A/N: Big shout out and thanks to the wonderful Anaelyssa for checking through this chapter for Grammar and other errors. If there are still any mistakes, that is purely me and my need to change something every time I re-read a chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and don't make any money from this story.
Chapter 39
As the days turned into weeks and weeks into a month, things settled in Hogwarts. Sebastian Potter sat in the Great Hall, surrounded by his fans as he watched the other students. He ignored their discussion regarding the flying lessons. He knew how to fly.
He could not help but look at his brother. The Hufflepuff. If he was being honest with himself, Sebastian had cared about his brother when they were young. He had always known that he was the more important and powerful of the two, but he had still loved his brother.
At the same time he had resented his brother for earning their mother's love in a way he never could. While mum loved him, she did not approve of pranks and dad's Hogwarts stories. He had watched his mother and Harry read together by the fire and had wanted on more than one occasion to take the books and destroy them.
He had his father sure, and he loved the old man. He knew his father did not think much of Harry, and Sebastian was happy that he was the important one. His brother had always been a little crazy, what with talking to the flowers and the birds. Sometimes, he thought Harry had even been talking to the snakes, but he was sure it was just a prank to freak him out.
His brother did not even know how to fly. He was actually scared of flying. How could someone be afraid of flying? It was so easy. Harry had started screaming like a mad man. His brother did so many similarly silly things. He actually fell unconscious when dad burnt the flowers. Sebastian was sure that it had been a trick to get their parents attention. It had even worked. After the incident, his mother and father had paid more attention to Harry. He had already had their mother; he just had to take Sebastian's father away from him as well. Harry had started barging in on his dad's and his alone time and he had hated it.
Dad was busy at office and the time he was supposed to be spending with Sebastian, now he spent with Harry as well. Well that had been put to right soon enough. Mum and dad had lessened their attention when Harry had seemed not to care, well at least dad stop stopped trying to make him a part of everything that had been their thing. Then Harry decided to leave and break mum's heart.
He still did not know what had happened to his brother and he did not want to know. Nothing was worth leaving his parents and family. Harry had left though. He had not listened to their mum's begging and had gone away. He had hurt them. Mum had never been the same after that. He hated his brother for making mummy sad. He had thought that it would get better. Mum and dad would forget about Harry and they would become a perfect family. Sebastian would have his mum give him all her attention. It was not so; Dad did as always, but mummy was always worrying about Harry.
He hated his brother. He hated when he had to go to Sirius's house and watch Harry play with Alex. He had tried to make friends with Alex, although he did not like Sirius for hurting his family, but Alex had rejected him. Him. He was the Boy-Who-lived, people did not reject him.
He had shown that brat though. If only the damn house elf had not ruined his plans. He had been so happy to come to Hogwarts. He would finally show the world his true potential. He would enjoy the fans, and people looking for his favours. His dad had told him to make friends, but to be careful about his company. His father had not needed to worry. As if he would make friends with "wanna be death eaters", like his brother. His brother was such a disappointment to his dad. He had been unable to contain his glee when he heard his brother sorted into Hufflepuff. He had always known his brother was a duffer. Crazy. He so belonged in Hufflepuff. He was worthless after all. He had been right, his brother had only been pretending to be a bookworm to get their mother's attention away from him. He had chuckled out loud at his brother's sorting, finally where he belonged.
When Sebastian's name had been called, he had been very happy and proud. He had put on the hat, waiting for the hat to shout Gryffindor, but the damn thing had wanted to put him in Slytherin. He said that his ambitions would be suited to that house. But no, he had shown the hat. He had fought until the hat had relented and put him in his rightful house. He would never tell anyone that he had almost ended up in Slytherin.
He had had very high expectations of his time here but things were not how he'd thought they would be. While he did love the attention his class mates gave him, he had looked forward to the praises of his teachers. He had grown up with tutors so he was sure he would be the best, but no. His brother had to ruin that as well.
His stupid, good for nothing, dumb brother was trying to take the teachers' attention towards himself. His brother always wanted attention and would do anything to get it. The teachers called him the brightest student to ever come to Hogwarts in the last five decades. He, Sebastian was not even at number two; that was taken by that bushy haired, buck-tooth snot from Ravenclaw. Most of his classes were with Ravenclaw and Slytherin, where the teachers kept waiting for him to perform better than his brother.
Everywhere he looked his brother was gaining attention. They were saying how smart he was. He was Hufflepuff, he could not be smart. He was cheating somehow and Sebastian would prove it.
Sebastian glared as his brother laughed from the Hufflepuff table. Hair so black that it shone blue in the light from the windows. They were supposed to be twins and yet they looked nothing alike. He was a copy of his dad with his glasses and hazel eyes. The only thing he got from his mother was his red hair, even it stood on end like his dad's.
His brother on the other hand, looked nothing like either of his parents. Only his eyes were their mothers. Even then, they were not their mother's grassy green but like… bright green, reminding him of the emerald set he had seen his mother wear once. Stupid eyes and their stupid colour. His hair was straight and ended just above his shoulders. Short from the front, falling on one side. His cheeks were not too chubby just a bit round, his nose perfectly straight. He actually looked a little bit like Sirius. He was short though, shorted than Sebastian. At least Sebastian could claim that.
Sebastian looked at his brother and a smirk curled at his lips. He had just seen this morning that flying lessons were starting. He would finally show them how much better he was. He would watch with glee as is brother shook with fear at the brooms, at the mere thought of flying. He could not wait.
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Flying lessons were the one lesson Harry was not looking forward to. Although he had finally overcome his fear of flying and understood the cause behind it, it did not mean he liked it any better. He and Neville shared an attachment to earth. Neville because the earth called to him and Harry because life called to him. The soul of every being spoke to him. He always felt grounded to the flow of life, always a hum at the back of his mind. When he went in the air, he lost his connection to the ground. The utter stillness and the silence that had bombarded him the first time at losing the connection had felt like being deprived of the very air he needed to breathe.
