Harry Potter and the Divided Four
By Tvillinger
Chapter Five -- Beginnings of an Alliance
Instantly, Harry felt a jerk, somewhere beneath his navel. His feet had left the ground. He could not unclench the hand holding the Triwizard cup; it was pulling him onward in a howl of wind…
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
"So, you're going to be a Prefect and a Head Boy?" Harry asked. "How exactly is that going to go?"
"I don't think anything's going to be like how it usually is," Ron replied slowly, making his way to Gryffindor. The noisy second years followed behind him. "I mean, four head students isn't normal at all."
"It's never happened before," Hermione muttered. She was looking at Ron with a new look in her eyes. "Do you have any idea why you got chosen?" Ron shook his head.
"Well, it can't be because of your marks," Hermione was talking to herself. "Or if it is, that's not the only reason. And it's not logical that they'd chose you because of all the… things that have happened through the years. If that was the reason, Harry would be Head Boy, no offense."
"None taken."
Hermione settled with shrugging. "We'll find out later, I guess. Right now," and her eyes shimmered, "we're Prefects so we better act like it."
"Maybe McGonagall didn't know you'd be a Head Boy until we got to school. She'll probably make you give your Prefect Badge back," Harry said.
Ron clutched the Prefect Badge defensively in his hands. "She'll have to personally chop my hands off and pry my fingers open to get it back," he vowed viciously. "I'm not going to give up this chance to gloat at Percy…"
"Don't look at me like that," Harry tried to smile. "I'm not going to go insane whenever I hear Percy's name."
"You're taking this really calmly," Hermione observed lightly, eyes flickering over Harry's face nervously.
Harry shrugged, keeping his eyes straight ahead so that his friends wouldn't see how dark they were. "I was just thinking everything over and I realize that Percy probably didn't know what he was doing, so I can't hate him. And from what I've heard about the dementors disappearing, I know that Sirius can't have his soul sucked out. There's nothing I can do right now, nothing that Professor Lupin hasn't already tried. So I'll just let this mess work itself out."
Hermione was nodding proudly and Ron looked relieved. Neither of them noticed how silent Harry fell after that, nor did they have any idea of what Harry was planning. They'd be insane if they actually believed that Harry planned to let the matter be.
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"When you 'ave finished with ze test, you will 'ave enough time to start on ze 'omework ezzay for tonight." Professor Delacour, Harry still had trouble thinking of her in terms of a professor, was walking around the classroom, handing out a sheet of parchment to each student with a set of directions on it. "Ze 'omework iz to list what you want to learn in ze next two weeks. I am going to pick ideas from your suggestions so pick wisely."
Harry looked over his assignment, mentally checking off what he could do with ease and what he'd have to spend more time on. The first few questions asked Harry to list off the different traits of fairies and how they were related to their cousins, pixies and fae. Harry smiled, remembering when Fleur had brought in all three types of magical creatures and the small riot that had followed that, when the pixies decided the class wasn't lively enough without rainbows everywhere. The fairies had joined in, randomly picking out a student to change his or her hair, eye, and skin color. And above the chaotic scenes, the fae, glowing orbs of light, floated and periodically flew down to help save a student from the other two species.
His eyes drifted through the test, seeing nothing he'd have too big a problem against. The toughest questions had Harry writing a short paragraph on the dangers of an unregistered Animagus, explaining the steps to creating and improving protections charms, and listing several facts about the dark creatures the class had covered (vampires, werewolves, dementors, and ghouls).
Vampires: Suck blood, turn into bats, their blood can heal any infection or disease, can't survive sunlight, strong at night, allergic to garlic
Werewolves: only dangerous to humans once a month, weak after transformations, bite can be cured if treated within 48 hours, highly allergic to silver, mind taken over by instinct during full moon, can fight wolf instinct by using Wolfsbane
Dementors: 'Kiss' sucks soul out of you, take away good memories and makes you relive bad ones, driven away by the patronus charm, takes away a wizard's power if nearby too long, slightly allergic to sunlight
Ghouls: slimy, noisy, likes to throw things around, twisted ghosts, like to stay in closed, dirty/dusty areas, harmless if you can dodge the stuff they throw, can't be banished without advanced magic.
Finished! The thought rang triumphantly through Harry's head and he glanced up to see more than half of the class time left over. His test floated up into the air, buzzing over everyone's head to land neatly on the teacher's desk. Around him, Hermione and Ron were bent over their papers, Ron muttering "Stupid charms…don't need to improve them. Supposed to be good enough the first time."
Within the next few minutes, Harry's homework was also lying on his table, completed as well. Sending his friends another glance, Harry pulled out a plain sheet of parchment from his robes, taking a quill out and writing: Are you there?
Seconds later, cursive and neat handwriting bloomed onto the parchment. Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"
Harry smirked. I am. We have a test in DADA but I'm finished.
Well… You're not supposed to be writing to me too much. You might get caught.
Don't act like you don't want me to write. I bet you were waiting for me or else you wouldn't have answered so quickly.
That's not the point! Harry could almost see his former professor's grin. I still can't believe you managed to talk me into this.
How's Sirius?
He's doing well. Or at least as well as can be expected. You should be proud of that Weasley family; Arthur and Percy are giving the Ministry hell about the incomplete facts and corrupted data in Sirius' file. Arthur won't let anyone forget the fact that Sirius never got a trial. Between the two of them, a lot of people are coming around.
Is there anything I can do?
No, Harry. We've already been over this. If you're not careful, anything can happen to you. There was a pause and Remus' hand spilled out his last words: Don't try anything stupid and be on your guard. I've got to go.
With a sigh, Harry watched the black ink stain the parchment for a few minutes before it slowly faded, being absorbed into the stiff paper. After awhile, the parchment was clean again, looking innocently clear and not like a magical communication device Harry had invented.
