Harry collapsed, wheezing and out of breathe. He looked around and realized
that he was in the dungeons. He sat down with his back against a wall,
thinking what the hell was going on?
Nothing of it made sense.
Perhaps he was just dreaming, having blacked out in the train.
He pinched himself in the arm.
No, this was no dream.
Maybe he should just go into the great hall and see if everything was right there?
Maybe Hermione and Ron were there, waiting for him.
Maybe all of this was just a misunderstanding.
Maybe 'Lord Riddle' was some kind of a joke between McGonagall and Dumbledore
But why hadn't they waited for him? Why had they left him in the train?
No, he wasn't going to think about it.
He buried his hands in his arms and sat like that until he heard footsteps coming his way.
He looked up and saw Snape approaching, walking in the most peculiar way. Bending over and walking slowly and cautiously. He was strangely vague, but Harry assumed it was the darkness that made him harder to see.
Harry saw him glance once in his direction as he came closer.
Snape was seemingly ignoring him for he walked straight past him.
Harry wondered if maybe he was on some secret mission, or if he had something to do with the odd behaviour of McGonagall.
Before Harry could stop himself he was on his feet and running to catch up with Snape.
He saw Snape stop immediately and move towards the wall, his gazed fixed on Harry.
"Professor? Is there something wrong?" Harry asked hesitantly
Snapes mouth opened slightly, but he made no other move or sound. Harry took a step closer.
"Err, professor? I, erm, I" Harry stopped. He had no idea what he was going to say. He stared at his shoes.
"Who are you boy?" Snape stuttered in a low voice.
Harry looked up surprised
"What do you mean sir? Have everyone here gone crazy? First McGonagall tells me she is taking me to the headmaster and he turns out to be Tom Riddle and now you act all strange. You hate me, how can you have forgotten who I am? I thought you were looking forward all summer to torturing me!" Harry cried in exasperation.
"What do you mean boy? I've never seen you before, and who did you expect to be the headmaster?" Snapes sneer was lost in his confused face.
Harry stared at Snape.
"Dumbledore of course. He has been the headmaster for ages Professor Snape."
The professor gasped and grabbed Harry by the collar.
"What are you talking about? What do you know about Dumbledore? And how do you know my name?" he hissed.
Harry responded by kicking Snape in the knee, making Snape let go of him and for the second time that day, he bolted.
Harry ran in to the Entrance Hall and looked around. No one was there so he made for the door. He didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find out.
Harry's reflexes had jumped in there. His mind told him to trust few, and lunatics like Snape back there were not on his to-trust list. In fact, he wasn't sure who were on that list now, if there were any at all. Hermione and Ron were supposed to be his best friends, and best friends did not leave each other behind to deal with this lunacy.
He shook his head and went outside. He was only a few metres from the school when a voice rang his way.
"Boy! Where do you think you are going?"
Professor McGonagall was heading his way with a man tagging behind her. Avery? Harry was sure he remembered him correctly; after all, it was hard to forget a man who held him imprisoned for two weeks. He didn't have time for more nostalgia for McGonagall and Avery had reached him, the latter with his wand drawn and pointing at Harry.
"Don't move." McGonagall said sharply, "I want to know who you are, and how you got here, what you are doing here. You will answer my questions."
Harry nodded. That could hardly be dangerous, just telling her that.
"Er, my name is Harry, I got here with the train, I'm here to attend my seventh year at the school." He stopped hesitantly and watched Avery lean over and whisper something to McGonagall.
As Avery moved he noticed Snape standing behind, watching them with an unreadable expression. When Snape noticed him noticing him he quickly motioned for him to stay silent and pointed to the pair before him, as if to tell Harry that he shouldn't notify them of his presence. Harry wondered what was the point in that, as they would see him as soon as they turned around.
"I'm not familiar with any Harry's in seventh year. Are you a new addition to the school? What is you surname Harry?" McGonagall asked her voice softened a little.
"I'm not new in the school Professor McGonagall. And my surname is Potter."
Harry had never seen as much reaction to his name before despite all his fame. Avery who had lowered his wand had him pointed at Harry again and McGonagall had drawn hers and gone in battle stance like Avery. They were both very white in the face and their eyes opened and alert.
Harry however had no time to draw his own wand as Snape was suddenly at his side, wand drawn. Harry gasped as he stupefied Avery, leaving McGonagall alone. She wouldn't be alone for long, as there were already people coming out of the castle, running towards them.
Harry felt something being thrust into his hands and with a familiar pull beneath his navel he and Snape were gone.
Harry collapsed on the floor and didn't bother getting up. This was all too strange so he might as well lie here until things made at least some sense.
"Severus? Is that you?"
