Harry Potter & the Dark Lord – Chapter 26
~ Seeing Double ~
Disclaimer: I'm borrowing everything from JK Rowling. That includes Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Percy, Fred, George, Dumbledore, Myrtle, Hogwarts, Quidditch, etc., etc., etc. I hope she doesn't mind.
A/N: ::Looks around:: Is it really me? Is GP really posting a new chapter after ALMOST A YEAR? No, it can't be. You are imagining things. You are dreaming. Go back to sleep. It'll all be ok in the morning. OK, I know it's been months and months since I've updated (you may want to reread the last chapter or so…sorry – it was the one with Myrtle), and if you're still here reading, thank you, thank you, thank you! Many of you know the reasons I haven't written in quite a while, and I want to thank you for your kind words and support. You're the greatest.
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Harry didn't get a chance to share Myrtle's story with Ron that morning. When he finally made it down to Gryffindor common room, bursting with the news Myrtle had gleefully shared, he found it devoid of redheads.
"Harry, finally!" Hermione said, jumping up from the armchair where she had been staking out the boys' stairwell. "I've been waiting ages. Percy's here!"
"Percy?" Harry asked, nonplussed. "What's he doing at Hogwarts?"
"I don't know," Hermione said impatiently, pulling Harry toward the portrait hole. "Professor McGonagall came by a little while ago and told Ron and the others he was here. They've already gone down to the Great Hall to see him. I've been waiting for you." She gave him a piercing look. "Harry, I'm sure everything is all right," she said kindly. "What took you so long, anyway?"
"Overslept," Harry mumbled.
"Well, hurry…you know the match is at eleven."
Harry and Hermione had no problem spotting the Weasleys once they entered the Great Hall. A cluster of red hair stood out amidst the sea of browns and yellows, and the noise level was noticeably higher around the fiery lot.
"Fred, geroff!" Ron was saying quite loudly.
Fred and George Weasley ignored their younger brother's protests as they enveloped him in what seemed to be a brotherly hug. It was hard to tell since Ginny seemed to be stuck in the middle of the Weasley sandwich, trapped in the midst of a tangle of arms.
"Ronniekins, we're just trying to protect our baby brother," George said, disentangling himself to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye.
Harry drew closer to the table, barely suppressing a grin at Ron's obvious annoyance. Ginny's face turned toward him briefly, her brown eyes silently pleading. Neither Harry nor Hermione had a chance to say a word before they were noticed by the eldest of the Weasleys present.
"Harry, Hermione, how nice to see you both," Percy said, rising quickly from the table. Ginny and Ron sprang away from each other as soon as they had the chance, both glaring at their brothers. Fred and George hopped up, shadowing Percy as he went to greet his brother's friends.
Percy offered Harry a trembling hand. His face was pale and his bright eyes tired as he glanced around nervously from behind his horn-rimmed glasses.
"Hullo, Percy" Harry said. "Is…is everything all right?"
"Certainly, Harry," Percy said, regaining some of his usual manner. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well, you don't normally pop in for breakfast," Harry said curiously.
"I had some business to attend to with Professor Dumbledore," Percy answered, though not quite as pompously as usual.
"Does…does it have to do with You-Know-You?" Hermione whispered.
"That's what I'd like to know," Ron answered, turning to Hermione. "He won't tell us anything, the prat. And he's trying to keep us from going down to the pitch," Ron continued, shooting an angry glare at his brother.
"Now Ron," Fred began in his most serious voice, "that's private Ministry business. Peons like us have no right to the top-secret information. Very hush-hush, you know."
"That's enough," Percy said sharply. "I only suggested that it might be best if you all just stayed within the castle walls…at least until things calm down…"
"Until what things calms down?" George asked irritably. "You can't expect us to miss our game with no explanation."
"Percy," Hermione said sweetly, "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore wouldn't allow the game to go on if he thought it was dangerous. Besides, it's the Quidditch final…against Slytherin. Surely you don't want Gryffindor to forfeit?"
"There are more important things than Quidditch matches," Percy said shakily.
"More important than Quidditch? Like what?" Fred demanded, feigning shock. "I wouldn't have expected something that blasphemous even from you!"
George added, "Aren't you supposed to be off in Bulgaria for the Ministry, Percy? What're you doing here anyway?"
"Belgrade," Percy corrected. "I took some time off to come here."
"Time off? Who are you and what have you done with our brother?" asked George, staring at Percy incredulously.
"Look," Percy said, now clearly annoyed, "I'm only suggesting we take extra precautions considering…well, you know, considering the current situation."
"What situation?" Harry asked him.
Percy was silent for a moment. "I, I can't say…Ministry business, you know," he finally said weakly.
"Percy," Ginny said worriedly, "please tell us if something's happened."
He looked down at his sister for a moment, obviously struggling with himself over whether or not to say anything.
