Harry Potter and the Other Path

by Fez8745

Harry's life up to his eleventh birthday was painful and harsh. Dumped in an abusive home by dead parents, running away from that home to take his life into his own hands and then surviving by his wits and his feet. Then a letter came, and opened a whole new world... An AU fiction with hopefully enough action and comedy to entertain.

37. Changeling Child: 3

Harry Potter and the Changeling Child Chapter 3: Traps

Severus Snape landed lightly on the scrubland and looked about him. This would have been a monumentally desolate place if not for the distant lights of a muggle road in the valley far below. Snape walked over to the gathering of black cloaked figures standing near the edge of the cliff. Snape counted faces, Barty Crouch was still absent. What was the task that man had been set? It disturbed Snape greatly that he did not know. It made him wonder if perhaps others of the dark figures did, if perhaps he was missing something.

One figure was apart from the others, right at the edge. The figure stood with his back to them, his long robes streaming out to the side in the harsh night wind. He seemed to be looking down at the road, and at the further lights of a town.

Like a falcon, Snape realized, or a waiting hawk. Sitting and surveying it's prey before swooping down and clutching one up in its talons. The wand in the watcher's hand twitched as if thinking of raining fire and pain down on those beneath him. The twitch subsided. Thank god.

"Severus." The dark lord turned at last from the cliff. "You have come at last. I was forced to wait. I dislike waiting."

"My apologies Lord." Snape bowed deeply. "I could not arouse suspicion about why I was going. I was forced to sacrifice speed for safety. I am sorry."

"And where were you." Voldemort continued, his voice terrifyingly light. "Were you at Hogwarts?"

"No my Lord." The very fact that he asked the question meant he knew that Snape had left. Which was very, very bad. What lie could pass? "There was an order meeting."

"Was anything discussed? Anything I should be made aware of?"

"No my lord. They continue to guard the department of mysteries, Dumbledore still fears to move. Nothing has changed."

"Well," The dark lord smiled thinly. "That at least is good news."

He does not know where I was. Snape kept his face perfectly unemotional. He suspects... he strongly suspects but he does not know. He values me, he values me as a spy in the order. That is why I am still alive, because on the of-chance that I have not betrayed him I am valuable. He will kill me. He will kill me soon but until then I must remain a spy. I am valuable.

"I notice Mr Crouch is still absent." Snape tried to sound uninterested. "Perhaps he has been captured. We may have to rescue him. Again."

He expected a chuckle from the death eaters. None of them liked Crouch. Instead there was silence.

"Dear Barty is none of your concern." The dark lord replied, in the conversational tone that was so much worse than anger. "His task is going well. Is yours Severus?"

"Alas no master. I apologize." Snape hung his head. "I am afraid there is simply no way to adapt polyjuice potion to allow a human to become non-human."

"I dislike failure Severus."

"Master if you asked me to jump off this cliff and try to fly I would do so." Snape tried to sound contrite. "But I doubt I would be successful. Some things are not possible."

"For you perhaps." The dark lord was smiling slyly. "But no matter. You may cease your experimentation. The potion is not necessary any more."

"Yes master." Is it not necessary or do you just not trust me to brew it any more?

"On to the meeting, we began without you Severus. I hope you don't mind." The dark lord turned back towards the cliff and Snape had to strain to hear him over the wind. "We were discussing an assassination."

"Who is the target? Perhaps I could brew a poison or some form of-"

"No." The dark lord cut him off. "Not poison. I intend her death to be more graphic than that. An example."

"She?" Swirling horror rose in Snape's stomach.

"A prominent figure in the department of mysteries." Voldemort half turned back towards Snape. "A Miss Natalie Zhao. Do you know her?"

"Yes." No god no. "She is an order member."

"I know. You informed me of that yourself."

"I did my lord." I begged her not to make me tell him. She said it wouldn't matter. Nothing connected them. "If I may ask, why have you decided she must die."

"She is the daughter of a squib, in a prominent position in the ministry. A travesty."

"I agree my lord. But, why her?" Snape momentarily considered just attacking Voldemort, but it would do no good. He'd die and Natalie would die anyway. "There are many other people equally worthy of death."

"Your lord has decided she should die is that not enough for you Severus?" The dark lord smiled from the depths of his soulless, piercing eyes. "Does her death... trouble you?"

"Of course not my lord. She is the child of bad blood, of course she must be killed." Snape bowed and stepped backward. "I will make certain that Dumbledore and the other order members at Hogwarts are distracted."

"That will not be necessary Severus. We have already cut all communication to Mrs Zhao's residence. I have also deployed dementors to intercept any messages sent by patronus. No messages can reach her. From anyone."

"Most prudent my lord." Snape nodded, furiously trying to churn his brain and find some solution to the problem. He could not think, it was as if gruesome tendrils and fibrous black vines were choking his usually perfect mental machinery. There must be some way to get a message to her, there had to be!

"Severus?" Voldemort questioned lightly. "Will you be at Hogwarts this evening?"

"Yes my lord."

"All night? No errands to run?" The dark lord's mouth quirked. "No midnight strolls?"

"No my lord."

"Good." Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "Because I shall know Severus. I shall know."

Snape walked calmly along the long path to the great doors of Hogwarts using all the force of will he had not to break into a run. The watchers were no doubt already in place, at the edge of the forest beyond the wards. As were the attackers probably, in his mind he could already see them apparating into the dark streets around Natalie's flat. He ached to run but couldn't. It was agony, caught in chains that didn't even exist. An anchor in his mind.

He reached the doorway and stepped through it. He pushed it closed calmly, then turned and ran.

He reached Dumbledore's staircase and yelled the password. He sure as hell wasn't waiting for the staircase this time.

"Acellelero!" Snape clung to the central pillar as the staircase rocketed upwards and came to a screeching halt at the top. Snape threw the door open, startling the Headmaster.

"Severus? What is the meaning of this-"

"I need the order!" Snape snapped. "We need to mobilize now!"

"Severus calm down. You will need to explain."

Snape growled and choked out a curt explanation of what had happened. At the end Dumbledore dropped down into his seat and shook his head.

