AN: Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, or PM'd me. It really does help!
AN: The story so far has been laying out individual threads which will become the story. This chapter will start weaving them together into a somewhat general form which will be filled in gradually. The politics will begin to get twisted. If you think you know what is going on… if it seems obvious… you are probably wrong. ?
AN: I am planning to participate in the NaNoWriMo this year and even though it is not November yet, I present this offering as the first of my 50K words for the month, just one day early. But come on… Halloween and Harry Potter go together! I think it is worth the one-day fudge factor to get the significant date posted. ? I will post every time I get 5K words, so hoping for every 3 days for the month of Nov. Wish me luck!
AN: Last AN, I promise! :D I am trying for speed and consistency. Thus, there will be no one beta'ing this month's chapters. Grammar issues and typos are not only more likely but almost a certainty. Feel free to point out my mistakes and know I will appreciate the corrections, but I will not be making those corrections until after NaNoWriMo is over. Thanks for reading and I hope you like this faster pace!
Chapter 17
I did warn you…
Unknown Location
Severus Tobias Snape was having an awful day; at least, he thought he was. Being blind made determining day from night rather difficult. Feeling about the bed… bed?... yes, a bed and definitely not his own, he could feel a night table and his wand lay on it! Snape, like most wizards, would know his wand anywhere, even in a strange place, even blind.
Pulling his wand against his chest, "Lumos".
The Darkness did not recede.
Loudly sighing, "Nox", then returned his wand to the bedside table.
'What happened?' Snape wondered, trying to recall his last clear memory.
'Sprout interfered with me assigning detention to Potter. The Headmaster refused to support me. Potter got off, again. I left the great hall. I went to my quarters to remove the stench of children from my body… … … and that is the last I recall' Severus thought calmly.
Quickly reaching for his chest again, Snape confirmed he was NOT naked and sighed once more, in relief this time. Continuing to feel over his body, he confirmed he was wearing his normal teaching attire.
'Well, that is a blessing, small though it may be', Snape thought sarcastically.
He began flexing each joint, one after another, checking for pain and range of motion. Everything seemed fine; no unusual pains, no worrying lack of sensation.
Inhaling deeply, Snape examined the smells around him. His soap lingered on his skin, lavender and vanilla. The scent helped him sleep, but he washed it off each morning to preserve his reputation as a man with Spartan needs. The smell of damp was slight but ever-present. A hint of goose feathers, probably from his pillow or his mattress. Most surprisingly, a hint of lilac.
'Lilac?' he thought. 'I have searched every inch of the dungeons during my time here. Not only have I never seen any lilac growing here; there is also no place where lilacs could grow here. So, the lilac is probably from a flower arrangement or perhaps the perfume of one of my abductors. So, I was taken in the night, between my evening and morning showers. I am no hungrier than I would be when awaking normally, so I must have been taken last night. My abductors disrobed me of my sleeping garments, then took the time to cloth me properly for the day. Perhaps as a distraction to keep me guessing when I was taken? Regardless, rather considerate for kidnappers. Unless the kidnapper has a mental disorder, which adds a whole new branch to the 'bad' that could happen here.'
Feeling about, Snape determined he was lying upon a single bed placed against a stone wall. The stones held a hint of dampness to the touch. Whether that was true dampness or this mind misinterpreting the temperature variation, he was unable to confirm with certainty.
Using his hands to guide him, Snape slowly moved to a seating position on the edge of the bed, with his feet on the floor. Frowning, he moved his feet back and forth on the floor; the moving floor! Momentary dread clasped his heart as he immediately conjured in his mind images of the floor covered with writhing snakes: snakes he could not see! Instantly he calmed himself, 'No serpentine movement. No hissing. And most importantly, nothing has bitten me. So, not snakes.' Rolling his feet carefully on the floor, he could feel the stiff cylinders roll beneath him. Each cylinder apparently a foot in length and slim in diameter.
Reaching down carefully, Snape grasped one cylinder firmly before gasping aloud. It was his wand!
Sitting up and clasping his wand to his chest once more, Snape took a deep breath and a moment to think. 'I placed my wand on the nightstand. Perhaps it rolled off? No, I would have heard it, unless I am deaf too.'
Snape snapped his fingers, clearly hearing the sound through both ears.
