Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognizable belongs to J K Rowling.
This is a long one, enjoy.
Chapter eleven – deceit
The sun was beginning to set over the grey lake by the time the Beauxbaton carriage finally came crashing back down to solid earth, the mountains casting shadows over the looming grounds of Hogwarts.
The three teens got up from their seats and made their way into the entrance room, where the rest of the Beauxbaton students had congregated.
"We will be dining in ze Great hall tonight" the bellowing voice of Madame Maxime called out.
The students hastily filed out into the quickly darkening grounds and headed towards the castle, a sense of disdain and unease increasing with every step that Harry took.
Just as he stepped into the entrance hall, a figure came flying towards him, thrusting their arms around him.
"Harry I've missed you" Hermione cried out, sending Harry flying back several paces before regaining his composure.
"Jheeze Hermione, I've missed you too but there's no need to smother me"
"Oh I'm sorry, I was just a little excited" she said, retracting her arms in embarrassment, taking a step back.
"Its fine" Harry laughed, straightening out his ruffled robes and collar.
"I tried to find you on the last day of term, but you were nowhere to be seen. Where did you go?" she asked impatiently.
"I went to France with Gabrielle, you?"
"Bulgaria with Viktor" she whispered back, a large shy smile taking over her face.
"Good for you, but perhaps we should get going, I think we've been left behind" he replied, looking around at the now vacant hall around them.
They walked towards the Great hall together, the usual bustle of the hall seeming somewhat louder to Harry after spending so much time in the quiet sanctuary in France. As they entered, he caught sight of Gabrielle at the Ravenclaw table next to her sister, his heart still skipping at the sight of her as if it was his first time seeing her.
As he moved towards his seat, a look of displeasure contorted his face as he caught sight of his headmaster at the helm of the staff table, sitting comfortably in his throne like chair. As Harry gazed scornfully at him, the piercing blue eyes of his headmaster locked with his own over his half-moon spectacles before a sinister smile plastered over the old man's face.
As Harry and Hermione took their seats, they noticed that Ron was looking down the table at them, a look of sorrow and guilt on his face. Before they could think anything of it, Dumbledore made his way towards his golden lectern, a sparkling golden metal owl spreading its wings as he neared, candles burning brightly at each side.
"Now that we are all seated, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all back to Hogwarts. Now, as many of you are surely aware, there was an incident that took place here over the holidays. I would like to assure everybody that the threat has been dealt with and that measures have been put in place to protect and prevent against such things happening again. Alas, the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything" Dumbledore bellowed solemnly to the hall of now silent student.
"After a short rest and recuperation, it pleases me to present...the real Alastor Moody, who has kindly consented to take the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts" he said more cheerfully, motioning to the scarred form of Mad-eye, gaining only a few brief claps and a disgruntled look from the man himself.
"With that said, may the feast begin"
As the words left his mouth, the tables become instantly laden with food and drink, deep bowls, trays and cauldrons filled to the brim with hundreds of different varieties of foods and drinks.
Although Harry now found his usual old foods somewhat lacklustre and tasteless due to his recent exposure to fine French cuisine, he piled his plate high, knowing that he must keep his strength up for his training with Istronov.
As he chewed on his food, Hermione noticed the look of displeasure on his face.
"What's wrong Harry is there something wrong with your food?"
"You could say that, it's awful"
"well I'm for one glad I'm back, Bulgaria is a lovely place but I cant such much for their food, this is heaven" she proclaimed before stuffing a Yorkshire pudding in her mouth, her eyes closing in satisfaction.
"Wish I could say the same" he replied, shovelling what looked to him like lumps of slob into his mouth before guzzling down a goblet of pumpkin juice to try and take the taste away.
As he swallowed the liquid, his head began to swim slightly, a feeling of comfort overwhelming him, a smile finally gracing his face.
"I take it the drinks aren't so good over in France" Hermione laughed at the smile on his face.
"Well I wouldn't really know, all we drank was wine and water" he admitted before taking another large gulp.
"Steady on or you'll drown" Hermione joked.
"Sorry, it's just really nice. It taste different for some reason"
As he placed the golden goblet back on the table, he could sense that he was being watched. He peered over his shoulders before seeing who it was. Dumbledore was gazing intently at him, a menacing grin that Harry had never seen before on his face.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked at the troubled look on her friends face.
"Harry" she called when she got no answer, finally snapping him out of his daze.
"Sorry it's nothing, I think I'm going to head off, I'll meet you in the common room ok" he replied before standing up and walking away from the table, taking a final gulp of pumpkin juice.
Hermione watched as he walked from the Gryffindor table towards the Ravenclaws, coming to a stop behind Gabrielle. After a few short words in her ear, he stuffed several pieces of food from their table into his pockets and kissed her lightly on the side of the head before wandering out of the hall, Gabrielle looking at him longingly as he left.
'They are so good for each other' Hermione thought as he kissed her. As she looked around to see if anybody was watching, she noticed that the only person taking an interest was her Headmaster, who had a look of disgust covering his face.
After finishing her food, Hermione paced out of the hall and up to the Gryffindor tower, hoping to find Harry and to talk with him about his holiday.
When she entered through the portrait door, she noticed that the common room had become very busy, everybody talking animatedly with one another about what they had done in their break.
As she scanned the room, her eyes found who she was looking for. In the far corner by the old stained glass windows was Harry, sitting silently and alone in a small leather chair.
She shuffled her way through the noisy crowd towards her best friend, plonking down in a seat next to him. Harry's eyes twitched at the new arrival, but he didn't say anything, he was still pondering on the looks his headmaster was giving him, his smile running through his mind like a train.
"Its Dumbledore isn't it?" she asked after a few moments of silence.
"What?" Harry replied, paying little attention.
"The reason you left, it's something to do with Dumbledore, what's going on?" she asked more insistently.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it"
"Well at least tell me what you got up to in your holidays"
Harry sighed and finally turned to face his friend.
