Chapter Plug: Obsession by: Rhys

Shout Out: Here's to you Midnight Blue, if you don't update soon I'm gonna lose it!

Note to Readers: All I ask is that you enjoy!

Know thy Enemy, Know thy Self

Chapter 2

Harry had been able to leave the hospital wing a few days after he had spoken with Sirius. His peers' warm welcome had been the exact kind of medicine he'd needed; though it was obvious to everyone he was in deep depression. The responses among the student body were varied. Although it was barely Christmas, everyone looked ready to see the year end. The Gryffindors were not ashamed to break down into tears no matter where they were if a lost loved one was mentioned. You could sometimes find them talking quietly in small groups, crying on each other's shoulders. The Hufflepuffs were also emotional, baring their crosses for all to see. The Ravenclaws were not so open, yet they were constantly grim looking and frequently could be found speaking in solemn tones. And, as usual, the Slytherins acted as though nothing had happened…ever the stoic survivors even though it was they who had suffered the most losses.

Harry trudged through the stone hallways, Ron walking just as slowly beside him. Hermione had stayed behind in the Great Hall to finish helping Neville with his homework.

"Well, at least it's Remus. I mean, I don't think I could handle double potions this morning. I'm exhausted." Ron said with a wide yawn. Harry nodded in agreement and shuffled into the classroom with a sleepy step. He had hated going to the dungeons knowing that Severus was not there. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that Sirius was temporarily subbing. Remus looked up from behind the large desk and smiled warmly at them.

"Hello boys, how are you doing this morning?" He asked politely as he abandoned whatever he'd been working on and stood.

"Tired."

"Exhausted." They replied simultaneously. Remus nodded understandingly.

"Keep your chins up, only a few more weeks until Christmas vacation…and the Yule Ball. I bet you've both got pretty dates already, right?"

Harry thought of Severus in a frilly pink dress robe and smiled gently. As quickly as the image had come, it was replaced with the picture of his lover lying dead at his feet. His smile faded and he took his seat while Ron spoke about Hermione.

"What about you Harry? Have a date?" Ron asked with his head slightly tilted. Harry found himself staring at Ron and Remus, a bit amazed at just how much they didn't know about him. It was almost nice, having a secret that was all his own that the public would never know. He would certainly never find another man like Severus.

A cold snickering was heard from the opposite side of the room. Suddenly Draco was a few feet away from them, leaning against Harry's desk with a smirk on his face. Something in his eyes told Harry that his secret was, in fact, not entirely private knowledge. Malfoy knew. Somehow…he knew. Harry couldn't pinpoint what told him, almost as though something had whispered it in his ear. Suddenly Draco's eyes were searing into his own.

"Know your enemy, eh Potter?" Was all he said as he went back to resume his seat, not sparring any words to the slightly confused professor and Ron. Harry held his gaze the minute he sat down, but the sneer he'd expected to see on his aristocratic features was not there. He looked sad, perhaps alone…needy?

Harry broke the staring contest. He was surely just imagining things. It wasn't possible for him to read Malfoy's feelings like that. They were over their past differences, but they weren't best friends by any stretch of the imagination.

The rest of the class filtered in slowly, all of them taking their respective seats. Harry still could not concentrate on anything…even short conversations left him bewildered and lost. His mind swam with questions and wants, most of them related to Severus. Harry could practically feel the pain in his chest, pumping through him with more life than his flowing blood. Suddenly, just as his eyes had begun to wander to the window, something started whispering to him. His first thought was that it was Ron, trying to draw his attention back to the class. However, when he turned, he found that Ron was wearily scribbling notes and Lupin was conducting the lesson as normal. For a moment Harry concentrated on what he was saying. After hearing about the previous homework assignment for several minutes, he tuned out again.

'Harry. Use me. Touch me.'

This time Harry spun around a bit quicker, trying to figure out where the feathery voice was coming from. Everything appeared to be normal. Lupin was writing something on the board.