'Not deaf then.'
Reaching for the bedside table, he gently felt on it expecting to find the wand was gone. But, he did find it.
Sitting quietly in the darkness, Snape attempted to explain to himself how he was holding two identical wands, both his; attempted, but failed.
Outside Hogwarts
'Well, that went better than expected,' Draco thought. 'Father brought everything I requested and some extra goodies. The next steps were a harder sell, but eventually, he accepted those too. And how much do I hate bargaining with him? A Hell of a Lot! Since he congratulated me on a decent plot to strength House Malfoy, he is pushing me harder, treating me like the head of another House asking for favors. I understand this is just another step in preparing me to take over one day, but it is annoying as Hell!'
Stopping before the doors to Hogwarts, Draco schooled his face to his normal student mask of indifference before pushing one open. Entering the great hall, Draco surveyed the students gathered and smirked.
'If they only knew,' Draco thought, 'but they don't. They don't suspect. And by the time they truly understand, it will be too late.'
Nodding to Heir Greengrass, Draco approached the Slytherin table for a well-deserved dinner. Listening to the puerile plots which pass for subterfuge among his housemates is always good for amusement.
Headmaster's Office
Albus worried another lemon drop around his desk top before wandlessly popping it into his mouth. It was his seventh in twice as many minutes. He was worried, as usual. He was worried about Harry, well, Harry and Draco. Okay, he was worried about Draco's influence on Harry. An undefined problem is rarely solved. Albus was worried about Draco's impact on his own plans for Harry.
'Draco is supporting House Potter. What does he hope to gain? Lucius trained Draco from a very young age, according to Severus. Thus, Draco would not be putting this much effort into Harry without expecting benefits exceeding his investment.'
'Further, Draco is clearly behind the betrothal contracts. What a mess that is! How will I clean this up without making Harry view me as his enemy? But a family will prevent Harry from sacrificing himself willingly.'
Dumbledore smiled to himself, 'Or will it… If Harry sacrifices himself willingly, for his family and/or House… It will not be as effective as if he did so generically, but it will still be effective and even more so for those of his House.'
'Yes, I can work with that'
'So, how to go about this? I could encourage others to join or ally with House Potter, so the number of people protected by his sacrifice will be increased. That could work well.'
'Or… I could offer to tutor him privately. Transfiguration leading toward use in combat in his later years. Yes', Albus sported an evil grin,' yes, that could do nicely. I could dazzle him with combat transfiguration and then control his progress, directing him along paths of my choosing.'
Pulling parchment and quill from his desk, he quickly quilled a message to Professor Sprout to escort Harry to his office after dinner tomorrow.
With an annoyed growl, the Headmaster crumpled the parchment and started another, asking the Assistant Headmistress to do the honors of escorting Harry to his office.
"Elf", Dumbledore said softly, waiting for the pop of the house elf's arrival.
"Please deliver this to Minerva at dinner tomorrow eve," Albus said as he handed the sealed parchment to the elf.
After the elf popped out, Albus poured himself another shot of whiskey.
Smiling broadly, he sighed deeply as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his whiskey.
"Yes, this could work out better than the original plan."
Harry's room
Harry was annoyed and grateful, and he was annoyed at being grateful.
Draco had come through on his promise to help protect him from mind reading. But Harry had to choose the least annoying of the options available.
Draco had presented him with a runestone shaped like a small egg. That wasn't so bad, but the explanation that came with it was. Harry remembered the clandestine meeting clearly.
"Harry, I have several solutions for you, but this is the best all around."
Draco then pulled out the runestone egg, presenting it to Harry for inspection.
"This is a runestone. It is one of many stones I inherited when we absorbed a smaller House before the last war. Rune workings were their specialty and we gained access to their stock. Sadly, someone else knew or suspected their secret and the last members of that family were killed shortly after. Thus, the stones I now have are the only ones I am likely to ever have. Do you understand the significance of this gift?" Draco questioned.
At Harry's nod, Draco continued, "This stone can be used in many ways. If you hold it in your hand, you are instantly immune to all attempts to invade your mind. You also can't use any mind attacks on others. It creates an unbreakable wall between your mind and others. The drawback of holding it in your hand being, if it is not in your hand, you are just as vulnerable as you are now. You may also wear it as jewelry, a necklace being the easiest. As long as it is touching your skin, it is effective. Drawback? Jewelry can be taken from you, leaving you vulnerable again. Understand?"
