Chapter XI
When they were called to the Headmaster's Office on the last day of the school week, they were obviously confused and rightfully defensive.
They didn't know why the headmaster would call them, for they hadn't done anything wrong ever since joining Hogwarts, but they had their speculations of course.
They were defensive because – well, that was basically self-explanatory. The things that they knew about the old man that was somehow the headmaster of a school – ought to make anyone defensive, no matter who they were.
Ever since the day Harry's scar had acted up – basically causing his own injury because his Occlumency shields weren't up at the time, which was his fault, they practiced their Occlumency until they didn't have enough energy to go forth anymore.
And from then on their mental shields were up all the time. During breakfast, during classes, during the duration of when they slept, there really wasn't a time where their shields were down. They were being more than a little cautious but their reason was valid. They were especially cautious around Quirrinus Quirell and Albus Dumbledore, two of the prime persons they were suspicious of.
The password Professor McGonagall had given them in order for them to enter Dumbledore's office was 'Lemon Drops'. Odd of course, but Harry could safely say that the password Dumbledore had set on his guard, was one that he wouldn't have guessed at first.
It was unfortunate, the number of steps it looked like they had to climb when the gargoyle moved out of the way and allowed them access, but thankfully, it seemed that they didn't have to walk all that way at all. Because the staircase slowly began to lower and eventually the top was at the bottom, and when Harry and Hermione Potter stepped on top of it, it started to rise once more. It was a little fun, to tell the truth, and Harry was sure he would enjoy it more if it wasn't for the tension in the air.
One of the reasons they were so... hesitant to speak to the professor, was because of news they had recently received just two days ago.
Harry had waited so long for the news to reach his ears – or in this case, his eyes as he had read the official letter; and he and Hermione had this theory that Professor Dumbledore did not want them to attend the trial, because he wanted to control Harry and he wouldn't be able to this if Sirius – Harry's godfather – would take ownership of him.
Of course, Dumbledore knew not that he couldn't have a guardian, for other than Hermione being his guardian angel by heart, he was his independent - he was emancipated. He didn't have to get a guardian – imagine how that would look, the Lord of houses that were some of the first – if not, the first – having to have someone else make decisions for him.
It was a hilarious thought as thinking that Ron Weasley would be in a library.
The door finally opened, the tiniest creak in its hinges as the Headmaster's Study and Office came into their view.
It was basically what they expected it to be, books, magical instruments they barely knew anything of, the Professor's study was a place, Harry could tell, that held a lot of knowledge.
Dumbledore stood in the middle of it all... well, he sat, in front of an uplifted platform that had stairs on either side of Dumbledore's table that led up to it. By his side was a phoenix, one they had heard about, and the magical creature stood proudly and majestically – it was perched atop of a golden perch that looked 'lived in'.
Dumbledore's eyes were upon them, they knew that even without looking at the man. A reason they didn't fully want to look at the headmaster was that, despite the confidence they had in their shields, they knew that there were many tales – however true or false they may be – that the headmaster was one of the strongest wizards in the world, with one of the strongest minds, whether his mind was defensive, or offensive.
They didn't want to take any chances.
"Come forth, young Harry and Miss Granger." The Headmaster spoke in a grandfatherly tone, and they approached the seats he gestured to with great caution, for the familiarity that he displayed to Harry, by calling him by his first name, in contrast of the name he addressed Hermione with, was... creepy, to say the least.
And then again, the headmaster had placed emphasis on the word 'young' clearly wanting them to understand that they were younger than him, that he was older, that he, therefore, was in charge and knew more and better than they did.
They were sure, more than ever now, that the Headmaster was trying to convince them to do something, or to not do something.
"Lemon Drop?" Offered Dumbledore as they sat on the provided seats. They shook their heads and declined politely, knowing that the sweets could be laced with potions. Philip had really trained them well.
The professor looked somewhat saddened and frustrated by their decline, but, in a moment, all traces of negative emotions left his face as he smiled sweet sickly at them.
"You called for us, Professor?" Hermione decided to ask, speaking first and breaking the silence amongst them. She had an inkling that the headmaster was simply letting the silence prolong to discomfort them.
