasters had added to the barrier. There wasn't even any information on what the original barrier did. The only thing that Harry knew was that the barrier didn't allow people to apparate so long as they were trapped within its sphere of influence, and that it kept goblins from entering.
Other dark creatures also couldn't enter. Vampires and werewolves were allowed, but dementors couldn't come near Hogwarts itself. That said, he'd discovered how far the barrier's range was.
The barrier had a diameter of nine kilometers wide and three tall. Harry wondered if these numbers had been taken into account during its creation. Three was a magically powerful number. Nine was divisible by three. Of course, that didn't account for the total, but perhaps there was more to magical numbers than he had realized.
While he was trying to determine how he'd help Ragnok's people get past the barrier, a loud, obnoxious ringing filled his ears. It was the alert from his mirror. Sirius was calling. With a grimace, Harry summoned his mirror and activated it with a magical word. The mirror distorted, shimmered, and then revealed the face of Sirius Black.
His godfather looked a lot better than the last time he'd seen him. Gone was the hollow face and sunken eyes. That meant Sirius was still taking his potions, just like he'd told him to. That was good.
"Sirius, what are you calling me for? Has something happened?"
"I think I should be the one asking that?" Sirius said. "What is taking so long? Why hasn't Pettigrew been captured? Has something happened?"
"No, nothing has happened."
"Then what's going on over there? It's been nearly three weeks since school started. Shouldn't Pettigrew have been captured by now?"
Harry snorted. "You make it sound so easy. Capturing someone like Pettigrew isn't a simple matter. He might be weak, but he's cunning enough to have evaded detection for over a decade. What's more, he rarely leaves the Hufflepuff dorm."
Ron Weasley had recently been complaining about "Scabbers" not leaving the dorm room. Supposedly, the rat had disappeared somewhere inside of the dorm, and not even Ron knew where he was now. Even if he snuck into the dorm, finding a single rat in an unfamiliar location would be difficult. It wasn't even a certainty that Pettigrew was still present.
He could have left Hogwarts altogether.
The thought was not pleasant.
"Without any means of locating him, there's no way I can apprehend him," Harry concluded.
"What about the Marauders Map?" asked Sirius. "If you had that, then finding Pettigrew would be a snap."
The Marauders Map was a creation of Sirius and his dad. Well, technically, it had been created by Remus Lupin, but all four marauders had a hand in making it. If he had that map, then finding out where Pettigrew was would have been a simple matter, indeed. There was a problem with that, however.
"The map wasn't in Filch's office," Harry said.
"W-what? You serious?"
"About as serious as your name." Running a hand through his hair, Harry sighed. "I searched all through Filch's office and couldn't find it."
"Damn. That's not good. It means someone else must have it."
"Seems that way."
Harry did wonder who might have found the Marauders Map. He was placing his bet on the Weasley twins. No evidence pointed toward them having it, not hard evidence, but there was plenty of circumstantial evidence to support his theory, like how they never got caught with their pranks, how they could prank so flawlessly, how they always seemed to show up at just the right time. Yes, if they had the Marauders Map, it would explain how they could do everything that they did.
If I could search through their belongings…
But that would be hard. The Weasley twins were cunning, devious geniuses. Their luggage probably had traps. No. He shook his head. Even if they'd trapped their luggage, the Marauder Map would be somewhere on their persons. That meant he couldn't outright take it.
"You've got that look on your face," Sirius said.
"Excuse me?"
"That look," Sirius continued. "You have that look on your face that says you're planning to do something stupid. James often wore that look right before he and I got into trouble for doing something stupid, so I recognize it."
"I'm not James."
"No, you're not. You're more like your mom than you are James." A sardonic smile twisted Sirius' mouth. "Though you're not really like your mom, to be honest."
"Thanks for noticing."
"Smartass."
"Takes one to know one."
"Touche." Sirius inhaled a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled it. "So, what's the plan?"
What was the plan indeed. Harry wasn't sure what he should do next. Well, he should look into getting his hands on the Marauder's Map, but that would require confronting the Weasley Twins. There was also the chance that they didn't have the map. What would he do if they didn't? He'd be back to square one.
"Don't worry," Harry said. "I'll think of something."
"I'm not sure how much confidence that inspires in me," Sirius said.
"Whatever. Later, Sirius."
