From me: I own Luca I suppose, but no one else. Thanks to all who reviewed. Please pass the word along about this story. Next chapter may be a while in coming, but never fear, I'll get it done sooner or later.
Chapter Fifteen
"Where is he?" sobbed Hermione, coming up to halt at the picnic setup. Ginny had burst into the Great Hall in tears, stopping her cries only to tell them all that Harry was in trouble, and then rushed outside again, followed by Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, Snape, Hermione and Ron, all running to catch up. "He was here!" Ginny yelled, pointing to where she had been laughing with Harry only minutes ago. "He grabbed hold of his head, told me to get help, and then started whispering charms. It sounded Welsh." Dumbledore took in the whole scene, his eyes finally resting upon the bank of the lake, where he saw faint foot prints in the sand. "Remus, go get Poppy," he ordered, rushing up to the water's edge. "Accio Harry" he said, but immediately knew that something was weighing the boy down.
"I'll get him," said Snape and, before Sirius had a chance to fight him over who got to save his godson, the potion master summoned the nearest broomstick (which happened to be beneath Fred Weasley at the time, causing him to fall ten feet and sprain his ankle) and flew out into the middle of the lake, where the giant squid was circling. Diving in, he pulled out his wand and a gurgled "Lumos" was enough to cast light on the sea of green weed that hovered between him and the lakebed far below. Soon his lungs were crying out for air, and Snape cast a Bubble-head charm, frowning at the memory of Cedric Diggory, who, despite the pretty face, had done reasonably well in his Potions class. Snape increased his speed, doubting whether even Potter could survive this for very long. Snape was in such a rush that he damn near broke the hand off a few grabby Grindylows. "He's over there, but I don't think he'll be joining me yet," a mopey voice sounded, giving Snape a severe shock. He turned to the left and saw a spotty ghost that looked rather familiar to him. Marris, or something like that. She was pointing to Snape's right, and soon Snape found Harry Potter, a large rock pinning his robes to the sandy floor.
"He's been down there too long," whispered Ron, holding on to Hermione's hand, who started squeezing even harder when she saw Madam Pomfrey nod out of the corner of her eye.
"There they are!" exclaimed Sirius, who had been pacing along the edge of the lake. They all watched as Snape draped Harry's lifeless body over the broom, which had been hovering over the lake in his absence. Once he conjured some rope to bind Harry to the broom, he waved to the shore. "Accio Harry" Dumbledore repeated, and Harry and the broom came speeding back to land, leaving Snape to swim back to shore.
Poppy didn't even bother to answer the worried and frantic questions of Harry's friends; she put Harry on the stretcher she had brought, levitated him to the hospital wing, and locked the door behind them. The last thing she needed was to have everyone that cared about the boy watch as she tried in vain to save him. At least he's not in pain, she thought, as she cleared his lungs of the water and tried to resuscitate him. There's no way, he's been under too long, she thought, hardly believing it when the boy began to sputter for air. But then she did believe it when he threw up a pint of sandy water onto her once-clean infirmary floor. "Sorry," he groaned, his throat feeling, not surprisingly, like sand paper.
"Well, I thought you were dead!" she huffed, handing Harry a dry set of robes to change into.
"Yeah, I think I was," he mumbled. In fact, Harry knew he was. Just as his mind had become aware of everyone's conversations during the attack with the Blood Stone, so was Harry aware of the conversations at Voldemort's end.
"That damned boy's died on me!" screamed the waspish voice.
"Congratulations, master," someone groveled. Harry was sure it was Wormtail, but he didn't sound too thrilled.
"Silence! I had plans for Potter! I could have used this stone to make him destroy Dumbledore, once he's perfected his ancestor's art. Now I'll have to keep Severus on at the school." That's all Harry heard before Moaning Myrtle came into the picture, telling him that they could have a fun time if he was a ghost, but that she doubted that would happen. Harry ignored the rest, listening instead to the voices from above, that were getting more and more quiet the longer his body remained dead. He could hear Sirius and Remus admonishing themselves for not keeping a closer eye on him. He could hear Dumbledore comforting a crying Ginny. He could hear Ron exclaiming his disbelief to Hermione that Snape had gone into the lake after Harry. And then he woke up in the infirmary.