"We cannot, help her. He has outmaneuvered us again I fear."

"Not if we move now!"

"To move confirms his suspicions of you. And it would do no good. The people watching you no doubt have orders to kill you if you try to leave. No message can reach her. Yes, yes he had truly outmaneuvered us."

"I can take Fawkes." Snape argued. "I can leave without a trace. Warn her, then-"

"You cannot take Fawkes. The methods phoenix's use to travel can be detected by those who know how. Voldemort knows how."

"I cannot just sit idly by while she is killed!"

"Which is exactly what Voldemort expects." Dumbledore said angrily. "Surely you see that this was directed at you! Bait to force you to reveal your true allegiance. It is a test, if you fail we lose our spy. If you pass however you will be his most trusted servant."

"Passing means the death of Natalie!"

"Not necessarily." Dumbledore was obviously trying to be soothing. "She is an accomplished fighter. She could escape or-"

"She will be outnumbered ten to one."

"Think of how many people your information saved in the last war. Countless lives."

"Some lives are worth more to me than others."

"Well not to me." Dumbledore stood and stared down the potions master. "The best you can do for her is to make sure you are seen here. Go and pick herbs from one of the outside plots, go and get some unicorn hair from Hagrid. Anything that lets them see you here. That is all you can do. If you try to leave they will kill you. Then they will kill her. You can do nothing."

Snape scrunched up his eyes. The old man was right.

Natalie Zhao turned the page idly on the report she was reading and yawned. There was too much to do. She flicked it closed and clicked the lights out before rolling over and dropping the folder onto her bedside table. Perhaps all the problems would just magically have gone away when she got up tomorrow. It was unlikely though.

Natalie burrowed deeper into her pillow and closed her eyes. The world was falling apart, not even dreams could provide respite for long.

A floorboard creaking.

Natalie's eyes flickered open in a moment. Was it just her neighbor downstairs? She reached for her wand and silently checked her wards. She hissed as she realized they were in tatters and rolled off the bed. Her hand moved towards the light switch then thought better of it, it might let them know they had seen her. She slid towards her bedroom door and looked out through the keyhole just as the door at the other end of the corridor was pushed open slowly. Revealing a robed figure.

Natalie slid back silently. She tried to apparate away, not really expecting it to work. No, they had a ward up. They would have blocked the flue as well. The only way she was getting out was through the front door, which meant through them.

They would check the rooms along the hall first, she perhaps had a minute.

Drum Lemon had never pretended to be an intelligent man, just a useful one. He was useful say, when someone hadn't paid their debts in time and action needed to be taken. He had been locked up for being useful in the wrong place at the wrong time, set free eventually, become useful again and caught again. This time for being so useful towards a ministry hit-wizard that the man was no use to anyone anymore.

He had been locked up for good. Until the dark lord had given him a second chance. A chance to rejoin society again, to be useful again. He was only half blood but he had just enough brains to never mention that to anyone. When the dark lord had explained what needed to be done to this bint he had stepped forward instantly. It was right up his alley, he might even earn the mark if he succeeded. Then he'd really be set.

He touched the door lock with his thumb. Warded, what else? He turned and pointed into the rabble behind him at a hunched figure, then pointed back at the door. The man shuffled forward, he had been a damn good curse breaker until he was caught skimming a cut off the top. He was just lucky the ministry caught him before the goblins did.

Drum waited in silence as the tiny man clicked and hummed in front of the door. A few minutes later the curse breaker pushed the door open. Drum stepped into the flat and looked around professionally. It was set out fairly regular. Kitchen that way... empty. Drum waved two guys towards the back room and ignored it. This place was like a catalogue, everything was in its place except for the books and papers strewn across the coffee table. Well, that and the three aquariums near the back. Not full of water. Some sort of reptile. Some sort of incense in the air, some new age garbage.

Drum shrugged, not an issue. The bedroom would either be at the end of the second door down on the left. That was how these buildings were built. Drum stepped down the corridor and pushed the door on the left open. Boxes. Down the hall then. He looked behind him, the other criminals were hanging back. Pathetic. The dark lord had grabbed everyone who would stand up straight with no regard for experience. Not that he was criticizing, at least he would get full credit for the kill.

Drum breathed in deeply. Smelled like vanilla, it was very strong. Someone had once told him that smell was the strongest trigger for memory. He certainly remembered that muggle girl every time he smelled cut grass. Perhaps from now on vanilla would echo in his head, reminding him of Natalie Zhao. The woman who made him the favored assassin of the dark lord.

He made his way towards the last door. He raised his wand, fumbled it and caught it again. He shook his head. Had to stay focused. He reached the door and pushed it open. Darkness, he stepped up to the bed. He hadn't used the killing curse before, but he had no doubt he could make it work. He raised his wand, aiming at the lump in the covers. His wand was shaking, he grabbed it with both hands. What was wrong with him? Drum shook his head, the wand was still shaking.

Oh... no, no, no...

Drum stepped backwards and tripped over his own robes. He looked back towards the door. It was closed. Did he close it?

"You didn't close it." Drum looked up, his eyes already drooping. The girl was standing there, arms crossed.

"Doped us." Drum mumbled through numb lips. "Incense...Vanilla..."

"How many more of you are there?" The girl demanded.

Won't tell you you bitch.

"Twenty?"

What!

"Where are there?"

Ice cold bitch queen.

"Five in the flat, five in the stairwell. The rest outside." She almost seemed to be talking to herself. "And dememtors flying everywhere."

"You won't get out?" Drum managed to get out. "We've surrounded you. Your fumes may have got me... the other five in here. Won't get the rest. You'll never get out." The girl raised her wand.

"I can try."

Natalie stunned the swarthy wizard and pushed his body in front of the door. How long before the others checked on him?

The door handle rattled. That long.

Natalie put herself right in front of the door. If she was lucky...

Confringo! She said the spell silently and angled her wand sharply down. The door exploded outwards, the force of the explosion channeled down the hallway. She saw three bodies flying away from her and dashed out after them.