Wait, that voice sounded familiar. Harry raised his head and immediately sat up straight.
"Dumbledore! Sir. I'm so glad to see you, I don't know what happened, McGonagall was there attacking me with Avery, and Tom Riddle was there." his words were tumbling over each other now and he was frantic to explain it to get as quickly as he could to the bottom in all this.
" And I couldn't find Ron and Hermione anywhere, there was this strange sound in the train and when I woke up they were gone. Sir? What is wrong?"
Harry just noticed that Dumbledore was staring at him like he had grown an extra arm or something. He quickly checked to make sure he hadn't, he wouldn't be surprised as the day had been.
"I don't know who the boy is sir, I met him in the dungeons and he was able to see and recognise me. He ran away before I could ask him more. I don't know what he did to get on the bad side of Them." Snape in a curt voice as he folded something silvery.
Dumbledores gaze went back on Harry "See you indeed. He recognised you as well?"
"Yes. He also knew The Others by their names, and foolishly told them his."
Harry hated when people talked like he wasn't there, and he hated it too when they spoke of things he didn't know, but had they faint inclination that he should.
He was now aware of Dumbledore's eyes on him.
"Well then, my lad. What is your name?" Dumbledore asked kindly
"Harry, sir."
"Harry you say. Could you please tell me mister Harry what happened at school, in a little more organized way. " Dumbledores blue eyes twinkled and Harry blushed slightly. "Just start at the beginning, I believe you mentioned the train?
Harry nodded and began explaining, about the incident in the train and what happened after he woke up. Dumbledore and Snape were silent the whole time.
Dumbledore spoke as soon as he finished.
"This definitely is strange. Tell me, what was different from what you expected when you got inside the school?"
Harry paused.
"Well, I found it a bit strange that McGonagall wasn't meeting the first years, but I figured that maybe that task had been handed over to Professor Snape."
"Professor Snape?"
"I was wondering about that too. When he first saw me he called me professor and I assumed at first he was talking to someone else." Snape told Dumbledore.
Harry stared at them.
"But, you are the potion master at school. That makes you a professor."
Both men stared back at him
"I think we should wait with explanations until later, please continue with your story mister Harry." Dumbledore said.
"Erm, okay. So when I told McGonagall I wanted to see the headmaster she was all strange like she didn't know me, and instead of going the usual way to your office, she went to some strange painting of a cat I've never seen before and took me to Tom Riddle. Like hell I was gonna waltz in there and talk to him so I ran away and found myself in the dungeons. Then Professor Snape came walking all strange and acting like he didn't know me either, and suddenly he grabbed me so I kicked him thinking he had turned back over to Voldemort or something and ran. And when I got outside McGonagall came after me with Avery." Harry's nose scrunched in disgust, "I dunno what he was doing there or what I did to make them act so weird. And I thought portkeys didn't work at Hogwarts, that's what Hermione said at least." He finished and watched as Dumbledore digested what he had told him.
"This is all rather strange. But tell me Harry, what is your surname?"
"My name is Harry Orion Potter, sir" Harry said. He had gone after his fifth year to recover his birth certificate, and discovered that he had a middle name. He suspected it had something to do with Sirius, seeing as they were both star-names. He was also quite fond of the story behind Orion, who had been a brave hunter who fought for the love of a princess but her father didn't like him so he made Orion slay all beasts in the country, but of course there would always be more beasts so Orion gave up. His heroic actions had made him very famous and even made the hunter goddess Artemis fall for him, but her jealous brother Apollo tricked her into killing Orion.
"Potter?" Dumbledore asked somewhat surprised. "Any relations to James and Lily Potter?"
"They were my parents, sir." Harry replied dully. Thinking of his parents hurt even more after losing Sirius.
"Were?" Asked Dumbledore speculatingly.
Harry glanced up at Dumbledore
"Er, yes. They were killed by Voldemort when I was a baby." Harry grimaced. Something was really wrong here. What was going on with Dumbledore?
There were a few minutes of silence before Dumbledore spoke up.
"Severus. If you would be so kind?" He left the sentence hanging, but Severus was already on his feet and going.
"Harry, I'm afraid there has been a little accident. I think you are not supposed to be here."
Harry stared at the old man but didn't say anything as Severus returned to the room with two people in tow. A raven-haired man with glasses and a red- haired woman with intense green eyes.
"Mom? Dad?" Harry whispered as he passes out.
Author notes:
Yep, this is it. I love cliffhangers, I didn't realize until I started writing my own fiction just how wonderful they are (
A new chapter should be up as soon as I'm in the mood to write a new one.
Oh, yeah. There is that word "speculatingly" It's not really a word, I know, but it sound jolly good (
Thanks to you who reads this, it means a lot to know someone actually reads my "mind"
Anilia Hawkeye
Nothing of it made sense.