"Fine" he replied exasperatedly.
For the next hour, the two spoke of their time away, Hermione continuously cutting Harry off to comment on things that she had done.
'She really does never change' he thought thankfully, laughing at her incessant jabbering.
"What?" she asked, her rambling finally cutting off by the laughter of her friend.
"Nothing, nothing...Istronov would have a field day with you"
"Who?"
"Oh, he's a Veelan guard, he's been helping me to train, he's just not one for much...chatting" Harry explained.
"You've been training?" Hermione asked in a whisper, leaning closer to Harry.
"Yea why?"
"What has he been teaching you?" she asked impatiently.
"Why? Worried I might be better than you now?" he jeered, gaining a slap on the arm and a scolding look.
"Of course not" she lied.
"I'm just interested, tell me about it" she insisted.
Harry sighed before plunging into the information of his training schedule with his new mentor. Hermione's mouth was open in awe and jealousy of the new abilities that Harry had mastered in only a few days.
Although she was captivated by his retelling of his time spent training, she couldn't help but notice his concentration wavering every so often. As his told his story, he found that an extremely pretty girl across the common room would often look his way, batting her eyelids at him whenever their eyes met.
At his strange pauses, Hermione peered over her left shoulder following the direction of his gaze, wondering what it was that was causing his lapses in concentration.
"What are you looking at?" she asked, breaking him out of his stupor.
"Nothing, where was I?"
"You're going to continue training here" she reminded.
"Oh yea, well erm...Istronov came along with us, he's guarding the carriage and he's going to train me until the third task so I'm well prepared" he finished.
"Sounds like a good idea, especially considering who you're up against, they all have years more experience than you" she stated.
"Well thanks for the vote of confidence"
"You know I believe in you, it's just..." she trailed off before Harry once again zoned out and begun staring behind her.
"Oh for god sake Harry, what are you looking at, am I that boring?" she asked in a hurt tone.
"No of course not it's just..."
"Just what" she bellowed.
"Who is that? I don't think I've ever seen her before, is she new?" he asked, motioning towards the girl across the room from him, totally oblivious to the look of annoyance on his friend face.
Hermione once again looked over her left shoulder towards the girl on the opposite side of the room.
"That's..."
"Romilda Vane" a voice finished from their right side.
They both snapped their heads around at the sound of the voice, surprised to see the person standing before them, Ron Weasley.
"Hey" Ron said nervously.
"What do you want?" Harry asked with displeasure.
"I just wanted to apologize for what I said and did before, I was out of order"
"You really think an apology means anything from you" Hermione chimed in.
"Oh c'mon, you know I was just in a mood and didn't mean any of it, beside, you did attack my sister"
"The little bitch deserved it" Harry retorted.
"Don't talk about my sister like that; she's been taken out of school by mum because of you"
"Good, now the stupid little idiot can't attack people for no reason"
"I said...don't talk about my sister like that" Ron shouted, his face turning red, his Weasley temper beginning to rise.
"Or what, she deserved what she got, and you're going to have to do a lot more than apologize before ill even consider forgiving you, you treated both of us like scum"
Ron's fists had begun to clench, his eyes narrowing and his rage spitting.
"Fine, have it your way" he bellowed before storming off.
"What a total arse" Hermione stated as Ron Rushed across the room and stomped upstairs to his dorm.
"Forget about him, besides you're not the one who has to share a dorm with him. Now, tell me about that girl"
"Romilda Vane, I don't know much about her other than she's a third year"
Romilda was a pretty girl around the same height as Harry; she had soft olive skin and long curly black hair, accentuated by her large hazel eyes and bright smile.
"She's gorgeous" Harry replied, gazing at the girl.
"Oi" Hermione droned, once again slapping him.
"What?"
"Are you forgetting about Gabrielle?" Hermione scolded.
"Of course not, it's just she's...wow" he drooled, staring wildly at the girl still sending him brief smiles, fluttering her eyelashes.
"HARRY" Hermione shouted, finally bringing him back to his senses.
"Fine, I'm going to bed" he finished before getting up and walking to his dorm, looking over his shoulder one last time at Romilda.
When he entered his dorm, it was to the sight of a livid looking Ron, who quickly thrust himself around in his covers to look away from his old friend.
Harry quickly removed his clothes and slipped into bed, falling asleep as soon as his eyes closed shut.
After only a few hours or sleep, Harry begun to toss and turn in his sheets, sweat clinging to his face and body.
He was once again in a dark hallway he had seen so many times before, where he could hear voices from above. He began taking slow steps up the stairs, mentally thanking the thick layers of dust for muffling his footsteps.
As he reached the top, the voices once again called out from a door that had been pushed ajar. As he neared the door, a high cold voice echoed through the decrepit house.
"He failed me Wormtail; all our plans have been ruined. If they had not killed him I would have done it myself"
"Yes my lord, I'm sorry my lord" a whimpering voice replied.
Harry moved closer to the door, finally able to see inside. The whimpering voice was coming from a man that Harry detested, the cowering form of Peter Pettigrew, who was directing his focus towards an old studded chair.
"It is a shame, that our little friend here could not be of more use" the cold voice shrieked.
"What shall I do with him my lord?"
"Bring him to me, I will finish him" the cold voice from the chair replied.
Wormtail hastily ran off before dragging a barely conscious figure through the door. Harry stood trembling as the form become more visible to him, the form of Ron.
Before he had a chance to react, the cold voice called out again.
"Let's see how our dear Harry does without his best friend" it laughed before a blinding green light filled the room.
"Avada Kedavra"
Harry woke with a start, flinging himself into a sitting position, his heart beating frantically and his chin dripping with sweat.
'What the hell was that' he thought to himself worriedly.
He hauled himself out of bed and walked hastily over to Ron's bed, pulling back the curtains around it to check on him. Ron was fast asleep, snoring heavily making Harry relax, exhaling deeply as his fears left him.
