Harry Potter
and the
Silver Bullet Faction.
In the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Silver Bullet Faction...
...Harry took another look into the pensieve, glimpsing a horrifying memory of Dumbledore's past. He now knows that Garef and Voldemort are both out to take over Hogwarts. And to the only bearers of this knowledge, Dumbledore, the ministry and the faction, and even Harry, it seems that one thing is surely imminent: a showdown with Garef!
Chapter 5
Abduction
It was several weeks into the school year. Harry had readily put the memory in the back of his mind, drowning it out with butterbeer imported into Hogwarts and Quidditch. Nowadays, the Quidditch practices were more monitored, which wasn't such a bad thing, considering how many times the Slytherins had attempted to spy on them, usually ending up with madam hooch and one of the professors chasing them off of the field.
Quidditch practice tonight was no different.
Harry mounted his broom and shot off after Ron, who hadn't exactly gotten the hang of his new broom. They tied a race to the end of the field, and came back to find the Slytherin's staring at Fred, George, and Ron's brooms with awe and a hint of revolt. A lot of them were still impressed and jealous of Harry's Firebolt, too. Draco was no exception.
"So I heard you gained a lot of money over the summer, Weasley!" Malfoy called up. "Did you steal it from Potter's vault? Is that why he couldn't afford one?" The Slytherin's all laughed.
"Oh, shut your big mouth." Ron dismounted in midair, and fell almost ten yards, landing on his feet, and then catching the Firebolt. Everyone stared, impressed, as he got right up in Draco's face. "Harry wouldn't waste the money because he knows he wouldn't need even a comet two-sixty to beat you."
"Ooh, Draco, he thinks he's an American boy, starting trouble without thinking. What are you gonna do?" One of the boys said behind him.
"Oh, shut up, Weasley. At least my mom doesn't have a lot of it, like yours."
"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" The Gryffindor's gathered around as Draco and Ron faced each other. Harry, Fred, and George all tried the midair-dismounting trick Ron did, and each landed almost perfectly.
"At least my momma isn't so easy she's got..."
"Oh, that's it!" Draco knew what Ron was about to say. "He dropped his drawl and bellowed. "I'm gonna kick your butt, you filthy mudblood!" He whipped out his wand. Ron didn't have his. "Frozonus!" A white beam shot out of the end of his wand. Ron Stared on in shock.
"Deflectus!" Harry jumped in the line of fire with his wand ready. A large field covered them, and Draco's curse reflected upon him immediately. He lie on the ground, knees-shaking and teeth chattering.
"Hey, chill out, man." Fred snickered.
"Funny." Crabbe turned his wand on them. By his fifth year, he was actually figuring out how to do some magic instead of using his fists. Goyle didn't mind, though.
"Uhh... Petrificus Tot...!" Crabbe shouted. But before he was able to finish his spell, Ron was out of the way, and harry had already Shouted his.
"Locomoter Mortis!"
Crabbe fell over sideways, his legs locked together.
Goyle ran forward and took a swing, but at the same time, Fred had thrown one of many of their new gags, a "skunk grenade", which surrounded Goyle in a thick, green, stinking mist. By the time it all cleared, Madam Hooch had appeared to break up the fracas.
"Not funny! Slytherins, carry mister Malfoy to the Hospital wing! Gryffindors, break it up! Back to practice! And twenty points from each!"
None of the Gryffindors cared. All of the casualties were Slytherin, except for Harry being a little stiff.
"That was great!" Ron was still laughing twenty minutes after practice in the common room. "Are you all right? I'm sorry I got out of the way."
"I don't expect you to take a curse for me, Ron. But your brothers did good back there. Fast on their brooms."
"Yeah, Crabbe, actually trying magic. It probably wouldn't have worked that well, anyway."
"Yeah. So have your parents mailed you anything recently, telling you if that vampire thing stopped?"
"For them, I guess. Dad's friends that work at the Silver Bullet Faction come by every day to check up, he says. I wonder about Bill and Charlie. And wasn't Sirius coming up here?"
"I think I'll ask Dumbledore about it, later. But what about your brothers..."
