Fore note: Lots of thank you-s and a lot of hugs to Seldes Katne for beta-reading Hearts and Hourglasses before it's posted on Sugar Quill! She's a wonderful person and a fantastic beta-reader!
Chapter Seven: A Crack in the Crystal
"Everyone," Professor McGonagall had said, "I hope you all don't mind, but Professor Gloucester requested to spend this evening with you. He was a Gryffindor himself."
Harry wondered how she had managed to say that last bit with such a straight face.
He supposed that he should have expected that Godric would want to visit Gryffindor Tower, but the sight of his House's founder actually walking, looking around their common room, striking polite conversation with the students... It was almost too much for Harry's self-control.
Everyone should know who he really is, thought Harry, starting to feel frantic as Seamus Finnigan cheerfully challenged Godric to game of wizard chess when the older man showed interest in the game he and Dean Thomas were playing. Dean was more than happy to forfeit his place to Godric (he was losing badly), saying he had to go up to their dormitory and put up a new West Ham poster.
Ron should play chess with Godric! By then, Harry felt more than a little crazy.
"West Ham?" Godric asked curiously.
Used to most wizards not knowing about soccer, Dean replied, "They're a muggle team, not a quidditch team."
"What is quidditch?" queried Godric innocently, shocking everyone who heard him, including Harry who almost screamed, 'HE'S GODRIC GRYFFINDOR!'
"You don't know Quidditch?!" George, Fred and Lee accosted Godric immediately, looking properly horrified for his sake. "How can you not know Quidditch?! It's the greatest game in the world!"
"No, it isn't!" Protested Dean, but the trio ignored him. Acting as one, George promptly grabbed by Godric the shoulders and sat him down in the armchair Dean had recently vacated; Fred zoomed off to their dormitory to get some things; Lee stood in front of Godric, coughing and clearing his throat just as he always did before commentating on a Quidditch game.
Professor McGonagall was very upset. "GEORGE WEASLEY, YOU DO NOT MANHANDLE A PROFESSOR!" Her voice and composure did a complete turn around when she addressed Godric. "I'm so very sorry, Professor Gloucester."
"It's all right, Minerva." Harry and everyone else watched with keen interest as their House Head's face turned an alarming shade of red.
Six seconds later, McGonagall snapped back in character. "Gryffindors, to bed now!"
There was a second of silence, then everyone except Harry and Hermione protested.
"But, Miner- I mean Professor McGonagall, it's only nine-"
"I have more than enough of your cheek, Mr. Weasley! One week's detention for you, your brother and Mr. Jordan! All of you report to Mr. Filch tomorrow!"
"But I haven't done anything!" Howled Lee.
"Harry!"
"Yes, Professor?" said Harry meekly, hoping he won't get detention.
"Please escort Professor Gloucester to his room." McGonagall, still very red, was getting more furious since Fred, who just came back, was also protesting his punishment.
Harry quickly led Godric out of Gryffindor Tower.
***
As he walked alongside Godric, Harry peeked up at him occasionally. Godric's expression was solemn, eyes calmly looking straight forward, his stride at a constant pace. Harry unconsciously copied him, only realizing it when his awkward shuffle turned into a firm walk.
Embarrassed, Harry tried to change back his walking style then suddenly decided not to in mid-step. He ended up being tripped by his own feet. Harry yelped in alarm, falling to his right and automatically reached his hands out to the wall to check his fall.
Strong hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. Harry closed his eyes and breathed out hard, his heart beating quickly, still recovering from panic.
"Are you all right, Harry?" Godric asked in a concerned voice, his breath tickling Harry's right ear. Harry quickly looked up to see Godric standing behind him, leaning down a little, his hands still firmly on Harry's shoulders. Seeing Godric's worried expression made Harry angry and ashamed of himself for fouling up right in the man's presence.
He pulled away, and Godric released him. Harry turned around as Godric straightened.
"I'm fine, Sir." Harry bit his lower lip when his voice trembled even on only those three syllables. He suddenly felt very nervous and uncertain. Unable to return Godric's steady gaze, Harry looked away and lower, staring instead at a small golden lion pin on Godric's chest. The miniature lion turned its tiny head towards Harry and stared back at him with unblinking ruby eyes.
"Harry," said Godric softly, and reluctantly, Harry broke his staring contest with the lion pin and looked back up at Godric, who smiled at him. It was a warm reassuring smile, and Harry smiled back, feeling less nervous.