Harry nodded again.
"A better way to use the stone is to swallow it." Draco paused to await the inevitable question.
"Swallow it? That seems a bit over the top, don't you think?" Harry asked as if on cue.
"Not at all. If you swallow it, it will remain in contact with your body constantly, even in your sleep. It can't be taken from you like jewelry, nor can someone wait until your hands are empty, as they could if you just held it. But, if they suspect what might be occurring, or think you have taken something to make you immune, they could attempt to 'flush' the potions out of your system and find the stone by happenstance. But, other than a case like that, you merely wait until your body eliminates it, clean it, and swallow it again. A near perfect mental defense!" Draco smiled enthusiastically.
"Wait, what?! I poop it out, then swallow it again?! That's gross!" Harry commented loudly.
"Well, I did say you CLEAN it before you swallow it," Draco grinned.
"And there is the last method of use. Much more effective, one-time use. The effects are permanent."
"That sounds more like it," Harry sighed, "Tell me about that."
Draco grinned, "Yeah, but you won't like it. We slice into your abdomen. Push the stone inside you, then leave it there and heal the cut. Takes five minutes, less maybe."
Harry grimaced as he considered.
Draco added glibly, "The advantage of this method is, it can never be taken from you. In a few months, it will dissolve into your body and become permanent. Your mind will always be protected! Of course, the same downside applies to this method as the others. If you are using the stone in any manner, your mind is completely impenetrable to all mind magics. Downside is… you can't USE any mind magics that affect anyone else. So here, hold it and see what you think."
Harry took the stone cautiously, holding it in his hand, then curling his fingers around it in a fist. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on himself and his surroundings.
"Something is missing," Harry whispered. "I feel like something is gone, but I don't know what."
"That is always a possibility. If you have some natural talent in legilimency, mind-reading, then what you are missing is the background noise of other's thoughts. Right now, that is no big deal, as you are not trained and would gain nothing useful by retaining it. But, if you wanted to learn to read minds in the future, you would not be able to use the stone at the same time."
Draco stopped for a moment and thought carefully before frowning.
"Harry, how are you doing on your political studies and head of house studies?" Draco asked gently.
Harry shrugged, "Better than I expected, especially since Halloween. I think I have reviewed enough of the material that I am able to find what I need quickly. In the beginning, it was kinda rough and much harder to understand."
Draco made a sound between a grunt and a laugh.
"Dammit," Draco muttered, "I forgot to consider that. Your ring, your head of house ring, it's talking to you, helping you."
"I think I would notice if my RING started talking to me." Harry countered crossly.
"Not that kind of talking. It is guiding you, subconsciously. I honestly forgot you were wearing it. Mistakes like can be very costly. So, bottom line, if you use the runestone you will lose the guidance from your ring. Your ability to study politics and law will return to your previous level. Is that something you are willing to give up?" Draco asked seriously.
"Um, no," Harry replied. "My studies are coming along swiftly and the more I learn the more I learn how badly I need to learn what I am learning. I am trying to make up a decade's lack of education as quickly as possible. Every time I say anything, I fear I am about to make a mistake! Small mistakes can cost me allies. Seemingly helpful behavior could lead to blood feuds. No. I must keep the ring's help if it is what is letting me learn so fast. Is there another option, other than just not looking anyone in the eyes, which also has political ramifications?"
"Yes," Draco said slowly, "but it is rather annoying and mildly painful in the beginning."
"Only mildly painful? I like this idea already!"
"Well, it is not as effective. But for casual attempts at mind-reading, it will stop it dead. To manage to read your mind, the items will have to be physically removed." Draco reached into another pocket, drawing forth a small rectangular box. Holding it carefully, he opened the box for Harry to inspect.
Within the box, on two small white hills, were two black dots, each perfectly centered on each hill.
"What are those?" Harry asked. "And where did you get them?"
"Where do you think I got them," Draco laughed, "My father, of course!"
