Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and everything recognizable belongs to J K Rowling.
TO KNOW YOUR ENEMY,
by blaugrana-al-vent
Chapter 28: All Is Well
Happily, Harry didn't come across any more Aurors, staff members or Prefects as he made his way back to The Hufflepuff Common Room. The Common Room was fairly crowded as it was too soon to go to sleep and they weren't allowed to go outside until the Ministry and the Headmaster told so. He received surprised looks as he entered the Common Room and then a few odd looks as people noticed the humid patch the tea had left on his trousers. He wished then that he had vanished the mess before coming in.
"Harry!" Hannah cried in relief as soon as he opened the door to the fifth year boy's dorm and stepped in. "Thank Merlin you're okay!" she said.
"Did you receive our letter?" Justin asked from the other side of the room.
"Yes. I came back as fast as I could." Harry told them while he walked to his bed where he placed his cloak.
"Things have been crazy here since midday." Justin started to explain. "Nobody really knows what's going on. A bunch of Ministry officials showed up during lunch, talked to Dumbledore and then him and most of his staff left. Shortly after that came a few Aurors to protect the castle and we were sent back to our common rooms. The school has been in lockdown ever since."
"Some say that Azkaban was raided. And that many dangerous Death Eaters have been freed." Hannah said looking frightened all of a sudden.
"Those rumors are true." Harry declared. They all looked at him with surprise.
"How do you know?"
"Dumbledore put together a meeting this afternoon, Neville's house being the venue. I was able to leave without being seen, but before I did Neville told me he had overheard his grandmother talking to Dumbledore through the Floo Network. He told me that there had been a mass breakout from the prison."
"How many prisoners are gone?" Ernie asked.
"I wouldn't know. I didn't stay long enough to find out. When I found out my parents were there too I flew out of there as soon as I could. I was hoping too that the journey back would be short enough that the Aurors wouldn't be positioned yet."
"They've been here since lunch." Ernie supplied. "How did you manage to get past them?"
"Well I sneaked into the castle through the Shrieking Shack tunnel, and then through the Viaduct Entrance. Any Aurors I came across I easily evaded. They were just standing at different spots without really moving so it was easy to use some shortcuts to avoid them. Unfortunately, when I had almost made it here Alastor Moody caught me."
"That's what happened to your clothes?" Ernie asked pointing at his soaked trousers. "Professor Moody is downright scary, but I didn't know it could affect you so much." Justin teased him.
"It's not that, you git." Harry said annoyed. "When Moody caught me in my way back in he took me to directly to Dumbledore, who thought it would be a good idea to spike my tea with Veritaserum to find out where I had been all day. I admit that the timing of the raid helped me little."
"It does look suspicious that you would be gone the same day the prison is raided." Ernie agreed.
"Did you tell Dumbledore anything?" Justin asked from the background.
"Are you kidding me?" Ernie asked Justin in disbelief. "He's been drugged with truth serum and you ask him if he told anything? Of course he did. The question is how much did he tell and how much did he manage to keep from him."
"Ernie, I didn't tell him anything." Harry said a bit annoyed. He pointed at his lap. "I spilled the tea all over my lap to avoid drinking it."
"So that's why it looks like you've peed all over yourself?" Ernie asked.
"Yes. I'm wearing two pairs of trousers so I hardly noticed the warmth of the steaming tea all over me."
"Enough of Dumbledore and his tricks." Hannah said. "I want to know how your journey was. Did you have any problems getting there?"
"It was mostly okay. The extra layer of clothes fared well against the elements. The only problem I had happened as I went through the first owl portal. It gave me quite a scare. I changed back to human automatically after passing through it. I had to change back quickly. Fortunately I was several hundred feet over the sea so it wasn't life threatening."
"How did Neville react when you got there?" Hannah asked him.
Harry let out a soft chuckle and unconsciously drew his hand to his still sore jaw. "Not quite the way I expected him to, I must say."
"How's that?" Ernie asked him.
"He punched me." Harry told them.
Hannah blinked rapidly a few times. "I'm sorry, he what?"
"He punched me." Harry repeated. "He received some letters too." he explained before anyone jumped to conclusions.
"Fake ones? Like the letters your parents forged?"
"Yeah." Harry affirmed, sitting down tiredly.
"They must have written something really hurtful in those letters for him to give you such a greeting." Justin commented as he inspected his blue jaw.
Harry looked at Hannah. "Apparently we are dating."
"Excuse me?" she said confusedly.
"That's what they made him believe," Harry explained to her. "that we're dating behind his back." Hannah blushed at the comment.
"Well, you did go to the Ball together." Ernie told them.
