(A/n: I am skipping ahead a bit due to lack of ideas. HUGE THANKS to anyone who has reviewed my story if it wasn't for you I'd have stopped long ago. On to the story.)
Chapter 21
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Three loud booms shook the walls of the Great Hall alerting everyone to the fact that something big was going down. It was now October and the first month of classes was very eventful and for once, Potions was one of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's favorite classes. Alexander was interesting. He showed them how to collect ingredients and how to stir some concoctions just right. He was a great potions professor.
Falcore was teaching them some of the basic advanced defense techniques. Andre it turned out had taken over for Hagrid while Hagrid was off doing something for Dumbledore. The secret of Drake was kept. Rosalyn seemed to be getting tired more often lately; they hadn't tried the amulet yet because of this. They had though found a way to freeze any changes and keep the evil in them locked away till they could try.
One more boom rocked the hall. "Aurors and Death Eaters… Fighting in Hogsmeade… NEED BACK UP!" screamed Ludo Bagman as he burst through the door looking more fit than he had in a while. He could even fit into his old Wimbourne Wasps robe which he was wearing.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione felt something pulse on their forearm and they quickly got up and headed towards the exit. Drake, Alexander, Falcore, and Andre followed their chair legs scraping against the floor simultaneously.
"Go on we'll be out in a moment." Says Dumbledore rising from the table and following the other seven who got up.
Ludo leaves and the eight meet up in the Entrance Hall. All of sudden 'P & F' is muttered and five others show up as the golden robes appear on them. 'The Order; against the dark in the fight of life' appears on the back looking like phoenix tears. A phoenix cry goes up as the 13 go out to aid the Aurors. Two Aurors fall as they come out. The repeated phoenix cry has frozen some Death Eaters in their tracks allowing them to be stunned and bound. Falcore has made an earth shield around the remaining Aurors and made it keep the stunned Death Eaters in place. The remaining Death Eaters flee and Apparate away.
One blaze of green light flies towards The Order though and it hits the person on the front to the right. A scream is heard and the rush of death as the one hit falls the hood falls back. It reveals…
"Fleur… No!" says a broad shoulder duck footed man stepping up.
"Krum? Fleur? Oh my." Says Hermione.
Ron appears to be in shock and Harry stands there his jaw dropped but he is staring past Krum and Fleur to the carnage in Hogsmeade he sees Honeydukes is blasted apart and so is about half of the town. He then notices Ludo Bagman lying on the ground, dead. He scans over the other dead faces, 10 total, but doesn't recognize them. He notices Mad-Eye Moody's wooden leg scorching.
The earth shield comes down around the Aurors and the captured Death Eaters. Those who are unconscious are floated up to the castle as are the Death Eaters. As they go through the Great Hall their hoods raised except for Fleur and Krum. Krum has his head bowed low though and Fleur's head is on his shoulder.
[They must have gotten together after last year.] thinks Harry watching it. [I guess he and Hermione decided there was too much of an age difference.]
They march solemnly Harry, Ron, Hermione, appear much taller than they are to fool people. Drake's aging potion has worn of until his cloak leaves him to fool people. The crowd looks odd. People in golden cloaks floating Aurors and people in black cloaks. The crowd moves out of the great hall and up to the hospital wing. They find Rosalyn there and they drop off the Aurors and Alexander scoops up Rosalyn as they leave. They go to Dumbledore's office and set Rosalyn on a couch there.
"So what do you think?" Alexander says.
"They're starting to move." Says Dumbledore. "This is bad."
"We lost ten Aurors and one of our own, not to mention Ludo Bagman." Harry pipes up.
The others look at Harry shocked. "I didn't know we had lost that many." Says Alexander.
"Ugh. Huh? Where am I?" says Rosalyn finally waking up.
"You're in my office." Says Dumbledore.
"Oh.. 'Kay." Says Rosalyn laying back and sleeping again.
"She seems real tired all the time lately." Alexander says absentmindedly.
