A/N: I don't own HP, and I'm not making money from this. We see a bit more of some other characters in this chapter! Hope you like it!
CH14 Tuesday
Harry awoke the next morning to a gentle shaking. Opening his eyes to the blurry world, he loosened his grip on a groggy Hermione's robes. When confronted with this glasses he put them on to come face-to-face with a kneeling McGonagall, a worried Weasley peering over her shoulder.
Harry sat up straight away and Hermione mumbled unhappily from half underneath him. Harry sniffed, his nose completely stuffed up. "Did we miss first class?"
"No," Professor McGonagall replied sweetly, "it's breakfast. Now, why don't you, Miss Granger, run upstairs to change and take Mr. Weasley here to breakfast with you? Hm?"
Disconcerted by the odd way their professor was acting and still rubbing sleep from her eyes, Hermione maneuvered her way from her chair with Harry. Content to wait, Professor McGonagall rose to sit in the armchair next to Harry's, and a few short minutes later, Hermione reemerged.
"Thank you for alerting us, Mr. Weasley," the professor called as the two students whisked their way out of the room. Once the portrait was firmly back in place, she turned to Harry, "Now, Harry, the Headmaster wishes to speak with you."
Numbly, he nodded and rose to go with her, his face still swollen and stiff from crying. They traversed the halls in silence and alone, the rest of the student body being in the Great Hall.
When they got to the golden eagle, marking Dumbledore's private rooms, she whispered, "Paint drops."
The gargoyles relaxed and allowed the visitors admittance onto the lift and entrance into the Headmaster's rooms. McGonagall didn't knock before opening the door.
When Harry entered, he realised that a great deal of professors were present. Professors Snape, Sprout, Flitwick, and McGonagall all taking seats in the half-circle around the Headmaster's grand desk. He motioned Harry to sit. Harry did in the only seat remaining, directly across from Dumbledore.
"I understand something's got you greatly troubled. Is it to do with the Order?" Harry's eyes widened in shock that Dumbledore would mention it in such a large group of people, but then again, maybe they were all a part of it. He shook his head. "No? Well, then might I ask where you were during lunch and Professor Flitwick's class yesterday?"
Harry mumbled his reply.
"Excuse me, my boy, I'm old and a tad hard of hearing. What was that?"
"Common Room." Harry repeated.
Dumbledore nodded his head, "Ah, yes, may I ask why you went there?"
It took Harry a moment to raise his eyes from twiddling his thumbs and when he did, he didn't answer the question, "Am I in trouble, sir?"
"Not yet, but you could be very quickly." McGonagall cut in, she had a feeling this would be a petty matter.
"Then can we speak privately?" Harry asked as if Dumbledore had simply told him 'no'.
"I'm afraid these people are all related in some way, Harry."
Harry nodded once.
"You can however answer a quick question for me."
Harry nodded again.
"Will your explanation take long?"
Harry opened his mouth, thought better of it, and shut it once more in favour of a shrug.
"He will not be in class, Professor Sprout, thank you." At Dumbledore's words, the stout woman jumped from her chair and left the room with a slight nod.
"Now, I understand that you were quite ill yesterday so you couldn't make it to class."
"No, I-" A look from Dumbledore silenced him, "Yes, very ill?"
The old man smiled, "Well, then, that counts as excused does it not, Filius?"
Professor Flitwick smiled, "It does, indeed, Headmaster." He, too, exited the room.
"Now, my boy," he continued when the door was closed once more, "I understand that Professor Snape used Legilimency on you during class yesterday-"
"What!" Professor McGonagall flew from her seat pointing a shaking finger in Snape's face, "That's an outrage! How dare you do such a thing to a student!" She screeched. This was no trivial matter.
"Now, now, Minerva. I asked Severus to begin teaching Harry, here, once more."
"None the less!" She rounded on him. "In the middle of class! On an unprepared mind! Oh, Merlin!"
"Now, now, Minerva," he simply repeated. It was days like these that reminded him of how she'd been in her youth when she'd come through his Transfiguration class. He clasped one of her hands in both of his. "Dear, we still don't know if this is the problem."
She huffed but went silent.
"Harry, is this what upset you so?"
Harry hesitated. While Severus had upset him, his Legilimency hadn't and Harry still wasn't sure how to process the new information, let alone share it. He shook his head, "He didn't even get in."
McGonagall's face blanched. "What?"
"His focus has greatly improved." Severus interjected hopefully.
"Don't you even speak." Minerva pointed at him once more. He slid down in his chair, feeling very much like a chastised child.
"He didn't get in. He hasn't been able to except the first two times in our first lesson." Harry piped up, hating the look on Severus' face and hating himself for wanting to remove it.
"Ah so I see," Dumbledore announced, "so this has nothing to do with Severus' class and he may go?"
Harry hesitated. It didn't have anything to do with Severus' class and he didn't want to get the man into trouble, but he also didn't want him to walk out unscathed either. He wanted answers. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.
"I just miss my mum and da." He whispered.
He was greeted with silence and the silent sound of three hearts breaking at once. After a moment Harry rose and left the three gaping adults behind him.
Harry entered herbology class halfway through the period. He offered no explanation, but simply took a seat next to Hermione and listened while she explained what they were doing. No one questioned him.
Next, they went to Defence Against the Dark Arts, where they, unusually, had a rather large amount of book work, while Professor Vincintia darted back and forth between their classroom and her offices. Due to her absences, her class was a breeze.
