Chapter 32
The next week passed by in a blur for all the students and professors alike and Saturday morning dawned bright and cold. Harry had been awake for hours, sitting in the common room and searching through a large pile of books that he and Ginny had found in the restricted section of the library the night before when they had gone with Sirius and Remus to research, which was how they had spent every waking moment that they were not in classes. Harry was so absorbed in the book that he didn't hear the sound of footsteps descending down the stairs until someone cleared their throat behind him. Startled, he looked over his shoulder and saw the accusing look sent his way by none other than Hermione Granger. He groaned inwardly at seeing his best friend standing behind him and surveying the mountain of books. During the course of the past couple weeks, they had managed to keep their research a secret from the head girl and her boyfriend, but since Christmas night he had become desperate and was searching day and night almost nonstop for a solution, and now he had been caught sitting in the common room at dawn with a large pile of restricted books beside him and Harry had to come up with some kind of excuse.
"What are you doing Harry?" asked Hermione with her brow furrowed as she surveyed her best friend and picked up one of the books. He was sitting in front of the fire fully dressed in his black clothes and robe with the scarlet cloak draped over his shoulders. In his hands he held a fairly large book with no words written on the cover and beside him sat about twenty other equally large books and she curiously picked one up and opened it to the first page to read the title of the book since it was not on the cover and what she found surprised her. The title of the book was 'Destroying the Soul'.
"Harry.wh.what are you doing" she sputtered out as she looked at his face over the book "these are dark arts books" she continued when she received no response. Instead, Harry just looked at her with an almost calculating expression on his face that was instantly replaced by an indifferent mask that hid everything he was thinking. A moment later, he raised his hand and all the books disappeared within an instant, including the one that had been in her hands. The only one remaining was the one in his hands which he carefully closed as he turned to look Hermione in the eyes.
"Research" he simply said before trying to change the subject "Why are you up so early?" he asked
"I couldn't sleep. What were you researching about in dark arts books?" she asked, refusing to allow him to change the subject that easily
"Oh, on Monday some of the professors are going to start helping me learn how to better use and control my powers and those were just some books Remus wanted me to look through before my lesson with him Monday night" he explained in a steady tone. It wasn't a complete lie, Dumbledore had arranged for him to work with Sirius on animagus training starting Monday night and Dumbledore had mentioned, during one of their now regular meeting, something about having some of the other professors helping him learn how to harness his powers better sometime in the near future.
Hermione was looking skeptically at him for several moments before she spoke again "Why is he having you read books about destroying souls? That is clearly very dark magic and probably illegal" she said
Harry thought fast before answering her "Well, their opinion is that if I'm going to fight dark magic for the rest of my life, I should at least know as much of it as possible so I can defend myself" he said, looking at her and praying that she bought his story
"Oh, are you planning on becoming an auror like Ron and Draco?" she asked him, slightly irritated by the fact she was unable to read his expression and therefore having no choice but to believe him
"I'm not sure yet, but regardless of what I do, I will always be fighting the dark arts it seems. Apparently it's my destiny or something" he said with his characteristic half smile on his face, which caused Hermione to smile in return.
"Well, if you find anything interesting in those books or if you need any help studying, let me know" she said pleasantly before changing the subject "So, are you ready for today?" she asked as she settled into one of the other chairs. At eleven that morning was the first quidditch game of the year, now that the pitch was back to normal after being destroyed during the previous year.
"Yeah" said Harry with a grin on his face. He had been made captain of the team at the beginning of his sixth year and he had all intentions of leading his team to the cup for his final year, especially since he hadn't had the opportunity to do so last year. Gryffindor had been in the lead for the cup last year but Voldemort's attack had caused the season to end abruptly with no house winning the cup.
"Good, because Heaven knows we need that cup this year" said a voice from behind the pair and when they turned they recognized the bleary eyed figure of Ginny approaching them.
"What are you doing up so early Gin?" asked Harry in concern as he saw his obviously tired girlfriend yawn widely.
"Good morning to you too Harry" she said in mock outrage as she perched herself on the arm of the chair beside him
"Sorry, good morning Gin" he apologized as he gave her a quick kiss, conscious of Hermione's presence
"What were you two discussing?" asked Ginny as she looked between Harry and Hermione
"Oh, Harry was just telling me about the new lessons he is going to be receiving from Remus and the other professors starting next week" said Hermione, and she was quick to notice the flash of confusion that passed across Ginny's expression before Harry spoke up quickly as he looked at the clock
"Ginny, we had better get to breakfast so we have time to get ready for the match. Could you please wake Michelle and Abby? I'll get Scott, Ron, and Seamus and meet you guys in the great hall in about thirty minutes" he said as he got to his feet and set off to the boys' dormitory with the book still in his hands.
"Sure" said Ginny as she too headed to her dormitory, but she had only made it a couple of steps before Hermione's hand on her shoulder brought her to a halt. Confused, she turned to face the older girl "What's wrong Hermione?"