"I know." Says Falcore. "I can't even perceive what this one is."
"Could it have to with Voldemort? I mean… maybe he is trying to keep her weak so she can never create the amulet and cure herself." Alexander says.
"That is a very likely possibility." Says Dumbledore. "But you don't feel the weakness and you would."
"That's true." Says Alexander not realizing the trio and Drake have left. Krum left them at the hospital wing.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione follow Drake to the Great Hall distraught over what they just saw. They take their seats at the table again and eat silently. There is an unceasing murmur of excitement and worry for the rest of the meal. Questions are asked of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Drake. They ignore them all and eat on rising promptly after they've had enough.
"IF YOU WANT TO KNOW GO LOOK OUT OF THE CASTLE TOWARDS HOGSMEADE!" Drake yells letting his temper flare and he screams before turning and rushing from the hall. Harry, Ron, and Hermione follow him. They enter the tower and go to their dorms laying in their four-poster beds until sleep takes over.
Rosalyn awoke in Alexander's room. She was confused at first but got over it and quickly went about her normal morning routine. When she got into the bathroom and looked in the mirror she screamed a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream.
"Is that anyway to greet your King Rosalyn?" a cold voice says from the mirror. "I haven't forgotten about you if that's what you think. I just can't find anyway to have my… fun with you yet, my Queen. Soon we will be together again and I will have a prince in Alexander as well as a queen in you." He says the words 'my Queen' in such a way it sends a shiver down her spine. His face disappears and Rosalyn faints to the floor of the bathroom where she is found five minutes later by Alexander and taken to the hospital wing.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking to DADA with Drake when Alexander rushed past with Rosalyn in his arms.
"My, my. That muggle-lover's git of a lover sure is sick a lot." Says a cold drawling voice from behind the four.
Malfoy finds himself as the target for four wands suddenly and he gets, if possible, even paler then normal.
"Take that back you half-blood worshipping piss of a person. You Death Eater scum. One more remark and you will find your five foot nothing self in 5 and a half feet of ice." Says Drake.
"Oh yeah. You and your Muggle-loving, mudblood friends going to do something? I worship no half-blooded loser. I am beyond that." Says Malfoy and a smile plays on Drake and Harry's lips.
"Oh, don't you know?" says Harry.
"Know what?" says Malfoy indignantly.
"I guess he doesn't." Drake says playing along.
"KNOW WHAT?" Malfoy demands.
"Voldemort also known as Tom (mumbles last name) is a half-blood." Says Harry enjoying the deflated look Malfoy's face now has which is sweetened by the fact that Drake freezes him like that. They walk on to DADA laughing ("Even if we are late that was worth it" says Ron).
Falcore takes ten points from Gryffindor when they walk in late. "As I was saying, we are going to begin…"
Falcore is cut off as a fuming Alexander walks in. "Falcore, four Gryffindors have messed with one of my Slytherins leaving him frozen. Have them come out here."
"What?" Harry mouths at Drake who just sort of smiles and shrugs as they go out there.
"Mr. Malfoy has just been to tell me that you messed with him." Says Alexander who looks like Snape suddenly with Malfoy behind him looking smug. "Well I say…" He turns back to looking like Alexander right in front of Malfoy who was smirking and suddenly Malfoy's jaw drops and fear is in his eyes. "Good job. Do it again if he gives you trouble. Remember me boy?"
They laugh at the second joke/prank on Malfoy as he suddenly starts to shake remembering the curse. "KINZO…" Alexander whispers at him and he flees leaving a little 'trail' behind him and Crabbe and Goyle go after him. Alexander joins in the laughing then not realizing the class is sitting just inside the doors staring and confused. Falcore is chuckling quietly at his desk.
The door opens and they walk in to the stares of the class Alexander having left to go to the potions dungeon. "AS I WAS SAYING…" Falcore says. Drake knocks on his desk like the door.
