CHAPTER 9: DETENTION AND DEATH-EATERS
The rest of Harry's day passed rather uneventfully. Nothing out of the ordinary happened except for the fact that Malfoy purposefully knocked Harry down in the hallway, causing him to drop his books and wand. Malfoy sneered as he stalked away.
At dinner, Harry looked up at the staff table. He was surprised to see that several of the teachers were looking at him and whispering to one another. When they saw Harry gazing inquisitively at them, the teachers quickly looked down at their food. Hagrid was still looking at Harry however, and he nodded and mouthed "see you later"
Harry hadn't been able to think of much all day except for his detention. It would be immediately after dinner.
Harry didn't have a very good meal; the meat was tough, the green beans were stringy, and the rolls were hard. Harry hadn't remembered the Hogwart's food being so nauseating. Perhaps the missing house-elf had been the best cook.
'Well', Harry thought, 'at least after my detention we might have found the house-elf, so maybe the food will improve.'
By a quarter 'till eight, Hagrid had finished eating and left the staff table. At five 'till eight, Harry bid his friends farewell and left the hall. Malfoy was several paces behind him.
Harry continued through the hallways and outside Hogwart's Castle.
"Lumos!" Harry whispered. It was pitch-black outside because it was cloudy. Harry had stumbled over a rock and tripped. He heard Malfoy's sniggers behind him. Harry decided to illuminate his wand in order to see.
As the silhouette of Hagrid's cabin emerged out of the darkness, Harry felt his heart sink. It was only the second day of school and he was already in trouble. Of course, the trouble involved Malfoy, as usual.
"Harry!" Hagrid's door opened. "Mister Malfoy…" Hagrid mumbled.
"Hello, Hagrid, how are you?" Harry walked up to Hagrid.
"Very well, thanks…" Hagrid tipped his head to the side, "Second day of school, Harry.' His face turned serious.
"Well, boys, I'd love to invite you in, but this is detention, after all. Here, Draco, a lantern." Hagrid held a candle-lit lantern out to Malfoy.
"I've got my wand lit. I actually know how to do magic." Malfoy said disrespectfully.
Harry (and Malfoy) knew that Hagrid had been expelled from Hogwart's years before, having been falsely accused of a crime.
Hagrid scowled at Malfoy and recoiled, taking his lantern with him.
"My past, Mister Malfoy, t'aint none o' yer business. Besides the fact that I can so do magic, t'was a big misunderstandin'. Yeh wanna use yer wand, go ahead. I dun' care."
Hagrid looked hurt as Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Malfoy, Hagrid - I mean, Mister Hagrid, is a teacher and you ought to respect him." Harry said quietly.
"Oh, shut up, Potter. You know you would have lost the duel if McGonagall hadn't shown up. You know it's true; I am a better wizard." Malfoy laughed maliciously.
"Oh stop it, the both of yeh!" Hagrid exclaimed. "Yeh've both got a detention to serve, so let's go."
Hagrid pushed past Malfoy and pulled the door shut. Malfoy and Harry glared at each other before following Hagrid. Malfoy remained several steps behind the other two. Hagrid's dog, Fang, followed as well.
"Harry," Hagrid whispered, walking next to Harry and remembering to keep his voice low. "The house-elf ain't what we're look-in fer… I said that as a cover when I heard it was yeh I had detention with."
Harry was puzzled. If they weren't looking for a house-elf, what were they looking for?
Hagrid seemed to read Harry's mind. "We're a'lookin fer… fer Death Eaters, Harry."
Harry gasped audibly. Death Eaters, wizards and witches loyal to Voldemort, at Hogwart's?
"Saw 'em in th' forest few days back… next day when I came back to the same spot, they was gone. But I been finding some clues that they been there, most important one bein' I found a wand in th' wood. Dunno whose it is… jest know it shouldn't be there."
Harry hoped Malfoy, now several yards behind Harry and Hagrid with Fang, was out of earshot. Harry was pretty sure Malfoy's father was a Death-Eater himself.