Marvolo had taught him that life was not just in the ground. There were birds who flew. Even the broom was made of tree, which had once been alive. Every broom was magical and a little sentient. Harry could focus his connection to the broom and allow it to fill his mind. It helped decrease the loss and allowed him to control the broom as if it was a part of him.
He still preferred the hum of the earth beneath his feet, but was not handicapped by flying. Neville on the other hand had never even tried to step on a broom. He had been asked, but he had refused to even think about it. Draco had been the one to fly. He was the best flyer Harry knew. Even better than Sebastian. Draco was born to be in the air. His personality was becoming as mercurial as the wind and it was the one place he felt complete at ease.
Harry walked behind Justin, with Susan and Hannah following behind him. Flying lessons had always been between the different houses but for the first time all first years would be having their flying lessons together. Harry watched as the students grouped themselves amongst their houses. A couple of weeks in and friendships and enmities had already been formed.
Harry stood near the first row of brooms on the ground. He turned towards Justin on his left, "Hey, listen could you let Neville have this place. He is a little afraid of brooms and I would like to help him."
"Sure." Justin replied.
Harry turned to Neville, who was standing on the opposite side, a little further away from the rest of the Gryffindors, "Hey Nev! Come on here!"
Harry grinned at the utter relief on Neville's face, hearing the chuckle which was Draco no doubt. Draco came to stand in front of him, while Hermione took the place in front of Neville. Sebastian came and stood on Hermione's right. Harry watched Hermione fidget and knew she was not feeling good about this lesson. He could not blame her. Broom riding required the ability to let go of a part of themselves and to trust that a little piece of wood would hold you up. Hermione was always thinking about the steps needed to perform and thus was unable to let instinct take hold.
A whistle drew the attention of the students to their teacher. Harry looked in surprise at the two students with her. Adam and another person with the Gryffindor ensemble.
"Now listen here everyone. Find yourself a broom and stand next to it. I am your flying instructor Madam Hooch. Now unlike each year where only two houses have flying class together, this year we decided to have all houses at once. Very few people actually have the ability and willingness to learn how to fly. My job is to teach you and you will learn, even if you are not brilliant at it. These are my two student assistants, Adam Smithson, a Hufflepuff prefect and Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain."
Harry watched the two boys give each other smiles. There was nothing stifling about their behaviour. These two were actually friends.
Harry's attention turned towards the instructor as she blew her whistle again, "Now everyone, if you are next to your brooms, put your hands out and say 'UP'."
Shouts of 'UP' erupted from around him. Sebastian was one of the first to shout and his broom smacked in his hand. Harry heard Draco's drawl as the broom lazily floated up to him. Hermione's barely twitched in place, while Neville's had not even moved.
Harry looked at the broom and let a tendril of his magic lose as it coiled around the broom. "Up!".
The broom jumped up and allowed his hand to curl around it. He turned towards Neville.
"Neville, the broom can probably tell that you are afraid. Relax and just let it come to you."
A snort from his left on the opposite side took his attention, "I don't know how the broom even came to you but you really shouldn't be telling anyone anything about broom riding. First time you sat on a broom and you started crying like a baby."
Sebastian sent a cruel smile his way, "I doubt you can fly even now. Neville is probably just as pathetic as you."
Harry tightened his hand around the broom and let the anger wash over him and leave. He could not afford to get angry right now. He ignored Sebastian and his barbs as he turned towards Neville to give him an encouraging smile.
The whistle pierced through the shouts of the students. "Now those of you for whom the broom came up on the first try pick up your brooms and move towards the right side of the field. The rest of you stay where you are."
Harry gave a nod towards Neville as he moved towards the right field with a few more students. Harry looked behind him to watch the instructor going towards every student and helping them find the right placement to sit.
The two older boys took hold of their group,
"So, you lot are the ones who are going to have an easier time learning to ride a broom. Now, I want you sit on a broom if you have ridden before. If not then call one of us and we will guide you." Adam spoke as he started moving down the first line, while Wood moved down the second.
Harry did not wait for them as he quietly slid down the broom. He tightened his grip and closed his mind to the hum. He needed to prove to Sebastian that he could do this. He had practiced enough.
He heard Hooch over the sound of rushing in his ears as he prepared himself, "Okay, on my whistle, at the count of three, I want you to push with your legs, hover for a few moments and then lean forward to come back to the ground. Okay. So, One, two- "
Harry felt it before he heard it, a spike of fear and adrenaline. He turned just in time to see that Neville had kicked too hard too soon and was flying in the air. His face was pale and he was scared out of his mind. The scream of the students and Hooch sounded around him but Harry knew what would happen next before it happened. Neville grip slipped. Harry felt frozen in fear. He watched in slow motion as Neville tumbled on the left and fell. Time came rushing back as a shout pierced the sudden screams of the students, "Aresto Momentum!"
Neville seemed to slow suddenly before hitting the ground with a thud. Harry left his broom and ran towards the boy, knowing that Draco and Hermione were right behind him.
Adam reached Neville before any of them and seemed to cast a spell on Neville. "He is okay. Just a fractured wrist. It will be fixed in no time. Come on."
Harry watched Adam pick Neville up before he was taken by Hooch. "Adam, let me take the boy to the hospital wing. You wrap up the students here. We will continue this lesson next week."
"Yes mam." Adam replied.
Harry did not look at Neville but moved forward until he was right in front of the other boy.
"Thank you."
Adam seemed surprised by the sincere gratitude that came from Harry, he opened his mouth to reply before the two people behind Harry also spoke up, "Thank you!"
The voices of gratitude also came from a few other students and a blush grew on Adam's cheeks as he rubbed his shoulders in embarrassment. "It's not a big deal. I mean I was close and just a bit quicker."
Harry merely smiled at him as he moved towards the brooms that had been left. They were distracted by sniggering which came from Sebastian, surrounded by Gryffindors who had not moved towards the falling boy.
"If that idiot couldn't fly, he shouldn't have come."
"Ya!" shouted the Gryffindors from behind him.
Harry felt his lips curl in disgust. Idiotic sheep.
"I am sure that he didn't know what would happen, so no need to be mean." Adam replied smoothly.