Falcore glares at him and continues. "Today we will begin working on Amulets and their uses…" The bell cuts him off. "It figures. HOMEWORK CLASS READ UP ON THE IMPORTANCE OF AMULETS!"
Later that day was lunch during which Drake, Ron, Harry, and Hermione sat together. When they were nearly done with their meal, during which they had been talking about Draco's 'accident', none other than the ferret boy himself interrupted them.
"Hey! This is the Gryffindor table. No ferrets allowed." Says Drake.
"Oh shut up you American prat." Says Draco.
Drake leans in real close to Draco and says, "I've killed before do you want to be next?"
Draco's eyes widen and he gets as pale as a ghost. "I'm not here to mess with you. Hey, Scarhead. Have you always been such a relative repellent? I mean, first your parents and then your…"
A solid scraping then a thwacking noise interrupts Malfoy as Drake and Harry both stand and punch him dislocating his jaw and breaking his nose. "Never talk like that about my parents in front of me you pant pissing little ferret boy." Says Harry who delivered the shot to the jaw.
By that time the teachers who saw it run down. This group includes Falcore, Dumbledore, and McGonagall.
"What on earth has happened here?" McGonagall asks after seeing the bloody nose of Draco and hearing his yelps of pain.
"That… Malfoy was talking about Harry's parents." Says Hermione.
"Hmm. He was?" says Falcore looking angry. "Go off to the hospital wing boy and 50 points from Slytherin."
"You two will get a detention and 100 points from Gryffindor, and 50 more for your mouth Potter." Says McGonagal.
Harry and Drake walk off with Ron and Hermione still angry but also ashamed.
"Um… Drake. Was what you said to Malfoy true?" says Hermione.
Drake's eyes suddenly got wide and he paled. "You heard that?"
"Yes. I wasn't supposed to?" she says.
"Well, not really, but since you did… I guess I can tell you three the truth since you already know one other secret of mine and haven't spilled that one yet." Drake says. "Not here though. Let's go to somewhere I found."
The group followed Drake up to the Trophy Room and while Drake was trying to remember how to get back into the room Harry turned to Hermione. "What did you over hear? I was to busy hating Malfoy to eavesdrop."
"Yeah Herm, I didn't catch it either." Says Ron.
"Well, he said he'd killed before…" says Hermione trailing off as Drake turns and ushers them into the secret room.
"Ok. This place is soundproof. No sounds can be heard from outside in here and no sounds from in here can be heard from inside out there. Also, no one can get in as long as someone is in here. So… You want to know if the killing is true. Well, *gulp* yes it is… I'm not proud of what I did. I don't claim innocence even though I was under Imperius. I don't claim innocence because I could have fought the Imperius but didn't. I suppose I wanted an excuse; a reason to plead innocence. I let my guard down once and found myself at the house of the American Minister Of Magic. He..." Drake's voice starts to break and he gulps again.
"He was home. So were his wife and three kids." Drake starts to shiver uncontrollably and Hermione reaches out to comfort him but he waves her off. "I must finish this I can't break down until I'm done. Since I figured I was there to kill them I drew my wand and heard the little voice. 'Kill the minister.' 'Kill him now.' I leveled my wand with his chest and shouted the curse fully aware of what I was doing, able to stop it as well, but all of a sudden his eldest boy who was just out of school leapt in front of him and took the curse. I walked up to the minister realizing what would happen if I cursed him then because of your deed Harry. I pulled a dagger I always had on me and slit his throat and stabbed him in the chest. His wife, a medi-witch, tried to heal him but I killed her too. His littlest boy, aged 12, came up and pounded on me but I pulled… I pulled... th-th-the knife across his throat and he collapsed. Apparently I lapsed again after that and whoever was cursing me must have been watching. 'No witnesses' it said. So I turned on his 5-year-old daughter and struck her down with the killing curse. I fled out of there but watched the house and realized the whole family wasn't dead. He had a daughter, eldest child of them all. She was 24 and she came for a visit to find her mother bleeding and dead her youngest brother with his throat slit, dead and in a pool of his own blood…" Drake who was sitting on the floor started rocking back and forth. "Her oldest brother dead clean, her dad lying in a pool of his own blood. And her young sister lying dead like her brother. She let out a moan so piteous and grief filled I went up to her gave her my wand, and, knowing she would be the next Minister of Magic, I turned myself in crying like I was two. She did something after noticing my remorse, she was a sweet lady, and discovered that Imperius had been on me. She said I could go free because of that but I said 'No I killed a family I deserve whatever I get.' She took me in to have me tried and they were lenient and gave me five years. I was 20 then. You all would have been 10-11. I still can't believe she was so nice. I killed her whole family and she got me off with 5 years that turned into 3 and two probation. Alexander took complete charge of me. I guess he wanted anything to take his mind off of Rosalyn then. He straightened me up and helped me find and hone my ice skill."