Unwilling to go back to sleep, he quickly pulled on his robes and left the dorm and common room, heading down the moving staircases away from the tower. He made to leave the castle and go to the Beauxbaton carriage, but something in his mind made him halt, deciding against the idea.
Harry didn't know why he wanted to avoid going to Gabrielle, he knew she would comfort him but for some unknown reason, he felt it wasn't what he wanted. He decided instead to head to the upmost tower of the castle and after a long exhausting walk, he found himself at the door to the astronomy tower.
This was a place that Harry felt comfortable and safe, somewhere he often came to clear his mind of troublesome thoughts, somewhere he knew at this early hour would be empty, or so he thought.
As he pushed the door open, he was greeted by the sight of something he had least expected. Sitting cross legged at the edge of the tower was Istronov, looking out over the lake and mountains, the moon still beaming high in the sky, caressing the earth with its rays of light.
"What brings you here at this hour boy" Istronov called without even looking at the new addition to the room.
"How did you..."
"Know that it was you?" Istronov interjected before Harry could finish.
"Yea"
"I'd be a pretty poor guard if I didn't know where you were wouldn't I"
"I suppose so" Harry replied, impressed at his mentor.
"I hope you didn't come to throw yourself off the tower, I'd hate to of wasted my time on you"
"Of course not, I just needed to clear my head...wait, how did you get up here anyway? I didn't think you would be allowed in the castle" Harry asked, finally realising the strangeness of the peculiar sight before him.
"I'm not, so I apparated up here"
"That's impossible, nobody can apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, there's spells in place to prevent it" Harry stated, looking shocked at his mentor.
"Use your head boy, I'm a full blooded Veela, you really think those poxy jinxes can stop me. That old oaf Dumbledore couldn't possibly comprehend what we are capable of, he's too proud to think someone can do something he can't"
"Teach me" Harry burst out before he could stop himself.
"Did you not listen to a thing I just said, you can't apparate here you're not a Veela"
"Then let's go somewhere else, it will be hours before anyone is awake, and you know I'm a quick learner" Harry replied keenly.
"Even if we went somewhere else, you have to be 17 to get your license, it's against the law here to apparate underage" Istronov advised.
"I don't really care"
Istronov finally swung around to look at Harry, a look of surprise on his face.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you boy" he smirked.
"Is that a yes?" Harry asked excitedly.
"Why not, it's not me who will get in trouble. Meet me at the Beauxbaton carriage in 3 minutes" Istronov finished before vanishing with a loud pop that echoed around the grounds.
Harry raced down the spiralling staircase and dizzily bolted out of the castle, bumping into several doors and pillars in the process before finally making it out into the ground and to the carriage where Istronov was waiting.
They started walking and didn't stop until 30 minutes later when they came to a large open piece of ground. Harry stood silently, waiting to be told what to do, however Istronov simply walked around and used his wand to scorch circles into the grass in random positions.
When he finally returned to Harry, he taught him the correct way in which to apparate, stating that he must be able to transport to each of the scorched circles to be capable of travelling further.
"That's impossible, how the hell am I supposed to learn that in a few hours" Harry moaned.
"Fine, let's go back" Istronov retorted, beginning to walk back to the castle.
"No stop, fine ill do it, but it better not hurt"
"Stop being such a pansy, the worst you'll do is splinch yourself" Istronov stated flatly.
"What the hell is splinching?" Harry asked, now worried at the monumental task ahead of him.
"Well, if you get it wrong, you might lose a body part that all"
"THAT'S ALL?" Harry shouted.
"Well yea, if you want everything intact, best you get it right" Istronov replied uncomfortingly.
It was 7:30 when they finally re-emerged into the Hogwarts ground, with Harry dripping blood from several parts of his body, holding a crimson coloured cloth to a wound on his head.
"I'm going to slaughter you someday" Harry moaned, glaring at his mentor.
"What did I tell you about bruises?"
"That every bruise is a lesson"
"Exactly, and this lesson made you better"
Harry wanted nothing more to argue back, but he couldn't help but agree with his mentor, despite multiple failures and several wounds he had managed to apparate successfully several times.
'I wonder if I can apparate inside the grounds' he pondered as they reached the carriage.
"Going to wait for Miss Delacour?" Istronov asked.
"No, I better get going, I have lessons soon and I'm starving"
"Very well"
"Thank you Istronov" Harry replied sincerely.
"No trouble, you did well" Istronov complemented.
Harry trudged across the grounds towards the Great hall with a feeling of pride and satisfaction swelling inside him. As he reached the doors to the hall a soft voice called out to him.
"Hey Harry"
When he turned around, it was to the smiling face of Romilda. He didn't know why, but he got butterflies in his stomach as he stood nervously before her.
"Hey Romilda"
"Are you now going for breakfast?"
"Err...yea why?" He asked at the strange question.
"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked sweetly.
"Oh uhh...of course not" He replied, unable to take his eyes off her as they walked into the hall and sat down together.
For the next 30 minutes the pair sat talking, with Harry hanging onto every word she spoke. Despite his hunger, he didn't touch a single piece of food on his plate, instead taking to looking intently at the raven haired girl, unable to understand the attraction his felt towards her.
He poured himself a drink before continuing to talk, taking large gulps from his goblet before he heard the doors opening. On instinct, he snapped his head around to see Gabrielle walking in, the innocent smile in her face dropping as she caught sight of Harry with another girl.
"I better go" he said, seeing the disgruntled look on his girlfriends face.
"Oh ok, I'll see you later?"
"I'd like that" he replied, still unsure of his new feeling towards a girl he had just met.
Harry walked out of the hall, not sparing a single glance for Gabrielle as he passed her. He headed towards his first lesson of the day, double Defence Against the Dark Arts, a lesson many were optimistic about due to the recent incident involving Professor Moody.
Harry knew that if the real Moody was anything like the imposter, then this would be a long and uncomfortably painful lesson.
