Author's Note: I apologize for this taking as long as it has. First, I was simply really busy. Then, for some reason, my mind was attacked and all thoughts I had about this chapter were tossed out of my head. I couldn't find them anywhere, so I'm not sure that this chapter will be what it would have been, but I'm trying here. And I was seriously stumped after that happened. I had notes, but I lost my notebook. *sheepish smile* I lose everything if it's not surgically attached. You all give me great encouragement. Thank you. As always, replies to reviews follow in the next chapter.
Last chapter's House Points winners are: Kim13, Felis, Anna L. Black, ResQgal, Vikki, NotQuiteFamous, Yasei Raiden, Zaithat, Harry's Muggle Sister, SlytherinHeadGirl, The angelic vampire, fullsailnate, and katty719! Well done, all of you! I need houses from three people, two from last chapter. TraceyClaybon, and Deathevn. And from this chapter, Harry's Muggle Sister.
House Points stand thus:
Gryffindor: 195
Slytherin: 200
Hufflepuff: 90
Ravenclaw: 180
Hufflepuff! You need to catch up! I have faith in you!
'these' are thoughts
**this** is parseltongue
*~*~*~*~*~*~ is a new perspective or scene
Chapter Fifteen: Truth
Harry sat through the sorting without paying any attention. He didn't hear the hat's song, or the new warning in it. He didn't notice the first years who went to the various houses. He didn't even notice the food had appeared until Ron nudged him in the side. He was thinking about his father, and Voldemort. He wondered why, after that last call to Severus at Mrs. Figg's house, Voldemort never called him again. There was something decidedly odd in that. And he hadn't had any visions of Voldemort, or dreams induced by the snake-like man. In fact, his summer had been relatively peaceful, with few noted exceptions.
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Severus Snape, feared Potions Master of Hogwarts, was likewise not paying attention to the sorting. His mind was on a certain conversation he had had with his son. He wondered if it was simply an imagination that he thought he lost telling him that Harry had called the most feared Dark Wizard ever Voldie.
'What could possibly possess the boy to call the Dark Lord Voldie?' he wondered. 'Damn Gryffindor instincts.'
He ate along with everyone else, but finished quicker than most. He stood and made his way down the far side of the Great Hall, stopping behind Harry, who was mechanically scooping food into his mouth, not even seeming to realize he was eating.
"Mr. Potter," came the silky voice from behind Harry, "I would like to see you in my office when you have finished. Understood?"
Harry nodded and murmured, "I've finished, Sir."
Standing, Harry turned and walked towards the doors with his father, his head cocked as he listened to the older wizard talking to him. It was apparent to many that the two were closely related, but for the ones who got over their shock at seeing first their hated Potions Professor speaking amicably with a student, and second that he could possibly attract someone long enough to sire a child, they were stumped on who that student was. Many at the Gryffindor table knew, but even some of those, the ones farthest from the trio, didn't. The only others who knew were the Slytherins. The rest of the school wil, no doubt, know more withing half an hour of the departure of the two.
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Instead of going to Severus' office, they went to his quarters. Harry nervously sat down across from his father and waited for him to speak.
"Harry, you needn't have come right away. I merely had a question that I needed cleared up. What did you call the Dark Lord? Before, I mean. When we discussed what were going to do."
Harry smirked at that. He had been wondering why he wasn't asked about that right away. Instead it took nearly a week for the man to get around the nickname Harry had given his nemesis.
"Voldie, Sir."
Severus spluttered as he realized that it wasn't his unused imagination.
"And why, Harry, would you gift the Dark Lord with a nickname?"
"Well... It's like calling Hermione 'Mione. I figure that after all he and I have been through together that I know him well enough. I mean, I've practically known him since I was one." At this Harry gave Severus a diarming grin. "Besides, Voldie is shorter than Voldemort" his father shuddered here, "And nearly as infuriating to him as when I call him Tom."
"I see. And why in Merlin's name would do something so stupid as to infuriate the most POWERFUL DARK LORD EVER???"
"Err. Because it's my only defense sometimes, sir."
Severus had pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, but them away quickly when he heard his son's softly spoken, nearly whispered answer.
"What do you mean?"
"In my dreams, sir. The ones he starts. I can't do anything to him, but he can hurt me. I've found that if I taunt him, he loses control, and therefore loses control over my dream, and I can escape."
"I see. Perhaps you'd better go off to your dorms now."
