Harry Potter and the Face of Destiny

By Bronze Eagle

Chapter 6

A/N: I'm soooo sorry! This took much longer than I expected, and I appreciate you patience. (I had a small case of writer's block ...) Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I am not that great and wonderful person named Joanne Rowling, so, no, I don't own any of these character. (Except for the ones that I made up, and you can sort of tell which ones those are. ^_^)

*****

'What did you do that for?!' Draco fumed as Voldemort steered him towards an empty compartment.

'Draco, surely you know that I can't allow you to get too close to those insignificant beings. If they find out your little ... secret, I would have to dispose of them, and I'm sure you don't want that to happen,' he replied calmly.

'You haven't disposed of Harry.'

'Yes, that's true. Unfortunately, he is better protected than the rest of them. But now that I have you, why, I could take him any time I choose.'

'I'll never help you defeat him!'

'Oh, I think you will, Draco.'

'You -'

'Draco! Are you okay?'

'Harry?'

'Yeah, I thought I should come check on you ...'

'Don't come in,' Draco thought immediately. 'Crabbe and Goyle will probably punch you or something, and I don't want to end up cursing you.'

'So he really took you over, huh?'

'Yes, Potter, I did.'

Harry jumped. He had been standing just outside the door to Draco's compartment, not wanting to enter, so he quickly moved back, not wanting to attract Crabbe and Goyle's attention.

'You,' he thought furiously.

'Yes,' replied the cold voice. 'I was hoping to be able to speak to you.'

"Harry," gasped Draco from inside the door.

"What?"

But Draco's face had just appeared in the doorway. "You two stay there," he said to Crabbe and Goyle, who were blinking stupidly.

Harry examined the boy closely. His eyes no longer had a red glint to them, but, just to be safe, he asked, 'Is that you?'

'Yes. Can you take me to your compartment? Or at least help me walk?'

'What happened to you?' asked Harry, leading him away.

Draco managed a shaky laugh. 'It was getting to be a bit much with three people inside my head. I'd really rather if we could talk out loud; I'm getting a headache.'

"Yeah, okay," said Harry. "Uh, why did he leave? I would have thought ..." he broke off as a group of girls hurried past them, giggling and chatting.

"I'm not sure," said Draco slowly. "I don't think he's perfected his little 'casting spells over distances' thing, and I was pretty far away. Maybe ..."

"What?"

"Maybe ... maybe you pushed him out of my head, sort of."

"D'you think so?"

"I'm not sure. I just don't know, we need more evidence before we can be sure ..." he stopped as Harry poked him.

"They're in here, you should try to stay on your own feet now."

"Right."

Harry slid open the door. Inside, Puck, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione sat, playing a game of Exploding Snap. They looked up as the two stood in the doorway, and their faces froze.

"What did you bring him in for?" snarled Ron.

"He's here on my invitation," replied Harry calmly. "He's, um, over his, er, little outburst."

"Little outburst?!" exploded Puck. "How was that a 'little outburst'? He just walked away, after insulting us all, I might add, and you're inviting him back?"

"Listen, Puck, he wasn't, er, I mean, he was just a little confused, that's all." This is going really well, Harry thought.

"Confused. He was CONFUSED?!?! I'll give you confused! I'm confused about how two people who are supposedly sworn enemies are getting along like best friends. I'm confused about his (she pointed at Draco) double personality thing, 'cause one second he's someone you could actually stand to be around, and the next he's insulting everyone in sight. I'm confused about -"

"Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I ... I didn't mean those things I said." Everyone turned to Draco, scepticism written all over their faces. He took a deep breath and plunged on. "Granger and, er, Hermione and Ron, I'm sorry about all the times I've insulted you. I know this doesn't really help, because you probably don't trust me, but, well ... I'm sorry."

They were now looking at Draco in mild alarm, as though he had just said that Professor Snape would be letting them off on their homework for the year. Ron looked at Harry uncertainly. "Harry, what did you do to him? I thought this was Malfoy, but maybe not ..."

Draco looked as though he were about to protest this, but he suddenly stiffened slightly, and Harry saw a red gleam come into his eyes.

"I'm going to get him something to drink, he hasn't been feeling well," he said hastily, dragging Draco out the door.

Once they got outside and Harry had let go of him, Draco spun around and glared. "Don't try to cover up like that again, Potter. There's nothing you can do to help him."

Harry narrowed his eyes. 'Get out of his head.'