"Cruci-"

Natalie whirled on the caster. No time for spells, she found his eyes, pushed in like a dagger and found the off switch in his brain. He folded like a puppet with the strings cut. She heard a shout behind her and protegoed so harshly that the round edges of her shield forced the walls out like crumpling paper. She turned and saw the hooded man dodging his own spell and threw her own, striking him in the chest.

That was the ones in the flat done.

She rushed to the door but it had been torn off its hinges. A dark figure reared from the stairwell. Natalie had her wand up in a moment but before she could cast the man grabbed his chest and fell to the floor. Natalie crept close, blood on his chest. Someone had hit him with a puncture curse.

She threw herself to the side. They must have been shooting from the other buildings outside. Aiming blind through the curtains. Aiming at her. Well that put climbing out the window out of the picture. She crouched and made her way towards the stairwell. She glanced between the slats and pulled her head back as a green flash obliterated the wooden banisters where she had been.

Time to start surprising them.

Natalie aimed at out into the middle of the stairway. A flicker of her wand and a ball of glowing light appeared. Another flick and a spiraling spear of sparks shot down the stairs like a rogue firework. She twisted and the ball dropped slowly, like a balloon, spitting exploding spears in every direction and shrinking as it fell.

That should keep them busy.

She dashed down the stairs and took out another thug as he desperately tried to dodge the multi-fire. Natalie had to jump over a man lying prone on the second floor, a victim of the fireworks. A spell shattered the tiles near her shoulder and she threw up a shield against the next one. Where were they coming from?

Damnit! Two above her, one below. They must have hid in the side corridors. She aimed her wand up at the two firers and vanished the floor under them. One of them dropped like a stone, the other was fast enough to grab the edge of the hole. But that just made him an easy target to get picked off. Natalie spun to take out the guy below her but he was already down. Blood on him, and pooling on the floor. Another victim of the cackshots outside.

There were still ten men outside. Natalie reached the ground floor and took a deep breath. They would be spread out all around her building to stop her escaping. What was her best bet to survive? The back entrance? It led onto an alley, easy for them to block or watch. The front was no doubt a deathtrap, she'd be hit from every side before she got two steps. There was a ground floor window out into the car park... wizards tended to ignore cars. She didn't have one but surely some combination of spells could convince one to start. It was her best shot.

Natalie can down a side corridor and found the window, she peered out. No one visible, but they could be hidden among the cars. She slid the window open and climbed out uncomfortably, breathing hard. Strangely her paper pushing desk job didn't keep her in very good shape. She fell down between two cars and turned towards one of them. She was about to charm the lock when she felt a shadow fall on her.

"Got you missy." Natalie froze. The voice was twisted and slick, like oil. "Turn round so I can see your pretty face."

Bad idea. Natalie turned and looked up into the pockmarked face above her. Into his eyes... He fell with a heavy, rag-doll thump and Natalie grabbed his wand.

"Ere what was that?"

Footsteps! Natalie crept back to the wall and got between it and the car just before the footsteps stopped.

"She's 'ere! She got Poxx!"

Natalie heard more running feet and tried to slink away along the edge of the wall. She reached the corner, no where to go. If she tried to make for the exit they'd see her for sure. She pushed at the apparation ward again but it was no good. They had extended it beyond the building itself. How far would they have pulled it? To cover the whole block would have been impossible. Could she just run for the edge?

They were searching the lot. They were getting closer. Natalie looked up under the nearest car. At least five pairs of feet within easy sight. The entrance was close, she might make it. With a distraction.

She looked carefully out over the back of the car and aimed her wand at a blue car at the other end of the lot. It didn't have to be much, just enough to get their attention. She said the spell silently. The car's alarm sounded like a klaxon in the night air.

"What the bloody 'ell is that!"

Natalie stood and ran. They were looking the other way, she could make it. She blazed out of the car park and made for the end of the street, all the while pushing against the apparation barrier. A spell pin-wheeled over her head and she sprinted harder. It had to end soon. She heard shouting and running behind her. Please let it end soon. A chunk of the road was blown away, throwing her to the floor. No... She desperately threw herself against the ward as footsteps surrounded her. It wouldn't budge, she knew it wouldn't.

"Now missy turn round nice and slow." She rolled over and tried to meet the man standing in front of her's eyes. "Nah, don't try any of that." He broke eye contact and started openly staring at her chest.

"You've led us lads a merry chase." He continued, and there was a rising chuckle from the cluster of wizards surrounding her. "Me and the lads worked hard. I recon we deserve a reward."

"I assume your lord will provide that." Natalie said, her eyes desperately flicking around for a way out.

"I was thinking you might." The front man sneered and the others drew in closer. Natalie could see the greed of years in prison flickering bright in their eyes. "Actually I was thinking you're gonna. Seeing as you don't have a ch... ch... aa...oh." The man raised his hand to his mouth, there was a trickle of blood coming out of the corner. His eyebrows knitted in confusion as he fell to the floor. His fellows stared at him. After a silent moment one of them stepped forward and knelt down next to him. The man reached out and touched the fallen criminals back.

"It's blood. He's dead. He- Aaa!" The neck of the kneeling man exploded, showering them with blood. The criminals jumped back in shock. Natalie grabbed her wand and threw herself backwards, rolling as she hit the ground. She had stunned one of the wizards while they were still in shock and had turned her wand on another when her mystery savior revealed himself. She had to give it to him, he knew how to make an entrance.

He dropped from the top of another building, his robe billowing behind him as he fell straight into the middle of the wizards. He landed on one of them and rolled, a dark shape in his hand coming up. Another criminal was thrown back and landed wetly on the floor. The warrior looked up at her but she couldn't catch his face in the dark. He nodded to her. She nodded back, and they turned on the rest of the bastards.

It was the strangest fight Natalie had ever been involved in. Strange for it's silence. Whatever weapon the strange man was using it made no sound as it fired and she tended to cast non verbally. The criminals yelled their spells but they were in such disarray they were mostly throwing desperate stunners at each other. Other than those there was only the sound of footsteps, rapid-fire like a dance, and the occasional spray of blood. A silent battle at midnight, underneath stuttering streetlamps. Natalie's breath was hot in her ears by the time it was over. She turned to her savior, he was dumping what was now obviously a silenciod handgun in his bag.