Hermione was giving him a strange look but Harry pretended not to notice, focusing instead on the wand in his hands. He twirled it, sending small sparks under the table. Ron looked up, raising his eyebrows. Soon, the two were trying to outdo each other without drawing anyone's attention.
Harry frowned as small red and gold flowers appeared from Ron's wand, the flowers floating together, colliding into a small pile of petals. With another wave, Ron transfigured the pile into a small, hand-sized lion. It crawled under the tables, stalking Harry's shoe until it pounced, pin-sized nails raking Harry's feet. It let out a soft "roar!" then burst into mini-fireworks, light dulled so Fleur didn't see.
Ron smirked, shrugging a shoulder and daring Harry to outdo that. Taking a deep breath and a quick glance around the oblivious class, Harry conjured up a rose with white petals, its stem and thorns black. He blew the rose up until it was as long as his leg from the knee down and transfigured it into a turtle that snapped playfully at Ron's leg, making the red-head jump. The turtle dropped to its shelled belly, pulling its head and legs into the shell, and shrinked down to the size of a pin. The black-and-white pin floated a second in the air before dropping to the floor with an innocent "ping!"
Ron stared at it before leaning over to pick it up, turning the pin over and over in his hands, trying to figure out its secret. Harry swallowed his laugh when the pin's delayed bomb blew up in Ron's hand, leaving black-and-white paint all over Ron's robes and hands. Ron glared a moment, muttering a cleaning charm, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Very ghood tranzviguration," a soft voice said and the three frooze. Fleur stood there, arms crossed, and the rest of the class stared on. More than a few were snickering at the expression on Harry and Ron's faces. "'Owever, it iz not a ghood idea to pratize thiz in my class. Five points from Gryffindor." Ron's face was on fire but Harry found that the half-Veela's charms no longer affected him.
"Sorry, professor," Harry apologized, seeing that Ron was in no condition to do so.
Fleur nodded but paused. "Tell me, what iz it zat you used to do zat?"
"The transfigurations?" She nodded again. "Nothing. We just conjured up some flowers and changed them. Ron turned his into a small lion then into fireworks. I turned mine into a turtle than a pin bomb full of paint."
"Zat iz very advanzed magic," Fleur said, sounding impressed. "You two must be very ghood in you clazez." She went on to answer a question Neville had before going back to the front of the room, reminding the last few strangling through the test (Neville) that there was less than five minutes left in class. "If you are finished, you may go. But-" she added hastily, yelling over the sudden noise as chairs scrapped against the floor and students began excited conversations, "you 'ave to be quiet! And don't fo'get your 'omework."
"What were you two thinking? Honestly, some days I'd swear you get in trouble purposely," Hermione huffed indignantly. "And where did you get so good at transfiguration? I don't know how you did it, seeing as all you two do is play around-"
"Hermione, will you please calm down? If you don't give me a headache, you'll give yourself one." Hermione glared at Ron but shut up. Ron smiled and put an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close as the three walked down the hall to the Great Hall. He didn't seem to notice her blush. "There, now. Better? So, I'd say it's about lunch time-"
Harry let out a small gasp and turned on his heels. "Oh no, I forgot my books in the class!"
"We're not that far," Hermione replied with a dry voice, shifting her shoulders. "You can catch up with us in the Great Hall. We'll save you a seat."
"We always do," Ron added.
Harry smiled (neither of his friends noticed how forced the smile was) and thanked them before taking off.
After rounding a few corners, Harry slowed to a stop and glanced over his shoulder to make sure his friends didn't try to follow him with some last minute comment. Seeing no one, Harry let out a relieved breath and took off again, this time going much slower. He passed the DADA classroom, smiling a greeting to Fleur who had started grading the test. He didn't stop until he reached the library.
"If Hermione only knew," he muttered to himself, walking through the doors.
Madam Price looked up and smiled thinly at Harry. "Good day, Mr. Potter. You seem to be spending much more time in here than you usually do. Do you need help finding something?"
Getting on the lady's good side had taken Harry over a week of constant flattery but he'd made it. Smiling, Harry shook his head indulgently. "No, I'm only here for the chance to talk with one of the more intellectual ladies of the castle." Madam Price blushed, brining a hand up to cover her giggle. "How are you doing, Madam?"
"Very good, Harry. Nice of you to ask."
He smiled slyly. "Did you ever find those first years who charmed the pages to stick together?"
She shook her head. "No, but with those extra charms you suggested, they'll be caught any day now."
Harry didn't think they would, because he had been the one behind the charmed pages. He'd needed a reason to get on Madam Price's good side and teaming up with her against "irresponsible mischief makers" presented the opportunity to do just that. "Well, I don't doubt it. So, if you need me to do anything…"
"Dear boy!" Madam Price exclaimed. "You've done more for me than any other student has. Just by asking me how my day was and coming to visit--if there's anything I could do for you, please ask!"
Harry laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're exaggerating but thanks. That really made my day. Anyway, I'll be off, expanding my knowledge on some subject or other." He shared a warm smile and wandered off, looking like he really was just picking a book out at random to study from. Madam Price gave him a favored smile before frowning darkly at a pair of second years arguing loudly. She stormed off, leaving the forbidden section of the library free for Harry's browsing.
Pulling the invisibility cloak from his school bag, Harry slipped in, glancing around to make sure no teachers were in there. The other day, he had the unfortunate experience of having to sit perfectly still for a near hour as Snape went through book after book, a dark scowl on his face. Just as Harry was sure he couldn't hold back his sneeze any longer, the potions teacher slammed his last book down and stalked off in a rage at his inability to find whatever he was looking for. Afterwards, Harry had glanced through the books Snape left scattered across the floor but couldn't make heads or tails of the books' subjects. All dealt with ancient and forgotten curses, most from the ages where magic was practiced freely and muggles weren't as ignorant as they were now.