Draco's reddened eyes widened, and Harry thought he saw him tremble slightly. Grabbing Harry by the arm, he pulled him into an empty compartment nearby. Pulling the door shut, he muttered a spell, causing green light to spread around the compartment, and rounded on Harry, who stared at him, eyes wide.

"I said not to meddle, Potter," he said in a deadly soft voice. "No one can hear us now. You can't call for help. You're in this just as deeply as Malfoy, here. I will know if either of you tells anyone. That includes telling your 'friends' over there; and Dumbledore, too." He laughed softly. "That old fool can do nothing against me. He had his chance. You realize that, don't you, Potter? He can do nothing."

Dazedly, Harry noticed that his scar wasn't hurting him. That was something, at least. He suddenly looked up at Draco. "He's not a fool."

"What?"

"Dumbledore. He's not a fool. You're still scared of him, even now that you have your powers back. You wouldn't dare to do anything on this train, even -" Draco cut him off.

"Do nothing? Why, Harry, I thought you had some semblance of intelligence ... What do you think I'm doing right now? Or do you consider cornering you, of all people, in an empty train compartment 'doing nothing'?"

Harry glanced around. He was quite right, there was no one at all in here except for them. He frowned slightly and turned back to Draco. 'Why don't you kill me now, then?'

This time, Harry was sure that Draco's body shook, and he leaned over a little, as if out of breath. When he straightened, Harry involuntarily stepped back. His eyes were glowing bright red, leaving hardly any white. The pupils were narrowed down to slits, and Harry privately wondered how Voldemort expected to keep himself a secret, when, by possessing them, he could turn someone's eyes bright crimson. Red eyes weren't exactly common ... Then he felt his scar sear with pain, and it was all he could do to keep from crying out.

"You can't stop me, Potter," Draco hissed. "This boy was faithful to me for too long to just give it up now. It's too late for him. He can't change. I would suggest you keep yourself out of this if you want to survive the year." With that, the redness left his eyes, and he collapsed to the floor.

Harry's scar stopped hurting abruptly. Still massaging his forehead, he lifted Draco up onto a seat. Satisfied that he wouldn't roll off, Harry ran back to his compartment.

*****

Ron, Puck, and Ginny looked up as Harry skidded to a halt and pulled the door open. Upon entering, he looked around and then asked, "Where'd Hermione go?"

"She went to tell the prefects that she'd be back here with us, I think," replied Ron offhandedly.

Harry groaned. "Great. Okay, then ..." and to the bewilderment of his friends, he charged out once again.

Ron glanced at Puck and Ginny. "Do you get the feeling that there's something he's not telling us?" he asked.

*****

Harry held up his wand and looked down at the boy out cold on the seat in front of him. He'd seen this spell used before, but had never actually performed it himself. He thought that perhaps Hermione could have done it, but then he'd have had to explain why Draco was unconscious in the first place, and he had a feeling that Hermione wouldn't believe him if he said that the other boy had hit his head on the doorframe hard enough to knock himself out.

Harry took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, he thought.

"Enervate!"

Draco groaned softly. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

"Uh, actually, I'm not sure," replied Harry. "Voldemort got pretty mad at me, though. I think he was mad at you, too." For some strange reason, this didn't seem to make Draco feel any better.

"It's getting worse," he said softly.

"What?" Harry looked at him, alarmed. "What's getting worse?"

Draco sighed. "His control over me. I can remember what's happening, but it's like I don't care what he does." He looked up with a worried expression on his face. "He's getting stronger."

"Great," Harry groaned. "Exactly what we need. Well, you'd better come to our compartment."

"What? Shouldn't I be staying away from you, if Voldemort can take over me like that?"

"No. I want you nearby, in case he comes back."

"Uh, right, that's why I *shouldn't* come with you ..."

"No, see, then I'll be able to drive him out of your head. We should practice that."

"Yeah," said Draco faintly, "I'd just love to collapse again ..."

"I'd rather learn how to get him out of your head now, rather than later. Eventually he might be able to take over you all the time, and if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer not to have Voldemort at school with me."

"Oh, okay," sighed Draco. "But I'm holding you responsible if they find out because of this."

Harry's face hardened. "I won't let them find out. They're my friends, you know. Anyway, we'll all be safe once we get to Hogwarts ... and Dumbledore."

But they both were privately remembering Voldemort's words ... "That old fool can do nothing against me. He had his chance. You realize that, don't you, Potter? He can do NOTHING."