"Who are you?" Natalie demanded. "Did Dumbledore send you?"

"Most assuredly not." The figure said cheerily and turned towards her. "Miss Zhao, I do believe we've already been introduced."

"Ha...Harry?"

"Yep." The young boy's eyes wandered south and he glanced away. "Um you're going to have to have a change of wardrobe if you want to have any kind of intelligent conversation."

"Why?"

"Well, long story short you're still wearing a nightgown and the ground you were just rolling around on is quite damp."

"Oh." Natalie felt the blush rising in her cheeks as she conjured a robe. "Better?"

"Worse." Harry hung his head. "Now I can't see anything."

Carting bodies up to her flat had been a surreal experience. She had healed the ones that could be healed before stunning them into a coma. In the end they had two piles, sixteen alive and four dead. She didn't doubt that without wizard medicine the count would have been a lot higher.

And here she was, sitting by her coffee table staring at lined up, stunned, criminals who ten minutes ago had been trying to kill her, drinking tea with the boy-who-lived.

"Do you have any biscuits?"

"What?"

"I missed dinner."

"Oh... yes. In that cupboard." Natalie pointed and the black robed boy grabbed them before coming back and sitting beside her on the couch. She looked over at him. He looked older than when she had last seen him. Much older. "You saved my life."

"Don't worry about it." Harry shrugged. "The biscuits more than make up for it."

"You shot them." Natalie's thought's were still a little disjointed and she was trying to fill in the pieces. "With a gun."

"Spells would have warned Voldemort I was there." Harry shrugged. "By now I bet they have someone watching the underage magic detector. I tried to shoot their arms mostly." He added almost to himself.

Natalie decided not to comment, instead she asked.

"How did you even know to come here?"

"Oh, that." Harry turned to her. "I happened to overhear something while I was eavesdropping."

Natalie listened in shock as Harry briefly explained a conversation that had apparently taken place between Severus and Dumbledore earlier that evening. Poor Severus, she could just see him now. Pacing his office, unable to do anything. Hating himself even though it wasn't his fault. He always did.

"How did you even get out of the castle?" She asked.

"Easy, snuck into the forest." Harry shrugged. "The people that got sent to watch Snape were all, big surprise, watching Snape. Meaning I could slip by undetected. After that I dashed for the wall, climbed it easy, the ward doesn't keep in humans. Legged it to Hogsmeade and broke into a cottage to use the flue. I didn't want anyone to know I'd gone through there, that was why I didn't use one of the pubs."

Natalie didn't speak as Harry finished his story. She looked over at the pile of criminals, then back at Harry. Her brain, unencumbered by worry, was making the calculations that Snape hadn't been able to.

"Dumbledore was right."

"What?"

"This was a test." Natalie nodded slowly. "And Snape can still pass."

"Are you thinking..." Harry glanced at the pile. "Are you thinking of taking a page out of my book?"

"Yes Harry. I'm going to die." Natalie smiled. "The assassination will be a success. Too bad the aurors came and arrested everyone afterwards, but Snape still passes the test."

"Snape passes and you can hole up at chez Malfoy. One problem, They'll remember the truth." Harry pointed out, jabbing a thumb towards the criminals. "Voldemort'll find a way to get it out of them. Even in custody."

"I'll call an old friend." Natalie stepped into her kitchen and picked the phone off the counter. "Goldie will be able to help with that."

"Voldemort's good at Legillimancy."

"I know that Harry." Natalie pulled out her address book and started flicking through. "But my friend's good too. He's a ministry obliviator, the best."

"Wait a minute..." Harry's brow furrowed. "You're phone is working?"

"Of course."

"So why did I just break out of school and travel the length of the country to save you?" Harry threw his hands up. "Couldn't Snape have just called you?"

"Harry Snape may be using a pen now, but he's still a wizard to his toes." Natalie smiled fondly. "I checked."

"Eew!" Harry cringed back. "Mental image! All wrong!"

"Revenge." Natalie grinned, then found the file card she was looking for and grew serious. "Listen Harry you should go back. I can handle things from here, and it'll be easier to explain to Goldie without you here."

"You sure?"

"Yes," Natalie nodded and Harry turned to leave. "Harry!" She stopped him as he reached the door.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Just doing my job." Harry shrugged. "Apparently."

"And Happy Halloween."

"Halloween?" Harry glanced over at the clock, seeing that it was after twelve. "Oh yeah, Happy Halloween."

Harry didn't try to reenter Hogwarts that night. Too much risk of being seen by one of the watchers. Instead he dozed on a bench and slipped back in around sunrise. He attended breakfast purely to procure coffee in large amounts and managed to get through his first few lessons somehow. During lunch break he dragged his sleepy form down to the dungeons and found the right office. He pushed the door open without knocking.

"What is the meaning of thi... Potter." Snape deflated, his face going soft. "Natalie told me. I cannot begin to thank you-"

"You're going to teach me occlumency." Harry interrupted. "And Legillimancy." There was a pause. Then,

"I suppose I am."

"And you're going to tell me everything you know about Barty Crouch."

As soon as Harry's feet touched the floor he knew it was a dream. Before him the cottage at Godrics Hollow rose above his head. Looking so... normal. Nothing to speak to it's momentous importance. It could have been any one of thousands of houses, there were others that could be its twin dotted down the street. Nothing special, and yet it repelled him.

Harry felt his skin crawl. The house was... wrong... somehow. Harry turned and dashed down the street, passing trees and hedges. He dashed with no care and caught his foot on a paving stone, sending him sprawling to the floor. As he got to his feet he felt grass under his feet. He was back on the front lawn. The cottage was right in front of him.

He could hear the river in his ears, raging in the distance. Harry scratched at his skin, it was all wrong. Harry felt nausea grow in the pit of his stomach. Oh wait... that wasn't part of the dream.

Harry slammed his eyes open and dropped out of bed, rushing for the bathroom.