Godric's brown eyes lit up with a proud twinkle. "That's much better, Harry. You've been looking edgy ever since we left the tower."
Harry was about to apologize again, but Godric waved it away. He chuckled then, reaching up his right hand to rub the back of his head with a rueful expression. "I have this effect on my students," he said then frowned, "and not only on them. People tend to pussyfoot around me once they know who I am."
Oh. Harry's stomach felt lighter. Not only me then. Harry was relieved, and he grinned, remembering how Professor McGonagall acted in the common room.
"People tend to look up to you, Sir?" Asked Harry, still grinning.
Godric's smile returned and nodded, not being boastful just confirming that it's always been that way. "Quite," he answered softly, almost in a sigh, "It's a heady experience sometimes, but a heavy responsibility all the time."
That's why he looks serious most of time, thought Harry. Well, what did you expect? That he'd act like Fred and George?
Godric suddenly shook his head slightly and lowered his hand. He glanced at Harry, and with a small nod, both of them continued on their way.
As they neared the marble staircase that would take them down to the entrance hall, Harry thought that the man walking beside him was every bit what he had expected the founder of his house to be. Harry smiled, getting worked up again, but not because he was nervous as before. He was thrilled that he was with Godric Gryffindor.
A faint peal of laughter echoing from the direction of the entrance hall broke through Harry's reverie. His pace quickened as did Godric's.
"Did that really happen, Sir?" Harry tensed upon hearing that familiar smooth and immensely irritating voice. Despite that it was distorted as an echo, he recognized whose it was immediately.
"It certainly did, Draco." Godric froze for an instant then kept moving. The second voice was Salazar's.
On the top step of the staircase, Harry almost fell down the stairs had Godric not held out an arm to steady him. Draco and Salazar were sitting on the floor right in the middle of the entrance hall. Both of them were facing each other over a small magical blue fire. To Harry, they looked like they were camping out.
Both had heard them coming and looked towards them. Draco looked like he was going to sneer but immediately composed his features when Salazar broke into a wide grin and waved at them to come down.
"Godfrey, Harry, come over and join us!" Salazar called out. Harry glanced at Godric as the older man went down the stairs first. After a few moments' hesitation, Harry followed, eyeing Draco narrowly. The other boy was also looking at him intently.
"What are you two doing here, Sextus?"
"We're waiting for you and the others, of course." Salazar lifted a brow questioningly when Godric continued looking at him suspiciously. Harry couldn't help but smile when Salazar turned a bit and stretched his legs out, his hands reaching back to pillow his head as he laid down full stretch and comfortable on the floor. He tossed Godric a lazy and insolent look before closing his eyes.
Draco was delighted. He was about to follow Salazar when Godric said in a frosty tone, "What I mean is that shouldn't you be in the Slytherin common room?"
"Look who's not in the Gryffindor common room," returned Salazar automatically, keeping his eyes closed.
Godric looked ready to kick Salazar in the ribs when Draco said, "There was an accident in our common room. Goyle slipped in the bathroom and hit his head pretty hard against the floor." Draco sounded like that happened often.
"Professor Snape had to take him to Madam Pomfrey," continued Draco, his face turning smug, "He asked me to escort Professor Scaevola to his room." Then, Draco looked somewhat uncertain. He glanced at Salazar, saying, "But the Professor forgot where his room was located, and so we came here instead."
Harry could only think that Snape wanted Draco to find out about the Accreditation Professors being actually the Founders. Draco continued explaining to Godric in a doubtful tone, "Professor Scaevola said that he would wait here until you and the others arrive. He said he would ask you where his room was."
It was clear that Draco was getting suspicious about this peculiar arrangement, which even Harry didn't know about. Harry could only curse Snape and Draco silently in his mind. If Draco finds out, his father, Lucius Malfoy, would find out, and that meant Voldemort would know that the Founders were back at Hogwarts!
"Draco kindly offered to keep me company," said Salazar, finally opening his eyes and sitting up. He smiled warmly at Draco. "Thank you, Draco. I am pleased to see that members of my House are as courteous as ever."
Hah! Harry wanted to say as Draco smiled back at Salazar with what Harry thought was a predatory grin. "You're very welcome, Sir," he simpered.
Salazar inclined his head graciously, then stretched long and hard like a cat before standing up and offering a hand up to Draco. "You better get back to your common room," he said as Draco took his hand.
"Oh!" Harry's stomach turned into heavy lead when Draco declared, "I can stay longer, Sir, until Professors Regius and Hawthorn get here. I'd like to get to know you and Professor Gloucester better. I think you two are so interesting!"
