Author's Note: I'm really, really sorry that it took so long to update. I was really busy with performing in my high school play, Guys and Dolls, which was a lot of fun. This will be a nice long chapter to make up for it. And if you've been wondering when Wormtail was going to get involved in the plot, I hope this chapter will answer your queries. *evil laughter*
Chapter Eight: Mind Games
"D'you think they'll be able release Harry?" Ginny asked, later that afternoon. She, Ron, and Hermione had retreated to Ron's room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had refused to tell them what was going on in the master bedroom. A Silencing Charm had also been placed upon the bedroom door to ensure that they couldn't eavesdrop on the Order while they attempting to force You-Know-Who out.
Dumbledore and the others wasted no time in taking charge of the situation. He instructed the Weasleys to place Silencing Charms all around The Burrow to make sure Voldemort didn't overhear anything that could lead him to discover the existence of the Order. Then he and the Order members (except for Lupin, who was still getting reinforcements) went into the master bedroom with You-Know-Who.
"Of course they will," Hermione said, in as confident a voice she could muster. "After all, Dumbledore's the only one Voldemort's afraid of. He doesn't stand a chance against him."
Ron shook his head. "I dunno, Hermione," he said slowly. "He didn't seem afraid of Dumbledore when we last saw him."
"Only because he's too arrogant to show it," Hermione replied.
They fell into silence. "What if they can't get You-Know-Who out?" Ginny wondered quietly, her heart sinking. "At least, not without killing Harry…"
"Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to him!" Hermione insisted, although her stricken expression said otherwise.
"I don't know about that," Ginny said grimly. "Dumbledore is a great wizard, but he's only a man. Even he looked worried when he told us that Harry might die…"
"JUST LISTEN TO YOU!" Ron shouted, standing up from the bed. "Who do you think you are? You're Harry's friend, and yet you're just sitting here, talking like he's really going to die! Don't you think that there's the slightest chance that Harry will be able to save himself?"
"You heard Voldemort," Hermione said, taken aback by Ron's outburst. "Harry couldn't stop him; he fell for Voldemort's trap…"
"SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS IS HARRY'S FAULT?" Ron exploded. "WHAT ABOUT YOU? YOU AND YOUR STUPID SPEW…"
"It isn't stupid!" Hermione yelled angrily.
"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GOT HIM ALL RILED UP BY DEFENDING KREACHER! I SUPPOSE YOU'RE GOING TO SAY THAT HARRY'S A MURDERER NOW…"
Hermione shook her head vehemently. "No… I didn't mean it…" she said hoarsely, her eyes shining with tears. "I'd never think Harry was a murderer… never…"
"All right, that's enough!" Ginny said sharply. She turned to Ron angrily. "Things are already bad enough without us getting mad at each other! What happened to Harry wasn't just Hermione's fault; we all could have done something to stop it. I could have talked to him after he and Hermione had that row and calmed him down. Any of us could have done that, but we didn't. So we should stop wasting time blaming each other for something that's already happened!"
The two of them were silent for a while. Then Hermione spoke. "You're right," she said shakily. "I'm so sorry… I wasn't thinking yesterday…"
"No, I'm sorry," Ron said softly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." He let out a frustrated groan. "It's just that this is killing me… my best friend is being possessed by the most evil Dark wizard that ever lived, and I can't do anything to help him. And nobody's telling us what's going on…"
"I know," Ginny agreed. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. I don't care what Mum and Dad said; we aren't too young to know the truth! We were with Harry in the Department of Mysteries that night… we fought against Death Eaters and nearly got killed. What's the point of trying to protect us now?"
"But what can we going to do?" Ron asked. "Everyone except the Order has been barred from seeing You-Know-Who!"
Hermione thought hard. "Maybe we could try and contact Harry… we're his friends, after all. We could have better luck getting through to him than the others."
"Are you sure Harry will want to talk to us?" Ginny asked.
Hermione nodded. "He's still Harry… somewhere in there."
"Then I say we make them take us inside!" Ron declared, getting to his feet. "You-Know-Who isn't going take Harry from us --- not if we can help it."
But before they could go to the master bedroom, they heard a voice calling from downstairs. "Arthur? Molly? Could you come downstairs? Someone's here to see you."
"Lupin's back!" Ron muttered. "I wonder who he brought with him…"
They were soon to find out. Abandoning their plans for the moment, the three headed down to the kitchen where they found Professor Lupin --- accompanied by Percy.
"You!" Ron said furiously. He started towards Percy, but Hermione and Ginny held him back. "What do you want?"
"I --- I wanted to help," Percy said awkwardly.
Ron snorted derisively. "Yeah, right! You just came to see for yourself that Harry's insane."