* * *
"Er-Mister... William Weasley?"
"Huh?" Bill turned around. He thought he was alone in the Gringotts bank down in Africa, just about to lock up. Apparently, though, he wasn't alone.
"Who's there?" He turned and asked the darkness.
A pale man, about a head taller than him, stepped out of the shadows.
"I've come to make a proposition." He had unusually long teeth that gleamed in the darkness. Bill recognized him for what he was at once.
"And what might that be?" He said out of curiosity.
"Come here." The man beckoned him.
"I'm not going near you. I know what you are and what you want." Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out a small penknife.
"Ooooh, watcha gonna do? Paper cut me?" The man played it cool as Bill walked over to him. This was not a smart move.
Like lightning, Bill whipped the knife across the man's forehead, making a cross. He backed away as he caught on fire, burning from the hair, then down. Soon he was a dissolving pile of ashes.
"Oh, the boss is gonna have a fit I just made a mess of the newly waxed floor." Bill watched as only a black streak was left. Then he strolled out of the door and on his way home.
* * *
"So are you in?" The icy voice asked him. "Mister Weasley, I haven't got all day. Either you're in or your life."
"My family and friends are worth a lot more to me than your stipulated immortality." Charlie laughed.
"We can... drop the 'stipulations', if you will."
"Not interested." Charlie said with his back turned.
"Well, that's just too bad." The man leapt forward. Charlie realized that he was being attacked, but didn't move a hair. Just then, a large fireball collided with the vampire, who fell to the ground, screeching.
"'Atsa good boy." Charlie looked up at Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback. It was times like these he felt lucky he decided to go off studying Dragons.
* * *
"Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry approached him as he was leaving his office.
"Hello, Harry. Something you wanted to ask me?" Dumbledore stared down at him through his half-moon spectacles.
"I was, er- wondering, where is my Sirius? Has he written to you?"
"Ah, yes. But we can't talk about him here. He's in a secret room in the castle right now. He arrived a few days back, but hasn't had the time or opportunity to talk to you."
"Oh."
"Each day, Harry, we send out several letters to various divisions of the ministry, and the faction. Right now, they're under a lot of pressure. The faction is becoming mildly susceptible to the possibility that Sirius was innocent, but he doesn't write to the ministry. However, if you would like to see him, you may come with me."
"All right." Harry followed Dumbledore to the hall containing the picture of the fruit bowl that led to the kitchen. Past that, all the way at the end of the hall, Dumbledore came to halt at a picture of... a door?
"Alohomora." He said, and the keyhole grew larger and larger, until they it yielded a large tunnel, and, at the end, was a dimly lit room. Harry walked in and saw Sirius sitting in a chair, reading a book by the firelight.
He looked up. "Oh, headmaster, hello!" Harry noticed he was looking a lot more healthy than he did the last time they met.
"Harry! How are you doing? How are your classes coming along? Snape isn't being a prick, is he?"
"Sirius..." Dumbledore gave him a piercing look.
"Sorry." Sirius said. "Seriously, Harry, how are you doing?"
"Just, er- fine. Classes are the same as usual. But this year... is just not shaping up to par."
"Why, Harry, what's wrong with the school?" Dumbledore asked.
"Normally, by now, I'd expect some action or something. But... nothings happened."
"Harry, Vampires, like dementors, are no laughing matter, to go beyond death. You don't need any "action" this year."
"That's too bad."
"No it's not. Harry," Sirius chimed in. "You have a really bad habit for getting knee-deep in trouble. I ask you, this year, just stay put. You're lucky you're alive after all of the years at Hogwarts, you know."
"Well, yes."
"Oh, and I have some news from the faction for your friend Ron. His family is all right, and they're checking up on them every day." Sirius handed Harry a note.
"Well, it was good to see you again. I was worried, you know."
"Don't be, Harry. Just do me the favor of staying on the grounds this year, all right?"
"Okay." Harry promised. "Well, I've got to get to class. Good bye." Harry walked out of the portal, and back down the hall.
"This is shaping up to be one heck of a year." He said to himself. "But at least everyone is all right. But I've got to get to class." He said to himself.
