Chapter Eleven: A Double-Edged Sword
Title: Harry Potter and the Phantom Hourglass
Chapter: 11
Author: Hikari no Vikki
Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Parings: Sorry, only frivolous friendships for now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Zelda. Really. I don't.
Description: Crossover with Legend of Zelda. The Phantom Hourglass has been handed down since its beginning, until finally it makes its way into the hands of a boy named Gabriel. He fights alongside Harry Potter, and soon discovers a darkness that has been waiting to exact a deadly revenge.
Author's Notes:
Oh noes! I'm poisoning Draco! Or am I curing him? You tell me! :D
It had been several weeks since he'd found the Hourglass and Gabriel still didn't know what to do with it. He was slightly afraid to write to either of his parents (his mother might take it back, and his father might not know either) and since he knew for sure it was a magical artifact of great mysterious power, he was also afraid to turn it.
So even after break finished and students began returning, he was still left with the question: what exactly did the Hourglass do?
"Locomotor mortis!"
Suddenly there was a flash of pink light from around the left-hand corner, and Gabriel, now interrupted from his current train of thought, went to see who had been cursed and how. By now he already knew the caster's voice and didn't need to know who had cast it.
Of course it was none other than Draco Malfoy standing in front of a (halfway) petrified Neville.
"Hmph!" Gabriel scoffed, scaring the wits out of the unsuspecting Draco – at least Neville had seen him coming. Gabriel brandished his wand and cast the counter-curse, "Locomotor vita."
He could have easily said 'FAST' just the same, as he'd figured out since receiving the Hourglass, but it would have looked rather odd and he did not fancy explaining his strange talents to Malfoy of all people. Neville scampered off toward the direction of the Great Hall, leaving the two boys simply standing there by some windows that viewed a small courtyard.
"It's not nice, just casting spells simply because you want to know what they look like," Gabriel muttered quietly, to break the silence.
Draco scowled. "And who are you to tell me my business? I'll do as I please."
Gabriel sighed. He glanced at the slush-covered trees beyond the stone archways. "Draco, really, don't you have better things to do? Like hanging out with those bodyguards you call friends?" Draco huffed and scowled again. "They're not friends," he spat softly, then relaxed, looking rather forlorn. "My father pays them to look after me. Don't know why… I can look after myself."
Gabriel looked at him curiously. "Why don't you just tell him?"
Draco gave a start, blinking, but then he seemed to shrink away as if trying to escape the notion. "I-I can't." He insisted, rather solemn, "I just can't."
Gabriel frowned. "Really? If I have a problem with my father, I usually tell him and we work things out. Is it simply that you haven't the courage?" This was, of course excluding his fear to write to his father, which was – technically – not a problem at all, just a lack of information.
Draco studied Gabriel a moment, but simply turned away and shook his head.
"Shut it, Gabriel. Now what do you really want from me? This is the longest you've talked to me out of sight from Potter and the others." Gabriel noted this was indeed correct, and also that he didn't actually know what he was still doing there. He'd simply felt like it, really. But Draco wouldn't be satisfied with that as an answer.
"Aside from investigating who threw that curse, well… I suppose since I found it was you I wanted to thank you. For setting my nose straight when I took that punch for you."
Draco turned back around and was still.
"Really? It… it was nothing. I mean, well…" He was about to say more when some motion down the hall caught his attention. Gabriel couldn't see what it was, but it meant something to Draco because he began to fidget a bit with his robes. He looked up at Gabriel, and they locked eyes for a moment.
"I'll consider talking to my father. I'll let you know if it works out."
Then he left, going down the right section of the hallway and quickly rounding the corner. Gabriel was, again, left standing there stunned. Why on earth…? Hmm. Maybe, even though they weren't friends, Draco trusted him, to a certain extent. He certainly trusted him enough to let him know bits about his personal life… whatever. Gabriel shook his head and began walking down the left corridor and eventually came face to face with Harry.
He must've been the reason why Draco had left so suddenly.
"Hey, we figured out who Flamel is!" He said brightly. Gabriel wisely decided to put away his encounter with Draco (to be looked at on a later date, of course) and returned Harry's infectious grin. "That's great! So who is he?"
"Some really old alchemist who figured out the secret to the elixir of life." Gabriel blinked. "Wait… as in Nicholas Flamel? The Philosopher's Stone?"
"His full name is… wait, how did you know?"
"Can't believe how stupid I am not to… oh, how did I know? My dad told me about him when I was little, but I thought it was just a story. He was always so good at telling them, so I… ugh. Well, now we know don't we?" Harry nodded, and then proceeded to pout softly. "Well, that's all we know, really. I mean, we think that's what Fluffy's guarding, but that's all."