"Today's lesson is on something truly amazing and mysterious." He took a piece of chalk and began writing in bold letters over the black board.

"DISSEN FINIATE" Was spelled in all caps across the black surface. Underneath it, in his customary scrawl, Lupin added, "The Heart Stones"

Harry remembered his dream. Could the two possibly be connected? His posture straightened a bit, and he leaned forward slightly. Lupin briskly walked around his desk and leaned back on it.

"Let me tell you all a legend. It was believed a long time ago that the elderly dragons, the ones that had been on the earth since the beginning of time, had something mysterious and amazing in them. Their magic went far deeper than most. It was believed that if you pulled out their heart, it would become a stone. It was a glittering gem that had amazing power. Once upon a time, a brave, albeit foolish wizard decided to test the theory."

"No doubt he was a Gryffindor…nobody else with half a brain would try to pull the heart out of a dragon…" Malfoy's comment earned a few snickers from his fellow Slytherins. He was looking at Harry, hoping for a response, but Harry seemed deeply engrossed in what the professor was saying. Lupin cleared his throat and continued.

"So this wizard, fairly young and full of the desire to prove and test his magic, set out to slay the Dragon King and capture his heart in the hopes of finding the heart stone." Lupin cast an eye over a group of Gryffindor girls. "Some people say that it was not the desire to test his powers, but it was the fact that his lady had been taken as a sacrifice to the Dragon King. All the same, our dashing young hero rushed off on a grand adventure of great magnitude. The results of his actions effect us even today." He walked behind his desk and pulled out a tattered looking metal box, a single, tiny stone imbedded on the lock.

"Today I wish to tell you about what he found on his journey. Our wizard friend did indeed prove that the heart stones existed. He defeated the Dragon King and captured the stone…enraging the Dragon King's dragon followers so much that even to this day most dragons fiercely hate wizards." Lupin fiddled with the lock a moment until it fell away. "So, the wizard had claimed his stone, his damsel, but he had yet to use the power of the stone. Not only was our young friend brave, but he was also a bit of a seer. The way he saw it, the stones had great power that might come in handy to wizards in the future, but even then the last of the dragon elders were dying away. He used the stone's power to wish that from that day forth, all great wizards would have a heart stone as well, and the powers of the heart stones could only be used by a wizard bearing a stone inside his own heart." Lupin finished the tale and carried the box in front of the class. He now had everyone's rapt attention.

"As you all know, Voldemort was an evil being. But, no one can deny that he did great things. Evil…but great."

Harry was vaguely reminded of the words that Mr. Ollivander had spoken to him on the day that he'd bought his wand. Hadn't he said something similar? The whispering was getting more intense, and it seemed to be coming from the box.

"Until recently, the question of whether there was any truth to the story I've just told you was unknown. However, the proof now lies in this box. It is a heart stone…one found in Voldemort. It is believed that the reason he was so powerful was because he was using the magic of the heart stones. Voldemort is believed to be the first in hundreds of centuries to possess a stone. For as much as we know, it is impossible to tell that a wizard or witch even has a stone in them until they die. This one," He opened the box to show off a glittering green stone, "was extracted from Voldemort by yours truly on the night he was felled." Lupin concluded, showing the glimmering stone to everyone in the classroom. All of them were fascinated and mesmerized by the stone and its story.

'Touch me. Hold me. Use me…to bring back Severus.' The whispering fluttered through Harry like a harsh drum beat as the stone was displayed in front of him. He nervously looked around. No one else seemed to be having the reaction to it that he was. He wanted to snatch the stone and do just as it said. It seemed so easy, almost like he had known how to use it since the day he was born. And…had it really said it could bring back Severus? His heart raced at a frantic pace, the whispers grew to a dull roar, and his dream kept flashing through his head. His scar began to burn from being so close to something that was so intimately Voldemort.

"So could we use its power?" Malfoy asked from the other side of the room, seemingly breaking the spell the stone had been holding on him. His scar continued to pain him, but the whispering and the flashbacks stopped.