As the gossiping students filed into the classroom and sat down, a loud tapping was heard behind them, when they turned around it was to the sight of the scarred professor blocking the light from the door.
"Grab your things, were outside today" he droned before turning and clunking away down the corridors.
After quickly grabbing their belongings, the class hurried out into the sweltering heat of the day near the grey lake where what looked like an obstacle course had been set out.
"Right, you already know who I am but I want to know more about you, so I've set out a little defensive course for you all to try to see what you're made of" Moody growled out.
"Now, as far as I'm aware, so far this year all you've really learnt is how kill or torture people, do any of you actually know any defensive spells?"
At once, Hermione's hand shot into the air, as was custom in most classes. Harry however kept his hand firmly down, the last thing he wanted to do was give away his new abilities.
"Very well, step forward, you can be first Miss?"
"Granger Sir, what exactly do I have to do?" she asked politely.
"It's simple" he bellowed to the whole class, his magical eyes zooming around observing each face before stopping on Harry, a smile slipping on his scarred ugly face.
"Before you are 10 magical manikins, you are to use a different spell on each one to overcome them, once you defeat one, you must move around the cones to the next. Do not be too overconfident though, these manikins will be firing spells back at you, and although they are only simple spells, I dare say if you don't deflect them you will be walking a little funny for a while" Moody explained before laughing at the looks of horror on the students faces.
"But Sir, we haven't learn to deflect spells yet" Hermione piped up, for once to the appreciation of the rest of the class.
"Then I suggest you dodge Miss Granger" he said quietly in a dangerous tone.
Hermione frightfully stepped into the course and began firing spells as quickly as she could at the attacking manikins, hoping if she was quick enough she would finish them before they could attack, however her hopes were dashed when each manikin spewed out spell after spell simultaneously.
Out of sheer luck and knowledge of spells she managed to get halfway through the course without being hit.
"Well this is easy, they aren't even hitting her" came a voice from within the anxious looking group of students.
Just as the words left their mouth, Hermione was struck in the chest by a spell, sending her flying backwards, slamming roughly into the hard floor.
As she stood, she began walking around uncontrollably, looking like a headless chicken. Fortunately for Hermione, she was one of few that listened in her charms classes and quickly reversed the spell.
"Next" Moody grunted to the line of students, all now trying to push their way to the back, hoping time would run out before they had to have their turn at humiliation.
"If she can't do it we have no chance, she's the best here and she only got half way" Seamus voiced worriedly. The class knew he was right, and it was soon proven.
Several students took to the course in quick fashion, each only making it to the first or second manikin before being struck.
"I can believe he's making us do this" Ron moaned, only 2 people now in front of him.
"It's only the Jelly legs jinx, it's not Mad-eyes fault none of you know how to block" Harry retorted confidently as another student jigged their way across the grounds, trying to head to the infirmary.
"If you're so good, why don't you go next" Ron huffed.
"Alright" Harry replied confidently.
As Harry stepped forward and looked around, he noticed that Istronov had wondered over and was now spectating, his hand held to his head in embarrassment of how bad the students were.
'Great, that's all I need' Harry thought before he was finally beckoned to the course, Ron watching intently, hoping to see him fail.
"Okay Potter, let's see what you can do" Moody grunted chirpily, his mechanical eye spinning wildly in its socket.
Harry stepped inside the course, the first manikin instantly firing a spell. He quickly dodged the spell, missing his shoulder by inches before he fired back.
"Stupefy" he yelled, blasting the first manikin away before making his way to the next.
Before the next manikin had a chance of attacking, he once again wailed out, sending a bright blue wave of light towards it.
"Reducto" he yelled, blasting it into smithereens.
By the third manikin, he found himself in a trance like state, seeing nothing but enemies before him, something he had learnt to do while duelling Istronov to ensure his instinctual magic kicked in, something he had affectionately named tunnel vision.
The remaining students watched in awe as he sidestepped or blocked oncoming spells as if they were merely a play thing, raising his wand and obliterating the next 6 manikins.
As he continued to the final 2, he noticed that they were spread several feet apart but attacked at the same time, by now he had lost the grip on his senses and was working on pure adrenaline and instinct.
As the two manikins fired, he waved his wand in an upward motion, his whole body covered by a smoke like protective bubble. As the bubble dissolved he raised his hand, clenching it into a tight fist, the two targets before him began to shudder before exploding into thousands of pieces from the inside, leaving all watching his exploits wonderstruck and open mouthed, all but Istronov who simply grinned.
As Harry came back to his senses he realised how much of a mistake he had made, showing what he was capable of. He returned to his classmates, who all recoiled as he rejoined them, including the radish faced Ron.
"And that is how you do it, unfortunately as Mr Potter here went a little over the top, the rest of you won't get a turn" Moody grunted out to the collective sighs of relief of the class.
"That will do for today, but I suggest you research for some defensive spells, running away won't get you very far, now off you go"
The class picked up their belongings and quickly moved back towards the castle.
"Mr Potter, a word please"
Harry sighed and turned on the spot, he knew he wouldn't get away with it so easily but was happy to hope.
"Very impressive Potter, I must admit I didn't expect you to be so advanced, it seems strange though"
"What seems strange sir?" Harry replied politely.
"I've only ever seen one person move and fight like you just did, and it just so happens that he's currently watching us like a hawk" Mood droned, his mechanical eye flicking to the back of his head.
"He's been helping me train a little for the third task" Harry explained as convincingly as he could as he looked behind his teacher towards Istronov.
"Yes I can see that, and that not all I can see. I find it somewhat disconcerting that you are under a glamour charm and being trained by a Veela imperial guard, care to explain?"
Harry knew he was cornered; there was no way out of this. He looked over to Istronov pleadingly and then to his feet, trying to think of an excuse.
"I've err...been through a few changes and didn't want anyone to know" He said in a futile attempt to appease the scarred man.
