A/N: Again, I don't own the HP universe. If I did, Fred would still be here. Oh wait, this is fanfic. He is still here. Sweet.
Harry groaned a little as he woke, squinting through half-open eyes. Why was the dorm room so bright? It was never this bright. Reaching blindly for his glasses, he jolted upright in shock. Where was his bedside locker gone? Where were his glasses? Quite suddenly he was wide awake and glancing around in amazement. The hospital wing? How in the name of Merlin had he ended up here? Frowning, he looked around, noticing Dean lying in the bed next to him. The other boy appeared to be only sleeping, which Harry was glad to notice. There didn't seem to be any lingering evidence that the boy had been on fire recently, which he was also glad about- he'd seen Dean before Pomfrey had gotten her hands on him, and it hadn't been pretty. Apart from the two Gryffindors, the infirmary was empty. Light streamed through the windows, and Harry guessed it was morning, but he couldn't be sure. The last thing he remembered was... was... was what?
Rubbing one hand over his forehead and into his hair, he couldn't quell the feeling that something was different. He'd come to see Dean the night before, he thought.
But I didn't get as far as the Hospital Wing, I don't think. And he knew he'd met Ron and Ginny, and that Hermione and Ron had fought and run off and then... And then I got lost and fell down some bloody stairs. Grinning, albeit grimly, Harry remembered the dusty stairway and his own clumsiness.
"It's better than a giant snake, that's for sure." He muttered, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and hopping up onto his feet. His legs almost buckled under him, feeling a little weaker than normal, but he steadied himself with one hand and stood straight, noticing the blue and white striped nightshirt he was dressed in. Delightful- he just loved waking up in Hospital issue garb, without his pajama bottoms. He couldn't help but smile though, as he moved over to Dean's bed, peering down over the other boy before reaching out to poke him.
"Oi, Dean! You awake mate?" Dean groaned a little and rolled over onto his side, giving Harry a good look at all the hair his friend was missing from the right side of his head. It made an interesting contrast to the crop of dark curls across the rest of his scalp. Harry poked his friend several more times before giving up with a shrug.
"Guess you're not awake then." He grumbled, glancing blindly around for his glasses and his wand- both of which he located, eventually, sitting on the windowsill behind his own bed. He thrust his glasses onto his face and dropped back onto the bed. For a moment he sat there, idly twirling his wand in his fingers and whistling a tuneless song.
"Bugger this, I'm going back to the Tower." Pomfrey wasn't watching, so it must still be early, right? His logical side told him that it must be at least breakfast time, as the sun had risen enough to light the room completely, but logic didn't seem to matter. Harry felt fine; was fine- he hadn't felt so good since... well, maybe since his first year? So what was keeping him here?
If Pomfrey had wanted me to stay here, she would have stayed around to make sure I didn't leave. He argued, glancing around the room once again. There were no pajamas in sight, but a quick flick of his wand had some conjured out of thin air. He slipped them on, wincing a little as the rough material scratched at his overly sensitive skin. Frowning, he realised he had no slippers, but he'd have to grin and bear it as he couldn't remember the incantation for footwear. Or even if there was an incantation for footwear. Soundlessly, he slipped out the door, waving to Dean as he left and wincing every time his bare feet made contact with the cold stone floor.
"Nothing for it- I'm going to have to run." He shivered a little, cursing himself for not paying more attention during class because he didn't know a warming charm either, Harry took off at a jog toward Gryffindor Tower and, hopefully, some clothes.
"Where's Harry?" Seamus asked, glancing around the Gryffindor table. Ron, he knew, was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Loony Lovegood and studiously ignoring Hermione. Hermione herself had her head in a book- not unusual in and of itself- but she was quite obviously not reading it, as her gaze kept darting between Ron and Ginny, who was sitting with Neville and Seamus and shooting daggers back, and then back to Ron.
"He was gone before us this morning, I think. I didn't see him anyway." Neville didn't sound bothered. "Maybe Ron knows?" Seamus nodded, gazing over at Ron.
"What does he see in that one anyway? She's two sandwiches short of a picnic, at best." Ginny smacked him soundly over the head and Seamus protested loudly, earning himself another smack.
"First of all, he doesn't 'see' anything in her. Secondly, she's my friend and she's brilliant, so stop talking about her like that, yeah?" The Irish boy nodded slowly, warily eyeing her raised palm, fearing another wallop.
"Yes, Ginny, right Ginny, whatever you say Ginny." He said, his tone just a tad too obedient, but she grinned a little anyway, choosing to ignore him.
"Oi! Ron! You seen Harry this morning?" Her brother glanced up from his discussion with the blonde scatterbrain and gave her a confused glance, looking up and down the Gryffindor table with an astonished look on his face. He said a few words to Luna and she nodded eagerly before he stood up and returned his usual table, dropping down beside Neville.
"He's not here then? He was gone before me this morning, bed made and all." His eyes widened a fraction, before he stared up and Neville and Seamus and spoke in a lower tone, "Did either of you see him come in last night?" They shook their heads slowly, faces paling, and Ron stood up suddenly.