Draco continued, "These are a prohibited magical item. Actually, they are muggle items which have been enchanted, which is illegal according to some. It is a technically grey area since it is a muggle item being enchanted for a wizard to use. They are called 'contact lenses'. Most muggle versions are completely clear and used to correct their defective eyesight. These have a shield only over the pupil, making them nearly invisible and doesn't change your eye color, which would be noticed."
Harry laughed, "Who would notice if my eye color changed just a little bit?"
Draco smirked back, "Almost every witch in the castle. Green eyes are not common and yours have been described as 'dreamy' more times than I wish to recall." Draco rolled his eyes at the thought.
"Still, the real magic is in the black spot. It allows light to enter your eye, but not magic. Magic will be reflected, usually away from you and the caster, but if you are lucky, right back at the bastard trying to penetrate your mind." Draco's mirth was clear.
"And I could still use my ring and eventually learn the mind arts if I choose?" Harry asked excitedly.
"The ring? Absolutely. Occlumency? That's how you organize and defend your mind. Yes. Legilimency? Not without taking the lenses off. There is a special spell for that. Attempting to remove them without the spell would hurt you badly and leave you blind until you were healed."
"Let's do it!" Harry replied with enthusiasm.
That was twelve hours ago. The lenses were now fused onto his eyes and would never shift. Harry was most annoyed the contacts did nothing to improve his eyesight, requiring him to continue wearing his glasses.
In the beginning, it felt like he had sand in his eyes and he wanted to rub them as his eyes watered. Draco had told him that would happen and for the first hour he was physically tied to a chair to prevent him rubbing his eyes. An hour is an awfully long time to have sand in your eyes! Slowly the sensation died to a mild itching and now it was just the memory of the itching that made him want to rub his eyes.
But, it was worth it. Harry now had a reasonable level of defense against mindreading and could keep his secrets from those who would steal them. Better, it wouldn't be obvious he was attempting to hide secrets by never meeting anyone's eyes.
Library
Hermione sighed.
Sitting in the furthest corner of the school library, with her back to the corner, she was surrounded by scrolls with betrothal offers for Harry. After Harry had opened a scroll and was greeted by sheer lace panties falling in his lap, he decided to ask Hermione to open and sort the offers.
He had given her gross categories and allowed her to further refine the groups into subgroups as she saw fit.
Unborn, Under-Six, and Over-Sixty did not need subcategories. Just… ewwwww… No!
Six to Fourteen would eventually have several subcategories.
Fourteen to Twenty was easily the largest grouping and would have to be subdivided several more times before she was finished.
And Twenty to Thirty-Five was where the most lingerie had been included, many lightly scented with floral scents. Hermione was certain one was scented with … bacon. 'Well, the way to a man's heart, I suppose.'
Thirty-Five to Sixty seemed the most formal, in general, although there were some startling exceptions. She would ask, but unless Harry wanted to see them, THOSE wizarding pictures would never be seen by anyone, ever again!
Hermione was also tutoring Harry in History of Magic. He had decided early in the semester the class was almost worthless. "While History is extremely important, it consists of more than goblins, goblin rebellions, and goblin treaties," she clearly remembered him saying, "I need a general view of all History, so I will know what areas to consider for future planning," he said. So, Harry asked Hermione to present him, each evening, with the condensed version of the day's History notes AND to provide him the overview of a History topic of her choosing, as long as that choice had nothing to do with goblins.
So far, as the additional topic, Hermione picked a historical figure and gave a ten-minute review on why they are important to the wizarding world.
Harry was treating her like a social secretary. She kept up with his appointments, relationships with various Houses, vassals, and was creating a private dossier on several specific people he thought might be important to the future of House Potter.
But Hermione wanted so much more. She at least wanted to become a close friend. So, she had to find a way to become more valuable and less like a piece of furniture, less expendable; less replaceable.
Looking at the dozens of betrothal scrolls, Hermione had an idea.
Smiling to herself, humming a jaunty tune, she returned to categorizing the offers for her Lord.
Hufflepuff Girls' Dorm
Nymphadora Tonks was a confused young lady. She hadn't given any thought to Harry as a romantic interest, more of a little brother. That changed when the contracts began to appear. She began to think of Harry as the Lord he would become, instead of the boy he still is. The first scroll he received in the great hall, (the scroll he incinerated wandlessly!), was obviously from an Ancient or older House, and likely Noble. That buried any hopeful dreams she had for a future with Harry. She was neither Ancient or Noble, what with her mother being cast out from the House of Black. At best, she could offer the potential to bring metamorphmagi back into the Black bloodline. That would never get her a betrothal contract; concubine maybe… if she were really lucky.