"How is he?" asked an anxious Sirius when Poppy came out of the hospital wing. They had all been waiting outside in silence, and Sirius had set himself to hear the worst.
"He's fine. He wants to speak to you alone, Headmaster," answered Madam Pomfrey, nodding Dumbledore into the clinic.
"Thank God!" Sirius exclaimed, giving a bear hug to the nearest person, part in sheer joy, and part in the wish to keep himself from falling over.
"As touching as this is, Black, would you mind letting go?" sneered Snape, though the shock and- was it happiness…probably not- on his face couldn't be hidden. Sirius, not to mention Lupin and everyone else, was just as shocked to see that he was embracing Severus Snape. He quickly let go and had a masculine cough, before returning his gaze to Snape's eyes. "Thank you, Severus. I'm in your debt." Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Lupin nodded in agreement.
"Yes, well, maybe you can make it up to me by thinking of a way I can avoid getting killed by Voldemort next time I see him," he answered, before rushing down the corridor, back to his dungeon to change into something warmer. Before everyone else could voice their amazement, Dumbledore returned into the corridor. Harry had told him everything that he had heard and was now taking a well-deserved rest.
"You all can see Harry at supper time, right now he's resting. Remus, Sirius, will you please come with me? Where's Severus?"
"He ran away after Sirius hugged him," joked Ron, before receiving yet another whack on the back of the head from Hermione.
"Indeed?" asked Dumbledore, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement. He wished he had been there to see it. "Well, children, I suggest you go find Fred and George and bring them up to date. And would someone be kind enough to check on the Dursleys?" With that, Dumbledore, Sirius and Lupin went off towards his office, and Ron, Hermione and Ginny went off to find the twins, only to intercept them at the front door.
"What happened to you?" Hermione asked, pointing at Fred's bandaged ankle.
"My broom took off without me. Unfortunately, I wasn't on the ground at the time. What's going on here?" Rather than stay for the long story, Ginny went off in search of the Dursleys, fighting the urge to skip through the halls after hearing that Harry was ok.
"Hello?" she called into the cavernous common room of the Hufflepuff wing. The overwhelming presence of yellow burned her eyes as she scanned the room for any sign of the Dursleys.
"Oh, it's you, is it?" greeted Petunia Dursley, who had exchanged a few civil words with Ginny that morning, before being attacked by two vicious red-haired boys.
"Where's the boy?" growled Vernon Dursley, visibly unhappy at having to be in close quarters with one of them.
"Harry drowned this afternoon after another attack, but Madam Pomfrey was able to bring him back and now he's resting in the hospital wing, if you'd care to visit him," answered Ginny, though she suspected that last bid for compassion would be too much. Indeed it was.
"Not bloody likely," snorted Mr. Dursley. "It's a shame he didn't stay drowned."
It took all of Ginny's restraint not to physically assault Harry's horrid uncle on the spot, but she set her mind on relaying this conversation to her brothers, who were bound to see that retribution was made in full.
"Yes, well, if he's not well enough by tonight, I'll come for you at dinner time," she whispered, curtailing her fury as she retreated back into the hall and rushed to report the whole business to a livid Ron Weasley, who quickly set to devise a plan with Fred and George that was sure to change the Dursleys' attitude.
* *
"Severus, you are in danger," announced Dumbledore, once he had coaxed the Potions master out of the dungeons and had summoned Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley to return at once. Now Dumbledore's resistance, minus Mr. Weasley and Mad Eye Moody, were all seated around his office, having been briefed on the recent events.
"With all due respect, Headmaster, that comes as no surprise," answered Snape with an indulgent tone.
"Yes, Severus, but what Harry as heard leads me to believe that Voldemort plans, or had planned, to kill you. If you are unwilling to answer his next call, we all would not hold it against you."
It annoyed Snape to know end that Remus Lupin and Sirius Black both nodded in agreement and looked at him with something so close to pity. But then he could not honestly say to himself that he had not considered ignoring his duties as a spy for Dumbledore and instead fleeing from Voldemort's temper. Alas, he could not disappoint the man who had put so much faith in him. "I need not remind you, Professor, that Voldemort still has the Blood Stone and that it is only a matter of time before he masters it. Luca is on his way here, but may not be willing to join our leagues. And even if he were, I'm sure I'm not the only one to think that Potter becoming a vampire is not the ideal end to this situation. If Voldemort has decided to put up with me, I must take the opportunity to at least attempt to find the stone."