"Oh no!" He realized. "I have potions next!" He broke into a run. Either he would have to take a detention, or risk telling Snape about Sirius.
He ran into the potions class in the dungeon.
"Ah, Mister Potter!" Snape said silkily. "We're late, as usual, I see. Tut, tut."
"But... but I was just..."
"SILENCE!" He spat. "Take your seat, Potter! I will tell Dumbledore of this, rest assured!"
"I already know about it, Professor Snape." Dumbledore appeared in the doorway. "Harry was with me. It was not his fault he was late. He will does not need to be punished."
"Yes, Headmaster. My apologies."
Dumbledore raised his hand. "It is perfectly understandable." But he gave Snape a look that clearly told him not to do it again.
The potions lesson was kind of interesting. Snape was busy with a pile of papers at his desk, so the students were told to each review a different potion and make it.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned out a very good invisibility potion, while Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle messed up what was supposed to be a swelling potion. Of course, as always, Snape had only good comments for the Slytherins, and thankfully, nothing (at least) for the Gryffindors.
After potions, they had one more class, and then they went to the common room. Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Alicia, Katie, and Angelina all left to go to Quidditch practice. This year, Angelina had been left as Captain of the Quidditch team.
"All right, team! We've got to get in shape for the match against the Slytherins next week!" She mounted her broom, but stared in kidding jealously at the Weasley's broomsticks.
"All right!" She jetted up into the air, while Katie Bell released the bludgers, the quaffle, and the snitch, which disappeared immediately.
Harry frowned and concentrated. He looked all around him, and then he spotted it. In a flash, he took off on the Firebolt, and had it in his hand. Everyone, including the Weasleys, were amazed.
"Harry!" Ron came up beside him. "Do you realize how long it took you to catch that? She only let it out of the box about four seconds before you caught it!"
"That's really funny, because it seemed like forever. Things were all slow. It... it was almost too easy to get it."
"Wow..."
"Yeah." He suddenly realized the Snitch was struggling around in his hands, and he let it go.
"You're... it's almost as if you're getting better by the minute. I didn't even have the time to stop a shot from Alicia Spinnet."
"Hmm. Maybe I did get a little better. But I haven't practiced all summer."
"Well, just don't lay off the caffeine, Harry. Definitely."
"Sure. Now, where is it?" He looked around, and saw the snitch again. He pulled up the end of the Firebolt, shot toward it, and barely a second later, he saw the shiny golden snitch, trying to dodge. But he moved his hand a little to the right, and caught it with ease.
"Whoa! I think about five there, but it was on the other side of the field." Ron rode up beside him again.
"It was almost... easy. I could see it as it moved when I got real close to it."
"Incredible! Angelina's already told me how impressed she is with you."
"Yeah. At this point, we'll kick the snot out of the Slytherins in no time."
"Let's go get Malfoy to follow us out here to show off in front of him."
"No, I think we should leave that for the game. Surprise them, you know."
"Harry..." Ron said in an almost mischievous voice.
"What?"
"I told Malfoy earlier that you wouldn't need a comet to beat him."
"And?"
"Well, I wouldn't be so arrogant going up against any other house, but just for this one time, why don't you borrow one of the schools comets and play? It's a lot slower, but if you really try, you might get the snitch in less than twenty seconds."
The idea never occurred to Harry. But he thought about it. If he beat Malfoy on an inferior broom, just this once, he could prove once and for all that he was better, undisputedly. In fact...
"Ron, not only am I going to use a comet, I'm lending my Firebolt to Malfoy."
Ron stared at him, dumbstruck.
"I'll have Hermione put an Unbreakable Charm on the Firebolt, and give it to Dumbledore himself. The teachers can inspect it, just to know we haven't jinxed it, and give it to him for that one match."
"Harry..." Ron was shocked. "That's so arrogant it's not funny. I hope you know what you're doing..."
"I do. Don't worry." Harry replied. "But this way, everyone will see it. It's indisputable. We will be the best. And we will show Malfoy."
"Harry?"
"Yeah, Ron?"