Harry deactivated the mirror and sent it back to his luggage. He stood up and exited the Chamber of Secrets through one of several exits. This one was on the opposite side of the entrance that led to the girl's bathroom.
It was no surprise that the Chamber of Secrets had multiple passages leading out. He hadn't explored everything yet, but the chamber was filled with lateral passages that led to various places inside of Hogwarts. The exit that he was using took him into a room located behind the Great Hall.
If I was Fred and George Weasley, where would I be?
Pondering this question as he cast a disillusionment charm over himself, Harry exited the room, walked through the Great Hall, and then headed for the stairs. His necklace clinked against his chest. It would have done an adequate enough job of keeping people from noticing him, but he preferred having the added insurance of the charm.
The first thing he needed to do was ascertain whether Fred and George had the map. After that, it would be a simple matter to ambush them, knock them unconscious, steal the map, and erase their memories. However, first, he needed to verify that they even had the map.
As he was wandering down a hallway, two people entered that same hall from a passage several meters away. It was Tracey and Lisa. While Lisa warily eyed their surroundings, Tracey was touching her ear.
"Are you sure he's here?" Tracey asked. "I don't see anyone."
Harry froze. Should he run? No, they couldn't see him. He was disillusioned. Plus, he also had his necklace. Even if the charm wore off, the necklace should keep him from being spotted.
"In front of us?" Tracey continued. Lisa hadn't said anything. Who was she talking to?
"He's probably using a disillusionment charm or his invisibility cloak," Lisa said. "Ask them for his exact location."
"Directly in front of us, they said."
They were talking about him! Harry didn't know how they knew he was there, but when they both turned in his direction and raised their wands, he realized that they had somehow figured out his general location. He turned and ran down the corridor.
"Forté Visimo!" Lisa shouted.
A wave of energy washed over Harry, a sound akin to shattering glass echoed through the hall, and the charm that had been keeping him invisible vanished. The magic surrounding him was no more. Even his necklace sputtered as the magic from Lisa interfered with it.
"There he is!" Tracey shouted, pressing a hand to her ear. "We've found him!"
Harry gritted his teeth as he bolted down a corridor. Their shouts echoed behind him. They yelled at him, demanding that he come back. He didn't. He ran. He ran and ran and he kept running, bolting down corners and traveling up stairs. Footsteps echoed behind him—no. Wait. They were coming from his left!
Blaize and Terry rushed out from behind a set of armored suits. Their wands were already raised.
Twin jets of red energy shot from their wands.
The world became illuminated with red.
XoX
It had been decided that Daphne and Susan would be the ones to confront Harry. Everyone believed that they had the best chance of getting through to him—Daphne because of how close they were, and Susan because she'd become awfully stubborn since last year and insisted that she take part. If anyone could make Harry open up, it was them.
For the past several weeks, Daphne and the others had been gathering everything they would need to confront Harry. Their friend was powerful and cautious, some would even say that he was paranoid. They couldn't just go up to him. He'd avoided all attempts at contact, and she was sure he'd run if they tried to get close.
Thanks to the Weasley twins, they had some magic devices that acted similar to non-magical communication devices. They were experimental. To be honest, they didn't work very well. Static crackled in their ears, and they only had a range of 15 meters. They also only worked for about 10 minutes before breaking down. However, with them, they could at least communicate.
Daphne and Susan didn't have one. There were only few available. One had been given to each of the "pursuit groups," whose job it was to chase Harry. The Weasley twins had the last one. They were using it to keep all of the teams abreast of Harry's location at all times, and to direct them so they could funnel Harry to this location.
"Are you ready?" Daphne asked Susan.
"Yes." Susan nodded and went over to the door. The plan was for her to lock the door as soon as Harry entered and block his path, thereby ensuring that he would have nowhere to run.
After that, it would all be up to them.
XoX
Ragged gasps. Aching chest. Harry continued to run from his former friends.
It was more than just Tracey, Terry, Lisa, and Blaize now. All of the people he'd gathered, the allies that he had cast aside, plus a few others, were now chasing after him. They were around every corner, within every hallway. He didn't know how, but no matter where he went, there was someone waiting for him, blocking him, forcing him to take another route.
He knew what they were doing. They were trying to trap him. The problem was that he didn't know how they were doing it. He had no idea how they knew where he was. It was like they were predicting where he'd be, as if they were tracking him, but that was impossible, unless…
Unless they have the Marauders Map.