"But Severus," broke in Lupin, "Voldemort is only keeping you on because he thinks Harry is dead. He's bound to be corrected soon, and then where will you be?"
"Maybe Voldemort won't use the stone again?" offered McGonagall, who had been trying harder over the months to say You-Know-Who's name rather than fear it.
"Minerva, the Dark Lord is an intelligent man…if you can call him a man. He will not give this course up so easily," answered Sirius.
"Sir, is there a way to make 'im think 'arry's dead, when he's not?" asked Hagrid, who felt a little out of his depth in this situation.
"There are several ways to stop his heart from beating while keeping him alive, but I'm afraid the Stone is drawn to his mind, not his heart," answered Dumbledore.
"We could try a freezing charm on him," suggested Snape, though his audible confidence in this idea was lacking. "That charm in known to virtually incapacitate all bodily functions, apart from a faint heart rate, and there are no reports of brain activity."
"Yes, it's possible that Luca will have another suggestion when I see him this evening, but that is the only thing I can think of as well," agreed Remus.
"What will you tell Voldemort?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her frayed nerves translated into a hoarse whisper.
"Severus, tell him, if you are called before we have a final solution to this conundrum, that you heard of Harry's drowning. Avoid any specifics if you can, but if you are asked whether he was revived or not, say simply that I sent you away to see to the other children and you are unaware of Harry's condition. I also want you to tell him all the charms you used on the security wards for the outer perimeter of Hogwarts grounds. It may be enough to draw away suspicions of your loyalty. Sirius, Remus and Minerva will see to it that security surrounding the castle walls and within the school are impeccable in order to concentrate. Remus, persuade Luca to come back here with you immediately to speak, rather than lingering in Hogsmeade. In the meantime, all of you rest before dinner. I'm going to stay with Harry and see if we can't make some headway in his development. Miss Weasley may have given a hint we need to understand Aglaia's powers."
Madam Pomfrey finally let Harry go just before dinner. "I ought to have your meals brought in here," she huffed, frustrated by all the racket Harry had been causing since he woke up an hour earlier.
"Come on, Madam Pomfrey! I doubt the walk to the Great Hall will kill me," Harry teased. He was desperate to see his friends again, and a stuffy and overanxious mediwitch is not the best company to have. Reluctantly, Madam Pomfrey handed back Harry's glasses, which she had confiscated to keep him in the hospital wing, and showed him to the door. "Now don't let me catch you back in here!" she scolded before he ran off down the hall.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, jumping up from the table to hug her friend, much to his embarrassment. But it was worth it to see the tips of Ron's ears redden. "I'm fine, Hermione. You can let go now," Harry wheezed, finally escaping from the bear hug he had been enveloped in and taking the empty seat between Sirius and Ginny. It was then that Harry noticed the stranger sitting beside Lupin. He was dark, his hair was even blacker than Harry's, and a tan that didn't seem to belong in Britain. But it was his eyes that Harry noticed. He'd seen them before, on a Hungarian Horntail. That was not a comparison full of prospects. Seeing where Harry's attention lied, Remus introduced his companion, as unnecessary as that was. Harry knew from the moment he clapped eyes on him that it was Luca.
"Hello, Harry, it's nice to finally meet you," Luca greeted, his accent thick. Harry nodded his hello and turned his gaze back towards his plate. Dumbledore, noticing this, broke in. "We'll all have enough time to discuss business after our meals. Right now, lets simply enjoy each other's company, shall we?" It all proceeded amiably from there. Sirius and Hermione kept asking whether Harry was feeling well until he finally had to do something to stop there pestering. And then he looked across the table and saw Professor Snape, sullenly moving the food on his plate back and forth, obviously not enjoying Lupin's and Luca's conversation on river trolls, Dumbledore's and Minerva's chat about updating school brooms, Fred's and George's whispers about the Dursleys, or Ron's and Ginny's argument with Mrs. Weasley about Fred and George's whispers about the Dursleys.