"What's going on with Harry Gin?" she demanded, her tone harder than she intended, but she knew something wasn't right with her best friend and she was determined to find out the truth
"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny, deciding to play ignorant about what she knew
"I'm not dumb Ginny. I know something is going on with Harry and I also know that you know what's wrong with him" said Hermione as she looked into the other girls eyes
"I have no idea why you would think that Hermione, everything is fine" Ginny insisted
"Ginny, when I got down here this morning, he was reading books about destroying souls and when I asked him about it he fed me some story about Remus wanting him to read the books. Not only that, but Ron said he hasn't slept more than a couple of hours a night, if that, for the past several days, and you and he are always in the library or the defense classroom with Remus and Sirius, obviously researching something and I want to know what is going on with him" said Hermione determinedly
"Hermione, if this was something that Harry thought you should know he would tell you" said Ginny, her temper wearing thin
"But Ginny, Harry is my best friend, I have a right to know what is going on, there may be something Ron or I could do to help" said Hermione in a pleading voice "I know you know what is going on, please tell my"
"Hermione, I do know what is going on, but I swore to Harry that I would keep it to myself and I plan on keeping my word to him" she said as she turned again to go back up the stairs
"Ginny, we have a right to know!" exclaimed Hermione and this caused Ginny's temper to finally snap and she whirled to face the head girl
"Hermione, how dare you say something like that!" she exclaimed back, trying to keep her voice as low as possible so they wouldn't wake their other housemates "Who are you to say you have the right to know everything about Harry's life! He may be your best friend but did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe there were some things he didn't want you to know?! If he thought that this concerned you or Ron, he would tell you, but apparently he doesn't so just leave it alone! If you are a true friend you should understand this and accept it without questioning him! When he is ready, he will tell you, and until that time, don't try to go behind his back like this again and respect his decisions and wishes. I have to get the other girls up" she said, signaling their conversation was over and going up the stairs to wake her teammates, leaving a confused but angry Hermione in her wake.
Three hours later, the Gryffindor quidditch team was standing in the middle of the pitch facing the Slytherin team, about to begin the game. At Madame Hooch's signal, Harry and Draco shook hands and the balls were released into the air, followed immediately by the fourteen students. On the Gryffindor team, Ginny, Michelle, a fifth year, and Abby, a sixth year, played chaser and Seamus and Scott, a fifth year, played beaters, leaving Harry to find the Snitch and Ron to defend the goals.
The game began and within only twenty minutes the Slytherin team was down by 80 points, the score being 80-0. Ron was an outstanding keeper and during the three years he had been on the team he had proven to be one of the best keepers the team had ever had and he refused to let the other team score. The three girls were equally as good at their positions and were constantly putting the quaffel through the hoops on the opposite end of the field, earning cheers from their housemates. Scott and Seamus had both just joined the team this year and were still learning the finer aspects of playing beaters, but they were doing a good job at keeping the majority of the bludgers from hitting any scarlet clad team members and sending a great number at the green clad students. Harry winced in sympathetic pain though when one of the bludgers sent by Seamus hit Draco squarely in the face, giving him a very bloody nose, but the blonde refused to stop his search for the snitch and continued to circle the field.
As the game progressed, Harry kept one eye on his team and the other was constantly searching for the elusive golden ball. Draco, as always, stayed close by so that if Harry saw the snitch he wouldn't be too far behind at going after it. As Harry watched the game going on below him, he felt a smile creep onto his lips when he caught sight of Ginny score yet another goal. When she had first wanted to try out for the team in her fourth year, he had been skeptical to say the least, having never seen her on a broom before, but she flew just as well as any of her brothers, if not better, and that just caused his love of her to grow more. Her hair was billowing out behind her as she flew and after scoring the goal, she seemed to feel his gaze and looked up at him, sending him a happy wave and wide smile before turning her attention back to her fellow chasers. He smiled back and just as he did so, he saw a flash of gold hovering just above her head. His lack of concentration on the game around him though had its definite downfalls, he realized with a painful groan as a bludger hit him hard in the middle of the back. Blocking out the pain, he searched the area he had just seen the snitch in and he smiled when he saw it dive to the ground. With a sudden burst of speed, he raced for the ball and felt Draco on his heels, but there was no way the other boy could beat him when he was so focused on his goal. He quickly drew even with the golden, winged ball and with a quick movement he stretched out his hand and folded his fingers around the small ball as a smile of triumph spread across his face. He was instantly aware of the cheers from his team and the stands and he was surrounded by the rest of his team as they descended to the snow covered ground.
Ginny ran up to him immediately and pulled him into a tight hug, but when she felt him wince under her embrace, she released him and looked at him in worry.
"What's wrong Harry?" she asked in concern
"Don't worry Gin, I just took a hit by a bludger, nothing Madame Pomfrey cant cure in an instant" he said with a smile
"Let's get you up to the hospital wing then so you don't have to miss the party" she said with a smile as she took his hand and led him away.
When they arrived in the hospital wing and told Madame Pomfrey what had happened, she directed Harry to the bed at the far end of the ward and directed him to remove his shirt. Ginny waited in the hallway for him to get done and talked with Draco for a moment as he went to get his bloody nose fixed up.
Once he had removed his robes and shirt, Harry lay on his stomach on the bed and felt Madame Pomfrey applying the purple bruise ointment to his back. Immediately, the pain was lessened and he was about to sit back up when she pushed him back down.
"Oh no you don't Mr. Potter. You stay need to stay here for about fifteen more minutes to let that bruise completely heal, I'll come check on you in a little bit"
Groaning, Harry laid back down, resigned to his fate of having to wait until she said he could leave. Deciding to make the most of the situation, he put both of arms under the pillow and closed his eyes to get a few moments of sleep.