Harry wanted to throw up.
"Thank you, Draco," Salazar said kindly but firmly, "but you and Harry will be missed by your friends. You should both go back to your rooms."
Taking the opportunity, Harry lunged forward and grabbed Draco's sleeve, intending to drag the other boy down to the dungeons if he had too. But Draco jerked his hand away and said loudly, "But I have so much to tell you! At least let me pay back for the interesting story you told me."
Harry quickly seized Draco's wrist just as Draco said, "Do you know that Harry, here, killed a boy?"
Suddenly, Harry felt very cold.
"Harry killed someone?" Godric's voice sounded so faint to Harry. There was a roaring in his ears. White shrouded his vision, and he couldn't see anything. He didn't notice he was gripping Draco's wrist so hard that the other boy's hand had turned very white.
"Yes," Draco winced and tried to pull his hand away. Harry wondered distractedly why Draco's voice, on the other hand, seemed so loud. Every word he was saying cut into Harry like a sharp knife.
"Potter!" hissed Draco, "Let me go!"
"Harry, you better let go of Draco's hand." Even Salazar's voice was so faint Harry could barely hear him.
He felt someone grab his hand and loosened his grip on Draco's wrist. Draco immediately wrenched his hand away.
"Harry," someone whispered. He felt hands rest on his shoulders and squeezed reassuringly, but Harry didn't feel comforted.
"... I hate you," Harry whispered, barely hearing his own words in his ears, but they echoed again and again in his heart.
"Harry." Again another whisper, a gentle shake this time, and suddenly his vision cleared. He could see Godric's face right in front of him. Hazel eyes looked relieved when Harry finally noticed him.
"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Godric, but Harry was looking pass him at Draco who was holding his hand with a look of pain in his eyes. Salazar was also in front of him just as Godric was with Harry.
"I hate you," repeated Harry again, this time louder and Draco and Salazar looked at him. Draco sneered despite the pain he was in.
"What's the matter, Potter? Cedric Diggory not good enough to be your victim?"
Harry's right hand dug into his pocket and whipped out his wand. He heard Godric yell. Draco's sneering expression dissolving into fear was all that Harry saw as he pointed his wand and screamed, "CRUCIO!"
To be continued.
Notes:
[Why Cruciatus and not Furnunculus]
It would change everything, and this situation was more difficult for Harry than the time Draco insulted Cedric's memory on the Hogswart Express at the end of Book 4.
Draco told Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin that Harry killed someone. There, right beside Harry, Draco told Gryffindor, whom Harry truly admired, that he had killed someone. Gryffindor is one of the original founders of Hogswart, a very important historical figure in the Wizarding World, akin to President Abraham Lincoln in the Muggle World.
Also, Harry does have a vengeful side. We saw that side of him in Book 3: PoA when he wanted to kill Sirius. In Book 4: Voldemort tortured Harry with Crucio, and Voldemort got away with it. No one was there to protect Harry. The Cruciatus Curse may be one of the Unforgivable Curses, but that law certainly doesn't hinder Dark wizards from using it.
Something died inside Harry when Wormtail killed Cedric. The experience has hardened him. He is no longer just a boy who had lost his parents. He had also inadvertently caused the death of another boy. Then, along comes Draco who is just so mean and nasty and who, if given the chance, wouldn't hesitate to cast Crucio on Harry. Then he blithely says to Godric and Salazar that Harry killed a boy. With that, Harry was thrown back to that time when he realized that Cedric was dead.
That's the serious explanation. Now, here's the not serious explanation.
I thought very hard on which curse Harry would perform. It had to be something dramatic, something that would show that Harry is really pissed off. Something serious.
Here's what went through my head if Harry used a curse like Furnunculus or Stupefy.
Harry curses Draco. Draco counterattacks. A duel commences and ends when one of them finally gets knocked out or both at the same time.
Other possible outcomes:
1. Godric and Salazar tries to stop them or stops them.
Because fighting in the hallways is unbecoming of a Hogswart student. Because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff will immediately pin the blame on them if they don't. It's their responsibility to protect their students.
2. They start betting on who would win and cheers on their respective students
Note: This will only happen if they clean forgot what Rowena and Helga would do to them when they find out. Or if they are willing to risk that Rowena and Helga will not find out.
3. They start blaming each other resulting in utter chaos. And if worse come
to worse, they'll borrow Harry's and Draco's wands and...
End Note
Chapter 7 has ended. Please go on to the next chapter.
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