"Well," he began. Harry could see his resolve weakening. "It wasn't in the Daily Prophet, but the Muggle news did report it. So I suppose it's not entirely confidential…"
"What news?" Hermione asked curiously. "My parents didn't mention anything in their last letter."
"I can't imagine they'd have thought it worth mentioning," Percy said. "Most people, wizard or Muggle, wouldn't think much of it."
"Stop beating around the bush. Just tell us already," Ron insisted, rolling his eyes.
"There was a break-in at Leeds Castle," Percy said quickly.
Harry shared a look with Ron and Hermione. "Did you say Leeds? In Kent?"
"You've heard something about it?" Percy asked, looking
slightly surprised. Harry shook his
head, putting on his most innocent expression.
"Anyhow, there's reason to believe that Death Eaters were responsible…"
"Did, did they get anything?" Hermione asked warily.
"No, they fled empty-handed when Ministry officials arrived," Percy said airily. "But we have a good idea who did it." His casual tone faded as he looked around to make sure no one else was listening.
"Who was it?" Fred asked eagerly.
Percy opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again.
"Percy," George said warningly. "Don't make us force the information out of you."
"Right," Fred continued. "We have our methods."
Percy scowled at the twins, but he began again, speaking much more quietly this time so that Harry and the others had to lean in close to hear.
"Look, the Ministry doesn't want this out in the open. They haven't even told me," he added, a bit of red creeping into his cheeks. "But, after that letter Ron sent, I asked around a bit…"
"And?" Ron asked impatiently.
Percy hesitated. "I, I don't think I should be telling you this."
"Percy!" Ron yelled through gritted teeth.
Percy took a deep breath and again looked around before continuing in a whisper, "There's been another escape from Azkaban."
"An escape?" Harry repeated dully.
"Who was it?" Ron asked. "And how? "
Percy looked very pale. "You won't have heard of them, but they were among the Dark Lord's biggest supporters."
"They?" Fred asked. "There's more than one?"
"How could that be possible?" Ginny asked quietly. "The Dementors…they're still there, aren't they?"
Percy nodded. "That's just it. The Dementors never reported anything. The Ministry only found out they were missing during a routine visit."
"So, how…" Ginny left the question unfinished, shivering slightly.
"I don't know how," Percy said crossly. "I didn't truly believe it at first, but I did a little digging when I heard…"
George interrupted. "If there was an escape from Azkaban, don't you think we'd have heard about it by now? The Daily Prophet would've been all over that…"
"Don't you think the Ministry knows that?" Percy hissed. "They've apparently been working night and day to keep it from the press. I told you I had a hard time learning anything. Fudge's not an idiot. He knows he'd lose all credibility if this leaks out. He's already losing support at the Ministry daily."
"Dumbledore must know, right?" Hermione asked.
"yes, he knows. I overheard Dad talking to Professor Lupin about it," Percy answered. "However, I don't think the Ministry and Dumbledore see eye-to-eye on how best to handle it."
"All right," Harry said calmly, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head. "So there's been an escape. What does that have to do with us?"
"Yeah," Fred added, "and what does it have to do with the Quidditch match?"
"Just being cautious," Percy said, smiling nervously. "With Harry's, er, high profile, and everything that happened with Dad, you never can be too careful…"
"Percy, how daft do you think we are?" Ron demanded. "You didn't come all the way over here just because Harry has a 'high profile'. What's going on?"
"That's a very reasonable question, Mister Weasley," a new voice boomed behind them. Harry turned to see Professor Dumbledore smiling at Ron from behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Professor," Percy said, spinning around to face the headmaster.
"Percy Weasley, what a pleasure," Professor Dumbledore said kindly. "Professor McGonagall informed me of your visit. No doubt you have only the best intentions, but I assure you your brothers and sister will be perfectly safe out on the Quidditch pitch."
"Of course, professor," Percy responded, his face turning scarlet. "I didn't mean to imply…"
"No need to explain," Dumbledore answered, smiling lightly. "I quite understand. Perhaps you'll feel more comfortable if you watch the game with our other guests?"
"What guests?" asked Fred.
"Patience, Mister Weasley, patience," said Dumbledore, a twinkle in his eyes. "They'll be arriving shortly."
"Who'll be arriving?" asked Harry.
"Now, Harry, you don't me to spoil the surprise, do you? You'll see them tonight."
"But…"
"Ah, look at the time," Dumbledore said brightly, glancing at the planets floating on the face of his golden watch. "Nearly time for the Quidditch match! If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get a good seat…nothing like a Quidditch final. Percy, you may join me if you like."
"Er, thank you Professor," Percy answered, "but I think I'll watch with my sister if it's all the same."
"Of course." Professor Dumbledore nodded pleasantly and strode out of the Great Hall, leaving Harry more confused than before he'd arrived.
"All right, Percy, what is going on?" Ron demanded again.
"Ron, the match!" Hermione warned. Harry looked in the direction of her glance and saw the Slytherin players heading out to the lockers. The female half of the Gryffindor team – Alicia, Angelina, and Katie – were standing impatiently by the door, already in their Quidditch robes.