"And in doing so we created the perfect story for Dumbledore to feed to Neville." Harry said bitterly.
"Oh come on, but you went only as friends." Susan countered.
"That doesn't matter." Justin said. "Neville's been locked up in his house since he was expelled right?"
"Right." Harry confirmed.
"I assume that after days of isolation from the rest of the world, if they showed him a photograph from the Ball with the both of you dancing together, it should be easy for him to jump to the wrong conclusions."
"Especially if they show him a fake letter and are brainwashing him the twenty four hours of the day." Harry added.
"Isn't he allowed to get out of the house?" Hannah asked feeling really sorry for him.
"No. It's part of Augusta Longbottom's punishment, or so he told me." he told them. "The only company he gets aside from his grandmother is his tutor, Peter Pettigrew."
"Well, at least he has a good tutor." Susan commented.
"Pettigrew? Good tutor?" Harry asked with sarcasm.
"Well, he was awarded an Order of Merlin wasn't he? And for protecting you and your brother from You-Know-Who, was he not?" she argued.
"Susan, that man might have been awarded that silly medal, but if you knew him like I do, you'd know that he is only a mediocre wizard. I know for fact that he barely passed his OWLs and failed most of his NEWTs."
"If that's true, how could he possibly save you from You-Know-Who?" Susan said.
"That was Karl, remember?" Harry said acidly. That night was, and would be for the remainder of his life, a touchy subject. "It was the almighty Karl Potter who saved us all! Not Pettigrew." he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
.o0o.
The following morning Harry noticed straightaway the somber mood reigning in most students as he and the group of Hufflepuffs had breakfast at the Great Hall. Azkaban was supposed to be one of the most secure places of all magical Britain, and it had been taken easily from the inside. With the mass breakout yesterday, the war had taken a new turn, a turn for the worse. It was a major blow to those opposed to Voldemort and his darkness.
It was Sunday, and yet all of them were up early, expecting Dumbledore to give an explanation of some kind. Until now, the students only knew that there had been a breakout of the island prison and that some very dangerous Death Eaters had been set free. The only source of information they had at their disposal was the rumor mill, which was uncertain at best, so everyone was yearning for some news to know exactly what had happened, be it from Dumbledore or the Prophet. Most students looked crestfallen as they tucked in, mindlessly picking at their food; afraid of what might happen next now that Voldemort had once again his most experienced and tough fighters at his disposal.
The staff didn't look much better. Most of them looked as disheartened as the students; some looked even worse, like Hagrid, or Harry's own mother, who feared for her chosen son's life even more now. Dumbledore, who would normally be the one to keep his composure no matter the situation, also looked troubled and extraordinarily restless. He fidgeted around in his throne-like chair and didn't seem to eat much.
"Hey guys." Fred greeted the Hufflepuffs as he and his twin came to sit with them.
It immediately dawned on Harry how hard this might be on them. Their sister Ginny was locked up in Azkaban, at least until yesterday. Might be that she had escaped as well. That meant that she was a follower of Voldemort's then? Harry decided he didn't want to know the answer to that question, even though it was hard to believe that the youngest Weasley would have done something so terrible, especially at such a young age. At age eleven, political thinking isn't a part of anybody's life.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked them carefully. "Have you heard anything about what happened yesterday?"
"We've no idea. Only what is already general knowledge." they said in turns.
"We sent Bill a letter." George told Harry quietly as the other Hufflepuffs continued to talk to Fred. "He's in the Order. He'll pass on some information." Harry had tried contacting Sirius through the mirror the night before, but as Neville had warned him, the dog Animagus hadn't picked up.
"We're still waiting for a response." Fred added.
"You think she might have escaped?" Harry asked tentatively.
The redhead sighed. "I think I hope that she has."
"You think?" Harry asked, perplexed by the answer.
"Don't get me wrong. It's only I don't know which option I prefer," he said gloomily. "to know that my sister is still locked up in that horrible place, and relatively safe, or that she's out there alone with dozens of Aurors looking for her, ready to curse her on sight. Or worse."
"I certainly do not want her to be locked up, but escaping from prison is like admitting your guilt." Harry commented. "It would only make matters worse if she's caught."
"How much worse can things get when you're imprisoned in Azkaban for life, Harry? The Aurors will hunt her down with no mercy. I just can hope that if she has escaped, that she runs far, far away, somewhere where she can live in peace, even if it means I won't see her ever again." George said with a vacant look in his eyes. Harry gave him a supportive pat in the back and felt silent for a few moments.
"I went to Neville's yesterday." he commented suddenly, trying to divert George's attention from his sister.
"Oh, crap. I'm sorry, I completely forgot about it."