"I'm sorry Potter, but if you don't tell me I'm going to have to go to Dumbledore" Moody grunted.
Much to Harry's relief, he could see Istronov hastily pacing towards him.
'Surely he will know what to do' he thought to himself hopefully.
"I can't really say Sir, but perhaps I could show you. But you would have to promise not to tell anyone" Harry pleaded.
"Very well whatever you say, I promise I won't tell anybody" Moody growled impatiently.
"Swear to it" came a gruff voice from their side.
"I beg your pardon"
"I said swear to it, make the unbreakable vow, I don't trust you" Istronov retorted.
"I really don't think that nessec..."
"Oh I do" Istronov interjected threateningly, pulling his wand from his cuff.
Reluctantly, Moody held out his arm, taking Harrys forearm in his hand. As Harry watched, Istronov pulled his wand up to their hands, creating a misty red band that wrapped around their arms like a snake.
"Do you, Alastor Moody, vow to keep what you hear and see here today a secret, to tell nobody, regardless of the situation?"
"I do" Moody grunted reluctantly.
"If we're going to do this, I want you to do it too Istronov" Harry insisted, looking pointedly at his mentor.
"What? Why me?" Istronov asked moodily.
"Because there are things about me even you don't know" he explained.
After repeating the same process, Harry asked his mentor to remove his glamour charm, which Istronov was unaware was even present.
The two men stood open mouthed at the boy before them, his frame now much bulkier and his shirt now tight against his pronounced muscles. His skin was almost glowing in the dazzling sunlight and his emerald eyes were adorned by silver flecks, glistening like gems.
"What are you?" Moody asked in an unbelieving voice, making Harry grin, having never seen him looking so speechless.
"You're the one, the one the prophecy speaks of. This explains why you have progressed so much so quickly" Istronov stated, his eyes widening is disbelief as he dropped onto one knee and bowed his head, his hand moving to his chest.
"So you're what...a Veela? Do you have any unusual powers?" Moody asked excitedly.
"I would have thought my demonstration a few minutes ago would have been an indication, but I honestly don't know what I'm capable of yet" he answered truthfully.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Istronov asked.
"Because I couldn't risk the Delacours knowing, they would have expected me to become some king or something, I'm a teenager, I don't want any of that now. Could you reapply the Glamour Please?"
"I understand, of course" Istronov replied sympathetically, knowing it must be hard to deal with so much at his age.
"I take it that's why your here then" Moody asked Istronov.
"Indeed, I was sent to protect Mr Potter and Miss Delacour"
After the Glamour charm was applied, Harry looked himself up and down before staring at the two men still gazing at him.
"If you've done questioning me, I want to get going"
Harry excused himself from the two astonished adults and headed back towards the castle, feeling a little relieved that he was able to get his secret out into the open, even if only to two people.
'Perhaps Istronov will take me a little more seriously now' he thought to himself. In his musings he accidently bumped into someone, making him stumble and the other person fall to the floor.
As he looked around his heart jumped in his chest, on the floor, books throw everywhere, was Romilda Vane.
Harry quickly jumped into action, helping her up, grabbing her books from the dusty stone floor.
"I'm so sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going"
"Its fine" she said sweetly, seeing who it was who had knocked her over.
"How can I make it up to you?"
"How about going for a walk?" she offered.
"Sure why not, I just need to get a drink quickly" he replied, rushing into the great hall and grabbing a large jug of pumpkin juice.
For the next hour, the two walked around the lake, with Harry sipping on his pumpkin juice while they got to know one another, talking about everything from Quidditch to Romilda's family. Harry didn't know why, but he felt strangely comfortable around her, something that was extremely unusual for him.
When they returned to the castle, the two headed for the great hall. As Harry went to join Hermione, Romilda grabbed at his arm and pulled him closer, kissing him gently on the cheek, making Harry blush profusely.
He smiled up at Romilda as she walked out of the hall towards the staircases. As Harry turned around to head to the table, he caught sight of Gabrielle looking at him from the Ravenclaw table, her face turning ghostly white and her expression one of betrayal.
Harry knew that it would be unwise to talk to her in the crowded hall so instead wondered over and sat next to Hermione, who was also giving him a scolding look. As he sat down, he saw Gabrielle rise from her seat and rush out of the hall, with Fleur chasing after her, sending Harry a scornful stare.
"What are you playing at? I thought you were with Gabrielle?" Hermione whispered.
"I am, it was just a peck on the cheek, we're just friends" he assured his fiery looking friend.
"Looks like more than that to me" she moaned.
"It's not honestly, can you just drop it"
Harry knew that he was nothing more than friends with Romilda, but he still couldn't help the sickening feeling in his stomach at seeing Gabrielle upset, or so he thought it was. Despite this, he was unable to fool himself from the feeling he felt for Romilda.
'Why do I feel like this towards her, I only just met her' he pondered, pushing his food around his plate, taking large swigs of drink from his golden goblet.
For the next two days, Harry spent every free moment he had in the company of Romilda, be it sitting quietly on the astronomy tower or walking around the grey lake. He silently thanked the fact that he had not been confronted by Gabrielle, but was quite surprised that he had not seen her at all since she ran out of the Great hall.
Harry could no longer deny the truth; he had become wildly infatuated with her, his mind wandering while he was in classes, picturing her wavy black hair and bright smile.
'How is this even possible, perhaps the prophecy was wrong after all, perhaps me and Gabrielle aren't bonded' he thought happily.
Although he was elated with his new found affections, he couldn't ignore the fact that he was feeling weak and tired all the time. He returned to his dorm early, putting his ill feelings down to lack of food.
Since returning to the school, he had barely eaten, at first due to the lack of love for the food available, and more recently due to the venomous glares he would receive from Fleur.
The next morning was cold and icy, the dark clouds shielding the earth from the sun's rays, the castle draped in darkness. Harry was in the Great hall, stuffing apple tart doused in cream down his throat, trying to replenish his strength, feeling more mentally and physically drained than ever before.
