Harry fans, rejoice! Harry improves...slightly... in this chapter. Read the A/N at the end of the chapter for an explanation on my take on Harry, if you're interested.
****************************************************
For about a minute and a half, Sophie was doing just fine. The potion simmered quietly in her kitchen and she stirred it, waiting impatiently for Professor Snape to return. Then, unexpected things began to happen.
The mixture abruptly changed color to bright red. Worse, it started bubbling and splashing all over the place. Remembering disasters from Potions class, Sophie jumped back from the cauldron to avoid getting splashed by the liquid. I'd better stay well out of the way. The last thing I need right now is to get shrunk or anything! she thought. But now what?
"Ok. Ok. Be logical," she whispered aloud. She tried to calm her breathing and think clearly. What's going on? It seems to be boiling. It must be overheating. But what did Snape say to do about an overheating potion? Um...
"Julien just had this problem in class a week ago," she encouraged herself. "Now how did it go again?" She closed her eyes and recalled the fiasco in class. Julien's panicked face...the potion flying all over...and Snape's icy voice: Unless you are deliberately trying to destroy my whole classroom, you had better add....umm....
"...kelpie fins immediately!" Sophie finished excitedly. That was it! Kelpie fins.
Once she added the kelpie, the potion returned to normal and looked exactly like before. Now, all that was left to do was to continue following Snape's instructions until he got back.
In a matter of minutes, he returned and she smiled brightly, all ready to brag how her quick thinking had saved the experiment. She didn't get to, though, because the second he saw the potion, he narrowed his eyes and sucked a long breath through his nose. Uh-oh, she thought.
He moved closer and bent over the cauldron, then sniffed again. "Kelpie?" he snarled. "Did I say anything about adding kelpie?"
Under her breath, she muttered, "He can smell it. What a freak." Aloud, though, she apologized quickly, "I know you didn't say to, but it was overheating, and in class you said that-"
"The potion was overheating?"
"Yes," she said firmly, "it was definitely boiling and splattering. And the color was changing."
Without a single trace of congratulation, Snape confirmed flatly, "Then you did the right thing. The kelpie cools it but won't otherwise affect anything." He paused, then changed the subject suddenly. "There's another emergency in the woods. I don't have time to explain it all, but you should know that the situation is, again, grave. The potion will be ready in a moment, and then I shall take it back to the woods with Apparition. You will stay here until everything is sorted out."
"What! No way!" she cried indignantly. "You're not just leaving me here! I want to help."
Still mixing in the final ingredients, Snape didn't even turn to look at her. "No."
"That's not fair! What's happening? Is everybody ok?"
He scooped a vial full of the potion and stuck it in his sleeve, then straightened and looked down at her. "I don't know. The Circle is gone, but somebody has set a forest fire and your parents have somehow lost track of your brother."
Lost track of your brother lost track of your brother lostrackofyourbrother lostyourbrotherlostyourbrother....
The short, dire phrase echoed in Sophie's mind over and over again. Her eyes widened and she shuddered so violently that she half-toppled into the nearest chair. Julien! Something's happened to Julien! All of a sudden somebody shook her and she realized that she'd been sitting absolutely still, mouth wide open, for a long time. She forced her eyes to focus, and saw Snape's face staring back at her from only a few inches away. He shook her again. "Sophie! Listen to me!"
Finally she snapped out of it. "All right. I can't Apparate. I can't go. But you go, you find Julien, hurry. Please! If there's a fire...oh... Make sure he's okay..." her voice was cracking and tears were forming in her eyes.
Snape, on the other hand, was all business. "When the fire broke out, your father ordered him to seek safety - he was supposed to head straight northwest until he was out of the forest. It is impossible that he got lost - we pointed him in the right direction - all he had to do was walk straight ahead. Even Julien Potter cannot make a mistake that simple...by accident. My thought is that he may have tried to do something heroic and stupid. Do you have any ideas?"
Making an effort to compose herself, Sophie gulped and nodded. "Yeah...well actually, no, not really. But I can tell you what we did tonight, maybe you can figure where he went." She ran briefly through what had happened to her and Julien, starting at the point when she'd returned to him while Snape was captured by the Circle. He listened attentively, still kneeling in front of her chair.
When she was done, Snape stood up. "Your parents and I will be back soon. Now...you have accomplished far more tonight than I would have expected you to...your part is done. Go lie down and wait."
He Disapparated and she stared bemusedly at the place where he had been standing. "I believe grouchy old Snape just complimented me," she giggled to herself. "Weird."