Drake broke down then and sobbed a piteous remorseful sob. A sob full of emotions as mixed as they were. Hermione put a hand on his shoulder and he hugged her and just cried on her shoulder. Hermione patted his head in a caring careful way. Drake let it all out and they were there for around half an hour. They were glad they didn't have afternoon classes that day. "I didn't deserve that lady's kindness. I should've been executed or given the kiss. I didn't… don't… never will deserve the kindness she showed. If she would have known I could fight Imperius…"
Drake chokes off again and tells them to leave him be. They pick him up and drag him out. "No we will not leave you in a room we can't get into with you thinking like you are." Says Harry.
They drag him up to the dorms and set him down in his bed. Seamus and Dean saw them and when they came back down asked what was the matter.
"It's personal." Ron says shortly.
"Ok. Don't get so mad." Seamus says.
A wind had started to whirl around Ron flapping his hair all around and making his robes fly (not off of him) as the wind hits the loose folds. Ron suddenly looks shocked as do Harry, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and everyone in the common room. "I thought you were able to control that now." Harry whispered fiercely into Ron's ear.
"So did I."
"That wasn't what I wanted to hear."
"Me neither."
"I don't like this conversation."
"Same here."
"So hush they are all staring."
Ron looks up to see all eyes on him and he drags Harry and Hermione out of the common room after telling Dean and Seamus to watch Drake. He leads them out to Falcore's office. They bust in on Falcore, Andre, Alexander, Sirius, and Remus meeting. "Sorry chaps but we have a problem. I accidentally flared my powers, and Drake is seeming a bit er… unstable."
Alexander's eyes go wide. "He told you?"
"Yes he did." Says Harry.
"Dang." Says Andre.
"Not good." Says Falcore.
"What isn't good?" Sirius and Remus say at the same time.
"Nothing." Everyone else says.
"Sorry." The two say.
"Why did he tell you?" says Alexander.
"Hermione (everyone looks at her) overheard a comment he made to Malfoy. She asked if it was true and he told us." Says Ron.
"Not a good thing." Alexander says.
"Has anyone messed with him yet?" says Falcore.
"Uhh… well… I told Dean and Seamus to watch him. I don't think they would have messed with him though." Says Ron.
"GO! Go check." Says Alexander.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione go out and run back to the common room. When they get there they shout the password ("Ferret") and go in and up to the dorm rooms where they find…
"Oh my…" says Hermione.
"Whoa…" says Harry.
"HOLY…" says Ron.
They walk in to see Drake, hanging from his head in ice, out of the window like he is trying to suffocate himself and Seamus and Dean frozen in their beds. Hermione conjures a fire to melt the ice while Harry and Ron hold on to Drake's arms. They heave the free Drake up and bind him to his bed making his arms inaccessible to him by having them behind him and then saying the full body bind curse. Drake glared up at them evilly. Hermione thaws out Seamus and Dean and they run to the window.
"Drake." Says Seamus. "Oh no."
