Chapter 20- The Dream
"It comes down to this," Hermione said rubbing her forehead, "either Mr. Crouch attacked Viktor, or somebody else attacked both of them when Viktor wasn't looking."
"It had to have been Harry." Ron said immediately. "Haiden admitted that Harry had stayed behind with Snape. He must have planned this with Krum."
"How many times do we have to tell you that Harry would never do that!" Hermione told him angrily and would have gotten up to hit Ron had Haiden not wrapped his arm around her.
"And how many times do I have to tell you that Harry has the aura of someone who has killed someone!" Ron growled out. It was daybreak. Haiden, Ron, and Hermione had crept out of the Gryffindor tower very early and hurried up to the Owlery together to send a note to Sirius. Now they were standing looking out at the misty grounds. All three of them were puffy-eyed and pale because they had been talking late into the night about Mr. Crouch.
"Just go through it again, Haiden." Hermione said with a sigh. "What did Mr. Crouch actually say?"
"I've told you, he wasn't making much sense." Haiden told her with a heavy sigh. "He said he wanted to warn Dumbledore about something. He definitely mentioned Bertha Jorkins, and he seemed to think she was dead. He kept saying stuff was his fault... He mentioned his son."
"Well, that was his fault." Hermione huffed out.
"He was out of his mind." Haiden said. "Half the time he seemed to think his wife and son were still alive, and he kept talking to Percy about work and giving him instructions."
"And remind us about what he said about Harry and You-Know-Who?" Ron said.
"I told you." Haiden repeated dully, glaring at him having a feeling where he was trying to go with this. "He said that Harry was in danger and that Voldemort was getting stronger." Ron opened his mouth only to pause at the dark look he was getting from Haiden before closing his mouth.
"But he was out of his mind, like you said, so half of it was probably just raving..." Hermione said hopefully.
"I wish, but he was sanest when he was trying to talk about Harry and Voldemort. He was having real trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was, and know what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to see Dumbledore." Haiden turned away from the window and stared up into the rafters. The many perches were half-empty; every now and then, another owl would swoop in through one of the windows, returning from its night's hunting with a mouse in its beak. His mind flashing back to when Harry had gotten possessed wondering if he should inform Hermione and Ron about it. Haiden sighed, he knew exactly how Ron would try to spin everything the possessed Harry had said.
"But what had he meant?" Haiden muttered to himself.
"What?" Hermione asked and Haiden shook his head. Haiden opened his mouth to whisper that he would tell her later when Hermione shushed him. Somebody was climbing the steps up to the Owlery. Haiden could hear two voices arguing, coming closer and closer.
"-that's blackmail, that is, we could get into a lot of trouble for that-"
"-we've tried being nice, done everything she asked; it's time to play dirty, like her. She wouldn't like the Ministry of Magic knowing what she's been doing-"
"I'm begging you not to do this! She'll expose everything about us! We haven't even told Kitten!"
"I'm tired of you up all night scared and worried that she'll publish that article. It's time to end this! And this might also give us a nice fat payoff." The Owlery door banged open. Fred and George came over the threshold, then froze at the sight of Haiden, Ron, and Hermione.
"What're you doing here?" Ron and Fred asked at the same time.
"Sending a letter." Haiden and George said in unison.
"What, at this time?" Hermione and Fred asked causing George to grin.
"Fine - we won't ask you what you're doing, if you don't ask us." George said. He was holding a sealed envelope in his hands. Haiden glanced at it, but George, whether accidentally or on purpose, shifted his hand so that the name on it was covered. "Well, don't let us hold you up." George said, his tone hard as he did a mock bow and pointed at the door. Ron didn't move.
"Who're you blackmailing?" He asked, his eyes narrowed. The grin vanished from George's face. Haiden saw Fred half glance at George, before smiling at Ron.
"Don't be stupid, we were only joking." He said easily.
"Didn't sound like that." Ron said. Fred and George looked at each other.
"I've told you before, Ronald, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but-" George said darkly, eye flashing dangerously.
"It's my business if you're blackmailing someone." Ron told him. "Fred's right, you could end up in serious trouble for that."
"I told you, we were joking." Fred said. He walked over to George, pulled the letter out of his hands, and began attaching it to the leg of the nearest barn owl. "You're starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ronald. Carry on like this and you'll be made a prefect."
"No, I won't!" Ron said hotly. Fred carried the barn owl over to the window and it took off. Fred turned around and grinned at Ron.
"Well, stop telling people what to do then. See you later." He and George left the Owlering. Haiden, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another.
"You don't think they know something about all this, do you?" Hermione whispered. "About Crouch and everything?"