Sebastian sniffed before he jumped on his broom, "Wait, you are not allowed to fly!" Adam swore as Sebastian took off. Harry watched his brother as he performed tricks in the air, and did a couple of swirls. The astonished look on the Hufflepuff prefect made Harry bristle, along with the greed he could see in Wood's eyes.
Sebastian gave a grin before he fell towards the students. All the children screamed as they moved away but Harry knew Sebastian was aiming at him. Instead of moving, Harry raised his hand and the broom, with which he had already made a connection, flew into his hand. He jumped up, sat on the broom and rolled to the right, swerving to avoid his brother.
The punishment he might get into for his stunt was worth it seeing the stumped and surprised look on his brother's face before it was replaced by a scowl.
"Potters!" came the shout from Professor McGonagall as she came striding towards them. Harry ignored her as he pulled the broom down and landed gracefully, jumping to the ground, and relaxing at the sudden connection he felt again.
Sebastian scowled to himself as he too followed his brother and landed on the ground.
"I have never seen a stunt like that in my life. 10 points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Mr Potter-Black, please see your head of house for further punishment. She will be informed of what transpired here. As for you Mr. Potter, please follow me. Mr Wood, you as well. The rest of you, back to your dormitories."
Harry watched Sebastian follow behind the professor, chest puffed up as if just waiting for praise. The Slytherins were sniggering at the Boy Wonder for getting into trouble. Harry wished that was true. The Professor was proud and happy. She would not be punishing Sebastian, whatever she was going to do would only make the other boy more insufferable.
Harry stilled at the hand that fell on his shoulder, "Don't worry. I'll explain to Professor Sprout what happened here and you won't be punished for it." Adam then turned to the other students, "Well, what are you lot still milling around here for. Back to school."
So saying Adam moved towards the great hall, most of the students following behind him. Only three students stayed. Draco had asked the rest of the Slytherins to go on without him.
"Draco, try to get him into trouble. Maybe caught out of bounds after curfew. I'm sure you can work on it."
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The next morning Harry watched from the Hufflepuff table as four owls came screeching carrying a large parcel between them. It looked like a broom. He watched as it landed in front of a smug Sebastian. Harry was sure that his position as a seeker was supposed to have been a secret but Sebastian was one for boasting. By now the whole school knew that he had been selected.
Even Draco's plan to get him in trouble the previous night had failed. Sebastian and Ron had been hearty this morning, though a bit paler than normal. They were chatting with the students around them as if they had not just escaped from punishment.
Everyone was talking in awe as to how good Sebastian was, that the teachers had made an exception for him. None of the idiots thought that the exception should not have been made in the first place. First years were not allowed brooms and were not allowed to be on the Quidditch team, yet none of them thought to complain just because he was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. Harry was beginning to get tired of the leeway that was given to his brother and it had only been a few weeks.
No one even mentioned how well Harry had performed yesterday. His action was forgotten under the new gossip of the Gryffindor seeker. None of them knew how much and how hard he had had to work to be able to fly without letting fear consume him. He knew he was not the best but he was good. Other than that, he knew that Draco was the best seeker there was, and yet he would be unable to play because he was a first year while Sebastian could. It was unfair.
Hmmm. Maybe there was something that could be done about that. While he Harry would never join the Quidditch team it did not mean that he could not do something about this.
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Severus Snape looked up in surprise when one Harry Potter entered his office. He had not thought that the boy would willingly be alone with him ever. He did not ask the other to close the door behind him, knowing he might prefer the escape.
"What can I do for you Mr. Potter-Black?"
He felt the boy jolt at his voice and felt the ever familiar guilt gnaw at his stomach. He guessed that he had not yet forgiven himself and he doubted he ever would.
The boy seemed to steady himself as he began in an even tone, "My brother has just been selected as the Gryffindor seeker."
"Well, should you not be going to your own Head of house if you want to have a position on your team as well?" Snape broke in. Of course he would want to have the same position as his brother to have a little attention as well.
Harry looked at him with a scowl as he glared at him. Severus felt his lips twitch at the bravado of the young child, holding back his pride for the boy facing up to him despite the minute quiver he could see in the others hands.
"It is not for me. Sebastian is good. But it is not fair that he gets to be on a team when I know there is a first year much better than him."
Severus waited for the boy to continue, his curiosity peaked by the direction of the conversation. "Who is this person?"
"Draco. He is brilliant. He won't say anything, but since everyone knows that Gryffindor and Slytherin are competitive when it comes to Quidditch, you can argue that you should allow your first years to try out for the team as well. The other head of houses might agree with you. I really want to you watch Draco. You will not be disappointed."
Severus waited for the boy to continue, but it seemed as if he had said what he wanted to say. He thought about the ordeal and had to admit he was angry at Dumbledore for breaking the rules yet again for another Potter. He had no doubt that he could make this happen. This child had no doubt seen both Sebastian and Draco fly and would know who was better. If the present seeker won against Draco, then he would know that they had the match.
"Very well, it will be done."
Severus felt his heart lighten at the hesitant smile that was sent his way, before the child ran out of his office. He got up from his chair and smirked with glee. He had a fight to look forward to.
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Draco watched as all the Slytherins who wanted to be seekers stood in line to compete against the present seeker. All the other positions had been chosen with only a chaser being replaced by a new third year as the older one had left. This one was unsurprisingly a guy as well. Almost all the other houses thought Slytherin discriminated against the girls, but most Slytherin girls were purebloods and considered themselves above playing sports. Not many tried out, and even fewer were good enough to compete.
It was the last position of seeker that was now being tested. Although they already had a seeker, Snape had been adamant that all positions would be tested to choose only the best. The Slytherins were only doing this as revenge against the Gryffindors. They knew that a first year would not be good enough, and they did not plan on weakening their team by taking in a first year. This was just to get Snape off their back.
Draco did not know why Snape was doing this but he had no doubt it was because of the stunt Potter pulled. Draco had to admit, he had been angry at Potter for breaking the rules and not getting punished for it. Harry had deserved a lot more credit than anyone realised. Draco had watched as Lord Marvolo had patiently taught Harry to fly without fear.
