A/N: Thanks to my reviewers!
Charma1219- Sorry to make you wait for this, but I've been working.
Thanks for that. I really tried with Sev, but I wasn't sure how it worked.
Tamsy, Diane + Lilac- *grins* Thanks! Like I said, I'm trying
to remain as far in canon as I can, within the limits set by the challenge.
luv4snuffles- Thank you for the compliment. I enjoy writing
this. But I understand how you feel. Even if I don't share that feeling.
The Vampire Story Hunter- Thank you. I try.
lillinfields- Thank you. We'll see how that works out. I hope
so too, but my notes are a little vague on that. *laughs maniacally*
Anna L. Black- Oooo! Thank you! That is a great compliment.
Elssha- Thanks. I have, and I like it.
candledot- I know. Alas, I haven't managed to come up with anything.
Care to give me some suggestions? Thank you.
KarenDetroit- Here's more!
ress- As always, you are one of my most frequent reviewers.
Please be sure to tell me if you don't like something, or if it doesn't
flow right to you.
Harry's Muggle Sister- I think so. Glad you stopped by.
MarsMoonStar- Thanks!
'these' are thoughts
**this** is parseltongue
*~*~*~*~*~*~ is a new perspective or scene
In the book, This is Harry, This is Hermione, This is Ron. You'll see why when you read. Otherwise, anything printed in italics is either a letter or thoughts.
Chapter Eight: From Books to Visions
His potion was ready, all he needed now was something from the boy. Blood, hair... it didn't matter much as long as it carried his DNA. Then he would know for sure.
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It wasn't until three days later that the most hated teacher at Hogwarts and the Gryffindor Golden Boy saw each other again. Unfortunately, it wasn't under the best of circumstances. Harry was sitting at the staff table, the only table out, in the Great Hall using the gift Hermione had given him for his birthday. He pulled the note from her out of the book and re-read it for what felt like the hundredth time, although it was only about the fifth.
Harry,
If you need us, you can use this book to reach us. Ron has one, as I do. You have two, so you can give one to whoever you like. I'm sorry, but I could only buy them in lots of two, and I needed three. I figured you could give one to Dumbledore or Remus. That way, if you have trouble, they can help you. It's a bit like Tom Riddle's diary, I know, but it's not. You write to us, and we can write back. It's actually more like Muggle e-mail. Because if we're not by our books, then it will still keep the message for us until we are. The picture on the front will glow white when one of us is writing to you, so you'll know. Also, if we've written and you weren't there to write back, it will still glow to tell you a message is there. Write to us as soon as you get this. Whoever you give the other book to will be added to the list at the top of the pages. To write to one of us, just print our initials like on the page first, then only we can see it. To write to all of us, just write.
Hermione.
Harry flipped open the book, which he had gotten earlier courtesy of Dumbledore. Apparently, the Headmaster had all the post sent to Harry while he was under the Dreamless-sleep potion, and after, when he was recovering from his bout with Voldemort. Looking at the pages, he saw what Hermione had been talking about. At the top of each page were three sets of initials.
HP ~ HG ~ RW
Grinning, he dipped a quill in his inkwell and started writing.
Hermione? Ron?
Harry? It's about time!
Harry mate! Why didn't you write us before?
Sorry guys. I just got my presents from you. Dumbledore had them.
What? Why did Dumbledore have them? Are you alright? Where are you?
Harry laughed as he read that.
I'm at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had them because the owls wouldn't leave
me alone. I was sleeping. Snape gave me some Dreamless Sleep potion, so
I didn't know they were there.
Why are you at Hogwarts? Did You-Know-Who find you?
No, Ron. Voldemort didn't find me. At least, not physically.
What's that supposed to mean? Harry, if something's happened you need to tell us.
Voldemort found a way to talk to me in my dreams, and to control more of them.
Harry, you need to practice your Occlumency.
I know, Hermione. I've been trying. It's just, sometimes. When I get mad or something... he can get in easier.
HG to HP
Harry, where are you? I want to make sure you're all right.
HP to HG
I'm in the Great Hall.
HG to HP
I'm coming down.
Ron, I have to go now. I'll write you later.
Alright Hermione.
Harry was just about to write that he had to go too when it started. With a shaking hand, he put quill to paper once more.
HP to HG
Get Dumbledore!
Then the searing pain in his scar flared harshly and Harry found himself in the graveyard where Voldemort had his re-birthing ceremony over a year ago. The same graveyard where Cedric died and Harry saw the shades of his mother and father. Now, however, there were only Death Eaters. Voldemort had already been talking to them, and Harry only got sucked into the vision when Voldemort got angry enough to pull him in unknowingly. The hissed "Crucio!" was all the warning Harry had that pain would be coming, and sure enough, within half a second he was writhing on the ground next to the hapless Death Eater, his dream self screaming from the pain.
