Chapter Five

"Harry, could I speak with you for a few minutes?" Headmaster Dumbledore stood outside Harry's office. Harry waved him in, and offered him some Every Flavor Beans from his desk drawer. He kept two bowls of the stuff - one inside a drawer, that he was fairly sure of, and another on top of his desk, as a temptation for those here for detention.

"What can I do for you Headmaster?"

Albus looked uncomfortable. "I hope you understand, Harry, that I normally do not involve myself in the way that my teachers perform their duties."

Harry nodded his head. He was fairly sure of what Albus was going to ask of him.

"I have spoken many times in the past about the need for school unity. I know that it seemed more necessary after Valdemort's return than it may today, but I still believe that it's important."

Harry felt hurt that Dumbledore would feel the need to use such a transparent excuse. "Headmaster, I know why you're here."

"You do," Albus looked at him over his glasses, but didn't look truly surprised.

"Yes, and I must say, I'm sorry that you couldn't just come out and talk to me about it. I mean, I know Snape and McGonagall have been Professors here for a long time, but I'd rather not be left out of the discussions."

"I believe that both of them have attempted to discuss this with you, and they've found you less than receptive."

Now, Harry felt stupid. "I guess that's what they were trying to discuss, before. I guess our conversations never got to that point. I kept thinking I knew what they were going to say, so I didn't let them say it. I'm sorry, Headmaster, it won't happen again."

Albus nodded. "So you will consider your actions, then, more carefully?"

Harry emphatically agreed. "Of course, Professor. I don't want to let Hogwarts be hurt. I don't think I have the strength to handle another Valdemort."

"Nor do I, Harry, nor do I," Albus excused himself, and Harry saw a look of sad resignation on his face, but he wasn't sure what that was about.

Harry's classes mellowed out, to the surprise and gratitude of all. He was still rougher on Slytherins then on the other houses, but he generally confined his punishments to verbal abuse and house points. To those that had been spending the last few weeks under the agony of curses, this was a breath of freedom, and few complained about being singled out anymore. After all, losing five points paled in comparison with a detention cleaning out Skrewt cages.

Harry noticed that Madam Pomfrey had started requesting students to come for school physicals, and he hoped that she would find the culprits soon. In the meantime, he had started searching for details on Influensus, hoping that he'd be able to contribute something.

Gathering books together, he brought them to his office, and sent a note asking Ginny if she'd like to come by to help out.

Ginny showed up after her classes of the day. She looked haggard, and her books were stained with something green and slimy.

"Are you alright, Ginny?"

"I've been better. There was another caldron explosion in Potions, and Professor Snape had me clean it up, because I was at the next table and could have somehow prevented it."

"Snape. To think I once felt sorry for that bastard."

"Sorry, for him?"

Harry nodded. "Hard to believe, I know. But -- in school, he was sweet on my Mom. And my father...he treated him like dirt." Harry didn't talk about his parents much, and he didn't think he'd ever said anything this negative about them before, especially not to Ginny. He hadn't said much to anyone lately, though, and in his thirst for some kind of companionship, he was saying more than he meant to. "I saw it in Snape's Pensieve, once - the way he treated him, like he was something less than human. And it wasn't because he knew Snape, he'd never had a class with him, or had to clean up a caldron for him, he just didn't like the way he looked or sounded or something. When I saw that...I almost threw up."

"Did you talk to Snape about it?"

"No - but he caught me at his Pensieve, and he threw me out. That's when..." he'd already spilled enough secrets, might as well spill them all. "That's when I stopped taking Occulmancy lessons from him."

"Oh." Ginny's face was white - she knew what that had done, but he needed to say it anyway.

"That's why Sirius died - because I saw something in his Pensieve. You know what the worst thing is, Ginny?"

She shook her head.

"I didn't realize it then, but that day, I lost both my godfather, and my real father. I'd always built up this image of my father, as someone perfect, like a knight in shining armor. After I met your Dad, I guess I'd hoped that mine would be like him." Ginny's eyes shone, whether at the complement, or with sadness over the whole subject. "After the Pensieve, though, when I think of him, it's of him talking to Snape. I can't see him anymore - my father, I mean. I don't know which image of him to hold onto. I can't...I don't." The emotionless facade that Harry normally kept up started to crumble, and Ginny looked hopeful for a moment, but then it slid back into place.

Harry abruptly picked up a book, and gave it to Ginny. "Here - this looks like a good place to start looking at the curse details. Its on distinguishing marks left by Dark Magic - it should give us an idea of what to look for. I'll read up on the effects of the curse."

Ginny took the book, and nodded, beginning to read. Then she stopped, and looked back to him. "You know, Harry, it's possible that all of those images are right."

"How can they be, Ginny? How could someone be so judgmental, so evil to people who've never done anything to them, and also be so good, so accepting, and so just? That'd be like having your father and Snape be the same person - it can't happen."

Ginny was softly crying, now, but Harry didn't comment. She answered very softly, though. "It can happen, Harry. People...people hold too many possibilities inside themselves to be just one image forever. Even when he was doing...whatever he was doing to Snape...your father still had good inside him. You've talked before about seeing his image from the wand...about hearing him when you're near Dementors. If you want to know who your father was, think about the best in him, and be proud that it overcame the worst."