But there was no way they could have the Marauders Map, was there? But, if they had asked the Weasley twins for help, and Fred and George really did have the map, then…
I need to get away from them.
Harry ascended and descended stairs, rushed through corridors, and eventually found himself in the third floor corridor, the same corridor that had been forbidden in his first year. The Philosopher's Stone had been in this corridor.
"He's over here!" Tracey's shout reached him.
A moment of panic hit him. Harry rushed into the door where the trap door had been. It was still there. He locked the door behind him with a powerful magical lock, leapt down the trap door, and made his way deeper into the labyrinth. This place existed outside of Hogwarts. It was an extension created within the last two years specifically to hold the Philosopher's Stone. The Marauder's Map wouldn't be able to track him here because it hadn't existed when the map was made.
The hallway opened into a large dome-shaped room. Up ahead was the door that Terry had opened by using his astrology knowledge. It was still there, closed now, a silent testament as to what happened here. Harry entered the room.
He wasn't alone.
"Hello, Harry," Daphne greeted. Her smile was kind, but Harry felt as if he'd been physically struck with terror.
He turned around to run away, but it was too late. The door had already closed. Susan was standing in front of it.
"We need to talk," Susan said, determination shining her brown eyes.
XoX
Daphne wondered if the ache in her chest, the feeling of something shattering, was due to the young man in front of her. Naturally, it was. However, that ache, which only grew stronger with time, seemed to be for so many more reasons than just him—though he was certainly the central figure, as all of her feelings right now revolved around him.
Harry looked… pathetic. His eyes were wide like a cornered animal's. He looked back and forth between her and Susan. She'd never seen him look so weak, so utterly wretched. This was not Harry Potter.
"Harry," Susan said, taking a step forward. "We wanted to—"
"Stay back!" Harry screamed, stumbling away from Susan. He turned around, as if preparing to run away, but Daphne was in that direction, and so he stopped moving.
"Why are you running from us, Harry?" Susan asked. "Why are you avoiding us?"
"Why?" Harry tried to snarl, to put on a strong front, but it was a lie. He was shaking with… what? Fear? No. Maybe it was desperation. "I'm avoiding you because I don't need you! I don't need anyone! The only person who I need in this world is me!"
His words might as well have been a blade. They cut through Daphne as surely as one. Susan, too, seemed to be deeply hurt by his words. However, unlike Daphne, who remained unable to move, Susan seemed to have renewed her determination from his words.
"That's not true," Susan said, taking another step forward.
Harry took a step back. "Don't come any closer!"
"I know that you don't mean that, Harry," Susan continued. "You're just confused. You lost your friend and now you don't know what to do."
"I don't have friends," Harry snapped. "I don't need friends! Having friends is pointless. They're a burden. They become close to you, worm their way into your heart, and then when they die, you're left with nothing! You become empty! I don't need that. If having friends means being a failure, then I'd rather not have any friends at all!"
Harry was rambling by this point. His words, feelings, and emotions were all jumbled together. Daphne could barely make heads or tails of what he meant. However, she understood one thing for sure. Harry was pushing everyone away to avoid getting hurt again. He had decided that if losing someone was going to hurt this much, then he'd break ties with everyone to keep from feeling this way anymore. That said…
This isn't the right way to live.
Daphne understood how Harry felt. They all did. However, what he was doing was wrong. He was wrong. How could they make him understand that?
"Harry, please calm down and talk to me. Talk to us," Susan said. She took another step closer.
That turned out to be a mistake.
"Stay away. Stay away. Stay away stay away stay away stay away stay away!"
She and Susan only a moment to realize that something was wrong. Then, without warning, dark black smoke burst from Harry's scar. A fierce wind slammed into Daphne. However, it was more than wind. Daphne felt cold, alone, terrified, hurt, angry, mad, outraged, humiliating, ashamed, useless-disgusted-downtrodden-defeated-loveless-everything-hurt-and-he-just-wanted-to—
Gasping, Daphne clutched a hand to her chest as emotions and thoughts poured into her as if she was an empty vessel waiting to be filled.
Harry! These are Harry's emotions!
That black miasma pouring out of Harry's scar carried with it all of the emotions that Harry was feeling. Suddenly, Daphne understood. Harry wasn't just taking Hermione's death hard. It was more than that. There was a burden on his soul that she couldn't comprehend, a wound that had only widened with Hermione's death. It was as if his very soul had suffered terrible damage, as if it had been hanging by a thread and Hermione's death had been the cutting curse that severed it.