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Severus Snape had just come up from the dungeons and was in the Entrance Hall when he heard it. The sound of whimpering. The sound of pain. He followed the sounds into the Great Hall, but saw nothing save the table, and a book open upon it with a quill and inkwell next to it. The sounds grew louder as he approached, then circled the table. Just as he saw what, or rather, who, was making the noise, a scream erupted from Harry that would have sent banshees running for cover. The boy was thrashing about on the floor, one hand covering the infamous scar, the other grasping his clothes as if to stop the pain. Severus knew what he was seeing, knew because he had been on both ends of the wand, had been in the circle watching as another was cursed. The Cruciatus Curse. The worst, in his mind, of the three Unforgivables. He grasped the boys shoulders and shook him, trying to wake him. He shouted at him, cursed him with a variety of names that Harry was sure to have never heard before, pointed his wand and said "Enervate!", and even slapped him once. Just hard enough to bring consciousness if he could, but nothing helped. Finally, he gave up on waking the boy and did what he could to comfort him. He held him, holding his arms at his sides so he could cause no further harm to himself. When Harry's hand was moved from his scar, though, Severus inhaled sharply. Blood was poring freely from scar, running down the boy's face.
He looked up from his position on the floor when he heard a gasp. The Granger girl had skidded to a halt next to them, Dumbledore and Lupin right behind her. Albus took in the scene and nodded once, while Lupin transfigured Harry's quill into a cloth then shot a spurt of cold water onto it from his wand. This he placed tenderly on Harry's forehead, holding it there as the boy squirmed in Snape's arms. He screamed again and again as the curse hit him, until finally, after what seemed an eternity, it was over. The boy had slumped back into the Potions Master's arms, unconscious from the pain.
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As the three professors removed Harry to the nearest room, Hermione had fished a quill from her pocket and dipped it into Harry's ink. Ron had been writing furiously to Harry during the few minutes of the vision, and Hermione wanted to reassure him. But she couldn't lie to her best friend.
Ron, Harry's just had another vision. I don't know what's going on
now, but I'm going to find out. I'll write back when I know more.
Hermione.
She shut the book with a snap and followed the others, who were far ahead of her, to the dungeons. The closest rooms were Snape's, and Hermione couldn't help but think that this may be a good thing, for both of them. She ran to catch up to the three, and did so just as they were stepping through the entrance to Snape's quarters. When Snape glared at her, she merely ignored him and went to sit on the floor next to the sofa, where they had placed Harry. She held his hand and murmured nonsense to him as he slept, the three adults watching as they talked quietly among themselves.
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Harry opened bleary eyes to find himself somewhere wholly unfamiliar to him. The room was done in mostly green, with silver accents. It was decorated with tasteful elegance, but he didn't notice. All he noticed was that his hand was warm, his body comfortable, well, as comfortable as one could be after having suffered the Cruciatus, and he was being discussed. The warmth on his hand was taken away and replaced by something bushy and brown. 'Hermione.' he thought.
"Professors! He's awake." Hermione announced before turning worried eyes in his direction. "How are you feeling, Harry? Are you ok?"
He laughed, but stopped short with an indrawn hiss of pain. "Fine, 'Mione." he gasped out. "Just bloody wonderful." The sarcasm was missed by none, and only Harry didn't know about the scowl that accompanied his statement. The scowl that equaled Severus Snape's current expression.
"Harry James Potter! Don't you dare talk like that to me!" she humphed.
"Sorry 'Mione." He tried for a sheepish smile, but only managed a grimace as more pain flared through his muscles. His gaze flicked to his professors, settling on an onyx black pair of eyes. 'My father.' he thought, the familiar Snape scowl returning to his face. He moved his gaze over Remus' worried face, to Professor Dumbledore's. "Sir, can I... have something for the pain?"
"Of course, dear boy. We would have given you something earlier, but didn't want to cause any damage while you were sleeping. Severus, if you will."
"Of course, Headmaster." Came the silky reply. Snape moved to retrieve a vial and handed that to Harry, who sniffed it, grimaced and downed it.
"Yech! Can't any of these things taste decent?" he mumbled. Remus laughed, Snape sneered, Dumbledore's eye twinkled, and Hermione's face took on what Harry recognized as her 'McGonagall impression', which meant that she was about to deliver a lecture. Trying to forestall this, he asked, "Did anyone ever tell you that you look like McGon... Professor McGonagall when you do that?"
Her face transported into sheer delight at this, and even Dumbledore snickered.
Harry was wondering where in Merlin's name he was, but before he could ask, he drifted off to sleep. His last thought was, 'Snape must have mixed a sleeping draught into the pain potion.'
A/N: So, what do you think? I know... it's more a filler than anything because I wanted to introduce the books, and get Harry into Snape's quarters. The next chapter should and will have more and be better. OH! I have a question. I have plenty of notes on what and how I want things to go in this story, but I'm not sure about Draco. Should I have him become a friend, or should he stay as he is? He will be arriving in the next couple of chapters, at least, he will be introduced to the story then. I mean, you can't have a story about Harry without Draco, right? Depending on what you guys think, I have two ways to go to get him into the story. Let me know. And please, Review! Thanks.
Okay, since everyone is doing the House Points thing, I figured I'd join in. I'll leave a question at the end of each chapter, and when you review, let me know what house you are in.
House Point Question - Five points per right answer.
Who do you think will get the fourth book? The one that is currently unused in Harry's possession from his birthday present?