Just as he had gotten comfortable though, he heard someone draw the curtains aside and begin speaking. Madame Pomfrey knew how he felt about anyone seeing his scars, that's why he was in this particular bed that was hidden from the rest of the ward, hidden from prying eyes of the other students, but yet, someone had found him.
"Hey Potter, why are you hiding your skinny arse way back here?" asked the person "I saw Ginny outside and she said you were here, I've been looking everywhere.bloody hell" he cut himself off and Harry opened his eyes but kept his head on the pillow as he looked at Draco.
"How's the nose Malfoy?" he asked the blonde boy
"Huh? Oh, yeah, the nose, it's fine" he mumbled as he continued to stare at Harry in horror. Finally though, he found his voice again "Harry, are those scars all from the death eaters?" he asked hesitantly
"Yes" said Harry simply as he looked into the pale boy's gray eyes
"How many of those did my father give you?" asked Draco as he met Harry's eyes
"Enough" he answered in an emotionless voice
"Harry, can I ask you a serious question?"
"You already have, but go ahead"
"Is my father really dead?" Every since Harry had returned, everyone assumed that all the death eaters that had disappeared with him had died, but no bodies had ever been found and Harry had never acknowledged or denied these rumors as being true.
"Yes, I'm sorry Draco, your father is dead" he said in the same expressionless voice. Draco nodded his head, but for some reason, he didn't feel depressed at all. He knew what his father was and how he treated people he thought as inferior, he was even willing to bet that Lucius Malfoy had put the majority of those scars on Harry's back. Suddenly though, there was something he had to find out, and he only hoped that the raven haired boy would tell him the truth.
"How did he die?" of all the questions Harry had thought Draco would ask, this was not one he had considered the answer to. There was no way he could tell him the entire truth, but perhaps he would accept part of it. Draco watched as Harry closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before he answered with his eyes still closed.
"Voldemort tried to control him, and he made your father duel against me, but he had been under Voldemort's control for to long, he wasn't strong enough to duel with anyone. I only meant to stun him, but that curse was too strong and it killed him. I didn't mean to have him die, I didn't want for anyone but Voldemort to die. I'm so sorry Draco" he said as he opened his eyes again and looked anywhere but Draco's face.
"Harry, it's not your fault. My father was evil, the things he did to you and everyone else were terrible and he deserved what he got. I don't blame you at all for what happened. Thank you for telling me though, I appreciate it" he said quietly to the other boy
The pair sat in silence for several moments before Draco spoke up again "Great game today, by the way. How does your back feel? That was a pretty hard hit you took."
Harry was glad for the change in subject "Not nearly as hard as that one you took, but it feels fine" he answered with a small smile just as Madame Pomfrey returned. She carefully examined the area where the bruise had been and once satisfied that he was healed, dismissed him before telling Draco to step out so she could look at his nose again.
Once the pair had left, Harry sat up and pulled his shirt and robes back on before he left the curtained off area and walked out into the hallway with Draco. They said their goodbyes and Draco headed toward the dungeons and Ginny and Harry headed to the tower.
"You know, if we play this well in the rest of the games this season, the cup is ours for sure" Harry said with a grin on his face
"Well, you know it helps when you have someone as famous as Harry Potter as captain and seeker" said Ginny in a teasing tone
"Or someone as beautiful as Ginny Weasley as chaser" retorted Harry with a mischievous grin on his face
Suddenly, he swept Ginny up into his arms as he spun her around in glee as she giggled madly before he put her down and led the way through the drafty castle to begin the celebrations with the rest of Gryffindor who were already in the tower without a worry on his mind. The celebration lasted long into the night and for the first time in a long time, Harry was happy and all his worries were pushed out of his mind, but the same was not true for the three professors gathered in the headmasters' office as they met to discuss their progress concerning their research.
When they left the office, Severus Snape's face was drawn tight in anger and frustration, Remus Lupin looked even more weary than he did the day after a full moon and his normally calm expression was replaced by one of fury, Sirius Black though was the most changed, his face was pale and his shoulders slumped, but his eyes were the most changed, they looked even more dead than when he had escaped from Azkaban, only pale blue pits of loss and desperation. Inside the office, the normally jovial headmaster had his hands resting on the window sill as he surveyed the grounds, but his eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he spoke three words quietly
"I'm sorry Harry"
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When Harry awoke the next morning, he was more than a little surprised to find Hedwig perched on his headboard with a letter tied to her leg. Confused, he pulled off the letter and opened it up, finding the familiar scrawl of Dumbledore on the parchment. Wondering what could be so important that the headmaster couldn't wait until their meeting that night, his eyes scanned the letter and a feel of overwhelming desperation overtook his heart.
Harry,
Could you please come to my office as soon as you receive this, it is a matter of utmost importance. Severus, Remus, and Sirius are waiting for you here as well.
Albus Dumbledore
Knowing that he wanted to speak about only one thing, Harry's hands began to tremble and his breathing came in short gasps. He knew that this meant that their search for a way to destroy Voldemort had proved futile and that there was no way the evil spirit could be destroyed. Knowing what he was about to face, but unwilling to accept it, he became furious instantly, but closed his eyes tightly to prevent the emotion from taking control of him which would allow Voldemort to curse him again. Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass shattering from beside him, and startled, he sprang to his feet with his hand outstretched and aimed at the window beside him, just as the other four occupants of the room threw aside their own hangings to see what had happened.