"While I don't believe some of the tales Harry is telling," Percy said, steadily growing redder in the face, "I do believe that You-Know-Who is back!"
"They aren't tales!" Ginny said angrily. "And you only believe You-Know-Who is back because the Ministry accepted it, right?"
"Why didn't you just stay away from us?" Ron spat. "I thought you said it was a mistake to even bother to come back!"
"All right, that's enough!" Lupin intervened, moving between the two brothers. "I understand that things are bad between you and Percy right now, but Percy volunteered to help us. We need all the help we can get; otherwise, we won't be able to get Voldemort out of Harry in time. That means no more fighting!"
Ron glared at Lupin. "Why are you telling us what to do?"
"I'm telling you what Dumbledore ordered," Lupin replied calmly. "We don't have any time to argue; we all need to stick together right now. If you won't do it for your family, do for it for Harry."
Ginny nodded, remembering her own words. Her angry feelings towards Percy weren't going to change, but she would set them aside for now… at least until Harry was back to normal.
"Fine," Ron snapped. "Only don't expect us to kiss and make up."
"I won't," Lupin said heavily. He gazed out the window.
"Professor," Hermione said timidly, stepping forward, "if --- I mean, when we get Harry back, will he be all right?"
Lupin gave her a sharp look. "I'm afraid he won't. Voldemort made him kill Kreacher. Even though he never meant for it to happen, he'll still be a murderer…"
"He's not a murderer!" Ginny exclaimed, astonished.
"Believe me, I don't think he's a murderer," Lupin amended gently, "but he will in his mind. I don't know how he'll ever get past that."
"Then we'll help him," Ginny said simply.
"Like we helped him get past Sirius's death?" Ron asked bitterly.
"Ron!" Ginny said in a warning tone, but Lupin shook his head.
"He's right," he said sadly. "Even if Harry neglected his Occlumency practice, we're at fault too. My best friend was dead… and I was so wrapped up in my own grief that I don't think I realized that Harry was also in pain." He sighed, turning back to the window. "I shouldn't have been so hard on him yesterday…"
Suddenly, he froze. "What was that?" he asked, pointing to the window. "I saw something moving in the grass."
Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Percy looked out the window. "I dunno," Ron said, puzzled. "It looked like a rat."
Lupin stood there for a moment. Then, without a single explanation, he ran out of the house, drawing out his wand.
"What on earth has got into him?" Percy wondered.
Before any of the others could reply, Lupin returned shortly, the rat magically levitating at his side. The rat squirmed, trying to free itself from the grip of its spell. His face bore a mixture of shock and fury, just as it had when he'd discovered that Harry was possessed.
"Professor, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, bewildered. "It's just a rat."
"You ought to know better, Hermione," Lupin said, breathing heavily. "Maybe I've been around Mad-Eye too long, but you should never assume that you aren't being watched, especially now…"
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
"See for yourself," Lupin replied, pointing to the rat. At first, Ginny couldn't see what all the fuss was about. It looked like a perfectly normal rat… yet she couldn't help noticing that one of its paws was ---
"Silver!" breathed Hermione. She glanced at Ron. "You don't think ---?"
"It is!" Ron said incredulously. He glanced at Ginny, and it dawned on her…
Lupin raised his wand. Blue and white light shot out of it, enveloping the rat. The rat was thrown to the ground. Within moments, it changed into a short man in a hooded cloak and a silver hand. He looked nothing short of terrified.
"Is --- that?" Percy stammered, wide-eyed.
"That's Peter Pettigrew," Hermione said coldly.
"Wormtail," Lupin hissed venomously.
Wormtail made a sudden movement, as though trying to make a run for it, but Lupin pulled out his wand and bellowed, "Petrificus Totalus!" Wormtail fell to the ground, stiff as a board.
"You," panted Lupin, standing over Wormtail, pointing his wand directly at his chest, "aren't going anywhere, you little bastard." He turned to Hermione. "Get Dumbledore and the others!"
Hermione didn't need telling twice; she ran out of the room. Ron and Ginny both glared at Percy.
"So," Ron said bitterly, "you still think that Harry was lying?"
Percy could only stand there, dumbfounded.
Moments later, Hermione returned with Dumbledore, Snape, and the two Weasley parents. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both looked at Wormtail with the utmost disgust. Ginny knew why; when they had found out the truth about Sirius, they were horrified to learn that a man who had sold out Harry's parents was living in their home for twelve years as a pet.
All the adults in the room drew out their wands and pointed it at Wormtail. Lupin removed the Full-Body Bind, but Wormtail still didn't move.
