The Fourth Unforgivable
Disclaimer: The characters and places present in this story were created by J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Huge thankyou to Gaia30 (Linz) who beta-ed/omega-ed this.
As Harry stirred, he noticed that he still had his glasses on. Stretching slowly, he tried to remember why he hadn't taken them off before going to bed. He lifted one arm up into the air, stretching it with a satisfying crack. He began to do the same with his other arm, but stopped suddenly as a strange thought struck him. I'm still wearing my glasses. What if I didn't go to sleep at all last night? The last thing he remembered was a blinding light. Images – memories – trickled into his mind. Standing with Ron and Hermione, wands at the ready. Stepping through the stone, a dazzling light, and then... nothing.
Harry scoured his mind for something to fill in the gaps, but was met with only stubborn question marks and a blackness that refused to lift. Harry was now fully awake, his neck stiff from lying awkwardly, and the air around him was cool and damp. He opened his eyes hesitantly, wondering about the small boy they had chased into these alien surroundings. To his surprise, the first thing he saw was garish, flowered wallpaper. The light-coloured wooden planks beneath him were polished to a sheen. He turned his head slightly to the right, and pain shot up his neck. After keeping still for a few moments, he again tried to move. The room was small, with a high ceiling. To his right, Ron and Hermione slept soundlessly, except for an occasional murmur. Harry tried to examine his surroundings, wondering where he was, but the room was empty apart from a small wooden table near the opposite wall with an odd-looking lamp resting on it.
He reached out and shook Ron's shoulder. "Ron? Ron? Wake up," he whispered. Ron snorted and rolled over, mumbling. Harry was about to poke Ron firmly in the back when he heard approaching footsteps. He quickly turned his back on Ron and faced the door, reaching into his pocket to feel for his wand as he did so. The door creaked open and Harry feigned sleep.
"...You understand that this could… ruin me. No one can know." Harry didn't recognise the voice, but thought something in the nasal, slightly annoying tone sounded familiar. "The… the risks I took to get this were-" The man stopped abruptly, as though the person he was talking to had held up a hand.
"I can assure you that I have gone to great lengths to keep our meeting clandestine-"
"-but it didn't stop them from finding us, did it?" the man angrily interrupted.
"There is very little that can be kept from the prying eyes of Mr. Potter." Harry had become so accustomed to hearing Snape spit out his name, as though he were something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of his shoe, that it was difficult to take offense from it anymore. Difficult, but not impossible. "Although that wretched boy of yours was partly to blame. Gilbert, why don't you rid yourself of him? You know the consequences of employing their kind."
Harry listened carefully at the mention of the boy; the conversation had turned out to be far more intriguing than he could have predicted.
"The matter isn't up for discussion, Severus," said Gilbert. There was a pause. "Here, it's yours. I never want to see it again." Harry heard someone riffling through a book. Careful to remain unnoticed, Harry watched from between his lashes as something fell from the pages and landed on the floor near him. Slowly and silently, Harry pocketed the strip of tasseled leather. He watched one of the men leave. He guessed that it was Gilbert who had gone, as Harry was almost certain Snape's wardrobe was solely black. If he owned a single coloured robe, Harry doubted it would be salmon. A small click sounded, like the flicking of a switch. As the room was again flooded with the familiar bright light, Harry wondered if he'd manage to avoid passing out this time.
***
Sirius turned to the page he wanted, checked that no one was watching, and quickly ripped it from the new book. Not a single person glanced in his direction; Sirius wondered whether everyone in the library really was as dead as they looked. He took out a piece of parchment, dipped his worn-out quill into some ink, and began to write.
He had found it difficult to reach Fletcher through the thick crowds of people that huddled round the local hero wherever he went. Sirius wondered if Mundungus had taken to the idea of being adored, and was ignoring him on purpose. Even if he were, it would do no good. It was Mundungus's scheme that had everyone running around frantically, trying to get things done in time, so he had to come back and finish it off. Not only that, but Remus was still in jail, even after Sirius had tried almost everything to get him out. And to think, I used to consider myself a jailbreak expert.
Sirius circled something on the torn-out page, then folded it up with the letter. He sealed it in an envelope addressed to "Mr. Fletcher", muttering, "I hope this convinces the bloody Slytherin."
No one in the library missed the ripped-out lunar calendar.
***
Harry was very confused. He'd awoken in his bed, back in Gryffindor Tower, with no sign of the mysterious room anywhere. Great. Why'd I wake up in bed this time? What happened to that room? Where'd Snape go? Surprised he's not yelling at us for missing lessons yesterday. I have to find him and ask about that boy -- and Gilbert. He searched for an explanation. The only possibility was that Snape had put him back in bed, but surely Snape would have known that he'd remember. As Harry climbed out of bed, he thought more carefully. Now that Snape had disappeared, the only way to question the previous night would be to bring it up himself. Harry was keen to avoid admitting to missed lessons; Snape was always in the mood for a good detention. Snape probably wouldn't listen to him now anyway, whereas if he had still been in a hidden room that shouldn't have existed, Snape would have been forced to give some answers. Harry sighed, seeing Snape's logic. At least he could count on Professor Binns not noticing his absence from a lesson.