"Unfortunately we would not be able to. You'd have to have a heart stone as well before the stone would react to you. All the same, if any of you would like to hold it, you are welcome to." Malfoy was, of course, the first to try. Harry watched it wearily, as it remained a dull green in his pale hands.

'I will glow for you…I will show you my power. Hold me. Touch me. Use me. For Severus.'

The stone was persuasive…but Harry couldn't touch it under any circumstances. The last thing he needed was for the stone to 'respond' to him in some strange way and draw even more attention to himself. He would touch it…he just had to…but not when anyone was watching. It was a risk he just couldn't take. When the stone was offered to him, he quietly shook his head and looked away, pretending as though he didn't want to touch anything associated with Voldemort. Ron refused to touch it as well. Lupin moved on without further comment, seemingly not surprised by their lack of interest. He did not seem to notice when Harry carefully noted which drawer he stored it in.

Dumbledore came for him in Transfiguration. McGonagall had been in a particularly involved lesson about weather transfiguration, that was sure to be on the mid-term finals, when the archaic headmaster knocked politely on the door.

"Professor, might I borrow Mr. Potter? He will most likely not be returning to class this afternoon." The headmaster said in a neutral tone. Harry somehow saw past it, though. He had come because of Severus…it had something to do with his lover. His heart constricted as he berated himself for wanting to cry. He hastily crammed his bags in his satchel and stood, before the professor had given him the permission to do so.

"Of course. Harry, you may get the notes that you will miss from Ms. Granger no doubt." The rather stern looking woman instructed, though Harry could read some worry underlining her words. He didn't know what had made him so in tune with everyone's true thoughts and feelings lately, but it was starting to worry him. Dumbledore's sad smile erased all thoughts from his mind. When they were several halls away from the Transfiguration room, he spoke.

"I am going to visit Professor Snape's grave. I thought you might wish to accompany me. There might have been something you did not get to say to him." Harry found himself studying the floor intently. There were so many questions he wanted to ask…so many things he wanted to confess to the man that was like a grandfather to him. The urge to tell him just how much he'd loved Severus nearly washed him away…but he managed to hold his tongue.

"How was the funeral?" He asked instead, not entirely sure that he would have been able to make it through the ceremony but irate that he had missed it.

"Severus did not want one. In fact, he told me that no one was to be there when he was buried. I have respected his wishes to the letter…however he said nothing about visiting him with some fresh flowers every now and then." The kindly headmaster said with another sad smile. Harry met his eyes quickly and gave him a thankful look, glad that he would get to see where his lover was resting. "And…there was something else Severus told me to do." He produced a small package wrapped in ordinary brown paper. "He told me to see to it that you got this." He informed as he passed the package to Harry after muttering a spell on it to make it regain its former size.

Harry took the box, now rather large and heavy, and held it in his hands. He stopped to simply read his name written on the coarse brown paper in his lover's strict scrawl. Already rebellious tears were threatening to spring forth.

"Do…do you mind if I open it in my dorm tonight? When I can have some time alone?" He asked a bit hesitantly. The headmaster nodded understandingly and told him he would wait outside his office door while Harry placed the package up in his dorm.

Soon Harry was reunited with the headmaster again, watching as he muttered a password to the stone gargoyle and entered his office. Harry followed closely behind him, giving Fawks a small smile as he entered. The beautiful bird chirped in a melodic voice for him while Dumbledore fetched something from a drawer. Harry watched as Dumbledore tossed the powder into the flames that turned his fireplace a verdant green.

"We'll travel by floo powder, since I know that you have absolutely no idea how to apparate." Dumbledore said with another smile. Harry had the notion that Dumbledore knew good and well that he'd been apparating at every chance he got since his sixth year. Harry gave Fawks a good bye and followed Dumbledore into the flames, his mind occupied with thoughts of packages, stones, dreams, and graveyards.

~ Hogwarts Dropout

(Keepers do it in the Air - Reviewers do it in the Box)