"No," Haiden said, shaking his head, "if it was something serious, they'd tell someone. They'd tell Dumbledore." Ron, however, was looking uncomfortable.
"What's the matter?" Haiden asked.
"Well..." Ron said slowly, "I dunno if they would. They've... they've been acting weird lately. They've been more secretive than usual and George has become more aggressive than usual. Snapping at everyone, and he's become more protective of Fred. While Fred has become quieter, and has been throwing up a lot lately. And they've both have become obsessed with making money lately. I noticed this when I was hanging around with them -when- you know-"
"We weren't talking." Haiden finished the sentence for him. "Yeah, but blackmail..."
"It's this joke shop idea they've got." Ron said. "I thought they were only saying it to annoy Mum, but they really mean it, they want to start one. They've only got a year left at Hogwarts, they keep going on about how it's time to think about their future, and Dad can't help them, and they need gold to get started." Hermione was looking uncomfortable now.
"Yes, but... they wouldn't do anything against the law to get gold."
"Wouldn't they?" Ron asked looking skeptical. "I dunno... they don't exactly mind breaking rules, do they?"
"Yes, but this is the law." Hermione said looking scared. "This isn't some silly school rule... They'll get a lot more than detention for blackmail! Ron... maybe you'd better tell Percy..."
"Are you mad?" Ron asked glaring at her. "Tell Percy? He'd probably do a Crouch and turn them in." He stared at the window through with Fred and George's owl had departed, then said, "Come on, let's get some breakfast."
"D'you think we should ask Severus if he knows anything new about Crouch?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah." Haiden said. "However, he'd probably blast us through the door or turn us into potion ingredients if we wake him up at the crack of dawn; Severus isn't much of a morning person. Let's give it till break."
History of Magic had rarely gone so slowly. Haiden kept checking Ron's watch, having finally discarded his own, but Ron's was moving so slowly he could have sworn it had stopped working too. All three of them were so tired they could have happily put their heads down on the desks and slept; even Hermione wasn't taking her usual notes, but was resting her head on Harry's shoulder as he took the notes for her while she gazed at Professor Binns with her eyes out of focus.
When the bell finally rang, they hurried out into the corridors towards the Potion's Classroom to find Severus standing there seemingly waiting for them. "Professor Snape?" Haiden called as they made their way toward him through the crowd.
"About time you got here." Severus said as he began to lead them towards his office just passed the classroom. "Lets talk in here." He opened the office door and held it open for them to find Draco, Myari, and Luna waiting for them, Severus followed them in and closed the door.
"Has he been found?" Haiden asked once Severus had settled in his chair.
"No." Severus informed them as he rested his elbows on the desk before steepling his hands and rested them on his chin.
"Did you use the map?" Haiden asked.
"Of course." Severus said with a sigh nodding at the desk where Haiden saw the opened map. "He wasn't anywhere on there, and that is worrying."
"So he did Disapparate?" Ron asked.
"You can't Disapparate on the grounds, Ron!" Hermione hissed. "There are other ways he could have disappeared, aren't there, Professor?"
"I suggest you become an Auror, Miss Granger, your mind certainly works the right way." Severus told her. Hermione flushed pink with pleasure.
"Well, he wasn't invisible," Harry said. "The map shows invisible people. He must've left the grounds, then."
"But under his own steam?" Hermione asked eagerly, "or because someone made him?"
"Yeah, someone could've pulled him onto a broom and flown off with him, couldn't they, Harry?" Ron asked glaring at Harry who just gave him a blank stare.
"If you're trying to accuse me of kidnapping Mr. Crouch, then try a different method, I hate flying." Harry told him and Ron flushed with anger causing Myari to giggle.
"We can't rule out kidnap." Draco pointed out.
"Or dead." Luna said causing everyone to look at her in shock, Haiden's head suddenly whipped around to stare at Haiden as what Possessed Harry made sense a little.
"What is it? Did you figure something out?" Ron asked smirking.
"I think someone may try to frame Harry." Haiden muttered out.
"What?" Everyone asked.
"Where did this come from?" Hermione asked.
"Last night, when we were talking with Mr. Crouch, Harry became possessed." Draco wrapped his arm around Harry. "And while he was possessed he told me that it would be easier if Harry's body didn't come in contact with Crouch's."
"Let's say that that is a possibility, who would want to frame Harry, and why?" Severus asked.
"I-I don't know." Haiden muttered.
"Maybe the person possessing Harry is going to frame him?" Myari suggested.