The crew had reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so Harry and Hagrid paused and waited for Malfoy and Fang to catch up.
"All right, Mister Malfoy, you an' Fang go that way," Hagrid pointed, "And me an' Harry'll go this way." He gestured in the opposite direction. "You see the house-elf, you send red sparks up with yer wand."
Malfoy donned a false smile and with great sarcasm, said, "Yes, sir."
"Humph." Hagrid said gruffly as Malfoy and Fang headed off. He began to walk towards the reverse side of the Forest, and he continued to speak to Harry as they walked.
"So, really, Harry, there ain't no house-elf missin'. Malfoy'll be look-in fer ages."
"Do you have any clue who the Death-Eaters you saw were, Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"Din' recognize a one of 'em," Hagrid responded, shaking his head wearily, "But I know they was Death-Eaters cause I heard 'em talkin'… sayin some stuff about how their Master would be in the castle, and how he was going to find the road."
"Hagrid…" Harry said slowly, as he stopped walking. "There's something I need to tell you." Harry told Hagrid all about the book, every last detail, and about Madeline. After the story, Hagrid looked concerned.
"Well, when're yeh goin' to look fer yer next clue?" Hagrid demanded.
"Tonight, I suspect, now that I know there are Death-Eaters on the grounds." Harry began to walk again. "What do you propose we do to the Death-Eaters when we catch them?"
"I dunno, actually," Hagrid mumbled thoughtfully. "I suppose go straight to Dumbledore. We gotta get 'em outta these woods, though. Can't let 'em infiltrate the school. Could be disastrous. And, Harry, if I was you, I'd keep that book somewhere real safe. Dunno who's gonna wanna find it."
Harry nodded. He cleared his throat after about 20 minutes of walking in silence, and decided to change the subject.
"The Back-to-School Dance is in about two weeks, Hagrid!" Harry said with attempted happiness.
"So I heard. Who're yeh goin' with?" Hagrid smiled slyly at Harry.
"Hermione," Harry said matter-of-factly.
"Yeh like her, dontcha?" Hagrid laughed. "How cute. Yeh been friends fer five years an' all." He smiled. "How cute." Hagrid repeated.
Harry grinned back. "Ron's going with Madeline. She asked him, actually."
"Really? Well, how good for Ron!" Hagrid said sincerely. "Extend my congratulations. But - what about that Cho Chang girl you had a crush on last year?"
Harry felt his cheeks grow hot. "She- she's a Ravenclaw, and I've seen her in the corridors and she doesn't even say hello. Besides… I like Hermione…" He cleared his throat. "Anyway… I've been meaning to ask you. Do you remember how that day in Diagon Alley…"
Hagrid interrupted. "Never did find out what happened. Thanks for the owl letting me know." Hagrid said sarcastically, tutting at Harry.
"Well, it had to do with the book. That rose I was holding… my first clue. What did you know about it?"
"That rose you had was a Lerimar Rose. It was always found glowin' where V-Vol-" Hagrid couldn't bring himself to say Voldemort's name. Not many people in the wizarding community did. "Where You-Know-Who was. Named for a garden at a castle called Lerimar. The roses only glow when there's deep evil around 'em."
"Sounds a lot like that rock…" Harry mumbled. "Hagrid, all of my clues have been concerning truth. I mean, the rose, the rock, they both said when there was evil around. And there's always been a truthful significance behind a feather. In my old Muggle school, when we learned about Ancient Egypt, we learned that they all believed that when you died, your heart would be weighed against a feather… a feather of truth. Judgement, Hagrid! They're all about judgement!"
Hagrid winked. "I knew yeh'd get it soon 'nuff. Yeh always was a quick boy, Harry."
"You knew?!" Harry sounded annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Some things, yeh'll learn, yeh gotta find out fer yerself. Can't help yeh, Harry, not with this 'un. Ssh!" Suddenly Hagrid grew silent. "Listen!" he hissed.
Harry craned his neck and strained to hear. Voices were speaking quickly. They sounded as if they were no more than a few yards away.
