Heya people! Next chapter, and a day early since I've finally finished school! *jumps around* YAY!!! Enjoy, and don't forget to join my group!
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Disclaimer – I finally remembered! HP does not belong to me!! The wonderful, brilliant, and amazingly talented (sucking up a lot, ne? ^.^) JK Rowling holds all rights.
Chapter Twenty
Harry ran through the corridors, making his way towards Dumbledore's office. He was moving so fast that he ran straight through the Bloody Baron, who protested loudly. Harry ignored him and ran on. He finally came to the Gargoyle Statue, where he halted.
"Okay…let's see…Sugar Quill? Cockroach Cluster? Lemon Drops? Blood Pops?"
The Gargoyle shifted and began to shuffle out of the way, protesting in a high, nasal voice about being woken up in the middle of the night. Harry ignored it and slipped through the crack in the wall and began to run up the steps. He swung open the door and was walked in, panting. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk wearing what Harry guessed were his nightrobes, and a purple sleeping cap with a dark blue bobble on the end. He glanced up at Harry, then sighed.
"You look like you've been waiting for me," Harry said as he came to a halt, confused.
Dumbledore smiled, but it was the kind of tired, weary smile that people use when something is wrong and they're trying to hide it.
"I have been, in a sense," Dumbledore said softly. "A nightmare, am I right?"
Harry nodded. "How did you…?"
"A spy of mine hasn't reported in for a week, and I suspect that he has been discovered," Dumbledore explained. "I was fairly certain that you would be having some dreams soon if he was."
Harry nodded. "This spy…He wouldn't have brown hair would he? And blue eyes?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, he does. Harry, are you all right?"
Harry had begun to shake, and was swaying on his feet, a hand over his mouth.
"I think I'm going to be sick," He said, voice devoid of any emotion. Dumbledore guided him into a small bathroom that branched off from the study and waited for Harry to finish retching.
"I gather that the news is not good," Dumbledore observed once Harry had finished.
"Voldemort…he had him tied down…on a table…thumbscrews…" Harry managed, before having to disappear into the room again.
"Did he tell Voldemort anything?" Dumbledore asked when he had re-emerged.
Harry shook his head. "Not as far as I know," He said in a shaky voice.
"That's good news, at least. It means the mental binding spell is working. I'll have to find some way to get him out."
Harry glanced at Dumbledore. "How many spies do you have? Are they all taking that risk?"
Dumbledore looked at Harry thoughtfully.
"I suppose it would be all right…you are in the midst of it all and you could be useful…" He muttered to himself, before addressing Harry.
"I can't tell you now, but if you would come back here in two days time…we'll see what the others have to say about you joining."
"Joining what?"
"You'll know if you join, but if you don't it would be best for you not to know. It could put you in danger."
Harry nodded, seeing the sense in what Dumbledore said.
"I suppose I should go then," He said uncertainly.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Oh, and Harry? Arabella Figg is starting a Duelling Club. I suggest you join."
Harry nodded. "Professor?"
"Yes?"
"Professor Snape…he's one of the spies, isn't he?"
Dumbledore regarded Harry for a moment.
"Yes Harry, he is."
Harry nodded once, then stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Dumbledore shook his head.
'What has happened to you Harry? You've lost your innocence…' Dumbledore thought sorrowfully, remembering the haunted, knowing look that he had seen in Harry's eyes. He shook his head again and turned, tapped a seemingly normal part of the wall, and disappeared into his chambers.
Harry stood in the corridor by the Gargoyle Statue for a moment, thinking. He shook himself out of it, and began to make his way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. He gave the password to the Fat Lady ("Out having a midnight meeting, hmmm? Who's the lucky girl? I hope you didn't let things go too far though, you're still a child…"), and wandered up to his dorm room. Sebastian was lying awake on his bed, and all seven heads turned to face him.
"Where have you been?" He hissed, flicking his tongues out at Harry, and sniffing the air.
"The bathroom," Harry lied smoothly. Sebastian chuckled.
"You may be deemed a good liar by your species Harry, but I know when you're withholding the truth."
"Yeah?" Harry said, picking up Sebastian and crawling into bed, before placing him back down. Sebastian promptly curled around Harry's neck and rested his heads on Harry's chest.
"You smell of deceit, fear and horror. I don't think the bathroom could upset you that much, however bad the smell is."
Harry sighed. "I don't want to talk about it, Sebastian. Just leave it for now, okay?"
Sebastian lifted his heads to look Harry in the eyes. "That was all you had to say."
Harry smiled. "Thank you."
The next day dawned bright and early, much to Harry's disgust. He crawled out of bed and staggered into the bathroom, splashing water onto his face and cleaning his teeth. He wandered back into the dorm and pulled on his clothes, before shaking Ron and Dean awake. Seamus was already down in the Common Room, and Harry guessed that there was something important in there since Seamus didn't usually emerge until he absolutely had to. As Harry walked down the stairs leading to the Common Room Seamus appeared and began to jump around him, making various noises of excitement.
"Seamus, be quiet. I have a headache and you are not helping," Harry said quietly. Seamus giggled rather childishly and jumped down the stairs. As Harry entered the Common Room he saw a crowd gathered around a poster on the wall, and were talking excitedly.
"Harry! You'll never guess what's happened! They are restarting the duelling club! Are you going to join?" Ginny came running over to him, a faint blush staining her cheeks.
Harry grinned tiredly at her. "As long as Lockhart isn't running it."
Ginny giggled, then ran over to Ron as he emerged from upstairs.
Harry sighed.
'Arabella Figg is starting a Duelling Club. I suggest you join.'
Harry shook his head as Dumbledore's voice echoed through his head. Pushing his way through the crowd, he ran his finger along the next blank line on the sign-up sheet. His name appeared slowly on the previously blank line.
'What am I going to tell Ron and Hermione?' Harry thought silently, watching as the letters glowed red as a brand for a moment before dying back to the usual black. He knew that he couldn't just presume that they would be able to join the group of people Dumbledore had been talking about, but he didn't want to have to lie to them and he didn't want to put them in more danger then they were already in.
'I'll talk to Dumbledore at the meeting tomorrow,' Harry decided, before heading up to the common room to get dressed. He had a feeling that the day was going to be very long indeed.
