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Chapter Fourteen: Of Raspberry Firewhisky and Dreams

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October melted into November and Harry found himself weaving through the crowd of students with Mandy's hand on his shoulder so she wouldn't lose him. They got to the teachers' stands and sat down next to one another, watching Madam Hooch test the Quidditch balls before the game started. It was common practise to test each ball ever since one was cursed to chase and throw Harry from his broom during a game.

The rest of October was just a blur of essays and quizzes. Harry had forgotten how much he hated writing essays, but grading them was an entirely different story. He had to give his more creative students credit. Especially one particular Hufflepuff who wrote that if faced with a mad wizard trying to hex you, you should just run away as fast as you can. Harry couldn't take away full points on that one, especially since this student couldn't cast Protego to save his life.

Other than marking essays, Harry had taken on the task of helping Rebecca learn Occlumency, figuring that was her best bet in order to keep someone out of her head. McGonagall wasn't fond of the idea, but Rebecca wouldn't let up on the Headmistress until full permission to teach Occlumency was given.

Harry wasn't the best at it, but he wouldn't try to invade her private thoughts like some other professors would, especially those with long greasy hair and yellow teeth ('You'd think he could come up with a potion that would turn his teeth white,' said Mandy once with a giggle. 'He looks a bit like Death under a warming spell.').

Sleep was a precious commodity that Harry could barely remember. The last time he'd slept for more than an hour straight... well, he couldn't remember when that was exactly. Once he'd been able to get Ginny out of his head, his dreams turned from her to the bizarre. He felt as if he was stuck in some sort of nightmare all the time and couldn't get out. Even when he was awake, things felt surreal, as if he wasn't really a part of the things around him. Everything swam in front of his eyes, and if he wasn't particularly gifted in Defence, he probably wouldn't have been able to do the spells right. He couldn't even cast Alohomora right, as evident by one of his first-years barging into his office, panicked because she'd got an A on her essay instead of an O.

The first Quidditch match was the first time Harry had felt any semblance of normalcy in a while. Quidditch was fun. It was intense. It was something that could fully distract Harry.

He'd had to talk Mandy into going with him. She wanted to keep the library open in case there were any students who decided to do homework instead of go to the game. In the end, she relented, cast a charm over all the books not to leave the library until she got back and could check them out to students properly, and joined Harry at the pitch.

Their friendship was something Harry was very grateful for. She was quiet, but she was intelligent, and while she never told any jokes, she could laugh freely. Harry wasn't ready for a relationship, but his friendship with Mandy was good. It was beyond good. It was great. Ron and Hermione were consumed with their jobs (and each other), but now that Harry was back in their lives, he knew that their trio could never be broken. Still, Hermione and Ron were far away from Hogwarts, and Mandy was very much close to him.

So, Mandy gave him an out. She made meals more enjoyable and he felt genuinely better about life, now that he had a friend to look forward to seeing every day. Even going to the Quidditch game was better, since he had someone to sit with.

'I never went to a game when I was a student,' said Mandy.

'What!' Harry was amazed. 'You didn't like Quidditch?'

Mandy shrugged. 'It was all right, I suppose. Seemed like a silly game, Quidditch.'

'Silly? It's right brutal. You understand the rules, then?'

'Yes. My older brother tried to get me to play with him when we were home from Hogwarts.'

'Was he in Ravenclaw as well?'

'No, he was a Hufflepuff.'

Harry was surprised. 'Really? What's he doing now?'

'He's an Auror.'

'Really?' Harry's interest peaked. 'That's what I wanted to do, but I didn't get into the program.'

Mandy nodded. 'Theodore Nott did, but no one else did.'

'What!'

The game started and Mandy and Harry had to talk over the cheers of the students. It was Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff – Ginny versus Stebbins, which Harry found strangely amusing.

'Yeah, McDougal took over the hiring of all the new Aurors, and all the applications were rejected except for Theo's.'

'Really?'

'What?'

'I said, really?' Harry called out.

Mandy leaned in closer to Harry. In his ear, she said, 'Yeah, or at least that's what my brother told me.'

'What?'

Mandy groaned. The cheers were too loud for Harry to hear her – and the announcer just boasted that Gryffindor had scored, making the match ten to twenty in favour of Hufflepuff.

'We'll talk after the game.'

'What?'

Harry practically yelled, 'We'll – talk – after – the game!'

Mandy nodded.