"Pity," Gabriel agreed, "but if that's all we have to go on, that's all. Say, don't you have a match to worry about? And with Snape as the referee, too!"
"Hey!" Harry exclaimed, "Don't remind me!"
Gabriel grinned. "I'll do it every day – if you don't cheer up!" He laughed and ran off, Harry trailing behind him.
.oOo.
As the deciding match for the Cup drew near, Harry withdrew deeper and deeper into himself; but he still managed to keep up a carefree façade for his classmates. Ron, Hermione, Aria, and Gabriel saw through it, of course.
They were alone the night before the game in the Gryffindor common room, playing Wizard's chess. He'd had his father send Harry a proper chess set to replace Seamus', which he'd been borrowing since before Christmas (though he was kind of jealous, since it was giving Harry better advice than his own pieces which he'd had since he was six). And so they were sitting with the score tied, on their last game, and currently Gabriel was winning.
"Send me to that shiny rook!" His remaining knight shouted, "Let me show 'im what us veterans are made of!" Gabriel chuckled, and decided to humor the knight. After all, Harry only had his queen, two rooks, and four pawns at his disposal. There were better moves, but it wasn't like he was going to have his king checked next turn.
The Phantom Hourglass sat next to him on the couch, concealed in a velvet drawstring duffel bag, the sand inside shifting a little as he moved.
He simply liked to have it next to him when he could.
For some strange reason he felt safer that way. He fingered the hourglass imprint on his hand as he waited for Harry to make his next move; Gabriel guessed the mark was what branded him as the Hourglass's keeper.
"How do you really feel about tomorrow?" Gabriel asked, leaning back into the couch as he attempted to make conversation. Harry hadn't said much since he asked for a few games to 'help lighten his mood' save for the commands he gave to his pieces. Harry sighed, sending his remaining rook to confront Gabriel's second-to-last pawn.
"Scared stiff," he mumbled, knowing that – alone – he wasn't going to fool Gabriel with a few smiles and a nod.
"Knight to D-3," Gabriel said smoothly, his next move already forming in his head. He folded his arms and gave Harry one of those looks. "Seriously, Harry? Simply because Snape's the referee? He saved your arse from falling thousands of feet at your first match, or, well, he tried – his choice of counter curse apparently wasn't a strong one – but at least he wasn't the one cursing you!" Harry seemed confused.
"And how would you know that?"
Gabriel blinked, then glanced at the fire. "His expression didn't seem to scream "killer" to me Harry. And… I guess I just sort of felt it, you know, inside." He tapped at his heart. His gaze flicked toward the locket his mother had given Harry. "Try listening to that tonight. Might help clam your nerves a lot better than this."
Gabriel studied the board, since Harry had moved. "Queen to G-2." He chuckled. "Check. See what I mean?" He flashed a grin, and Harry actually returned it, before looking down at the board and scowling.
"King to E-1," he mumbled, realizing this was his final move.
Again, Gabriel chuckled. "Rook to E-1. Checkmate. Sorry Harry, got you there. But you know; you're an awfully better Quidditch player than a Chess player. Not that you completely suck at this, though." He nodded to Harry.
"Remember, once you get on that broom, let what's going to happen, happen. It's not like your life depends on this one game."
Harry nodded, picked up his pieces, and trudged up the stairs to get some rest. Gabriel did the same, folding up the board, and grabbed the Hourglass with it as well. Once upstairs, he set his things in his trunk, and climbed into bed. Just as he was about to fall asleep, though, a thought occurred to him.
Maybe Harry's life didn't depend on this game, but something else entirely…
.oOo.
Gabriel sat, watching the game, the Phantom Hourglass sitting between his legs. He couldn't help but not take it with him everywhere he went, every time he tried to leave it in his trunk he would always get this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and he'd barely be able to pay any attention in his classes.
Except Potions. He was always able to focus there for some reason.
Ron and Hermione were sitting a ways away a seat below him, and Aria was practically cheering at the rail of their tier. So Gabriel sat alone: until someone decided to sit next to him. The presence was familiar, and Gabriel realized that he didn't even need to look over to know who it was. How bizarre. But, for normalcy's sake he did so.
It was indeed Draco.
The blond was quiet and stoic as he watched, a half smile playing a little at the corner of his lips as Snape called a fowl on one of the daring Slytherin beaters. Gabriel snickered. "What, just because he's the referee they think they can get away with anything?" He chuckled quietly.
"Apparently so," Draco replied easily, and then quieted again.
The two boys remained that way for some time before Draco finally said, "Thank you for before, Gabriel. I talked to my father."
Gabriel leaned back and looked at the blond carefully. "Really? How did it go?" Draco's face pinched a little, but he seemed fine otherwise. "He's not going to stop paying their families, but… Crabbe and Goyle won't be following me around anymore. It's better than before, I suppose."