It seemed as if it was over seconds after Harry'd opened his book, though his paper was finished.
Dinner that evening, too, was a breeze, though Harry stayed silent. None of his friends questioned his absences or his episode for which he was thankful. Only at the end of dinner, when they were all leaving, did things get interesting.
The trio of Gryffindors, with Ginny and Neville trailing behind, attempted to exit at the same time as Malfoy and his gaggle of friends did.
"Watch it Potter." Malfoy sneered as he shoved past him.
"Oh, shut it Malfoy!" Ginny yelled.
"Look, Potter, your girlfriend's still trying to stick up for you. Heard you cried yourself to sleep," Malfoy and his friends fake sobbed and laughed, "Did your little girlfriend break up with you? No matter, there's plenty of Weasleys for you."
Ron and Ginny's faces flushed to match their hair. "You little-"
"Why don't you just go away Draco?" Harry said calmly, no inflection in his voice. It was the first time he'd spoken since he was in Dumbledore's office. "Just go away."
"I do as I please, Potter!" He pushed Harry by the shoulders.
Harry let himself be pushed, "I know. That's why you wouldn't get it, even if I tried to explain it to you."
"Try me!" It was making him madder and madder that Harry wouldn't react the way he used to.
Harry took a few quick steps forward so he could feel Malfoy's breath on his face, "You wouldn't get pain. You grew up getting everything you pleased because you have a family," Harry breathed. "You'll never know growing up without your parents. You'll never have nightmares of watching them die in front of you. You'll never get it. Don't take that for granted."
Harry stepped back and, as calmly as he'd been the entire time, walked away.
Malfoy was left speechless. He sneered to his friends and laughed about it when the rest of Harry's friends left, the Weasleys giving him death glares, but he no longer felt like he was on top of the world.
He felt empty.
That night, he dreamed of fire. It burned at his heart further and further into him. It didn't hurt even as he saw it blackening and scarring his flesh. Slowly, his skin melted off as he watched. Fascinated, he didn't move, didn't try to get away. He lie there, burning, blazing. His muscles rippled as they were devoured, and his organs sizzled and dissolved.
Finally, there was nothing left of him but bone and heart. A black stone remained where his heart should've been. The flames licked at it but couldn't burn it. It heated and turned gold, molten metal, but still it stayed. As Draco watched, a piece of golden blackness flaked off. The red of his blood lit on fire as Draco screamed himself awake.
Panting and sweating, he fought his tangled sheets to sit up. A light flicked on and a murmured "Bloody hell?" rang out.
Malfoy, putting on his best smirk, opened the green curtains around his bed, "Aw, who's the poor baby that had a nightmare?" He laughed, and, hesitantly, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Zambini all joined in. No one knew who had screamed, but assumed no one would admit to it under Malfoy's teasing. Quickly, it was dropped and they all went back to bed.
Malfoy lie awake the rest of the night, fearing the screams that would wake his friends.
Harry, too, dreamt that night.
He saw the beautiful well and the red and, again, he fell, panicking. Helpless in this place, he listened to the conversation, saw the Death Eaters.
"Sssee, friendss, Ssseverusss hasss attracted the attention of our little hero." Harry felt himself say.
Raw horror crossed Severus' face. "What?" He asked flatly.
"Yesss, disscussting iss it not? No matter, no matter. You will sssimply have to handle that yoursself. Now, onto the plan, I've unfolded."
Harry tried to calm himself, straining to hear what Voldemort was saying as his vision blurred into blackness once more.
He struggled to bury himself deeper into the dream, but realised too late that it was morning and his eyes were open.
A/N: So, well actually, first: hi! How are you? Hope you liked the chapter! R&R and all that.
Anyway! I just wanted to update you guys. I've now published about 36000 words, but this is going to be a really (and I mean mentally) long fic. I have about 171 pages or 60000 words written right now (I've barely moved away from the computer in days). However, I am not anywhere near the end of this fic. This will probably end up being anywhere around 150000 words. The chapters that I'm currently writing are getting longer and longer, and we have a lot of characters that I have yet to introduce and more of which that I have yet to go into detail. There are more relationships, twists, and certainly more evil (we've hardly even seen Voldemort!) coming up.
Right now, I'm writing the middle of December which puts me at 3 and a half months into the school year. If it takes me 60000 words to get through 3 months, it's only logical that it will take me around 120000 words for the remaining 6 months of the year, putting me at about 180000 words. However, I make no promises on this length! The reason being that the pace will be picking up after Christmas (later I'll probably be asking for ideas on gifts, events, and the like) with the action and the plot unfolding, it shouldn't take a tonne of time for it to all finish, but I want it to be clear, and, again, there will be a lot happening.
So sorry for the long note! I just thought I ought to update you on the happenings! I understand that this will be a long fic and that with only weekly updates it will take forever to post all of it. WHICH REMINDS ME!:
(again sorry, I'm scatterbrained) I hope to have the fic finished before 2015! Which, I know, is a long way away, but it's only (hang up, let me get a calendar) 39 weeks away! So, if I can't get the fic finished in 39 chapters, I'll start posting bi-weekly, just to get the fic done by the end of the year (but, again, no promises! [starting to think that should be my motto]).
Now, anything else? No? No? Okay! I think that's it! But if there's more, I'll tell you all about it next week!
-faceless