Once specific curse caught Harry's attention but the page's title had been torn off so he didn't know exactly what curse it was. All he knew was that it took so much energy the last and only time it had ever been performed that over half of the phoenix population had died, passing their energy onto the wizard casting the spell. The birds' population never regained its previous number and experts speculated that it was because the dead phoenixes were not really dead, as that type of bird cannot truly die, but were postponing their rebirth, still paying the energy price of the spell.
The wizard who cast the spell was not mentioned by name per se, but by his accomplishments. He defeated the most notorious of dark wizards there ever was or ever would be, a dark wizard so powerful that his influence spread through the centuries, slid into the hearts of his descendants and that almost all dark magic was traced to him. Just as almost every dark wizard claimed to have his blessing, his blood flowing through their bones. And for the life of him, Harry couldn't figure out who this all-powerful dark wizard was and he had a feeling that he didn't want to.
Harry dropped the invisibility cloak to the floor, in reach if he needed to hide quickly but not in the way of his search.
He was in here for a project, one to help not only free Sirius but to prove his innocence. There was already a sizable part of the library that Harry had searched through but the books had magicked themselves back onto the shelves, in order and everything. Several titles leaped out at him:
"Memory Charms: Remember and Forget."
"Truth Charms, Spells, Potions, and More!"
"Pensieves Unleashed"
"OBLIVERATE! The Reverseless Memory Deleter."
"Dark Arts Encylopedia XXXVII: Memories and the Exploitation Thereof."
Harry finally settled for reading the book "Explosions of the Mind--Show your friends what you 'really' saw." It was a book that taught how to project one's memories into an illusion that everyone could see. The problems with the spell was that it required a lot of energy, the person who's memories were being shown could corrupt the illusion, showing what they wanted everyone to see, and of course that the magic was dark magic.
A conversation just beyond the restricted section's door caught Harry's attention as well as the approaching footsteps accompanying it. Quickly grabbing the invisibility cloak and pushing his body into a corner, Harry went stone-still, waiting for whoever was beyond the door to enter.
"… not only is he insulting my intelligence with these childish acts, he's acting like we don't notice what he's doing. They should have kicked him off the ghost committee a long time ago."
"Hmm." The door opened and Madam Price swished her wand hurriedly, cleaning up the mess of books Harry had accidentally left behind him. His saving grace was that she was in such a hurry, Madam Price didn't notice that someone had been rummaging through the forbidden section. The woman behind her, a tall and stiff elder with graying hair and a rough look to her, had her chin in her hand, absently listening to the Madam's gossip.
"There we are, Miss Morgana," the madam announced, smiling brightly as her wand whisked away the reluctant cobwebs clinging to the older books. "The headmaster said that you'd find your way by yourself soon enough, but if you need anything I'll be at my desk.
Morgana's wrinkled features rolled up in a smile and she nodded her thanks. "I believe there are students out there, wrecking havoc even as we speak, who need your strict discipline to shoe them the true library ways."
Whatever she meant, Madam Price left promptly and her voice could be heard calling out, yelling at students to be quiet.
Morgana "hmm"ed again, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, then attacked the bookshelves with an appetite. While one hand was filled with an open book that her eyes skimmed, the other was waving about, calling more and more books to her. There was soon a pile as large as Harry's at the old woman's feet and it was growing larger by the moment.
"No… no… no… no." Her muttering filled the air, angry and disheartening. As she slammed the book she read shut, throwing it into the air where it zoomed back to the shelf, she picked out another book, repeating the exercise over and over again. "Curses… no. Hexes… no. Salazar… no."
Harry suddenly got the creepy feeling that not only was this Morgana character looking up the same curse as Snape, but that the curse had something to do with that reoccurring nightmare of his.
The phoenix swayed from side to side, as if it were being drained.
"You must say the words and focus. Don't worry about the future; just say the words"
"You think he can curse me?"
"And it'll all be over."
He held his hand out to stop his fall as a sudden wave of dizziness came over him. A few books fell from the shelves but Morgana didn't notice. The woman just continued her murmurs, her search for a curse that Harry realized he knew about.
"No! Darn it!" Morgana threw the book down with such force that it slammed against the ground before floating with a defeated air to its place on the shelves. All movement ceased in the face of the woman's rage, books hanging uncertainly in the air, waiting for her magic to command them. She waved her wand and the books flew back to the shelves, leaving her alone in the room, an anguished look on her face. Morgana plucked one book from the air, desperation written in her motions, and she half-heartedly skimmed through the written words, growing feebler with time. "The spell you want no longer exists, Dumbledore," Morgana suddenly said to the empty (save Harry) room.
Without warning, Dumbledore appeared in the room, looking semi-disgruntled. "You've finished your search, then?" he asked Morgana, the discomfort in his features fading.
Morgana nodded and tossed the book to the headmaster who quickly read the open pages. "Oh dear, is that so?"
"'Is that so?'" Morgana sneered, doing a wonderful impression of Snape. "Yes, it is. I've just wasted-"
"Dumbledore interrupted, "Not wasted."
Morgana's sneer grew. "Wasted," she repeated decidedly, " my time looking for a spell that, even if it worked, requires too much energy. You know what happened when Godric tried it: nearly every damn phoenix on the planet died and he died with them."
"Language," the headmaster rebuked. "We have children in the vicinity."
"They're out there and can't hear me," Morgana reminded, gesturing angrily with her hand to the door. "And no child would be in the forbidden section."
"You know as well as I do how the word 'forbidden' attracts teenage children, especially those with a knack at attracting trouble. Harry, you can remove your cloak now." Dumbledore smiled as Harry sheepishly took off the invisibility cloak, ignoring Morgana's gaping. "I won't ask what you're doing in the restricted zone of the library, as Remus warned me you would be trying your best to help your godfather."
