Disclaimer: we don't own Harry Potter or the Harry Potter universe. Those
belong to J. K. Rowling and her wonderful muses.
Author's Note: Hopefully since I got this chapter out on time, I'll get back into the habit of updating, though it's not set in stone. I still want to work on my original book. When I finish it I'll post the title and the author name (I think I'll go under a penname) for anyone interested in reading it. Thank you to ALL of my reviewers and thank you to everyone who made suggestions and asked questions about the story; every review is greatly appreciated. I'll be revealing information as the story progresses.
Chapter Twenty: The Calm Before the Storm
Harry hurried into the Gryffindor tower, panting slightly after his haste to get to a somewhat secure place to talk in private. He turned back to the backside of the Fat Lady portrait as Ron and Hermione hurried in after Ginny, who was behind him, looking worried and slightly confused.
"Harry, what are we going to do?!" Hermione cried, grabbing onto the front of Harry's robes and unleashing a water fountain into his chest. Harry's eyes widened uncomfortably but he hugged her, if only because she was crying. Ginny stared at her but said nothing. "Harry, he'll know! He has a FILE on you; there are files! The Ministry has files on everyone, EVERYONE! He's going to know and he's going to make you tell him and then we'll all be sent to Azkaban!"
"Hermione, please calm down; if he comes in here and sees you babbling like this then he'll certainly know." Harry said, speaking with more calm than he felt. His mind was whirling, making him dizzy. There was something trying to claw out of his body from his chest, forcing emotion into his throat. He knew what this was: panic. How many times had he felt this emotion? He couldn't even remember.
"Harry, they're going to send us to Azkaban! Don't you know what this means? We're DEAD! We can't survive Azkaban without going insane!" Hermione shrieked. Ginny stepped out from behind Harry and slapped Hermione. This snapped the hysterical girl back into an illusion of sanity.
"First of all, stop screaming. Second of all, what's going on? Why are you going to Azkaban? Fred and George have more of a reason to go there than you ever could. What exactly did you do?" Ginny demanded as she put her hands on her hips in much the same way that Mrs. Weasley did when she was upset and stubborn enough to wait for someone to tell her what was going on. Ron recognized this attitude and resisted it as he always did when he knew that if he opened his mouth, his mother would box his ears.
"Ginny, I'm sorry but would you please excuse us? We have to speak in private." Harry said before Ron could speak. He grabbed Hermione and Ron by their elbows and walked quickly towards the boy's dormitory. Ginny began to protest but the door was slammed in her face before she could say anything. She tried listening at the door but Harry placed a Silencing Charm on the door before turning to face the problem.
Ron began to pace once he recognized the soothing contents of his room. His bed, the earthy burgundy and the faded gold of the bed sheets, the frost- covered windows all gave him enough mental strength to attempt thinking about the situation. Hermione sat on Harry's bed and began to bite her nails, tears still falling from her eyes though she wasn't crying anymore. Harry relaxed against the door and stared at them thoughtfully. He struggled before finally coming to a decision. The three of them WERE in this together and the Ron and Hermione of his home, his real friends, HAD to be in the Ron and Hermione of this universe, somewhere; he would have to brainstorm with them if they were to stay out of Azkaban long enough for Harry to find a way back to his own universe.
"Okay... let's think of this calmly and rationally." Harry said, moving to sit beside Hermione. "I've been having trouble acting like... well, like Neville really."
"Neville?" Ron looked up from his pacing, confusion written all over his face. "What do you mean you're acting like Neville? He doesn't act like the... well, the other Harry does."
"The Neville of my universe acts just like the Harry of this universe does," Harry admitted, watching both of Ron and Hermione gawk at him, "though he's much kinder than your Harry was. Look, that's not important right now. We have other, more urgent things to worry about, more specifically the Auror that's going to become my bodyguard. What are we going to do about him?"
"What CAN we do about him?" Hermione asked, already looking calmer than she had when she first heard the news about Harry's surprising new bodyguard. "It's obvious that he should be able to catch any minor jinxes or spells we could do on him since, you know, he must be highly trained in the art of spells and enchantments."
"We'll have to find a way around him." Ron said. "There HAS to be a way. Yeah, having a bodyguard, especially having three murderers after you, sounds appealing but we have to think about the dangers of being discovered. I mean, if You-Know-Who knew what was going on... things could get REALLY messy."
Harry felt himself bristle, clenching his fists at his sides. "My parents and Sirius are NOT murderers. Sirius was framed for murder in my third year; he was innocent. And I know for a FACT that my parents would NEVER hurt me. NEVER." Hermione and Ron glanced at each other before shrugging uncomfortably.