The seven-year-old had not even wanted to get up on a broom but if there was one thing Harry hated above all else, it was weakness in himself. He always wanted to come across as strong. It was one of the reasons Harry learnt whatever he could get his hands on. Knowledge was power and Harry had made it his life's mission to never be weak again. He still did not know what had happened to Harry that had caused so many changes in the boy because he refused to talk about it. Draco had often wished he could help his friend and he did in whatever way he could. It still did not seem enough.
"Next!"
The shout from Captain Flint bough his attention to the line ahead of him. Oh, it was his turn.
Draco nodded towards the captain and picked up the school broom. It was not in good condition. He would have bought his own broom had he known this was going to happen. The present seeker was already hovering in what he could tell was the newest version of the Comet that came out the previous summer.
Draco refused to let it affect him though. He knew he was good and he would show it. He got on his broom and lazily floated up towards the other seeker. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the steady wind curling against his frame. The fluttering on the wings as he felt the snitch released.
"Hey, Malfoy. You gonna keep your eyes closed. Are you scared?!"
Draco ignored the other boy as he waited. He heard the whistle pass through the air and snapped his eyes open as he moved in a flash towards the right of the field. He wind rushed through his hair and a grin split his lips as he let go. He felt the snitch weaving through the wind before he saw it. He frowned when the broom vibrated beneath him. He ignored it as he dived straight towards the ground, the gasps of the students barely heard with the wind rushing through his ears. He took a sharp turn upwards and slowed down, enjoying the feel of the silky feathers rubbing against his palm.
He stopped and flew down towards the students and captain. Most of them were gaping and Flint had a shocked look on his face. Draco turned around and saw that the other seeker had frozen when he had taken a dive towards the ground. He wanted to grin but knew it would not do.
He moved towards the ground and smoothly landed on his feet. He let his silvery grey eyes rove over the captain as he raised his brow and showed him the snitch, "Well?"
Flint looked at the Snitch as if he could not believe it, "We have a new seeker," he started hoarsely, before clearing his throat and speaking loudly, "Terence! You mind being reserve seeker?!" Flint's tone was clear that he did not care whether Terence wanted it or not, he was being replaced.
Higgs landed to the ground roughly. He looked mad and impressed at the same time.
"Fuck Malfoy! You could have warned me you were good. Of course I mind being replaced by a first year Flint but the kid is too darn good. Dammit! Fine. I'll be reserve" He then turned towards Malfoy, "You mess this up, and I won't care who your father is, I'll ruin you! You got it?"
Draco only raised his brown, eyes glinting with humour. As if. Anything happened to him and Higgs would disappear from the face of the planet before he could say Snitch and the boy knew it.
"Crystal." Draco replied.
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The Slytherins unlike the Gryffindors kept the position of their new seeker a secret. All the children present had been warned not to say a word about what had transpired to anyone. They knew that if the news leaked from even one of them, all of them would suffer.
Draco had been going to practice for almost three weeks now and was in great spirits. His demeanour had lightened and he was much more relaxed. Harry smiled as he looked towards the laughing blond at the Slytherin table. He loved it when his friends were happy.
It was Holloween and all the students were sitting in the Great Hall, enjoying the feast and laughing amongst themselves. Sebastian was surrounded by his fans and students from each house would go to him and thank him for destroying You-Know-Who. Every day at this time Sebastian would be invited to a Ministry ball to celebrate the end of the war. It was a first that Sebastian had been away from the press for this period of time and Harry knew that the vultures would be looking for news.
He smiled at the joke Susan was telling him and kept his anger locked in place. Marvolo was alive. The idea of a dead Marvolo did not sit well with him and he kept those thoughts as far away as possible, but today it was hard.
Harry tried to distract himself from his thoughts by looking for his friends. He already knew that Draco was at the Slytherin table. He could see Neville sitting far away from Sebastian and his group. Harry frowned and wrapped his magic around Neville. Harry withheld a gasp as pain speared through his side. He quickly tightened his barrier to be able to know what was wrong without feeling it himself. Neville was hurt. Why had he not told them? When had it happened?
Harry knew they would have to meet soon so that he could give Neville a piece of his mind, before he went after the person who had hurt his friend. He quickly moved pass Neville to look for Hermione. He searched for her and could not find her. Harry shifted uncomfortably, as a sense of urgency gripped him.
Not having any other option, he braced himself and opened his outer shields. He was suddenly bombarded with emotions and feeling of the student population. He breathed deeply as he focused on the scent Hermione's aura gave off. The extra feelings diminished as sorrow came to the fore of his mind. He followed the magic leading away from the Hall.
A frown spread on his face as he wondered where Hermione was and why she was not here. Something was wrong. The feeling of urgency increased. Harry felt his heart beat race, fear crawling up his spine as danger speared along his whole being. He was very familiar with the feeling. It came whenever something bad was about to happen. He shuttered away the memory of the last time he had felt something similar, a flash of pain his only reminder as he worked to find Hermione.
Merlin he needed to do something quick. He was finding it hard to breath. He kept tracking Hermione, hoping to find her safe and sound. The feeling of danger increased as his senses screamed at him. He barely heard Susan and Hannah calling for him, mind immersed in finding Hermione as it led him towards the bathrooms. Before he could find her, his magic found the cause of the impeding danger and Harry found himself holding back his nausea, breaking out in a cold sweat as lashing anger and hunger burst in his mind.
The banging of doors and the scream from the entrance suddenly pulled him back to his surroundings. He slumped on the table with a gasp, rubbing the sweat that had fallen in his eye. He looked towards the worried faces of the two girls and had barely opened his mouth to explain when the terrified visage of Professor Quirell look his attention as the other reached the Head Table, "Troll!- In the dungeons- thought you ought to know."
The man fell into a faint. Harry quickly moved his magic towards the man to find if he was okay, when he was hit with a wave of anticipation and nerves. The man was pretending. What the hell was going on here?