Perhaps he was just dreaming, having blacked out in the train.
He pinched himself in the arm.
No, this was no dream.
Maybe he should just go into the great hall and see if everything was right there?
Maybe Hermione and Ron were there, waiting for him.
Maybe all of this was just a misunderstanding.
Maybe 'Lord Riddle' was some kind of a joke between McGonagall and Dumbledore
But why hadn't they waited for him? Why had they left him in the train?
No, he wasn't going to think about it.
He buried his hands in his arms and sat like that until he heard footsteps coming his way.
He looked up and saw Snape approaching, walking in the most peculiar way. Bending over and walking slowly and cautiously. He was strangely vague, but Harry assumed it was the darkness that made him harder to see.
Harry saw him glance once in his direction as he came closer.
Snape was seemingly ignoring him for he walked straight past him.
Harry wondered if maybe he was on some secret mission, or if he had something to do with the odd behaviour of McGonagall.
Before Harry could stop himself he was on his feet and running to catch up with Snape.
He saw Snape stop immediately and move towards the wall, his gazed fixed on Harry.
"Professor? Is there something wrong?" Harry asked hesitantly
Snapes mouth opened slightly, but he made no other move or sound. Harry took a step closer.
"Err, professor? I, erm, I" Harry stopped. He had no idea what he was going to say. He stared at his shoes.
"Who are you boy?" Snape stuttered in a low voice.
Harry looked up surprised
"What do you mean sir? Have everyone here gone crazy? First McGonagall tells me she is taking me to the headmaster and he turns out to be Tom Riddle and now you act all strange. You hate me, how can you have forgotten who I am? I thought you were looking forward all summer to torturing me!" Harry cried in exasperation.
"What do you mean boy? I've never seen you before, and who did you expect to be the headmaster?" Snapes sneer was lost in his confused face.
Harry stared at Snape.
"Dumbledore of course. He has been the headmaster for ages Professor Snape."
The professor gasped and grabbed Harry by the collar.
"What are you talking about? What do you know about Dumbledore? And how do you know my name?" he hissed.
Harry responded by kicking Snape in the knee, making Snape let go of him and for the second time that day, he bolted.
Harry ran in to the Entrance Hall and looked around. No one was there so he made for the door. He didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find out.
Harry's reflexes had jumped in there. His mind told him to trust few, and lunatics like Snape back there were not on his to-trust list. In fact, he wasn't sure who were on that list now, if there were any at all. Hermione and Ron were supposed to be his best friends, and best friends did not leave each other behind to deal with this lunacy.
He shook his head and went outside. He was only a few metres from the school when a voice rang his way.
"Boy! Where do you think you are going?"
Professor McGonagall was heading his way with a man tagging behind her. Avery? Harry was sure he remembered him correctly; after all, it was hard to forget a man who held him imprisoned for two weeks. He didn't have time for more nostalgia for McGonagall and Avery had reached him, the latter with his wand drawn and pointing at Harry.
"Don't move." McGonagall said sharply, "I want to know who you are, and how you got here, what you are doing here. You will answer my questions."
Harry nodded. That could hardly be dangerous, just telling her that.
"Er, my name is Harry, I got here with the train, I'm here to attend my seventh year at the school." He stopped hesitantly and watched Avery lean over and whisper something to McGonagall.
As Avery moved he noticed Snape standing behind, watching them with an unreadable expression. When Snape noticed him noticing him he quickly motioned for him to stay silent and pointed to the pair before him, as if to tell Harry that he shouldn't notify them of his presence. Harry wondered what was the point in that, as they would see him as soon as they turned around.
"I'm not familiar with any Harry's in seventh year. Are you a new addition to the school? What is you surname Harry?" McGonagall asked her voice softened a little.
"I'm not new in the school Professor McGonagall. And my surname is Potter."
Harry had never seen as much reaction to his name before despite all his fame. Avery who had lowered his wand had him pointed at Harry again and McGonagall had drawn hers and gone in battle stance like Avery. They were both very white in the face and their eyes opened and alert.
Harry however had no time to draw his own wand as Snape was suddenly at his side, wand drawn. Harry gasped as he stupefied Avery, leaving McGonagall alone. She wouldn't be alone for long, as there were already people coming out of the castle, running towards them.
Harry felt something being thrust into his hands and with a familiar pull beneath his navel he and Snape were gone.
Harry collapsed on the floor and didn't bother getting up. This was all too strange so he might as well lie here until things made at least some sense.
"Severus? Is that you?"
Wait, that voice sounded familiar. Harry raised his head and immediately sat up straight.