"You never cease to amaze me."
* * *
After practice, Harry went straight to Dumbledore, meeting him in the hallway, and requested to let him inspect the broom.
"I will put the Unbreakable Charm on it for you, Harry. I understand that. But... why do you want to let Malfoy borrow it... to use it against you in your first match?" Dumbledore asked.
That, Harry couldn't explain to Dumbledore without sounding like a jerk. For the first time as long as they had known each other, Harry finally told Dumbledore.
"I'm sorry, sir. I mean no disrespect, however, I have my own reasons. I cannot, well, I cannot state them, at least not right now. I promise you, I haven't hexed it. In fact, I would like you to check it yourself. But I don't want Malfoy breaking it on purpose."
"I see. But then why would trust him with it?"
"That's what I can't tell."
"I see. Well, I'm sure you have a good reason, Harry. And I would never doubt your word. Very well. I will do as you ask. Mister Malfoy will receive the broom at the beginning of the match, it having been inspected, and it will be returned to you at the end."
"Thank you, sir." Harry left the hallway, and met up with Ron.
"Will he let you do it, or did he say no?" Ron asked.
"Do I have my broom with me? For a maximum of thirty seconds tomorrow, Ron, Malfoy will have my broom. Thirty seconds, and no longer."
* * *
Harry sat up that night, the last one in the common room, watching the fire die down. But suddenly, he heard a noise. It was low at first, but grew steadily in volume.
A voice.
Harry realized that it was coming down from the staircase leading to the girls rooms. Then there was a long, loud shriek.
Harry knew it was against the rules, but deep down inside, he knew that something was wrong.
Dead wrong.
He reached the fifth year girl's room, and threw open the door. He saw the girls huddled in the corner, and a tall, pale boy.
And Hermione. KISSING. Why, he didn't understand.
Harry knew him for what he was, after all of his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.
He lunged to attack the boy, since he didn't have his wand. But the vampire turned and knocked him back against the wall, and leapt out the window with Hermione.
"HERMIONE!" Harry shouted into the night, but it was too late.
They were both gone.
and the
Silver Bullet Faction.
In the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Silver Bullet Faction...
...Harry took another look into the pensieve, glimpsing a horrifying memory of Dumbledore's past. He now knows that Garef and Voldemort are both out to take over Hogwarts. And to the only bearers of this knowledge, Dumbledore, the ministry and the faction, and even Harry, it seems that one thing is surely imminent: a showdown with Garef!
Chapter 5
Abduction
It was several weeks into the school year. Harry had readily put the memory in the back of his mind, drowning it out with butterbeer imported into Hogwarts and Quidditch. Nowadays, the Quidditch practices were more monitored, which wasn't such a bad thing, considering how many times the Slytherins had attempted to spy on them, usually ending up with madam hooch and one of the professors chasing them off of the field.
Quidditch practice tonight was no different.
Harry mounted his broom and shot off after Ron, who hadn't exactly gotten the hang of his new broom. They tied a race to the end of the field, and came back to find the Slytherin's staring at Fred, George, and Ron's brooms with awe and a hint of revolt. A lot of them were still impressed and jealous of Harry's Firebolt, too. Draco was no exception.
"So I heard you gained a lot of money over the summer, Weasley!" Malfoy called up. "Did you steal it from Potter's vault? Is that why he couldn't afford one?" The Slytherin's all laughed.
"Oh, shut your big mouth." Ron dismounted in midair, and fell almost ten yards, landing on his feet, and then catching the Firebolt. Everyone stared, impressed, as he got right up in Draco's face. "Harry wouldn't waste the money because he knows he wouldn't need even a comet two-sixty to beat you."
"Ooh, Draco, he thinks he's an American boy, starting trouble without thinking. What are you gonna do?" One of the boys said behind him.
"Oh, shut up, Weasley. At least my mom doesn't have a lot of it, like yours."
"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" The Gryffindor's gathered around as Draco and Ron faced each other. Harry, Fred, and George all tried the midair-dismounting trick Ron did, and each landed almost perfectly.
"At least my momma isn't so easy she's got..."
