Storyline (c) 2003 inTOtheSKY, all Chimeral characters are my own and should not be copied without permission. All other characters belong to JK Rowling ;D Feel free to e-mail me at spirit@eluding.org

Ch5

Ron released his hand from Harry's robes, his mouth agape and staring at his friend. "Harry…how'd you know that?"

At that moment, the Snidget hit an ear-piercing high note, which brought Hagrid out of his daze. Seeing Lucius standing before him, he automatically pulled out his wand, stepping in front of the two boys.

"I don't know why you're here, Malfoy…" Hagrid said. "But I don't want you harming these two boys."

"Hagrid…you're not supposed to use magic!" Ron exclaimed from behind the half-giant.

"Don't worry. You two go alert Professor McGonagall…I'll hold 'im off 'til then."

As the two ran off, Ron looked to his friend. "Explain to me how you figured all that out."

"It all fits together, doesn't it?" Harry gave a satisfied grin. "Didn't you listen to them talk yesterday? Someone gave a Snidget to the Headmaster of Chimeral anonymously. The Snidget somehow caused the Headmaster to fall under the Imperius Curse, and so he began, under the orders of Voldemort, to distribute the Snidgets to major wizarding schools."

"But the plan backfired…" Ron said slowly, beginning to catch on.

"Right. In Hermione's letter, she wrote to us that there were attacks on the wizards in charge of distribution."

"That was supposed to throw people off." Ron murmured. "It was to look like you-know-who wanted the Snidgets, so that when some of the world's most powerful wizards started to act funny, they wouldn't blame it on him, because he supposedly wasn't in charge of distributing the birds…"

Harry nodded. "Right. Didn't you think that it was pretty weird that even Death Eaters couldn't get to the Snidgets? They rarely fail to follow orders. Hermione was right to be suspicious."

Reaching Professor McGonagall's office, the two boys burst inside, startling the teacher. After explaining what had happened, Harry and Ron were sent to the Great Hall for dinner while their professor marched off to clear up the problem.

As Ron and Harry took their seats with their fellow students, Ron turned his head in time to notice that Draco had returned. The Slytherin appeared to have recovered fully from the spell that had been placed upon him, and the familiar cocky smirk had returned to his face.

"Looks like Malfoy's forgotten everything that's happened." Ron shook his head. "Guess Madam Pomfrey used a Memory Charm on him."

"Well, then Malfoy's twice as likely to get himself in the same bind again then, won't he?" Harry replied, digging into his food.

As the two friends ate, Harry's mind kept wandering and he was unable to sit still.

"Hey Ron…what d'you reckon is going to happen now…I mean…now that Malfoy's father has proved that some the Snidgets really are able to sing the song of immortality, won't Death Eaters be all over the place now?"

"Not before you-know-who punishes the ones who failed him." Ron replied morbidly, returning to his dinner.

Behind them at the Slytherin table, Draco was in the middle of exchanging stories with Jonathan, who had wandered over from the Chimeral table to say hello.

"So anyway…I don't believe I've ever laughed so hard in my life…" Jonathan said, grinning at the memory.

"Wish I'd been there!" Draco replied, joining in the laughter.

"Oh, by the way…I haven't seen you for over a month. One of the Chimeral students told me you were in the medical ward, sick with something." Jonathan said. "What happened?"

"Y'know…I can't really remember." Draco laughed. "I guess Pomfrey used a Memory Charm on me or something…don't really know why, but she did."

"Oh. Well at least you're better now." Jonathan remarked, nodding. "You still look a bit on the weak side though…you sure you're all right?"

"Well…" Draco hesitated. "I'm feeling a little strange…but I don't think its got anything to do with the sickness I got, because I felt exactly this way before I got sick."

"Hmph." Jonathan cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows. "How come Pomfrey didn't catch it when she checked you up?"

"I don't know…" Draco growled, shooting a look over at the Chimeral table. "But I think that one of your little classmates did something to me."

"Which one?" Jonathan asked, leaning closer.

"The girl. The one sitting next to the sister of the Ravenclaw seeker. You see her?"