"Let's go," George said firmly. "We've got a championship to win."
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Harry, wearing his scarlet Quidditch robes, flew across the pitch, letting his mind clear as the wind rushed past his face. The game had just begun, and Angelina had already managed to score a goal against the new Slytherin Keeper.
He let his gaze drift over to the crowd, settling on Percy Weasley, who was sitting stiffly between Ginny and Hermione, his red hair standing out in sharp contrast to his paler-than-usual face. An arm draped protectively around Ginny's shoulders, Percy's eyes were glued on his brothers as they zoomed across the pitch chasing after the Bludgers.
Ginny caught Harry's attention and smiled, her eyes following him across the pitch. He gave a half-smile in return, turning his head quickly in an attempt to hide his rapidly coloring face.
Dumbledore also sat in the stands, watching the game with interest. While Harry didn't see any of the guests Dumbledore had mentioned, he did feel safer just having the headmaster there. Content that nothing seemed amiss, Harry turned his attention fully on the game.
"And so far Slytherin has played a clean game – very unusual," Lee Jordan's voice boomed. "The Gryffindor Chasers are flying circles around Slytherin. The only bright spot for Salazar's team is Graham Stark, the Chaser who took over as Captain once Marcus Flint finally managed to make it out of Hogwarts. Still, despite the lopsided score, no one has resorted to a dirty trick yet. Very unusual, indeed…"
"Jordan, enough with the insinuations," McGonagall interrupted.
"I'm simply stating facts," Lee argued innocently. "Gryffindor leads thirty-nothing and is in possession of the Quaffle yet again. Katie Bell, beautifully recovered from the mishap at her last game, zooms toward the goal posts, deftly making it through the Slytherin players."
Katie was indeed zooming across the pitch, easily snaking past the opposing team's players as she and Alicia tossed the Quaffle to each other. Alicia swerved upward to avoid a Bludger, losing her grip on the large red ball. Katie smoothly swooped beneath her, using both hands to catch the Quaffle while gripping her broom with her knees.
"Sorry 'bout that!" Fred shouted to the girls, knocking the offending Bludger right at a Slytherin Chaser that was tailing Katie. Katie took the opportunity to loop in front of the goalpost as if turning, casually tossing the Quaffle just before she sped the opposite way. Caught unaware, the Slytherin Keeper gave a half-hearted attempt to stop the shot, already far out of his reach.
"And Katie scores! Gryffindor now leads by forty. Slytherin is certainly not putting up much of a challenge to Gryffindor's spectacular offense," Lee continued. "They'd better step up the game soon or risk facing an embarrassing loss. Their only hope seems to be catching the Snitch…"
"And considering that Harry Potter is the Gryffindor Seeker," piped in a high-pitched voice, "that seems nearly impossible!"
"Creevey," Lee said irritably. "You're supposed to be observing…silently."
"Sorry," mumbled Colin Creevey sheepishly. "I was just stating facts, like you do."
"Will at least one of you focus on the game?" McGonagall's voice boomed.
Lee continued, "And it looks like Fred and George Weasley are calling a time out. Interesting move, considering their lead."
Harry turned his Firebolt toward the ground, making his way down slowly. The rest of the team had already gathered by the time he approached, eyeing the Slytherin team warily. Harry landed softly and turned his attention to the co-captains.
"Do you get the feeling…" George started slowly.
Fred nodded grimly, "They're up to something, those slimy, no-good, stinking, bloody rotten…"
"We get the point," Angelina broke in. "So what do we do about it?"
"Well," George said, "unless you've figured out exactly what their game plan is…"
"Maybe they're just trying to make us overconfident," Alicia guessed. "Get us to let our guard down…"
"No," Ron said grimly, "I doubt that's it. Face it – they're not that good…we'd still beat them. They must have something planned, a trick up their sleeve…"
"Dumbledore's here," Katie pointed out. "They'd be stupid to try anything in front of him."
"Well, look who we're talking about," Fred answered. "Stupid is Malfoy's middle name."
"The thing that gets me," Ron said, his brow furrowed in concentration, "is they just don't seem bothered about losing at all. They're acting as if, as if it's just a friendly Sunday afternoon skirmish. I can't shake this bad feeling. It's just not normal."
Harry glanced over at the Slytherins, gathered at the other end of the pitch. Draco Malfoy was looking directly at him, something between a smile and a smirk on his face. He had to agree with Ron – Malfoy seemed far too content given the current score.
"Let's just keep our eyes open," George said firmly.
"Don't take anything for granted," Fred finished. "Keep the pressure on."
The team nodded, remounting their brooms and resuming the game at the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle.
"And Gryffindor quickly gets back into the match, the team picking up right where it left off. There goes a Bludger, just missing sweet Katie Bell thanks to a quick interception by George Weasley."