"But if that were true, wouldn't the thing possessing him want Harry to touch Crouch instead of keeping him away from him?" Hermione asked. "And what did he mean by 'to make it easier'?"
"To make it easier to prove he didn't do it?" Luna suggested. That caused everyone to sit in silence for a minute before Severus broke the silence with a sigh.
"Let's not automatically assume Crouch is dead until there is a body or proof he is dead." He told them. "Right, I've got classes to prepare for; Harry and Draco, you've got a meeting with Mind Healer Krystan; and the rest of you need just need to get out." Everyone but Ron chuckled at his playful tone as they got up and began to leave. "Oh, and Ronald, if I ever catch you accusing anyone of murder or kidnapping without proof again, you will regret it. And that's a promise."
-Burn Me Into Your Memory-
Sirius sent their owl back the very next morning. It fluttered down beside Haiden at the same moment that a tawny owl landed in front of Hermione, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in it's beak. She took the newspaper, scanned the first few pages. "Ha! She hasn't got word of Crouch!" She told them before joining Haiden, Harry, and Ron in reading what Sirius had to say on the mysterious events of the night before last.
Haiden- what do you two think you are playing at, walking
off into the forest with Viktor Krum? I want you two to swear, by
return owl, that your are not going to go walking with anyone
else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at Hogwarts.
It is clear to me that they wanted to stop Crouch from seeing
Dumbledore and you were probably feet away form them in
the dark. You could have been killed.
Your name didn't get into the Goblet of Fire by accident. If
someone's trying to attack you, they're on their last chance. Stay
close to Ron and Hermione, do not leave Gryffindor Tower
after hours, and arm yourselves for the third task. Practice
Stunning and Disarming. A few hexes wouldn't go amiss either.
There's nothing you can do about Crouch. Keep your head down
and look after yourselves. I'm waiting for your letter giving me
your word you won't stray out-of-bounds again.
Sirius
"Who's he, to lecture us about being out-of-bounds?" Haiden said in mild indignation as he folded up Sirius's letter and put it inside his robes. "After all the stuff he did at school!"
"He's worried about you both!" Hermione said sharply. "Just like Hagrid and the rest of us."
"No one's tried to attack us all year." Haiden argued. "No one's done anything to use at all-"
"Except put your names in the Goblet of Fire." Hermione told him. "And they must've done that for a reason, Haiden. Snuffles is right. Maybe they've been biding their time. Maybe this is the task they're going to get you."
"Look," Haiden said impatiently, "let's say Sirius is right, and someone Stunned Krum to kidnap Crouch. Well, they would've been in the trees near us, wouldn't they? But they waited till me and Harry were out of the way until they acted, didn't they? So it doesn't look like we're their target, does it?"
"They couldn't have made it look like an accident if they'd murdered you two in the forest!" Hermione told him obviously frustrated. "But if you die during a task-"
"They didn't care about attack Krum, did they?" Haiden told her, also obviously frustrated. "Why didn't they just polish us off at the same time? They could've made it look like we had a fight or duel or something."
"Haiden, think logically. At that time, there were three of us there, all with wands, and, as far as we know, only one of them. Had they attacked either one of us, the other two would have been alerted and it would have been harder to sneak around and not only attack but also kidnap Crouch. So, logically, it would have been smarter to wait until either one or both of us left." Harry said calmly as he ate, never looking up from his plate.
"But why would they kidnap Crouch though?" Hermione asked.
"Again, thinking about this logically, Crouch might have either found out who they were, their plan, or both. So, to make sure them and their plan doesn't get exposed before they can finish it, they kidnapped Crouch and spelled him to be trapped in his mind. However, Crouch fought the spell enough to escape, the person was probably searching for him when we found him. Not wanting his plan to be exposed, he took down Krum while we were getting Dumbledore and re-kidnapped Crouch." Harry theorized.
"That... makes sense." Haiden said.
"Sirius is right, you two've got to get in training for the third task, straight away. And you need to make sure you both write back to Sirius and promise him you're not going to go sneaking off alone again."
-Burn Me Into Your Memory-
The Hogwarts grounds never looked more inviting than when Haiden had to stay indoors. For the next few days he spent all of his free time either in the library with Hermione, Draco, and Harry, looking up hexes, or else in empty classrooms, where they sneaked into to practice. It surprised him how good Harry was at teaching him the Stunning Spell. The trouble was that practicing it on anyone but Harry involved certain sacrificed on Hermione's, Draco's, Myari's and Luna's part.