"Yeah. You're talking about Paige, right?" Jonathan chuckled softly. "You must be kidding. She can't do a thing…sure she's smart and everything, but what could she possibly do to you that even Pomfrey couldn't notice?"

"I don't know…" Draco muttered angrily, wringing his hands in frustration. "But I don't want to act too rashly…her brother did something to me the last time I messed with her."

"No worries." Jonathan turned to head back. "I'll take care of it."

- -

"Mount your brooms…" Madam Hooch ordered. "And…go!"

Harry kicked hard off the ground and felt a surge of ecstasy sweep through him as he rose high into the air.

"We're going to win this!" Angelina called out. "I didn't have all those practices for nothing!"

As Harry flew about the field, keeping a sharp eye out for the Snitch, he took in a deep breath of fresh air. The match against Ravenclaw had finally begun, and in place of Cho was none other than Terry Boot, Paige's old boyfriend. Harry had to be impressed by how strongly Terry flew, but the melancholy expression upon Paige's face from down below caused Harry to have second thoughts.

"Let's play fair now, Harry." Terry lowered himself to face Harry midair. "I know you and your friends probably have it out for me ever since that incident with Paige…but this match isn't about that, is it?"

"No. No, its not." Harry replied, and climbed up higher over the field, continuing to search for the Snitch. Below, Roger and the others were cheering loudly for him, which boosted his confidence.

"Harry, watch it!" Angelina cried out, as a Bludger narrowly missed her teammate's leg. "Where in the world did our Beater go?"

"It's all right, Angelina." Harry reassured his team captain before moving on, scanning the field. A glimmering object shimmering from below caught his eye, and he was about to dive for it when he realized it was the Snidget from yesterday's lesson, perched upon Hagrid's shoulder. Seeing that he'd caught Harry's eye, Hagrid waved and smiled.

Harry was about to return the wave when he noticed Draco, seated further above, was peering over at Jonathan in a manner that caught Harry's suspicion. Jonathan seemed to sense Harry's gaze, for he looked up to the sky where he gave the Seeker a slow, vile, smile. Harry saw the Chimeral student reach into his robes and pull out his wand, and automatically, Harry directed his broom into a deep dive downwards, trying to avoid the attack. However, Jonathan's spell hadn't been directed at Harry, and merely was used to distract him. To Harry's shock, a streak of light shot out from Jonathan's wand and enveloped itself about the Snidget, which immediately began twittering madly. Draco himself muttered a spell that sent sparks flying everywhere and caused the stadium to shake madly. The crowd began to scream and cry out in surprise, and people began leaving. Only the players upon the field remained, too focused upon the game to have noticed anything. Harry gritted his teeth in anger, and despite Ron's calls for him to come back, flew directly into Draco, knocking the Slytherin over.

"What do you think you're doing?" Harry exclaimed, shaking Draco by the collar. "Someone could be hurt because of you!"

Yet Draco seemed to have been caught in a spell, and stared blankly back at Harry, his eyes glazed over and his lips moving inexorably, mumbling in an undertone.

"Stop it!" Harry shook his classmate harder. When Draco would not relent, Harry yanked out his wand and yelled, "Impedimenta!"

With the spell having hit its target at such a close range, the force of it caused Harry to fall over and Draco to be knocked unconcious. When Harry had gotten to his feet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had assembled around him, staring at the unconscious Draco, who lay upon the stadium benches. The shaking had stopped, and Harry knelt down beside his classmate, checking his condition.

"Well…you sure got him, didn't you?" Angelina commented, shaking her head. "Guess its back to the medical ward for Malfoy."

"I wonder how he got the energy to channel that much power through his wand." Dean Thomas commented, prodding Draco's body with his foot.

"I don't really want to know how." Ron replied, shivering a bit.

"Has anyone seen Jonathan?" Harry asked, looking around. "I saw him catch the Snidget with some sort of spell…he might have it right now!"

"I thought I saw him run off with a crowd of people." Dean said.

"Shoot." Harry shook his head. "What should we do?"

