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The Treasure Hunter.
"You want me to do what?!" Harry didn't mean for his voice to rise like that, but he couldn't help himself. Sometimes he wondered if Dumbledore was even there, at the same time he didn't bother looking at any of the Heads of House in the office. Actually, no, he knew Dumbledore was there. The old man might play the part of a senile old fool to a T, but whenever he did or demanded something like this, there was an ulterior motive. The hard part was seeing what came out of it in the long run. As for the teachers, well he didn't hold out hope they'd help although Flitwick was a close bet.
The Head of Ravenclaw might be terrible when it came to mitigating the bullying in his own House, but then all of the Heads were - Snape encouraged it while he felt free in pursuing his pathetic vendetta against everything and anything Potter, McGonagall was overworked, unreliable, and useless, Sprout was a Hufflepuff, she was loyal only to her own house, but Flitwick was the only one here with a brain, and judging from the look in his eyes he was just as curious about this as Harry was, and Harry was curious while the teachers just sat there although the look of anticipation on Snape's unpleasant visage spoke volumes.
They might have heard the same thing he had, but he didn't bother asking them to be on his side; the teachers were so used to Dumbledore's inane demands and speeches, they'd been brainwashed by him.
Dumbledore, in contrast to Harry, was sitting serenely in his chair. There was one of those stupid smiles on his face as if he were witnessing an amusing performance. The sight of that smile made Harry want to dial back his anger, but he didn't; he couldn't believe some of the stupid things that came out of the old wizard's mouth.
"I would have thought that was really simple, Harry my boy," Dumbledore spoke in that same sage voice Harry had come to despise as much as he despised so many people, "you need to forgive Draco Malfoy."
Harry was left wondering what on Earth had led to this particular topic. When Dumbledore had gotten to the point about what he wanted, the conversation which followed was really rather short and simple. He had expected the old wizard to talk to him about the punch, and Dumbledore had but nothing had come of it. Dumbledore had scolded him for the physical attack but Harry had ignored it. The old wizard had brought it on himself, and Harry would do it again if he needed to. Only when the next time came, Harry was going to break the old man's bones.
At the same time, Harry had expected the old man to talk about the oath he had made.
It was more than a little inflammatory, it made Dumbledore and Hogwarts look bad. But the old wizard hadn't said a word about that, instead, the whole meeting went differently compared to what Harry had expected, and the oath wasn't mentioned.
Then the conversation went over some of the more advanced forms of magic Harry was capable of, but nothing really came of it since Harry had just sat there, a look of boredom on his face while he mentally dared both Dumbledore and Snape to use legilimency on his mind. He had no intention of telling them anything about his skills as a wizard beyond those they already knew.
Harry was not stupid; he knew the old wizard wanted to ensure he didn't learn or know enough about magic, and for the last three years Harry had done his level best to keep his activities and his studies secret in case Dumbledore tried to wipe or edit his memories. He might have some skills and knowledge in the mind arts, but he wasn't going to try his luck against Dumbledore and his expertise. No, he wanted to develop the skills first, and while Snape along was a challenge and was more than enough for him to develop his expertise in shoring up his mental barriers, even if the potions master was a challenge without Snape knowing it since Harry wasn't stupid enough to show off his proficiency so brazenly, Dumbledore was unlikely to be fooled. Dumbledore would likely see through the illusions Harry had placed in his mind to hide his activities, and he had more than a few he would like to keep quiet about. At the same time, Dumbledore would know where he went during the summer breaks and how he was able to get away from Granger and Weasley on the Hogwarts express before they arrived in King's Cross. He wasn't stupid enough to try the same trick twice, and it usually took quite a bit of time to come up with a couple of plans to be properly safe about the escape. If Dumbledore found out how he was able to do it then he would set up roadblocks and cut off his routes, and he would be sent back to the Dursleys. Only Harry didn't know what they would do, but the burn scars on his back were more than ample proof that even with his knowledge and experience, they would likely cause him harm. One of the biggest downsides of not living with the muggle family was he didn't know them personally, and he had no idea what they would do. The expression of know thy enemy was vital for survival, but since he had never lived with the Dursleys properly and so he didn't know what they would do.
And that was one of the biggest reasons why Harry didn't want to spend any time with them and why he went to so much trouble just to avoid them even if Granger and Weasley were tasked by Dumbledore to get him to cooperate and to ensure he met with Petunia and Vernon whenever the muggles were forced to arrive at King's Cross station. It was always a close call for him to slip out, and escape, and he had been doing it for the last few years.