"I'll go find him. Not that I'm worried, or anything," He added hurridly, "But with the way things are..." His voice trailed off as his gaze swept the teacher's table. The Headmaster, the Deputy Headmistress and Poppy Pomfrey were all absent and Ron paled just the tiniest bit more. His friends nodded and they all stood together, abandoning their breakfast and almost running out of the great hall. Hermione, left alone at the table, bit her lip anxiously and watched them leave. She seemed to be deep in thought several minutes, before gathering her books and making her way to her first class.
"There can't be anything really wrong, right? Someone would have said something if he'd managed to get himself killed." Ron was trying for humour but despite their outward gaiety, the rest of the Gryffindors were still tense and uncomfortable and the memory of Dean's accident was all too fresh for them to stop worrying. The four of them walked quickly to Gryffindor Tower, almost jumping through the portrait hole and running up the stairs to the boy's dorm. Harry wasn't there and, upon closer inspection, Ron came to the decision that his bed hadn't been slept in the night before.
"Bollocks." He cursed. How could he have not noticed? Harry was his best mate, and he just disappeared for an entire night and Ron never noticed? What kind of friend did that make him? He'd just been so tired the night before- he'd told everyone that Dean would be alright and he'd fallen into his bed and hadn't woken until he'd heard Seamus and Neville getting up. He should have known something was wrong- if nothing else, Harry hadn't woken him with a nightmare, and that should have screamed PROBLEM. He ignored Seamus and Neville's intrigued stares as he rooted through Harry's trunk, throwing socks and books out of it until he finally found what he wanted- an old, wrinkled parchment that looked as if it had seen better days. He muttered the spell under his breath, tapping his wand to the edge of the map, and lay it flat on the floor so that the other three could see it too.
"Woah mate, what he bloody hell is that?" Seamus' voice was filled with wonder, and Neville's face matched it. Ginny, who'd seen it all before, dropped to the floor next to her brother and began searching the map for the tiny dot marked 'Harry Potter'.
"It's a map of the castle- Harry's dad and his friends made it when they were here." She said, her gaze intent on the dots in front of her. "It shows everyone in the castle." It only took a few seconds more for Seamus to spot him- he jabbed excitedly at the HarryDot and exclaimed loudly,
"He's on his way here, according to this!" Ron literally felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he relaxed onto the floor, his eyes fixed on the dot as it moved quickly toward Gryffindor Tower. As it approached, he managed a glance around and realised that half of his friend's belongings were scattered across the room. He started tossing everything back into the chest in a very haphazard manner, not willing to deal with Harry throwing a hissy fit about invasion of privacy or some such rubbish. He shoved the map into his pocket though, intent on not letting it go until he saw his friend again- he'd hand it over to him directly. Given the gleam of interest in Seamus' eye, Ron thought it might be better for Harry to keep it in his pocket for the next few weeks, or else the Marauders Map may find itself a new home.
In the seconds it had taken him to clean up, the other three had descended into the common room, relief rolling off them all in waves as they chatted and laughed. But the initial relief that Ron had felt was gone, replaced by the niggling sensation that something was different, something had changed: something would never be the same again. He walked down the stairs slowly catching sight of Harry from across the common room, laughing and talking with the others. He was telling them that Dean was fine and that he'd gotten lost in the castle. He was smiling widely and didn't seem bothered at all when Neville admitted that they'd only just noticed he was missing. He even made a joke about it. The niggling feeling in Ron's stomach became a clenched fist as he watched his friend. Harry was laughing? And making jokes? And not pitching a fit?
When his best friend finally looked up to meet his curious gaze, Ron almost choked on the words "Harry, mate, what the hell happened?" even as they slipped out of his mouth. He'd noticed, of course, what the others had missed. Blinking, Ron stopped in his tracks and gaped, mouth wide open and his head spinning.
"Harry, your scar! What happened?" Confusion passed over the black-haired boy's face, even as he rubbed a hand to where the scar should be.
"What do you mean? It's the same as always."
"No, Harry, it's not. Look" Ron pushed his friend toward the fireplace or, more specifically, toward the large mirror over the fireplace.
Harry glanced up, confused but willing to trust his friend. His own eyes widened comically when he noticed his reflection. He turned back to Ron, blinking rapidly.
"What the hell?" His voice was quiet, and confused. "Where's it gone?" All the others could do was shrug, confusion written on every face, even as Harry inspected his reflection in the mirror once again.
"I think you need to tell us exactly what happened to you last night Harry, and then you need to go back to the Hospital wing." Ginny spoke strongly and clearly, her voice not reflecting her own confusion, and Harry immediately launched into his story- the hallway and the stairs and his fall. But he couldn't tell them what he didn't know.
"I may have left without seeing anyone this morning- Madam Pomfrey wasn't there, so I just... snuck out." He sounded vaguely guilty, but Seamus grinned at him.