The students all screamed, some raised to their feet, horrified expressions adorning their faces. Harry stayed seated, confused thoughts swirling in his mind. He barely heard Dumbledore bring the silence. He was bought out of his daze when Susan pulled one of his arms, and Hannah the other, to help him stand and move him from the table.
They must have known that he had not heard a word of what had transpired because they quickly began to explain, "Professor Dumbledore has asked all students to go to the common rooms!"
Harry moved the words in his mind; his mind moving at a sluggish pace as the terrified and stark emotions of the students kept piercing his barrier. Too many things were pulling at his mind. He was too young to properly keep focus on the matter at hand. He only remembered something about the troll and dungeons.
"The Slytherins!" Harry gasped.
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Adam tried to calm the first years, keeping half an eye of Clare as he moved them towards the exit. It was a mad house, with all the students wanting to leave first. He watched as Harry was helped to his feet by his two friends. He had not missed the child's gasp and trembling limbs before the Professor had barged in through the room.
He stayed close to the children when he heard the child exclaim about the Slytherins. Adam halted in his place, stupefied that it had not occurred to him. He turned towards the Slytherin table as he watched the prefects keeping the students calm and asking them to stay in their place. He looked towards the head table for their head of house and could not find Snape anywhere. Fuck it!
Adam shouted towards his other house prefects, "Hey, take the first years from here. I am bringing the Slytherins!" He did not wait for a reply.
He sprinted towards the Slytherin table, finding the seventh year prefect talking to a scared first year, "Hey, come with us to the Hufflepuff house. You can't stay here alone and you can't go to the dungeons."
The prefect looked stumped. Before he could say anything more, one of the first years stood up, the Malfoy boy, "Come on! Let's join the Hufflepuffs!"
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Draco did not wait for the others. He had watched Harry and had seen the other two help him. He ran towards the boy, ignoring the shout from the prefect.
"Let me take him," he urged the two girls and put Harry's arm over his shoulder as he started moving towards the exit. He quickly moved ahead of the girls, barely paying attention to his surrounding when Harry stopped him and pulled him towards the alcove near the entrance, letting the others pass.
"Draco, Hermione was not in the Hall, she does not know about the troll. The troll is not in the dungeon, it is close to her! We have to go!"
Draco did not need to know more. He supported Harry as he let the other lead him, "I have a grip on Hermione. I can find her. Just keep up with me."
They moved away from the other students and slipped in a deserted corridor. They sprinted as quickly as they could towards the girl's toilets.
Harry was trying very hard to keep his focus only on Hermione as he followed her aura towards the washroom. His progress was halted when he felt the ground shake beneath him, both literally and in his mind, as the pungent aroma assaulted his nose. NO! The troll was going towards the toilets.
He was distracted by the shout that came behind him. He turned and being out of sight of the washroom, in a side corridor, missed the troll entering the toilets, with a confused Draco moving with him.
"Harry!" It was Susan and Hannah. "What are you doing here!? The troll is roaming the scho-"
A wave of fear hit Harry strong enough that he stumbled in Draco's hold before a piercing scream reached their ears. Hermione!
Harry looked into Draco's wide eyes and knew he had no option. He could feel Draco's strong self-preservation instincts kick in.
"We need to get the teachers!" Hannah screamed, but Harry knew he would do no such thing.
Draco shook his head, having known Harry long enough to know what he would do next. He was still too late to stop him as Harry moved from beneath his arm and ran towards the bathroom, stumbling minutely, "Harry!" Draco shouted as he fought with himself.
His dad was so going to kill him. With that though Draco ran as well, looking behind him to the other girls, "Run and call the teachers! Quick!"
The other two did not wait for him to finish as they sprinted in the opposite direction, hoping they would find a teacher on their way.
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Harry ran inside the toilet, stumbling to a halt at the strong smell and the mess that met his eyes. The whole bathroom was a pile of marble and rubble. The cubicles on the right were broken, the sinks scattered on the ground. The troll was huge. He looked around in fear, before letting his power out again, uncaring of the pain if it would help him find Hermione. He felt her pain from the left corner beneath a broken sink before he saw the marble move and the troll, who had its back to Harry, move to the left and swing its club towards it.
Harry knew he had to get its attention, and in his confusion and fear did the only thing that occurred to him. He threw his consciousness towards the troll, his body moving away from the entrance to retch at the right corner as he felt the blood lust that came strongly from the troll. The troll stopped where it was, confused.
He tried to gather his thoughts to control the beast. He let go of his own body, barely feeling his knee crack as his body fell to the ground. He was the troll now.
Harry heard a shout reach his ears and turned to look at a shiny hair child (yummy) behind him. He licked his lips in hunger as he watched the bright-haired boy move towards another slumped figure in the corner. It was the black hair and bleeding figure of the other child that halted his motion.
Harry gasped as he strung his consciousness together from within the troll. He saw the troll raise his club and bring in down towards the two children. The troll barely stopped as two silver eyes pierced it. A strong gust of wind picked up and hit the club with enough force to move its trajectory as it hit the ground, a hair's breadth away from the two children. It watched the silver-eyed child sway, the smell of fear strong as the child paled. The troll growled loudly in anger as it raised its club again and brought it smashing down.
Harry watched as silver eyes closed and the boy trembled in fear and exhaustion yet stayed protectively in front of his body and screamed, NO!
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Draco had known it was a suicide mission the moment Harry had run in. They may be two of the most brilliant first years but they were still kids. No way would they be able to deal with a fully-grown mountain troll.
He reached the entrance and halted at the spectacle that met him. "Harry!" he shouted, as he ran towards the unconscious figure. He barely noticed as the troll turned its attention towards him. He knelt in front of Harry and tried to shake him, before looking up at the troll with hatred. He saw the club as it raised high. The sound of the air moving as it made way for the falling club took his attention and he squeezed his fist holding on to Harry's shirt.
He felt the magic rise in him and felt it burst from within in a force. A gust of wind blew from the air around him, smashing into the club. Draco gasped, sweat breaking out on his forehead, as his energy sapped. He swayed and tried to hold himself, but he had used too much. The troll was too strong and his powers were not free yet, he was too young.