"You look terrible Harry" Hermione commented, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and his drowsy movements.
"I'm fine, I just didn't get much sleep" he lied.
He didn't know why, but with each passing day he was beginning to feel weaker and weaker, his usually keen concentration beginning to falter.
After washing down his food with a large goblet of pumpkin juice, the only beverage he now found satisfying, he stood up and walked lazily out of the hall, meeting Romilda outside.
"Are you ok? You look tired" she asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, a walk will wake me up" he assured her as they stepped out into the cold, dark grounds.
The lake had a thick layer of mist streaming across it, the wind howling loudly through the trembling trees and the frosty ground crunching with each step they took.
As they walked around the unwelcoming lake, Harry noticed that she was shivering, her teeth chattering loudly and her skinny arms covered in goose bumps. He quickly acted, taking his winter cloak off and wrapping it tightly around her before wrapping his hand around her own.
As they continued to walk, Harry could feel her hand shaking nervously as she manoeuvred it, locking her fingers around his, sending a burning feeling of pleasure through his body.
When they were finally in sight of the castle, she stopped walking and released his hand, leaving him a bit clueless as to what was going on, finding no pleasure in standing out in the sharp winds without his cloak.
"I've really enjoyed spending time with you Harry, I never thought someone like you would even take a second look at me" she said sweetly, flashing him a shy but dazzling smile.
"Me too, I think I'm pretty lucky to have someone like you" he admitted.
Before he could react he was engulfed in a hug, the feeling of her heartbeat close to his own warming him more than any fire could. She pulled back slightly, her arms still wrapped around his neck, looking deeply into his bright emerald eyes.
"I love you Harry" she whispered softly, leaving him standing a little awkwardly at that sudden proclamation.
Before he could say anything, she moved towards him, her eyes closing as her lips guided themselves to his own. Just before their lips met, a raging voice roared from behind them.
"OI"
The two pulled apart instantly at the sound, snapping their heads around to see the source.
"Oh shit" Harry muttered under his breath at the form of a ferocious looking Fleur stomping towards them.
"What do you want?" Romilda asked rudely as the frenzied Fleur reach them.
"I want you to go away little girl, now" Fleur said threateningly, pulling out her wand, a manic look in her eye.
Romilda's face was one of utter terror, her eyes opening wide in fear and her body beginning to shake.
"GO" Fleur shouted, making the hazel girl squeal and run away, racing across the frosty field so fast Harrys cloak fell from her shoulders, making it drift thought the windy sombre sky, looking like a Dementor.
"What the hell is all this about" Harry yelled.
"Here's a better question, what ze hell do you zink you're doing with her? Forgotten about Gabrielle have we?" Fleur retorted angrily.
"Of course not, it's not like we were doing anything wrong, were just friends" he lied.
"If you're going to lie to me, at least make it believable...or perhaps I'm mistaken, maybe she 'ad just fallen into ze lake and you were trying to give her mouth to mouth" she shrieked, raising her wand towards his face.
"Fine, I like her, so what, Gabrielle hasn't even been around the last few days, she pretty much ignoring me"
"Wow you really are an idiot aren't you, take a guess why you haven't seen her"
"How should I know, the last time is saw her was in the great hall when I was with Romilda, she's probably just jealous" Harry replied, his anger beginning to bubble inside him.
"She's in ze hospital wing you stupid moron" she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"What...why?" Harry replied, his anger instantly ebbing away.
"Because of you and zat stupid little girl, because of ze bond" she snapped.
"It can't be, we can't be bonded or I wouldn't feel like this for Romilda"
"I don't know why you feel zat way, but it's affecting ze both of you, the closer you get to Romilda the weaker you will both become"
"But I haven't been affected" he replied, confused at her words.
"Have you even seen yourself Harry, you look terrible. If you don't stop zis you will both die"
"I'm just tired that all. I'm sorry Fleur, but the heart wants what it wants, there's nothing I can do" he finished defiantly before walking off, leaving a tearful Fleur behind him.
The next morning Harry watched as his Dorm mates filed out of the room, leaving him alone still tucked tightly in his bed, deciding to spend the morning to gather his thought. After returning to the castle the evening before, he had skipped his evening meal wanting to get an early night, hoping to restore some energy to his fatigued body.
Despite missing his meal, he found that he in fact felt a lot better for it, although he had spent half the night awake, Fleurs words running endlessly through his mind.
By the time he had convinced himself that Fleur was wrong, it was past 10am and he had missed his first two classes. As he went to get out of bed, there was a gentle tap at his door.
"Come in" he instructed.
As the door opened, it revealed the smiling form of Romilda, someone he had totally forgotten about since returning to his dorm the night before.
"Oh hey, what's up?" he asked a little awkwardly, remembering the events of the last time he saw her.
"Nothing, but I didn't see you at breakfast and your friends said you were still in bed, so I thought I'd bring you something" she replied, holding up a small plate and a large jug.
"Oh...thanks" he replied as she walked over and sat on the side of his bed, dropping the plate onto his cabinet and pouring him a drink.
As he went to reach for the plate, Romilda began to lie next to him; her head resting on his shoulder, making him recoil slightly. He was confused at what he was feeling, for some reason, he now felt extremely uncomfortable with the situation before him.
"I err...think I better get up, there's something I need to do" he said uncomfortably, pulling away from the fawning girl, hauling himself up and quickly slipping on his clothes.
"Oh, okay then" she replied a little hurt, her expressions showing her unhappiness.
"I'm sorry, I'll meet you later ok" Harry declared, seeing the look on the raven haired girl's face, before leaving the dorm and heading to the ground floor.
After several minutes of walking, debating whether or not to go, Harry found himself at the doors to the infirmary. As he peered through the doors, he could see Gabrielle in a bed in the middle of the room, her sharp ragged breaths clearly visible from where he stood.