"Can't we kidnap Mrs Norris?" Myari suggested on Monday lunchtime as she lay flat on her back in the middle of their Charms classroom, having just been Stunned and reawoken my Haiden for the fifth time in a row. "Let's Stun her for a bit. Or you could use Dobby, Haiden, I bet he'd do anything to help you. I'm not complaining or anything-" she got gingerly to his feet, rubbing his backside- "but I'm aching all over..."
"Well, you keep missing the cushions, don't you!" Hermione said impatiently, rearranging the pile of cushions they had used for the Banishing Spell, which Flitwick had left in a cabinet. "Just try and fall backward!"
"Hermione, you know very well that once you're Stunned, you can't aim too well." Draco told her.
"Why don't you take a turn, Hermione." Myari suggested.
"Well, I think Haiden's got it now, anyway." Hermione said hastily causing Myari and Draco to smirk. "And we don't have to worry about Disarming, because he's been able to do that for ages... I think we ought to start on some of these hexes this evening, if that's okay with you, Harry." She said looking down at the list Harry had made in the library.
"We'll start with the Impediment Curse. It should slow down anything that's trying to attack you, Haiden, should I not be fast enough or busy with something else." Harry said and Haiden nodded. The bell rang. They hastily shoved the cushions back into Flitwick's cupboard and slipped out of the classroom.
"See you at dinner!" Hermione said as she and Harry set off for Arithmancy, while Draco and Haiden headed toward North Tower for Divination, and Luna and Myari stood outside the Charms room waiting to have their Charms class. Broad strips of dazzling gold sunlight fell across the corridor from the high windows. The sky outside was so brightly blue it looked as though it had been enameled.
"It's going to be boiling in Trelawney's room, she never puts out that fire." Draco said as they started up the staircase toward the silver ladder and the trapdoor, where Ron was angrily waiting for them, having refused to work along side Draco and Myari to help Haiden.
Draco was quite right. The dimly lit room was swelteringly hot. The fumes from the perfumed fire were heavier than ever. Haiden's head swam as he made his way over to one of the curtained windows. While Professor Trelawney was looking the other way, disentangling her shawl from a lamp, he opened it an inch or so and settled back in his chintz armchair, so that a soft breeze played across his face. It was extremely comfortable.
"My dears," Professor Trelawney said, sitting down in her winged armchair in front of the class and peering around at them all with her strangely enlarged eyes, "we have almost finished out work on planetary divination. Today, however, will be an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of Mars, for he is placed most interestingly at the present time. If you will all look this way, I will dim the lights..."
She waved her wand and the lamps went out. The fire was the only source of light now. Professor Trelawney bent down and lifted, from under her chair, a miniature model of the solar system, contained within a glass dome. It was a beautiful thing; each of the moons glimmered in place around the nine planets and the fiery sun, all of them hanging in thin air beneath the glass. Haiden watched lazily as Professor Trelawney began to point out the fascinating angel Mars was making to Neptune. The heavily perfumed fumes washed over him, and the breeze from the window played across his face. He could hear and insect humming gently somewhere behind the curtain. His eyelids began to droop...
He was riding on the back of and eagle owl, soaring through the clear blue sky toward an old, ivy-covered house set high on a hillside. Lower and lower they flew, the wind blowing pleasantly in Haiden's face, until they reached a dark and broken window in the upper story of the house and entered. Now they were flying along a gloomy passageway, to a room at the very end... through the door they went, into a dark room whose windows were boarded up...
Harry had left the owl's back... he was watching, now, as it fluttered across the room, into a chair with its back to him... There were two dark shapes on the floor beside the chair... both of them were stirring...
One was a huge snake... the other was a man... a short, balding man, a man with watery eyes and a pointed nose... he was wheezing and sobbing on the hearth rug...
"You are in luck, Wormtail," a cold, high-pitched voice said from the depths of the chair in which the owl had landed. "You are fortunate indeed. Your blunder had not ruined everything. He is dead."
"My Lord!" the man on the floor gasped. "My Lord, I am... I am so pleased... and so sorry..."
"Nagini," the cold voice said, "you are out of luck. I will not be feeding Warmtail to you, after all... but never mind, never mind... there is still Harry Potter..."
The snake hissed. Haiden could see it's tongue fluttering.
"Now, Wormtail," the cold voice said, "perhaps one more little reminder why I will not tolerate another blunder from you..."
"My Lord... no... I beg you..."
The tip of a wand emerged from around the back of the chair. It was pointing at Wormtail.
"Crusio!" The cold voice said.
Wormtail screamed, screamed as though every nerve inf his body were on fire, the screaming filled Haiden's ears as the scar on his forehead seared with pain; he was yelling too... Voldemort would hear him, would know he was there...