He heard the growl and closed his eyes when the club moved to make its final fall, refusing to leave Harry. He heard the swish of the club and waited for the pain.
When he felt nothing, Draco slowly opened his eyes and gasped. He club had halted right over his head. He could see the muscles in the troll's arms straining as it tried to force the club, but something was holding it back. Draco looked up at the troll and was shocked to see bright green eyes staring at him from the trolls face. What?!
Draco did not wait. He had to get everyone out while the troll was distracted. He shakily got up and took hold of Harry, swaying under the dead weight but moving steadily towards the rubble on the other side, where he had glimpsed movement.
He stopped near the broken sink and almost dropped Harry as a wave of exhaustion hit him. He stumbled and carefully laid Harry on the ground. He gasped for breath and went on his knees as he scramble over to the pile of rubble. He moved the pieces of pipe and marble away until his hands came across a body. He put his finger of Hermione's neck and let out a breath in relief at the steady pulse. A squeak from the entrance took his attention as he watched the troll turn towards the two boys who had made the noise, Potter and Weasely.
The troll lowered the club and moved towards the other two before stopping. It seemed confused for a moment before it sat to the ground, shaking the floor beneath them all. Draco swayed and watched as Potter and Weasely tried to hold their balance. Draco enjoyed the dumbfounded look on Potters face when the troll put the club down, and let out a secret smile. Harry was doing this. Whatever it was Harry was doing it.
"Windardium Leviosa!" Potter shouted and the club rose in to the air above the troll. The troll looked at it and twitched. Potter let go of the spell and the club fell on the troll's head, which swayed and fell backwards in a faint.
At the same time, Draco saw and felt Harry jerk next to him. He moved towards Harry as the other seemed to come about before falling unconscious.
Draco looked at the entrance and at the sound of running feet let his eyes shut as exhaustion pulled him under. Potter's smug face the last thing he saw as he gave into unconsciousness.
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SEBASTIAN POTTER SAVES SCHOOL FROM TROLL!
By Reeta Skeeter
Yes! My dear readers you have read correctly. It would seem that some students had let in a troll as a prank for Holloween. The blame is being solely put on the Weasely twins, sons of Arthur Weasely, Head of the Misuse of Magical Artifacts. Although the children deny all accusation, the have been known for their pranks and breaking the rules.
The hot point of the day, my readers, is not the Weasleys and their deplorable sense of humour, but our very known Boy-Who-Lived. I give you the exclusive interview from Sebastian Potter over what transpired.
Me: So, I have heard that you saved the school and some students from a troll? Can you please tell the readers what happened?
SP: Yes. I don't like to brag but since you asked, I have to be honest. I had been keeping an eye on my brother after we had heard about the troll. I know that my brother is a bit weak and needs assistance. He was seen getting away from the hall, with the support of his two friends. Anyway, I watched as he and (We have been forced to remove the name of said child due to political reasons and will be referring to him as 'The other boy') ran into a deserted corridor. I was worried about my brother, he didn't look too good, and so I followed. Anyway, I heard my brother tell (The other boy) that this was his chance to finally get some attention and recognition. He wanted to find the troll and beat it. Since he was doing well in his studies he thought he could take the troll down himself. I don't know how he even knew where the troll was, (one has to wonder if the brother was somehow involved in the presence of the troll) but he found it in the girls washroom and ran in. The other boy ran after them. I was with my best friend Ron Weasely and I did not want my brother getting hurt so I ran in after them.
(Here Sebastian Potter had to stop and gather himself as he described the devastating scene he walked into)
Me: Please continue, dear child.
SP: I walked in and the troll was standing there with its club. It was huge and ugly. It smelt horrible and I could barely breathe. The whole bathroom had been destroyed with pipes and plumbing broken and marble scattered everywhere. The troll was facing a few students; my brother who was unconscious and bleeding, (The other boy) was on the ground next to a Ravenclaw girl, I don't know how she got there. The boy was trying to get the girl out of the rubble that she was under. The troll looked ready to attack them when it saw me. It turned and raised its club as if about to hit me. I quickly thought of a way to dispose of the troll and decided to use the Levitation Charm as it was the most harmless. I didn't want to kill the creature for doing what was in its nature. The troll's club flew from its hands and moved on top of its head, where it fell down. The troll swayed and fell unconscious.
(My dear dears, I also had a very hard time with this. I can't believe how brave this young child is to go through so much for his school, friends and family.)
Me: Then what happened?
SP: Well nothing much. I mean I pretty much took care of the troll so when the teachers came afterwards they had nothing to do. They got rid of the troll and took the kids to the hospital. I heard that they are all healthy now. I am glad I was there, my brother would have been dead otherwise. I don't know how I would have dealt with that. (My dear dears, I have to admit that I had a few tears by this point).
Me: Well thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. Best of luck with school.
SP: Welcome.
There you have it folks. The true story right from the mouth of our very own Boy-Who-Lived. We commend you Sebastian Potter, for your bravery, loyalty, and integrity. May your future be bright!
The edition of the Daily Prophet caught fire. Harry watched with a glint in his eyes as the picture of his brother smiling at the camera was slowly incinerated. Neville and Draco watched with worry as Harry paced the room of requirement. Hermione observing from the sofa.
Harry could not help it as his body heated and hands itched. He paced back towards the fireplace and a shout from Draco had him looking at his feet and jumping out of the way. Neville picked up a pillow but Hermione got there first, "Agumenti!"
Water fell on the carpet that had caught fire under Harry's feet. Harry moved further away so as to not be hit with the spray of water.
"Harry, control your anger!" Draco snarled, his own anger as cold as the winder breeze, frigid and deadly.
Harry stopped his pacing and fell face down on the sofa, Hermione rolling on the ground with a thud, just in time.
"I a'e thi", came the muffled sound from the sofa.
Hermione smiled at the boy's antics, "Harry, we can't speak muffled tongue."
Harry grumbled as he raised his head, "I hate this," and pulled the pillow tighter around his face, barely getting air.