"Harry, what was that?" asked Ron in a frightened whisper as he surveyed the shattered window beside Harry's bed.
Harry, who was also looking at the window, suddenly realized what had happened. Dumbledore had told him that as long as he was unable to fully control his magic that extreme emotions could spontaneously cause things to happen and he gave his dorm mates a sheepish half smile.
"Sorry guys, I guess I just lost control for a minute there, I didn't mean to wake you" he said as he put his letter on his desk as he gathered up his clothes and went into the bathroom to change, leaving four confused friends behind.
"Harry did that?" asked Neville finally as he continued to stare at the shattered window "How?"
"I don't know" muttered Ron as he to looked at the glass on the floor
Just then, Harry walked back out of the bathroom, fully clothed, including his scarlet cloak and headed towards the door before he looked back over his shoulder and with a wave of his hand fixed the shattered window.
"Where are you going Harry?" asked Ron as he watched the back of his retreating friend
"Dumbledore" was all he said as the door opened before him and closed behind him without being touched.
"Why is he going to see the headmaster at seven in the morning?" asked Seamus as he pulled his blankets over his head and yawned widely, desperate for a few more hours of sleep.
"I don't know" said Ron, but his eyes fell on the parchment that was sitting on the desk between their beds and he picked it up and quickly scanned the words before looking to the others who were all watching him expectantly "Dumbledore just wrote him saying that he, Snape, Remus, and Sirius were waiting for him and to go to his office immediately" he explained
"But why would that cause him to get angry enough to blow up the window?" asked Dean
"I don't know. Go back to sleep, its early" Ron said as he pulled a dressing gown over his pajamas and went into the common room, planning on waiting for Harry there until he returned, but his friend was not seen again until breakfast.
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When Harry arrived at the headmasters office, his immediate observation was that the news he was about to hear was far from good, his next one was that he had better get control before the headmasters window shattered as well.
"You wanted to see me sir?" he asked as he shut the door behind him
"Yes Harry, please take a seat" he said as he motioned to the only empty chair in the office, in between Remus and Sirius with Snape standing with his back against the wall, all unusually tense.
"Harry, I'm afraid we have some bad news for you" began the headmaster "I have contacted several of my friends about your problem, and they all have the same answer"
"There is nothing we can do, is there" said Harry, interrupting Dumbledore
"In your case, I'm afraid not. There are actually two ways for Voldemort's spirit to be destroyed" at this, Harry's eyes lit up for an instant until he heard the next sentence "but neither of them would help you Harry" said the headmaster in a somber tone
"What are they sir?" asked Harry "Maybe we could figure out a way to make them work" he said in determination
"Harry, I don't think we can, but you have a right to know. The first way that a soul that is living in another is destroyed is death of the one holding it, but that death has to be a natural one or the soul is free to find another host"
"What do you mean by natural sir?"
"A natural death is by old age or by natural sickness, nothing inflicted by another person or yourself is considered natural, and even this is not a definite cure."
"What is the other way?" asked Harry, desperate to be able to find a loophole in this one
"The other possibility requires both a spell and a potion in order to be effective" began Dumbledore "They both require three people for them to be successful, the potion is quite complicated and requires a droop of blood from these three people which you would have to drink, and immediately after that, a spell must be cast on you be the other two" he finished, but Harry knew it sounded to easy to be true
"What's the catch?" he asked immediately "What other people de we need to help with this?"
"We would need one of your blood relatives, and a relative of Voldemort and this spell can only work if all involved share complete trust in each other, all three of them" he said in a level tone and Harry immediately knew why this was impossible. True, he now had two wizards who were related to himself by blood, but Voldemort had killed his father and entire muggle side of his family and his mother had died after he had been born, leaving no relatives, or at least no one who would willingly admit they were related to him and even if they did find anyone who fit this picture, the odds of an heir of Gryffindor and an heir of Slytherin having complete trust in each other or Harry was unheard of. As far as the wizarding world knew, Voldemort was the last remaining relative of Slytherin and had no descendants himself. Sighing heavily, he lowered his head in defeat.
"I'm sorry Harry" said Dumbledore softly as he looked at the boy before him just as Remus put a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder and gave a small squeeze "We will of course keep searching, but you needed to know what we have discovered so far"
Harry nodded and for the first time looked at his godfather who had remained still and silent throughout the entire exchange. Sirius looked as though he were merely a shell of a man, his eyes were deadened and his posture hunched and Harry realized immediately why he looked so deadened. He had already lost three of his best friends to Voldemort and it was now looking as though he were going to loose his surrogate son as well to the same evil. Harry made a vow to himself then and there not to give up. For his godfather and Ginny as well as everyone else he cared for and who cared for him in return, he would keep fighting this. He didn't know how long it would be before Voldemort won, but he would live whatever time he had left with those he cared about. He wouldn't let this interfere with his life any longer and he would enjoy every day to the fullest. He would keep searching for a way to end this hell he was currently living in, but until he found one, he would live. He wouldn't spend whatever time he had left by causing others to worry, this would stay between the men present in this room, Ginny, Draco, Ron, and Hermione need never find out the truth.