"It's all right, I understand that you had other things to worry about."
"Still, I should have asked. How did it go?"
"It went all according to plan. Well, aside from the fact that he thought I had hooked up with Hannah and he punched me upon seeing me." That lit up the usual mischievous spark in George's eyes.
"Really?" he said amusedly.
"Yeah, my jaw still hurts."
"Why did he think you and Hannah were together?"
"I wasn't the only one who received forged letters. I explained him all that had been going on here and how my parents, Dumbledore and Augusta had managed to fool us all."
"I bet he wasn't amused by that."
Harry shook his head. "Not one bit."
Just then the rustling of feathers was heard as owls streamed into the room with newspapers and mail in tow. The heads of every student and teacher perked up at the familiar noise. It was one of the most awaited editions since the day that Voldemort came back to life. Fred and George went pale. Everybody forgot about their breakfasts and looked impatiently at the dozens of owls coming into the Great Hall. For some it seemed to take the owls an eternity to land in front of them, but soon enough mostly everyone was reading the news, be it from their own copy or a friend's.
A brown owl landed in front of Susan. Harry recognized it as the one that had delivered him the warning message the day before. Susan proceeded to untie the Daily Prophet copy from its talon. Then she gave the bird some of her breakfast as she unfolded it to read it. George became impatient with her slow motions and grabbed the paper out of her hands while she was feeding her owl.
"Excuse me." George said as he took it from her with an anxious expression in his face.
"Oi!" Ernie began to protest.
"It's okay Ernie." his girlfriend assured him. "She's just worried about her sister."
Meanwhile George had managed to find the official list of escapees and started to browse it in search of his sister's name. Fred leaned over his shoulder, eager to know about Ginny's fate. Their eyes quickly travelled down the list while the others looked at them expectantly.
Barty Crouch Jr.
Antonin Dolohov
Brian Gallagher
Bernard Jugson
Sylvie Lang
Bellatrix Lestrange
Rabastan Lestrange
Rodolphus Lestrange
Dave Mulciber
Augustus Rookwood
Frank Stewart
Marcus Travers
Ginevra Weasley
Two common criminals, ten Death Eaters and Ginny Weasley. It was a miracle that the whole population, currently at 128 inmates high, hadn't escaped. George dropped the paper as he stumbled upon the last name of the list. He covered his face with his hands while Fred just sat there with a vacant look in his face. Seeing their reaction, they were still uncertain of the outcome, so the Hufflepuffs minus Harry all reached at once for the paper. Its rightful owner, Susan, got to it first and laid it down in the table so they all could read.
"Has she escaped?" Harry asked the twins as gently as he could while the others read. "Fred?" he said when they didn't answer.
"She's not in Azkaban anymore."
"That good news, right?" Harry asked after a pause.
"I think so, yes."
Just then a faint clinging sound was heard and Dumbledore rose from his throne-like chair at the staff table. The students quieted down, eager to hear what their esteemed Headmaster had to say.
"Good morning everyone." he said loud and clear, gaining everyone's attention. "As you all know, yesterday some of the most dangerous Death Eaters escaped from the island prison of Azkaban. This is, of course, a very unfortunate turn of events. I understand your fear, but let me tell you this: All is Well. In the one thousand years of history of the school, the castle has been attacked many times by magical and muggle armies alike. Never have Hogwarts wards fallen or its walls crumbled. And I promise every one of you that they will never do as long as I am Headmaster as it's my duty to protect you. However I cannot guarantee your safety outside the school, so it is my deepest regret to announce that Hogsmeade weekends are cancelled until further notice, until the Ministry deems the situation safe. Quidditch matches and other outdoor activities within the wards remain unchanged for now. I wish you all a good day."
As the Headmaster sat again on his chair the ambient noise reached its usual levels for a normal breakfast at Hogwarts. People discussed hotly the cancellation of Hogsmeade weekends and others were just grateful that Quidditch season hadn't been cancelled too. It would have been the second time in a row.
Harry turned to face again both red headed twins. They looked like crap. Harry could only imagine what was on their minds right now. He hoped he could help them somehow, make them stop thinking about Ginny, perhaps by bringing up the fortune that Quidditch hadn't been cancelled. Although they did not play, Harry thought it would cheer them up. However, before he could talk to Fred and George he felt a hand on his sleeve.
"Harry." Hannah warned him with a sense of urgency. "Problems." she said staring past him. Harry turned in his seat. His mother was almost upon him, walking down through the aisle between the tables. Behind her came Madam Pompfrey, clad in her white Mediwitch's uniform. He groaned as a sense of Deja Vu engulfed him. Why did they have to confront him always in the Great Hall in front of everyone?