George slammed the Bludger towards Stark. The Slytherin Chaser and Captain swerved to the left just in time, dodging the well-aimed missile. He looped around Alicia, knocking her off-balance and causing her to lose her grip on the Quaffle. Dropping swiftly, Stark was in perfect position to catch the plunging ball.
"And there goes Stark, giving Slytherin its first real scoring opportunity. Let's see how Weasley fares against the oldest and most experienced member of the Slytherin team."
Ron's face was set in a determined grimace as he faced down the much larger Slytherin. Harry watched the one-on–one confrontation with interest; the rest of the Gryffindor team was stuck halfway up the pitch. The Slytherin Beaters were evading Fred and George as they circled the Gryffindor Chasers, tossing the Bludgers back and forth.
Lee's voice boomed through the megaphone. "Ron's got his work cut out for him. Stark's being joined by his fellow Chasers, and they're mounting an attack against Weasley. I would not want to be in Ron's position right now; he can't possibly cover all of them. Wow, there's one you don't see everyday…it looks like…no! Weasley is trying the Starfish and Stick defense! Unbelievable! Let's hope it works…"
Harry hovered above. He was captivated as he watched Ron let go of his broom and hang by his right hand, right ankle curled around the broom handle. Ron stretched his long limbs as far as he could, creating a much larger barrier in front of the goal posts than his lean frame would otherwise provide. It worked for the moment, the Quaffle ramming right into Ron's chest and bouncing harmlessly away from the danger zone.
"Brilliant!" Lee shouted. "Weasley makes a spectacular save! Got the wind knocked out of him a bit, but…NO!"
Stark had grabbed the rebounding Quaffle, taking advantage of Ron's breathless state to swoop past him and score an easy goal. Harry could see Ron muttering under his breath – not likely anything Mrs. Weasley would approve of – as he righted himself and turned just in time to helplessly watch the Quaffle sail through the hoop.
Lee moaned in protest. "And the score is now 40-10, Gryffindor. Don't worry, Slytherin'll need to do a lot more than that to steal the Championship from Gryffindor."
"Mister Jordan, honestly!" McGonagall interrupted.
Harry flew higher, listening intently to Lee's commentary. Then he saw it – a glint of light in the distance. He quickly glanced at Draco to see if he had noticed anything. Malfoy was eyeing him carefully, grabbing the handle of his Nimbus Two Thousand and One a little tighter as he noticed Harry's fleeting look. Harry tried to remain casual – he was easily twice as far from the Snitch as Draco and he had no intention of drawing the other boy's attention to this fact.
Harry threw his gaze at the stands briefly, in what he hoped appeared to be a casual manner. Seeing Hermione watching the game keenly, he formulated his plan. Without warning, Harry turned the handle of his Firebolt downward, dropping into a steep dive toward the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco following him in the descent.
Harry leaned forward, increasing his speed. He saw Malfoy quickly turn in his direction, following his lead. With the wind rushing past his ears, Harry could no longer hear anything but his own blood roaring through his veins. The ground came nearer and nearer and just as he was about to make contact, Harry pulled up on his handle, hard, and soared into the air, heading across the pitch toward were he had seen the Snitch. He saw no sign of Draco near him, and relieved that his plan seemed to have worked, Harry took a deep breath and continued toward his goal.
Still speeding along, Harry was in his own world, not hearing or seeing anything but the glint of gold and silver up ahead. Harry felt his skin being stretched back by the wind as pushed his Firebolt to go still faster. He forced his arm through the intense rush of air to reach his goal. Adjusting his direction slightly, Harry slowed as he felt the impact of the Snitch in his palm. He quickly closed his fingers around the fluttering wings.
Harry zoomed in the air with his arm raised in victory, the sounds of the game returning to him as he assumed a more normal speed. As expected, the crowd was cheering loudly, but he froze as he heard Lee's voice echoing in the air.
"Slytherin has won the Cup," Lee said in a disbelieving, defeated, unnatural tone. "Malfoy got to the Snitch first."
Colin's quivering voice broke in, "I, I don't believe it. It can't be…"
His heart clenching, his mind a swirl of confusion, Harry pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose as he turned his gaze down toward the ground. The Slytherin team was indeed celebrating, hoisting Malfoy up on their shoulders, wide grins on each of their faces. Harry's own teammates were huddled together at the opposite end of the pitch, staring dazedly into space, seemingly in shock. Ron looked murderous, and Fred and George were shaking their heads, mouths hanging open, gaping like fish. Three-quarters of the crowd was sitting silently, watching the Slytherins celebrate their victory in total disbelief. No one seemed to have noticed Harry.