Gabriel nodded and turned to the game again. He thought for a moment if he wanted to ask the question that had been bothering him since they'd last spoken, and he decided to go for it.
"Draco, are we… friends?"
Beside him, Draco blinked, then rubbed his chin. He thought for a moment, and then shook his head even though Gabriel couldn't see him.
"I don't think so. But I do trust you. Sort of."
Gabriel nodded. "I thought so." And things were quiet until Harry made a rather sharp turn upward, speeding toward something small and shiny.
"The Snitch?" Draco asked curiously.
Gabriel shrugged, and kept watching intently. The Slytherin Seeker noticed Harry and began following him, but too little too late. Harry began a rather risky swan dive towards the ground; barely missing Snape by a few inches, until finally he managed to pull up a foot above the ground, Snitch in hand.
Draco chuckled quietly as he stood up to leave. Gabriel turned towards him, standing also. "Hmm. That was fast. Tell Harry that I said, 'good game,' all right?" Then he did something rather out of character.
Draco flashed him a smile, and he winked.
"You have to admit that was an awesome play. I think next year I'll try out for the team." Gabriel nodded, somewhat taken aback, but he recovered quickly. "I want to try out next year too. Back-up Seeker maybe. Or Keeper. I don't think I could ever be a Chaser." Draco laughed. "Hope you get it. See you around, Silverwings. And don't forget to let him know what I said!"
Then he walked off, leaving Gabriel a little perplexed, but not stunned like before.
Maybe he did have an effect on the other boy after all.
.oOo.
"What do you mean, Quirrell might not be the one who wants the stone?"
Gabriel seemed almost offended, as if Harry were insulting the truth. He was absolutely sure Quirrell was the one! He had cast the curse on Harry, and he had been the first to go down the third floor hallway as they were leaving! He couldn't ever remember feeling so steamed.
"But you weren't there, Gabriel. I heard Snape ask Quirrell if he'd figured out how to get past Fluffy! Are you sure that they're not working together, Gabriel?" Gabriel huffed. "Well, neither Ron or Hermione were there, were they? Or my sister?"
Harry sighed, shaking his head. "You'll just have to take my word for it."
Gabriel folded his arms. "I thought, well… ahh!" He curled a fist and swiped through the air angrily. The two boys stood by the left side of the sweeping grand staircase, near the entrance to the dungeons. Gabriel paused, staring at the floor for a moment. "But… you're sure you heard right?"
Harry nodded. Gabriel scoffed. Run, a voice whispered to him softly, you know what to do. Turn the Hourglass. Hmm. Maybe he'd do just that.
"Fine." He spat softly, "Believe what you like. I thought you'd trust my word better than that." Then he turned off and ran for the dungeons. Harry gasped quietly and stood there a moment before starting after him.
Gabriel stopped just as the reached the door to Snape's office. He took the Hourglass out of its satchel and looked over it a moment before grasping two of the small columns.
I want to go back in time, as far as you'll allow it.
Harry stopped at the edge of the hallway where he spotted Gabriel. "Gabriel, wait!" Gabriel turned the Hourglass. Harry was already running to Gabriel and Gabriel was turning around to meet him, a stunned look on his face. Harry couldn't stop in time and collided with Gabriel as the Hourglass flew from his hands, clattering to the ground on one of its circular bottoms, sand side up.
They lay there, Gabriel underneath Harry, both boys breathing hard. Gabriel's senses were ignoring Harry for the moment, attuned peculiarly to the air around them. Something was different.
"Wait, did you hear that?" It was Snape's voice, from behind his office door.
Gabriel gasped, finally able to gather his wits. "Harry, we need to move, now!" he hissed. Harry got off quickly, and Gabriel snatched the Hourglass as he dragged them around the corner as fast as he possibly could. He was just in time, too, seeing as the door opened just as they rounded the corner.
"Hmm… I could have sworn…" "Severus? You're not stalling, are you?"
"That's–!" "–Dumbledore, I know. What just…?" He glanced down at the Hourglass, and then held it up to watch the sand fall. "Oh… blast."
"What is that?" Harry asked, their previous tiff forgotten. Gabriel was about to answer, but Snape's answer to Dumbledore's question brought him back to his mission. "I'll tell you later. Come on, I want to know why Dumbledore's in Snape's office."
And not the other way around…
The door was open just a crack, enough so that the two could stand there and, ahem… listen in on the conversation going on within. Dumbledore was sitting on a chair against the wall; Snape was standing, facing the Headmaster, his back to the door.