"Dumbledore! Sir. I'm so glad to see you, I don't know what happened, McGonagall was there attacking me with Avery, and Tom Riddle was there." his words were tumbling over each other now and he was frantic to explain it to get as quickly as he could to the bottom in all this.
" And I couldn't find Ron and Hermione anywhere, there was this strange sound in the train and when I woke up they were gone. Sir? What is wrong?"
Harry just noticed that Dumbledore was staring at him like he had grown an extra arm or something. He quickly checked to make sure he hadn't, he wouldn't be surprised as the day had been.
"I don't know who the boy is sir, I met him in the dungeons and he was able to see and recognise me. He ran away before I could ask him more. I don't know what he did to get on the bad side of Them." Snape in a curt voice as he folded something silvery.
Dumbledores gaze went back on Harry "See you indeed. He recognised you as well?"
"Yes. He also knew The Others by their names, and foolishly told them his."
Harry hated when people talked like he wasn't there, and he hated it too when they spoke of things he didn't know, but had they faint inclination that he should.
He was now aware of Dumbledore's eyes on him.
"Well then, my lad. What is your name?" Dumbledore asked kindly
"Harry, sir."
"Harry you say. Could you please tell me mister Harry what happened at school, in a little more organized way. " Dumbledores blue eyes twinkled and Harry blushed slightly. "Just start at the beginning, I believe you mentioned the train?
Harry nodded and began explaining, about the incident in the train and what happened after he woke up. Dumbledore and Snape were silent the whole time.
Dumbledore spoke as soon as he finished.
"This definitely is strange. Tell me, what was different from what you expected when you got inside the school?"
Harry paused.
"Well, I found it a bit strange that McGonagall wasn't meeting the first years, but I figured that maybe that task had been handed over to Professor Snape."
"Professor Snape?"
"I was wondering about that too. When he first saw me he called me professor and I assumed at first he was talking to someone else." Snape told Dumbledore.
Harry stared at them.
"But, you are the potion master at school. That makes you a professor."
Both men stared back at him
"I think we should wait with explanations until later, please continue with your story mister Harry." Dumbledore said.
"Erm, okay. So when I told McGonagall I wanted to see the headmaster she was all strange like she didn't know me, and instead of going the usual way to your office, she went to some strange painting of a cat I've never seen before and took me to Tom Riddle. Like hell I was gonna waltz in there and talk to him so I ran away and found myself in the dungeons. Then Professor Snape came walking all strange and acting like he didn't know me either, and suddenly he grabbed me so I kicked him thinking he had turned back over to Voldemort or something and ran. And when I got outside McGonagall came after me with Avery." Harry's nose scrunched in disgust, "I dunno what he was doing there or what I did to make them act so weird. And I thought portkeys didn't work at Hogwarts, that's what Hermione said at least." He finished and watched as Dumbledore digested what he had told him.
"This is all rather strange. But tell me Harry, what is your surname?"
"My name is Harry Orion Potter, sir" Harry said. He had gone after his fifth year to recover his birth certificate, and discovered that he had a middle name. He suspected it had something to do with Sirius, seeing as they were both star-names. He was also quite fond of the story behind Orion, who had been a brave hunter who fought for the love of a princess but her father didn't like him so he made Orion slay all beasts in the country, but of course there would always be more beasts so Orion gave up. His heroic actions had made him very famous and even made the hunter goddess Artemis fall for him, but her jealous brother Apollo tricked her into killing Orion.
"Potter?" Dumbledore asked somewhat surprised. "Any relations to James and Lily Potter?"
"They were my parents, sir." Harry replied dully. Thinking of his parents hurt even more after losing Sirius.
"Were?" Asked Dumbledore speculatingly.
Harry glanced up at Dumbledore
"Er, yes. They were killed by Voldemort when I was a baby." Harry grimaced. Something was really wrong here. What was going on with Dumbledore?
There were a few minutes of silence before Dumbledore spoke up.
"Severus. If you would be so kind?" He left the sentence hanging, but Severus was already on his feet and going.
"Harry, I'm afraid there has been a little accident. I think you are not supposed to be here."
Harry stared at the old man but didn't say anything as Severus returned to the room with two people in tow. A raven-haired man with glasses and a red- haired woman with intense green eyes.
"Mom? Dad?" Harry whispered as he passes out.
Author notes:
Yep, this is it. I love cliffhangers, I didn't realize until I started writing my own fiction just how wonderful they are (
A new chapter should be up as soon as I'm in the mood to write a new one.
Oh, yeah. There is that word "speculatingly" It's not really a word, I know, but it sound jolly good (
Thanks to you who reads this, it means a lot to know someone actually reads my "mind"
Anilia Hawkeye