Lee continued his monotone commentary, recapping the finale. "Apparently Malfoy got the Snitch using a variation of the Plumpton Pass. You may not all have heard of it, as it's only ever been seen once. According to Whisp's Quidditch Through the Ages, Roderick Plumpton invented the move when he caught the Snitch up his sleeve in record-breaking time in 1921. Malfoy completed his version of the catch after Potter went into what appears to have been a misguided Wronski Feint. While Potter was plummeting toward the earth, Malfoy broke away from the chase and pulled the Snitch out from where he had caught it in his sleeve…"
Lee's words reverberated in Harry's head. He looked around the mostly silent crowd once again, then down at his own fist, where the Snitch still fought against his grip. No, he thought. No. Something's wrong. Slytherin didn't win. He had the Snitch.
"No," Harry began, shaking his head. "No." No one was listening.
"But I caught the Snitch!" Harry shouted as loud as he could. Nearly a thousand heads turned his way. "I've got it," Harry continued, raising his hand in the air to demonstrate. "See?"
There was total silence as even Lee stopped speaking to stare at Harry. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team, seemingly unconcerned, watched Harry fly down toward Madam Hooch.
"All right, Potter, what are you going on about?" Madam Hooch asked, her sharp yellow eyes boring into Harry.
"The Snitch," Harry repeated. "I've got it."
The rest of the Gryffindor team had recovered enough to gather around their Seeker, and were now watching Madam Hooch expectantly at this sudden turn of events. The flying instructor took the Snitch from Harry's outstretched hand, bringing it up to her face as she examined it closely.
"Malfoy," Madam Hooch shouted, "get over here!"
Draco slid off his teammates shoulders, where he had been hoisted as the game's hero. He remounted his Nimbus and flew to Madam Hooch's side. The rest of his team followed behind.
"Yes, Professor?" he drawled, a curiously puzzled expression fixed on his pale, pointed face.
"Let me see the Snitch," Madam Hooch demanded brusquely, holding out her hand.
"Certainly," Malfoy answered, calmly handing over his Snitch. "Is there a problem?"
"There certainly is a problem, you cheating b-" Ron began.
"Enough Mister Weasley," Madam Hooch barked. "I'll determine if there's a problem or not."
A steady buzz of excitement was rising from the crowd, as everyone had by this time seen the two Snitches out on the pitch. Both Professors McGonagall and Snape were making their way over to the lot gathered around Madam Hooch.
"What's going on here?" Snape demanded. "Why hasn't the Cup been presented yet?"
Madam Hooch was now holding both Snitches up to her hawkish eyes, revolving them slowly in her hands. "The problem, Severus," she began, "is that there appear to be two Snitches."
Snape's dark eyes glittered malevolently. "Don't be ridiculous. There can only be one Snitch. Someone is obviously playing a prank. It's not very hard to figure out who would do that with this lot." His gaze fell upon the Weasley twins, who glared back at him defiantly.
"Now Severus, let's not jump to conclusions," Professor McGonagall chastised. "We don't know what happened yet."
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron said fiercely. "That git is trying to cheat us out of the Cup!" Ron lunged forward at Malfoy, only to be held back by Katie and Angelina, who also appeared to be fuming.
Malfoy raised his eyebrows in shock. "Are you referring to me? Cheat you? The entire school saw me catch the Snitch," he said, waving his arm at the audience.
"Actually," George interrupted, "they saw you pull the Snitch out of your sleeve. No one did see you catch it, did they? Seems very convenient, if you ask me."
Draco's face reddened. "Well, no one did ask you, did they?"
"Enough!" Professor McGonagall ordered.
"Well, no one saw Potter catching it," Stark said.
"I did!" someone shouted. They all turned to see Hermione running toward them, panting.
"Like you're an objective witness, Granger," Malfoy sneered.
Hermione, ignoring him, rushed up to McGonagall and held out her hand.
"My Omnioculars," Hermione breathed. "I saw Harry catching the Snitch when everyone was gathering around him," she said, nodding at Malfoy with a grimace. "You can watch it on replay."
Professor McGonagall reached for the Omnioculars but was beat to them by Snape. "I'll have a look at that," he said calmly.
Everyone held their breath as Snape brought the lenses to his eyes. After fiddling with the knobs for a minute, he watched silently before handing the Omnioculars over to McGonagall without a word.
McGonagall repeated Snape's actions before turning to Madame Hooch, her face tense. "Well, it's all there. Can't you tell which one is the real Snitch?"
"No," Madam Hooch frowned. "They appear identical. I'll have to ask Professor Flitwick to cast a few identification charms on them. Do you mind Minerva?" she asked holding out the Snitches to the Deputy Headmistress.
"Oh, of course" McGonagall answered, pulling out her wand. "Which one is which?"
"The right one is Potter's," she answered. With a wave of her wand, Professor McGonagall turned the Golden Snitch in Madam Hooch's right hand a bright scarlet, making it easily distinguishable from the one Malfoy had handed over.
"What about our Cup?" Stark demanded.
Professor McGonagall looked at him sternly. "There will be no Cup until this is all sorted out." She cast her glare upon all the members of both teams. "I must say I can't remember ever being so disappointed at a Quidditch team in my entire career here. Just the thought of a Hogwarts House Team deliberately trying to cheat its way to the Cup saddens me deeply. I will say that once we find the culprit they will be dealt with severely."