"Do you really think that such extremes can exist in one person?"

"I'm sure of it, Harry. I'm sure of it." Neither one of them said much to each other for the rest of the afternoon, except for a few words when one or the other would find information.

Ginny was the first to find what would distinguish someone under the curse - it was a small tattoo, that would be in the small of their back. The tattoo would disappear when the wielder was the target of a curse spell, though, or if they cast anything significant. While the tattoo was gone, they didn't even remember having been under the curse, and they couldn't be controlled by it.

Harry found something more interesting, at least to him, although Ginny didn't seem to attach as much significance to it. "Ginny, look at this. In order for someone to be subject to Influensus, they have to trust the person casting it on them. Its almost always a parent or guardian that casts the spell." He was sure that the subject had to be a Slytherin - they would have to have come from a family with magical parents, where the parents followed the Dark Lord. That sounded like most of the Slytherins he'd met, although admittedly he hadn't talked to many of them.

~.~.~

Harry walked to his first class of the day, with a spring in his step. His talk with Ginny last night, however brief, had brought back something he'd missed. She hadn't been one of the Trio, but she could have been.

He still missed Hermione every day, still wondered why she'd left to go back to London so precipitously, and why he hadn't heard from her. He'd sent a few owls, with truly awful letters that didn't say anything of any use, but she hadn't written him back yet. He would have been worried, but he figured that maybe she was just giving him a dose of his own medicine.

He heard arguing from a side passage, and stopped for a moment. He should probably leave this sort of thing to a prefect...but he saw that one of the two that was arguing was a Slytherin, and felt compelled to lend a hand on the other's side.

It was Falco Van Hoek, heatedly discussing something with Roland Weston. Falco's face was flushed, veins protruding from his young forehead. Roland looked frightened, and his face lit up with relief when he saw Harry.

"What's all this, then," Harry asked, staring down at Falco.

Falco suddenly calmed down, his face becoming quite pale in a matter of moments. "Nothing, Professor."

"Don't lie to a staff member. Five points from Slytherin. Be along, now."

Falco looked almost hurt, but he turned and ran away.

Roland's relief was evident. He reminded Harry of Ron in a way - lanky, a little awkward. His hair was auburn, not the bright red of a Weasley, but he had a similar goofy grin at the moment. It really brought Harry back.

"Thanks, Professor. I mean, it really wasn't important enough to need your attention, but thanks for helping, anyway."

"No problem, Mr. Weston. Go along to class now, and try not to wind up alone with a Slytherin - you never know what they'll do."

"Thanks, Professor," Roland spoke, then paused. "I'm supposed to see Madam Pomfrey this afternoon for an examination, but I was really hoping to make it to your talk on Cornish Pixies."

Harry figured Pomfrey was just going through all the students to make it look fair, but he couldn't picture Roland as a Muggle-hating Dark Wizard. He was a Gryffindor, after all. "All right, I'll send Poppy a note. Don't worry about it - and don't be late to class!"

In his class for the first years that afternoon, Slytherin lost a total of almost fifty points - he took ten off for Falco's sulking in the corner, and went from there. He had first thought of Falco as another Draco, but he'd started to notice some subtle differences. Falco, like Draco, had started strong, confidently expressing his opinions when given the opportunity. Over time, though, he'd started to speak less, and now he seemed to spend every class sulking in the back, giving as little feedback as possible. Maybe his work was doing some good - if people like Van Hoek would end up thinking before they spoke, not considering themselves Merlin's gift to wizardry anywhere, then maybe Slytherins could take a proper place in the world.

~.~.~

Harry was still thinking about the results of his class, a smirk on his face, as he entered the staff meeting. He wasn't the last to arrive - that was generally Sprout. They'd given up on Firenze attending, but Dumbledore didn't seem to mind.

He seemed agitated today, though, and once Sprout came in, he called the meeting immediately to order. "Thank you all for coming - I only wish it could be under different circumstances."

Harry looked at him questioningly, but McGonagall and Snape didn't look surprised. Of course, Albus still trusted his old crowd the best. Harry might have defeated Valdemort, he might be a professor at Hogwarts, but he would always be "Mr. Potter", a young man on the outside of grown-up business.

"Have all of you heard of the Orpheus curse," Dumbledore asked his staff.

Harry, like Sprout and Vector, shook his head. Snape didn't show any reaction, but McGonagall nodded.

"Its a terrible curse, which causes a great deal of pain to the recipient. It can even cause death, although immediate, competent, care reduces the chances of this occurring. Some of you may have noticed that Mister Dertrihs was missing from classes yesterday. He was a victim of the curse, and he's currently at death's doorway, even under Pomfrey's care. We can only hope that he will recover."

"He is not the only victim. Selena Soong, Dennis Creevey, and Thomas Teawiddy have also been affected. Mr. Creevey is the only one of these latter students still in the Hospital Ward, but the others still suffered great pains."

