He Has Risen Above
Chapter 22
Review Responses:
No responses this time sorry as the reviews aren't visible.
"Harry," said Daniel awkwardly.
Harry turned around in the hallway coming face to face with his brother who had a constipated look on his face. "Yes?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"I need to talk to you about something," Daniel said.
"Go on," gestured Harry.
"In private," emphasised Daniel, looking at Harry's friends who were watching them two.
"Fine." Harry sighed and turned back to his friends. "You guys go on. I'll catch up with you." He turned back to his brother and led him by the arm into an empty classroom. When they entered he shut the door and threw up some basic silencing and privacy charms. "Make it quick," he grunted, "I have other stuff to do."
"I don't know how to say this, but..." Daniel sighed and looked downwards into his lap, struggling with his words.
"Just spit it out already." Harry said crossing his arms and leaning against a table.
"I've been feeling weird," blurted Daniel. "Like really weird," he clarified when Harry looked at him like he was stupid.
"And why did you come to me instead of going to your pet monkeys?" Harry asked.
"Well...me, Ron and Hermione kind of had an argument," he admitted.
"I really don't want to know why but being the ever-loving big brother I am, why? Aren't you three inseparable?"
"Normally, yes, but I may or may not have stuck up for you."
"Stuck up for me how?" Harry resisted the urge to scoff.
"They were blaming you for the Buckbeak incident and because Hermione got a month's detention for hexing you," said Daniel. "It was unfair on you so I told them that and we got into an argument because of it."
"And here I was thinking you hated," Harry said drily. "What made you do it?" he asked.
"I don't really know, but I guess it's because I've been feeling weird, like I said."
Harry sighed and stood up, pacing the room they were in. "Normally I'd tell you to suck it up and stop whining but since I've had a good day and you haven't annoyed me for about a week," said Harry, feeling like he was going to regret the next few words that were going to come out of his mouth, "what do you mean by weird?"
"Like, my head's been calmer and I've been feeling less agressive. I've been able to actually concentrate in lessons for once and I'm getting most of the spells on the first time!"
"And you're complaining about this?" Harry asked. "You do know that it's a good thing?"
"Of course I know it's a bloody good thing but it's still weird!" Daniel stood up as well. "So do you know why this happened?"
"Well, it could be because of a potion. Did you take anything recently?"
"Nothing strange," Daniel shrugged. "Though it could have been in the food."
"Know what, let's run with this," Harry grabbed Daniel and lead him out the room. "Come with to Remus' office," he ordered his brother and led him up to the 3rd floor up to his godfather's office.
He knocked sharply on the door and a voice called out, "Come in." Harry opened the door and led a confused Daniel in. "Ah Harry," greeted Remus swivelling around in his swivel chair. "What brings you here? And I see you've brought your brother as well."
"This may be a weird thing Remus," said Harry nervously, "but I need you to do me a favour."
"Depends on the favour," said Remus cryptically.
"Can you check Daniel's bloodstream for any potions?" he asked while Daniel looked around the room awkwardly. "It's just a hunch I have," Harry explained.
"How sure are you about this?" Remus asked leaning backwards.
"About 60%," shrugged Harry.
"Good enough for me!" Remus got off his chair and pushed a series of bricks on his back wall with his wand and a passageway opened up.
"Whoa!" breathed Harry and Daniel at the same time.
"This is the entrance to my living quarters and where I prepare my lessons, potions etcetera," he said holding out his hands to present it.
"How come you never showed me this?" asked Harry pretending to be hurt.
"Can't a man have some secrets?" teased Remus. "Now, follow me." He led them through the passageway and thorugh where he stayed, past his bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom and a room with a battered sign reading 'DANGER.' Harry and Daniel both knew that door was Remus' werewolf transformations, though they didn't comment on it.
They went into a very large room that's walls were splashed with paint and soot and odd marks peppered the surface. In a corner was some potions equipment with a cauldron that was bubbling with some sort of strange liquid. "Sit here," said Remus patting a leathered bench and Daniel took a seat there whilst Harry leaned in the corner.
"I just want to say thank you for this," Daniel stammered flushing slightly.
"You should thank your brother," said Remus preparing a needle and some sort of potion. "If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be doing this. Now hold still," he said bringing a needle towards Daniel's arm.
"Oh no you don't," said Daniel getting up and backing away. "What do you need that for?"
"How am I meant to test your blood without getting some of it?" asked Remus. "Unless you'd rather cut your palm with a knife."
Daniel looked at the needle before looking at the stell knife that hung on a wall behind Remus, switching between the two several times. "Fine," he relented sitting back on the bench and raising his left sleeve.
"Oh, this doesn't go in your arm," said Harry shaking his head. "This goes in the arse."
"You cannot be serious," Daniel said angrily. "I am not letting you stick that thing where the sun don't shine."
"Relax," scoffed Harry. "I'm joking. And I thought the fact that your dad's a Marauder and your best friend's brothers are prankster would teach you to lighten up."
Remus observed the banter between with a wry smile, prepping everything he needed whilst doing so. He cleaned Daniel's arm and threw a numbing charm onto it so he wouldn't feel anything. "Now, hold still," he said inserting a needle into Daniel's arm. He pulled back the syringe and withdrew about 20 millilitres of blood. "All done," he announced healing the skin with a spell and removing the numbing charm.
"I feel really stupid having realised you would have numbed it anyway," Daniel admitted.
"Glad you've caught up with reality," snarked Harry. "So, how long's this going to take Remus?"