"Professor," Fred asked cautiously, "how long until we'll know?"
"It may be a few days, Weasley," Professor McGonagall answered briskly. "I suggest you all get changed and head back to your common rooms. I'll send everyone else up there now. Good day."
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Showered and back in their school robes, the Gryffindor team headed back to the castle. After joining in on a round of grousing about Slytherin, Harry and Ron hung back from the others, speaking to each other in whispers.
"Did you see who Dumbledore's guests were? He was sitting alone as far as I saw," Harry said.
"No," Ron replied. "He left halfway through the match. Maybe he was meeting them."
"Maybe." Harry answered. "Ron, you go ahead. I'll catch you up."
"Right, Harry," Ron answered sarcastically. "I'll just go suck on a sugar quill and do a bit of revising for the O.W.L.s while you get yourself in trouble without me. I don't think so. What're you up to?"
"I'm not up to anything. I just figured I'd stop by Dumbledore's office," Harry said lightly.
"Then I'm coming with you," Ron replied.
Harry shrugged, although he was somewhat pleased to have Ron's company. The two boys waited until the other students were out of sight, then Harry led the way up to the Headmaster's quarters. Before they got there, they stopped in their tracks at the sound of loud voices ahead of them.
"Albus, I must ask you to reconsider," they heard Professor Fletcher say. "Time is crucial. The Ministry cannot hold off any longer. You know they will have returned to the old hideout by now…"
"I am very aware of recent events and what they imply, Mundungus," Professor Dumbledore answered sharply. "Good ship lollipop."
Harry heard what he assumed to be the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office jumping aside. He and Ron hid behind a suit of armor, breathing as quietly as possible. The two men had stopped walking.
"Sir, then you must realize the time to act is now. Everything is in place. Victory can be ours before nightfall!" Fletcher continued frantically. "But we need Potter."
"Like hell, you do!" a third voice broke in. Harry recognized the voice at once; it was Sirius. Harry leaned his head around the corner as silently as he could, until he could see the men. Professors Dumbledore and Fletcher were standing with their backs to the boys. Sirius was partially hidden in the stairway that led down from Dumbledore's office.
"I will not let you use Harry as bait," Sirius continued hotly.
"No one will be putting any of my students in harm's way," Dumbledore responded, placing a calming hand on Sirius' shoulder.
"B-but the Ministry…we n-need to draw You-Know-Who out into the open," Fletcher stuttered. "It's all set!"
"I have everything in hand," Dumbledore said. "Mundungus, you will find I have already spoken to Minister Fudge, and everything will go as planned. Patience, Sirius," he said, with a quick glance in Sirius' direction. "Now, Mundungus, if you'll excuse us, I have some matters to discuss with Mister Black."
Harry and Ron waited until the men's footsteps faded away, and they heard the stone gargoyle hop back into place with a loud thump. Neither boy said anything for a while.
"They must be in the lake," Harry finally said. "The Death Eaters – the ones who escaped."
Ron didn't seem entirely convinced. "Well, it's obvious that Fletcher and Percy are talking about the same people. But the lake? Have they transfigured themselves into eels or something?"
Harry realized he hadn't yet told Ron what he'd learned from Myrtle. Ron sat silently, his eyes growing wider as Harry shared his story.
"And Fletcher wants to use you to get to the Death Eaters?" Ron asked incredulously.
"That's what it seems like," Harry replied.
"He's gone mental!" Ron exclaimed. "You, you can't…you'll be killed!"
"I'm not planning on it," Harry said seriously. "Don't worry. I've no intention on becoming dinner for a slimy snake."
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By the time Harry and Ron made it back up to Gryffindor common room, Hermione was already immersed in her O.W.L. preparations.
"Hermione, where's Percy?" Ron asked.
"Hello to you, too," Hermione responded dryly. She returned her attention to her book as she continued, "I think he's with the twins. They dragged him with them to guard the Snitches. Fred is certain that Malfoy's going to try to switch them."
"All right, then," Harry said. "I think I'll head up. I'm a bit tired."
"I'm heading up, too. I'll see you later, Hermione," Ron said, tapping her shoulder as he passed.
"Right," Hermione nodded slightly in acknowledgement, leaning over her parchment to jot down a note while the boys hurried up the tower.
Once in their room, Harry collapsed on his four-poster and lay with his hands behind his head. He didn't move from this position for what seemed like a very long time, all the while running the days events over and over in his mind. Ron sat at the edge of his own bed, equally lost in his thoughts. Ron broke the silence first.
"So, what do we do now?"
Harry looked up, his hair more mussed than usual after lying on the bed. He sat up and headed to the light of the window, removing his glasses and cleaning them slowly before he responded.
"Well," he began, choosing his words carefully, "I'm not..."