"Harry?" Ron knocked on the toilet door. "Harry are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Came the muffled reply.

"You don't sound fine. You sound-"

"I said I'm fine." Harry jerked the door open, the black bags under his eyes even more visible than usual against his green and sickly skin.

"You don't look fine."

"Probably something I ate." Harry shook his head and pushed past Ron.

"Harry everyone in Gryffindor eats the same stuff and no one else is-"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Harry whirled on his Ron. "I was sick. For some reason. Some unknown and unimportant reason. I threw up. I feel better. We should go to breakfast."

"Breakfast is over." Ron shrugged. "We let you sleep through it. The girls should be bringing some leftovers when we go to creatures."

"Well then let's go to creatures. I'm hungry." Harry threw his bag over his shoulder and made for the door, his head drooping.

Ron followed slowly. Harry was slowly getting worse, sick. Was it just lack of sleep doing this to Harry? He hadn't looked this bad even when he'd been time jumping. This time he seemed physically ill. Ron shucked his bag up further on his back. They all needed a little more sleep, Harry had been pushing them hard.

More sleep, and more bruise-remover.

Ginny looked up as Harry pushed the door to the attic open.

"Charms finished early?" Harry asked as the marauders trouped in behind him.

"I already knew the lesson." Ginny flicked her book closed. "It was summoning charms."

"You can already summon an elephant." Harry dropped his bag on the table. "Skip the next few lessons."

"The rest of us can't get away with skipping lessons Harry." Hermione said from behind Harry. "Some of us aren't the boy-who-lived. Some of us-"

"Some of us realize the pointlessness of being taught what we already know." Harry stepped into the middle of the attic. "Alright, this time everyone except Draco. All of the marauders."

"Harry are you sure?" Fred asked. "You weren't feeling so hot this morning."

"I'm sure, I'm fine. Nothing a little exercise won't cure." Harry shed his robe as the marauders drew into a circle around him. Ginny could see Malfoy settling down to watch, like it was a bloody show.

"Ready." Padma called out.

"Don't ask me if I'm ready. Never ask me if I'm ready. Never warn me just bloody hit me."

"Stubefy!" Ginny threw out her wand but Harry was already moving, sliding under her shot like a snake. His wand came up towards her. She shielded, Harry flicked to the side and Neville went down in a flash of red light.

The twins jumped forward like mirrors of each other but a shining beam clicked between them and slammed them together like conkers. Harry whirled like a dancer and a veil of smoke surrounded him. The marauders began firing into the cloud, careful not to hit each other as the stunners flew out the other side. The marauders slowed and eventually stopped.

"Do you think we got him?" Ron asked shakily.

"Should have counted the stunners." Padma muttered. "Did anyone see if one didn't come out?"

Padma's question was answered as her wand was jerked out of her hand and flew into the blackness. An array of stunners followed it. All came back out.

"Screw this." Ginny waved her wand. "Depulso smoke." The black cloud flew away and dissipated into the dusty air. Revealing nothing. The floor was empty.

"Where the hell is-" Ginny felt a weight strike her shoulders and a stabbing pain. As she collapsed she saw boots flash in front of her face and red light flashing all around. Her shoulder was like a burning knife.

"HOLD!" Someone yelled. "I said hold!"

The flashing lights stopped and she felt strong hands rolling her over carefully. Malfoy's face came into view, staring at her shoulder.

"It's dislocated." He said softly. "I mean really dislocated, look at it."

Ginny looked over at her shoulder and had to look away, her eyes squeezed shut. Her arm was hanging like a piece of meat, hanging off her shoulder. The marauders began crowding around. Ginny found Harry's eyes, he was unreadable. As always. His eyes didn't emote, didn't give anything away. They just looked like... eyes.

"Let me." Hermione pushed Draco aside and rolled up Ginny's sleeve. She shook her head. "I can't fix this. We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey." Hermione reached forward.

"No." Draco shook his head. "Two marauders, one injured, leads back to Harry. I'll take her. We can pass it off as an inter-house thing." Draco put his arm under her good shoulder and lifted her gently, carrying her away.

"What the hell was that?!" Padma whirled on Harry. "You broke her shoulder."

"Yes." Harry idly woke Neville from his spell induced stupor. "And if she was a death eater I'd have broken his shoulder."

"Ginny's not a death eater!" Ron yelled angrily.

"Really? You sure? We could check her wrist." Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't know what your mother would be more angry about, the hate crimes or the tattoo!"

"This isn't funny Harry!" George growled.

"No it's not!" Harry yelled. "It's bloody serious! Bloody, raging, burning SERIOUS! I KNOW THAT! Do you? Do you know that?"

"You could have really hurt her." Parvati said softly.

"I have really hurt her." Harry said harshly. "I've had broken bones. It hurts. It hurts a lot. It also hurts a lot less than what would happen if a death eater caught her."

"So it was for her own good was it?" Ron raged. "You were, what? Helping her!"

"Yes! I was!" Harry kicked a chair against the wall angrily. "I'm helping everyone! Why doesn't everyone get that! Why are the majority of the people I'm trying to save doing their best to screw with me!"

The marauders jumped back. The shadows in the attic made Harry's face a freakish mask. He was shaking like a leaf, breathing hard.

"Why are people doing this." He shook his head, his hands going to his temples. "Even people who know what we have to do are trying to stop us. Even people who know. Why the hell would they do that?"

"Harry..." Hermione reached forward.

"It's fine." Harry straightened like a rod. "I'm fine. We can fit another duel in before the end of lunch."

"You, you want to go right back into a fight?" Hermione asked, her voice incredulous. "No Harry. No, we're all tired. We can't."

"I can. You can. Get over here." Harry threw Padma's wand to her. It bounced off her stomach. She made no effort to catch it.

"I'm tired." Padma said flatly. "I'm going to lessons."

"Come on!" Harry clapped like some insane sports coach. "We can do another round."

"I don't wanna do this with you Harry." Ron said angrily. "This isn't fun anymore."

"THIS WAS NEVER FUN!"