"Yes Sir. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Harry."
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Harry and Hermione were both looking forward to their first class of the day. N.E.W.T. level Potions. Ron was simply ecstatic that he didn't have to take two more years with Snape.
"He might be your father, Harry, but I still don't envy you having to sit through his classes for the rest of your time here." he had said.
Harry just grinned as he and Hermione split from Ron to head for the dungeons. As usual, Malfoy had to ruin Harry's day first thing in the morning.
"Potty and the Mudblood. Wasn't Weasel good enough?"
Harry ignored him, determined not to upset his father the first day of classes. But Malfoy didn't let him.
"I didn't see you on the train, Potter. Didn't your daddy think it was safe enough? I heard he's displeased the Dark Lord and is going to get back in his good graces by bringing you to him." Thankfully, Malfoy was talking low enough that only Harry and Hermione could hear him. The rest of the class, consisting of a few more Slytherins (no Crabbe and Goyle, thankfully), all of the sixth year Ravenclaws, and two Hufflepuffs, were watching, but none could understand a word that was said.
"Shut up about my father, Ferret!" Harry hissed venemously.
Severus had come in just as Malfoy was being his usual nasty self and heard everything, as the three were closest to the door.
"Your father's a disgrace to the wizarding world!"
"Maybe to you, Malfoy, but not to me."
Malfoy sneered at this. "Trust a little Gryffindor not to know better. The Dark Lord will take over, Potter. Then where will you and your father be?"
Harry snickered. "What? Without his little lapdogs? Of course, if he did, I don't suppose it would matter to me anymore, because I'd have to be dead for that to happen." Which was truer than anything had ever said, because, according to the porphecy, he would be dead if Voldemort reigned supreme.
"Don't worry, Potter. You will be." Malfoy gloated.
"Really?" Harry asked, one eyebrow arched innocently. "I suppose..." he continued in a thoughtful tone. "I mean, we all die eventually, right? But at least I'll have my father around for it. Do you?" With that final dig, Harry sat down and opened his Potions text and studied the first potion in it. Veritaserum.
Snape, who had been amused, bemused, and finally stunned by both Harry and Draco, stormed the rest of the way in and snapped out.
"Malfoy! Potter! Ten points from each of you for your little... display. And a week's detention. See me after class."
And so, Potions went on much as it had from day one. The only difference being that Snape had taken points from first, his own house, and second, from Draco Malfoy, pride of Slytherin. This amused Harry to no end, and he felt the loss of points and detention were well worth it. Especially when Malfoy's face had turned that wonderful shade of red that meant he was furious after Harry's jab about his father. Harry knew Malfoy would try to take revenge, but he didn't care much.
'Really. The slimy git should have learned in Diagon Alley.'
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Two days later, and two 'detentions' later, Harry, Ron and Hermione
entered their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of the year. As
they looked around at the other students, all three groaned inwardly.
'I hate N.E.W.T. classes! Why do they have to put us all together? Now I'll probably have Malfoy in every class.' Harry thought.
That was true enough, as the N.E.W.T. level courses were rather difficult to enter. As there were only a handful of students per year who managed to make certain classes, all of the houses were combined in these classes. So the Gryffindors would have to settle on dealing with the Sytherins in almost all of their classes. It was rumored, though Harry couldn't confirm this yet, that Charms was still split up like it used to be, as every sixth year had managed to pass that O.W.L.
Harry wasn't surprised to see all of the sixth years from the D.A. in the N.E.W.T. level defence class. They had worked hard last year, and he was very proud of Neville Longbottom and the others, but particularly of Neville. He had shown a brilliant resolve to do the best he could in the D.A., and as a result had managed to pass his Defence O.W.L. with an Exceeds Expectations mark. That alone made having Malfoy and his friends in the class bearable.
As Professor Lupin was instructing them on a few curses and their counter-curses, Harry's scar began to hurt. First, it was just a mild stinging, but it quickly gathered strength and blew into an all out rage of pain. Harry couldn't stop the cry that burst from his lips as he clapped a hand over his forehead. Hermione and Ron had both seen, in the split second before Harry's hand covered it, that his scar was an ugly red, pulsing against his skin. Then he fell off his chair, writhing on the floor as the class gathered round him. Professor Lupin's voice was the last he heard.
"Hermione, go and get Professor Snape. Ron, the Headmaster."