"Oh, that's it!" Draco knew what Ron was about to say. "He dropped his drawl and bellowed. "I'm gonna kick your butt, you filthy mudblood!" He whipped out his wand. Ron didn't have his. "Frozonus!" A white beam shot out of the end of his wand. Ron Stared on in shock.
"Deflectus!" Harry jumped in the line of fire with his wand ready. A large field covered them, and Draco's curse reflected upon him immediately. He lie on the ground, knees-shaking and teeth chattering.
"Hey, chill out, man." Fred snickered.
"Funny." Crabbe turned his wand on them. By his fifth year, he was actually figuring out how to do some magic instead of using his fists. Goyle didn't mind, though.
"Uhh... Petrificus Tot...!" Crabbe shouted. But before he was able to finish his spell, Ron was out of the way, and harry had already Shouted his.
"Locomoter Mortis!"
Crabbe fell over sideways, his legs locked together.
Goyle ran forward and took a swing, but at the same time, Fred had thrown one of many of their new gags, a "skunk grenade", which surrounded Goyle in a thick, green, stinking mist. By the time it all cleared, Madam Hooch had appeared to break up the fracas.
"Not funny! Slytherins, carry mister Malfoy to the Hospital wing! Gryffindors, break it up! Back to practice! And twenty points from each!"
None of the Gryffindors cared. All of the casualties were Slytherin, except for Harry being a little stiff.
"That was great!" Ron was still laughing twenty minutes after practice in the common room. "Are you all right? I'm sorry I got out of the way."
"I don't expect you to take a curse for me, Ron. But your brothers did good back there. Fast on their brooms."
"Yeah, Crabbe, actually trying magic. It probably wouldn't have worked that well, anyway."
"Yeah. So have your parents mailed you anything recently, telling you if that vampire thing stopped?"
"For them, I guess. Dad's friends that work at the Silver Bullet Faction come by every day to check up, he says. I wonder about Bill and Charlie. And wasn't Sirius coming up here?"
"I think I'll ask Dumbledore about it, later. But what about your brothers..."
* * *
"Er-Mister... William Weasley?"
"Huh?" Bill turned around. He thought he was alone in the Gringotts bank down in Africa, just about to lock up. Apparently, though, he wasn't alone.
"Who's there?" He turned and asked the darkness.
A pale man, about a head taller than him, stepped out of the shadows.
"I've come to make a proposition." He had unusually long teeth that gleamed in the darkness. Bill recognized him for what he was at once.
"And what might that be?" He said out of curiosity.
"Come here." The man beckoned him.
"I'm not going near you. I know what you are and what you want." Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out a small penknife.
"Ooooh, watcha gonna do? Paper cut me?" The man played it cool as Bill walked over to him. This was not a smart move.
Like lightning, Bill whipped the knife across the man's forehead, making a cross. He backed away as he caught on fire, burning from the hair, then down. Soon he was a dissolving pile of ashes.
"Oh, the boss is gonna have a fit I just made a mess of the newly waxed floor." Bill watched as only a black streak was left. Then he strolled out of the door and on his way home.
* * *
"So are you in?" The icy voice asked him. "Mister Weasley, I haven't got all day. Either you're in or your life."
"My family and friends are worth a lot more to me than your stipulated immortality." Charlie laughed.
"We can... drop the 'stipulations', if you will."
"Not interested." Charlie said with his back turned.
"Well, that's just too bad." The man leapt forward. Charlie realized that he was being attacked, but didn't move a hair. Just then, a large fireball collided with the vampire, who fell to the ground, screeching.
"'Atsa good boy." Charlie looked up at Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback. It was times like these he felt lucky he decided to go off studying Dragons.
* * *
"Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry approached him as he was leaving his office.
"Hello, Harry. Something you wanted to ask me?" Dumbledore stared down at him through his half-moon spectacles.
"I was, er- wondering, where is my Sirius? Has he written to you?"
"Ah, yes. But we can't talk about him here. He's in a secret room in the castle right now. He arrived a few days back, but hasn't had the time or opportunity to talk to you."
"Oh."