"Ah, indeed, I did," the headmaster responded, "it has come to my attention, that you have, not only been invited to the will reading of James and Lily Potter's will, but to the trial of Sirius Black, and - "
Harry's eyes almost narrowed, and he nearly gritted his teeth in frustration - he knew it!
"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, "What is it you wish to speak to us concerning this?"
"Well, my concern is merely for safety, Harry and Miss Granger, especially in terms of the trial of Sirius Black. If you didn't know, and I'm sorry for saying this so bluntly, your parents' deaths were caused by him. He's the reason they are gone, he's the reason that you are with your aunt and uncle. I'm merely worried about the things you'll hear – and the things that would happen, that can happen – on that particular day."
"Yes," Harry replied shortly, cutting off the headmaster as he once more opened his bearded mouth to speak or utter some sort of lie again, "we are aware. We asked our Head of House, Professor Flitwick, to accompany us to the trial. As a Charms Professor with knowledge almost indefinite and a former Professional Dueller, Hermione and I thought him a more than capable enough person to protect us. Not to mention that he's our Head of House and you are the headmaster - a man who obviously has a lot of responsibilities and duties in such a high role."
"As for the reading of my parents' will, even though you haven't stated a reason of disagreement, I think it's more than appropriate for me to go to the reading of my own parents' will." Professor Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but Harry had already seen his rebuttal coming a mile away. "As for Hermione coming with me, we've been best friends ever since we were little, we do nothing without the other."
"You must know, Harry, that everything I'm trying to achieve here is for your own protection - yours and Miss Granger's of course," remarked the professor, sounding almost morose as he stared at Harry, only speaking a few seconds after Harry had deflected his rebuttal.
"Professor, you can protect us inside of school, as it is your job as the headmaster to do so, but when things begin to get associated with the world outside of Hogwarts, you have no say in it – your need and help isn't required without someone requesting it. It's similar with Professor Flitwick, he's our Head of House - but we asked him to accompany us. If we hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to intervene or anything similar to that" Harry replied.
"I must apologise for being so rude, Professor, but you must understand the feelings that flowed through me after you tried to keep me away from several things that are closely associated with my parents." Mind games were something Dumbledore was clearly aware of, so he made his little acting skit as convincing as possible to make his apology seem more genuine.
"I suppose I do, Harry, but again, you must understand that I only look out for your safety."
"Again, Professor, look out for my safety actively when we're in school, but not when we aren't. My godfather's trial and the reading of my parent's will is something that isn't associated with school, so... well, you understand."
Dumbledore seemed to have enough, and with a slight furrow in his eyebrows, he probed Harry's mind. But of course, Harry had been prepared and had easily deflected Dumbledore's rather weak probe. The man in question, the wizard deemed the most powerful in the Wizarding World, now sat panting in his seat slightly as his face shone a little brightly with the colour of red and purple.
"Is something the matter, Professor?" Asked Hermione, her voice painfully – to Dumbledore – similar to Harry's, an act.
"Oh, there's nothing wrong, Miss Granger – I suppose it's just a matter of old age – y'know, there's a lot of things that could go wrong and are wrong with old age. Funnily enough, old people are known to be most prone to making mistakes." Dumbledore replied. But once again, Harry and Hermione were not going to be fooled, they both were aware that Professor Dumbledore was only saying this to say that he was an old man, and use that as an excuse when they find out the inevitable truth that he was the mastermind behind a lot of events that had transpired over the years.
They decided to stay quiet though, as, there really wasn't anything else to say. Contrary to what was happening at the beginning of their meeting, their silence, the one they were prolonging instead of Dumbledore this time, was making the Headmaster incredibly uncomfortable and it wasn't long before the Professor had given them permission to go with Professor Flitwick and told them that they could leave, looking seemingly as though he was deep in thought.
"Dumbledore's playing softly," Hermione said after they checked themselves for enchantments or any of Dumbledore's magic on them. They were currently walking back to the Ravenclaw Common Room, where they planned on studying.
"He doesn't want us to know what his real plan is, because he understands we're smart enough to figure out at least some of the things he's trying to keep us away from." Hermione continued, "I'm sure though, that it won't be long before he starts to take bigger hits."