"Harry what do you want!" Hermione yelled. "We don't have to do what you say! We don't have to obey orders like you seem to think! Make up your mind Harry, are we your friends or are we your... your army!"

"You giving me the choice." Harry stepped up right into Hermione's face. "You giving me that choice. I have a dark wizard after me that I'm fated to fight. I have the greatest, no scratch that, the two greatest wizards in the world hating me. One trying to kill me. One trying to keep me a prisoner. I have everything against me. So I choose a bloody army. 'Cos I need a bloody army. And if you can't be that then to hell with you."

Harry turned, and disappeared out the door.

The nexus of the marauders was gone. Without that, they were hollow.

They went to lessons, walked, went to meals. But Harry was never with them. He still attended lectures to keep the teachers off his back, but every other moment seemed to be spent in that attic. Plus wherever he snuck out to at night.

Draco was with him sometimes, walking silently behind him along the corridor. Visible bruising made it clear that he hadn't stopped helping Harry. Ginny caught him alone one morning and confronted him.

"Why are you still helping Harry?" She asked bluntly.

"Because he's my friend." Was the curt and dry response.

"He's killing himself with all this." Ginny pleaded, looking into Draco's eyes. At least there was some emotion there, even if it mostly seemed to be regret. "You realize that don't you? You're not helping him survive. You're helping him self destruct."

"With anyone else I'd agree with you." Draco looked away. "But here we know what's coming. You know. There's no way we can keep him out of Voldemort's path. There's no keeping him safe you understand, the prophecy ensures that. He will face Voldemort. He will fight him. So a little self destruction now is worth it if he survives that encounter. Wouldn't you say Ginerva?"

"Don't turn this on me." Ginny shook her head. "And don't try to make what you're doing any kind of noble. It's not."

"Of course I'm noble. I'm a Malfoy." Draco hung his head, then looked up to meet her eyes. Regret was back, regret was definitely back. "Look Ginerva I know everything you're saying is true. But I don't know how else to help him. I don't how to help him at all. Do you?"

"I... no."

"Too bad." Draco shook his head. "I guess all we can hope for is that he kills Voldemort before he kills himself."

And outside Hogwarts the wizarding world slowly fell to pieces. As Christmas crawled closer and the nights grew longer there was no joy among the magical peoples. It just meant there were more dark hours for the death eaters to hunt in. One night a dark mark was raised right in the middle of Manchester. The authorities passed it off as a hot air balloon. The ones in the country didn't have to be explained away, the ministry just had to clean up after. When they even bothered to do that.

Contrary to popular belief the darkest hour is not before dawn. It's in the middle of the bloody night.

Harry closed the prophet with a heavy sigh and dropped it on the ground beside him. Things were only getting worse out there. The order wasn't doing anything, big surprise there. Barty Crouch was still missing from death eater meetings, apparently with Voldemort's full support. The dark creatures? No one knew a thing about them.

No one seemed to know anything.

Harry stretched his legs out and felt the ripples of the lake against his bare skin, sending back ripples of goosebumps to match. Not all to do with the cold. It was good though. He should make sure he could manage water if he had to. Might have to fight in it one day.

"A dark state of affairs."

Harry tensed as the voice came from behind him and spun, wand outstretched. There was a figure standing there, looking out over the water. He looked old, seventy maybe. Bald definitely, and not a hair in his little neat mustache was anything other than white. He looked like a retired teacher more than anything else, one of the old school ones. He even had the patched tweed jacket.

Oh god was that a pipe in his pocket?

This guy was a walking cliché? What was he going to do next? Offer me tea?

"Would you like a spot of tea?"

"Oh come on." Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Three things: One, I don't drink tea. I drink coffee, in large quantities. Two: You don't have any tea. Three: Even if you had a flask I wouldn't be able to drink it." Harry reached out and waved his hand directly through the old mans leg. It passed through without even a tingle.

"Very good Mr Potter." The old man sat down cross legged next to him. "How could you tell?"

"There are certain signs." And I'm certainly not telling him them. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is James." Harry stiffened at those words. The old man laughed. "No not that James. Honestly Mr Potter there are more people called James in this world than your father."

"Probably not your real name anyway." Harry snorted.

"I've never seen a need to conceal my first name. One of the benefits of having a nice traditional name like James or John or Harry." James smiled and took a little puff on his pipe. "Of course if you wish to know my last name we shall have a problem."

"I don't give a crap what your last name is." Harry shrugged. "How are you doing this? Some sort of illusion?"

"Astral Projection." James said professionally. "It's really quite useful."

"I've read about it." Harry crossed his arms and stared calculatingly at the man next to him. "It requires extensive preparation and a circle of at least three wizards. What you came to tell me is worth all that?"

"Very good Mr Pott-"

"Stop saying that." Harry cut him off. "Just speak your piece."

"Very well." James reached into his jacket. Harry instinctively flinched despite the fact that any weapon this man pulled would go straight through him. "Do you know a man named Conterrando Baker?"

"Is he from the ministry of silly names?"

"How droll." James pulled a piece of paper from his jacket and held it out for Harry to see. Harry grabbed a piece of parchment out of his bag to jot down the address then took a little more time reading the rest of the profile.

"Half blood, respected member of the Wizengamot, respecter writer, married to a muggle, outspoken critic of the current minister. Two kids at Hogwarts. His last book was a love story, between a pure blood and a muggle." Harry laughed wryly. "Jesus, did someone just take a big piece of play-doh and mould it into a target for the death eaters?"

"It is a small miracle he has not been attacked yet."

"But you think he is being targeted now?"

"I know he is." James tapped a date on the paper. "Tomorrow night."

"Oh come on."

"He has been repeated warned but he refused to accept a protective detail. He says it would impinge on his privacy. Foolish And he will die for it. A beloved family man is going to die if you don't save him."

"Bull. You save him. You obviously have resources."

"I, or more accurately the group I represent. Do have the resources." James smiled. Harry didn't like that smile, it had weird depths. James continued, "Our organization also dislikes Voldemort. He is troublesome to our work. But unfortunately for Mr Baker, Voldemort is only an irritation to us therefore it is not worth enough to us to save him. We do not move in the same circles as Voldemort you see, so he does not give us too much trouble. We would prefer if he were gone though. It would make things easier."