"Each day, Harry, we send out several letters to various divisions of the ministry, and the faction. Right now, they're under a lot of pressure. The faction is becoming mildly susceptible to the possibility that Sirius was innocent, but he doesn't write to the ministry. However, if you would like to see him, you may come with me."
"All right." Harry followed Dumbledore to the hall containing the picture of the fruit bowl that led to the kitchen. Past that, all the way at the end of the hall, Dumbledore came to halt at a picture of... a door?
"Alohomora." He said, and the keyhole grew larger and larger, until they it yielded a large tunnel, and, at the end, was a dimly lit room. Harry walked in and saw Sirius sitting in a chair, reading a book by the firelight.
He looked up. "Oh, headmaster, hello!" Harry noticed he was looking a lot more healthy than he did the last time they met.
"Harry! How are you doing? How are your classes coming along? Snape isn't being a prick, is he?"
"Sirius..." Dumbledore gave him a piercing look.
"Sorry." Sirius said. "Seriously, Harry, how are you doing?"
"Just, er- fine. Classes are the same as usual. But this year... is just not shaping up to par."
"Why, Harry, what's wrong with the school?" Dumbledore asked.
"Normally, by now, I'd expect some action or something. But... nothings happened."
"Harry, Vampires, like dementors, are no laughing matter, to go beyond death. You don't need any "action" this year."
"That's too bad."
"No it's not. Harry," Sirius chimed in. "You have a really bad habit for getting knee-deep in trouble. I ask you, this year, just stay put. You're lucky you're alive after all of the years at Hogwarts, you know."
"Well, yes."
"Oh, and I have some news from the faction for your friend Ron. His family is all right, and they're checking up on them every day." Sirius handed Harry a note.
"Well, it was good to see you again. I was worried, you know."
"Don't be, Harry. Just do me the favor of staying on the grounds this year, all right?"
"Okay." Harry promised. "Well, I've got to get to class. Good bye." Harry walked out of the portal, and back down the hall.
"This is shaping up to be one heck of a year." He said to himself. "But at least everyone is all right. But I've got to get to class." He said to himself.
"Oh no!" He realized. "I have potions next!" He broke into a run. Either he would have to take a detention, or risk telling Snape about Sirius.
He ran into the potions class in the dungeon.
"Ah, Mister Potter!" Snape said silkily. "We're late, as usual, I see. Tut, tut."
"But... but I was just..."
"SILENCE!" He spat. "Take your seat, Potter! I will tell Dumbledore of this, rest assured!"
"I already know about it, Professor Snape." Dumbledore appeared in the doorway. "Harry was with me. It was not his fault he was late. He will does not need to be punished."
"Yes, Headmaster. My apologies."
Dumbledore raised his hand. "It is perfectly understandable." But he gave Snape a look that clearly told him not to do it again.
The potions lesson was kind of interesting. Snape was busy with a pile of papers at his desk, so the students were told to each review a different potion and make it.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned out a very good invisibility potion, while Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle messed up what was supposed to be a swelling potion. Of course, as always, Snape had only good comments for the Slytherins, and thankfully, nothing (at least) for the Gryffindors.
After potions, they had one more class, and then they went to the common room. Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Alicia, Katie, and Angelina all left to go to Quidditch practice. This year, Angelina had been left as Captain of the Quidditch team.
"All right, team! We've got to get in shape for the match against the Slytherins next week!" She mounted her broom, but stared in kidding jealously at the Weasley's broomsticks.
"All right!" She jetted up into the air, while Katie Bell released the bludgers, the quaffle, and the snitch, which disappeared immediately.
Harry frowned and concentrated. He looked all around him, and then he spotted it. In a flash, he took off on the Firebolt, and had it in his hand. Everyone, including the Weasleys, were amazed.
"Harry!" Ron came up beside him. "Do you realize how long it took you to catch that? She only let it out of the box about four seconds before you caught it!"
"That's really funny, because it seemed like forever. Things were all slow. It... it was almost too easy to get it."
"Wow..."
"Yeah." He suddenly realized the Snitch was struggling around in his hands, and he let it go.
