Okies people, an update. Just a bit of fluff, since the story is going to be getting a lot darker from here on in. I'd also like to extend an apology to Rufus, who has a story with a part in it that seems to be extremely like the whole memory thing in my last chapter. I didn't mean to and I hadn't read the story until after I posted though. Great minds think alike, I guess. We've worked it out though, I'm happy to say, so I won't have to re-write and post that part. Thanks for all the reviews by the way. 200! Whee! BTW, I'm actually up to writing about Halloween. There's going to be a ball, and I'd like to know who Harry should go with. Can't be Hermione, since Ron will be going with her. I personally think he'll be going alone, but I'd just like some opinions, okay? Enjoy! And no, Min, I'm not putting him with Draco.
Chapter Eight
Dumbledore arrived at the Hospital Wing to find Harry sitting up in the bed and looking extremely disgruntled. He turned towards Dumbledore as he entered.
"What happened after Vernon?" He asked bluntly. Dumbledore smiled slightly, and held out a small cloth bag that he had fetched from Severus before coming to the Infirmary.
"All in good time, Harry, all in good time. I'm sure that your little...er...friend here may want some reassurance concerning your state of health." He gave the bag to Harry, who opened it cautiously. The secosnake slithered out immediately and wound itself around Harry's neck, hissing softly into his ear.
"Er…." Harry managed, staying extremely still.
"You met him in a Potions class, and he seems to have adopted you."
"Oh." Harry turned towards the snake and began to hiss at it. It hissed back quietly, and laid its head on his shoulder, watching Dumbledore with great, unblinking eyes.
"What happened after Vernon?" Harry repeated, and Dumbledore proceeded to explain the events of the last few weeks. Harry listened without interrupting, then sat still for a moment before addressing Dumbledore.
"These magical surges…are they normal? And is there anything I can do to prevent them?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No Harry. They are in fact very rare. The last person to have them was Tom Riddle, they occurred regularly for him over his years here. I experienced them myself briefly after I graduated. The length and severity of the surges depends on the person, and there is no way to prevent them, I'm afraid."
Harry groaned. "You mean I could be in the middle of a quidditch match and I'd just start screaming and topple off of my broom?"
Dumbledore nodded. "I believe so. It is for this reason that I would prefer you to…"
"No," Harry said flatly. "Quidditch is my joy, Professor. I will do anything else you say, but I will not stop playing quidditch."
Dumbledore studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, but I want you to be extremely careful, and if you feel one coming on you must land immediately."
Harry agreed, and Madam Pomfrey came bustling in.
"Dear, dear me, Mr. Potter, you do seem to have a habit of injuring yourself…" she muttered as she checked him over, completely ignoring the serpent around his neck, who was glaring at her madly.
"Alright then Mr. Potter, off you go. The password to the Gryffindor common room is Spectre. I expect some of your friends are a bit anxious about you," She said, apparently very pleased with herself for some reason. Harry walked out of the room, one hand absently raising to caress the snake as he did so.
Dumbledore watched him go thoughtfully. He hadn't told Harry about his strange ability to perform magic without a wand. Something had told him not to, and he was sure that Harry would either figure it out himself or ask him about it one day.
'Just how did he do it?' Dumbledore asked himself quietly again, before walking slowly out of the Hospital Wing.
Harry reached the Fat Lady without any trouble, and gave the password. He scrambled quickly through the opening then closed it behind him, before turning back to the room. Utter silence met him. (A/N - Hi, I'm Silence. Utter Silence. I'll take a martini, shaken, not stirred.)
Harry rolled his eyes, and said, "So, are you all going to just sit there staring at me, or is someone going to say 'Hi Harry, great to have you back in the land of the sane'?"
Suddenly Harry was engulfed in a pile of people. Fred and George grabbed him and began to dance around the room screaming, and half the girls in the room burst into tears.
"Hey, hey, hey! I wasn't that out of it was I?" Harry protested, pulling away from Fred and George and brushing down his robes. Fred looked at him seriously.
"Harry, you were so out of it the only thing you would talk to was that snake." Fred gestured towards the secosnake wrapped around Harry's neck.
"Who? Oh, you mean Sebastian," Harry said, reaching up to stroke the serpent, who's seven heads all hissed happily.
Fred and George looked at each other, and burst out laughing.
"S-S-S-Sebastian?!"
Harry looked hurt. "What's wrong with Sebastian?" Fred and George just started laughing again. Ron and Hermione, who had both been waiting impatiently for Fred and George to finish with him, grabbed Harry and dragged him towards the large, overstuffed couch near the fire. They had been playing a game of chess, and the pieces were looking very put out with the interruption. They continued to play, but very badly, as they were spending too much time staring at Harry and asking questions. Pretty soon the pieces refused to play altogether, and so they just sat and talked to Harry, filling him in on the gossip and what had happened so far in the lessons. Surprisingly, Harry remembered every single thing they had learnt. Before they knew it, it was past midnight and McGonagall came through the portrait hole in a tartan dressing gown and told them all to go to bed before she started deducting points from them.
"Harry, Harry! It's time to get up!" Ron shook the sleeping boy, who promptly turned over and mumbled 'Go away Dudley…it's too early for breakfast…go cook your own bacon (A/N- Funny mental image: Dudley jumping into a frying pan…)…"
Seamus, who had been watching the proceedings with great interest, burst into laughter.
"Right. That is it. I can take being whacked, snorted at and pushed away, but being called Dudley I can not!" Ron huffed, before disappearing into the dormitory bathroom. He came back carrying a jug that had a thin sheet of ice floating on top of it, and dumped it over Harry's head. The water didn't hit him however. He had woken up moments before and cast a shielding charm over himself, which reflected the water back onto Ron. Seamus began to laugh even more, as Ron disappeared back into the bathroom, tossing a dirty glare at him as he went. Harry looked at Seamus innocently, and sent him into further gales of laughter. He was still laughing when the group joined Hermione in the common room. She took one look at Ron, who's hair was still wet and had pieces of ice still stuck in the damp locks. He scowled at her and turned away, folding his arms across his chest. She quickly stifled the laugh that had been about to burst out, and suggested that they head to breakfast instead. The four headed off, Harry attempting to apologise to the bedraggled Ron.