"I wanted to thank you, Professor Snape, for saving my life earlier," said Harry, loudly enough to interrupt the constant stream of nagging from Sirius and Hermione but quietly enough so the whole table didn't hear. Snape snapped his head up in attention and stared at Harry's face for a good long while, as if deciding on which nasty comeback to use. Harry was expecting, "Yes, well Potter, don't get used to it," or something along those lines. What he wasn't expecting was the simple "You're welcome," that issued from the Potions master's mouth, before the professor resumed the prodding of his food. The shock at this response was enough to silence Sirius and Hermione, and Harry took this opportunity to glance at the Dursleys, who had been eating in silence at the table furthest from the witches and wizards.
"It should be any moment now," whispered Fred. But hearing one of the Weasley twins whispering alerted all at that end of the table, and soon everyone was staring at the Dursleys, waiting for some type of an explosion.
"What is it?" asked Luca, obviously confused.
"Just wait," whispered Lupin, a real Marauder's grin on his face. And then it happened. As Dudley reached for the plate of chippolatas, the sausages exploded in a rainbow of dazzling fireworks, a myriad colors almost blinding to look at. "That's just for the shock needed," whispered George, hinting that there was more to come. And indeed there was. As the Dursleys rose from the table, backing away from the sparks and looking either too dazzled or petrified to run away, Dudley started hiccuping, and was soon followed by Vernon and Petunia Dursley. "Here it goes," warned Fred. Harry noticed that the goblets of pumpkin juice had vanished, replaced by a jug in the center of the table. Mr. Dursley, not seeing any change, cautiously approached the table, trying to avoid his clothes being set afire by the fireworks display, and poured glasses for the entire family, still hiccuping and awe struck. As soon as the potion hit their lips, Harry burst into stitches. His Aunt Petunia was now a fat, homely nag. Uncle Vernon had turned into a hideous, and rather smelly, mountain troll. And Dudley, true to character, was the fattest hog Hogwarts had ever seen.
"Fred and George Weasley, you put those Muggles back this instant!" scolded Mrs. Weasley, failing to control the level of amusement in her voice as the pig Dudley waddled up onto the table top and started devouring the remnants of the food, while the troll Mr. Dursley plopped down onto the floor and began picking his nose. Mrs. Dursley simply started grazing off of the crumbs beneath the table.
"Unfortunately, the Actualis Potion will wear off within the hour as it is," answered Snape, who was doing just fine hiding his smile, since he'd been practicing this poker face for decades.
"As entertaining as this is, children, I must insist that you all return to the Gryffindor common room while we have a discussion. Hopefully, the Dursleys won't do to much damage," added Dumbledore.
Harry, for once in his life, wished that he could go with Dumbledore and the others rather than take his mind off things with a round of wizard chess with Ron, but that was what he was stuck doing as Lupin and Snape argued over the possibility that Luca would have to bite Harry. While Ron's bishop mercilessly beat one of Harry's pawns over the head, Hermione and Ginny could be heard giggling in the corner.
"What are you two talking about then?" asked Ron, finally stopping the bludgeoning on the board.
"Luca," answered Ginny, with a blush on her face that Harry thought was reserved for him alone. But what do I care about who she blushes for?
"He's rather tan for a vampire," observed Harry.
"And rather sexy as well," put in Hermione, sneaking a playful glance at Ron, who was floundering for air like a puffer fish, clearly about to explode.
"Excuse me?" he bellowed, causing a mighty BANG from the twins' game of Exploding Snaps.
"Oh, come off it Ron," scolded Ginny. "You don't exactly have that dark and mysterious look."
"And as far as tastes go, you have to admit that Hermione's have definitely improved," added Harry, trying desperately to keep his sides from bursting for laughter. "After all, it wasn't too long ago that our little Hermione had a thing for Lockhart."
"That git?!" This was George, who had given up on Exploding Snaps once one of his eyebrows had been singed. "You actually fancied Professor I-Smile-So-Much-So-I-Can't-Speak-And-Let-On-That-I'm-The-Stupidest-Bugger-In-Britain?"
Hermione's embarrassment was almost equal to Ron's anger now and it seemed to be at about breaking point when there was a soft tapping heard from the door.
"Who could that be?" asked Ginny, regaining her composure after falling off the sofa in giggles.
"Maybe it's Hermione's vampire friend," grumbled Ron.