"It doesn't change the fact that they're coming here Harry." Hermione said as gently as she could. "And even if they ARE innocent, the Ministry is completely convinced of the opposite. They're not going to keep from punishing them just because you said that they were innocent. They would just think that you had been jinxed or cursed. That or someone had paid you to speak in their defense, and since the Ministry DOES think that they're murderers, the only people who would pay you to save them would be Death Eaters."
"By the way Harry, have you figured out what you're going to DO exactly? After all, your parents are coming here. I'm sure it would be interesting to talk to them. They're probably different from your parents in your own universe." Ron said. Harry turned his head and snorted disgruntled.
"Of course they're different. My parents are dead for one. For two, I've never met them. Anyway, I want to meet them. And I don't care of Evans IS a bodyguard and an Auror, I'm not going to let him stop me from the one thing I've wanted more than anything in my entire life."
"So Quinton, the Ministry decided to send YOU to baby sit Potter? What did you do this time to piss them off?" Severus asked as he passed by the tired- looking Auror. Both men were seated in Severus's private chambers, sharing a bottle of brandy. Quinton had removed his cloak and gloves, revealing a light silver fur on the backs of his hands and a strange gold ring embedded with blood red stones.
"Oh it was a little thing really! I just let the Death Eaters into the Department of Mysteries after the Minister announced to the press that the Ministry building could not be breached by anyone. The fool needed to get kicked off his high horse." Quinton said, sipping his brandy before glancing at Severus. "And you? Why does the Dark Lord have you here baby sitting the Longbottom boy? From the stories I've been told, he couldn't hit the backside of a dragon if it were asleep and obese."
"You know very well that I work both sides same as you."
"Of course of course," Quinton said, fixing him with a lopsided grin. "Though you know me... if I had to be locked in a room full of screaming, big- headed children, I would sooner use them for werewolf bait than teach them anything."
"Well, it took me a long time but you get used to the buggers after a while. Anyway, let's talk seriously for a bit. I have some... interesting information that I don't want either the Dark Lord or Dumbledore to have, mostly because I don't think the knowledge will keep any sort of balance."
"Oh, you have a secret? Let's hear it; I can't stay here all day you know. I have to find that Potter brat." Quinton said, serving himself a generous amount of brandy. Severus knew of course that Quinton was lying. He couldn't stand being kept out of a secret. "Does it have to do with Longbottom or perhaps a traitor to one of the sides?"
"Actually, it has to do with your charge: Potter; turns out that he's more of a wild card than we gave him credit for. Ever since the beginning of the year, he's been acting... shall we say odd? At one point I had to rush him to the Hospital Wing when he almost cursed me. He was verbally defending not only his parents but Sirius Black as well. He spoke as if he KNEW them... and here, I have his grades for the last semester." Severus went to his desk, rummaging for a moment before returning with a sheet of parchment. He dropped it into Quinton's lap before taking another sip of his brandy.
Quinton whistled when he saw the notes, looking over them appraisingly. "He's gone from bad to... well, mastery level. And he started acting strangely around this time?" Severus nodded slowly. "Interesting... especially since this is much earlier than his parents' and Black's escapes from Azkaban so there is no way for them to be blamed or rather accused of changing him. There was no mention of the Potters at the Master's last meeting or any recent meeting for that matter. Has the Order even discussed the boy's situation?"
"Not really, which is why I'm telling you about my discoveries. Dumbledore is far too busy with the Minister and the Order to really look after anyone but Longbottom. He normally would see such an interesting development if Potter wasn't so damned good at being invisible. He's gotten quieter, spending most of his time in the library researching Ancient Runes and Herbology instead of lazing around as he usually did. He hasn't gotten into as many fights with Draco anymore, mostly because Potter has gotten slightly violent. He's been known to start a fist fight if Draco mentions Potter's parents in any derogatory way when the Potter I knew would have sooner called his OWN mother a bitch than say anything rude to Draco."
"I see." Quinton mused, staring at the fireplace thoughtfully. "I'll watch him more closely for any signs of another Barty Crouch incident. For now though we'll keep quiet about this to the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. They would certainly want to know about this, though we can't shift the balance by just telling one or both. You remember when the Dark Lord decided that the Potters were too much of a risk to stay alive." There was an undertone of anger in his voice.
"Did you see Lily when she left the prison?" Severus asked quietly. He knew that the subject was a tender one, what with Quinton having become such good friends with Harry's mother. Quinton became ridged, straightening his back and clenching his jaw.