"R-R-Remus," he whimpered, shaking. "R-R-Remus, please…"
"Don't even bother asking me to help you," Lupin snarled. "I suppose you were happy to hear the good news, were you? Sirius is dead. You won't have to worry about him finding you anymore…"
"Remus," Wormtail said, "I swear, I had nothing to do with it! I didn't kill him!"
"You as good as killed him the minute you framed him for being a Death Eater," Lupin replied coldly. "Now we have a few questions for you, Wormtail, and you'd better answer them. What are you doing here?"
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named… he wanted me to get information on Dumbledore, so he --- he forced me to spy on the Weasleys. I didn't want to --- he tortured me, Remus, I didn't have a choice…"
"Oh, he forced you, did he?" Mr. Weasley said in a voice that was dripping sarcasm. "Just he forced you to spy on us before? Because I had assumed you chose to do that!"
"What else do you know?" Lupin demanded.
"I-I don't know anything, Remus, I swear!"
Lupin snorted. "Everything coming out of your mouth is a lie!"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Remus. For once he is telling the truth. He doesn't know anything outside of his assignment."
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. She lowered her voice so that Wormtail couldn't hear her. "Why would You-Know-Who send him to spy on us when he's using Harry to do that?"
"I'm afraid I don't know," Dumbledore whispered back. He raised his wand. Thin cords sprang out of his wand, binding and gagging Wormtail. "We'll hold him here until we can contact the Ministry. I shall send Alastor and Kingsley down to guard him so he can't escape."
"Professor," Ginny said, suddenly remembering, "Ron, Hermione, and I want to go upstairs. We want to try and reach Harry."
"No!" Mrs. Weasley shouted furiously. "Absolutely not! You're not going near that monster! You-Know-Who will kill you! He knows how close you are to Harry!"
"But maybe we can get through to him," Hermione pleaded. "We're Harry's friends! He'll listen to us, I know he will!"
"You-Know-Who almost killed you, Hermione!" Mr. Weasley argued. "He nearly did the same to Ginny!"
"He's our best friend!" Ron yelled. "If you think we're just going to hide from him, you're wrong!"
Dumbledore stared at them for a long time. "Very well," he said. "However, I must insist that Severus accompanies you," he continued, indicating Snape, "to make sure you aren't harmed.
"I wish you the best of luck," he went on. "I believe that Harry may listen to someone he cares about." He suddenly looked sad, for some strange reason. "And someone he trusts," he added quietly.
***
Snape led them up the stairs. Tonks, Mad-Eye, and Kingsley were waiting outside the master bedroom door. After Snape gave them a quick explanation of what had happened, the three Order members went down to investigate.
Ron glanced at Ginny darkly. Ginny knew what he was thinking; what was Snape doing here? He certainly wouldn't care if Harry died or not…
Dumbledore must have made him come, she thought. He is in the Order, after all. Only he was a Death Eater too…suppose he's secretly trying to help You-Know-Who have more control over him? He hates Harry, no matter what Dumbledore tells him to do…
Yet that was silly. Like Hermione always said, Dumbledore trusted him, and if Dumbledore was usually right about everything…
Snape magically unlocked the door, and the four of them stepped inside the room. You-Know-Who was still tied to the bed, his cat-like eyes flashed through the darkness. He twisted Harry's face into a smile, as though he'd been expecting them.
"Well," he murmured softly, "what do we have here?" He stared at Snape. "It has been a while since we last met, hasn't it, Severus?"
Snape didn't respond. His face was a mask of indifference.
"You realize if I wasn't tied up, I would kill you right now," You-Know-Who hissed. "You used to work for me… you were once one of my most loyal followers… and now you're working for that Muggle-loving fool!"
"I'm not here to talk about past relations," Snape said coldly. "These three would like to speak to Potter."
You-Know-Who smirked. "And what does it matter to you, Severus? You hate Potter --- I know this through his memories… you take out all the pain his father gave you, and take it out on him. No wonder he loathes you…"
"I can assure you, the feeling is mutual," Snape said silkily.
You-Know-Who closed his eyes, smiling poisonously. "Ah… I can see another of the boy's memories now… he has seen some of your own school memories, if I am not mistaken. He saw for himself how father and his little friends humiliated you. He hexed you in front of all the school, reduced you to such a low level that his own Mudblood mother had to come and defend you…
"And you know what Potter did when he saw this, Severus? He laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed, it gave him such pleasure to watch his own tormenter get his… He deserved it, he was thinking. He deserved it all. Snape's nothing more than slimy bastard…"
"SILENCE!" Snape roared, pulling out his own wand and aiming it at Harry's body.
"Don't you dare!" Ron shouted, stepping in front of the bed. "If you kill Harry, I'll bloody kill you!"
"Harry would never think that!" Hermione shouted, also stepping in front of the bed. "Even though he doesn't like you, Harry would never think that! Voldemort's trying to trick you!"