"I don't think Luca would be coming here for Hermione," Harry grumbled in turn, before approaching the back of the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Harry, it might not be safe to open it," cautioned Hermione.
"I doubt that a Death Eater could get past all of the security measures outside only to be stumped by a painting." With that, Harry opened the portrait and met one of the biggest shocks of his life: Dudley Dursley. The potion had obviously worn off, but just the memory of it sent nearly everyone in the room into a fit of laughter, once getting over the surprise of seeing Harry's cousin unaccompanied, roaming about Hogwarts halls.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, shushing the others. Dudley looked frightened to say anything, but pulled up some of that expertise at being the most spoiled child in the world and answered, "I was bored and Mum and Dad are still…not themselves. I heard your voices and I wanted to ask you where the TVs are." This stumped the wizard-born occupants of the Gryffindor common room, but Hermione and Harry appreciated the joke greatly.
"There are no televisions in Hogwarts," answered Hermione matter-of-factly. "The magic interferes with Muggle technology."
Harry couldn't help but notice the tremble in Dudley's lip at the mention of the two M words, and an unwelcome twinge of guilt pulled at Harry's thoughts. Just because his cousin was the worst twit he'd ever known didn't mean that he deserved all of the torture he's been put through since his arrival (Well, he does deserve it really, and if he wants torture he should think about what I've been through, but…).
"You can come in if you want to," said Harry, upset that his good side got the better of him yet again. But this touch of compassion didn't mean that he'd help his porky cousin get through the portrait. They all watched that struggle with due amusement.
"How long until Mum and Dad are normal again?" Dudley asked, huffing and puffing as he sat down three seats away from anyone else.
"I doubt they've ever been normal, but they'll be back to their old rotten selves again within the hour," answered Fred, still getting over the shock that Dudley wasn't hiding behind a piece of furniture or holding onto his back side for safety.
"Is all that stuff you said earlier true?" asked Dudley, after silently watching Harry and Ron's chess game for a few minutes, gasping every time a piece moved on its own.
"Which part?" asked Harry absentmindedly, focusing more on a plan he had to take Ron's queen in two moves.
"About you being a powerful wizard and maybe a vampire?" At this, Fred, George and Ginny perked up. Harry had asked Ron and Hermione not to tell them about the possibility that the only way he could fight the Blood Stone was by becoming a vampire. Right now, they only knew that Luca was at Hogwarts to counsel Lupin and Dumbledore on how to fight mental attacks.
"Possibly and possibly on both accounts," grumbled Harry, avoiding eye contact with the other Weasleys in the room.
"What do you mean, possibly?" asked Fred. "Ron, what's he on about?"
"Well, it's possible that the only way to stop the attacks from the Blood Stone, apart from destroying it, is to become a vampire," answered Harry, rushing through the last words and plastering an unconvincing look of indifference on his face.
"You mean that Luca bloke might be here to…" said Ginny, unable to complete the question.
"Don't worry about it," scolded Harry sternly, in part because he didn't want to even think about the possibility, in part because Dudley was getting some kind of sick satisfaction at seeing the fear in Harry's face. "You're noticing that the spells I was saying this afternoon were Welsh might help my tutoring along and maybe we won't even need to destroy the Blood Stone."
"It seems to me that such a almighty powerful wizard wouldn't have to worry about some rock," sneered Dudley, more brave now that none of the people around him seemed to be in possession of their wands. Of course, he didn't know that Harry's new talent included being able to do several spells without the aid of a wand.
"Expecto patronum," he whispered, his open palm facing Dudley, not even conscious of any effort on his part to concentrate on a happy memory. And he wasn't even surprised when the familiar silvery echo of his father's animagus form issued from his hand and charged at Dudley. The boy was too frightened to move, and remained rigid, jaw to the floor and eyes wide in terror, as the stag ran through his body, then turned about, snorted with disgust, and disappeared as Harry moved his hand to take Ron's queen with his rook.
"How did you do that?!" Ron exclaimed, tearing his eyes away from the still immobilized Dudley Dursley and looking at Harry in wonder. He had been impressed enough that Harry could manage a Patronus with a wand, since that is highly advanced magic that even Percy could not do. But conjuring one so effortlessly, without a wand at that, was beyond anything Ron had expected from his classmate, even the Boy Who Lived.