"Godfather?" Morgana asked, eyes widening. "Sirius Black?"
"I believe that is what you are doing here, are you not?" Harry nodded, eyes downcast. "Now, don't act like I'll hit you, Harry. However, I am extremely disappointed that you felt it necessary to break a rule when all you had to do was ask for permission-"
"You'd let me come in here?" Harry asked, voice high.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "It's either give you permission or watch you sneak back in here. That was a close call with Professor Snape, was it not?" Harry blushed. "Now then, we'll just explain to Madam Price that you're studying for the upcoming test in… how are your potions marks?"
"Not good, sir."
"Alright, you're studying for your upcoming potions test and while that does not require entry to the forbidden section, the extra credit assignment that you'll be completing for potions does. And Harry," Dumbledore added, "I do expect you to do your work."
"Of course, headmaster!" Harry replied cheerfully.
Dumbledore nodded. "It's lunch time, is it not? Very near class time, if I might add. You're friends are undoubtedly worried about you and what your absence might mean. I suggest that you hurry to the Gryffindor tower where Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are currently examining everyone for knowledge on your whereabouts. On the way, you might consider inventing a reason for you disappearance."
Nodding, Harry started to the door. "Right, sir. And thank you, sir." But he stopped at the door.
Dumbledore looked up, a perplexed expression on his face. "Did you want to tell me something, Harry?"
"I know what curse you're looking for," the nervous boy suddenly blurted out. Seeing the bewildered expressions on the adults, he drudged on. "I've been having this dream with the founders and a battle where Godric Gryffindor curses Salazar Slytherin. I always wake up before I hear what curse he uses but it's always the same. And then a few days ago, I looked through the books Professor Snape was looking at and found a curse that sounded exactly like the one in my dream except the title was missing so I don't know what it's called and-"
"Harry, slow down," Dumbledore commanded. Seeing Harry pause to take a breath, Dumbledore said, "Now, tell me about this dream."
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"As you can see, if you don't try to rush them or try to touch them, at this point they couldn't give a care for what you are," Charlie was explaining loudly over some loud, lazy roars. When he saw Harry rushing to join the class, he smiled. "Ah, Harry. Dumbledore told me you'd be late. Not to worry, mate; you've dealt with dragons before."
Harry didn't even have time to gape in wonder like he wanted to. Before him were a dozen or so pearly white dragons, stretched indolently head to tail across the front lawn of Hogwarts, the lawn having been made into a gigantic dragons' pit. In between the large creatures, the Gryffindor/Slytherin class was nearly frozen with fear and a mix of childish delight. Each of the dragon's were tied to a post though the metal was lax, and the dragons' mouths seemed to be sealed shut to prevent any… incidents from occurring.
"Wow, Charlie-I mean, Professor Weasley," Harry murmured respectfully.
Charlie smiled, leaning back on his heels. "Yea, they're beauties, aren't they, Harry? Can't imagine why every witch and wizard wouldn't want one." The loving expression on his face reminded Harry so abruptly of Hagrid that Harry snorted, bringing Charlie out of his daydream. "Well, go on, Harry. They won't bite. Just remember last week's lesson: slowly and silently. And no threatening movements."
Harry gulped but went forward, going as slow as he could without not moving at all. He passed through the magical fence, triggered only to stop the dragons from leaving.
"You'll never reach 'em like that, Harry," Charlie called out, making Harry wince as three dragons lifted their heads to see what the noise was about. The class took the opportunity to scamper out of the danger zone, leaving Harry alone to entertain the dragons.
Each dragon was several dozen feet in length, their necks alone Harry's height. Their scales were so pale that they were almost translucent; tiny blue blood veins could even be made out. On each dragon's snout was a great horn, curved and elegant with another two on the dragon's forehead. Spear-like bones stuck out from the wingtips, used for fighting or so Charlie explained. The tails were twice as long as their necks, swishing back and forth like curious cats.
Gulping again--and wishing he could swallow his fear as easily--Harry cautiously made his way to the nearest dragon, a pretty female with glittering eyes changing colors with the wind. He went slowly, keeping his eyes locked on hers while thinking pleasant thoughts if only to avoid thinking about what would happen if the spell suddenly wore off and the dragon's mouth opened to snap him down. He was bite-sized compared to her regular meals but if she was hungry, or annoyed, or-
'Stop that!' he commanded his brain silently. It sulked but the dark, nasty thoughts of "what if?" vanished, leaving Harry with his Gryffindor courage, if nothing else.
"Now, class, let's all watch Harry. See if he listened to my lectures last week." Charlie's voice sounded far off even though Harry knew that the professor was only a few yards away, ready to leap into action if help was needed.
"Yes, let's all watch Potter get eaten by a dragon," Malfoy commented snidely, drawing snickers from his Slytherin friends. Harry blanked that voice out, blanked out everything but the huge white dragon before him.
Charlie's words, the ones Harry could remember, swirled around in his mind, repeating themselves like a manta: Keep eye contact, don't show fear, don't be threatening, move slowly-
His thought pattern was disrupted when the female snorted, sending out sparks of vivid red flames.
"Woah, hey girl!" Charlie yelled, waving his hands to attract the dragon's attention but the female stood to her feet, ignoring the Dragon Keeper, and took the small step between her and Harry. Her head swirled down, snout sniffing Harry and prodding him lightly with a horn. The other dragons noted her interest and stood as well, starting to make their way over to Harry was well.
"Hey! Hey!" Sparks went into the air and one or two dragon heads turned to Charlie before looking back to Harry, more interested with the boy than with their familiar trainer.