Harry heard the two boys sigh from above him before Neville joined him on the sofa and Draco sat on the ground next to Hermione.
"My dad had known this would happen the moment he heard about the troll incident. He went to the editor in chief and told him exactly what would happen to his newspaper if I was so much as mentioned anywhere. Too bad your own brother spoke out, otherwise Sirius could have had your name stricken out as well."
"He made me sound like an attention-seeking, jealous loser!"
"We know" Hermione tried to sooth the boy. "We also know what really happened. You can't go to them to explain, because that would require telling them why the troll was not a danger to Sebastian when he attacked it."
"Believe me, if I could, I'd tell them. Getting clubbed in the head bloody hurts!"
"Well, I am glad that at least you told me what happened. I have to research blood skills now, without letting anyone get suspicious, but I am very interested. I have not heard of it anywhere in the books I have read so far. It seems to be one of those hidden pureblood things that only the purebloods know about."
Harry sighed at that, "Don't start researching now, please. I know you want to, but for now let it be. It would be really hard to explain why an 11 year old muggleborn is interested in the topic. Besides you won't find any books discussing it in Hogwarts, nor at Diagon Alley. These places are watched by people who don't want the general public to know anything about them."
Hermoine scowled at hearing that. The idea of knowledge being restricted did not sit well with her as she was in a habit of reading whatever fit her fancy. "I guess," she mumbled, pondering on her dilemma. She looked up at Harry when the other moved to lay on his back as the pressure on his knees started giving him an ache, "How are you guys feeling anyway?"
Draco let out a scowl, "I am fine. I was just exhausted, nothing else. Harry had his blasted knees cracked and a seriously bad concussion, both which the nurse healed pretty quickly. You were the worst, so we should probably be asking you that, with your broken collar bone and cracked skull."
Hermione smiled, "I am healthy and very happy. What about you Neville? I heard what happened to you. Why did you not tell me?" Hermione asked.
Neville shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I wanted to be strong enough to handle it on my own."
Harry let out a sarcastic laugh, "Ha. Bloody Sebastian Potter. What if I told the prophet what Sebastain did with the two of you? Hm?"
Sebastian had been the reason Hermione had been in the bathroom in the first place. During Charms class, which the Gryffindors had with the Ravenclaw, Hermione had tried to help Ron. Ron had not taken it well, and had resorted to verbally bullying the girl. He and Sebastian had made it a point to corner her after class to point out how she had no friends and was being used. Neville had stepped in to tell Hermione it was not true. Sebastian had then asked Hermione if she even knew that Harry did not live with his parents and the reason behind it. Did she know why he was always jealous of Sebastian? Sebastain proved the point by asking Neville to tell Hermione about Harry if she was their friend, at which Neville had honestly replied that he could not.
This had resulted in Hermione crying in the bathroom trying to get the courage to face Harry and ask him if he was ever going to tell her anything. Neville on the other hand had questioned Sebastian over his actions. He had then been pranked near the staircase and pushed, resulting in a cracked rib and a lot of bruises. Sebastian had lost points for the prank but the fall had been designated as an accident.
Neville had wanted to handle it on his own. He had planned on telling Hermione the truth but Professor McGonagall had forced him to go to the feast. By then it had been too late.
The four of them had met the moment they were all released from the Hospital. Harry had then told Hermione what she needed to know to be satisfied that she was their friend. He did not mention Marvolo or Lucius. He did not even explain why he left his parents' house, even Draco and Neville did not known that. He distracted her by telling her exactly what happened when he dealt with the troll, how he let his consciousness control the troll. Hermione had been sufficiently distracted by the news of blood skills that she had agreed to wait for the rest of the news.
She now knew that she was valued as their friend, but trust could not be forced. She would know everything when the time came. For now, she would enjoy having three friends who cared for her and had gone to face a troll for her. She swore that she would never let Harry Potter down. He saved her life. She would support him, no matter what.
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Harry sat on the bleachers at the Quidditch field wrapped up in a scarf. He was sitting next to Susan and Hannah at the Hufflepuff side of the field. The two girls had been raging mad when they read the article that Sebastian had printed. Harry had just started receiving cold shoulder from his housemates when Susan had talked Adam into calling a house meeting. Then she and Hannah had explained how Harry had gone to save Hermione after hearing of her whereabouts from some girl. He had not known the troll would be there. They told them exactly what happened and after hearing how Sebastian had twisted his words and outright lied, the Hufflpeuff had decided to take a step back to re-evaluate the Boy-Who-Lived.
A few upper years had had trouble believing him, but most of his class mates had trusted him. They knew that Harry was not a liar, and neither were Susan and Hannah. There was more than one witness to what had transpired beforehand. Some students had also confirmed from the teachers that Susan and Hannah had been the ones to tell them where the troll was. The Hufflepuff were good at secrets and had not shared this news with the larger population but many had been disillusioned with Sebastian and had started to see him a new light.
Harry knew that if he slowly kept chipping at their trust in Sebastian, he would lose their support and knowing his brother Harry had no doubt he had a lot of stupid actions stored up in him.
The calling of the names of the team brought Harry out of his reverie, and he leaned forward to look at the field. Sebastian walked into the stadium waving his hands at the cheering crowd, chest puffed up with pride. The Slytherin team was then called and Harry kept his eyes on Sebastian as the seeker was called, "And the new seeker for Slytherin, those lousy copy cats-" "Jordan!", "Is Draco Mafloy!"
Surprise loosened Sebastian jaw as his mouth fell open. Harry could not control the giggle that erupted from his lips, not noticing the smile the two girls exchanged at the sound. They did not see Harry smile all that much and he very rarely laughed. He acted so much like an adult that seeing him giggle like a child was a very wonderful surprise.
Harry felt his clothes grow warm with happiness and he did not feel the cold. He waited anxiously for the match to start, knowing the winner but crossing his fingers anyways. And it started!
Harry listened to the biased commentary with half an ear, the rest of his attention spent following Draco and keeping Sebastian in his sight. Harry knew that it was going to be a rough match. His predictions came true when Slytherin committed the first foul, Ouch! They were dirty players.