"Well, you left your queen wide open when you moved your knight," Harry answered, obviously pleased at having the rare upper hand at a chess game with Ron. The patronus was already forgotten.
"I think he means how did you do that?" Hermione clarified, pointing at the now passed-out mass of fat on the chair in the corner.
Finally realizing just what had happened, Harry hastily stood up, no longer caring that he was three moves away from checkmate. "I should go tell Lupin," he answered, making towards the portrait. "We'll all go," entered Fred, not wanting to miss something else. They all clambered out of the common room, leaving Dudley without a backward glance, and made their way towards Dumbledore's office ("Canary Creams"), purposefully making enough racket on the stairs to announce their arrival.
"What's happened?" asked a worried Sirius, opening the door to the office to greet them. The staff had just finished talking to Arthur Weasley via the fireplace. Mr. Weasley had found a handful of supporters in South Florida ("There's such an abundance of elderly people there and they all drive Muggle automobiles so badly that it's a wonder no one has found them out!") and else where and would be returning with them in the morning. Talks had then moved on to Luca's limited knowledge about the origins of the Blood Stone and Dumbledore's slightly greater knowledge of an ancient Welsh manuscript that could be related to Aglaia Gryffindor's powers when Lupin heard Fred Weasley's proud laugh at having one of the twins' inventions being Dumbledore's password. Sirius couldn't help but be worried that something else had happened to Harry.
"Nothing's happened, Sirius, "comforted Harry, taking the seat that Dumbledore offered. "Well, something's happened but nothing fatal."
"Harry set his Patronus loose on Dudley," informed Hermione, sneaking a look at Luca, who looked even sexier in firelight.
"We've known that he had that ability for a while now," snapped Snape, annoyed that the meeting had been interrupted, that these children knew the password to the headmaster's office, that he hadn't mastered the Patronus charm until his seventh year.
"Yes, but he did it without a wand, without even thinking, while managing to take my queen in a game of chess," answered Ron, the pride in his voice obvious.
"Is this true?" asked Dumbledore. He had expected Harry's power to double by the time he graduated from Hogwarts, but this was beyond his expectations. At this rate, Harry would be as powerful as he was within months, and this was not something that they should be grateful for. Granted, Harry had a good enough heart, but so much power in one so young could be intoxicating and dangerous without a disciplined mind. He'd be tempted to fight battles that a boy his age shouldn't be asked to fight. Besides that, it would make the target on Harry's head grow exponentially.
"Yes," answered Harry, a sinking feeling giving him the same thoughts as Dumbledore. "I'm sorry about losing my temper with him. It's just that I have a lot on my mind," he added, shooting a glance at Luca, and not to admire the vampires striking features.
"That's understandable," replied Dumbledore. "Did the boy survive the fright?"
"He fainted," laughed George, earning a stern look from Mrs. Weasley.
"Harry, can you describe the process of casting the charm?" asked Lupin.
"I suppose so. Dudley teased me about worrying about a stupid rock, I got annoyed, I opened my hand and said the charm and then returned my attention to the chessboard. The Patronus went away when I moved my hand to take Ron's queen. I probably could have ordered my piece to do it on its own, but it isn't every day I get an advantage playing Ron. And that's it."
Ron beamed at the complement, but Lupin still looked concerned. "You didn't concentrate on a happy memory?"
"I might have thought of something, but I didn't put much effort into it. It's not like Dudley is a Dementor."
They were all silent for a while, not knowing what to say. Harry finally grew weary of the quiet. "Did you find the Dursleys a house?" he asked Professor McGonagall, who was startled by the sudden derailment of her train of thoughts.
"Yes, actually, but we need one of them to come with us tomorrow and settle things. That is assuming they are human again?" she answered, looking pointedly at the Weasley twins.
"They should be," Fred answered. "Unfotunately."
"They will be staying here for a little while longer, though," added Dumbledore. "We'll tell them that the house needs renovations. In the meantime, we must discuss an owl a received shortly before dinner. It seems that one of your fellow students has a need to stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer while his family is out of country. And in the present circumstances, I'm sure we'd all feel better keeping an eye on him."
"Who?" asked Harry, upset that it wouldn't be Cho Chang but looking forward to another friend in the castle.
"Draco Malfoy."