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The next week passed by in a blur for all the students and professors alike and Saturday morning dawned bright and cold. Harry had been awake for hours, sitting in the common room and searching through a large pile of books that he and Ginny had found in the restricted section of the library the night before when they had gone with Sirius and Remus to research, which was how they had spent every waking moment that they were not in classes. Harry was so absorbed in the book that he didn't hear the sound of footsteps descending down the stairs until someone cleared their throat behind him. Startled, he looked over his shoulder and saw the accusing look sent his way by none other than Hermione Granger. He groaned inwardly at seeing his best friend standing behind him and surveying the mountain of books. During the course of the past couple weeks, they had managed to keep their research a secret from the head girl and her boyfriend, but since Christmas night he had become desperate and was searching day and night almost nonstop for a solution, and now he had been caught sitting in the common room at dawn with a large pile of restricted books beside him and Harry had to come up with some kind of excuse.
"What are you doing Harry?" asked Hermione with her brow furrowed as she surveyed her best friend and picked up one of the books. He was sitting in front of the fire fully dressed in his black clothes and robe with the scarlet cloak draped over his shoulders. In his hands he held a fairly large book with no words written on the cover and beside him sat about twenty other equally large books and she curiously picked one up and opened it to the first page to read the title of the book since it was not on the cover and what she found surprised her. The title of the book was 'Destroying the Soul'.
"Harry.wh.what are you doing" she sputtered out as she looked at his face over the book "these are dark arts books" she continued when she received no response. Instead, Harry just looked at her with an almost calculating expression on his face that was instantly replaced by an indifferent mask that hid everything he was thinking. A moment later, he raised his hand and all the books disappeared within an instant, including the one that had been in her hands. The only one remaining was the one in his hands which he carefully closed as he turned to look Hermione in the eyes.
"Research" he simply said before trying to change the subject "Why are you up so early?" he asked
"I couldn't sleep. What were you researching about in dark arts books?" she asked, refusing to allow him to change the subject that easily
"Oh, on Monday some of the professors are going to start helping me learn how to better use and control my powers and those were just some books Remus wanted me to look through before my lesson with him Monday night" he explained in a steady tone. It wasn't a complete lie, Dumbledore had arranged for him to work with Sirius on animagus training starting Monday night and Dumbledore had mentioned, during one of their now regular meeting, something about having some of the other professors helping him learn how to harness his powers better sometime in the near future.
Hermione was looking skeptically at him for several moments before she spoke again "Why is he having you read books about destroying souls? That is clearly very dark magic and probably illegal" she said
Harry thought fast before answering her "Well, their opinion is that if I'm going to fight dark magic for the rest of my life, I should at least know as much of it as possible so I can defend myself" he said, looking at her and praying that she bought his story
"Oh, are you planning on becoming an auror like Ron and Draco?" she asked him, slightly irritated by the fact she was unable to read his expression and therefore having no choice but to believe him
"I'm not sure yet, but regardless of what I do, I will always be fighting the dark arts it seems. Apparently it's my destiny or something" he said with his characteristic half smile on his face, which caused Hermione to smile in return.
"Well, if you find anything interesting in those books or if you need any help studying, let me know" she said pleasantly before changing the subject "So, are you ready for today?" she asked as she settled into one of the other chairs. At eleven that morning was the first quidditch game of the year, now that the pitch was back to normal after being destroyed during the previous year.
"Yeah" said Harry with a grin on his face. He had been made captain of the team at the beginning of his sixth year and he had all intentions of leading his team to the cup for his final year, especially since he hadn't had the opportunity to do so last year. Gryffindor had been in the lead for the cup last year but Voldemort's attack had caused the season to end abruptly with no house winning the cup.
"Good, because Heaven knows we need that cup this year" said a voice from behind the pair and when they turned they recognized the bleary eyed figure of Ginny approaching them.
"What are you doing up so early Gin?" asked Harry in concern as he saw his obviously tired girlfriend yawn widely.
"Good morning to you too Harry" she said in mock outrage as she perched herself on the arm of the chair beside him
"Sorry, good morning Gin" he apologized as he gave her a quick kiss, conscious of Hermione's presence
"What were you two discussing?" asked Ginny as she looked between Harry and Hermione
"Oh, Harry was just telling me about the new lessons he is going to be receiving from Remus and the other professors starting next week" said Hermione, and she was quick to notice the flash of confusion that passed across Ginny's expression before Harry spoke up quickly as he looked at the clock
"Ginny, we had better get to breakfast so we have time to get ready for the match. Could you please wake Michelle and Abby? I'll get Scott, Ron, and Seamus and meet you guys in the great hall in about thirty minutes" he said as he got to his feet and set off to the boys' dormitory with the book still in his hands.
"Sure" said Ginny as she too headed to her dormitory, but she had only made it a couple of steps before Hermione's hand on her shoulder brought her to a halt. Confused, she turned to face the older girl "What's wrong Hermione?"