*****

Draco spent the rest of the train ride in the corner of Harry's compartment. When Hermione came back and saw him sitting there, immersed in reading The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, she pursed her lips, but said nothing. Ron, Ginny, and Puck had apparently decided to ignore Draco altogether.

The only time Draco moved was when the witch with the food cart came by. He got up silently, bought a large amount of candy and sweets, and dropped most of it in Puck's lap. She looked up at him, startled, but he was already curled up on the seat, flipping through his textbook.

*****

It was nearly pitch black out when they reached Hogwarts, and Puck's stomach was twisting itself into knots. Some of her anxiety must have shown on her face, because Ginny murmured quietly to her, "Don't worry. I know what it's like, being worried about your House, but the Sorting Hat's never been wrong. And even if you're not in Gryffindor, we'll still be your friends." She felt slightly reassured, but still wasn't sure if she trusted a hat to tell her what House she should be in. Even if it was a "thinking cap," as Ron had assured her, grinning.

"Really Puck, I mean, you're probably going to be in Gryffindor, what is there to worry about?"

At this, Draco shot Ron a dark scowl. "Puck will be in whichever House suits her best," he said quietly. "Who knows? It's up to the Hat ... and her." He turned to Puck. "You can talk to it, and try to help it make its decision. If you don't think you belong in the House it's thinking of, say so. You don't want to be stuck in the wrong House." Then he seemed to remember that they weren't talking to him, and he turned back to his book.

As they trooped off the train, however, Puck couldn't help but feel excited. A new school, new teachers, new students ... Maybe this was a change for the better. No offence to Draco, was all she could think, but I don't think I'd like to be in Slytherin. But if he's right, then maybe I can convince it not to put me in that House. I don't know what dad would think if he knew. She patted the letter from her parents in her pocket for good luck.

Just then she was distracted by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waving frantically beside her at what had to be the largest man she'd ever seen.

"Hi, Hagrid!" they yelled. Puck gaped.

Draco leaned towards her. "That's the gamekeeper, Hagrid," he said in an undertone. "He takes all the first years across the lake on the "traditional" boat ride to Hogwarts. You can come with us, though; you're not a first year."

"Er, okay," she said, not quite sure why her adoptive brother was talking to her all of a sudden. "What do we ... never mind." She'd been about to ask how they were getting to the school, but she'd suddenly spotted the horseless carriages waiting for them. "Well," she muttered, "this is what I call riding in style." Draco chuckled as the got into a carriage with two boys she didn't know. "Uh, where'd Harry and the others go?"

One of the boys said, with a thick Irish accent, "You know Harry? Who are you, anyway? And why are you with him?" She seemed to get that a lot when she was with Draco.

"I'm, um, Robyn Goodfellow, but you can call me Puck," she said nervously. "I'm Draco's adoptive sister."

The two stared at her. "Adoptive sister?!" the other boy said.

Draco glared at them. "Yes, she is, Thomas. I'd appreciate it if you kept you nose out of her business, too."

Puck looked at him. "Draco, you could really use some manner lessons." Turning to the two boys, she said, "So, what're your names? And what House are you in?"

They looked at each other. "I'm Seamus Finnigan, and this is Dean Thomas. We're both in Gryffindor," said the first boy.

More Gryffindors, thought Puck. "I'm going to be sorted soon, since I'm just starting this year," she said nervously. "What're the four Houses like?"

"Well," said Dean, "Gryffindor is the one that's supposed to be for 'the brave at heart;' Hufflepuff is for the 'just and loyal,' but they're all sort of slow, if you ask me; Ravenclaw is for brainy people, although Gryffindor gets a lot of the smart ones too, just look at Hermione; and Slytherin ... well, you can just ask Malfoy there." He looked much less enthusiastic about Slytherin than any of the other Houses.

She looked at Draco, who sighed. "Slytherin is for the 'shrewd and cunning,' or something like that." He hesitated. "It's also the one that all Dark witches and wizards were in, including You-Know-Who." Puck swallowed. "We're not very popular with the other Houses, since we tend to have nasty tempers and mean dispositions." Dean and Seamus were looking at Draco as though he had suddenly sprouted another head.

"Er," Seamus looked at Dean.

"Did you just ... insult yourself?" asked Dean incredulously.

Draco looked mildly surprised. "Yeah, I think I did," he said. Puck burst out laughing, and eventually Dean, Seamus, and even Draco joined in.