That was also one of the reasons why Harry was forever determined whenever he was in Dumbledore's or Snape's presence he was cautious. But fortunately today there was no mention about the Dursleys, but it was on the tip of his mind.
Once Dumbledore had realised there wasn't a point in going on about his studies and how he'd known how to make an oath like that, although Harry wasn't going to be fooled, knowing the old wizard would redouble his efforts to make sure the precious Boy Who Lived did not become powerful and knowledgeable enough to become a threat, Dumbledore had moved on to the next topic while Harry made the decision then to keep his head down as best as he could, although it might be futile right now.
The next topic was something he hadn't expected. Dumbledore, like everyone else, knew how he and Malfoy fought each other - to Harry, Malfoy was an annoyance dogging his footsteps, and while Harry didn't usually pay the blond any proper attention since it was what he wanted, the headmaster rarely spoke to him about the other wizard. So it was a surprise Dumbledore was talking about him now.
"Forgive Draco Malfoy? Do you have any idea what he said to me, he told me he hoped I died in the First Task of the Tournament-."
"I'm sure he didn't mean it, my boy," Dumbledore spoke over Harry, making the younger wizard glare at him angrily.
"He hoped I died in the First Task," Harry spoke as if the old wizard hadn't interrupted him, "and I glanced out of the corner of my eye, and do you know what I saw? I saw more than one of my peers looking like they were looked forward to me dying regardless of whether or not I swore I didn't put my name into the Goblet, so don't you dare sit there and tell me they didn't mean it. They're teenagers, not toddlers who don't know what they're talking about."
Any normal person might have taken whatever Harry said more seriously, but unfortunately, Dumbledore outwardly showed no sign of reaction towards what he'd just said. But Harry knew, lurking underneath that serene facade was a man who was playing a long game and didn't care what happened so long as nobody threatened his enjoyment of it. The good news was some of the teachers looked concerned, but they didn't seem to be in any hurry to advise their boss to listen to him.
And Dumbledore didn't seem even remotely worried any of the teachers were going to involve themselves in this part of the conversation, in fact, he looked like a man who believed he was the only person in the world. "Nevertheless Harry, it would be a great show of maturity if you did forgive young Draco."
"Why?" Harry narrowed his gaze, his mind racing underneath his own facade. I don't get this, why is he talking about forgiving Malfoy? It's always the same with him; forgiveness. Turning the other cheek... Dumbledore never does anything for no reason. But what does he get out of this now? He has never cared about what Malfoy said, forever giving him and his ilk slaps on the wrist whenever they did anything wrong which makes me wonder if he's a secret sympathiser of the blood supremacist junk. Dumbledore doesn't even care about the fight, I can tell, so what is it? What's in this for him?
"As I said, Harry, if you forgive Draco, it would show great maturity. Don't you wish the school to respect you? On that subject, what about Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, don't you wish for them to respect you? If you forgive Draco, they will see you as somebody who forgives in time," Dumbledore smiled as he explained as if that was the end of the matter, but Harry was still staring at Dumbledore narrowly, as he wondered what the old bugger was up to now.
Harry replayed everything Dumbledore had just said to him, and his mind focused on one thing in particular. He didn't bother paying much need towards what Dumbledore had just said about respect, or the two foreign schools. No, he didn't want the school to respect him. He wanted to be left to himself. He didn't care what they thought about him, and strangely his mind went to the part where Dumbledore finished up.
If you forgive Draco, they will see you as somebody who forgives in time…
Harry had a feeling there was a special meaning in what Dumbledore wanted from him, the only problem was he needed a second or two to get an idea of what it was. Dumbledore wants me to forgive Malfoy, but I can't get that part out of my mind, somebody who forgives in time… Ah, I see! This isn't about Malfoy; Dumbledore doesn't care about the posturing twat, he never did. He wants me to publicly forgive Malfoy, making myself look like a fool who'd forgive anyone later on. That's it! He wants me to be undermined for making that oath. Yeah… he knows I can't take the oath back, but he wants me to be seen as an impulsive little brat who will say one thing and gladly undo it the next day. Ooh, Dumbledore, you old fool! You really should double-check your own words before you speak them out aloud. You just leak whatever you want to happen into your speech, and you think you're too clever not to be caught out. Guess again.
The only problem he had now was how on Earth he was going to twist this around…. And then a nasty little thought popped into his brain. Harry closed his eyes and inclined his head, sighing tiredly as if he was relenting and was giving up.