"We have to go to the lake," Ron interrupted. "And make sure Ginny doesn't. Percy knew something, I'm sure of it. And I bet you a thousand galleons that Myrtle saw those escaped Death Eaters in the lake."
"Yeah," Harry answered without taking his eyes from the window. The lake was perfectly calm. The trees swayed in the…in the wind? Harry stared more intently. "Yeah," he repeated. "You're probably right."
"And if they're here already, then the Ministry must be ready to do whatever it is they're planning," Ron continued.
Harry turned determinedly from the window. "I'm going to go see if Dumbledore will let me see Sirius," he said. "I suppose they've had enough time to talk about whatever is happening by now."
"Oh. Right." It was obvious by the look on Ron's face that he had forgotten all about the headmaster's guest. "Do you want me to come along?" he asked awkwardly.
"No, I'll be fine," Harry answered. "I, er, I'd kind of like to see Sirius alone. I'll be back soon." He stopped only to grab his wand, and after a quick check to make sure Ron wasn't looking, he slipped his Invisibility Cloak into his pocket before he slipped out the door.
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Once he reached the corridor that lead to the headmaster's quarters, Harry deliberately turned the opposite way. He had seen activity near the lake; he was sure of it. He finally made it to the Entrance Hall, only to find a group of older girls blocking the doors as they chatted animatedly. Harry recognized one of the girls as a sixth year Slytherin prefect. He remembered seeing Hermione speak with her a few times. Harry stalled as long as he could, pretending to search for something in his pocket. Eventually, he was forced to turn away lest he attract attention. Nearly everyone knew of Harry's confinement to the castle, and Harry was certain the prefect wouldn't think twice about taking points from Gryffindor if he tried to sneak by her. Resigned, he headed back out of the Entrance Hall. Once he was safely out of sight in an empty corridor, Harry pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and slipped it on.
Hidden from view, he stalked carefully to the opposite side of the castle. His destination was a fairly unpopular exit; the doorway was directly underneath a window from which the house elves emptied the dirty wash water. Harry and Ron had figured out the cleaning schedule long ago, with a little help from Dobby, so it was with confidence that Harry stepped out into the afternoon sunshine. He was quickly caught in a downpour of grayish, foul-smelling water, which soaked right through his Invisibility Cloak, causing it to cling to him uncomfortably. Sputtering, Harry quickly ran to the shelter of a nearby clump of shrubbery. There, he peeled the cloak off, letting it fall to the floor, and shook his head like a mutt just come in out of the rain. Under his breath, he muttered a word he had picked up from Ron, and then took off his glasses to wipe them clean. His robes were soaking wet. Invisible or not, he couldn't hide the puddle that was forming at his feet.
"Drygenus totalus," he muttered. Nothing happened.
"Dryganus totalus," he tried again. Where was Hermione when you needed her?
"Drygeus totalus!"
The third time did the trick, only too well. Not only was Harry dry as a bone, steam was rising from his suddenly hot robes. He waved his arms around frantically for a moment until the heat dissipated and the smoke was gone. He examined his robes closely; the sleeves were slightly singed and the fabric felt brittle. Now scared to try the drying spell on his father's Invisibility Cloak and unwilling to put the wet garment back on, Harry folded it up and hid it in the lowest branches of the shrub.
Harry looked ahead to the lake, and to the forest just beyond. It was there that he had seen the tops of the trees rustling in a wholly unnatural way. He took a partial step away from the safety of the shrubs, listening carefully for any sound. Just as he decided that it was safe to go further, he heard the castle door creak open. Harry froze, shrinking back into the shadows as he held his breath. He didn't know what explanation he could come up with if one of the professors found him out here. His stomach twisted into a knot as he noticed the large puddle just outside the door and the trail of water leading right up to his hiding place.
The door opened a bit wider and a head covered with bright red hair peaked out from behind it. It was Ginny. Harry felt a surge of relief and anger swelling up inside him. Ginny knew she wasn't supposed to go outside the castle without an adult, he thought righteously. Especially after Cho's dream, she should know to stay indoors away from danger.
Ginny sighed, apparently relieved that no one seemed to be outside. She hopped right over the puddle, seemingly too set on her mission to notice where it led. Her face was fixed with a look of determination, and she clutched something tightly in her hand. Harry watched her pass his shrub swiftly and practically run in the direction of the lake.
It took a second for Harry to stop gaping after Ginny and to actually go after her. He remained a safe distance behind, dropping behind various shrubs and trees – at one point even crouching behind Professor Sprout's gnome-shaped topiary bushes – as Ginny got closer and closer to the lake. The pain in his scar got worse the closer he got to the lake. It made it that much harder to continue and at the same time made him even more convinced that he had to follow her.
Just as he paused to catch his breath, Harry heard Ginny speak from up ahead.
"I knew you would try to come down here," Ginny accused.
His heart leapt into his throat.
"What are you doing here?" a male voice countered sharply. Harry strained to listen. He relaxed a bit as he slowly realized that Ginny hadn't discovered him. The voice was oddly familiar and he was curious to see who Ginny had thought would come down to the lake.
