Harry Potter and Gryffindor's Secret
Chapter 12: Vinculum Obscuro
By: Lin-z
A/N: Hi everyone, I'm back! You've been great reviewers so far; I love them all! Keep it up, you're all awesome!
MAJOR THANKS goes to ~*Dumbledore's True Love*~ -- without her I'd still be stuck neck deep in writer's block! Ü Go read her stories (after you're done with this!), they're great!
Disclaimer: well, I'm pretty sure that by now you know I don't own Harry Potter, so I think this will be the final disclaimer - it works for all future chapters.
*
Dumbledore looked up from the mound of Owl Post he had been responding to. It was quite late, and he had no idea who could be behind his door at this time of night. With a small sigh he got up and strode to the door.
'Why, Mr Black! To what do I owe this pleasure?' Dumbledore said, standing aside to grant Sirius entrance to his grand office.
Sirius stepped forward, a rather disturbed look upon his face. 'It's about Harry,' he said.
'Ah yes… Do have a seat,' Dumbledore said, motioning to one of the fluffy armchairs before his desk. Dumbledore took a seat as well. 'I hear he had a bit of run-in with Voldemort last night.'
'A bit, yes,' Sirius said dryly. 'As you know, I'm not one for much small talk. What in Merlin's name happened?' he demanded.
Dumbledore twirled a finger in his long silver beard thoughtfully. 'I suppose you've heard of Invocators,' he said.
'Yes, of course, but isn't that only supposed to summon one's subconscious? Voldemort wouldn't be able to harm Harry just by Invoking him, would he?'
'With ordinary Invocation, no,' Dumbledore replied, 'but Voldemort has been able to take it one step further.'
At that moment, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Dumbledore stood up and proceeded open it. Sirius turned around in his chair to see who had just entered. 'Remus! Come in, come in,' Dumbledore said, motioning Remus to a chair.
'Sorry to interrupt, Professor,' Remus began, 'but I think there's a bit of trouble in the Gryffindor fifth-year boy's dormitory,' he said, placing a rumpled piece of parchment on Professor Dumbledore's desk.
'Yes, Sirius and I were just discussing that, as a matter of fact. Perhaps it would do for you to hear this as well,' Dumbledore said, scanning the map knowingly. 'Have a seat.'
Remus took a seat next to Sirius and looked to Professor Dumbledore. 'You've heard of Invocators, no?' Dumbledore said.
'Yes,' Remus said, throwing a curious glance at Sirius.
'Well, we have reason to believe that Voldemort has been able to take it one step further,' Dumbledore began. 'Due to the bond that he shares with Harry, Invocation works a bit differently between the two of them, and when Voldemort summons Harry, it's very similar to Harry actually being there in person.'
Sirius stood up in an outrage. 'That yellow bellied bastard!' he said. 'Sorry, Professor,' he added, sitting back down. 'Is there anything we can do?'
'That's quite all right,' Dumbledore said, smiling, 'and yes, we're working on a solution. There is a certain, very complex, charm found in the Book of Gryffindor that should be just the thing.'
Sirius jumped up quickly. 'Well, let's do it!'
'How soon will it be ready?' Remus said, amused at his friend's enthusiasm.
'I think tomorrow night is as soon as we'll be able to perform it,' Dumbledore said. 'What it will do is block the part of the mental connection that connects their subconscious. It will not seal it off entirely, however. In moments of extreme rage, Harry's visions will continue as before, but Voldemort will not be able to summon him at will. 'Dumbledore sat back and folded his hands in his lap. 'The reason we can't do it tonight is that the book cannot be obtained except under strict limitations, and it will take me a good part of the day tomorrow to retrieve it.'
'Excellent,' Sirius said, 'is there anything I can do to help?'
'Yes, actually, I'd like to request yours and Remus' aid in performing the Vinculum Obscuro charm tomorrow,' Dumbledore said.
'Done,' Remus said, standing. Sirius and Remus both shook hands with Dumbledore and left the office.
Once the two younger men had left the office, Dumbledore sank wearily into his seat, staring at the map in front of him and massaging his temples. Things seemed to have quieted down in the dormitories, so he folded up the map and tucked it away.
*
… meanwhile …
Ron couldn't sleep. Neville's snores had woken him, but that had been a full ten minutes ago! He rolled over violently and was in the process of throwing a pillow over his head when he heard a new sound, something that didn't sound at all like Neville's restful snores. He sat up and drew the hangings, searching for the source of the pained moans. Through the long windows, shafts of pale moonlight entered and cast shadows upon the beds of his fellow fifth year Gryffindors. All the hangings were drawn, but the sound seemed to be coming from in the direction of Harry's bed. Ron crawled out of bed and slipped into his house shoes. He padded over to Harry's bed and threw back the thick red curtain.