Harry half-remembered dropping his bag and cringed at the thought of having to find it again. He looked around the quiet room. Everyone else was enjoying a Saturday lie-in. He glanced at his Chudley Cannons calendar, where Benjamin Bruiser waved at him. He guessed it was the Beater's birthday. Harry was just turning around when Benjamin began waving more frantically, and pointed to something written in his square. Harry leaned closer and noticed he had written something there, obviously not wanting to forget it. G-R? What does that mean? He stood there thinking about it for a few moments until it hit him. He leaped out of bed, ran to his trunk, and snatched out his Firebolt. Rapidly dressing, he hoped Angelina wouldn't hurt him too badly for being late for the Gryffindor v. Ravenclaw Quidditch match.
***
As Angelina paced in front of them, Harry decided that it must be the badge. The little scarlet pin, with gold letters that proclaimed, "Captain." It gave Angelina a glow, a puff of pride, and an unspoken power. It was so effective that Harry thought it might even make Neville Longbottom look like an authority figure. It also had a tendency to make Quidditch captains a bit... obsessive.
The Gryffindor House Quidditch team sat on the changing room benches, waiting for Angelina's instructions. She stopped pacing abruptly and turned to face them.
"Okay, team. Before we go out there, let's just make one thing clear: we are going to win. We deserve to win. We have the skill, talent and teamwork to pull it off, and at the end of the year we should - no, we will - win the Inter-House Quidditch Cup. This is not a test of strength, it is a test of endurance. All that stands between us and the trophy is a few matches, and I will not let the other houses get in our way. Ravenclaw may be smarter than us, and in some cases, better-looking-"
"Oh, don't put yourself down," said Fred, twirling his Beating bat. Katie Bell, a Chaser, elbowed him as Angelina carried on.
"-but when we step onto that Quidditch pitch, we will who lead the game, we will set the standard and we will be the victors." There was silence for a moment as the team absorbed her words. "Now, let's go out there and win this match! For Oliver!"
Harry couldn't help grinning. He could hear shouts and cries from outside and was already giddy from the joy. Some part of his mind kept saying that they hadn't won yet, but Harry knew that the thought of winning wasn't the reason he was so unbelievably happy. It was just... Quidditch. The invigorating game that he hadn't played for a year now stood only minutes away.
Angelina whispered quick words of advice to Ginny, and then stood at the door, ready to lead her team out. Harry heard Lee Jordan announce the Ravenclaw team one by one. It seemed to take ages, in which time Harry, itching to get out there, managed to check his broomstick for dents with the same frequency as Moaning Myrtle burst into tears. After the applause for "The lovely Ravenclaw Seeker - Cho Chang!" had died down, Lee moved on to the Gryffindors.
"And now, the last team to have won the Inter-House Quidditch Cup, the Gryffindors! Starting with arguably one of the best Chasers Hogwarts has ever seen, the newly appointed captain of the Gryffindor House Quidditch team - Angelina Johnson!" A massive cheer assaulted Harry, making it seem as though his eardrums were about to burst. "Following her are her fellow Chasers - Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet! And here, ready to pelt some Bludgers, are Beaters Fred and George Weasley! Next, Keeping it in the family, it's Ginny Weasley! And finally, completing the team, star Seeker Harry Potter!"
The stands were a mass of hats and scarves, splashed with colour. As people clapped, jumped, and cheered, they created a pulsing mass of House colours : predominantly Ravenclaw blue and Gryffindor scarlet, which burned like fire on the chilly November day. Lions prowled the length of charmed banners, roaring with the crowd as the Quidditch captains shook hands. Most of the faces in the crowd were indiscernible from one another, but Harry spotted two figures that looked like Ron and Hermione underneath a banner which sported Ginny's greatly magnified face.
"All right everyone, I want a-"
"-nice clean game," recited the two captains, cutting Madame Hooch off. She nodded approvingly, set the ball crate down, and held a shiny whistle to her mouth. Its shriek was almost lost in the crowd's cheer as the crate burst open and fourteen players kicked off into the sky.
"And they're off!" shouted Lee.
Harry immediately climbed above the other players, narrowing avoiding a swift Quaffle pass. Soaring above the pitch filled him with a glorious feeling. They had been practicing for weeks, but nothing compared to the thrill of the game. After doing a quick lap around the pitch, he settled into a vantage point and began searching for the glittering Snitch. His eyes scanned the area about him methodically for shiny objects. A wristwatch. An empty crisps packet. Katie's earrings. He pushed Bludgers and the Quaffle to the back of his mind, and tried to do the same with Cho. Most Seekers had tactics to pull their opponent's mind away from the Snitch, to buy themselves some time, but Cho needed none. She was a distraction by herself. Cho caught his eye and he hastily looked away. He wondered if, from halfway across the pitch, she could see him blushing.