"What's going on with Harry Gin?" she demanded, her tone harder than she intended, but she knew something wasn't right with her best friend and she was determined to find out the truth
"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny, deciding to play ignorant about what she knew
"I'm not dumb Ginny. I know something is going on with Harry and I also know that you know what's wrong with him" said Hermione as she looked into the other girls eyes
"I have no idea why you would think that Hermione, everything is fine" Ginny insisted
"Ginny, when I got down here this morning, he was reading books about destroying souls and when I asked him about it he fed me some story about Remus wanting him to read the books. Not only that, but Ron said he hasn't slept more than a couple of hours a night, if that, for the past several days, and you and he are always in the library or the defense classroom with Remus and Sirius, obviously researching something and I want to know what is going on with him" said Hermione determinedly
"Hermione, if this was something that Harry thought you should know he would tell you" said Ginny, her temper wearing thin
"But Ginny, Harry is my best friend, I have a right to know what is going on, there may be something Ron or I could do to help" said Hermione in a pleading voice "I know you know what is going on, please tell my"
"Hermione, I do know what is going on, but I swore to Harry that I would keep it to myself and I plan on keeping my word to him" she said as she turned again to go back up the stairs
"Ginny, we have a right to know!" exclaimed Hermione and this caused Ginny's temper to finally snap and she whirled to face the head girl
"Hermione, how dare you say something like that!" she exclaimed back, trying to keep her voice as low as possible so they wouldn't wake their other housemates "Who are you to say you have the right to know everything about Harry's life! He may be your best friend but did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe there were some things he didn't want you to know?! If he thought that this concerned you or Ron, he would tell you, but apparently he doesn't so just leave it alone! If you are a true friend you should understand this and accept it without questioning him! When he is ready, he will tell you, and until that time, don't try to go behind his back like this again and respect his decisions and wishes. I have to get the other girls up" she said, signaling their conversation was over and going up the stairs to wake her teammates, leaving a confused but angry Hermione in her wake.
Three hours later, the Gryffindor quidditch team was standing in the middle of the pitch facing the Slytherin team, about to begin the game. At Madame Hooch's signal, Harry and Draco shook hands and the balls were released into the air, followed immediately by the fourteen students. On the Gryffindor team, Ginny, Michelle, a fifth year, and Abby, a sixth year, played chaser and Seamus and Scott, a fifth year, played beaters, leaving Harry to find the Snitch and Ron to defend the goals.
The game began and within only twenty minutes the Slytherin team was down by 80 points, the score being 80-0. Ron was an outstanding keeper and during the three years he had been on the team he had proven to be one of the best keepers the team had ever had and he refused to let the other team score. The three girls were equally as good at their positions and were constantly putting the quaffel through the hoops on the opposite end of the field, earning cheers from their housemates. Scott and Seamus had both just joined the team this year and were still learning the finer aspects of playing beaters, but they were doing a good job at keeping the majority of the bludgers from hitting any scarlet clad team members and sending a great number at the green clad students. Harry winced in sympathetic pain though when one of the bludgers sent by Seamus hit Draco squarely in the face, giving him a very bloody nose, but the blonde refused to stop his search for the snitch and continued to circle the field.
As the game progressed, Harry kept one eye on his team and the other was constantly searching for the elusive golden ball. Draco, as always, stayed close by so that if Harry saw the snitch he wouldn't be too far behind at going after it. As Harry watched the game going on below him, he felt a smile creep onto his lips when he caught sight of Ginny score yet another goal. When she had first wanted to try out for the team in her fourth year, he had been skeptical to say the least, having never seen her on a broom before, but she flew just as well as any of her brothers, if not better, and that just caused his love of her to grow more. Her hair was billowing out behind her as she flew and after scoring the goal, she seemed to feel his gaze and looked up at him, sending him a happy wave and wide smile before turning her attention back to her fellow chasers. He smiled back and just as he did so, he saw a flash of gold hovering just above her head. His lack of concentration on the game around him though had its definite downfalls, he realized with a painful groan as a bludger hit him hard in the middle of the back. Blocking out the pain, he searched the area he had just seen the snitch in and he smiled when he saw it dive to the ground. With a sudden burst of speed, he raced for the ball and felt Draco on his heels, but there was no way the other boy could beat him when he was so focused on his goal. He quickly drew even with the golden, winged ball and with a quick movement he stretched out his hand and folded his fingers around the small ball as a smile of triumph spread across his face. He was instantly aware of the cheers from his team and the stands and he was surrounded by the rest of his team as they descended to the snow covered ground.
Ginny ran up to him immediately and pulled him into a tight hug, but when she felt him wince under her embrace, she released him and looked at him in worry.
"What's wrong Harry?" she asked in concern
"Don't worry Gin, I just took a hit by a bludger, nothing Madame Pomfrey cant cure in an instant" he said with a smile
"Let's get you up to the hospital wing then so you don't have to miss the party" she said with a smile as she took his hand and led him away.
When they arrived in the hospital wing and told Madame Pomfrey what had happened, she directed Harry to the bed at the far end of the ward and directed him to remove his shirt. Ginny waited in the hallway for him to get done and talked with Draco for a moment as he went to get his bloody nose fixed up.
Once he had removed his robes and shirt, Harry lay on his stomach on the bed and felt Madame Pomfrey applying the purple bruise ointment to his back. Immediately, the pain was lessened and he was about to sit back up when she pushed him back down.
"Oh no you don't Mr. Potter. You stay need to stay here for about fifteen more minutes to let that bruise completely heal, I'll come check on you in a little bit"
Groaning, Harry laid back down, resigned to his fate of having to wait until she said he could leave. Deciding to make the most of the situation, he put both of arms under the pillow and closed his eyes to get a few moments of sleep.