Steeling himself, he quietly entered, taking a seat by the side of her bed, still warm from a previous guest.
'Fleur must have been here all night' he thought sadly.
His mind was a wild concoction of feelings as he gazed at the peaky face before him. He cared deeply about Gabrielle and as time passed, was beginning to realise more and more the repercussions of his action. Despite this knowledge, it was like the back of his eyes were blackened, unable to see into his mind, unable to see past the face of Romilda.
'What is wrong with me' he thought tormentingly, trying to sift thought his mind and see clearly through the veil of confusion masking the truth.
The weather outside had begun to darken, thunder cracking loudly while rain whipped across the window like an outward manifestation of the storm raging within his mind.
"I'm sorry" he whispered, taking her cold lifeless hand and kissing it gently, her eyes beginning to dance under her lids at his words, her breathing beginning to calm.
Harry placed her hand back down softly onto the sheets before standing and striding out of the room, heading out of the castle into the pounding rain.
He trudged through the sodden boggy grounds, the rain pelting his tired body as he hung his head low, feeling more lost than he ever had before, knowing there was only one way to snap him out of the numbness he felt.
He was glad to see the man he was hoping to, sitting cross legged on the soggy wet floor, unaffected by the whipping rain as though it were simply a sunny day.
"Can we train" Harry asked glumly as he reached the figure of his mentor.
"About bloody time, I was starting to think you'd given up" Istronov responded.
"I need to clear my head and being away from the castle might help"
"Very well, let's go" Istronov finished before standing and wading through the mud and puddles towards the trees.
After several minutes of walking, they found themselves at the same spot Harry had learn to apparate, the large grassed area was encircled by tall trees, partly shielding them from the raging rains.
"You look a little pent up boy, perhaps we ought to work on attacking today. Those threes over there will do as targets, nobody will hear, they will think its thunder" Istronov suggested, pointing to the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing.
At Harrys agreeing nod, Istronov began listing off new attacks, describing what each done and how to perform the spell.
Within minutes, Harry was pounding away at the defenceless trees, sending shards of wood flying all around as he pulverised them with a range of new spells, the unrelenting rain dousing the flames created by his vicious attacks.
After four hours, Harry returned to the castle, a feeling of liberation and calm taking over him thanks to a brutal session of endless barrages of anger induced spells.
He was glad to find that his strength was beginning to return to him.
'Perhaps it's because I haven't been with Romilda' he thought, thinking about the bond as he stepped into the Gryffindor common room and marched up to his dorm.
He quickly slipped out of his drenched clothes, moving towards his cabined to grab a towel to dry himself. As he stepped forward, he noticed the plate and jug still sitting where it had been left. He grabbed the jug, glugging down the drink to quench his thirst.
As he swallowed the last drop and placed the jug back on the cabined, his mind began to swirl before one thing made its way to the forefront of his mind...Romilda Vane.
After a warm and satisfying shower, he quickly got dressed and made his way down to the Great hall, hoping to see the girl that had not left his mind for the last 30 minutes.
When he entered, his eyes were instantly attracted to her, her raven hair shining in the candlelight. He crossed over to her, out of her line of vision and whispered in her ear from behind.
"Evening beautiful" he said lovingly, wrapping his arms around her, making her jump at the sudden display of affection.
"Jheeze Harry, you made me jump" she said as she turned to see the beaming smile of the boy behind her.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked politely.
"Of course not" she said happily, glad to have him back with her.
Harry loaded his plate with food, but merely picked at bits and pieces, the taste still disagreeing with him. He washed his food down with a goblet of pumpkin juice, his eyes never leaving Romilda's face; he was utterly entranced by her, her beauty and radiance, her dazzling smile and her wit.
'She's the one, I know it' he though as he gazed into her hazel eyes.
"Let's go" he said flatly, taking her hand.
"Where? She asked, confused at his proposal.
"Common room, I don't know, anywhere but here, I want to be with you" he replied, grinning wildly.
She quickly understood what he meant, and jumped up from her seat, rushing out of the hall to the common room, still in the hand of Harry.
When the two entered, the room was deserted. They quickly plonked themselves down onto the studded leather sofa by the warming fire
"What brought this on?" she giggled.
"I realised what it is i want" he replied quietly, pulling her closer.
His hands raked through her thick black hair, his eyes looking longingly into hers, a serious look now on the faces of the two.
"Harry I..."
Before she could finish, he pulled her closer, their lips connecting and a fire erupting inside his chest.
Their eyes were shut tightly, both enjoying the moment they had been desperate for, but as Harry lost himself within her, he felt a sharp pain tear across his chest.
He pulled away from her, clutching at his ribs as the pain soared from his ribs towards his hands, his stomach beginning to cramp, making him double over to try and subdue the pain. His breathing had become laboured, taking large gasps as he grunted out in discomfort.
"What's wrong?" she asked in panic, her hand grabbing at his shoulders to try and help him up.
"Nothing, I'm just feeling a bit off" he lied, grunting out as the pain overwhelmed him.
For long minutes, he sat in a cradled position, trying to wait the pain out before it finally subsided.
"I think I need to get to bed" he said groggily, barely able to stand, his every muscle now aching and protesting his movements.
With the help of Romilda, he managed to get to climb the steps to his dorm, falling into his bed as soon as he reached it.
"Maybe I should get the nurse" Romilda said, heading towards the door.
"No I'm fine honestly, just...stay with me ok" he replied pleadingly.
At the yearning look in his eyes, Romilda caved in, slipping off her shoes and sliding into bed with him, stroking his head to try and calm his trembling body.
She moved in closer, kissing him softly on the cheek before burying her head into his chest, making him cry out in pain once more. Harry fought the savage pain with every ounce of strength he had left in his body but it was in vain, the searing agony took hold of him, overwhelming his feeble body, his eyes closing as he fell into a fever induced sleep.