Harry smiled as he nodded in agreement, adoring her indefinite intelligence. "We need to keep our guard up, he announced, "We both felt his Legilimency probe, it won't be long before he starts to use Potions or some other absurd method – he wants to get control over me, for one reason or the other."
"We'll get through it though, right?" Asked Hermione huddling closer to him.
"Of course we will, and we'll do it together – like it's always been."
...
Over the past couple of days, they had been on the edge of their seats. Constantly they would be on the lookout, searching for anything suspicious that could have happened, or that already has.
After the incident that had left Harry in pain, Hermione had kept an extra eye out at all times and was aware of any and everything that was happening around them. She was being overly protective, but Harry didn't mind.
The mission that kept them up some nights just thinking about it was to break into the third-floor corridor that had been so secluded from the students to discover the secrets that were hidden inside of it. It was more than obvious that the third-floor corridor was connected to the suspicious activity they were currently internally accusing Dumbledore of, and they were prepared to be one step ahead of the old man.
Dumbledore's suspiciousness only grew now. His thankfully failed plan had been another clue that the evil headmaster was trying to manipulate them again. Any other headmaster who had the reputation as him (kind, grandfatherly, and considering) would have allowed them permission to see the trial of someone important in their life, especially Harry since it was his godfather, but not Dumbledore. Definitely not him. He wasn't as kind as he outwardly portrayed to be.
For their safety? That was his excuse? Hermione just had to scoff at the sheer craziness of it. Did the Headmaster think of them dumb enough to fall for that little trick? Well if he did, he obviously had - or needed - an awakening.
Hermione glanced at her best friend beside her. He currently had his eyes closed and his legs crossed. He was practicing his Legilimency. His shields had to be alert and ready and definitely strong. After briefly contacting their accounts manager and relaying a few important details they had found and gaining some advice, they had taken extra measures to protect themselves from the evil behind the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom and more specifically the professor who was inside of it.
Sirius' trial would be on the first of November, ironically the day he had been arrested so many years ago. But before they would attend the trial, they had something else in plan. The night before the trial would be the day they would finally break into the third-floor corridor.
Something told them that it wasn't going to be easy, even though they knew better.
...
"So you really think there's something dangerous in the third-floor corridor?" Questioned Christopher as he glanced at the watch previously buried under his school robes, assessing the time.
The day arrived and Harry and Hermione were accompanied by their friends as they sneakily made their way past prefects and professors under perfectly cast Disillusionment charms. Disillusionment charms that thankfully allowed them to see each other thanks to Harry being able to alter his magic how he wanted.
"Yes!" Hissed Daphne, "he already said that - now be quiet!"
The Halloween feast had finished about an hour ago and thankfully nothing had happened during or after this time to disrupt their plans.
In their beds were dummies covered by sheets and luckily Christopher, Daphne and Tracey were all aware of how to properly ward their beds and had done it to avoid anyone even trying to see if they were in their beds in the first place.
The third-floor corridor was a minute away, a few staircases more and they would be in front of the alluring door but after finally arriving there, they were all quite shocked when they discovered that the door they were warned so harshly about was actually ajar.
The musty, wooden oak door was bare of any protective spells or enchantments or anything at all that would alert the professors of someone's unwanted entrance. Were they at the correct door? That was the question that plagued their baffled brains, but they continued further.
Their confusion only heightened when they arrived at yet another door inside of that room. While the door was locked, it took a simple Alaharmora to open it.
The only shred of evidence that convinced them they were at the right place was the three-headed dog on the other side of the door.
"Merlin," Harry heard Christopher murmur, the boy quickly being chastised by his female companions with shushes as they placed their fingers on their lips. Harry knew better than to tamper with Daphne and Tracey's temper and patience after spending time to get to know them for the past month. And he knew very much not to anger Hermione, as that was a large mistake by itself.
Thankfully though, the large Cerberus was unaffected by Christopher's murmur and the girls' shushes as it continued to sleep peacefully. They all let out a small breath of relief as they made an unspoken vow to not say a word. Eyes scanned the room and after a while, Harry was the first to make a discovery. Near one of the large, intimidating paws of the Cerberus, was a trapdoor, one that clearly hid a secret.
Wands in hand in case anything happened, they advanced towards the door, the dog's snores echoing throughout the room. As they arrived, they noticed at the back of the room was a harp, playing music that was inaudible to them. Odd, they thought.
They didn't have much time to think though, as Christopher had already jumped in. Harry didn't need to look at the girls to know that they were rolling their eyes. It was incredibly reckless of him because no one knew what was on the other side, but being reckless was one of Christopher's attributes.
Allowing everyone else to jump in before him, Harry eventually followed after them and slid through the slide that was on the other end of the trapdoor, landing on gooey, slimy, and touchy vines that circled around his body as soon as he landed in it.
"It's Devil's Snare..." He heard Hermione whisper beside him. He turned to her, startled by her sudden appearance, but had to look down as she was sinking into and under the plant. His first instinct was obviously to grab her and keep her from sinking, but he considered what she had said and understood the reason why she was sinking in the first place and how she was so calm.
They once had a lesson about Devil's Snare, and had also read on it on their own, so he knew all about it already. Relaxing, the plant eventually began to lower him as it had done with Hermione, and after a short fall and a stumble, he was once again surrounded by his friends.
"That was a weak defense," acknowledged Daphne as she stared up at the plant, her brows knotted in confusion and disgust. "We, first years, literally learned about this very same plant a few days ago, if someone dangerous – Voldemort or his death eaters no less – were expected to try and steal something valuable, how is this supposed to stop them?"
Harry hummed in reply as Hermione helped to brush a few scoots of dust off his shirt and out of his hair, "true," he murmured.
"Maybe," began Tracey, "it was intentionally something easy – something confusingly easy – that it was meant to give the person breaking in a false sense of security – a sense of arrogance, the intending stealer would probably assume all of the traps are like this and would be arrogant, and his arrogance would be the death of him," she shrugged.
"Both are reasonable arguments," intervened Christopher, "but I guess we should just continue to judge the difficulty of the traps after we see the rest of them." He suggested.
The group nodded as their guards rose again, high in attention as they began to walk towards the only door in the dark and mysterious room they had been dropped into, their eyes everywhere, trying to assess everything it could to ensure there weren't any booby traps, or surprise attacks or enchantments.
The next room on the other end of the door they had so cautiously opened immediately attacked them. Not entirely directly, but seemed to have a similar intent. Keys of all colours and sizes flew through the large decorated room, zooming in different areas at a fast pace. While the others studied the keys as they zoomed around, Harry looked for a door that would clearly be unlocked by one of the flying keys and after a bit of looking found one on the other side of the room, disguised by a few bushes.
A few minutes later, he was sitting by the door panting slightly as he laid the broom he had held between his legs a few minutes prior as he tried to catch his breath. He was fit, he was a Lord, and he had played many sports before, but he hadn't much experience with a broomstick, so the wild ride they had made him endure in order to get the wild key that was camouflaged amongst the others as an imposter, had taken a bit of breath out of him.
Despite it though, a string of confusion and disappointment pulled at his heartstrings. If he was this bad at flying and had managed to capture the key that was supposed to be impossible for one to catch, then wouldn't someone who was better than him, which was probably every other soul on the planet at the moment, get it?
This was easy, it was all easy and despite Christopher's words to test all the other traps first before judging the security, he already knew that this was all bad, this couldn't stop a bad guy, and this couldn't stop some of the evilest sorcerers in the world who wouldn't hold back on dark enchantments and spells. Disappointment rang through him, and obviously Hermione felt it as well.
Her questioning and concerned expressions spoke words from where she was stooping down beside him, "It's rigged – it has to be," he communicated with her silently as he took a sip of water, courtesy of a prepared Tracy Davis. "It's too easy, Hermione."
She bit her bottom lip as she considered it in her mind, "It is," she admitted, "but Christopher's right, we should see the others first."
Harry nodded as he took a deep breath, smiling at Hermione in reassurance, and soon, they were walking out of the door, Christopher commenting about how wild a flyer he was as chuckles escaped his lips.