Harry didn't hear the footsteps as his two best friends raced from the room, or the whispering of the class around him. He had already fallen into a void.
~*Vision*~
Harry was in blackness so dark it felt like it was closing in on him, cutting of his air supply. He gasped for breath, even if it was psychological, and tried to find a way out. But then, then there was light. Light like from two lanterns, red and distinctly evil. Eyes. Voldemort's eyes. Trying to regain control of his emotions, fear, pain, Harry stood to meet his nemesis.
"Harry Potter. Or should I call you a Snape, now? After all, you are not a real Potter, are you."
"What do you want now, Tom?"
"Don't call me that!" he hissed.
"What do you want?" Harry bit out.
"Merely to show you somthing. Something that might interest you."
Then, off to Harry's right, a faint light started to glow. Almost like a spotlight in a Muggle play. And something was in that light. Harry moved closer as the light got brighter and then.. he gasped. Then he could see what it was. It was his father. The lifeless body of Severus Snape, revolving slowly as if it were on a rotisserie over an open flame. There were cuts all over the body, blood pooled beneath. The Dark Mark on his left forearm visible and burning black against the pale, bloodless skin. As Harry tried to help him, the body kept getting farther and farther away from him. Harry whirled and faced Voldemort, rage reflecting like flames from his green eyes.
"I don't think so, Voldie."
"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!!!"
"Oh? Then what should I call you, Tom?"
"First, you will call me Master. Then, Harry Potter, you will call me father. As you do with the traitor. But he will die. And you will love me for it."
"I don't think so, Tom. You cannot have him. Come for me, but if you touch my friends or family, you will pay a thousand times over. You have never felt the pain that you will feel if you do. This I vow to you."
"Harry Harry Harry. Haven't you learned yet? You cannot hurt me. But I... yesss. I can hurt you. Crucio!"
And fell, writhing and screaming to bottom of the void into which Voldemort had pulled him. He knew it was useless, but he struggled to try to fight off the curse. And when it was finally lifted, Harry had one clear thought before Voldemort left his mind.
'I will learn how to punish him here, in this dreamscape.'
~*End Vision*~
Harry opened his eyes, cloudy with pain, and stared wildly around. He whispered a broken word before falling unconscious.
Only two heard that word.
"Father."
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Severus Snape was teaching his class of fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Ginny Weasley and Colin Creevey were sitting together, wroking on their potion when the door flew open and slammed against the wall. Snape, as well as his whole class, looked up and Snape glared when he saw the intruder.
"Miss Granger, may I inquire as to why you felt the need to disrupt my class when you should be in one of your own?"
Hermione, panting and out of breath from her run down to the dungeons, gasped out.
"Professor... you have.. to come. Some... thing's happened..." Then she spun on her heel and rushed back up to Defence Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Snape on her heels. On their way, she filled him in on what she knew, that Harry was having a vision, and that it was worse than the others.
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Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was sitting in his office answering correspondence from Order members as well as the Ministry, parents of students, and many others that all decided to owl him on the same day, when he heard frantic shouting from outside of the gargoyle. He made his way through the door and down the stairs. The gargoyle sprung aside as he approached, and a blur of red ran through the opening and right into his chest, knocking both to the floor.
"Mr. Weasley. Could you please get off of me?" Albus asked, amusement in his voice.
"Professor! Sorry sir! But... you have to come! Harry's... well. There's something wrong with Harry!"
Both stood and Albus followed the red-head at a surprisingly fast clip for a man his age. They arrived at the Defence classroom just as Hermione and Snape did, and the four entered to find Remus Lupin kneeling on the floor by the prone body of Harry Potter, blood seeping from his scar to drip down his face and onto the stone floor. The rest of the class had circled around them, many whispering to their neighbor about what could have happened, or if Harry truly was insane.
With a muttered "Mobilicorpus!" from Snape, he, with Harry's body floating along in front of him, as well as Remus, Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore trudged down to the dungeons. They knew full well that Madam Pomphrey was not the person Harry needed to wake up to. Severus had all the potions he would need for the boy, and it was quieter, more peaceful in his quarters. There would not be any inquisitive students attempting to see him and find out what really happened. Only friends, family, and professors.
A/N: What do you think? Review, please.
House Points Question:
Who arrives at Hogwarts to give Harry one final warning/message? (20 Points)
And the next chapter, mainly because I couldn't seem to fit it in here, and for Yasei Raiden, will contain mostly reactions of others.