Just as he had gotten comfortable though, he heard someone draw the curtains aside and begin speaking. Madame Pomfrey knew how he felt about anyone seeing his scars, that's why he was in this particular bed that was hidden from the rest of the ward, hidden from prying eyes of the other students, but yet, someone had found him.
"Hey Potter, why are you hiding your skinny arse way back here?" asked the person "I saw Ginny outside and she said you were here, I've been looking everywhere.bloody hell" he cut himself off and Harry opened his eyes but kept his head on the pillow as he looked at Draco.
"How's the nose Malfoy?" he asked the blonde boy
"Huh? Oh, yeah, the nose, it's fine" he mumbled as he continued to stare at Harry in horror. Finally though, he found his voice again "Harry, are those scars all from the death eaters?" he asked hesitantly
"Yes" said Harry simply as he looked into the pale boy's gray eyes
"How many of those did my father give you?" asked Draco as he met Harry's eyes
"Enough" he answered in an emotionless voice
"Harry, can I ask you a serious question?"
"You already have, but go ahead"
"Is my father really dead?" Every since Harry had returned, everyone assumed that all the death eaters that had disappeared with him had died, but no bodies had ever been found and Harry had never acknowledged or denied these rumors as being true.
"Yes, I'm sorry Draco, your father is dead" he said in the same expressionless voice. Draco nodded his head, but for some reason, he didn't feel depressed at all. He knew what his father was and how he treated people he thought as inferior, he was even willing to bet that Lucius Malfoy had put the majority of those scars on Harry's back. Suddenly though, there was something he had to find out, and he only hoped that the raven haired boy would tell him the truth.
"How did he die?" of all the questions Harry had thought Draco would ask, this was not one he had considered the answer to. There was no way he could tell him the entire truth, but perhaps he would accept part of it. Draco watched as Harry closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before he answered with his eyes still closed.
"Voldemort tried to control him, and he made your father duel against me, but he had been under Voldemort's control for to long, he wasn't strong enough to duel with anyone. I only meant to stun him, but that curse was too strong and it killed him. I didn't mean to have him die, I didn't want for anyone but Voldemort to die. I'm so sorry Draco" he said as he opened his eyes again and looked anywhere but Draco's face.
"Harry, it's not your fault. My father was evil, the things he did to you and everyone else were terrible and he deserved what he got. I don't blame you at all for what happened. Thank you for telling me though, I appreciate it" he said quietly to the other boy
The pair sat in silence for several moments before Draco spoke up again "Great game today, by the way. How does your back feel? That was a pretty hard hit you took."
Harry was glad for the change in subject "Not nearly as hard as that one you took, but it feels fine" he answered with a small smile just as Madame Pomfrey returned. She carefully examined the area where the bruise had been and once satisfied that he was healed, dismissed him before telling Draco to step out so she could look at his nose again.
Once the pair had left, Harry sat up and pulled his shirt and robes back on before he left the curtained off area and walked out into the hallway with Draco. They said their goodbyes and Draco headed toward the dungeons and Ginny and Harry headed to the tower.
"You know, if we play this well in the rest of the games this season, the cup is ours for sure" Harry said with a grin on his face
"Well, you know it helps when you have someone as famous as Harry Potter as captain and seeker" said Ginny in a teasing tone
"Or someone as beautiful as Ginny Weasley as chaser" retorted Harry with a mischievous grin on his face
Suddenly, he swept Ginny up into his arms as he spun her around in glee as she giggled madly before he put her down and led the way through the drafty castle to begin the celebrations with the rest of Gryffindor who were already in the tower without a worry on his mind. The celebration lasted long into the night and for the first time in a long time, Harry was happy and all his worries were pushed out of his mind, but the same was not true for the three professors gathered in the headmasters' office as they met to discuss their progress concerning their research.
When they left the office, Severus Snape's face was drawn tight in anger and frustration, Remus Lupin looked even more weary than he did the day after a full moon and his normally calm expression was replaced by one of fury, Sirius Black though was the most changed, his face was pale and his shoulders slumped, but his eyes were the most changed, they looked even more dead than when he had escaped from Azkaban, only pale blue pits of loss and desperation. Inside the office, the normally jovial headmaster had his hands resting on the window sill as he surveyed the grounds, but his eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he spoke three words quietly
"I'm sorry Harry"
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When Harry awoke the next morning, he was more than a little surprised to find Hedwig perched on his headboard with a letter tied to her leg. Confused, he pulled off the letter and opened it up, finding the familiar scrawl of Dumbledore on the parchment. Wondering what could be so important that the headmaster couldn't wait until their meeting that night, his eyes scanned the letter and a feel of overwhelming desperation overtook his heart.
Harry,
Could you please come to my office as soon as you receive this, it is a matter of utmost importance. Severus, Remus, and Sirius are waiting for you here as well.
Albus Dumbledore
Knowing that he wanted to speak about only one thing, Harry's hands began to tremble and his breathing came in short gasps. He knew that this meant that their search for a way to destroy Voldemort had proved futile and that there was no way the evil spirit could be destroyed. Knowing what he was about to face, but unwilling to accept it, he became furious instantly, but closed his eyes tightly to prevent the emotion from taking control of him which would allow Voldemort to curse him again. Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass shattering from beside him, and startled, he sprang to his feet with his hand outstretched and aimed at the window beside him, just as the other four occupants of the room threw aside their own hangings to see what had happened.