'Lucky?' Tonks thought to herself, 'Since when did I start considering being a concubine to an Ancient and Noble House 'lucky'?'
Shaking her head to dislodge that train of thought, 'But at the appointed time, he received dozens of offers. The scroll endcaps indicated offers from across the spectrum of political Houses. So, maybe, there might still be a place for me?'
"Quit being a silly girl!" Tonks said aloud. "He will do what is best for his House. He will choose a family with political strength, solid bloodlines, and wealth. He will do what is right for his House and I am not it."
"Oh really?" a voice questioned from behind.
Nymphadora spun around to face the questioner, Susan Bones. "What are you doing here? I was having a private moment of reflection," Tonks huffed. She looked at Ms. Bones as though seeing her for the first time. She looked at her not as a fellow 'Puff, but as a potential competitor for Harry's heart. Susan was obviously cute and had the lines to grow into a beautiful woman. Her light and bouncy personality was infectious. And... she was Harry's age. In that moment, Nymphadora found she did not like Ms. Bones as much as she did before. It was an ugly thought, unworthy of herself and an unfair evaluation of Susan. Tonks felt just a bit of shame for her jealousy of the younger girl.
Susan smiled cheekily, "In that case, may I suggest your room instead of the corridor to the girl's rooms?"
Tonk's looked about quickly. Sure enough, she was in the corridor to the girl's rooms. Apparently, she had walked and talked for some time, since the last she recalled she was outside starting this mental conversation. Looking again, she noticed several doors cracked open. Eavesdropping is an art form for young women, not that Tonk's had made it difficult. The entire house would hear about her rantings by morning. Her face started to go Weasley red.
Susan reached out and touched Tonk's arm, "Don't fret. Every girl in the castle has been thinking the same thing. 'Am I good enough?' 'What could I offer?' 'Does he even know my name?' 'If not me, then who?' The rumor mill has ground little else since that first offer. The girls won't think less of you for voicing the same questions and doubts they have."
Throwing the little green monster from her heart, 'Dora pulled Susan to her and gave her a big hug. One of the perks of being a 'Puff, hugs came as naturally as smiling.
"Thanks, Susan. I would have worried about that all night."
Slytherin Common Room
Heiress Greengrass sat comfortably, listening to the hum of conversations in the common room. Most of those conversations revolved about wishing to be selected by the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter.
Daphne smiled contentedly. She had read her father's offer and knew she would be in the top tier of offers to be considered by Potter.
"What do you think?" a female voice asked.
Without identifying the voice, Daphne replied, "I am sure you would make a lovely Lady Potter."
'Not that you have a chance in Hades of becoming her,' Daphne chuckled to herself.
Unknown Location
Professor Sprout awoke suddenly, discovering she was not in her bed. She was in A bed, but not HER bed. Looking about, it was obvious she was in a comfortably sized dungeon cell. A small pool to one side proving the damp was real and not just a chill in the air. The lighting was pleasant, with a hint of orange. Lilacs would grow nicely here, with the right soil of course and assuming this was the normal lighting.
Pomona sniffed her wrist and smiled. Lilac remained her favorite scent, as it had been since she was a girl.
Looking at her body, she could see she was clothed for the greenhouse. A glance about showed no plants. Nothing of any sort. Just stone, the puddle, a chamber pot, and dozens of eggs.
'Eggs?' she thought.
Rising from her bed she approached the eggs slowly. Upon closer inspection, each egg bore a rune, nearly invisible if you didn't know where to look. It was her method of identifying what each shell held. She normally kept several on her at any given time. Most were for self-defense, but the potential uses were limited only by one's imagination. Finding an egg with the wit-sharpening rune, she threw her head back, raised her hands and expertly cracked it over her mouth to allow the contents to fall in.
…
…
"What the bloody hell!" Sprout yelled. The egg did not contain the potion the rune described. Instead, it contained a raw egg! Out of habit, she swallowed the slimy mass, shuddering as it went down.
