Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
Lucy let out a small growl, probably because of the loss of body warmth; however, Harry quickly pulled the cover over her, noticing in relief that her growling stopped and she seemed to sleep on. Thinking of Lucius Malfoy, he silently popped away.
The room was lying in the dark except for one single torch. However, Harry did not have to see much anyway. He sensed Malfoy's magic and quickly approached the bed.
'I don't want to heal that evil father of Draco's,' he thought, wondering why he felt so complied to heal the disgustingly slimy wizard. 'Oh, well, I better get this done anyway,' he resolved and gripped the man's arm in a firm grip. From healing the Longbottoms from similar ailments before, he recognised the signs of the evil wizard's brain returning to normality. Before he could recognise him, he released the man's arm and popped himself into the room, where he could sense Dolores Umbridge. He quickly let his healing magic flow, trying to not question himself why exactly he was doing this. At the first sign of her brain returning, he popped back home and scrambled into bed, feeling utterly exhausted.
HP
Harry could not really enjoy his last day of holidays. Somehow, what he had done during the night remained at the forefront of his mind, however, when he tried to speak about the matter with his father, he realised that he somehow couldn't.
"Harry, are you all right?" Regina cast him a worried look.
"Yes, Mum. BABA are really brilliant. It was so much fun playing with them last night."
Regina smiled. "I always loved them, even when I listened to them in the muggle world, when I was still a teenager. Hearing them add their magic to the music was even so much better, and your Suikan matched their music very well. It was a pleasure to listen."
"Thanks, Mum." Harry smiled, happily.
HP
On September 1, the front page of the Daily Prophet almost beat the excitement over the beginning of a new school year at Hogwarts.
'Chaos at St. Mungo's'
'Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge recover,
attack healers in a fight,
Umbridge dead and Malfoy captured'
'In the early hours of yesterday morning, Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge, both deemed uncurable in the long-term ward of St. Mungo's, miraculously recovered, left their rooms and stole the surprised healers' wands in a vicious attack. Thankfully, the Aurors arrived quickly and managed to end the fight between the two Death Eaters and the hospital staff by apprehending Malfoy. Umbridge perished during the fight. Malfoy is now in a ministry holding cell awaiting his trial.'
Underneath was a moving picture of the fight at St. Mungo's.
Harry stared at the newspaper in shock.
"Harry?" Severus cast him a look of pure concern. "Do you know anything about how Malfoy and Umbridge were cured?"
Harry nodded, feeling horrified. "I think I did that… but I didn't want to… I'm sorry." Tears began to leak from his eyes.
"Harry, please tell us everything from the beginning. You know that we'll always be on your side." Regina smiled, encouragingly.
"I had to heal them, but I don't know why, and I didn't want to… And I couldn't tell you." Harry looked from his mother to his father, questioningly.
"That sounds like the Imperius curse," Severus said, grimly. "Harry, would you mind me casting Legilimency?"
"Please do so."
An instant later, he felt his father's presence in his mind. It felt soothing, and he knew that his father would be able to help him understand what had happened.
He waited, and suddenly, everything became clear. It had happened at the party, during his concert with BABA, that someone had put him under the Imperius curse. He recalled how he had healed the two evil people against his own will, before Severus retreated from his mind.
"Somehow cast the Imperius curse on you and obliviated you afterwards. Harry, do you know who the person was who cast the spell? Professor Dumbledore was not at the party."
Harry shook his head. "It wasn't Dumbledore. I know his magic, but I didn't know the magic of the person who did it. I'll know if I ever meet him again."
Severus nodded in apparent understanding.
"If I am not mistaken, it has to be some of the former Death Eaters." Regina cast Severus a questioning look.
Severus nodded. "Who else might be interested in having Malfoy and Umbridge sane?"
"Perhaps, we could discuss the matter with Marvolo and have him invite people who might do something like that. Placing a twelve-year-old under the Imperius curse?" Regina shook her head in apparent anger.
"I'll ask him. Harry could invisibly accompany me and try to find the culprit."
He remained quiet, and from his expression, which he usually did not school to a blank mask at home, Harry guessed that he was mentally discussing the matter with Marvolo.
"Marvolo will call a few people over to Riddle house for lunchtime. Harry, would you mind joining me?"
"Of course. Thanks, Dad, for arranging this so quickly." 'I want to get over with it, before everyone is going to come back tonight,' he thought.
HP
A few hours later, Harry popped to Tom's house together with Severus and Lucy. Marvolo had invited eight of his former followers apart from Severus, but Harry noticed quickly that the culprit was not among them. From where he was sitting on Marvolo's right side in the middle of the table, the strategically best spot, he could sense each wizard's magic, but they did not match the magic that he had sensed, before he had succumbed to the Imperius curse.
"Thanks, Marvolo and Dad, for trying, but he wasn't among them."
Marvolo nodded. "It was worth the effort. Perhaps, you'll know more after Malfoy's trial, which is going to be held in front of the Wizengamot. Seeing that the head of the Wizengamot is a professor at Hogwarts, he'll surely see to it that it's going to take place on a Saturday, so that Harry will be able to attend and sniff out everyone."
Harry playfully slapped his friend's arm. "I don't sniff out people. I can merely sense their magic," he complained, causing Marvolo to chuckle in apparent amusement.
HP
Once they were back at home, Harry addressed his father. "Dad, will you please excuse Teddy and me with your colleagues?" Seeing that Severus quirked an eyebrow in silent question, he explained. "During the rest of the week, Teddy and I will take care of the new first-years. We'll accompany them to their classrooms and such."
"Wouldn't that be the job of their fifth-year prefects?" Regina looked questioningly from Harry to Severus.
"No, because they'd miss a lot of their own classes, while Teddy and I are able to pop. And also… we need to teach them to be friends with everyone, no matter in which house they are. I don't think the fifth-years can do that."
Regina smiled at his explanation, while Severus nodded in apparent understanding. "I shall inform my colleagues, even if no one would be able to take house points off you anyway."
"But Teddy…"
Severus nodded, reassuringly.
"I'm proud of you, Harry." Regina smiled, as she pulled him into a light hug, just enough for him to feel comfortable.
"I hope the new firsties will be nice."
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter.