As Harry came away from Professor Snape and walked with Dudley, they walked up towards the third floor. Once there, they took off the Invisibility Cloak and Harry turned to Dudley.
"It isn't too late to go back, Dudley. It's going to be intense down there and I don't know if you can handle it."
"Harry mate, shut up. I'm going with you, you're my best friend. Now let's stop Quirrell from getting the Stone." He shut Harry down before they entered into the first room to find… a dead Cerberus… okay, so this was going to be more hostile than they thought…
They had just dove down the trapdoor in the middle of the room when Harry's scar started burning. The pain was unimaginable, he had his hands on his face and his eyes closed due to the pain. When he opened them he was back in bed?
"What the hell was that? Did it really happen or was it a vision." He whispered to himself, feeling the blood leaking from his scar. After calming down for a minute he realised that it had to be the future, what caused that?
He wished he had known the date the dream occurred, nothing specifically shouted out a day or time to him. If he and Dudley went out regularly, they would have to learn where all of the common rooms are to gather and/or warn their friends. They also needed a way to contact each other, not just on this day, but in case of future disasters. Deciding that he wasn't going to sleep that night, he decided to devise a method to contact his friends at any time.
When day broke Harry woke Dudley up and dragged him out of the common room, up the stairs, onto a first floor corridor, and into an abandoned classroom; casting privacy spells and locking charms on the door. Dudley, for his part, just sort of went with it. Knowing Harry would explain soon, he sat and waited while Harry paced back and forth and ran his hand through his hair. After two or three minutes of this, he stopped pacing and took his bag off dropping it to the floor and searching within it.
After less than a minute of looking he pulled out a bunch of rings. They were black metal in a very basic band, with a very intricate silver face plate covered in runes. He handed one to Dudley and they both put a ring on. Dudley was confused, 'wasn't this supposed to do something?' He thought as suddenly the ring started to heat up and shake, it wasn't painful, but it would be enough to wake someone up. Just as Dudley was about to start asking questions, he heard Harry's voice in his ears, yet his mouth never moved. It wasn't the same as hearing his voice in his head, rather it was like he was talking clearly, just right next to his ear.
"I solved an issue that hasn't arisen yet, but rest assured, it's coming." He resumed his pacing and after a bit of silence, he screamed and sent out a volley of spells into the wall.
"Quirrell will go after the Stone soon, I know it. I saw it last night when I was asleep… I know how that sounds, but I promise it was a vision." He sounded frantic and scared, but also angry.
"We can do this." He finished strongly.
Later that day, Dudley was admiring his ring when he felt a hand tap his shoulder, turning he saw Draco Malfoy. 'Great, another fight' was his immediate thought, but to his surprise that wasn't what this is.
"I've come to apologise Mud- Dudley, sorry, I haven't been very nice to you and I see now that my actions were unbecoming of the Heir to the House of Malfoy. So, Dudley Dursley, I offer you my apologies here in front of witnesses in the hopes that you will accept me as a friend." At this he stuck out a hand, waiting for Dudley to shake it. However he was confused. 'Where did this come from?' He wondered before coming back to reality, to see that he had waited nearly too long, before he grasped Draco's hand and simply said.
"I accept your apology and I forgive you."
He felt a bit silly at all the pomp and circumstance, but his silliness was nothing compared to the rage of another Slytherin first year, who rose and stormed out of the common room, nobody going after him.
After all had turned back to whatever held their individual attention, Dudley and Draco were sitting awkwardly on the sofa. Neither knew how to talk to the other, but that was fine for now.
Because it was New Year's Day, and because many students were absent during Christmas, there was a great feast to celebrate the coming of a new year, and the passing of the old one. In the middle of the hall was a giant fire, constructed as if to be a funeral pyre for the year past, and fireworks would regularly shoot out; never repeating.
The only members of staff not in attendance were Professors Quirrell and Snape. Harry could see Ron, over at the Gryffindor table, pointing up towards the staff table. Perhaps he had noticed the absence of the teachers or, more accurately, knowing Ron it would be Snape who he noticed was missing. Harry could only hope to catch Ron before he tried to rush off and fight Quirrell.
Upon the conclusion of the meal Harry rushed to get out ahead of his friends. He managed to catch up to Ron, who was talking with two other Gryffindor first years, and pulled him aside to talk to him privately.
"I know what you're planning on doing, so please listen to me. It's not Snape, it's Quirrell, and it's also not happening tonight. I don't know when it's happening, but it will surely be in the next month or two." At this Harry paused to breathe and Ron took the chance to talk.
"How is it Quirrell? He can't even put together a sentence, let alone cast a spell. Also, how do you know when 'it' is happening, what is 'it'?" Ron listed off his questions, trying to make sure he and Harry were on the same page. Harry, to his credit, was able to answer every question thrown at him so far.
"I've had a vision. In it, it was made very clear that Quirrell is the villain here. He wants to steal something, here at the school, he wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone. I think he is stealing it for Voldemort, why else would I have been given a vision?" Harry paused for a reaction, only for Ron's face to light up after a small flinch.
"So you do have a plan, I knew you were still fighting You-Know-Who!" Ron exclaimed and Harry immediately quietened him down.
"Do you want the whole school, including Quirrell, to know what I'm planning? Honestly Ron, I want your help, but not if you risk exposing the plan." At this Ron looked thoroughly chastised and then nodded.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Take this, it's a ring that I've charmed to be useful as a communication device. All you have to do is speak the name of the person you want to speak to and the ring contacts them. It will wake you up from all but the deepest of sleeps."