The game went quickly, and lasted no more than twenty minutes. Hufflepuff scored on Gryffindor ten more times before a flash of red zoomed by the teachers' stands and went after the Snitch. Apparently, Gryffindor was hurting since Ron left; their new Keeper was as bad as Ron had been the first few games in fifth year. The new Seeker, though, was fantastic. Harry had seen her practise with the rest of the team. She was a second-year and the little sister of Dennis and Colin. Her name was Cailin and she was fast and small and had a sharp eye. Harry fancied his house for the Quidditch Cup with Cailin Creevey on the team.

All the Gryffindors cheered and stormed onto the pitch to congratulate their team for a game well played. Harry hung back as the other professors went to make their way back into the castle.

'Want to go to Hogsmeade?' asked Harry. 'Get some Butterbeer?'

Mandy pressed her lips together, and if Harry didn't know better, he would have thought she was trying to suppress a smile. She nodded, though, and they set off towards the small town.

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Madam Pomfrey gave Ginny some sort of foul-tasting potion and told her 'bottoms up' before going over to one of the Hufflepuff Beaters and tending to a particularly nasty looking bruise on his collar bone.

'How're you feeling?'

Ginny turned. Stebbins had come into the hospital wing, changed from his Quidditch robes into a blue sweatshirt, jeans, and trainers. Ginny reached up and touched her head. When she withdrew her hand, it was tinged red from where a Bludger had grazed her forehead.

'I feel better. Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion to stop my headache, and she said she's going to come back and heal the cut after she fixes the rest of your team.'

Stebbins snorted. 'You lot slaughtered us. Intense match, that was.'

Ginny nodded in agreement. She remembered how Michael had acted towards her after her team had beaten Ravenclaw, and she wasn't looking forward to getting into a row with another boyfriend about being on a better Quidditch team.

'You played a good game.'

'Thanks...'

'I should get you to teach me some moves for my matches against Ravenclaw and Slytherin.'

Ginny looked at him blankly.

'Well, I mean, you're a much better Chaser than I am.'

Ginny grinned. 'Yeah?'

Stebbins nodded. 'Oh, but I'm sure it's because all Weasleys are good at Quidditch, and not because you're just a better athlete,' he said jokingly.

'Ha ha,' said Ginny. 'My brothers Percy and Bill didn't play.'

'Well, five out of seven isn't bad. Your brother Charlie was a Quidditch legend, y'know.'

'Until Harry became Seeker,' said Ginny with a disgruntled tone.

'People who know Quidditch still know about Charlie.'

'So you're not angry that my team beat yours?'

'No. Should I be?'

'I don't know. I just figured that you would be. You know, male pride and all that rubbish.'

'Ah,' said Stebbins, nodding. 'Well, all right, let's see, then.' He paused. 'No, sorry, I can't get angry about this. Besides, I think it's rather funny that my girlfriend is a better Quidditch player than I am.' He shrugged. 'Kinda makes me curious as to what else you're better than me at.'

Ginny raised her eyebrows. 'Ohh?'

Stebbins just smiled. 'Hey, are you going to get out in time for lunch?' he asked, looking at his watch.

Ginny shook her head. 'I doubt it.'

'Well, I'm starved. Do you want me to save you something?'

'No, you go on ahead. If I get hungry I can just nick something from the kitchens.'

'All right, then. Feel better.'

Stebbins kissed her forehead before leaving the hospital wing. Ginny sighed and lay back on the bed. She knew she was looking for reasons why Stebbins wouldn't want to be with her. Michael Corner got an attitude when Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw in her fourth year, so she assumed Stebbins would get upset as well. And Ginny knew why she was looking for reasons why Stebbins wouldn't want to be with her – she had a hard time believing anyone would want to be in a relationship with her. She didn't understand why anyone would take her seriously enough to stay by her side, to keep her as a girlfriend. After all, she was Harry's cast-off, wasn't she?

But David A. Stebbins wanted her, and he was somebody, wasn't he? He was a good guy. Intelligent, cute, almost perfect... It was true that he had his faults, but overall... overall Ginny thought he was practically perfect for her. With Harry she always felt a bit on the backburner. Even though she was friends with Hermione and Ron, she could never be a part of the trio – which, as told to her by Hermione, was on the mend; Ginny knew that the three of them could never stay apart.

Sighing, Ginny flopped backwards on the hospital bed and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments before closing her eyes.

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'Tell me more about what your brother said about the Auror program,' said Harry, drinking from his glass of Butterbeer.

