A/N: I'm soooo sorry that took so long! Well, on with the story! Oh, yeah. I've noticed other people here spacing almost everything to make the story seem longer. I'm going for it! Ha! That'll end the complaints that my stories are too short.

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Chapter Eight
The Spy at Hogwarts

"Concentrate, Harry!" cried Dumbledore.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!"

"Trying just isn't enough!"

Harry dropped his wand, utterly drained. What did Dumbledore and the other professors want from him? School hadn't even started yet, and he was already exhausted from Dumbledore's constant testing. He had no idea how well or badly he was doing, as he had no one around him for comparison. He wasn't being graded. All Dumbledore did was scribble furiously into that little notebook of his, recording, but never showing, Harry's personal progress in the magical arts.

"Take a break," said Dumbledore. "But I want to see more as a result in a half-hour!"

The rest of the teachers nodded their assent. Dumbledore had asked all the Hogwarts teachers back for Harry's tutoring. They had all understood the need to protect Harry from Voldemort, and had come willingly. It seemed only Snape had been mad about the new situation.

"Don't expect anything to change between us," he had hissed in Harry's ear once during a Potions review. "I still don't like you, even if I have to protect you!"

Harry grumbled and put away his wand. Dumbledore had made him go over ever single spell and transfiguration he had ever learned in his four years at Hogwarts. It had been nothing but review, review, review with everyone looking over his shoulder and groaning in dissapointment. So what? Did it matter that he had forgotten a few things.....

He picked his way toward the Gryffindor Tower. Once Madame Pomfrey had declared him healthy after an unusually long check-up (She had waved about her wand, chanted under her breathe for ages, before smiling and saying Harry was alright), Harry had thankfully moved his belongings into the Gryffindor Tower. At least, here, he knew he belonged.

Harry wondered about Ron and Hermione, and was ashamed of himself for not thinking of them sooner. Still, they hadn't owled him in ages! He wanted his friends here with him, or at least writing him, but they obviously seemed to be doing fine without him. Harry shook his head in resentment. "I don't need them! I'm better off without them!"

Harry angrily kicked at a wall, causing several of the paintings around him to gaze at him in atonishment. "Of course you don't need them," a voice said. "You need no one. You're more powerful than any mere witch or wizard."

"Who said that?" Harry said, spinning around in surprise.

"I am you," said the voice.

"I don't believe you!" he stated.

"Oh, but you do.... I've been here, in your mind, for ages, and kept my silence. But now, it seems you have need of me. Face it Harry, you've always known you were better than them, they've just kept you down."

"No, no, no," he chanted to himself. It couldn't be true, but still, all this business about the phoenix seemed unrealistic as well...

"Yes, yes, yes!" cried that voice triumphantly, as if sensing Harry's sudden falter of will. "Snape is always toturing you, but what does Dumbledore do? He supports Snape. Snape hates you, but Dumbledore doesn't care. Your own blood despises you. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, Dudley... Your friends, you family, have all abandoned you....abandoned you..."

"Noo!" screamed Harry, covering his ears.

"Your parents hated you! They were disgusted when you were born! No one loves you....."

"Harry?"

Harry whirled around blindly, lashing out with his wand. "It's not true!" he screamed incoherently. Now that this mysterious voice had a body, he could curse it, or something.....

He felt someone grab his wand and shake him violently. He opened his eyes and found Professor Snape there. "What's wrong with you?" he seethed. Harry recoiled. Snape? What was he doing here?
Professor Dumbledore hurried down the corridor. "What's going on?" he called. "Snape! Harry! What happened?"

"Dumbledore! I was just wandering through the halls, trying to avoid this brat," Snape motioned to Harry's shaking form, "when I heard Potter here mumbling to himself before trying to attack me. I mean, I knew he was crazy...." Snape glared maliciously at Harry, "but I never thought he'd be quite so open about it."

"Harry, is this true?" Dumbledore's voice held no emotion. The twinkle in his eye was gone.

"It's true, but I thought...."

"Does it matter what he thinks? He tried to curse me!" said Snape cruelly. He made a threatening motion toward Harry.

"Snape..." Dumbledore placed a restraining arm on Snape's shoulder.

"Harry, come here."

Harry obeyed Dumbledore, still shivering from the strange voice. What did it mean?

Dumbledore took a good look into Harry's eyes, and noted a slight glaze. Harry's gaze faltered, and his shivering doubled. "Snape, take a look at this, it's a sure sign of magical tampering." said Dumbledore quietly. He muttered, "Exposiarus" and waved his wand. Nothing happened. Dumbledore said it again and again, and still, nothing visible happened. Taken aback, Dumbledore said, "Snape, say the spell with me."

This was new for Snape. Dumbledore wasn't strong enough to break it himself? Something was definitely afoot.

Together, the professors shouted, "Exposiarus!"

Harry felt a great weight being lifted from his spirit, and he sighed with relief. A greenish mist rose from his body, and both Snape and Dumbledore gasped at the shape the mist took. It became a half-woman, half-vulture creature, before evaporating into nothingness.