"Don't say his name, you stupid girl!" Snape bellowed.
You-Know-Who smirked. "If you're more than willing to kill Potter, perhaps you are more loyal than I thought you were. Go ahead, Severus, give it a try…"
"NO, DON'T!" Hermione screamed to Snape. "YOU'LL KILL HARRY!"
"What makes you think I've got a problem with that?" Snape snarled.
"What about Dumbledore?" Hermione asked, glaring at Snape. "He trusted you, he gave you a second chance, and this is how you'd repay him? It would just prove to him and everyone else that you never really turned from the Dark Arts…"
Snape froze at these words. Slowly, reluctantly, he lowered his wand.
You-Know-Who laughed. "I knew it. You've been reduced to nothing more than a lapdog for Dumbledore. I'm disappointed, Severus, look how far you've fallen…"
Snape stepped back and shoved Ron forward. "Hurry up and talk to him, if you wish," he said harshly.
Ron and Hermione approached the bed cautiously. Ginny, however, remained where she was. She did want to talk Harry, but felt that since Ron and Hermione were his best friends, they ought to give it a try first. Besides, she wasn't ready to talk to You-Know-Who… not yet…
"Harry…" Ron said hoarsely. "Harry, I know you're in there somewhere… please come out and talk to us."
You-Know-Who laughed again. "He can't hear you, you idiot. And even if he could, you two are the last people he wants to talk to."
"That's not true!" Hermione said, trembling. "We're his friends!"
"Friends?" You-Know-Who scoffed. "Please. If you were truly his friend, you wouldn't act as though you were more clever than he is."
"You're a liar!" Hermione said angrily.
"Am I?" You-Know-Who taunted. "I only say what I see from his memories and thoughts. You've always had a holier-than-thou attitude, ever since the day he met you. You think that by getting full marks in all your classes and being a prefect will make you superior to others…"
He lowered his voice, looking even more sinister. "But deep down, you know it will never be enough. You know that in the eyes of many, you'll be nothing more than a filthy Mudblood."
"Stop it," Hermione said in a shaking voice. Her eyes were slowly filling up with tears. "You aren't Harry… he'd never say that…"
"Mudblood… Mudblood… MUDBLOOD!"
Hermione burst into tears and ran out of the room.
"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" Ron yelled, stepping forward. "We want to talk to Harry, not you!"
"You are no better than she is, boy," You-Know-Who whispered. "You pretend to be Harry's best friend, yet deep down, you're jealous of him."
"I am not!" Ron said defiantly. "You don't know anything about me, you bastard!"
"Oh, but Potter knows you very well. He knows that you envy all the fame and fortune he has received…"
His words were definitely affecting Ron badly; he was shaking and his face was contorted in fury. Ginny knew that he and Harry had an argument about this in fourth year, after Harry had been placed in the Triwizard Tournament. Yet they had settled their argument and their friendship had never been stronger since.
He's doing what he did to Snape, Ginny thought. He's trying to make Ron and Hermione hate him. Harry would never even think such things!
"You'd give anything to have a bit of glory," You-Know-Who pressed on. "Even sacrifice your own parents, I daresay, just to have that scar on your head."
"Shut up," Ron said through gritted teeth. "Just --- shut --- UP!"
"Well, you won't have to wait long," You-Know-Who hissed. "The moment I'm done with Potter, I will personally see to it that your entire family is killed!"
At that moment, Ron lost it completely. He swung his fist forward at Harry's head. However, before he could strike him, he was thrown back into the wall.
"Idiot boy!" You-Know-Who snarled. "You have clearly forgotten who you are dealing with."
"Get out of here," Snape said quietly as Ron struggled to his feet. "There's no use trying to penetrate Potter's feeble mind."
Ron glared, but he left the room, Snape following behind him. Ginny lingered for a moment, staring at You-Know-Who. His red eyes met her eyes, and to her horror, a sadistic smile twisted his face.
He knows, she thought, terrified. He remembers me…
So what? a voice in her head asked. He possessed you before; there's no getting around it. If you want to help Harry, you'll have to confront him sooner or later.
Ginny hesitated. She stepped forward…
Snape stuck his head inside the door. "Hurry up!" he snapped.
"No," Ginny said, shaking her head. "I want to talk to him…"
"I SAID MOVE!" Snape yelled. He grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room. "Your parents will personally see that I'm sacked if I leave you alone with him…"
Ginny never took her eyes off You-Know-Who until Snape shut and locked the door.
I have to face him…she thought. I can help Harry. But I can't do it with all the Order members hovering around.
An idea emerged within her mind. I'll do it tonight.
To be continued…