"But that girl! Ever since she got involved! What if we can't get to the boy. What if she gets in the way like that Diggory boy?"
Harry's stomach was in his throat. They couldn't be talking about anyone other than him. Get in the way? When Cedric had died, it had been because he was in the way. He was in between Harry and Voldemort. What if Madeline were 'in the way'? Would she, too - and Harry! - be killed?
"I don't know. There's got to be some time they'll be separated. But not when he's just in his bed. She won't be there, but the book will. We can't overcome that book, not now that it's been opened. There's nothing we can do!" Another voice hissed in response to the first as a third Death-Eater cut in.
"Quidditch!" There was silence until the woman explained herself. "The boy plays Quidditch! What if we get to him during a game? He's the Gryffindor Seeker, I believe, or so my son has told me."
Hagrid grasped Harry's shoulder. He, too, had caught on.
"Harry," Hagrid whispered, "Run. Run back to the castle. Go straight to your bed. Open the book. They can't get at you when you've got the book open. I'm going to Dumbledore. Go! Run!"
And Harry did run. He ran like the wind; he feared, once again, for his life. As his feet pounded on the ground, Harry thought with each step of a time when his life had been in jeopardy. He thought of the time in his first year when he'd found out about the Sorcerer's Stone… the time in his second year when he's found out he was a Parselmouth, or able to talk to snakes, and had faced a giant snake in the Chamber of Secrets in an attempt to save Ginny, Ron's sister… the time his third year when, in a spooky old house, he'd knocked Snape out while trying to sort out confusing facts. They'd found that Ron's rat was a man, and Harry's father could become a stag in his life, and that their favorite teacher was a werewolf, and that Sirius was innocent. The time in his fourth year, just months before, when he'd been in the tri-wizard tournament. When Cedric died. Harry's life for the past four years had been chock-full of danger. And always, Harry's friends had been at his side, supporting him, and facing danger themselves. Harry could only hope that his friends would be there for him now… when he really needed them.
Harry emerged from the forest. The castle seemed so close, yet he was so tired.
When at last Harry reached the Castle, he sprinted through the hallways, trying to be stealthy and move in the shadows so as not to be caught. He wished he had his invisibility cloak with him.
Harry reached the Gryffindor portrait hole. Everyone in the castle was in bed, including the old woman in the portrait; Harry hadn't realized how long he'd been at detention.
Harry tapped the portrait and the woman sprang to life.
She yawned. "Yes, dear?"
"Fudge-muffin." Harry said quickly and quietly. "Go-" the woman yawned again. "Go on in…" The portrait hole opened, and Harry ran through and continued to the boys' dormitories.
He opened the door to the fifth-years' room and leaped into his bed. The Road to Nowhere was lying faithfully between his mattresses. Harry extracted it and opened it to the next blank page. He saw the picture Madeline had talked about, the one of Malfoy standing over Cedric Diggory, laughing. Harry turned the page and saw a new picture.
It was a door. A plain, solid wood door. The door seemed like it could be a door in Hogwart's Castle. The stone walls surrounding the door were a gray, weathered stone. Suddenly, the picture began to move. Raindrops fell on the stones in front of the door, and the soft pitter-patter of the gentle storm could be heard. If it was raining, Harry thought, surely the door was outside leading in. But what could the door lead to?
Harry decided to leave the book open for the night. He was exhausted, yet he couldn't fall asleep, not knowing that the Death-Eaters were just outside the castle, and knowing that they wanted him dead. Harry laid the open book over his chest and pulled the covers over it. He lay for hours, staring at the ceiling, following a long crack down the wall with his eye.
Dumbledore would keep him safe, Harry knew. He kept trying to reassure himself that Hagrid had gone to see Dumbledore, and Dumbledore always made everything all right. He was considered by almost everyone to be the best living wizard. Surely a few Death-Eaters couldn't get past him. No, Harry thought, he was safe. However many times Harry tried to tell himself everything would be fine, he continued to lie awake, silent and unmoving, until dawn began to peek over the horizon and sunlight filled the room.