She forced herself to think positive...Julien would be found, safe, ok... and went to her room.
*****************************************************
Snape Apparated directly underneath Harry. He pulled out the vial in his sleeve and carefully levitated it, then backed up to wait for Harry's return to earth.
Seconds after drinking the solution, Harry began sinking slowly, sighing with relief when his feet finally touched the forest floor. He wasn't given much time to recover from his ordeal, however.
"Where is your wife?"
"She went to look for Julien. She thinks maybe he went the wrong way, maybe he got confused somehow and-"
"I may have a low opinion of your son's intelligence, Potter," interrupted Snape, "but I find it hard to believe that he is incapable of walking in a straight line. I think he may have deliberately gone someplace else."
Harry gestured impatiently towards the flames that were flickering against the dark background of the sky. "Yeah? Well where exactly would he go, Professor? Directly into the fire?"
"If he had a good reason to do so."
That gave Harry pause. Could he be right? "And what reason might that be?"
Snape shrugged. "Sophie reminded me that the children left the video camera in the woods. All the evidence...all the products of this operation. Is it possible that he may have gone back for it?"
Eyes wide, Harry answered slowly, "Yes...that's exactly the sort of thing he might do. But he should have returned by now, unless something went wrong. And he's not here yet..." He looked his old teacher right in the face. "I don't care if he's gone straight back into the fire. I'm going after him."
"And I suppose you want me to go with you?" Snape was clearly agitated, and ran his hand through his hair nervously. For some reason, the gesture fascinated Harry. It gave him a flashback from his Hogwarts days... Same hair, he thought irrelevantly. A little gray, now. But still greasy.
"Well? Am I right, Potter? You want me to go with you?" Harry was dragged abruptly back to the present by Snape's impatient voice. Do I detect a trace of reluctance there? Like he doesn't want to head straight into a blazing inferno?
Aloud, he answered, "I want my son. If there's another way, by all means say so. Otherwise, yes, I'll ask you to come with me and show me where he went." With great difficulty, he finally admitted, "I don't think I'll be able to find him alone."
Snape stared for a second or two into the flames, then looked at Harry. If we leave the child, he can't make it out alive. That's certain, his mind whispered to him coldly. Against his will he continued to churn out calculating, logical thoughts... And it's doubtful whether Potter can manage alone. So, it is either going to be Julien Potter's life, or my running a great deal of danger. He smiled bitterly. I'm just as bad as these idealistic crusaders I always complain about. "If you insist, I will go with you. A word of warning, though: the physical scuffs, the actual nick-of-time rescues...these are not my fortes..."
"They're mine, don't worry," Harry said steadily. "I may not be a genius, but I'm good in action. I've managed to survive every crazy situation so far... Which way? Come on, we'll have to run."
He pointed out the direction and Harry took off immediately. Snape followed, trying to close his mind to the fact that he was racing full speed directly into an out-of-control forest fire.
*******************************************
Meanwhile, Julien Potter was choking on smoke. It was in his eyes, his nose, his mouth...his ears even. All of his senses were clouded and nullified by the thick, black, hot air that just wouldn't leave him alone. He tried standing still. He tried moving. He tried covering his face, then dropping to the ground in hopes of crawling beneath the suffocating blanket.
Nothing was working. For the first time all night, Julien began to seriously consider the possibility that he might die.
But that's ridiculous! I can't die! he thought, grasping at straws. I won't!
Suddenly he thought of his wand. Why not try magic as a last resort? It certainly couldn't make his present situation any worse... He drew his wand and tried to think of a spell that might be useful. Unfortunately, a gust of hot ashes blew at him suddenly, making him cough violently, and he dropped the wand on the ground.
All at once he realized that the smoke wasn't the only thing he should be careful of. He'd been heading towards the place where the camera was hidden, so that he could rescue the evidence, but now he noticed that he was apparently heading towards the worst of the fire, as well. There were now actual flames near him, spreading rapidly across the forest floor.
A burning branch above his head creaked dangerously, and he decided that he'd just have to leave his wand. It was too risky to stop and rifle through the leaves to find it. Julien kept going, as fast as he could without falling down. More trees were on fire.
It was getting hotter and hotter. He had to keep wiping sweat out of his eyes with the sleeve of his robe, and the thought struck him, My robe's all sweaty. I wonder if I'll boil inside it, if I stay here long enough... He'd read something once about people boiling in a fire, having tried to use water to cool themselves down.