The next morning, Hermione was in the Great hall for breakfast and noticed that Harry was once again not present.
'What's going on with him' she thought worriedly.
"Neville, where's Harry" she asked the round faced boy before her.
"He was still in bed when we came down; his curtains were drawn so we just left him"
She knew that something was wrong so decided to head up after breakfast and check on him. After finishing her food, she slogged her way back up to the Gryffindor common room, thanking the old rules allowing girls into boy's dormitories.
When she entered his doom, she found that Neville was right; Harry's curtains were still pulled around his bed, blocking him from view.
Hermione stepped forwards, pulling the curtains to the side to see a sight that shocked her to the core. Harry was twisted deeply into his thick red covers, his body thrashing wildly to try and escape the bonds holding him down. His eyes were twitching wildly under his eyelids while he grimaced, evidently in pain, his body drenched in thick sweat.
Hermione was horrified by the sight, at once racing to his side to try and wake him, but to no avail.
She debated with the idea of taking him to the hospital, but decided against it knowing the possible consequences. She knew that Gabrielle was in a similar state, and taking Harry would only raise questions and suspicions.
Although she was exceptionally skilled with spells, she knew very little that would help her best friend is his current state. As a last resort, she tore away part of his bed sheet, rushing into the toilet and dousing it in water before dabbing the thick sweat away from his forehead.
Hermione tried, but was unable to leave her forsaken frail friend, deciding instead to pull a chair to his side, tending to him throughout the day, rinsing the sweat from his beating body and trying to calm his pain induced thrashing.
After several hours, the softening sun was beginning to drop over the mountains, the room beginning to plunge into darkness. She took to lighting a few candles on his bedside cabinet, when the door swung open and somebody walked in.
"Bloody hell, what's wrong with him" Ron exclaimed from behind her, shocked at the sight of his old friend sweating profusely, grimacing at an invisible pain.
"I don't know, I found him like it"
Although Ron cared deeply about Harry, his pride wouldn't allow him to show it, deciding to walk away back to the common room, leaving Hermione alone with Harry once more.
She pulled the curtains around his bed, still sitting inside.
"Silencio" she whispered, casting a silencing charm around them.
She stayed awake by his side until the early hours of the morning, doing all she could to try and ease his troubled sleep. After several hours of comforting him, Harry finally began to relax, his rigid body beginning to loosen, his face unclenching into a small smile.
Hermione sighed as her best friend calmed before eyes, dropping tiredly into her chair, her eyes shutting of their own accord.
When morning came, the shimmering sunlight poured into the room, waking all inhabitants except two, still shielded by a thick curtain, their eyes jammed shut as they sleep soundly.
The group of boys got changed before making their way down for breakfast, all but one.
Ron noticed that Harry curtains were still drawn, and stepped over to check on his friend. As he pulled the curtains slightly ajar, he was met with a sweat covered but relaxed looking Harry, still fast asleep, with Hermione at his side, her head crooked on her shoulder and a damp cloth still in her grasps.
'Jheeze, it must have been bad for her to stay here instead of studying' he thought as he stepped inside the curtains, nervously releasing Hermione's grip on the cloth.
He dropped it into the jug of water as quietly as he could, stepping over her legs carefully, not wanting to wake her. As he pulled the cloth and rung it he moved to Harry side, gently wiping the sweat from his friends brow, trying to be the friend he knew he hadn't been for so long now.
'I'm sorry mate' he thought apologetically as he dropped the cloth on the cabinet and pulled the scattered covers back over Harry's body.
Seeing his friend in such a fragile state made him realise how petty his little arguments had been, regretting not keeping hold of his famous Weasley temper and simply reconciling with the two people he truthfully cared deeply about.
As Ron left he pulled the curtains back around the room, vowing to return later to check on his friend. As he pulled the curtains shut, Hermione's eyes flickered open at the noise.
She groggily straightened up in her chair, wiping the sleep from her eyes and checking over the now motionless body before her. As she checked him, she noticed the cloth was sitting on the cabinet, now soaking wet and the covers were now neatly pulled over Harry's body.
Hearing a noise behind her, she quickly peered out of the curtains to see Ron exiting the Dorm, a solemn look on his face as he glanced back at the curtains and his friend.
'Well that's a surprise' she thought happily, shocked at the turn of events.
She checked her watch to see that it was now 8am. She quickly tended to Harry as best she could before flattening her wild hair, matted by her shoulder while she was sleeping, and exited the Dorm, heading downstairs for breakfast.
20 minutes later, Hermione came bursting through the Dorm door, rushing to Harry's side, shaking him to try and wake him from his deep sleep.
As she did so, she noticed that there was now another jug full of an orange liquid, standing beside her jug of water.
'Pumpkin juice, but who brought that' she thought questioningly at the strange addition.
She turned her attention back to Harry whose eyes finally began to slowly open due to the violent shaking.
"Gabrielle" he whispered in a strained voice.
"No Harry it's me, Harry you need to get up" she cried frantically.
"Hermione? What's going on? Where am I?" he asked, his eyes flickering open and shut as he slipped in and out of consciousness.
"You're in your dorm, you've been asleep for a whole day, Harry please wake up, something terrible has happened" she shrieked.
He hauled his body up, pushing himself into a sitting position against his pillows. He tried to respond but his lips were dry and he could barely talk. Seeing this, she quickly poured his a drink from the jug on his cabinet, as she handed it to him he glugged it down in one, savouring the taste and refreshment it gave him.
"Harry you need to get up" she whaled.
As he sat there, one thought passed through his mind.
"Where's Romilda?"
"I don't know Harry but something awful has happened" she said more softly, a tear beginning to form in her eye.
"What?" he replied, still struggling to stay awake, his body weak and aching.
"Its Gabrielle, they said she started getting better but then..." she trailed off, tears now falling freely down her cheeks.
"But then what?" Harry barked out.
"She...she slipped into a coma Harry"