"Harry?" she said loudly trying to get his attention.
"Yes?" Harry said with an obvious hint of impatience and annoyance which he didn't try to hide. He also chose not to turn to look at her because... he couldn't be bothered quite frankly.
"You assured me you'd go to Madam Pompfrey right after you left Professor Dumbledore's Office." she said.
"I do recall saying that." Harry agreed thoughtfully between two gulps of Pumpkin juice.
The nurse decided to pipe in. "Well you never showed up Mr. Potter."
"If I'm frank with you, I've never liked being in the Infirmary. No offence there, Madam Pompfrey."
"Well that's were injured people go." his mother told him as if lecturing a small child.
"The burn wasn't that bad." he said dismissively.
"Well that's for Madam Pompfrey to decide isn't it?"
"It is." the old woman agreed. "And how can the burn 'not be that bad' when you spilled steaming hot tea all over your pants."
"It wasn't that hot." he replied looking around at the growing expectation.
"Of course it was. You cried like a little girl when you spilled it." his mother told him.
A few sniggers where heard around them. Now he was wishing he had taken this out of the Great Hall, where he wouldn't have had an audience. He clenched his teeth tightly.
"You're not going to drop this until I show you there's nothing to heal right?" Harry said in defeat.
"Madam Pompfrey will escort you to the Infirmary where she shall judge if your burn 'isn't that bad.'"
"Come on Mr. Potter!" the nurse said in a bossy tone as she started walking down the aisle and towards the doors at a steady pace. Reluctantly, Harry followed her, directing a scowl at his mother as he passed by. He said goodbye to the group and agreed to meet with them at the Common Room in a while.
Shortly after that, Fred and George and George shared a look and simultaneously they pushed away their plates and said they weren't hungry. It was one of those moments in which they only needed a glance or a gesture to understand how each other was feeling or what was the other one thinking. It was almost like a telepathic bond, only it worked based in feelings and emotions.
They picked their bags and left after saying goodbye. They walked determinedly towards the doors side by side. As they neared the exit that took to the Entrance Hall, they heard a voice that despite being as loud as every other, it seemed to sound above all others, especially to Fred and George.
"I just hope they catch her soon and return her back to the putrid cell she escaped from. She betrayed all of our family and the principles we stand for when she decided to turn dark." Ron Weasley was saying loudly to the other two members of the Golden Trio. They were on their way out too and must have been walking in the aisle parallel to the one that run between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. "She's already disgraced the name of our family in more ways than one." their brother continued to say in an uppity tone, perhaps hoping to impress Karl or reassure him of his family's loyalty to the Light.
"Will you shut the fuck up!" George yelled at him angrily, losing his patience. He strode towards his younger brother with his wand in hand and pinned him against the wall. "Don't say another word!" he told him threateningly as he pressed his wand against his cheek. Karl immediately took his wand out too, only to be threatened by the other twin's wand. Hermione ran away quickly saying something about bringing a Professor.
"She betrayed us." Ron told his brother feebly.
"No. You betrayed her. Mum betrayed her! You just stood there beside this jerk and watched as they took her away."
"Who are you calling a jerk?" Karl said hotly.
"You, precisely." Fred said coolly, walking up to the git. Gryffindor pride wouldn't allow Karl to back off, but Fred could perceive his unease as he glared at him. He just wanted to inflict the bastard so much pain... but his hand held still.
"And what did you expect me to do? She was guilty!" Ron cried as he pushed his brother off him and took out his wand and levelled it at him. "She disgraced our family!"
"No! You are the only one disgracing our family!" George yelled at him angrily.
"You chose to believe his and Dumbledore's lies rather than defending your innocent sister!" George yelled while pointing at Karl.
"They were no lies!" Karl declared. "I saw her open the Chamber of Secrets with my own eyes." he insisted.
"If that was true the Chamber would have been found and dozens of magical historians, curse breakers and politicians would still be swarming all over the place. It would have been all over the press." Fred said. Karl looked unsure of what to say or do next. He knew he had been caught in the lie. He only had taken the credit for her capture. It had been Dumbledore all along who had caught her in the act.
"Dumbledore must have had a reason not to open it." Ron said as he angled back towards his friend, his wand still pointed at his brothers. "There's a monster down there, in case you've forgotten."
"And the only wizard You-Know-Who ever feared isn't capable of dealing with it." George commented sarcastically. "I wonder if he's such a brave and powerful old wizard after all."
"Or perhaps you should do it, Chosen One." Fred said acidly, looking at Karl.