Mandy nodded and downed the rest of the warm drink before answering. 'McDougal made himself the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He took over the hiring of all the Aurors and Department personnel – secretaries and assistants. The only people who have been hired lately have had some connection to Voldemort's Death Eaters. But no one can seem to do anything about McDougal. In fact, no one has seen him in a few months except for his two assistants.'

'How come nobody has done anything about him? I don't understand.'

Mandy shrugged. 'Why did people deny that Voldemort was a real threat for so long? No one wants to deal with it, I imagine. Silly, that. Stupid, more like it. McDougal could be the next Voldemort.'

'Mmm,' said Harry, making a noncommittal noise. 'That's what you think, yeah?'

'That's what my brother thinks. But Michael has always had mad theories about everything... Still, I suppose he might be right about it. It seems as though... it seems as though things might get worse if someone doesn't stop him soon. Last time the Death Eaters killed and tortured people for sport. I'm afraid that's what's happening to all the missing people... I think... I...' Mandy looked away.

'Mandy? What's wrong?'

'James Brocklehurst,' she whispered.

'What?'

'That was my father's name.' Mandy looked up. 'One of the Death Eaters tortured him until he died. They used Dark magic... severing spells and twisting spells... never one of the Unforgivable Curses, though.'

Harry swallowed. 'When was this?'

'When I was just a few months old. My older brother witnessed it; that's why he's an Auror now. Changed him, that did. My mother was never quite the same either. I suppose that's why I'm so quiet. No one ever spoke much in my house after that. Michael told me it used to be a busy house. My aunt and uncle and their children lived with us as well... but after my dad died, things were different. I suppose it's better for me not to know a happy house, than to know both.'

'You think so?'

Mandy nodded. 'That's why McDougal must be caught and killed. No one else should have to be so utterly changed as my family was.'

'For a conversation like this, we need something stronger.' Harry motioned towards Madam Rosmerta and called for some Ogden's Special Edition Raspberry Firewhisky.

Mandy blushed. 'Is that necessary?'

Harry nodded. 'Oh, yeah. Tomorrow's Sunday – no classes. Besides, if we're going to tell Voldemort stories, I need something strong.'

Madam Rosmerta dropped off a bottle of pink Firewhisky and two glasses. 'Such a feminine drink, Mr Potter. One might think you're trying to get your lady friend drunk.' She winked at Mandy and went back behind the bar counter.

Harry sniggered; Mandy blushed.

'Here,' said Mandy, opening up the bottle and filling up one of the glasses. She pushed it towards Harry.

'So why did Voldemort kill your father?'

Mandy poured herself a glass and tossed it back. She grimaced and then smiled. 'I've only ever had Firewhisky once. It was over the summer when my brother was home. He and I are really close.'

'That's good, isn't it?'

Mandy nodded.

'So tell me,' prodded Harry.

'My father was against Voldemort. My mother always taught me not to be afraid of anyone. She taught us to say Voldemort's name when we were young. Every year, in August, she tells us the story about how my dad died. She says it's to remember him by, but I think it's so that we never forget.'

'I'm sorry,' said Harry, and he meant it.

'My grandmother was Muggle and my grandfather was a wizard, so my mother was only half. It was good enough reason as any for Voldemort to hate my family and reason enough to allow his Death Eaters to play games with us.' Mandy pulled her hair away from her shoulder, exposing a large, jagged scar running down the side of her neck. 'This is from where my father's ring slashed my neck when the Death Eaters tore me from his arms. I was four months old and my mum said she thought I was going to die because she didn't know magic, so they had to try to heal me the Muggle way.

'Anyway,' continued Mandy, 'the Death Eaters took my mother away... and made my brother watch as they used spells to twist my father's arms around and around until they practically fell off. Then they used a severing spell to cut his skin... They drew the Dark Mark in cuts and slashes... carved their mark into his very skin and left him to bleed out and die. Some of my friends' parents died... most of them had the Dark Mark somewhere on them.'

Harry swallowed. 'Awful, that.' He poured himself another glass of Raspberry Firewhisky. 'I'm sorry.'

Mandy shrugged. 'I don't talk about it much, of course. I suppose I'm bitter because there are so many people who don't seem to care about defeating Dark wizards. So many witches and wizards were apathetic about Voldemort, and even more who are apathetic towards McDougal.'

'McDougal hasn't been in the Daily Prophet like Voldemort was. People don't know.'