Seamus and Dean look over at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Oh there he is." Says Seamus.
"Yea." Says Harry. "WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!"
"Well, we came up here to do what you said and we found him about to hop out of the window. We yelled know and jumped at him but he did something and we were in the full body bind in each of our beds. Then he waved his arms at us and we were frozen and watched in horror as he hopped out of the window and then we saw ice reach up and hit the windowsill sticking fast. We figured he was suffocating himself or going to let it melt and him fall. We tried to get out of the ice but since we were in the full body bind that didn't help matters." Dean explains.
"Yeah. We know he isn't what he seems." Says Seamus and Drake's eyes go wide and he looks mad.
Suddenly Drake sits straight up having somehow broken the full body bind and the ropes. "What do you know?"
"We know that you have killed before and that you aren't 15." Says Dean.
"Harry, Ron, Hermione please vacate this room." Says Drake.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave and Dean and Seamus try to leave too but Drake stops them. "You aren't going anywhere. I have to make sure you can't tell. Obliviate Electus Memoria." A bright flash erupts from the wand and Drake walks out leaving Dean and Seamus confused. "Now they can't tell. Goodbye, though, I am not letting one failed attempt stop me." Drake turns toward the portrait hole and zooms towards it.
He is out in 3 seconds and suddenly the trio zooms out as fast as he and tries to figure where he would have gone. Suddenly Harry has it…
"Astronomy tower…" he says running to the Gryffindor Quidditch changing rooms and pulling his Firebolt out. He hops on and zips off leaving Ron and Hermione staring. Harry looks up frantically speeding towards the tallest tower. The Astronomy tower. [I hope I'm not too late.] Harry thinks.
"Geronimo!!" a voice, Drake's, yells.
[Shoot.] Harry thinks zipping toward the tower diving lower. He gets there and Drake has fallen 2/3 of the way down.
"NO!" Harry yells trying to catch him with his broom and only succeeds in slowing him a little with the brush end. Harry sharply turns and dives for Drake trying to catch him and only getting a ripped shred of his robe but slowing him more before…
Thunk! Drake hits his forehead falls on his arms with a bad sounding snap and his knees slam hard into the ground. Drake moans in pain rather loudly, and then he yells. "WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME DIE?!?! I don't deserve to live!"
"You are my friend Drake like it or not. I don't just let my friends kill themselves. I'd rather get myself killed then see them die since I'm likely to die because of You-Know-Who aka VOLDEMORT THE SCUMBAG!" Harry says not missing a beat. Harry looks up from Drakes now stunned form as Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagal, Hermione, and Ron come running up.
"Drake!" Hermione yells seeing him slumped like that from a stupefy Harry said right after he finished his 'speech'.
"Is he alive?" Ron asks as Madam Pomfrey checks Drake over.
"Yes, but, I'm afraid he is in bad shape." She says. "He has a concussion, that's the worst, there isn't to good of a magical cure for one as bad as his. The other injuries, …" Madam Pomfrey conjures up a stretcher as she talks " broken arms and banged up knees, are easily curable."
Madam Pomfrey floats Drake onto the stretcher and swiftly takes him away as Dumbledore and McGonagal question Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"What happened here?" asks Dumbledore and Ron and Hermione tell him as much as they know up to getting him in his office and then Harry tells the part of the story where he left them.
"Oh! Here Professor." Harry says handing the shred of Drake's cloak to Dumbledore.
The group sets off until they get to the steps up to Hogwarts and a voice is heard at the steps up to the Hogwarts entrance hall. "Guar lo sbattimento."
Drake appears to be coming to on the stretcher after Madam Pomfrey said that. He seems confused and out of it still.
"I have to try the potion then. Tell Snape please Dumbledore, sir." Says Madam Pomfrey says not thinking. "Oops. I keep forgetting… I mean Alexander; he is a medi-wizard after all. Could you ask him also then, sir, if he could check out this boy?"