The next room was basically a chess room. Large stone statues of all of the different chess pieces in the game were on both sides of the large scale model of the popular game. But this was the Wizarding World, and the game apparently, was a lot more dangerous here.
But the most powerful magic they had was their minds, and it wasn't long before they had reached the other end of the chess room, dropping the broom they had been provided with during their previous task, all the while Harry's frustration grew at the lack of thought and effort put into the securing something that was so powerful, that Voldemort wanted it.
He still had hope though, the tiniest bit of it. But of course, that too was shattered when he understood that the next test, was a literal potions riddle that had been easily solved by Daphne, the potions mistress amongst them.
Providing them with only one potion was the only smart choice they had taken, although it really wasn't that smart – but showed the extent of the lack of brains put into securing whatever needed to be secured. Besides, Harry easily duplicated it within minutes. The purpose of the potion was to get through the heated and clearly deadly flames, but it didn't help that whoever wanted to break into the 'secured' room could bring potions of their own.
Nothing, this entire course, the tests they had been through, or anything at all other than a frightening Cerberus that slept through a break-in convinced Harry that this security system that was supposedly set up by one of the strongest wizards in the world and his trusted colleagues, was secure at all. If it was anything, it was anything but secure.
"This is terrible protection," declared Daphne as she folded her hands in disgust "this, what five first years could easily work out and get through and had learned about in their first year, is anything but protection. It's horrible." She huffed, Tracey and Christopher, nodding in agreement as they too, folded their hands, their heads wandering to look around them as they continued to walk through the tunnel they had found themselves in after advancing through and past the dangerous flames.
"I agree," Hermione replied as she huddled closer to Harry, her eyes sharp as they pierced through the tunnel.
Eventually, they came across a small staircase that led down and into a room. The circular room was decorated with neatly placed stone pillars and with different incoherent words and hieroglyphics engraved into the wall. The middle of the room was lit up by a so far unknown source and held a mirror, one that was large and sparkled in the glow of the light and was able – with enchantments perhaps – to stand on its own as they journeyed towards it, intrigued but defensive.
The first thing he saw when he looked into the auspicious mirror was himself – obviously. But soon, unbelievably, a few other individuals could be seen inside of it. The first had been Hermione, but unlike how she was beside him - hugging into his side as she too, stared into the mirror in astonishment - in the mirror she was looking back at him, standing beside mirror-Harry as she held his hand a beam similar to his. But soon two other people arrived in the mirror, two people he knew very well, his parents.
And as someone with black curly hair began to appear behind them and as Harry tried to touch the hand he saw his father place on his shoulder, he was brought back into reality, where all of them were aimlessly staring at their reflections.
"It's the Mirror of Erised," Tracey explained a few minutes later after they regained their sanity, their eyes glossed over as they sat on the staircase, away from it. "It shows the person looking into it what they desire the most – it shows their heart's desire – what they love the most and what they truly just want."
Harry smiled to himself, it only just confirmed how much they missed and wanted his parents and how much he loved Hermione. And she knew that - she could see what he had seen and he could see what she had seen. He had been overjoyed to see, similarly to him, Hermione had seen him in the mirror, but had been extremely sad upon seeing what she desired being her parents as well...
"I say we leave," Christopher huffed, folding his arms. "I don't want to waste any more time I here."
Apparently, he had seen something or the other whilst looking in the mirror that had upset him, but nevertheless, he had a point, Harry didn't see a point in staying here anymore, since he wasn't sure how to go on and what the purpose of the mirror was. Besides, he didn't feel like going on anymore.
It wasn't long before he voiced his opinion and before they all agreed, soon leaving the supposedly but wrongfully thought-of 'secure' base that was supposed to be protecting a super powerful item.
He laid in bed that night with Hermione by his side both of them lost in shared thoughts as cuddled the night away.
"I miss them," she announced, almost inaudibly into his chest, and he could hear the sadness etched into her voice. He didn't say anything, knowing there really wasn't anything he could say. If only her parents were more understanding...
He didn't say anything but he held her closer, kissing the top of her head as she cuddled closer to him, eventually hearing her soft humming snores as he eventually too, drifted away.