'Harry, Harry! Wake up!' Ron shouted, prodding Harry's shoulder.
With a start, Harry bolted upright. He looked around; there was Ron, looking worried, and from the other beds in the room, the bleary-eyed faces of his friends began to peer out at what had woken them. Harry wiped the sweat from his brow and rubbed his scar.
'Alright, Harry?' Ron asked with concern.
'Yeah, I'm fine,' Harry said. 'Thanks,' he added.
'What h-h-happened?' Dean said, stifling a yawn and rubbing his eyes.
'I, erm, had a bad dream, I'm okay now,' Harry said. 'You can all go back to bed.'
The other boys went back to bed. Harry drew his curtains and dug around in his night table for the small vial Professor Dumbledore had given him. He wondered vaguely what it would be like to get a normal night's sleep as he dislodged the rubber stopper and swallowed the contents. He had just enough time to set the empty container on the table beside his bed before falling to sleep.
*
'About time you decided to join us, Potter,' Professor Harcourt sneered as Harry entered the classroom.
'Sorry professor,' Harry said. He looked around the room for an empty seat, and discovered that the only vacant desk in the room was directly in front of Draco Malfoy. He frowned and made his way forward, trying to ignore the stares coming from all over the room. He sat down and caught a glance at Ron and Hermione, who gave him sympathetic looks.
'Now, as I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted,' Harcourt said, looking directly at Harry, 'the Krad Stra amulet is a very powerful defence against dark curses. You will each be attempting to construct one of these amulets during this first week of classes. It is my duty to remind you that if you do not follow the instructions to the letter, the results could be disastrous indeed.'
Harry looked to the Gryffindors on the other side - Hermione looked excited, but Neville looked as though his world was about to come to a screeching halt.
'It is best to work in pairs in creating the Krad Stra amulets, so if you will please find a partner and begin,' Harcourt said.
Harry was about to go over to Neville when a hand gripped his shoulder. He looked up to see Draco Malfoy grinning at him slyly. 'Partners?' he asked with a smirk.
Harry looked around, trying to find anyone else, but all the other students had found partners. 'Fine,' he consented grudgingly. The two of them worked in silence for a few minutes.
'So, read any good books lately?'
'What are you on about, Malfoy?' Harry asked, concentrating hard on a tricky protection charm.
'Oh, I dunno, just wondering if you'd read any books by Gryffindor lately,' Malfoy replied offhandedly.
Harry shot up. 'What are you talking about?' He asked suspiciously.
'Nothing, never mind,' Malfoy said idly, returning to his work.
'No, Malfoy. Tell me.'
Draco raised his eyes. 'Fine, meet me tonight at midnight in the trophy room, and I might decide to tell you then,' he said, busying himself once more.
The two worked together in near silence, never saying more than the necessary 'Pass this,' the entire time. Harry was very relieved when the bell rang, signalling the end of what felt like the longest Defence lesson he'd ever had to sit through. He yawned deeply and stood up.
'Ready for Transfiguration?' Ron said, he and Hermione coming up from behind him.
'Yeah, let's go,' Harry replied, and they set off for Professor McGonagall's classroom. The trio took their seats in the back of the classroom and took out their books, waiting for class to start.
Harry yawned and put his head on the desk. He nearly fell out of his seat when a sharp rapping on the desk a while later brought him abruptly back to reality. 'Potter, I would appreciate it if you would try to stay awake in my class,' McGonagall said.
'Sorry, Professor,' Harry said, as Professor McGonagall returned to the front of the classroom to resume her lecture amid gales of laughter.
As McGonagall tried to regain the students' attentions, Harry leaned over to Hermione, who was sitting next to him. 'How long have I been asleep?' he whispered.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. 'Only most of the lesson,' she said. 'Are you feeling all right? You look a little pale,' she added with concern.
'Yeah, I'm fine,' Harry said, 'I'm just a bit tired.' Truth be told, he was feeling a bit nauseous, but he was sure it was nothing, and he certainly didn't want to get sent to the Hospital Wing over it; Madame Pomfrey already thought he was "delicate."
By the time the last lesson of the day was over, Harry could barely keep his eyes open he was so tired. He and Ron and Hermione made their way out to the lake. They found a warm patch of grass under a shady tree and sat down. After a few minutes, Harry lay down and fell asleep. 'He's sleeping outside!' Ron said to Hermione with a chuckle.