"I reckon the same thing you're doing here," Ginny answered stubbornly.
Harry inched closer to the voices, finding a gap in the foliage through which he could see. Ginny was blocking his view of the other person.
"You know you're not supposed to be out here," the person continued. "No one is."
He saw Ginny's shoulders shake as she took a deep breath and heard a definite sniffle. "Look," she said, shoving her hand out at the person. As she did this, the mystery boy came into view. Harry felt his blood run cold.
Ginny's hand lay outstretched, a brother to the Gryffindor lion pin she had given Harry for Christmas glowing brightly in her palm. Staring at the hand with a befuddled expression was Harry. At least the person looked just like him. Harry's mind couldn't focus. It wasn't the ghost of his father; the green eyes and scar were clearly visible. Maybe he'd hit his head during the Quidditch match and not realized it.
Ginny continued, her voice shaking, "Harry, it's glowing. It's only supposed to do that if your life's in danger. It's been like this all afternoon." She paused and took a deep breath. "Then I saw you sneaking out here from my window and I had to make sure you were okay."
Harry looked into his robes; the charm Ginny had given him was still pinned to his sweater. He hadn't noticed it before, but now the slight reddish glow was quite obvious.
"And you coming out here and putting yourself in danger is supposed to help me?" the person answered. That is, the other Harry answered. Maybe he'd somehow managed to get a hold of a time turner, Harry thought. Yes, that made the most sense. He'd done it once before. Dumbledore must've sent him back in time for some reason.
"Harry, you're planning on going into the lake, just like in Cho's dream," Ginny said very quickly. "I just know you are. But you can't do it…please, don't do it. Just come back to the castle."
Harry noticed that his future self – he was growing comfortable with that explanation – was standing in his socks, his shoes already removed and tossed aside.
"Er, Ginny," future Harry said. He was looking toward the forest nervously, as if he was expecting someone or something to come rushing out. "Look, I don't really have time to talk about this. Just go back to the castle and stay with your brothers. I know what I'm doing."
Ginny was growing increasingly agitated. "No, you don't! This thing says your life is in danger! God, please, just stop playing the hero! You, you git!"
Harry had to stifle a laugh as he saw his own startled expression. This was getting rather interesting, watching himself like that.
"Look, ah, Ginny," he said curtly. "I don't have time for this. Go back to the castle now."
Harry could see Ginny's eyes widen in shock. She took a step back at his words before stepping forward again and standing up straight.
"Fine. But if you're going to go kill yourself, then, then I'm going to do something first," she said bravely, although Harry could see she was trembling slightly.
Harry watched in disbelief from his hiding place. Ginny had closed her eyes, stood on her toes and was leaning dangerously close to his future self. Their faces were an inch apart. She continued leaning. Another half inch and…
"Ginny!"
Harry watched himself take a step back before any contact was made, causing Ginny to snap her eyes open and fall back on her feet, disappointment and embarrassment written clearly on her face. She was red as a beet, and Harry felt his own face heat up.
"What do you think you're doing?" the future Harry said slowly, not a sign of embarrassment on his face. "Let me repeat, this is not the time for this. Go back to the castle."
Ginny stared at him, her lips pressed shut, and her face growing even redder. Harry shook his head, exasperated, removed his outer robes, and turned back to the lake. A second later, he had jumped in without a backward glance.
Harry was torn. He knew that if Dumbledore had sent him back to do something, he shouldn't interfere. Horrible things could happen if you met yourself. Yet, Ginny looked so lost and upset. She was standing in total shock, opening and closing her mouth, and looked close to tears. He wanted to go calm her down, but something made him pause. In that moment of hesitation, Ginny apparently made up her mind. Tossing off her own school robes, she dove straight into the lake after Harry.
Now alone, Harry stepped out from shadows and into the still-bright sunshine. Things had not gone as he had imagined they would. The ripples from Ginny's dive were nearly gone now, and the lake's surface was returning to its polished mirror look. Harry stood staring into the murky water, totally at a loss as to what to do next.
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A/N: Tada! Another chapter complete. One more to go. Well, maybe two if it turns out to be too long. What did you think? Two Snitches, two Harrys, two Arabellas…no, I'm not a Gemini. ^_~ Thank you for still reading, and I think I can guarantee that the finale won't take a year to complete. It may even be out before Book V. Hehe. Happy Easter, y'all.
Note to the sweet person that asked about the wand order issue. Yes, I am aware of the order. That chapter was written ages ago when the first editions of GoF came out with the screw-up. That bit I wrote was my lame attempt at explaining it before subsequent editions of GoF were corrected. I just didn't feel like changing it. To the nice reviewer who asked if Angelina should've graduated by now: Maybe. We don't know what year she's in for sure, so I made her in the twins' year because I like her and we never got a proper goodbye. I'm glad to see people are paying attention so closely!