'They've heard rumours. They know enough.' Mandy poured more Firewhisky. 'It's a shame, really. People don't have honour like they used to. Everyone is concerned with themselves. It's hard to find good people to help.'

'You're talking about the Order,' said Harry.

Mandy nodded. 'My brother's a member. He's a spy, if you will, inside the Ministry. He keeps his mouth shut within the Ministry walls, but his ears are always open.'

'I'm sorry about your father.'

Mandy nodded again. 'I don't remember him – well, obviously. But I shouldn't have been robbed of the chance to remember him.'

'Voldemort killed my parents.'

'I know.'

'He killed my godfather as well. Dumbledore was killed in a fight with him... He kidnapped my best mate and tried to make me choose between him and my girlfriend. Er, ex-girlfriend now.'

'You mean, between Ron and Ginny?'

'Yeah. Right awful choice, that was. I didn't choose either of them, and because of that, a lot of people were hurt and killed.'

'What happened the night you defeated Voldemort for real?'

Harry straightened up. 'I'll tell you any other story, but that one.'

Mandy frowned. 'How come?'

'Because... that's a story I'm only going to tell once.'

'I don't need to hear it more than that,' said Mandy, confusion riddled in her face.

'No, I mean I'm going to tell it once, and only once. It's a story that I don't think I can tell over and over, so as soon as I find that right, perfect person, I'll tell her. When you want to be with someone forever, they should know everything about you, yeah? So, I'll tell her the story, but... only once.'

Mandy smiled, although it looked like a sad smile. 'All right.'

'Not that one day I won't tell you. It's just...'

'I understand. My story is different. I've told my story loads of times. It's the reason why I have such a hatred for Dark magic. Here, have some more Firewhisky. It's really good.'

Harry grinned. 'Yeah, Ogden's Special Edition Raspberry Firewhisky is brilliant. I tried it over the summer. I drank a lot over the summer.'

'Oh?'

'I was hurting, and this is the best pain suppresser. Madam Pomfrey's got nothing on Firewhisky.'

Mandy giggled a tipsy-sounding laugh. 'Definitely not.'

'I hope I'm not telling you too much,' said Harry, suddenly realising that perhaps he'd revealed too much about himself to Mandy. She didn't need to know he drank over the summer. She didn't need to know why he didn't want to tell her the story... did she?

'Too much personal stuff, I mean,' he clarified. 'I just feel like I can talk to you, really. It's nice having a friend.'

'You have friends. You're part of the Dream Team.'

Harry scrunched up his face. 'That's what Snape called us.'

'I know.'

'It's different,' explained Harry. 'They have each other and they're all the way in London. We're at Hogwarts. Besides, I feel at ease with you, and I'm really glad.'

Mandy smiled. She glanced at his empty glass. 'Can't drink anymore?'

'Oh, I could finish up the rest of the bottle and not even feel it,' bragged Harry with a light tone to his voice.

'Let's see it, then.'

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Harry woke up the next morning with light shining through his window. He blinked. Did he really just sleep the entire night? Oh, fuck. He did, but the dreams he had had were flooding back into his brain. He groaned.

'What's wrong?'

Harry's head snapped around. Curled up in a ball with the duvet from his bed, was Mandy. Her hair looked a bit ruffled, probably from sleep, and her eyes were puffy, probably from all the drinking. Harry tried to shove the dreams to a remote part of his brain and focus on why Mandy had stayed in his quarters.

They'd left the Three Broomsticks entirely pissed out of their skulls, leaning on one another to get back to the castle. Then, they used an old secret passage way from the back of the castle to the back of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom; they didn't want to risk being seen drunk by any professors or, even worse, students. They'd come back into Harry's room. Mandy fell back onto the couch and practically passed out. Harry took the covers off his bed to make sure she wouldn't get cold; the air in the castle was fairly frigid during the winter months.

He watched her for a minute or so before turning his attention onto McDougal. In his drunken state, his anger heightened towards the man who fancied running around Britain pretending to be as big and bad as Voldemort. The story that Mandy told him only added fuel to his fire.

Then... he fell asleep, mostly from the alcohol in his body, and dreamt.

'I had weird dreams last night,' said Harry.

Mandy sat up. 'What kind of dreams?'

'I think... I think I dreamt about where the missing are...'

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To Be Continued...

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A/N: Next chapter is when everyone begins to plan out how to find Arthur and what to do about McDougal – it's very plot-driven after that. Lots of action to come your way soon! Yippee!