"You're... it's almost as if you're getting better by the minute. I didn't even have the time to stop a shot from Alicia Spinnet."
"Hmm. Maybe I did get a little better. But I haven't practiced all summer."
"Well, just don't lay off the caffeine, Harry. Definitely."
"Sure. Now, where is it?" He looked around, and saw the snitch again. He pulled up the end of the Firebolt, shot toward it, and barely a second later, he saw the shiny golden snitch, trying to dodge. But he moved his hand a little to the right, and caught it with ease.
"Whoa! I think about five there, but it was on the other side of the field." Ron rode up beside him again.
"It was almost... easy. I could see it as it moved when I got real close to it."
"Incredible! Angelina's already told me how impressed she is with you."
"Yeah. At this point, we'll kick the snot out of the Slytherins in no time."
"Let's go get Malfoy to follow us out here to show off in front of him."
"No, I think we should leave that for the game. Surprise them, you know."
"Harry..." Ron said in an almost mischievous voice.
"What?"
"I told Malfoy earlier that you wouldn't need a comet to beat him."
"And?"
"Well, I wouldn't be so arrogant going up against any other house, but just for this one time, why don't you borrow one of the schools comets and play? It's a lot slower, but if you really try, you might get the snitch in less than twenty seconds."
The idea never occurred to Harry. But he thought about it. If he beat Malfoy on an inferior broom, just this once, he could prove once and for all that he was better, undisputedly. In fact...
"Ron, not only am I going to use a comet, I'm lending my Firebolt to Malfoy."
Ron stared at him, dumbstruck.
"I'll have Hermione put an Unbreakable Charm on the Firebolt, and give it to Dumbledore himself. The teachers can inspect it, just to know we haven't jinxed it, and give it to him for that one match."
"Harry..." Ron was shocked. "That's so arrogant it's not funny. I hope you know what you're doing..."
"I do. Don't worry." Harry replied. "But this way, everyone will see it. It's indisputable. We will be the best. And we will show Malfoy."
"Harry?"
"Yeah, Ron?"
"You never cease to amaze me."
* * *
After practice, Harry went straight to Dumbledore, meeting him in the hallway, and requested to let him inspect the broom.
"I will put the Unbreakable Charm on it for you, Harry. I understand that. But... why do you want to let Malfoy borrow it... to use it against you in your first match?" Dumbledore asked.
That, Harry couldn't explain to Dumbledore without sounding like a jerk. For the first time as long as they had known each other, Harry finally told Dumbledore.
"I'm sorry, sir. I mean no disrespect, however, I have my own reasons. I cannot, well, I cannot state them, at least not right now. I promise you, I haven't hexed it. In fact, I would like you to check it yourself. But I don't want Malfoy breaking it on purpose."
"I see. But then why would trust him with it?"
"That's what I can't tell."
"I see. Well, I'm sure you have a good reason, Harry. And I would never doubt your word. Very well. I will do as you ask. Mister Malfoy will receive the broom at the beginning of the match, it having been inspected, and it will be returned to you at the end."
"Thank you, sir." Harry left the hallway, and met up with Ron.
"Will he let you do it, or did he say no?" Ron asked.
"Do I have my broom with me? For a maximum of thirty seconds tomorrow, Ron, Malfoy will have my broom. Thirty seconds, and no longer."
* * *
Harry sat up that night, the last one in the common room, watching the fire die down. But suddenly, he heard a noise. It was low at first, but grew steadily in volume.
A voice.
Harry realized that it was coming down from the staircase leading to the girls rooms. Then there was a long, loud shriek.
Harry knew it was against the rules, but deep down inside, he knew that something was wrong.
Dead wrong.
He reached the fifth year girl's room, and threw open the door. He saw the girls huddled in the corner, and a tall, pale boy.
And Hermione. KISSING. Why, he didn't understand.
Harry knew him for what he was, after all of his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.
He lunged to attack the boy, since he didn't have his wand. But the vampire turned and knocked him back against the wall, and leapt out the window with Hermione.
"HERMIONE!" Harry shouted into the night, but it was too late.
They were both gone.