On the other side of the room, Susan Bones was shivering. She must have been feeling the same thing that Daphne felt. Daphne could barely see the girl past the black miasma, but if she was feeling it, then her friend must have felt it, too.
I need to do something…
Harry was suffering from something. There was more to this than merely being hurt and angry. This black miasma wasn't natural. Something had to be done, or Harry might end up being hurt even more. And yet…
I-I don't know what I should do…
What could she do against this strange power, which had rendered her all but powerless? She couldn't move, she could barely think, even breathing was a chore. All she could do was crouch on the ground and shiver. Her body had been rendered inert by the bombardment of emotions that were not her own.
Someone… please… help Harry…
Just as she was thinking about how hopeless this situation was, a burst of light appeared before her. Hot blue flames exploded into existence, and a cry not unlike that of a bird echoed across the room.
Warmth. Daphne could only describe it as that. A strange warmth filled her chest. It then spread outward, across her body, engulfing her in what felt like a protective dome, a warm blanket.
The dark miasma was blown away. For just a moment, Daphne thought she saw a giant bird with white and blue feathers, but it disappeared before she could blink, making her wonder if she had just imagined it.
Harry stood in the middle of the room. However, as she watched him, his knees buckled and he began to fall. She scrambled to her feet and rushed to his side before her mind could tell her body to move. Susan must have had the same experience. She was at his side at the same time. They caught Harry before he could fall, though his weight caused them to nearly topple over as well.
"Harry? Harry?" Daphne called out Harry's name.
"Why?" Harry whispered. "Why do you two keep persisting? Why does everyone keep hounding me? I just want to be alone."
"No, you don't," Susan rebutted. "You don't want to be alone. Let us in. We can help you."
"We want to help you," Daphne added.
He didn't respond with words. However, an arm wrapped around Daphne and pulled her close. Her robes soon became stained with tears. Susan looked up at Daphne, her face only a few centimeters away. The expression that she wore seemed to hold a statement.
I think we should let him get it all out, it seemed to say.
I agree. Daphne nodded.
Since they were both being held by Harry, they had no choice but to awkwardly seat themselves together and hold him at the same time. It was uncomfortable, but now, at least, they allowed Harry to shed all of the tears that he'd been holding since long before any of them had ever met.
XoX
There was no telling how long they'd been down there, in that room, shedding tears. Time had become meaningless, an ephemeral existence with no purpose. However, even if time itself seemed to no longer hold sway, Harry did calm down… eventually.
"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," Harry muttered.
He was embarrassed by his unsightly display. It was disgusting. Harry was supposed to be composed. Harry was supposed to be perfect. He wasn't supposed to bawl his eyes out like a child.
"What are you talking about?" asked Susan. "There's no need to apologize. We're here to help you."
"Susan's right," Daphne said. "You're always helping everyone else, but that means there's no one who can help you when you're in trouble. We… want to be the people who help ease your burden. We want to be there for you."
Harry didn't want to admit it, but their words made him happier than he thought they should have. He felt light. At the same time, their words made him feel more self-conscious than normal.
For years now, Harry had done his best to present a perfect front, to be strong and intelligent and wise. He helped those needed him. He got perfect grades. He always lent a smile and an ear. He was the person who everyone looked up to.
In other words, he had strived to become the perfect human. He needed to be perfect. To accomplish his goals, to achieve his dreams, anything less than absolute perfection was unacceptable. If he couldn't be a perfect being, then how could he accomplish anything?
That was also why Harry had always kept a certain distance from everyone, even friends—until recently, at least. He had kept friends at arm's length because he couldn't let them see anything except his perfect side.
That had changed after coming to Hogwarts. Before, Lisa Crawft had been the only one that he had opened up to. Now he had several friends who'd seen sides of him that he hadn't meant to show. He didn't think it was a bad thing at first, but then Hermione had died, and Harry had realized that letting himself get too close to people had more downsides than he'd thought. That was why he'd attempted to distance himself from everyone, why he'd forsaken them, though it didn't look like that had worked.
"Are you feeling better, Harry?" asked Susan.
"Yeah… I am feeling a bit better. Thanks to you two."
Harry didn't really understand how, but he did feel a lot better. His mind was more clear than it had been in months. He could think without fear. His own insecurities, his fears, were no longer whispering in his ear. The voice, the one that he'd heard since Hermione's death, was gone.