*****

Soon, however, they reached the castle. Puck's jaw dropped in awe as she looked up at the huge structure. It was far larger than the Academy; in fact, it even rivaled some of the skyscrapers in the Muggle section of New York in sheer size and immensity. The buildings of New York, however, did not have the same sense of ancient majesty and magic as this thousand-year-old castle, and she was completely bowled over. Dean, Seamus, and Draco all chuckled at her stupefied expression.

Suddenly, Dean said, "Look! Isn't that ... no, it couldn't be! But ... doesn't that look like Professor Lupin?"

"No way!" said Seamus as they all piled out of the carriage. "I thought he resigned in our third year!"

But over the heads of the people surging up the stairs in front of them, the four saw a man with prematurely gray hair, who was looking around at the students. He suddenly hailed someone off to their left.

"Harry! How are you?" They saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny making their way over to him.

"It is him!" Draco muttered to himself. He turned to Puck. "Do you want to come meet Professor Lupin? We had him in our third year, but he resigned because everyone found out that he was a werewolf."

"A werewolf?" asked Puck, impressed. "Let's go!"

Grinning, Draco led her over to where Harry and his friends were chatting with their teacher.

"You're back? That's wonderful! I hope you can stay for more than a year this time, though ..."

"I thought you said that you didn't want to be teaching here if you thought you might hurt someone ..."

"Did Dumbledore ask you to come back?"

"Hi Puck, Draco," said Harry as the two made their way through the crowd toward the small, unmoving group. Lupin looked over in their direction when he heard Harry.

"There you are! Robyn, I was sent out here to bring you in to wait with the first years." He gave a small start of surprise when he saw Draco coming over and looking perfectly friendly, but recovered quickly. "You'll be sorted with them, and since you don't have a house yet, you can't wait in the hall with the rest of the older students." He turned back to the others standing by him. "Don't worry. She'll be back soon enough." And with that, he led her through the doorway, and off to a small chamber on the right of the entrance to the Great Hall. She tried to wave to her friends, but couldn't spot them through the multitude of students going past her. She sighed, and followed Lupin off to wait for the Sorting.

*****

Harry swallowed as he looked around the school. Memories - ones that he'd been trying to keep at bay the entire summer - began flooding back to him. Cedric, picking up his books as Harry warned him about the dragons. Cedric, coming up to him in the mermaid's village deep under the lake, taking Cho, and kicking up towards the surface. Cedric, walking with him into the maze, both of them going silently on their ways when the path forked. Cedric, taking the cup with him, just before ... Harry pushed that last thought away. He hadn't seen Cho since the end of last term, and he wasn't sure how he'd feel when he did see her. He sighed. Why do I have to remember all this now? he thought. It's not my fault that Wormtail killed him. Yeah, just like it's not my fault that he took the cup with me in the first place, said a tiny voice in the back of his mind. I didn't know it would be a portkey! he though back furiously. It's not my fault. But somehow, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Draco interrupted his thoughts. 'So, we're back. Are you happy to be here?'

Harry sighed. 'My last week or so here wasn't exactly happy.'

Draco paused. 'Right. I'd almost forgotten.' And then, to Harry's surprise, he added, 'It's too bad about Diggory. He was . . . nice, in a slow, Hufflepuff sort of way.'

Harry looked at him, startled, across the hall as they went to their separate tables. It seemed like every time he had him figured out, Draco surprised him again.

He settled down in between Ron and Hermione to wait for the Sorting.

*****

Puck tapped her foot nervously as she and the first years waited for the tall, thin professor to lead them into the Great Hall. Lupin had left to sit at the staff table, and she felt very alone as the first years stood in rather close groups and stole sidelong glances at her, wondering what a girl who was plainly not in her first year was doing standing with them.

Puck sighed. I wish Draco was here, she thought miserably. I could use some bad jokes to cheer me up. This thought brought a weak smile to her lips. I hope I get to see him at least a little if I'm not in his House, she reflected. If I'm not in his House ... she repeated to herself, her smile turning bittersweet. What's the likelihood of that?

*****

A/N: Oh, that was a nasty little place to leave you off, wasn't it? I hope to have the next chapter up before I go on a three week vacation starting July 1, but if I don't, you won't see the next part until ... well, more than a month from now! (Gads, that's a long time! I'm getting back the 24th, and I won't have access to a computer for the whole time ... ::shudders::) I know this is a little shorter than the last chapters, but I figured if I kept going, then I'd have to have the whole Sorting in here, and that would just be too much. Until next time, (whenever that may be,) ~Bronze Eagle