"Harry? Harry, don't panic," Charlie was yelling, rushing over to the fifth year. "They're just trying to smell you. It's alright, don't move too fast and-"
"Hey, I'm alright!" Harry called out, surprised. Charlie froze. "Don't worry, professor, I'm not going to-" The rest of his words were drowned out by the creaking groan as the further dragons strained against their chains, trying to get closer to Harry.
"Prefects, get the class inside," Charlie barked out, getting ready to stun the dragons. If he attacked them (that's what they'd think he was doing) he'd lose their trust for months. It had taken forever for that one batch of dragons to let him come close to them after the Triwizard Tournament. Thinking desperately of another way to draw them off of Harry, Charlie's mind drew up a blank and he could only watch as more snouts sniffed and startled the young boy.
As for Harry, he'd gotten used to staring into the glittering, multi-colored eyes but was slightly unnerved when he noticed that none of the dragons had pupils. The feeling of being tossed like a salad whenever a new dragon tried to smell him was upsetting but tolerable and Harry stood rigid-still, waiting for the dragons to back off themselves.
The female took one last, long sniff, and withdrew her head. She snorted another light flame, burning a warning and the others drew back as well. She stared at Harry who found it increasingly difficult not to blink.
Then blink.
Surprised at the thought that suddenly forced itself into his brain, Harry blinked. And cringed, waiting for the dragon to attack. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes to look into the female's eyes, eyes that had settled into a glittering black color.
I don't go by 'female.'
Harry could've sworn he saw amusement reflected in those deep blacks. "Are you talking to me?" He didn't see the frozen expression of shock on the Dragon Keeper's face behind him. She nodded her snaky head, bending her neck low enough to stare Harry eye-to-eye. "Then, what's your name."
I don't have a human name. But I do not go by female.
"What do you want to be called, then?" Her head swung from side to side. "Don't know? Any ideas? Well, what do the other dragons call you?"
Romania, where I am from.
"Can I call you that?" She nodded. "Can I talk to the other dragons?"
If you wish. And if they feel like talking to a mortal. But I have talked to you, so they will talk to you.
"Harry," Charlie's dry call drew Harry's attention back to the frantically waving teacher and he looked apologetically to Romania who didn't notice. She'd gone back to sunbathing. Scrambling out of the dragons' pit, Harry was smiling widely, cares in the wind. "That was amazing!"
Charlie started to say something but choked and in the end just motioned for Harry to catch up with his friends. As the boy ran on, the Dragon Keeper turned to look at his beautiful dragons, trying to make sense of the matter. A dragon talking to a fifteen-year old boy? He could only shake his head in wonder and make a mental note to tell Dumbledore, a thought presently forgotten as Charlie's mind was swapped for that of a two-year old, watching the dragons rouse themselves up to play a game. And while he knew that he could never join them, a part of him wished he was a dragon, just for the fun of it.
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"Where were you? We save you a seat and you don't show up. When we went and asked Professor Delacour, she had no idea and said she'd only just saw you on your way passed her hallway, to the Gryffindor tower. So we ask everyone if they saw you and get no answers and then we had to go to class and you're late and Dumbledore obviously knew about it so he must have been talking to you and- Harry! Have you been having those dreams again?"
This was all a rush of almost unintelligible words coming from Hermione so fast that Harry couldn't answer; he could only give her a long look before bursting out with laughter. She looked hurt for a moment but then sighed and resigned herself to her lot in life.
Ron asked pretty much the same thing in fewer words: "What she's trying to say is 'Where were you and why?' but she takes awhile."
"I got to the classroom when I realized that I had left my books in the tower but on my way there, I met up with Professor Dumbledore. I've been having some dreams--only one, actually; it keeps replaying itself in my mind--and no, not that kind of dream, Hermione. It didn't have anything to do with Voldemort." Here, Ron flinches. "So I mentioned it to Dumbledore and he asked me to tell it to him. It took me a long time to do so, but he told Charlie I'd be late so I'm not in trouble."
"That's it?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"That's it." He raised his hands in mock surrender at her cutting look. Ron drew her off and the three started down the hall. "Divination next. I heard she was planning to bring some guest in for fourth years and up."
"Lucky us," Ron muttered darkly. "They'll probably be some miserable erkling whose socks tell the weather."
"Erkling? Oh, be serious, Ron. Erklings like to eat children so not only does the Ministry monitor their population size, it makes sure they don't go near anyone under twenty and that includes us." Hermione stopped with a smile. "Well, I have arithmancy, so have fun in divination."
"She's just saying that to get at us," Ron confided as they marched up the steps to the top of the North Tower. "You should have heard her: 'Why don't you drop that class, Ron? Arithmancy is much better.' I bet she's lonely in that class with only other bookworms to talk with."
Their talking stopped when they reached the classroom. The windows had been open, clearing up the foggy and hot air. For once, the divination classroom was clearheaded and the reason why stood before them. On four legs.
"Harry, Ron, take your seats," Professor Trelawney's misty voice floated to them and they could see her sitting at her desk, an exceptionally brilliant smile on her face. The two boys sat down, speechless at the sight before them as was the rest of the class.
"Good afternoon, children," Trelawney started, standing up to face her class. "As I told you, I have invited a guest to enter the class and help teach you the deeper meanings of divination. May I introduce Firenze, centaur of the Forbidden Forest?"
"Young Harry Potter and I have already met," Firenze said, nodding his head in Harry's direction. His two front hooves pawed at the ground uneasily.
Trelawney smiled at Harry and announced, "The rest of the class period, Firenze has agreed to speak of divination, a subject centaurs are extremely familiar with. I will be at my desk if there are any arising problems."
"Wow. A centaur," Ron shook his head, stuck in his chair.
"Hello, Firenze," Harry greeted politely.