"We can split up." Ron suggested. "Maybe we can catch him that way."

"I'll take Malfoy to the medical ward…he seems harmless at the moment." Angelina said, already in the motion of supporting Draco with her shoulder.

"Right." Harry nodded, thankful for his teammate's help. "Let's go, then!"

- -

"Where d'you reckon we start looking?" Ron asked as he followed Harry down a long corridor. "We've got no idea of where to start!"

"Right…but this ought to help us." Harry replied, whipping out a scroll of parchment from his robes.

"Wha…hey, that's the Marauder's Map! How did you get your hands on it so fast?" Ron asked.

"I listened to the homework planner Hermione got me." Harry said, looking down at the map. "Always be prepared."

As the two friends peered down that the Marauder's Map, they noticed the fast moving image of a figure labeled, "Jonathan".

"He's nearing the Owlery…wonder what he's up to there." Harry frowned, furrowing his brow. Turning, he began to climb the staircase.

"Why d'you think Jonathan would want the Snidget, Harry?" Ron asked, scratching his head. "It makes no sense!"

"Either he's up to a practical joke…or he's come under the control of someone." Harry grimaced, the thought causing him to shudder.

"Someone like you-know-who?" Ron asked, running up ahead of Harry.

"Let's hope not." His friend replied as they hurried down another corridor.

As they neared the Owlery, Harry felt his scar give a slight twinge, and he began to fear the worst.

"Ron." Harry held a hand out to block his friend from continuing on any further. "Let me check it out myself…if anything happens to me, don't come up…no need for more of us dying then there has to be."

"But Harry…" Ron protested, but Harry shook his head and began climbing up the steep steps.

When he'd reached the doorway of the Owlery, the boy peered inside cautiously, his wand at the ready. Jonathan stood in the middle of the room, the Snidget caught between his fingers.

"Jonathan…what are you doing?" Harry asked slowly, making his way up guardedly. "Here…give the Snidget to me."

"Oh…but I don't want to." Jonathan replied in a monotone voice. "This Snidget…belongs to the Dark Lord."

Harry froze. "The Dark Lord, Jonathan? No, it doesn't. Now, give it here…"

Jonathan took a few steps back. "N-no…it belongs to the Dark Lord, and you can't have it."

"Look, Jonathan, I don't know what's come over you, but that Snidget belongs to Dumbledore. Now if you'll just hand it over-"

"GO AWAY! THE DARK LORD SHALL MAKE SURE YOU RECEIVE PUNISHMENT FOR MESSING WITH HIS PLANS! THIS IS HIS SNIDGET AND ONLY HE SHALL HAVE IT! ONLY HE CAN HAVE THE POWER OF IMMORTALITY!" Jonathan screamed, pointing his wand at Harry. "NOW GO AWAY! I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE THIS!"

Harry moistened his lips very slowly. "…All right. I'll go." Backing away, he reached the doorway, and Jonathan began to lower his wand. Seizing this opportunity, Harry leaped behind the rows of cages and roosts and cried out a disarming spell, pointing his wand amid the roosting owls. Startled, thousands of the birds rose up into the air, crying out in a wild panic. Jonathan, startled, toppled to the floor, his wand rolling off.

"Accio wand!" Harry commanded, and Jonathan's wand leapt obediently into Harry's hand.

"N-no…no you can't…" Jonathan mumbled, his eyes glazed over in the same fashion as Draco's had been. "THE DARK LORD WON'T LIKE THIS! I'LL BE PUNISHED!" His fingers closed tighter about the Snidget's fragile body, and Harry quickly bent over to pry Jonathan's hand apart and free the suffocating bird.

"AGH!" Jonathan struggled to crawl off with the Snidget still between his fingers. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry growled, and Jonathan fell, stiff as a board. "…Thank you." Reaching over, Harry released the Snidget and began stroking it softly. The tiny bird cheeped feebly, and recognizing Harry as its savior, hopped upon his shoulder.