"A few minutes give or take," said their DADA professor. "Snape would have done this faster but I don't think he would have done this for you Daniel." Remus spun the advanced equipment around examining it from all angles. He flicked his wand and misty, swirling text appeared in the air. Remus examined it for a minute or two before he swept it way with a sweep of his wand and turned around to face Harry and Daniel with a grim look.
"What is it?" asked Daniel.
"It's not that you have drunk a potion, but that potions have left your bloodstream," he said gravely.
"Which potions were they?"
"Harmful ones, which explains why you've been feeling better all of a sudden. There was a slight agression potion, a magic-inhibting one and finally a potion I have never seen before." Remus sighed flicking his wand and packing up the equipment and the results instantly. "We're going to need to consult Severus," he said walking out the room.
"Wait, Remus!" called Harry. "Who dosed Daniel with them?"
"I'm not sure. This is way past my expertise, and though I aced my NEWTS potions exam, I've never seen this before. Come with me to Professor Snape's office."
"Are you sure he's even going to care?" asked Daniel trying to keep up with Harry and Remus who were walking quickly out the room.
"I'm sure he'll make an exception this time." Remus smiled assuringly and led them down into the dungeons.
"If he was a normal teacher, yes, but it's Snape!" Daniel protested. "He hates my guts and my guts' guts!"
Harry had had enough of Daniel's worrying and kicked him in the shin to shut him up. "Just relax," he said annoyedly while Daniel rubbed his shin. "Since Remus is asking him personally, he can't refuse."
"Fine," glowered Daniel. THey came to Snape's office and Remus knocked upon the door sharply, twice, and the cold voice of Severus Snape called them in.
"What do you want this time Lupin?" asked Snape.
"A consultancy if you will," said Remus bringing out the stuff he had packed up with a flick of his wand. "I think you'll be interested in the results."
"Clearly, since I see you've brought two students here." Snape looked at both Daniel and Harry, his gaze lingering on the scared face of Daniel a touch longer than it did on the bored face of his star Slytherin. "What exactly am I looking at here?"
"I performed a simple blood-potion test to check if there were any-"
"Yes, yes I know what it is," snapped Snape. "But why did you need to come to me? Surely you could handle something so easy?"
"See for yourself," smiled Remus and he brought up the mist of words that he had observed back in his office.
Snape observed the mist for a minute or so, occasionally rearranging it or touching it with his wand. Finally he cleared it away and turned back to Lupin. "As loathed as I am to say it, you were right to bring this to me. The potions have been flushed from his system but there is enough residual trace left to identify them." His gaze passed over Harry and stayed on Daniel for a while, his lip curling.
"How did you know the potions were gone from me?" asked Daniel. "Why not Harry?"
"Because there are traces of a slight agression potion and a magic inhibiting one," snarled Snape, "which is clearly why you're always so volatile and you have an inability to cast even the most basic of spells. Since I have not seen these qualities in the competent Potter, it is safe to assume you were the one being dosed."
"What about the other potion?" Harry cutted in before Daniel could charge Snape. "There was one more."
"The other one is something much more...complex," said Snape slowly. "It is a distrust potion, but it has been layered with several other ingredients that are incredibly rare. The end result creates a potion that when drunk creates mistrust of Slytherin house."
"Well that explains why you're a git to us," said Harry. "But who gave these potions to him?"
"Not many people have the skill to do so. I could count each one on my fingers but none of them seem obvious suspects."
"Give us the names of them Snape," said Remus with an air of curiousity.
"Well for one, myself, though I wouldn't go about making him hate my house. Others include Nicholas Flamel but what he want with a twat with a big head."
"Hey!" Daniel objected.
"There's also Moody," Snape continued without taking heed of Daniel. "And also Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore?" asked Remus. "He could have easily pressured the elves into dosing Daniel."
"But why? He's always the one preaching about house unity and the like," said Snape. "For now, we don't know but I will give you an antidote so these potions will not affect you." Snape brought out a needle and stabbed it Daniel's arm without warning, making Daniel clench his teeth and flinch. "This should be enough for a year's worth of protection. Now get out of my office and don't disturb me again!"
All 3 of them left Snape's office in a rush, even though he had only addressed Daniel, feeling confused yet a little more reassured. Snape leaned back in his chair, his signature grumpy face present as usual. It wasn't enough that Lupin had shown up unannounced practically begging for a favour, but he had to bring that insolent brat with him as well. He couldn't have refused the request either since Lupin was a teacher and could have just gone to someone else. Severus Snape sighed and took a sip of his firewhiskey, thinking hard about who could have dosed Daniel Potter.
Daniel walked awkwardly with Ron to Hogsmeade. Since Hermione had been banned from Hogsmeade, it was just him and his best-friend. After being ejected from Snape's office, he had finished the long talk with Harry and whilst his brother hadn't told him he should forgive his best-friends, he had told him to at least have friends. And that was how Daniel had puckered up and gone to Ron and Hermione and talked things out because as bad as they had been, not having them around had been worse.
"So, where do you want to go next?" Daniel asked casually looking around.
"I was thinking we could go to the Three Broomsticks to have a butterbeer mate," Ron said slowly. "And then maybe we could-"
As Ron continued to list off things, Daniel smiled happily- though Hermione wasn't here right now, the Golden Trio was back.
AN/ New chapter. Sorry it's quite short but I've been having a writing block and needed to get out of it. I've gone down the potions timeline and I think I'll be extending this year for a few more chapters as there's a few more things I want happening in here. This year will focus quite a bit on Daniel's side since there isn't much action as no dementors, no Azkaban excapee and the like but 4th year is where things will get interesting.
I haven't been able to see any reviews so I can't respond to any of them but next chapter I'll respond to as many as I can. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to leave a review!