"Okay, Professor. You win. I'll apologise to him," Harry returned, lifting his head.
Dumbledore wasn't even suspicious that he had gotten his way so quickly after an argument; the old fool likely believed he'd gotten his way, which wouldn't be strange given how he'd gotten his way so many times in the past. Instead, his eyes gleamed in triumph, further cementing the thought in Harry's mind Dumbledore had long since stopped accepting the fact people would and could say no to him.
"Splendid, my boy! Splendid!"
Harry pretended to smile back nervously, he mentally cringed at having to do so, luckily for him, Dumbledore didn't question him. Unfortunately, his act was seen by two members of the faculty. Flitwick was giving him an approving smirk, while Snape himself was glaring at him while looking like he was going to explode. Harry hoped he did since it would be fun to watch what Dumbledore did when his pet Death Eater tried to tell him he was faking it.
"Headmaster, you can't be serious-!"
Unfortunately, Dumbledore was too happy to have gotten his way to listen. "We shall arrange for the meeting in public, Harry," the old man beamed while he tried to outdo Father Christmas. "You may go."
"Thank you, Headmaster."
X
Everyone was in the Great Hall including the International students, and Harry could see the looks of anticipation on many faces - he just didn't bother to see which school they were from. One thing was for sure, they were here to enjoy a humiliating spectacle. Well, they were going to be in for a shock, and judging from the expressions on Snape's face, who looked thunderous as if he was mentally preparing himself for the outcome, not to mention Flitwick's who was the polar opposite of Snape's, there were two people in the hall who had an idea he was going to use this to his advantage.
"I can't believe you're actually going to apologise to that git, Malfoy," Weasley said to him as if nothing had happened; Harry was a little confused why the red-headed moron was even pretending to be his friend, and he guessed whatever little scheme Dumbledore had for him this year had been cocked up because of what happened before.
"You shouldn't have attacked him anyway, Harry."
Hearing the strident, arrogant, know-it-all voice of Hermione Granger made Harry want nothing more than to scream for inner peace. He honestly didn't know or understand why Granger believed her opinion made any kind of difference. In any case, while he admitted to himself it had been impetuous of him to attack Malfoy like that, the fool deserved it. He didn't say a word about her naivety; Hermione would either sink or swim when she left Hogwarts, he didn't know and didn't care which it was.
In any case, Harry was too busy mentally preparing himself for what he planned to do. It involved some tricky magic on his part, and he would need all of his wits and concentration to succeed and make his point.
The sound of a clinking glass drew his attention. He saw Professor McGonagall gently tapping a water goblet next to her at the staff table. "If I may have your attention, please. The public apology is going to occur right now. If the two students involved would please stand."
Harry stood, ignoring the Gryffindors as they offered the commiserations, while he caught sight of the smug look on Malfoy's face. He had worked out one of the reasons why Dumbledore was doing this. He was trying to appease the little weasel's dad, but Harry doubted a public apology would do much for the older Malfoy to appease him. Still, Harry realised the two bastards were probably only going along with this so then he, Harry, would be humiliated. Nothing would give the so-called Death Eater and his son more pleasure.
Harry walked to where the staff table was, ignoring the looks of anticipation and the sneers at his presence - after enduring people like Snape since he'd walked into Hogwarts, a few more teachers were not going to faze him out - and he turned to face Malfoy.
"Well, Potter?" Malfoy smirked at him, his small grey eyes glinting. He was enjoying this, seeing his enemy humiliated and humbled before him. He wouldn't be feeling that after tonight.
Harry smirked and with a small sleight of hand trick he'd picked up, his wand appeared in his hand. The sight of his wand in his hand made everyone surprised, and they realised there and then this was not going to be a normal apology.
"What are you doing, Potter?" Malfoy voiced everyone's question, but Harry ignored them as he pressed the wand to his temple and closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment.
A bubble appeared above the heads of the two young wizards and it expanded while the lighting in the hall darkened as if they were in a cinema and a film was coming on. On the bubble which was still expanding until it was bigger than a pane of glass panelling on the London Gherkin, and Malfoy's face appeared in the bubble, a sneer on his face as the scene became clear. It was when everyone discovered Mrs Norris' petrified body was found hung up by the tail on the sconce.
"Enemies of the Heir Beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"
Another scene appeared, this time showing Malfoy taunting Harry when the Dementors were nearby. "Hey, Potter! Guess what my father told me…"
"Malfoy, I neither know nor do I care what your father's told you."