Dumbledore put on a strained smile. "There Harry. All better. Your lessons are cancelled for the day. Go rest, or write your friends." With that, Dumbledore and Snape hurried away.

Harry bemusedly wondered what exactly had happened. Deciding not to dwell on this, he hurried toward the portrait of the Fat Lady and said, "Gugglywuggly" to it. The portrait swung aside and Harry climbed the stairs to the Common Room.

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"Dumbledore! That was a harpy!*" said Snape as soon as Harry had vanished from sight.

"I know, I know! We were extremely lucky that we caught that in time."

"But how long was the boy exposed to it?"

"I'd say for only a few hours. He would've been a deranged lunatic by now had it been with him any longer. As I said, we were lucky."

"But who?"

"I have some idea. All I can say for sure, at the moment, is that I believe we have a traitor in our fold." said Dumbledore grimly.

"And who knows what ideas that thing put in Harry's head."

(*A/N: A harpy, in greek mythology, is a half-woman, half-bird that drives a person insane by it's constant talking, while invisible, into someone's ear.)

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Harry made it to his bed without incident. He had a pounding headache though, and it kept him awake. "I won't think about a thing," he said to himself. "Just sleep..." Rubbing his scar absently, he closed his eyes for only a second....

"Imbecile! Fool!" shouted a thin, high voice. Harry recognized it immediately. Vodlemort.

Harry quickly took in his surroundings. Nothing gave away Voldemort's location. The windows were blocked off with heavy curtains, and the sparse light in the room revealed only two forms. Voldemort and a cloaked figure.

"But," said the stranger quickly in a feminine voice. "I did all I could!"

Harry tried to gaze into the figure's face, but it was shrouded in shadows. That voice! It sounded so familiar somehow.

"That's enough." Voldemort turned away from the figure. Harry saw his face contort as he visibly tried to surpress his rage.

When Voldemort turned back to the figure, he was smiling a sickly, sweet smile.

"It's quite alright. I just can't stand it when you fail, my love."

Harry was taken aback. Since when did Voldemort care about someone's feelings? Since when did he call ANYONE "my love?"

"Forgive me," the cloaked woman said. " It is my fault the harpies did not do their job. How else do you wish me to deal with the Potter boy?"

"Once I have calmed down enough, you shall see," said Voldemort.

Voldemort took a few, covert looks about. He seemed to look longest at the spot where Harry stood, observing the events. Did Voldemort suspect he was there.....?

Voldemort shook his head a bit, and said, to Harry's shock, "Return to Hogwarts, and await my call."

Harry awoke gasping. "A spy at Hogwarts! A spy....." he repeated to himself over and over. He had to remember this time. This dream was too important to forget. His scar throbbed, but he barely noticed as he threw on his clothes and ran down to Dumbledore's office.


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"Dumbledore!" gasped Harry as he stumbled into the room where Dumbledore and Snape were quietly talking.

"Harry! What are you doing here?"

"A spy! A spy at Hogwarts!"

"Calm down! Now, tell me exactly what is it you saw...."

"I had this dream, and Voldemort was in it! He yelled at this woman for not doing something. Something to do with harpies. He told the woman to go back to Hogwarts, and something about how he couldn't discuss his plans until he had calmed down..."

Harry ran out of breathe, but he had conveyed his messsage.

"So, Voldemort has found out about the link you and he shares. No matter! Harry, stay here with Snape. I must attend to something."

With that, Dumbledore hurried out of the room.

"So, off gaining Dumbledore's favor and raving for attention again, huh Potter?" said Snape bitterly once Dumbledore was out of the room.

Harry gaped at him in surprise. What had he done this time?

"I had some news, and I thought I'd tell him, that's all!" he said. "Honestly," Harry thought, "Why can't Snape ever give it a break?"

Without warning, he remembered what the voice had said to him earlier.

"Snape is always toturing you, but what does Dumbledore do? He supports Snape. Snape hates you, but Dumbledore doesn't care..."

Harry shook his head. Dumbledore was a man to be trusted! He was the only one who ever believed in him. He had stood up for him in front of Fudge last year, helped him rescue Sirius......

But the harpy's words echoed in his thoughts the rest of the day.


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"Aaaargh!" roared Voldemort as he awoke. He should've known better than to get angry at that bumbling fool. Now, Potter knew of his informant at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore was definitely suspicious.

"But do they truly know who my spy is? Or are they just guessing?"

Vodlemort cackled to himself. He had found that acquiring spies at Hogwarts easier than expected.

"Dumbledore thinks he's so wise, scouring the castle daily for curses!" gloated Voldemort to himself. "If he only knew! I don't even need to curse anyone there to affect the way they think...."


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Dumbledore was waiting by the gate that lead out of the castle when Poppy rushed through it. "So sorry Dumbledore! I just had to step out and go to Hogsmeade. Harry sure depleted my supplies here! I don't even have enough of those muggle bandages anymore..." Her smile faltered when she saw Dumbledore's serious face. Did he suspect? Did he already know?!

"Poppy, I need to speak to you," he said.

She gulped, and followed him reluctantly into the Forbidden Forest.


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