"If this is someone's idea of a joke, I assure you I am not amused!"
Or at least those were the things she attempted to say.
Very surprisingly, not a whisper left her mouth.
Clutching her hand over her mouth, she sat back on her bed to think on the problem and determine who she was going to kill when she determined the guilty party.
Potions Classroom
"You all have two weeks detention, starting tonight. Remain in the great hall after you finish your evening meal," Snape snapped.
As ways to begin a potions lesson, this was not to be recommended. The only thing that would make it worse would be-
"Professor Snape, Lord Potter has Quidditch practice on Wednesday evening," someone said.
Harry froze. Who said that? He couldn't turn to look without drawing even more attention, so he sat without moving, hoping against all precedent Professor Snape would ignore him in favor of haranguing whoever spoke.
Harry hoped… in vain.
"Mr. Potter, will you have difficulty attending your detentions?" Snape queried.
"Lord Potter, Professor. And no, I will explain it to the team. I am sure they will understand," Harry said with as little emotion as he could manage, desperately trying not to antagonize the most hate professor in the school.
"I am not so sure as you seem to be, LORD Potter. In fact, to assure we do not have scheduling issues where part of the team is in detention and part is on the field practicing…"
'Oh … this is going to be something awful…' Harry thought resignedly.
"All my classes will have detention for the next two weeks, every night in the great hall from eight until ten. I will be certain to tell the other classes who to thank for their unexpected good fortune." Snape smiled evilly.
"Oh, this is going to suck," thought Harry.
Greenhouse One
"Professor Snape assigned the whole school detention?" Professor Sprout remarked with an air of disbelief.
"The whole school? Not just a single class or year group?" She questioned again.
"Yes Professor," Susan Bones spoke up, "We didn't even do anything! We were in our seats, ready for class and he just swooped in as normal. He slammed the door, acted like he was mad about something… I think… sometimes it is hard to tell with him."
Pomona waved her hand in the universal 'yes, I understand, get on with the story' movement.
"Then he stalked to the front of the room, turned around with that billowy cloak thing, and gave us all detention for two weeks!"
Pomona looked about, noting all the nodding heads, even the Slytherins were agreeing with Susan's statement.
"Well, that explains how you got detentions. I will be discussing this with Professor Snape later this afternoon. Until I tell you differently, plan to attend detention. Wait a tick, that explains how YOU got detentions… How did the entire school get detentions?"
"That is my fault, Professor," Ernie McMillian responded with a small sniffle. "I didn't want Lord Potter to miss his Quidditch practices. Even though he is second string, he is still the youngest player in a long time and I didn't want him to look bad to the rest of the team because of Snape's detentions."
"Professor Snape," Sprout corrected without heat. "Yes, I will be speaking with him this afternoon. Go to the library, all of you. Use this time as a study period. I have things to prepare for the evening. Class dismissed.
Headmaster's Office
Dumbledore sighed heavily. He really despised a heavy-handed approach. But you can only say, 'Bad doggie' so many times before you get out the rolled newspaper.
Looking at his desk and what lay upon it he said sadly, "I did warn you. Perhaps next time you will listen when I speak."
Waving his hands, he floated the two dolls to the glass table with the layered notice-me-not charms.
One doll looked remarkably like Snape, except blindfolded, and appeared to be holding Snape's actual wand.
The other doll bore a fair resemblance to Professor Sprout, with a gag tied across her mouth and holding a full-size chicken egg.
Sighing again, Dumbledore said, "I did warn you."
Turning back to his desk, Albus began to work his way through the ever-present stacks of papers.
You Know Where
Impressive as ever, the dark structure rose from the bedrock of the island. Gloomy, forbidding, massive, depressing, terror-inspiring; all these merely hint at the miasma which seeps from the edifice to engulf those who would dare come near.
Lucius Malfoy approached the gates of Azkaban briskly, escorted by two Aurors and followed by a ministry sycophant carrying his … stuff.
Tapping a scroll recently signed by Fudge, Lucius smiled broadly.
"I cannot wait to see the results of this move."
AN: ThomasNealy was nice enough to point out I screwed up. I used "Pomphrey" instead of "Sprout" for the second doll. As this is a rather LARGE screwup and not just a typo, I changed it immediately. My sincere thanks to ThomasNealy.