Finally, he reached the place where he and Sophie had hidden the video camera. "I think I'm starting to be delirious," he said aloud. He dug the video camera out of the leaves, coughing the whole time. The air was scorching, and his eyes were watering profusely from the smoke and the painful stabs of light every time he happened to glance at the rising flames.
Standing up with the camera in his arms (still attached to its tripod - he didn't even think of taking it off), he nearly fell over from dizziness. Once he got himself together again, he started to run off in the direction he supposed was right, dodging a shower of flaming pine needles from the trees above.
His brain continued to supply him with random facts. This place looks familiar. I know why. It's the place where I dragged that guy who attacked Sophie...
"Oh, no!" he yelled out loud. "The guy!" There was an unconscious person around here, lying helpless someplace as the fire closed in...
"He'll die. I can't leave him. Where did I put the body? I'll find it and drag it out of here." Talking to himself seemed to make things more bearable. Julien forced himself to remember exactly where he'd put the man down.
"Should be around here somewhere...somewhere...hmm...." he coughed throughout. "Oh! Here he is," he sighed with relief. But the Death Eater was still out cold. Julien tried to revive him...but no luck. He would have to drag him out through the burning forest.
The fire was gaining ground. Places that had been merely full of smoke before, now began to burst without warning into flame. Everything was getting hotter and hazier and more awful. After a few steps, Julien let go of the unconscious wizard and dropped the camera. "I'm not going to make it," he said aloud. He could barely hear himself over the roar of the flame and the crack of falling trees.
"The whole forest is crashing down around me," he mumbled, "and I can't possibly make it out if I drag this big lug after me."
He looked at the man, whose face was still covered by a Death Eater mask. So leave him. He's a killer, Julien's mind whispered to him, and everybody's better off without him. Leave him. There's no point risking your life for scum.
Of course the decision wouldn't be that easy, though. He could be a perfectly good man under that mask, another part of his mind argued stubbornly, and you'll never know until it's too late and you've killed him. You know he'd haunt you forever if you let him die...so just give in and drag him with you. But how? He sighed aloud and looked at the scene in front of him. The limp form of the Dark Circle member, the glint of firelight off the camera...
The camera. If he left the camera, he could carry the guy out with him. Couldn't he? It wouldn't be easy, certainly, but without the cumbersome appliance, it wouldn't be impossible to make it out alive, even pulling this dead weight behind him.
But he couldn't leave the camera! All the evidence. They'd risked everything, he and Sophie and his mother and his father and Professor Snape... And all the people the Dark Circle wanted to murder - without the evidence on the video camera, there was no way the Ministry could arrest everybody and save the targeted people. His mind made up, Julien picked up the camera and started to go.
Then he stopped. "I can't leave that man to burn here! That's disgusting!" he cried angrily. "What else am I supposed to do? I'll have to take him." He dropped the camera and grabbed the man, then turned again to leave.
But now he remembered again: he couldn't leave the camera. Maybe I can hurry with the guy, then come back for the camera before the fire gets it, he thought hopefully, then realized that that was probably impossible. He'd be lucky to make it out once, much less come back in and do it a second time. In that case, then, he ought to take the camera and run. But what about the guy? But then what about the camera?...But then...but...
"If I stay here and do nothing, in a minute it'll be too late to make it out with either one," he growled to himself. "Make a decision!".
He stared from the camera to the Death Eater, caught between a rock and a hard place, as the fire closed in quicker and quicker....
**************************************************
**************************************************
A/N:
OK, I'll take this opportunity to go on a little rant about Harry. Several readers have been saying that Harry's a little pathetic in my story, and I'll admit that he is, but I want to explain what makes me portray him that way. Throughout JKR's books so far, he's been saved by luck, his parents, his friends, Fawkes, Dumbledore, and a variety of other things...pretty much everything except himself. Now, I know that Harry has good traits which make this saving possible - his loyalty and bravery and friendship, for example. He does better than most kids could. However, he's still not perfect. He does seem often to be immobile, indecisive, or just plain stupid when disaster strikes. (Think Basilisk - did he ever once think of speaking to the thing in Parseltongue and telling it to back off? Think Sirius Black - Harry wanted to kill him but froze up at the critical moment. Think Cedric Diggory dying - Harry was too panicked about his scar hurting to try to help. Etc.)
I think he does have strong points, but I don't think he is usually the one who solves everything. He does his best and comes through when it counts, but I still think it would be flattering him too much to let him do all of the hero-work.
So that's the end of my rant about Harry. Do you think I'm being too harsh on him? Gimme feedback...there's still time for him to do something useful! (Don't worry, he'll do something anyway.)
Thanks for reading.