The centaur nodded again, bending his neck in a short bow. "Harry Potter. The forest has changed since your last visit. The stars foretell your return but do not give a time."
"I haven't been to the forest since my third year," Harry agreed, "but I've never really gone into it since my first year. Tell me, what does the brightness of Mars mean anything?"
Firenze's expression grew cold. "Mars symbolizes war and everything that is blood. It has steadily grown brighter since your introduction to the wizarding world, young Potter. Soon, it will be as bright as that of times gone past, when all the world was chaos."
Harry paled but couldn't ask anymore questions as the rest of the class got over their shyness and stumbled up to the cool centaur, asking questions and getting vague answers. It seemed that Firenze had only come because the headmaster requested the presence of several magical creatures; the centaurs were closest so they arrived first, sending Firenze as their representative since he'd been so friendly to humans before.
When class finally let out, Harry gave Firenze a formal farewell, thanking him again for his help in Harry's first year, and hurried to catch up with Ron. The walk to the Gryffindor Tower was quiet, both lost in their own thoughts.
"I wonder what other creatures are coming to Hogwarts," Ron finally broke the silence with his question. Harry shrugged. They reached the Fat Lady, giving the password ("Godric") and entered the common room of chaos.
Someone had left a plateful of Canary Creams on a table, an irresistible sight for some hungry first years who learned the hard way not to trust food on a first-sight basis only. Besides the plate was a bag of Ton Tongue Toffees and some of the Gryffindor's wands had been replaced with fake wands. So there were now half a dozen canaries flying about the place, another half dozen first years with their tongues multi-colored and falling out of their mouths because they were so heavy. Other years were fuming as their wands, when they tried to turn the first years back, promptly turned into rubber chickens or long metal sticks.
George and Fred were no where in sight but the prank had their signature all over it.
To make matters worse, above all the carnage a sign floated, brightly lit and eye-catching: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes--For Sale Now. An order form was there as well, taunting the entire Gryffindor house.
"If it's any pleasure to you," Lee's voice informed the room, "the rest of your houses are all feeling the same." He grinned. "The twins have found a way into every single common room. I imagine that tomorrow will be a fine day."
He couldn't say no more as everyone joined in to mug him.
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Deep in the woods, seven creatures made their way towards the castle of Hogwarts riding on the backs of beasts. As the day broke, the seven crossed the front lawns, coming across the dragon pit and the female Romania pulled her head up, pupil-less eyes watching them pass. The other dragons bit at her chains, freeing her of the bonds, and rushed the magic gates, blowing the powerful locks down with an easy breath.
Romania stepped from the pit and followed the group, joining as an eighth member. When she got to the door, her body melted down to an albino female with completely red eyes that changed shades.
Breakfast had just started, really, when the small group walked in, frightening the wits out of everyone.
The first was an elf, tall and slender with a bow tossed around his back. His silver eyes went straight to Dumbledore, not caring about the rest of the room. The next was a vampire, obviously enough, with skin pale enough to be mistaken for dead. He seemed to float rather than walk, black eyes glowing intensely.
Besides the two was a dwarf and normal female-normal but for the fact that she looked weary and shaken with flecks of silver in her hair. The dwarf fingered his axe apprehensively as he stated about the room, looking like a miniature Hagrid with a thick black beard hiding his face. A veela was casting happy glances across the room, her charms toned down but affecting much of the male population.
A giant, standing over nine feet tall, loomed over everyone, looking partly disinterested in the proceedings but eyeing the food hungrily. He carried a huge hammer that was as tall as half the people in the Great Hall. And at his side was a small but powerful looking female, wearing tight leather armor and showing off toned muscles. A javelin was clutched in one hand and she fingered it nervously. Romania glanced at Harry but then kept her eyes locked on the headmaster.
If the eight of them weren't enough, the beasts they rode created as great a stir. The elf rode a pegasus, the winged horse neighing softly. The vampire rode a giant spider, the sight of which caused Ron to faint dead away. The dwarf had brought with him a griffin (and looked disgruntled at having rode it) and the woman held the halter to her hippogriff. The giant was riding none other than Fluffy, Hagrid's three-headed hellhound and the veela stepped off her unicorn. Romania rode nothing but then again, she was a dragon even if no one there knew it.
Firenze's hooves clattered into the hall behind the eight, joining them as well. Fawkes appeared from nowhere, landing beside Dumbledore.
Outside, someone pointed out with a scream as more creatures appeared. A Sphinx padded into the room, head held up royally. Several small and thin girls followed her, giggling all the way. One saw Romania and let out a screech and the whole lot of them became wood trees. Hedwig flew in, landing on Harry's arm and ignoring her owner's shocked stillness. The owl had been missing since the beginning of summer when Harry sent her away. Harry absently stroked her soft feathers, too busy watching the room with the rest of the student body to wonder at where she'd been.
A gigantic leopard, so black it sucked the light around it, stalked into the room after the bird, coming up to sit beside the sphinx. Fleur's fae, fairies, and pixies came as well, amazingly keeping order.
A short, shaggy creature walking on two cloven-hoofed feet came in next, glaring distrustfully at any student as it made its way over to the pegasus and unicorn.
"The merpeople and the kelpie wait outside, as they cannot leave the water," the elf finally spoke, his voice soft and musical. He bent his head in respect to Dumbledore. "But we are all here that will come here."
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Dumbledore started. "If you please give me a moment to excuse my students."
But the elf shook his head. "Will you not let them stay? The more of your people who hear of this, the better."
Dumbledore nodded and addressed the room. "I am sure many of you are wondering about what you are seeing, wondering exactly why you are seeing this. Due to many unfortunate incidents occurring, last summer's death not the least of them, I have asked many species of magical beings to come together and help in the fight against Voldemort."