'Blimey, he must be tired,' Hermione answered, smiling. She reached out and prodded his shoulder with her finger. 'Harry, wake up,' she said. Harry didn't budge. 'Is he okay?' she asked Ron.
'I dunno, I reckon so,' Ron replied, 'he did have quite a nasty nightmare last night. Perhaps that's why he's so tired.'
Ron and Hermione sat there until suppertime, talking quietly and letting their friend sleep beneath the warm September sun. As the sun began to sink below the thick foliage of the Forbidden Forest, they decided it was time to wake their slumbering friend. Ron lifted Harry's arm from his face. 'Harry, time to wake up,' he said.
'Hmm?' Harry said, his eyes still closed.
'Time to wake up for supper,' Ron said.
Harry groaned and got up, rubbing his eyes, and they all went to supper. The Great Hall was packed with students, most talking loudly and thoroughly enjoying themselves. All the noise was making Harry's head pound, and he was still feeling a bit ill since Transfiguration. He barely picked at his food, piling his roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding to make odd shapes. He noticed the worried glances his friends kept throwing at him. 'What?' he asked.
'All right, Harry?'
'I'm fine, just not very hungry,' he answered.
'What do you mean you're not hungry, you didn't eat lunch either! Usually you eat loads!'
Harry just shrugged and continued piling his potatoes. At a tap on his shoulder, he looked up to find Remus at his shoulder. 'Are you finished with your supper?' he asked jovially, admiring Harry's potato snowman.
'Yeah,' Harry said with a smile, 'what's up?'
'If you're done, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you. Do you mind if I take Harry away for a while, Ron? Hermione?'
'No, no, that's fine. See you, Harry!' they said. Harry followed Remus from the noisy Great Hall to the welcome quiet of the corridors beyond. The pounding lessened greatly, and by the time they reached the Gargoyle, it was barely noticeable. 'Biscuit,' (A/N cookie for Americans) Lupin said, and the Gargoyle slid from its place at the wall.
Harry and Professor Lupin entered Dumbledore's office, and Harry was shocked to see Sirius there as well. 'Sirius!' he said, running up to greet his Godfather.
'Hiya Harry,' Sirius said. 'How are you,' he asked seriously, 'really.'
'Okay, I guess,' he asked, unable to look Sirius full in the eyes. Sirius clasped a hand on his shoulder. 'Are we ready, Professor?'
Dumbledore chuckled softly. 'Perhaps we ought to tell Harry what is going on here tonight.' He padded over to the chair behind his desk and took a seat. 'Please, have a seat,' he said, gesturing the others to the plush chairs in front of his desk.
'Harry, I told you yesterday about Voldemort, and his powers of Invocation,' Dumbledore began.
Harry nodded, 'Yes sir.'
'Well, there is an ancient charm, Vinculum Obscuro, which can be employed to break the bond between you that allows him to affect you in your dreams. You will still have the visions you used to have when he was especially angry, but he will no longer be able to see you at those times,' Dumbledore said. 'I would like to ask your permission to perform the Vinculum Obscuro charm on you.'
Harry nodded. 'That sounds fine to me,' he said.
The three men got up and formed a triangle around Harry's chair. They trained their wands towards Harry, and rays of coloured light fixed on Harry's scar. Harry felt a light floating sensation, and was barely aware of what was going on outside his head.
*
'Harry, wake up, it's over,' Sirius said, helping Harry out of his chair. Harry mumbled something unintelligible. Sirius grabbed Harry's arm and guided him to Gryffindor tower. Upon reaching his bed, Harry very nearly collapsed right on the floor, but Sirius caught him and laid him down. He took off Harry's glasses and laid them on the bedside table, then made his way back up to Professor Dumbledore's office.
'Professor, I think there's something wrong with Harry,' he said.
'Yes, he does seem a bit under the weather of late,' Dumbledore replied.
'Well, d'you reckon you know what it is?'
'Probably nothing a good rest couldn't help. I'm sure he'll be fine once he gets a decent night's sleep,' Dumbledore said.
Sirius nodded. 'You're probably right. G'night, Professor,' he said, shaking hands.
'Good night, Mr Black. I shall keep you informed,' Dumbledore offered.
'That would be great, thank you,' Sirius said, leaving Dumbledore's office.
~*~
A/N: So sorry about the long wait! It's been a very busy term at school, and I've had very little time to write. Your reviews helped a ton, thank you so much, and keep it up! Hope you enjoyed this bit, hopefully I'll have the next one out soon as well… Ü