"Voice?"
"Thank god."
"I just walked in. That tapping is deafening. Something wrong?"
"Yes. I need your help."
"With?"
"The Imperius curse."
"What about it?"
"You can resist it, can't you."
"Yes."
"How?"
"I don't really know."
"Did someone teach you to do that?"
"NoMad-Eye Moodyyou knowhe cast it on me in class once, and—"
"Yes, yes I know. That wasn't the first time you did it, was it?"
"You know? Ah. So you're in Slytherin, are you?"
"Not necessarily. Everyone knows about that."
"They do?"
"Good lord, Potter. Have you no idea how much people talk about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone knows everything about you."
"Not everything."
"No?"
"Of course not."
"You have secrets, O Great Harry Potter? Like where you keep your teddy bear? Which salad dressing you prefer? No no, I think I saw that in the Daily Prophet the other day, balsamic, was it? Perhaps it's your crush on Hermione Granger, no no, that too was an article in—"
"Shut up. Justshut up."
"Harry?"
""
"Harry, come on. I'm sorry."
""
"Harry? Please come back."
*
"Harry?"
""
"I know you're there. Talk to me?"
*
"Voice!"
"Argh! What?"
"You. With the nightmares."
"what time is it?"
"Two o'clock. Magic hour."
"Oh."
"More about your father. What does he do to you?"
"I"
"Are you okay?"
""
"I can hear you crying. Tell me where you are, I'll come get you."
"Just"
"Come on, this is fun for a while, but you can't live like this, with the nightmares, and theyou just can't. it's not right."
"I'm okay."
"Tell me where you are."
"You can't come in here. You'll be seen."
"I have an invisibility cloak."
"You do?"
"Yes. It was my father's."
"Oh."
"Where are you?"
"I'm fine, really. I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine."
"It's just the pipes."
"Hmph."
"Look, HarryI'm sorry about before. Teasing is kind of a bad habit of mine."
"It's okay."
"I won't do it again."
"Yeah right."
"Heh. Well. I mean, I'll try not to hurt your feelings."
"Mmmhhmm."
"Much."
"Tell me where you are. You shouldn't be alone."
"Harry, I"
"Tell me who you are."
"You can't guess?"
"No. I really can't, I have no idea."
"Goodnight, Harry."
"Voice"
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
"Goodnight, Harry."
*
"Harry?"
"There you are."
"You've taken up the tapping now, have you?"
"Indeed."
"It's very noisy."
"Tell me about it."
"What's up?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Ah, well! Here I am."
"Tell me who you are?"
"Umnot right now. Maybe later."
"You're just saying that to placate me, aren't you."
"Perhaps."
"I'm playing Quidditch this afternoon."
"Yes, I know!"
"Will you be there?"
"Yes, I expect so."
"Will you cheer for me?"
"Of course."
*
"Well done, Harry!"
"Oh! Voice! You saw!"
"I did indeed! Nicely played game, I must say."
"I didn't think we'd win, to be honest. The Slytherins were way ahead of us."
"Really? I thought it looked very easy for you. At the end it looked like you just reached out so casually, you were even looking the other way, and—"
"You could see that? From where you were sitting?"
"Well, I've got omnioculars."
"Oh. Right. Yeah, it was a total fluke. Malfoy was about to grab the snitch, I didn't even know it was there."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I saw him heading toward me and I was just trying to get my balance to get out of his way. I was sure he was just going to sideswipe me and make me fall off my broom."
"So you just"
"Yep. Put out my hand and there was the snitch."
"Of all the luck."
"Story of my life."
"Well, a good game nonetheless."
"Thanks! Argh, I'm sore!"
"Are you?"
"Yeah, Malfoy managed to really wham into me early in the game, did you see that?"
"Yes, yes I did. That was a bit of a foul, wasn't it."
"I'd say. Hooch never calls them for that dirty play of theirs."
"She didn't call the Gryffindors on it either."
"Gryffindors don't play dirty."
"Oh, well, what about Weasley sticking his boom into Goyle's stomach?"
"That was an accident!"
"Sure, sure it was."
"Eh. He deserved it for calling me scarhead'. Hey, that's not funny! Don't laugh!"
"Heheheeeeheee"
"You're terrible. You must be a Slytherin."
"Nothing wrong with Slytherin."
"Hmph. There wasn't a wizard who went bad who wasn't—"
"—in Slytherin? Bullshit. What about that nice little piece of work Peter Pettigrew of yours?"
"Hmm. Point taken."
"And what about that Sirius Black?"
""
"Well?"
"SHUT. UP."
"Oh god what NOW?"
"I'm going. We're having a party downstairs, I've got to go. Just..justdon't mention Sirius Black unless you really don't want us to be friends."
"I—"
"I'm going now."
"Okay."
*
"Harry!"
"Voice!"
"You're back!"
"Yes I am!"
"And you sound rather drunk!"
"Heheheheeheeee you can tell?"
"How the hell did you get drunk?"
"Ron's brothers were at the game, they brought us butterbeer. Lots. Of butterbeer."
"Lying down now?"
"Yes. Oh God I have to go to the bathroom very very badly."
"Good Lord, Potter. Go!"
"I'll be right back, I swear."
*
"Potter?"
""
"Did you pass out?"
""
"Well, enjoy that hangover in the morning, you dork."
*
"Unf."
"Good morning to you, princess."
"Urrgh."
"Go drink some water."
"Uh. Okay. Hey, don't laugh! It hurts my head."
*
"Voice?"
"Yeah?"
"Ah. There you are. I couldn't hear anything. I wondered if you were asleep."
"No no. Just working on my Potions assignment."
"Oh, me too. My head still hurts."
"Drinking mid-week. Bad idea."
"Yeah, remind me of that next time we kick Slytherin's ass at Quidditch."
"Mmph."
"You really are a Slytherin, aren't you."
"Perhaps."
"Do we know each other, you know, during the day?"
"We might."
"I'm not friends with any Slytherins, really. We're not friends, then, are we."
"You sound sad, Harry."
"Well, it would be nice if we were friends, wouldn't it?"
"Maybe we are friends. In some ways."
"I'd like that."
"Me too."
"So let's be friends. Okay? Me, and voice. We are friends."
"Okay."
"So who are you?"
"I don't really have too many friends, you know."
"No?"
"Not really. Well, not any I would, say, trust. Or talk to much. Not like you."
"Hmm. We should do something in flesh. I think my friends would like you."
"I highly doubt it."
"Why? I like you."
"Do you?"
"Of course."
"Hmm."
"Do you like me?"
"Mmmhmmm. What's your answer for number 12?"
"Huh?"
"Crumbled hollyhock seed? Or Dandelion extract?"
"Heh. I thought it was crushed snailshells."
"Oh God, Harry. I can't believe you ever pass potions."
"Argh! I barely do! I hate that class."
"Why?"
"You should know. Malfoy always makes my life difficult in that class."
"Oh? How so?"
"Wait. You know everything about me, but not this?"
"Just tell me."
"Well. He teases me all the time. And makes my potions go bad. And. And he distracts me."
"Distracts you?"
"Yes. Argh. I bet my whole assignment is wrong."
"Well, read it to me. We'll fix it. You goof."
"Heh."