"Of course Poppy. You don't have to be so proper just because there are students around." Dumbledore says and Madam Pomfrey blushes.
Dumbledore asks the trio to go with him to Alexander's quarters. They get there and find him fretting over something. "She's glowing and happy, won't tell me why. Sick in the mornings tired all the time… Oh my… It couldn't be. Nah. But then what… AH company."
"Glad to see you too Alexander." Dumbledore says chuckling.
"Sorry Albus. I'm a bit preoccupied with Rosalyn's current condition can't figure it out. She said I'd know in a couple of months. Enough about me; hello Harry, Ron, Hermione." Alexander says and then his eyes go wide. "Where's Drake?"
"That is why we are here. He took a nasty spill out of the Astronomy Tower. He is alive, calm down. Harry saved him with some commendable broom work so even though I have to take 10 points for being out of bounds, I will give him 60 points back for saving another student's life. IT would be 100 but you were out of bounds and you only saved him from himself not a Death Eater or creature."
"What do you mean Albus?" says Alexander.
"Surely YOU know his past." Says Dumbledore.
"Of course I do."
"Well he must have relived it because this was a suicide attempt"
"Oh my."
"Oh my indeed. Poppy was wondering if you would look him over since you are a fully trained, highly credentialed medi-wizard."
"Certainly I will."
They all walk up to the Hospital Wing and Alexander has a potion with him and pulls out a vial that is empty and one pearly white tear rolls down his cheek into the vial as he sees Drake shaking from a horrible dream. Alexander pours the tear into the potion, which turns golden. "Conmoción cerebral de la curación" he says before forcing the potion into Drake.
"Someone needs to stay here all night, apart from Poppy, and watch Drake incase of a bad side effect of memory loss tellable by incoherent muttering with the words no more memory tellable. If that happens point your wand at his temple and say Arreglo."Alexander says. "Who will it be?"
"Me." Says Harry.
"Are you sure?" Alexander says. "It will be hard staying up for 24 hours."
"Then how about some Professor who has no classes watch him during the day tomorrow and I watch him from now through the night?" says Harry.
"Great idea. I do believe there is no Arithmancy tomorrow I shall ask Professor Vector to watch Drake tomorrow." Says Dumbledore. "Ron and Hermione may stay with you until visiting hours are over at 8:30 tonight. That is exactly 3 and ½ hours from now."
Dumbledore and the others, except for the trio and Madam Pomfrey, leave. Time passes and the trio talks about the news in the wizarding world (not much) and the attack on Hogsmeade. An hour after Dumbledore and the others left Ron and Hermione excuse them selves for dinner promising to hurry back and bring Harry something and incase he wakes up some extra for Drake.
Fifteen minutes after they leave Harry hears something from Drake's bed and sees him sitting up. "Where am I? Did I go to Hell?" says Drake looking around and Harry almost laughs but coughs. "Oh now I remember… you."
Harry looks at him bewildered. "What?"
"Yo… I al… Why?" says Drake. "I was a jerk to you when I ran out."
"So?" says Harry
"So… why'd you save me?" Drake says.
"Why wouldn't I have? I would do it for anyone except a Death Eater and Malfoy." Says Harry.
"I…. I… well… yo… thank you." Says Drake lying back as Hermione and Ron come in with plates.
"Dumbledore told us to give these. They work like the plates from the Triwiz… uh… the Yule Ball." Says Ron.
"Ron, you can say Triwizard Tournament just never mention the third task." Says Harry.
Drake gasps and says. "You're the one Alexander mentioned. You saw him come back."
"Yes but never mention it ever again." Says Harry.
Suddenly Drake starts mumbling and the 3 words Alexander said to watch for are heard.
"Arreglo!" Harry says holding his wand up to Drakes temple as silvery strands like in Dumbledore's pensieve start to leak out. Drake lays back and goes to sleep. It is soon 8:30 and Ron and Hermione leave promising to bring him his stuff in the morning.