"He would." Ron claimed rapidly. Karl's expression was an arrogant one. It hid the truth well: he was terrified at the idea of going down there and facing Slytherin's monster. "He's faced You-Know-Who more times than any wizard alive! And he came out in one piece from each one of them." Ron said with an odd sense of devotion and admiration, almost downright adoration. Fred and George looked at each other, disgusted.
"You've always been a grovelling piece of shit, you know that?" George said.
"And a coward." Fred added. "Can't figure out for the life of me how you ended up in Gryffindor. It may be because none of the other Houses would have you." Ron started to turn an interesting shade of red. His hand shook with his wand in it.
"Or the House where boot-lickers and arse-kissers belong hasn't been founded yet." George suggested.
It was then when Ron let out the first spell fly. Soon others followed.
.o0o.
Harry had wasted no time in showing his uninjured lap to Madam Pompfrey once they arrived to the nurse's domain. Madam Pompfrey decided to examine it anyway, if only to make sure, or just to spite him, Harry suspected. People had been running away from 'her' Hospital Wing for years. Perhaps she was annoyed at him for not even showing up.
She was performing some diagnosis spells on him when the doors burst open suddenly. His father entered, closely followed by the Golden Trio and Hagrid, acting Head of Gryffindor House since James had lost his job. Ron Weasley and Karl came in lying on a conjured stretcher. They were floating between James and Hermione. James looked livid and Hermione looked genuinely worried. Harry hoped his father wouldn't vent his anger on him. He decided it was better for him to leave before James noticed his presence. As the nurse was already fawning over Karl, Harry collected his things as fast as he could and headed for the doors, not before getting a good look at Ron and Karl.
Both of them looked awful, and since Fred and George weren't here as well it was easy to guess who had come out victorious of the duel. Karl was in a better state than Ron, though that wasn't saying much. Both of them had their mouths sealed, as if they had never had one. All their hair was gone, eyebrows and eyelashes included. Karl's nose was a foot long, resembling Pinocchio, while Ron's clothes had been turned white with golden linings, and painted in black across the chest: House Arse-Licking. It even had a House emblem sewn into it, depicting a weasel licking a boot. It looked like not only Fred and George had defeated them, but they had completely wiped the floor with them, which made Harry consider what kind of fate the Wizarding World had in store with this pathetic Pinocchio look-alike as their only hope. It was such a shame he didn't have a camera with him. Where was that Gryffindor a year under him when he and his camera were needed? As he left he heard James rant about how he was going to get the Weasley twins expelled for attacking his son.
Harry hoped it wouldn't come to that. It would ultimately be Hagrid's and Dumbledore's decision, their Head of House and Headmaster. The half-giant Professor liked the twins and would speak for them, undoubtedly, but Harry knew that James still commanded some authority in matters concerning Karl. Harry's first thoughts were about seeking the twins and see what had really happened. Perhaps they could tell him what had really happened, no doubt it had been very different from the way James had explained it. But then he reconsidered and decided to leave them alone for a while, let them come to terms with their sister's escape. Besides, they had the Map, and in a school as big as Hogwarts there was no telling who was where. He figured that if they wanted to talk or... whatever, they would come and find him.
Harry spent the rest of the day in the Hufflepuff Common Room first, discussing the twins' fight with his classmates, and then in the greenhouses, serving detention with Professor Sprout. It was a small price to pay in order to play Quidditch, a price he was more than willing to play.
The first few detentions, he had served with Filch. It seemed Professor Sprout wanted him to know that she hadn't been impressed with his behaviour at the Ball, no matter what his brother had done or said to provoke him, so detentions with the despised caretaker were a fitting punishment. After a week of dusting the Trophy Room every single night, Sprout had taken pity and moved his detention to the greenhouses once a week. It was not so bad then, almost nice. Sprout had him scrub plant pots and replant some weird looking plants. Neville would have loved these, Harry had thought when he saw them. It was still bothersome work but at least he had someone to talk to. Filch only grunted in annoyance when addressed to.
When Sprout finally allowed him to leave after a vexing afternoon of lopping and watering the rarest plants he had ever seen he headed into the grounds. Instead of going back to the common room and then straight to dinner, he headed towards the lake. He had recently discovered that a brief flight as Horus normally helped him relax. He arrived to the edge of the lake and left his bag partly hidden between a rock and a bush. He didn't want anyone stealing his bag while he was airborne. Then, just as he was leaving it there, the bag started to buzz.
That could only mean one thing.
Harry opened it quickly and rummaged through its contents until he grabbed the desired object. He brought it up to eye level and looked into it. Soon, his own reflection started to blur into another face.
"Harry..." the face in the mirror said with surprise.
.o0o.
Please Read and Review. Let me know what you think! J