The score was 50:20 in Gryfindor's favour. Draco was surely waiting to get a higher score and yes! The Gryffindor keeper was down. This gave Slytherin the opportunity to score consecutively leading to 50:80 with Slytherin ahead.
The entire crowd rose to its feet as Draco Malfoy shot towards the right goal post, his new Nimbus Two Thousand glinting in the sun. Sebastian had apparently seen the snitch as well as he took off behind him. Draco had the advantage, and with equal brooms it was a shoe in. The Slytherin crowd burst into applause as Draco skid to a halt, fist raised in the air, the snitch beating in his palm.
The Slytherin team surrounded Draco as they landed and won the match. After this performance, they had no doubt that the house cup would be theirs. The morose Gryffindor team scowled, not even trying to pretend that they did not hate the Slytherins for taking a win from under them. Harry clapped from the Hufflepuff stand, watching Sebastian scowl. His angry visage let him know that things were about to get bad. From the Gryffindor, only the twins seemed enthusiastic in their cheering as they applauded; "Well done, Malfoy!"
Harry knew that the Weasely twins had only just managed to stop their ban on Quidditch. Even the teachers believed them to be responsible for the troll debacle. Harry had met them after the incident and asked them if they had let the troll in. On receiving their negative response, Harry had let them know that he believed them. The awe struck look on their faces had been worth it but Harry knew what it was like when no one believed in you; it was a horrible feeling. It was also a wonderful way to gain someone's loyalty so Harry would try to believe in others, especially since he knew that they were not to blame. Besides he was sure Quirell had something to do with the troll.
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It had seemed that Sebastian had taken the Quidditch loss personally and blamed Harry for it. He had taken to cornering Harry and hexing him whenever he could. The Hufflepuffs had on more than one occasion seen Harry taking off Sebastian's hexes. They asked him why he did not fight back. He could only tell them that it would result in a story where he was the bad guy who attacked the Boy-Who-Lived. Since there was continuous new evidence of Sebastian's foul play, the Hufflepuff had taken a step back in their blind faith in Sebastian. No matter what was said about the Puffs, they were loyal, especially to their own. They had taken to always surrounding Harry so that Sebastian could not reach him.
Harry endured their stifling presence because it was bringing the house together around him. If he became their center then he could unite them and then unite the other houses as well. Ever since the Hufflepuffs had invited the Slytherin into the common room, the animosity between the two houses had also decreased drastically. The Slytherins no longer bullied the few puffs they did before. A few had even taken to champion them when under attack from the rough Gryffindors and Ravenclaw.
Harry and his three friends had also taken to meeting weakly in the Room of requirement to discuss the goings on at school. It was during one of these meetings that Harry was reminded of a project he had planned and another was bought to his attention, "Harry, do you know that your brother has been trying to research Nicolas Flamel? I heard him telling Ron in the library that he had read the name before but could not remember where? I tried looking for him but could not find him anywhere? Do you know who that is?" Hemione asked.
Harry looked up from the table where he was trying to do his homework. His eyes widened on hearing the name. He turned to Neville, "Nev! I need you to find out what Sebastian wants with this information. Let me know if you can find out anything about his actions, where he goes and what he does. You can easily fade into the background. This is important."
Neville looked at Harry with a steely glint in his eyes, "Sure Harry."
Harry then turned to Hermione, "I don't know why he is researching that, but from what I know Nicolas Flamel has done a lot of work in alchemy. He is the leading authority on the subject. I really don't know why Sebastian would need to know about him."
Harry turned back towards his homework, or tried to. If Sebastian wanted to know about Nicolas, the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, then he was most likely looking for information about the stone. Why? There must be something that Sebastian knew that Harry did not and that would not do. That reminded him, he still needed to find out what was in the third floor corridor. Hmmmmm. The Twins!
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Harry waited for the twins at the deserted corridor on the first floor. It was time he got serious about what was happening at Hogwarts. Harry made sure that this corridor had no portrait before he chose it. One never knew who would be watching.
"Pstt!" came the whisper from an alcove towards the end,
Harry quietly moved towards the pair of red-heads, keeping his magic around him and his shield's flexible in case they tried to trick him, "Hey guys."
"Hey, you won't believe it. They have a Cerberus in the school!" Fred exclaimed, causing the other to shush him, "Be quite, would you!"
George then looked at Harry, "It had like three heads and was big, very big. There was a trap door beneath it so my guess would be that it's guarding something."
Harry let out a whoosh of breath, there could only be one thing linking to Flamel, which would need such protection. The Philosopher's Stone. Harry did not know why the stone was at Hogwarts but he knew one thing, someone was after it. And he thought he knew who. But why?
Fred took his attention again, "Why did you want to know about the place anyway?"
Harry pondered over how much information to share. The twins were willing to help him out because he was the only one to believe them, even their mother had not, as heard by everyone from the howler they had received in the Great Hall, still they were tricky. It was possible for them to play him.
"I heard that Sebastian and Ron went to the third floor corridor and were planning something. I was wondering what had happened to get them interested. Knowing this, I think Sebastian may be over his head."
The twins shared a look before turning to him, "How much exactly was the article about the troll true? They made up our involvement. I know that Sebastian has not been kind to you recently, so how much truth did he tell?"
Harry looked them over carefully for deceit and found only curiosity, "Other than the fact that he hit the troll with its own club, all of it was a lie" He spoke softly.
The twins looked at him with understanding in their eyes. "When you are ready, we ask that you please tell us the truth. We are no longer going to follow Sebastian just because he is the Boy-Who-Lived" Fred spoke as the other twin nodded and they went their way.
Harry watched them go and a smirk pulled at his lips. Yes, things were going well. Now he just needed to get his hands on the stone before anyone else. It would make such a wonderful gift for Marvolo.
A/N: Okay... Thing are moving along nicely. Just wanted to let you know that I will be out of internet for the next few day and will be unable to respond to your reviews until after Tuesday. So, Harry's power comes in use properly here. I had fun with this chapter, and it took a lot of work to be satisfied with it. Let me know what you thought. :)