Hands pulled his head into a lap... a cool finger with a long, sharp nail gently ran up and down his scar...
Pain, pain, go away... Pain, pain, go away... Pain, pain, go away... Pain, pain, go away...
...A flash of Harry when he was five..
"Haiden! Haiden!"
Haiden opened his eyes. He was laying on the floor of Professor Trelawney's room with his head in a very worried Draco's lap. His scar was still burning, but not as much as before. The pain had been real. The whole class was standing around him, and Ron was kneeling next to him, looking terrified.
"You all right?" He asked.
"Of course he isn't!" Professor Trelawney, looking thoroughly excited. Her great eyes looming over Haiden, gazing at him. "What was it, Potter? A premonition? An apparition? What did you see?"
"Nothing." Haiden lied. He sat up with Draco's help. He could feel himself shaking. He couldn't stop himself from looking around, into the shadows behind him; Voldemort's voice had sounded so close...
"You were clutching your scar!" Professor Trelawney. "You were rolling on the floor, clutching your scar! Come now, Potter, I have experience in these matters!" Haiden looked at her.
"I need to go to the hospital wing, I think." He said. "Bad headache."
"My dear, you were undoubtedly stimulated by the extraordinary clairvoyant vibrations of my room!" Professor Trelawney said. "If you leave now, you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever-"
"The only thing I want to see is a headache cure." Haiden said. He stood up. The class backed away. They all looked unnerved. "See you guys later." Haiden muttered to Ron and Draco, and he picked up his bag and headed for the trapdoor, ignoring Professor Trelawney, who was wearing and expression of great frustration, as though she had just been denied a real treat.
When Haiden reached the bottom of her stepladder, he did not set off for the hospital wing. He had no intention whatsoever of going there. Sirius and Harry had told him what to do if his scar hurt him again, and Haiden was going to follow their advice: He was going straight to Dumbledore's office. He marched down the corridors, thinking about what he had seen in the dream... it had been as vivid as the one that had awoken him at the Burrow... He ran over the details in his mind, trying to make sure he could remember them... He had heard Voldemort accusing Wormtail of making a blunder... but the owl had brought good news, the blunder had been repaired, somebody was dead... so Wormtail was not going to be fed to the snake... Harry was going to be fed to it instead... His brother was in danger...
Haiden had walked right past the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledor's office without noticing. He blinked, looked around, realized what he had done, and retraced his steps,
stopping in front of it. Then he remembered that he didn't know the password.
"Sherbet lemon?" He tried tentatively.
The gargoyle didn't move.
"Okay," Haiden said, staring at it, "Pear Drop. Er- Licorice Wand. Fizzling Whizbee. Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans... oh no, he doesn't like them, does he?... oh just open, can't you?" He said angrily. "I really need to see him, it's urgent!"
The gargoyle remained immovable.
Haiden kicked it, achieving nothing but an excruciating pain in his big toe.
"Chocolate Frog!" He yelled angrily, hopping on one leg. "Sugar Quill! Cockroach Cluster!"
The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside. Haiden blinked.
"Cockroach Cluster?" He said, amazed. "I was only joking..."
He hurried through the gap in the walls and stepped onto the foot of the spiral stone staircase, which moved slowly upward as the door closed behind him, taking him up to a polished oak door with a brass door knocker. He could hear voices from inside the office. He stepped off the moving staircase and hesitated, listening.
"Dumbledore, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all!" It was the voice of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. "Ludo says Bertha's perfectly capable of getting herself lost. I agree we would have expected to have found her by now, but all the same, we've no evidence of foul play, Dumbledore, none at all. As for her disappearance being linked with Barty Crouch's!"
"And what do you think has happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?" 'Moody's growled out.
"I see two possibilities, Alastor." Fudge said. "Either Crouch has finally cracked - more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, giving his personal history - lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere-"
"We wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius." Dumbledore said calmly.
"Or else - well..." Fudge sounded embarrassed. "Well, I'll reserve judgment until after I've seen the place where he was found, but you say it was just past the Beauxbatons carriage? Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"
"I consider her to be a very able headmistress - and an excellent dancer." Dumbledore said quietly.
"Dumbledore, come!" Fudge said angrily. "Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favor because of Hagrid? They don't all turn out harmless - if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got -"
"I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid." Dumbledore said just as calmly. "I think it possible that it is you who are prejudice, Cornelius."
"Can we wrap up this discussion?" 'Moody' growled.
"Yes, yes, let's go down to the grounds, then." Fudge said impatiently.
"No, it's not that," 'Moody' said, "it's just that Potter wants a word with you, Dumbledore. He's just outside the door."