"Professor Quirrell is being carefully monitored, is he not?" Dumbledore asked politely. Snape nodded, beginning to pace. "Yes, he is. I'm trying, but he's a rather slippery devil. Why can't he just–"
Dumbledore held up a hand. "I understand your impatience, Severus. On another note, how are you for today's match? You'll be fair, I trust?" Harry frowned. "Today's match? But… that's already happened." Gabriel nudged him with his elbow. "Shh. Quiet…" Harry nodded.
"Yes, yes, I'll be fair. But, wait! Albus! Don't change the subject!"
Dumbledore held up his hand again. "Things will happen all in good time. For now, I know that you will protect the stone with your life, just as you protected Harry from Quirrell's curse." He smiled, and then his gaze flickered towards the direction of the door. He met Gabriel's eyes, and Gabriel stilled. "Harry, back to the hallway…" he whispered quietly.
Harry nodded and Gabriel stayed a moment more.
"I think you should be getting to the field house now, Severus. There's so much to be done for a game… you might want to apparate there, since we're short on time." Gabriel chose that moment to walk away from the door, Harry peeking around the corner curiously.
The door opened and Harry jumped, running for Gabriel, only to stop behind him as Dumbledore exited and closed the door quietly.
"Hello, Gabriel. Harry." Dumbledore nodded to both as he addressed them.
It was quiet for a moment before Gabriel looked down at the Hourglass in his hands, ashamed.
"I'm sorry, Headmaster. I… was using it to prove a point… and out of anger, too. I didn't know what would happen, really." Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I know. I suppose you didn't know that should someone come in contact with you when it activated, they would come with you?"
Gabriel looked up and shook his head quickly. "No sir, I swear…" He looked back at Harry, who was still behind him.
He stopped for a moment, then asked quietly, "How did you know about the Phantom Hourglass, sir?" Dumbledore chuckled. "Your father wrote to me, saying something similar to a letter he wrote to you. The Hourglass had left your mother's possession and he assumed it had gone to look for you. I was wondering when you might try to use it."
Gabriel, feeling a little bolder, decided to chance another question.
"Do you know what it is, Headmaster? I mean; I know it's name, but that's pretty much all that I know. I'm afraid that my mother won't tell me anything about it…" Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I can understand that. Adamant, your mother is. But a little overprotective. Still, one cannot blame her.
"Well, once, that hourglass was famous for its ability to stop time for hours, but over the years the sand began to disappear, until only a single hour was left. Something happened a while back, rather recently, I must add, that caused half an hour to escape and scatter all over London… and part of Hogwarts as well if I'm not mistaken. All that's left is that solitary half hour I'm afraid. And, not only did the sand within it begin to disappear, so did its popularity."
Gabriel tilted his head. "But that's… a bad thing?"
Dumbledore chuckled that same, knowing chuckle. "It depends on how you look at it. Now, if people knew about it, many would kill you for it. But, now, when no one knows about it, it's killing you not to have it near, am I correct?"
Gabriel blinked, surprised. "Yes sir…" he paused, studying the ground. Then he began again, slowly, "So… it's a double-edged sword, then?"
Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid it is. But given the current circumstances, it's imperative that it be kept a secret. You may tell anyone you like about it, of course, just so long as it's to those you trust." He winked. "Now, I'm afraid there's a Quidditch match I must attend to. I wish you a wonderful evening to you both."
And then he exited the dungeons, the two of them standing there, baffled.
"So…" Harry began, breaking the awkward silence; "you've had that since Christmas?"
"Since you took me to the Mirror of Erised, actually. My reflection put it in my trunk and I've had it ever since. I've been so afraid to tell anyone, and I guess it's good to know why." A little bit of it anyway. There are still so many questions that I have!
Harry nodded, and then frowned. "You're… angry with me?"
Harry shook his head. "Not at you. Myself. I'm sorry to have doubted you. After listening to their conversation I guess you were right about Quirrell. He's the one who's after the Stone. I'm just glad I didn't tell Ron or Hermione about what I heard. Speaking of that, what's the time?"
Gabriel held up the Hourglass. Only a bit of sand was left. "We should held to the common room now. They'll be surprised to see how we got back so quickly, right?" He flashed a smile. Harry nodded, then put a finger to his chin.
"Do you want to tell them? About the Hourglass?" Gabriel frowned. "I don't know. Not yet." Harry nodded again. "All right then. I won't tell them until you want to." Gabriel smiled. "Thank you, Harry. You're a good friend."
Harry laughed, the two of them starting off as Gabriel put the Hourglass away.
Another chapter! Whoo! But… what naughty boys! Eavesdropping on teachers! :D
I'm exploring bits of things the Hourglass could do. After all, there's got to be more than just turning back and stopping time, no? After all, this is a powerful artifact that a great villain wants revenge on! There must be something more to it, no? :) That's what I think anyway.