"She couldn't come to see me in person though she left a message for me in the pub where we used to meet before the war. You know, the Rabbit's Tail in Bristol? I missed her because I was in China exterminating some demons from the local shrines. The idiot monks opened the seals to "see what was inside" though the enchantments stated with perfect clarity that to open the bloody boxes meant to release demons."
"Quinton, you're still not telling me what she said." Severus cut him off, looking at him thoughtfully. He knew of course that Quinton was avoiding the topic of Lily. He always had, for as long as Severus could remember knowing him.
"It simply said that she was alright and not to believe that she was guilty of the charges posed against her." Quinton said, shifting in his seat. "My goodness, look at the time. I really must be going Severus. We'll speak more tomorrow when the little tart babies have gone to slumber land." With that he stood and hurried out of Severus's chambers.
Severus sighed inwardly and went to his desk, staring at the official Ministry letter warning him of the Potters and Black coming towards Hogwarts. It was standard procedure: all of the teachers received such a letter, just as when James Potter almost escaped from Azkaban years before. The residents of Hogsmeade also received letters like this one to warn them of a possible danger to their lives. They had the typical warnings: don't go out after dark, keep the children indoors, lock away the dangerous potions with Ministry approved enchantments, etc. Severus still remembered the last letter from when James had nearly escaped. Severus had an excellent memory; he needed such a memory for his potions work.
He could still remember when he was a young hormonal teenager, sixteen, and receiving the Dark Mark. He remembered how it burned deeper than flesh, deeper than bone, tainting his soul. He remembered returning to the Slytherin common room and taking a long, cold shower, scrubbing and scrubbing at the Mark. He felt unclean after the burning had stopped and his screams quieted. He remembered the first time that James Potter attacked him. He remembered the first Potions class he ever taught. He remembered the first mission he had ever gone on, both for Dumbledore and for the Dark Master. He remembered how his parents died and the first time anyone had ever been kind to him. He remembered when Quinton wasn't named Quinton at all, or even Evans. He remembered what Quinton was like in school, as a Slytherin, as a friend, and as a fighter.
Severus shook his head and drained his glass to clear his thoughts. So many memories... he hoped Harry Potter wouldn't make Quinton react in the same way James Potter had.
Author's Note: Hopefully since I got this chapter out on time, I'll get back into the habit of updating, though it's not set in stone. I still want to work on my original book. When I finish it I'll post the title and the author name (I think I'll go under a penname) for anyone interested in reading it. Thank you to ALL of my reviewers and thank you to everyone who made suggestions and asked questions about the story; every review is greatly appreciated. I'll be revealing information as the story progresses.
Chapter Twenty: The Calm Before the Storm
Harry hurried into the Gryffindor tower, panting slightly after his haste to get to a somewhat secure place to talk in private. He turned back to the backside of the Fat Lady portrait as Ron and Hermione hurried in after Ginny, who was behind him, looking worried and slightly confused.
"Harry, what are we going to do?!" Hermione cried, grabbing onto the front of Harry's robes and unleashing a water fountain into his chest. Harry's eyes widened uncomfortably but he hugged her, if only because she was crying. Ginny stared at her but said nothing. "Harry, he'll know! He has a FILE on you; there are files! The Ministry has files on everyone, EVERYONE! He's going to know and he's going to make you tell him and then we'll all be sent to Azkaban!"
"Hermione, please calm down; if he comes in here and sees you babbling like this then he'll certainly know." Harry said, speaking with more calm than he felt. His mind was whirling, making him dizzy. There was something trying to claw out of his body from his chest, forcing emotion into his throat. He knew what this was: panic. How many times had he felt this emotion? He couldn't even remember.
"Harry, they're going to send us to Azkaban! Don't you know what this means? We're DEAD! We can't survive Azkaban without going insane!" Hermione shrieked. Ginny stepped out from behind Harry and slapped Hermione. This snapped the hysterical girl back into an illusion of sanity.
"First of all, stop screaming. Second of all, what's going on? Why are you going to Azkaban? Fred and George have more of a reason to go there than you ever could. What exactly did you do?" Ginny demanded as she put her hands on her hips in much the same way that Mrs. Weasley did when she was upset and stubborn enough to wait for someone to tell her what was going on. Ron recognized this attitude and resisted it as he always did when he knew that if he opened his mouth, his mother would box his ears.