The name drew a gasp from the students. Harry sat up straighter, eyes glued to the headmaster. Hedwig, unsettled with the movement, bit at his ear and flew off to perch beside Fawkes. The phoenix didn't look too impressed with her, ruffling his fiery feathers.
"And these gracious beings have agreed to come here and listen, at the very least, to the latest events." Dumbledore glanced so quickly at Harry that he almost didn't see it. "However, I am not the one to tell this story."
Harry paled and looked down. There was no way, no way the headmaster could ask him to retell last year's accident in front of so many uncaring people. But Dumbledore was now looking straight at him and there was no escape.
"If any student does not wish to remain, you may leave now." Dumbledore's tone of finality struck most students to the bone and nobody moved. "Very well. Harry, if you'd please come up here?"
Harry shuddered and gripped his chair tightly, bones locked. Hermione leaned over and whispered, "It's okay, Harry. Nothing can happen to you." Ron was still out of it, awakened from his faint but staring with frightened eyes at the acromantula beside the vampire. Harry got to his feet, making his way to the front table with weak legs.
"Professor, please don't make me do this," he whispered, pure fear in his eyes.
Dumbledore saddened but shook his head. "You must, Harry. If you cannot conquer you fear, then who will lead the battle against Voldemort?"
You, Harry wanted to say but he kept his mouth shut. It took a near minute for Harry to work up the nerve to open his mouth and even then his body was shaking so hard everyone could see it. Malfoy opened his mouth to say something but the griffin took a threatening stance and the boy shut his mouth.
Quietly, so quiet that his words almost went unheard, Harry spoke of last summer starting with the beginning of the year at the Quidditch World Cup. He told them of the Dark Mark in the sky, of the muggle torture and the Death Eaters reappearance. Most students knew of that so weren't surprised. The magical beings looked emotionless thought the fae were spreading out, repeating Harry's words in many different languages so all could understand. There were even some who went out to the lake to tell the story to the merpeople and their kelpie.
The year went on, Harry telling everything that happened, from Bagman's strange helpfulness to Dobby stealing gillyweed so Harry could win the first task. Then he got to the third task and again took a moment before he could speak again. Students leaned forward, eager to know exactly what happened and how Cedric was killed.
He told them of the anti-gravity mist, the sphinx and her puzzle, the fight against the blast-ended skewts; he told them of Fleur's scream and Viktor's actions under the Imperious Curse; he told them of the giant spider and how he and Cedric teamed up to fight it. When he got to them grabbing the cup together, he broke down and wouldn't speak for a moment.
Dumbledore took him aside and whispered some comforting words that felt to Harry like hollow phrases but he gathered enough courage to continue. When they heard of Wormtail, nobody understood the significance but the twins, Ron, and Hermione. And none of them had actually been told anything in-depth about the night's events. They listened just as shocked as the rest of them.
Harry took a deep breath and retold Voldemort's rebirth in a dull and defeated voice, no emotion whatsoever, with his eyes staring at some far off point. He told of the curses, how he fought off the Imperious Curse and dueled the Dark Lord; how their wands reacted. He briefly mentioned his parents but his voice cracked and he pushed on, ignoring any emotion that was fighting to show itself.
Cho was crying when she heard Cedric's last words. She wasn't the only one.
Finally, Harry finished, saying that he had been sent away from the wizarding world for his own protection, repeating that Voldemort had risen again, and then he made his way to his seat where he collapsed and buried his face in his hands.
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The next two days Harry spent avoiding every living person on the school grounds. His invisibility cloak was almost always in hand and the marauder's map was nothing if not a lifesaver. Seeing how upset the students were, Dumbledore had made a quick decision and announced that classes were canceled until further notice. Any student needing help to deal with this new information had only to ask a teacher- preferably not Snape- and they would be there as a sort of temporary guidance counselor.
Cho sniffed, dabbing at the always-present tears on her cheeks and Harry ducked into another hallway, avoiding her like the plague and hiding the bitterness on his face. Just as he expected, she wasn't alone five more seconds before her worried friends and just concerned students crowded about her, bringing about another wave of group sympathy and support for the extremely pretty girl. All the girls came together and just cried.
Harry, meanwhile, hadn't seen one ounce of support or concern from anyone other than Hermione and Ron. For all his effort at avoiding everyone, they were doing twice the work to avoid him. The Gryffindors sometimes asked how he was but other than that kept as far away as possible. Harry hadn't understood it until he heard from a Slytherin's own mouth the new rumor: get near Harry and risk the Dark Lord's wrath. For a long while, Harry had been angry but now he found he couldn't care. Let them fear him; let them turn on him despite what he'd done and what he'd been through. It happened before, in both his second and fourth years, and it'd happen again.
Even Hermione and Ron had taken the hint and left him to himself, now. Harry ran a hand through his hair, thanking them for listening to his pleas of solitude, and cursing them for listening to what he said but not hearing what he left unsaid. There was a saying Harry once hear: people listen to what you say, friends listen to what you mean, and best friends hear what you don't tell. If that was true, then Harry felt more alone than before.
To conquer that loneliness, Harry attacked his memory project with a new intensity. Everything else was secondary to getting Sirius freed. Remus had no idea what had happened at school and Harry had no wish to burden the werewolf who was already doing so much to help him.
"Are you alright, Harry?"
Harry whipped around to see the albino woman who'd come in with the rest of the magical beings. Her fully-red eyes blinked at him and Harry shivered. "Yes, miss…"
"Romania," she supplied, and her eyes flickered to a dark silver color. "Like the country."
Seeing his shocked face, she went on to say, "I was called here to represent all dragonkind. I couldn't very well fit into the school in my true form."
"So you're a dragon?" Harry's eyes were wide. "C-can all dragons do that?"