"So help him."

"We cannot." James stood. "But you can. Go help him Harry Potter. If it turns out well, we may meet again." With that he disappeared into thin air.

"Show off." Harry murmured.

Of course he realized it could be a trap. In fact it almost certainly was a trap. Harry considered. Except that Conterrando Baker was a real person. The story, after a little checking of back prophet issues, checked out. Harry even found the kids in Ginny's year. Hufflepuffs, twins, nice in a kind of boring Hufflepuff kind of way. Both members of the gobstones club. Both with significantly less ridiculous names than their father.

Good kids. Good father too...

"Bugger." Harry dropped the prophet on the table. "I'm going to have to do something heroic aren't I."

Looks that way.

"Do I have to?"

Well... no, you could let him die while you sit back and eat popcorn.

"Don't like popcorn."

Well I guess that decides it then. Plus it would be rather a waste of all the training you've been doing.

"It could still be a trap you know."

I know that. Don't you think I know that? I'm your brain you moron.

"We're a bit crazy aren't we?"

Crazy like a fox.

"Like a fox."

So it came to pass that Harry slid down into the chamber of secrets that night wearing the most singularly un-heroic piece of clothing in history.

A pair of waders.

"Bloody winter." Harry shivered as he crawled through the tiny crack in the wall through which he had entered the chamber all those years ago. It was smaller than he remembered.

Harry dropped into the icy sewer and made his way quickly along the dark passageway. The water was bitingly cold on his hands whenever they got splashed but the thick waders kept his legs pleasantly warm. Thank merlin for dragon-skin fishing supplies.

Of course this would be easier if Dumbledore hadn't strengthened the Hogwarts wards to the point where not even insects could pass through. This was the only way out.

Harry's passage through the catacombs was unerring. Last time he'd been here he'd wandered aimlessly, lost. Little lost boy... But he wasn't the same person he'd been then. Harry sighed and walked on through the darkness to his destination.

Harry flicked his collar up and walked quickly down the street. This was London, but not a part that he had ever frequented. Big houses, big expensive houses. Places that didn't take kindly to vagrants. Probably still wouldn't take kindly to him if he was found here.

House twenty six. Harry slowed to a stop a block away from the tall white building. In the middle of the terraced-row of equally tall white buildings. Expensive they might be, individual they were not.

All the lights seemed to be off. Mr Baker was probably asleep. No one outside, no one obvious anyway.

Hello...

Up on the roof. Darkness made into flatness made into nightmares. Someone was waiting up there, trying to stay invisible against the skyline.

Harry cursed then darted down an alley. Movement in the front yard, it might have been a discarded newspaper. Then again it might not.

Human shape! Second floor, standing near the bed! Harry's hands found a drainpipe and he catapulted himself up. There were two more on the bed, cowering in fear. The standing figure raised his wand. Harry swung with all his strength and crashed through the window.

"What the hell!"

Harry tackled the death eater to the floor and stunned him. He rushed to the door and bolted it, pushing a chair under the handle. The others would have heard the window break.

"Who are you!" A voice bellowed from the bed. "Are you with them?"

"Do you know Dumbledore?" Harry asked quickly, looking over at the two in the bed.

"Ye... yes. Everyone knows-"

"Good go to him. Get out through the back." Harry pointed at the broken window. The door thumped violently and Harry turned back towards it. Three others. Not good. "GO!"

"What about you?" Mrs Baker asked as her husband hurried her towards the window.

"Don't worry about me. Just go!" Harry flicked a ward onto the door, strengthened it. But it wouldn't hold long. These weren't criminals, these were actual death eaters. Duelist group twos. Bugger. Harry glanced back at the window to see Mr Baker just disappearing out of it. Well at least that was done. Harry turned back to the door and raised his wand.

The first real test. Lets see how I do.

I really hope one of them is Crouch... Harry grinned in violent glee.

The houses windows flashed from where he sat on the rooftops. Whoever that boy was he was fighting them. Fighting them everywhere. There were two people fleeing down the backstreet, visible in the gaps between houses. They didn't matter.

His knarrled fingers clenched. It looked like the boy had beat him to these ones. He wouldn't be able to kill tonight. Wouldn't be able to hurt them, make them pay. Make the other one, the snake one, the one who took everything pay.

He licked his lips. Another time, there would be other times. He was patient. Patient was good, so long as it got there in the end.

The end... the end...

Vengeance. That was a good word.

The watcher hunkered down on the rooftops. Before him the battle raged on and cries of pain filled the air.

He would wait, and if there were any stragglers? Maybe he would have some fun after all.

"Wake up!"

Urg... Ron turned over on instinct to get away from the noise.

"Get the hell up Weasley!"

"Ow!" Ron grabbed his side and spun, his eyes wide open. "Malfoy what the-"

"Have you seen Harry?" The Slytherin demanded.

"What? Of course not. He's your best friend now." Ron replied sneering.

"He didn't turn up for dueling this morning." Malfoy sounded like he was actually worried. The snake was obviously acting. "I thought maybe he would be here."

"Well he's not." Ron gestured around. "Look the bed's not even slept in. And how'd you get the password anyway?"

"Something's wrong."

"Get lost Malfoy." Ron looked over at the clock. "It's six o clock in the morning!"

"Right. Two hours past when Harry said he'd meet me." Malfoy was gritting his teeth, breathing through them clenched.

"He's probably in the attic."

"That was where I was waiting you idiot!"

"Then he's eating breakfast!"

"Checked there."

"Library."

"Checked."

"Down by the lake?"

"Checked."

"The forest? Around the edge-"

"Checked."

"Oh." Ron bit his lip. "He's probably, I don't know. Probably training late and just passed out tired. Even you had to notice he was tired."

"Surprised you did." Malfoy turned for the door. "Get your friends and help look."

"We're not your frie-"

"But you were Harry's!" Malfoy turned angrily. "And he could be in trouble, or pain, or dying, right now! I know you don't like him any more but unless you hate him enough to wish him dead get the hell up and help me look!"