Harry regained his concentration, passing his eyes over and around zooming players. Below him, the Ravenclaw Chasers were in top form. Their plays, though not flawlessly executed, were always beautifully planned. Harry thought it was something of a hindrance that their minds worked much faster than their brooms. It gave them a frustrated edge. Angelina was all for keeping things simple.
All three Ravenclaw Chasers advanced on Ginny in the Hawkshead Formation, but Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were there to snatch at every shot they made, like the snapping of a crocodile's jaws. As Ravenclaw Chaser Kevin Entwhistle passed to Su Li, Katie swooped in, intercepted the Quaffle, and in a complete turnaround tossed it behind her to Alicia. Alicia shot down the pitch with Angelina, Katie following a little behind. They flew up at the edge of the scoring area, over the Ravenclaw Keeper, who drew level with them in a determined manner. In a flash, Alicia dropped the Quaffle into Katie's waiting hands. She scored in an open goal. The bell chimed as the Keeper spun in frustration.
"10-0 to Gryffindor!" boomed Lee's voice, lifting a magnitude of Gryffindors to their feet. Scarlet scarves and pennants were still waving when the Ravenclaws tied the score a few minutes later.
From then on, the pace of the game left the players little time to breathe. Each attack was countered almost immediately. Like a circle, there was no beginning or end, and the Quaffle was never still. Fred and George had to fly from opposite ends of the pitch to send Bludgers at the Ravenclaw team. It seemed to Harry that the Ravenclaw Beaters were concentrating on Ginny, who could barely keep an eye on the Quaffle while dodging Bludgers. Harry could almost hear Ron cursing the day the Ravenclaw Beaters were born.
"The Quaffle goes to Li. She passes to Ackerley, who sends the Quaffle flying to - oh, a lovely interception by Johnson. Johnson makes her way down the pitch, sends the ball to Bell who passes to Spinnet and - ouch, that Bludger came out of nowhere. But the Gryffindor girls have picked up smoothly and are still going for it, the Ravenclaw Chasers are too far behind to catch them up now, this might be an easy score, they're flying straight for the goal hoops, Spinnet shoots, and YE- oh, a lucky save by Davies. What a fluke.
"Entwhistle's got the ball now - Li - Ackerley - back to Li. Oh, and she's dropped it! Got to keep your concentration in this game. Spinnet takes the ball - it's Johnson - Spinnet again - Bell, and the ball just slips. Completely understandable, just misjudged there a bit. Li picks up the Quaffle. Su Li is of course one of the rising stars in the Ravenclaw team, but is she good enough to take on the Gryffindors? Oh, and a very violent throw by Li. I'm not sure where that was aimed; it seemed to be coming straight for the stands!"
Harry pulled his eyes off the game and cautiously glanced at Cho. His heart skipped a beat as he realised she was staring hard at a spot on the pitch. Does she see the Snitch? He followed her gaze to the Ravenclaw goal hoops, but the gold winged ball was nowhere to be found. Then he noticed an amused smile on her face. He looked towards the Ravenclaw Keeper and couldn't believe what he saw. Roger was making faces at Cho. Harry rolled his eyes - then froze and rolled them halfway back. There it hovered, the golden Snitch. He didn't dare take his eyes off of it, even though he was desperate to know if Cho had seen it as well.
In a flash, Harry tore after the glint of gold, flattening himself against his broom, his arm already outstretched. Cho snapped to attention, but was too far behind to gain on him. He could see it clearly now; everything else just faded away. The Snitch was vibrating fiercely as it hovered. Harry recognised the curious movement as the crowd cheered him on and chanted his name. It furiously darted back and forth, which meant it would soon tear off in a random direction. Harry leaned even farther into his broom, gripped his Firebolt tightly, and set his mind on winning.
Two Bludgers hurtled towards him from across the pitch. Great. The Snitch is going to zoom away, and I'm going to get battered in the process. He ignored it, remembering that this game was for Wood's sake, and that Wood would not take personal safety as an excuse.
He was closing in. The Snitch was quivering as if it was about to explode. The cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder. Surely he would make it in time, he had to. Just as he finally got his hand close enough to snatch the Snitch, it shot away.
Harry's hand held nothing but air. He hovered there in a terrible anti-climax for a few milliseconds, gaping in shock. Suddenly, one fierce Bludger collided with the Snitch, knocking it into his hand. He closed his hand around it by reflex, taken completely unawares. He sat dazed for a moment, then punched the air with his closed fist, which sent an uproar through the crowd. He had no time to bask in the glory - the second Bludger whooshed in and connected with a prodigious thud.