"Ginny, I'm sorry but would you please excuse us? We have to speak in private." Harry said before Ron could speak. He grabbed Hermione and Ron by their elbows and walked quickly towards the boy's dormitory. Ginny began to protest but the door was slammed in her face before she could say anything. She tried listening at the door but Harry placed a Silencing Charm on the door before turning to face the problem.
Ron began to pace once he recognized the soothing contents of his room. His bed, the earthy burgundy and the faded gold of the bed sheets, the frost- covered windows all gave him enough mental strength to attempt thinking about the situation. Hermione sat on Harry's bed and began to bite her nails, tears still falling from her eyes though she wasn't crying anymore. Harry relaxed against the door and stared at them thoughtfully. He struggled before finally coming to a decision. The three of them WERE in this together and the Ron and Hermione of his home, his real friends, HAD to be in the Ron and Hermione of this universe, somewhere; he would have to brainstorm with them if they were to stay out of Azkaban long enough for Harry to find a way back to his own universe.
"Okay... let's think of this calmly and rationally." Harry said, moving to sit beside Hermione. "I've been having trouble acting like... well, like Neville really."
"Neville?" Ron looked up from his pacing, confusion written all over his face. "What do you mean you're acting like Neville? He doesn't act like the... well, the other Harry does."
"The Neville of my universe acts just like the Harry of this universe does," Harry admitted, watching both of Ron and Hermione gawk at him, "though he's much kinder than your Harry was. Look, that's not important right now. We have other, more urgent things to worry about, more specifically the Auror that's going to become my bodyguard. What are we going to do about him?"
"What CAN we do about him?" Hermione asked, already looking calmer than she had when she first heard the news about Harry's surprising new bodyguard. "It's obvious that he should be able to catch any minor jinxes or spells we could do on him since, you know, he must be highly trained in the art of spells and enchantments."
"We'll have to find a way around him." Ron said. "There HAS to be a way. Yeah, having a bodyguard, especially having three murderers after you, sounds appealing but we have to think about the dangers of being discovered. I mean, if You-Know-Who knew what was going on... things could get REALLY messy."
Harry felt himself bristle, clenching his fists at his sides. "My parents and Sirius are NOT murderers. Sirius was framed for murder in my third year; he was innocent. And I know for a FACT that my parents would NEVER hurt me. NEVER." Hermione and Ron glanced at each other before shrugging uncomfortably.
"It doesn't change the fact that they're coming here Harry." Hermione said as gently as she could. "And even if they ARE innocent, the Ministry is completely convinced of the opposite. They're not going to keep from punishing them just because you said that they were innocent. They would just think that you had been jinxed or cursed. That or someone had paid you to speak in their defense, and since the Ministry DOES think that they're murderers, the only people who would pay you to save them would be Death Eaters."
"By the way Harry, have you figured out what you're going to DO exactly? After all, your parents are coming here. I'm sure it would be interesting to talk to them. They're probably different from your parents in your own universe." Ron said. Harry turned his head and snorted disgruntled.
"Of course they're different. My parents are dead for one. For two, I've never met them. Anyway, I want to meet them. And I don't care of Evans IS a bodyguard and an Auror, I'm not going to let him stop me from the one thing I've wanted more than anything in my entire life."
"So Quinton, the Ministry decided to send YOU to baby sit Potter? What did you do this time to piss them off?" Severus asked as he passed by the tired- looking Auror. Both men were seated in Severus's private chambers, sharing a bottle of brandy. Quinton had removed his cloak and gloves, revealing a light silver fur on the backs of his hands and a strange gold ring embedded with blood red stones.
"Oh it was a little thing really! I just let the Death Eaters into the Department of Mysteries after the Minister announced to the press that the Ministry building could not be breached by anyone. The fool needed to get kicked off his high horse." Quinton said, sipping his brandy before glancing at Severus. "And you? Why does the Dark Lord have you here baby sitting the Longbottom boy? From the stories I've been told, he couldn't hit the backside of a dragon if it were asleep and obese."
"You know very well that I work both sides same as you."
"Of course of course," Quinton said, fixing him with a lopsided grin. "Though you know me... if I had to be locked in a room full of screaming, big- headed children, I would sooner use them for werewolf bait than teach them anything."
"Well, it took me a long time but you get used to the buggers after a while. Anyway, let's talk seriously for a bit. I have some... interesting information that I don't want either the Dark Lord or Dumbledore to have, mostly because I don't think the knowledge will keep any sort of balance."