His forehead wet with perspiration, Harry was about to leave the room when a sudden force hit him hard in the chest, sending him hurtling through the air and landing hard against the wall. His scar began to burn, and wincing, Harry looked up through watery eyes to see someone clothed in dark robes standing before him.

"Well, Potter…you almost got away with it, didn't you?" The stranger said coldly. "Well…I'll just be taking that Snidget off your hands…and after I've killed you, I can report to the Dark Lord and everything will just be dandy…"

"You…you're the one who was talking with Lucius Malfoy in the hallway that night…weren't you?" Harry said accusingly, recognizing the stranger's voice. "Who are you?"

"Who I am, boy, is none of your business." The dark robed figure replied, his face covered with a mask. "Now…I worked very hard to get Jonathan here to cooperate with me, and I don't need you messing everything up…so if you'll kindly hand the bird over…"

"No. I'd rather not." Harry replied, reaching over and stroking the Snidget's chest slowly. "I'm afraid I've grown rather attached."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to separate you two." The robed figure gave a long, feigned sigh.

Harry gritted his teeth as he clutched both his and Jonathan's wand tightly in his fists. The person before him was obviously a Death Eater, though by the sound of it, he was not native to the area. As Harry struggled to buy time to think of the right spell to say, he noticed that he now stood in front of an open window.

"So you used the Imperius Curse on him, did you?" Harry asked, referring to Jonathan, who lay sprawled upon the cold stone floor.

"Yes, and on your little classmate Malfoy as well." The robed figure paused for a moment as he spoke.

"Well, why those two?" Harry replied.

"Obviously, Malfoy and Jonathan are the type who would be up to no good, so of course I'd select them to help me. Why would I want to capture the Snidget myself when I can get others to do it for me? It's so simple. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already."

"But students our age don't have the power to do the kind of magic you made Malfoy and Jonathan do!" Harry argued.

"If a simple boy such as you could walk away from the Dark Lord's Avada Kedavra curse with nothing but a simple scar, then why can't two ordinary schoolboys be able to execute difficult spells?" The stranger replied simply. "Now look…I'm going to ask one last time. Give me the Snidget."

"When Madam Pomrey discovers that Malfoy was put under the Imperius Curse, your plans will be ruined!" Harry said, glaring up at the stranger.

"Oh…he won't live long enough for that to happen." The stranger laughed evilly. "I'll make sure of that." Raising his wand, he pointed it directly at Harry's chest. "Good-bye, Harry Potter. I'm almost sorry that I didn't get the chance to get to know you better."

Harry gave a simple smile, shaking his head. "Wrong." The Snidget had begun to sing.

The spell flew from the stranger's wand tip and hit its target square in the chest, knocking Harry's breath away. Yet while Harry remained unscathed, the impact of the spell had knocked him off his balance, and he toppled backwards. The Snidget lit off his shoulder in alarm, and the robed figure dove for the little bird. Harry gritted his teeth and reached out, everything seeming to move in slow motion. His fingers closed around soft feathers, and he grinned in satisfaction, hearing the Death Eater cry out in alarm.

The next moment, Harry felt himself falling through nothing but empty air, and looking back, realized he'd toppled out the window. The stranger was now above him, wringing his hands in frustration and angst, seeing that he'd failed to retrieve the Snidget.

As he fell, Harry had one part of his mind focused upon attacking the Death Eater and the other on saving himself from falling to death. The boy finally reached his final decision and pulled out Jonathan's wand.

"Impedimenta!" He cried out, pointing Jonathan's wand up at the window. At the same time he aimed his own wand at himself, shouting, "Wingardium Leviosa!" He did not have time to see if he had hit his attacker, who had disappeared from the open window, but to Harry's relief, his Levitating Charm had successfully caused him to float about in midair. Using his wand as a guide, Harry lowered himself gingerly and slowly to the grass below.

He stood there, his heart beating a mile a minute. The Snidget twittered softly, pushed itself out of Harry's grasp, and settled itself upon his shoulder. Knowing that he was still in possible danger, Harry took in a deep breath and began heading towards the main building for Professor McGonagall's office.