"Good on ya mate! It's about time someone ran from that joint!" Ron pasted a grin onto his face, refusing to look at his sister for fear that she'd say something to him.
"Do you reckon you could find this hallway again Harry?" Ron asked, his voice low so that the others wouldn't hear him, even as he pulled his friend away from them slightly. Harry nodded, confident.
"Yeah, I reckon I can. It's right near the hospital wing- just past that ugly statue of the Gargoyles."
"Right then. I'll bring you back to Madam Pomfrey and you can show me on the way, right? You lot, off to class!" Ginny glared and Seamus muttered complaints, but to his amazement they all trooped off anyway, waving goodbyes.
"Wait!" They were just at the door when he called them back. "Don't mention this to anyone, okay? Not at least until we know what's going on, right Harry?" Harry nodded slowly,
"Sure mate, whatever you say. I'm gonna get changed, all right?" The Boy Who Lived raced up the stairs, whistling again, and the other three all agreed and then left, leaving Ron standing alone in the common room.
He could hear Harry clattering around in the dorm, the noises echoing down the stairwell and into the empty common room. Whatever had happened, whatever it was that had been done to his friend, the Harry that was up there was not the Harry Ron knew.
The fist in his stomach clenched tighter and the red-head winced from the near-physical pain of it. Something really, really bad had happened, he knew.
And Harry began to sing, loudly and off-key, but with an enthusiasm that Ron had never heard before.
"What do you think this means Albus?" The Deputy Head hadn't slept, and her worry showed in the creased lines on her face, and her robes. The Headmaster's own face was gray in the morning light, and he looked almost afraid.
"For years Minerva, I've kept a secret from everyone because I feared for Harry's safety should it become public knowledge." He looked at her from across his desk.
"Have you ever heard tell of a Horcrux?" She thought about it for a moment, before nodding her head slowly. Minerva, ever sharp, knew that he wasn't just asking her for no reason, despite the fact that his tone was as casual as if he'd been asking about the weather.
"I know of them, Headmaster, but surely you can't mean... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Surely this is too monstrous even for him to attempt!"
"I'm afraid it was not too monstrous, not in the least. Not for Tom- he made more than one, rending his soul into pieces because he fears death." She paled quite considerably, her heart sinking as she realised the true nature of their fight against Voldemort.
"How many? How can we ever expect to defeat him while he has these evil devices?" She wasn't quite hopeless, not yet, but she was as close as she'd ever been, throughly defeated by the events of the last few days and now this new knowledge on top of it all. It was nearly too much for her to deal with.
"I do not know how many, but I suspect seven including, of course, the piece that remains within him. The diary, the Riddle diary that Ginny Weasley had in her first year, that was one and it has been destroyed." He gestured to his own ruined arm and the ring resting on his finger, "The Gaunt ring I destroyed myself but at a cost, as you can see." He paused, letting his words sink in. "There are some people hunting down the rest of them as we speak, but that is not the issue for today. What I fear, Minerva, is that there may now, as we speak, be a piece of Tom's soul in this school, and I do not know how to find it, or even how to discover if my guess is correct." He recounted what little he did know quickly, quietly and with just a hint of apology for having kept the secret for so long. There were, however, many things that he did not mention and she filled in the blanks quickly, realising that Harry's scar had possibly been more than just a link to the Dark Lord.
"What can we do? There must be something that we can-"
"No. This isn't our fight, this time." He smiled sadly. "The responsibility, it seems, falls on far younger shoulders than ours."
"This is it here." Harry pointed his wand at the wall, and then frowned, "I think." Ron forced a grin, making a note of the wall his friend had indicated and checking his pocket quickly to make sure the map was still there.
"Right then, off to the Hospital with you again then." Harry grumbled good-naturedly, and resumed talking about Quidditch practice for the remainder of their walk. He was building up to a good rant about the fairness of the training roster when Madam Pomfrey ducked her head around a corner and grabbed him by the arm.
"And where exactly did you disappear to, Mr Potter? You can't just walk out of the Hospital Wing any time you see fit, you hear me?" She dragged him along the corridor, muttering angrily about irresponsible students, before directing her glare back at Ron, who'd been following them quietly.
"Don't even think about it, Mr. Weasley. Get back to class and don't let me catch you anywhere near here before the dinnertime!" The look on her face was fierce enough to pierce Griffinskin, so Ron merely nodded, mumbled a 'see you later' to his friend and jogged away. He didn't go very far, just back to the ugly statue and the mysteriously disappearing wall. Carefully, he reached out with one hand, running his fingers over the stone until he felt it- the tiniest of gaps where the wall wasn't. Harry had really been incredibly unlucky, he realised, to hit this particular section of wall at just the right angle so that he fell through the gap instead of walloping his head off the wall.
The coincidence jarred him for a second- was it truly an accident? Why would something like this happen to Harry, of all people? He only paused for a second though, before pushing his hand further into the gap and taking a step forward.
His mother had always warned him that if he didn't stop to think about things before he acted, he'd regret it. Ron should have listened to his mother.
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