"We have known for some time that there was a danger at Hogwarts this year, and that the danger might involve the Orpheus curse. We thought that we knew who would be most subject to this curse, and we had taken some rather extreme steps to prevent it's harming them. We don't know who is responsible for this, but we will take steps immediately to safeguard the rest of the students. Effective immediately, all students will be escorted to and from classes by a professor, and all students should go around in groups of odd-numbers - at least three to a group."

"Why three, Headmaster?" Harry asked.

Snape looked down his nose at Harry. "I'm surprised that our new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts has to ask. Headmaster, I'd also suggest that we consider closing off the Astronomy Tower."

The Headmaster cut off Harry's retort. "You have often asked that, Professor Snape - although I can remember you thinking quite differently when you were a student! But, in this case, you may be right. Professor Flitwick, please see to it immediately following this meeting." Then he turned to Harry, "As to why you would not have heard of it before...the Orpheus curse was never used by Valdemort - it was not something that he could comprehend. There are few people who know of its power in this generation, which is something we should be thankful for, not regret. That's all I have for today, Professors - please pass this news along to your students. Harry, could I see you for a moment?"

"Yes, Headmaster?"

Albus waited until everyone else had filtered out, and then fixed his gaze onto Harry. "I understand that you and Miss Weasley have been spending some time together recently."

Harry instantly felt guilty, although he wasn't sure why. "Yes, Headmaster?"

"Some might get the wrong impression out of these meetings. From now on, I don't want you to meet with her without at least one other present, from another house. You are not to inform either of them of the Orpheus curse, or even to mention it by name. She is not subject to the curse right now, if my suspicions are correct, and as such, there is no point in worrying her."

"Yes, Headmaster." Harry hung his head, still not quite sure why he felt guilty.

"That will be all for now, Harry."

~.~.~

Harry's sleep that night was again interrupted by nightmares. He had the same one several times a night, now, although the faces kept changing. Draco was replaced by Lucius sometimes, and Ron was sometimes replaced by Hermione, other times Ginny.

He continued to meet with Ginny to discuss the Influensus curse, and he wasn't sure if he should bring up the Orpheus curse, despite the Headmaster's instruction. They had to meet with someone from another house present, so Ginny had asked Rahne Rawlins, who mostly sat in the corner with a book, pretending to be part of the furniture.

They didn't just talk about the curse; Harry found himself starting to open up to Ginny. He surprised himself at some of the things they talked about - topics like his feelings, how much he envied her family, and what was going on in the Muggle world. Ginny had been on one of Alicia's field trips, and from the sounds of things, the last few years had seen a few major changes from what Harry remembered.

Ginny had brought back some magazines with her, and they both flipped through them together, laughing at what Muggles had been up to lately. Harry found himself starting to heal, and even the anger that was at the core of his being started to relax.

There were no more attacks on students - whatever the reasons behind them, the Headmaster's restrictions seemed to have worked, but there was still a depressed feeling throughout the school. The Halloween Ball was cancelled, although there were threats of a Valentine's Ball to come. Harry dreaded it, for some reason, although he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because little good had ever come of Balls at Hogwarts. He was considering this, as Ginny started to ask him a question. She looked shy, not meeting his eyes.

"Harry," she started out hesitantly, and waited until he asked her to go on. "Have you...that is, do you...can teachers take an escort to the Valentine's Ball?"

"I suppose we could, Ginny. But I'm not sure who to ask. Maybe if Hermione was still around, I'd ask her to go, just as friends, I mean. But I haven't heard from her since I started the year. I was starting to get worried, but McGonagall said that she'd seen her a few times, and she was fine."

"Really," Ginny said, disappointment in her voice. She couldn't have expected him to ask her, could she? Harry knew he couldn't ask a student to the ball - even if she was close to his own age, he was sure there was a rule against it. What had she thought he'd say? She'd perked up when he started to talk, then looked down again - was she just as sad as he was that 'Mione wasn't there for them?

She hadn't said anything yet, so he just kept talking, almost babbling. "Its really too bad she couldn't be here - I mean, there are just too many things to look for."

"Like what, Harry? I think we've done pretty well together." The third person in the room put down her book, and started to stare, but Harry ignored her.

"I know, but there's things that I hadn't wanted to ask you to get involved with. I mean, you're great at research, but you've still got your other schoolwork to do." She almost looked mollified, but he continued. "For example, there's this Orpheus curse, it's supposed to be pretty tough, that someone's using."

Ginny stood up, her face ashen. "Orpheus?"

"Yes, that's what I said. I wasn't supposed to mention it to you, though."

"Why?"

"The Headmaster said that he knew we were talking, but I wasn't supposed to bring it up. He said you couldn't be affected anyway, so I shouldn't worry you." Ginny was still white as a sheet, and her fists were clenched.

There was a horrified expression on Rahne's face, and she jumped for Ginny. "Ginny, dear, I think I should get you back to your dormitory. Don't come on our account, Professor Potter, we'll be fine. I can't be hurt by that curse, either."

They rushed out, and Harry reflected on the oddness of it all. All he was sure of was that another Hogwart's Ball had claimed him as a victim.