Ron woke the marauders. The marauders roused the students. Myrtle called the ghosts. Hermione ran to McGonagall. McGonagall went to Dumbledore.

The entire castle like an anthill kicked into turmoil by the departure of the boy-who-lived.

It was Dumbledore who confirmed, by 'his own methods', that Harry was not in the castle. The great hall was filled with tangible tension as breakfast appeared as if it was any other day. Everyone was whispering.

Why bother, thought Ginny. It's not like you're trying to hide what you're talking about. But she found that when she talked it also came out as whispers. It was the tense atmosphere, it leeched sound out of you. Or maybe it was because saying it right out would make it real.

The marauders mostly picked at their food. No one felt like eating. Not even Ron. Suddenly the door burst open.

"It's him!" Hagrid boomed over the barking of his dog. "He's out there!"

The hall emptied like a fire had started. Every student of every house piled through the giant double doors. Jostling and pushing against each other, and against teachers, to get through. They spilled out onto the front lawn like a wave, breaking and separating. Everyone was running for the main gate. Ginny saw Hagrid, out in front, yell something and the gate creaked open. Everyone pushed through, trying to get a glimpse of the solitary figure trudging up the path towards them.

The front runners stopped and were almost bowled over as the people behind them ran into their backs. The road down from the gates was slanted, so everyone could see. See the figure that was definitely Harry.

His robes hung off one shoulder, the rest torn and trailing behind him. The whole left side of his face was covered in blood, down onto his shoulders too, caked on and streaked. One of his boots was gone, Merlin only knew where. His left arm had an ugly burn over the elbow, red and raw and black in the middle.

The entire of Hogwarts stared at him. Harry raised his head painfully.

"Well... would..." Harry swallowed and licked his lips. "Would you believe I fell down some stairs?"

"Mr Potter where were you?"

You know where.

"Tell me!"

He knows where. Of course he does. Stupid Dumbledore.

"Were you at the Baker residence Harry?"

There we are.

"How did you leave school grounds?"

You don't need to know that.

"Harry answer me!"

"What do you want from me Dumbledore?" Harry pushed a blood-entangled dreadlock of hair out of his face. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want the truth!" Dumbledore was yelling, every portrait on the walls of his office watched in silence. Apart from them the room was empty. "I want you to tell me where you went! Where you go every night! I want answers!"

"I don't give a damn what you want."

Rather incongruent seeing as we just asked him.

"Harry if there is a breach in the wards of Hogwarts I need to know about it."

Damn. He might actually be right. Voldemort sure as hell knew about the chamber.

"Chamber of secrets." Harry met the Headmasters gaze but gave nothing away. His occlumency was getting better too. "Remember? There's a passage that lets out on the side of the lake."

"The... a passage." Dumbledore nodded faintly. "Yes... yes I knew about it."

"But it slipped your mind when you were shoring up the wards."

"I... no-"

"You're not a god Dumbledore." Harry broke in. "You can't do everything. You are incapable. You make mistakes. It doesn't have to be this way between us, admit you made a mistake with regards to me. I can help you fight. Help the order."

"You are not of age."

"Screw that!" Harry yelled wildly. "There's two people living tonight because of me! Two kids who are not orphaned because of me!"

"There are also five dead death eaters."

What... the... hell...

"Stunned." Harry corrected hopefully. "Stunned death eaters."

"Dead." Dumbledore's face grew stony. "Killed with an mysterious toxin. Seen only once before."

No... no no no no.

"Dumbledore-"

"Stop!" The Headmaster cut him off. "You have already demonstrated a bloodlust that disturbs normal, decent wizards."

"When I need to!" Harry was breathing hard. "When my friends lives are at stake!"

"You are out of control Harry."

"I didn't kill them." Harry held up his hands. "I didn't, I swear. I stunned them, then left, then called the aurors to pick them up."

"I cannot believe that Harry, I cannot. Not with all I know."

"Legilimence me." Harry released his defenses. "You'll see. You'll know."

"I will not know. I will not know because I cannot be sure that you have not reached a level of proficiency at occlumency where you could show me whatever fabricated memory you wish to."

"THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT!"

"Anger Harry? You have a lot of anger don't you."

Yes. Harry hung his head tiredly. There is no answer to your questions. Nothing that will satisfy you.

"You will stay confined to the castle." Dumbledore ordered. "You will attend all lessons. A guardian appointed by me will walk you to and from each lesson. You will do these things or I will hand you to the aurors."

"I didn't do it." Harry whispered, more to himself than anything else.

"I cannot take that risk."

Wait! The Prophecy!

"The prophecy." Harry blurted. "What are we going to-"

"Stop thinking about such things." Dumbledore cut him off. "They are no longer your concern."

"But I have to stop Voldemort. I'm the only one who can."

"This discussion is over Harry. Leave."

Harry stood. There was no point drawing it out. He walked towards the door, but didn't go through it. He felt drained, completely. But some residual well of stubbornness wouldn't let him leave without one last word.

"You're making a mistake." Harry said over his shoulder. "You do make them remember."

"I do. But I correct them." Dumbledore said sharply, but sadly. "I am correcting one right now."

Damn. He still got the last word.

Harry turned and passed out of the office. There were important decisions to be made.

"Deja vu." A voice said over Ron's shoulder.

"Malfoy!" Ron spun on his bench. "Do you just sneak around everywhere?"

"Hard to sneak in the middle of lunch." Malfoy seemed agitated. "Harry's gone again."

"Like this morning?" Hermione asked.

"He said he was going to go to sleep, but his bag's gone." As Malfoy spoke they heard a noise from the high table.

Dumbledore had just shoved his chair back roughly and strode quickly from the hall.

"He knows about-" Ron began but stopped as a feathered shadow dropped onto the table.

Digger cocked his head and hopped about a little nervously. He kept looking at first one face then another as if he didn't know who to deliver his message too.

Ginny reached forward and took it off her. She spread it out on the table. It was short, but it had a lot of subtext. It simply said.

Take care of him