"It was no problem," Daphne said softly. "You're important to us. It's only natural that we would help you."
"Mm, I guess."
Harry wasn't sure when it had happened, but sometime while he'd been crying, Daphne and Suasn must have moved. They were no longer in the middle of the room, but leaning against the wall. Harry was sitting on top of them. He felt like a small child being cradled by his parents. While his legs were resting on Daphne's lap, he was actually sitting on Susan, who was cradling his head to her chest. Her heart beat a steady pulse against his ear.
"Harry, can you please tell us why you were acting like that?" asked Susan. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it might help you if you talked about it with someone."
Psychologically speaking, Harry knew that Susan was right. He'd read enough books on psychology to understand the concept of baring one's soul to another as a form of therapy. Still, he was hesitant. Harry had always kept his thoughts and feelings to himself. It was to help him present that perfect front, a method of pretending that he was perfect.
However, maybe he should tell these two. Harry was beginning to realize that he might need to talk to someone. He wasn't sure how long he could hold some of these emotions in. Perhaps that was a side effect of having spent his entire life keeping everything to himself. Eventually, little by little, the will began to break down, leaving him vulnerable. In some ways, it was like what happened to Daphne back during their first year at Hogwarts.
"To be honest, I'm not one-hundred percent sure I know exactly what came over me," Harry admitted. "When Hermione died, I was hurt and angry and confused, but more than anything else, I hated myself for not having done more to protect her. If I had been more proactive, if I had tried harder, If I had solved the mystery behind the Chamber of Secrets instead of telling her to leave it be, she wouldn't have died."
It was the duty of those in charge to protect the people under them. Harry had been the leader of their group, the one everyone followed. He should have been protecting them, but instead he'd decided to not do anything under the assumption that, whatever was happening with the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, it had nothing to do with him. He'd acted selfishly. That selfishness had caused Hermione's death.
"All the people who've been close to me that were killed, they all died because of me," Harry whispered. "My mom and dad were killed because Voldemort had gone after me, and Hermione died because the person who'd opened the Chamber of Secrets had been after me as well. I told Hermione not to get involved because it wasn't any of our business, but it was my business. My negligence got her killed."
"You can't think like that, Harry," Susan said. "She didn't die because of you."
"She did," Harry interrupted. "She died because someone had come after me, and they killed her to get my attention. If I had just worked toward solving the mystery surrounding the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione wouldn't have died."
Susan didn't say anything. She likely didn't know what to say.
"I understand," Daphne said suddenly. "I understand what you're saying, and I know why you feel this way… but do you really think that Hermione would blame you?"
"I don't know. Maybe she would blame me."
Harry remembered what happened when he confronted the bogart. Even though he knew, logically, that his parents and Hermione were not the kind of people who would blame him, his heart told him otherwise. It told him that they did blame him, that they held a grudge against him for living when they had died.
If only I had been stronger…
If he had been stronger, this wouldn't have happened. If he had been more powerful, they wouldn't have died.
"Don't be stupid." Susan karate chopped him on the head. Harry yelped. "Hermione wasn't that kind of person. She would never blame you for what happened. You can't think like that."
"I know that," Harry whispered. "I know that," he said more loudly. "I know that, but I…"
Two sets of arms wrapped around him. Harry froze.
"You… hate yourself, don't you?" Daphne said suddenly. It sounded like a question, but it wasn't. "All this time, I wondered why you pushed yourself so hard, why you tried to change so much. That's the reason, isn't it? You hate yourself for something that you did in the past and now you're trying to atone for it. However, when Hermione died, it broke your will and caused you to isolate yourself."
Daphne wasn't wrong. Harry did hate himself. However, the reason he pushed himself so hard wasn't because he wanted to atone for something. There was another reason, outside of atonement and self-loathing, that pushed him forward.
"Daphne, Susan." Harry looked up at his two friends. "Do you know what eidetic memory is?"
Goodbye Emo Harry. I wonder if anyone is as I am to be done with this part of my story. Writing emo Harry is hard, and it sucks. I don't much like emo Harry. He's not very fun to write. Damn you plot for forcing me to write this!
Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who managed to trough through this particular section of nasty. It wasn't pleasant to write, so I'm sure it wasn't fun to read either. That's why I appreciate all the people who've supported me.
Thank you for reading.