"Oh, you have a secret? Let's hear it; I can't stay here all day you know. I have to find that Potter brat." Quinton said, serving himself a generous amount of brandy. Severus knew of course that Quinton was lying. He couldn't stand being kept out of a secret. "Does it have to do with Longbottom or perhaps a traitor to one of the sides?"
"Actually, it has to do with your charge: Potter; turns out that he's more of a wild card than we gave him credit for. Ever since the beginning of the year, he's been acting... shall we say odd? At one point I had to rush him to the Hospital Wing when he almost cursed me. He was verbally defending not only his parents but Sirius Black as well. He spoke as if he KNEW them... and here, I have his grades for the last semester." Severus went to his desk, rummaging for a moment before returning with a sheet of parchment. He dropped it into Quinton's lap before taking another sip of his brandy.
Quinton whistled when he saw the notes, looking over them appraisingly. "He's gone from bad to... well, mastery level. And he started acting strangely around this time?" Severus nodded slowly. "Interesting... especially since this is much earlier than his parents' and Black's escapes from Azkaban so there is no way for them to be blamed or rather accused of changing him. There was no mention of the Potters at the Master's last meeting or any recent meeting for that matter. Has the Order even discussed the boy's situation?"
"Not really, which is why I'm telling you about my discoveries. Dumbledore is far too busy with the Minister and the Order to really look after anyone but Longbottom. He normally would see such an interesting development if Potter wasn't so damned good at being invisible. He's gotten quieter, spending most of his time in the library researching Ancient Runes and Herbology instead of lazing around as he usually did. He hasn't gotten into as many fights with Draco anymore, mostly because Potter has gotten slightly violent. He's been known to start a fist fight if Draco mentions Potter's parents in any derogatory way when the Potter I knew would have sooner called his OWN mother a bitch than say anything rude to Draco."
"I see." Quinton mused, staring at the fireplace thoughtfully. "I'll watch him more closely for any signs of another Barty Crouch incident. For now though we'll keep quiet about this to the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. They would certainly want to know about this, though we can't shift the balance by just telling one or both. You remember when the Dark Lord decided that the Potters were too much of a risk to stay alive." There was an undertone of anger in his voice.
"Did you see Lily when she left the prison?" Severus asked quietly. He knew that the subject was a tender one, what with Quinton having become such good friends with Harry's mother. Quinton became ridged, straightening his back and clenching his jaw.
"She couldn't come to see me in person though she left a message for me in the pub where we used to meet before the war. You know, the Rabbit's Tail in Bristol? I missed her because I was in China exterminating some demons from the local shrines. The idiot monks opened the seals to "see what was inside" though the enchantments stated with perfect clarity that to open the bloody boxes meant to release demons."
"Quinton, you're still not telling me what she said." Severus cut him off, looking at him thoughtfully. He knew of course that Quinton was avoiding the topic of Lily. He always had, for as long as Severus could remember knowing him.
"It simply said that she was alright and not to believe that she was guilty of the charges posed against her." Quinton said, shifting in his seat. "My goodness, look at the time. I really must be going Severus. We'll speak more tomorrow when the little tart babies have gone to slumber land." With that he stood and hurried out of Severus's chambers.
Severus sighed inwardly and went to his desk, staring at the official Ministry letter warning him of the Potters and Black coming towards Hogwarts. It was standard procedure: all of the teachers received such a letter, just as when James Potter almost escaped from Azkaban years before. The residents of Hogsmeade also received letters like this one to warn them of a possible danger to their lives. They had the typical warnings: don't go out after dark, keep the children indoors, lock away the dangerous potions with Ministry approved enchantments, etc. Severus still remembered the last letter from when James had nearly escaped. Severus had an excellent memory; he needed such a memory for his potions work.
He could still remember when he was a young hormonal teenager, sixteen, and receiving the Dark Mark. He remembered how it burned deeper than flesh, deeper than bone, tainting his soul. He remembered returning to the Slytherin common room and taking a long, cold shower, scrubbing and scrubbing at the Mark. He felt unclean after the burning had stopped and his screams quieted. He remembered the first time that James Potter attacked him. He remembered the first Potions class he ever taught. He remembered the first mission he had ever gone on, both for Dumbledore and for the Dark Master. He remembered how his parents died and the first time anyone had ever been kind to him. He remembered when Quinton wasn't named Quinton at all, or even Evans. He remembered what Quinton was like in school, as a Slytherin, as a friend, and as a fighter.
Severus shook his head and drained his glass to clear his thoughts. So many memories... he hoped Harry Potter wouldn't make Quinton react in the same way James Potter had.