"I don't know mate, I'm pretty difficult to wake up." Ron laughed, but at that moment Harry touched the ring and spoke Rons name. At once the ring started to heat up and shake. When Ron touched the rings face the discomfort stopped and Ron could hear Harry's almost inaudible whisper as clearly in his head that it was like Harry was right against his ear speaking normally.
With another ring given out Harry set off to find Hermione at the Library.
Something told Harry that the peace he felt now was just the calm before the storm, almost like an intrusive thought, but with more weight behind it. Upon arriving at the Library, Harry immediately sought out Hermione, he took a seat at her table and she smiled at him before going back to writing.
"Hey, so… I have something for you, it's a ring. Before you make any jokes, it's a magical ring with some special properties." Harry passed the ring over to Hermione, who took some time to examine the runes on it, before slipping it on. She had a lot of questions, questions that were all answered the moment she felt the ring activate and heard Harry in her ear.
While he spent the next hour with her and explained how the ring worked, they were being listened in on by someone. Someone who intended to make use of the information gleamed from this conversation.
After the New Year's break things went back to normal, well the Hogwarts equivalent of normal, and classes had begun. Right now Potions was about to begin and Harry was running late. At least Dudley assumed that he was running late and had not, in fact, missed the lesson entirely. Hearing the sound of running as the door opened, Dudley had no choice but to enter the Potions classroom. One of the people who had entered with him, Theo Nott, remained standing next to him and started setting down his stuff. Much to the shock of his fellow first year Slytherins, they were standing together like friends. Deciding he was more curious than anything Dudley had to ask him why he was partnering with him.
"I'm sick of listening to Blaise's complaints, first he complained about you constantly, now he complains about Malfoy leaving his side. Honestly, I don't think he has any friends left now." Nott finished with a grin on his face.
Dudley on the other hand actually felt sorry for Blaise again, then, remembering how Blaise had treated him, the feeling passed on. After that the Potions lesson went perfectly, ending with Theo and Dudley agreeing to work on the homework together.
Dudley was excited, he was sending his first letter today. Well, his first by owl and his first to Nora. He had not written a particularly long letter, though he did tell her about Christmas dinner.
On his way to the Owlery, Dudley was lost in thought over the recipient of his first ever letter sent by owl. But not so lost in thought that he wasn't aware of his surroundings. When he entered the Owlery he saw he wasn't alone, Blaise Zabini was standing there with his back to Dudley. He hadn't noticed Dudley's arrival and it would be awkward to not say anything.
"I'm not in the mood for a fight today, I just want to send a letter." Dudley began, his wand in his sleeve, just in case. During his little speech Blaise had turned around and was just staring at him with tears in his eyes. Dudley was immediately on-edge as this was a side of Blaise he hadn't seen before, not like this anyway.
"Why did you have to be sorted into Slytherin? If you were a Hufflepuff we would have rarely crossed paths. But nooooo, you had to be a Slytherin, you had to torment me by being accepted into a place you're not allowed." Blaise was getting really upset at this point and continued through tears. "You have cost me my friends; they don't want to talk to me, you've cost me my sister, she is ignoring me until I promise to be nice to you; and you know what? You've cost me my happiness. I can't sit in Slytherin common room without the rest of the first years telling me to shut up about you. Why are you so special anyway? Why is it that everyone who was on my side, against you, has now left me for your side? What do you have that I don't?" He finished his rant with an accusing finger pointed at Dudley, who was at a loss for words. When he finally managed to speak, he decided to meet honesty with honesty.
"I didn't know Nora had stopped talking to you, she didn't say she was going to…" before he could finish Blaise laughed a sad laugh and interrupted Dudley in an even more defeated voice.
"You're even friends with my sister, that's just perfect." Blaise sagged with sorrow now and Dudley did something that shocked both of them.
"I am sorry and I forgive you." He put his hand on Blaise's shoulder and all was silent for a moment.
"If you think I'm going to sit here and let a Mudblood like you tell me they forgive me, you're dead wrong." Blaise shouted back defensively.
"Look Blaise, you can adapt or become obsolete. I am sorry that you've lost everyone due to your beliefs, but they're wrong. I am every bit the wizard you are." Dudley tied his letter around the leg of one of the Hogwarts owls and sent the letter off to Nora before he continued, inspired by the very person he was writing to. "Your family has already come further than a lot of other Purebloods, you actually keep squibs. Unlike even a light family like the Weasleys, the Matriarch of the family had a squib sibling who was thrown out of the family and even the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge had a brother who was famously thrown out mere months before Fudge took a job in the Ministry, Rita Skeeter had a field day from what I've read." Dudley walked to the door and looked back.
"All I'm saying is that you don't have to hate me." Dudley left with that. Deciding he wanted some time alone, he decided to go to sleep early.
While Dudley was at the Owlery, Harry was practicing the Patronus Charm again. He had made considerable progress ever since Christmas and the memory of his gifts. He could actually hold the Patronus for ten minutes now, before he became really tired, and he could very clearly see the form of a doe. He would often stroke the doe on the head or sit down just enjoying its company.
It was during this most recent session that Harry's head was the clearest it had ever been during a Patronus session. He did think it weird that this was the only thing that could hold the anger at bay for a while, and on top of that, he noticed that the more he used it, the longer it kept him calm. It had become a daily habit of his to practise before bed time. Now that he had friends who were more watchful, Harry was unable to skip meal times to practice and research. The thought made him smile and his Patronus glow brighter. He wondered how he lucked out with friends that were more than he deserved, but knew he wouldn't look a gift unicorn in the mouth, the Orphanage taught him that.
Just as he was about to ruminate on his poor treatment at Wool's, his doe linked his cheek and he smiled again.
Please review. This chapter was, as per usual, Beta'd by LimeSon.