"Change forms? No," she chuckled lightly, "only the really smart ones. And you have to be given permission. I don't think the Ministry of Magic would approve of giving all dragons this ability. Think about what would happen if one suddenly lost control of the charm and returned to their true forms. Not a very pretty picture."
"No, I guess not." Harry shook his head, trying to accept the fact. "So, can you still fly and breath fire or do you have to go back to being a dragon?"
"I'd have to return to my true form," she admitted and they started walking down the hall. "Only as myself could my body handle the intense heat of flames and this human form doesn't support air travel." Harry nodded, seeing the logic in that. "I have been asked to find you and bring you down here, if you'll come. It's one of these doors-yes, this is it."
"Come where? What's going on?"
Harry couldn't ask anymore as he was nearly shoved into a dark room. The door slammed shut behind him. Whirling, Harry started pounding on the door, trying to get out but it was locked. "Hey? Hey! Let me out!"
He got no answer. Turning slowly, Harry reached for his pocked but found it missing. A cold chill went through his body and a taste of panic was trying to work it way up his throat. He listened but heard only his own harsh breathing.
'Alright, just think about what's happened. Romania, I think, just pushed me into a locked room and took my wand. It's really dark in here. There's probably no other way out. What hall was I walking down? I can't remember. Think, Harry, think. This is no time to panic.'
He reached out a hand and felt around the door. Choosing one side, Harry followed the wall, trying to get a feel for what the room was.
'It's cold. I wish I had a fire. Then I could get warm and see. What was that!?"
He didn't realize that last part had been spoken aloud until his voice returned back to him, echoing and effectively covering up whatever noise he thought he heard. Harry swallowed a whimper. Having just retold last summer's story had done wonders to the destruction of Harry's sense of security. When he'd gotten to the Dursleys, he couldn't sleep for the first week or so, jumping at every sound. Now he'd been reduced back to that state of fear.
'What am I doing? I'm at Hogwarts. Nothing can hurt me here…'
He winced at the thought because another one followed that all too quickly. 'Just like nothing could hurt you during the Tournament; just like Dumbledore can't be fooled by no one; just like-'
"Shut up!"
"Temper, temper, Mr. Potter," a silky voice chided. "Yelling at yourself won't stop the voices. Only the tortured screams of others can drown out your own self conscious."
"W-who's there?" Harry asked, backing into the wall with shaky legs. "I-I'm armed so don't try anything." His voice was shaking as bad as hid hands. "I swear, I-I'm not afraid-"
"Lies can't hide your fear, Mr. Potter," the voice countered. "Ah, such cowardice in a Gryffindor. Make this job as rewarding as my Lord's own gifts."
Harry whimpered and fell to the floor, curling up and trying to hide. The voice whispered "lumos" and he couldn't hide anymore.
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"Ronald? Have you seen Harry?"
"No, Professor McGonagall, not since this morning."
"Well, do try and keep better track of your friend. I've been running around all morning trying to find him. Ask Hermione if she's seen him and everyone else for that matter. If anyone sees him again, tell him the headmaster needs to see him, that it's urgent, and that it'd be best for his own sake to please hurry. He's keeping everyone waiting."
"Professor," a timid looking Ravenclaw said as Ron started off, "I saw him just awhile ago."
McGonagall rolled her eyes and let out a relieved sigh. "Very good. Where is he?"
The Ravenclaw shrugged. "He was talking with that really white lady, the one with red eyes. They started walking down the hall that goes to Professor Croaker's office."
"Ah, that boy gets into more trouble than he's worth. Thank you but you better get to class." The girl nodded and headed away as McGonagall muttered, "Hanging out with the dragon? Well, Charlie did say the dragon started talking to Harry, likely as that is. They've probably already reached the dungeons by now…"
She hurried off towards the dungeons, glaring at the cobwebs that dare entangle themselves in her way. Reaching the large potions class room, she opened the door and walked in, interrupting the meeting going on:
"You say He's returned and I'll admit, there's many signs pointing to that. But there've been such signs for the past decade. We can't jump at every toad that croaks, as the saying goes," said the girl werewolf, stroking a feather her hippogriff had given her. "There have been no callings from Him, at least none extended to us wolves, since last summer when you say He was reborn."
"That may be, but Ah doubt young Potter be lying, miss. Those ain't lies ye be telling folks, 'specially not about the one who killed yer parents. I agree with that old man and say ye've got tha dwarves behind ya." The dwarf concreted this alliance by slapping at his armored chest, leaving a ringing sound in the class.
The elf was about to speak but stopped as McGonagall entered the room. Dumbledore motioned for her to sit but stopped and asked, "You haven't found Harry?"
"No, but a Ravenclaw told me he was just seen walking this was with the dragon."
"That is a lie," the dragon stood up, red eyes turning a shade brighter. "I have been here the entire time."
"The student must have been mistaken," Dumbledore stated quickly. "Alas, but we'll continue this discussion without young Potter's voice. Let's carry on."
"That would be a mistake," the vampire suddenly spoke from his corner. He licked at his fangs, dark hair falling like a shadow over his pale face. "I can sense it… fear, hurt, all the things that attracts the hunter."
"What?" McGonagall bellowed but was drowned out when Dumbledore sprang to his feet with the same question on his face.
The vampire nodded fervently as all eyes turned to watch him. He smiled wickedly, dark eyes gleaming with the ageless hunger. "Yesss. So very tasty, these young emotions. Full, but only echoes of what he'd truly taste like." His smiled widened at their disbelief. "Very rich blood, I'd imagine-"
"Where is he?" Dumbledore asked earnestly.
"Gone," came the answer from a different direction. Firenze shook his head in apology. "Too late are we to save him. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has taken him again, for what purpose only the stars can tell."
The dragon hissed. "Dishonorable. My image is not one to be so corrupted." And there was a promise of vivid red flames behind her eyes.