"Harry, what was that?" asked Ron in a frightened whisper as he surveyed the shattered window beside Harry's bed.
Harry, who was also looking at the window, suddenly realized what had happened. Dumbledore had told him that as long as he was unable to fully control his magic that extreme emotions could spontaneously cause things to happen and he gave his dorm mates a sheepish half smile.
"Sorry guys, I guess I just lost control for a minute there, I didn't mean to wake you" he said as he put his letter on his desk as he gathered up his clothes and went into the bathroom to change, leaving four confused friends behind.
"Harry did that?" asked Neville finally as he continued to stare at the shattered window "How?"
"I don't know" muttered Ron as he to looked at the glass on the floor
Just then, Harry walked back out of the bathroom, fully clothed, including his scarlet cloak and headed towards the door before he looked back over his shoulder and with a wave of his hand fixed the shattered window.
"Where are you going Harry?" asked Ron as he watched the back of his retreating friend
"Dumbledore" was all he said as the door opened before him and closed behind him without being touched.
"Why is he going to see the headmaster at seven in the morning?" asked Seamus as he pulled his blankets over his head and yawned widely, desperate for a few more hours of sleep.
"I don't know" said Ron, but his eyes fell on the parchment that was sitting on the desk between their beds and he picked it up and quickly scanned the words before looking to the others who were all watching him expectantly "Dumbledore just wrote him saying that he, Snape, Remus, and Sirius were waiting for him and to go to his office immediately" he explained
"But why would that cause him to get angry enough to blow up the window?" asked Dean
"I don't know. Go back to sleep, its early" Ron said as he pulled a dressing gown over his pajamas and went into the common room, planning on waiting for Harry there until he returned, but his friend was not seen again until breakfast.
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When Harry arrived at the headmasters office, his immediate observation was that the news he was about to hear was far from good, his next one was that he had better get control before the headmasters window shattered as well.
"You wanted to see me sir?" he asked as he shut the door behind him
"Yes Harry, please take a seat" he said as he motioned to the only empty chair in the office, in between Remus and Sirius with Snape standing with his back against the wall, all unusually tense.
"Harry, I'm afraid we have some bad news for you" began the headmaster "I have contacted several of my friends about your problem, and they all have the same answer"
"There is nothing we can do, is there" said Harry, interrupting Dumbledore
"In your case, I'm afraid not. There are actually two ways for Voldemort's spirit to be destroyed" at this, Harry's eyes lit up for an instant until he heard the next sentence "but neither of them would help you Harry" said the headmaster in a somber tone
"What are they sir?" asked Harry "Maybe we could figure out a way to make them work" he said in determination
"Harry, I don't think we can, but you have a right to know. The first way that a soul that is living in another is destroyed is death of the one holding it, but that death has to be a natural one or the soul is free to find another host"
"What do you mean by natural sir?"
"A natural death is by old age or by natural sickness, nothing inflicted by another person or yourself is considered natural, and even this is not a definite cure."
"What is the other way?" asked Harry, desperate to be able to find a loophole in this one
"The other possibility requires both a spell and a potion in order to be effective" began Dumbledore "They both require three people for them to be successful, the potion is quite complicated and requires a droop of blood from these three people which you would have to drink, and immediately after that, a spell must be cast on you be the other two" he finished, but Harry knew it sounded to easy to be true
"What's the catch?" he asked immediately "What other people de we need to help with this?"
"We would need one of your blood relatives, and a relative of Voldemort and this spell can only work if all involved share complete trust in each other, all three of them" he said in a level tone and Harry immediately knew why this was impossible. True, he now had two wizards who were related to himself by blood, but Voldemort had killed his father and entire muggle side of his family and his mother had died after he had been born, leaving no relatives, or at least no one who would willingly admit they were related to him and even if they did find anyone who fit this picture, the odds of an heir of Gryffindor and an heir of Slytherin having complete trust in each other or Harry was unheard of. As far as the wizarding world knew, Voldemort was the last remaining relative of Slytherin and had no descendants himself. Sighing heavily, he lowered his head in defeat.
"I'm sorry Harry" said Dumbledore softly as he looked at the boy before him just as Remus put a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder and gave a small squeeze "We will of course keep searching, but you needed to know what we have discovered so far"
Harry nodded and for the first time looked at his godfather who had remained still and silent throughout the entire exchange. Sirius looked as though he were merely a shell of a man, his eyes were deadened and his posture hunched and Harry realized immediately why he looked so deadened. He had already lost three of his best friends to Voldemort and it was now looking as though he were going to loose his surrogate son as well to the same evil. Harry made a vow to himself then and there not to give up. For his godfather and Ginny as well as everyone else he cared for and who cared for him in return, he would keep fighting this. He didn't know how long it would be before Voldemort won, but he would live whatever time he had left with those he cared about. He wouldn't let this interfere with his life any longer and he would enjoy every day to the fullest. He would keep searching for a way to end this hell he was currently living in, but until he found one, he would live. He wouldn't spend whatever time he had left by causing others to worry, this would stay between the men present in this room, Ginny, Draco, Ron, and Hermione need never find out the truth.
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