"He told me why you fainted because of the Dementors. He says you're reliving your parents' murders," Malfoy was laughing as if hearing the reason why his school enemy had such a terrible reaction to the Dementors was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his lifetime, with no compassion whatsoever about the fact his school rival's family was murdered by a psychopath; the very fact this teenage thug laughed and found the whole thing funny made him repulsive to Harry, who wanted nothing to do with Malfoy full stop. "How does it feel, hearing the last moments of your Blood-Traitor father and your mudblood mother?"
Malfoy wasn't laughing the next minute when Harry retaliated with a number of painful curses, but the memory changed to show something new. This time it was showing Malfoy tormenting a number of muggle-born students, first years by the look of them. The next memory Harry showed them was how Malfoy proudly bragged to anyone who would listen to one of his latest plans. But Harry had saved the best memories for the last; he showed the Hall how he framed Buckbeak, delightfully boasting about his cleverness while walking around with his arm in a sling to play for people's sympathy while gloating over the Hippogriff's imminent demise when in fact the blond tosser was lying through his teeth. But the best one showed Malfoy's opinion of foreigners just as the students from France and Bulgaria came to Hogwarts if this didn't cause problems for International Relations Harry didn't know what would.
Harry had gotten the memories by using a number of spells like the disillusionment charm and the notice me not charm (he didn't care if the first charm was advanced; thanks to his mother's guidance, Harry had managed to master the spell without any real problems, although he had access to a nice little rune cluster which performed the same jobs as well), and he had simply spied on Malfoy's conversations which were just him bragging to everyone dumb enough to give him fifteen minutes of their time to overhear how clever he was when he was nothing more than a bigoted little parrot without any brains between his ears.
By the time Harry was finished, many people in the Hall were angry with Malfoy, so the damage to the blond boy's already dodgy reputation was done. Harry had known for a while many of the teachers seemed to believe in that stupid blood shit and called the blond a top student despite how badly he did during his courses. Hopefully, now the Malfoy gold would not mean anything right now.
Malfoy's pale face was white with rage, and the teachers' Harry could see from the corner of his eye were not impressed either by what they'd seen.
"If you think I'm going to apologise to you, Malfoy," Harry whispered, but everyone heard him, "then I would ask somebody to recommend they cut out your brain and put a new one in."
"I'll get you for this, your filthy half-blooded son of a Mudblood!" Malfoy hissed, proving his intelligence by forgetting where he was.
"Mr Malfoy!" Malfoy paled even more when he remembered where he was in the school, and he turned his head a fraction and he found himself looking into the outraged eyes of Professors Sprout and Flitwick, and several of the other teachers, but they seemed content with letting the Charms professor take the reins of this one.
"That's three hundred points from Slytherin for that disgusting slur," Flitwick's voice and face were cold, so cold that it made it clear any attempt to argue over the point loss was not going to be a good move. "You will be serving detention with me for a long, long time. And while you are serving detention, I will personally teach you to keep that vile tongue of yours to yourself. And Professor Snape," Flitwick turned harsh eyes towards the glaring potions teacher, "if you interfere, or get the Headmaster to overturn this punishment, you will regret it. A lesson in arrogance with you is long since overdue, and I believe you have been coddled long enough to allow that aspect of your already disturbing personality to fester."
Harry blinked in surprise at the Charms professor's words and attitude towards Dumbledore and Snape, and he knew Snape was going to cause problems with this latest move, but Harry found he didn't care.
He walked away from the Head table in time to hear the foreign headteachers start to have a go at Dumbledore and McGonagall - thanks to the translation charm he had cast over himself as soon as the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students arrived at the castle for the tournament, he could overhear their anger at how they didn't seem to have a proper discipline structure at the castle. He doubted anything would come from it; if Flitwick and others couldn't get through to Dumbledore, why should two foreign headteachers who were only going to be here for a few months?
The good thing was he had humiliated Malfoy, hopefully, finally, everyone in the castle will finally see the blond Slytherin as the braindead moron he was. At the same time, after seeing those memories, people might realise what kind of person Malfoy was. Unfortunately, he knew he would pay for this. Snape and Malfoy would definitely see to that, but he was hopeful he could stay one or a dozen steps ahead of the two annoying wizards. If not then he would find some way of getting rid of them once and for all.
In any case, he had better things to do with his time than play games with them while he was the Fourth Champion.
