Chapter 10: The Lethargus Excessus Curse
It was a week after Voldemort's killing and bewitching of Melissa, and the Irish redhead still hadn't woken up. It seemed the Dark Lord had been true in his threat. Harry hovered over Melissa bed with Shelbie at his side, the two of them watching for any movement, any sign of life.
"Are you sure she's going to wake up?" Harry asked Madam Pomfrey for the tenth time in the past four minutes.
"Mr. Potter! If you ask me that question again, you're going to be lying in the bed right next to your sister!" Madam Pomfrey exploded.
"Sorry," Harry apologized meekly, turning back to Melissa. Shelbie just looked like he had a migraine. They were back looking at Melissa's pale face worriedly when Ron and Hermione burst through the door. Harry quickly turned to them.
"Did you find anything?" he asked. Ron and Hermione hesitated before answering.
"Not a thing," Hermione replied finally. Harry hung his head dejectedly. Ron glared at Hermione as if to say, "Why the hell did you give him the bad news first?!" before trying to reassure his friend.
"But we think that we may be able to find something on the spell You-Know- Who used in the Restricted Section. We were going to go talk to Dumbledore after talking to you," Ron said quickly. He looked at Melissa's still form. "Anything happen yet?"
"Nothing," Harry replied bitterly, casting his gaze over Melissa. "Whatever Voldemort did to her, I'm going to make sure he pays."
"Harry. She'll be okay. I know it," Shelbie told him, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder. "She's strong." Harry gave her a weak smile. Ron and Hermione smiled briefly, then left Harry and Shelbie alone.
Shelbie nudged Harry, saying, "Go with them. Dumbledore wants to talk to you." Harry started to protest. "Go," Shelbie pressed, pushing Harry out the door. "I'll get you if something happens."
"Fine," Harry finally gave in, sighing. "You're to alert me as soon is anything happens," he added, pointing his finger at Shelbie.
"Relax! Now go!" Shelbie replied. Harry looked at Melissa one last time before Shelbie pushed him out the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ron! Hermione!"
Ron and Hermione had just stepped off the stairway of Dumbledore's office, note form the headmaster in hand, when they heard their names called out. They glanced at each other suspiciously before turning around. They saw Harry racing up the corridor with a cage in his arms. Ron's mouth dropped open when he saw what was in the cage.
"Harry—what...is that?!" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with shock.
"I believe you mean…who is that," Ron told her. Harry didn't say a word, though his eyes were twinkling mischievously. Hermione looked at Ron with confusion in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Ron?"
"Look at the paws. What's odd about them?" Ron quizzed. Hermione bent down and examined the animal's paws. Realizing what Ron was talking about and why Harry was looking so incredibly smug, Hermione stood up straight with a gasp.
"Harry, Ron, that's—that's…Pettigrew!" she finally managed to choke out.
"Exactly," Harry replied simply. And so it was. Pettigrew, in rat form, was scampering nervously around the metal cage on his three good paws and one metal one. Harry held the cage up to his face to he could speak directly to the supposedly dead "hero".
"Listen here, you filthy, disgusting, little "(here Harry used a couple of words that made Hermione exclaim his name and Ron's eyes widen in surprise) "I'm going to take you to see some friends of mine and you are going to tell them your story, whether we have to use Veritaserum or you just tell us outright," Harry hissed. Hermione was watching, not him, but the cage with apprehensive eyes.
"Harry, did you use any sort of spell to make sure Pettigrew doesn't transform back and escape?" she asked hesitantly.
"You bet. Did you think I would actually let this opportunity to get him imprisoned?" Harry replied.
"Well…" Hermione avoided his gaze as she tried not to answer her friend's question.
"Gee, thanks for the confidence, 'Mione," Harry told her dryly. "Of course I put a charm on the cage. An Unbreakable Charm."
"Speaking of Unbreakable Charms, what did you do to Rita Skeeter last year?" Ron asked Hermione curiously. "Did you let her out?"
"Nope."
"Whaaaat?????"
"Hermione!"
"Kidding. Just kidding," Hermione reassured them. "I let her out when I got back to my house. She immediately transformed back and Disapparated after I warned her again."
"Oh, good," Ron breathed. "Do you think she'll be writing any more insane headliners?"
"Let's hope not. Or she'll be answering to me," Harry said darkly. Ron looked at him in alarm. "Especially if they're about me."
"Oookay, Harry, maybe we should get you to Dumbledore, huh?" Hermione remarked, shooting a distressed look at Ron. She started ushering Harry the short distance down the hall to Dumbledore's gargoyle.
"Ice Mice," Hermione stated. The gargoyle didn't move aside like it usually would; instead, it merely reached into a side compartment and produced a small piece of parchment and handed it to Ron. Ron looked at it strangely.
"Where is he? He was just here a moment ago," Hermione wondered.
"Oookay," Ron said after reading the note two or three times.
"Oh, for heaven's sake. What does it say, Ron?" Hermione pressed.
"It says 'Be back in twenty minutes'," Ron told them. "Where could he be?" Suddenly he looked up at the same time as Harry and Hermione. They looked as if a light bulb had clicked on over their heads.
"Hospital wing," they said in unison, whispering for no reason. They raced off down the hall, the cage containing Pettigrew banging unceremoniously against Harry's legs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They reached the hospital wing less than ten minutes later and, sure enough, there was Dumbledore sitting on Melissa's bed, chatting pleasantly with Shelbie. Harry dropped the cage uncaringly on the bed to the right of them and hurried over to his sister's side.
"How is she?"
"Nothing has happened yet, Harry," Shelbie reported. She then spotted the cage on the bed that Hermione and Ron were keeping a wary eye on. "What's that?" Harry held up the cage and gestured to the rat inside.
"Guess," Harry replied. Shelbie leant closer to the cage, then drew back, as Hermione had done when she realized who it was.
"Pe—Pettigrew?!" she exclaimed.
"Correct," Ron told her. Shelbie snarled and drew her wand. Harry flung his arm across his sister's friend, stopping her from performing one of the Unforgivables.
"What are you doing, Harry?!" Shelbie exploded.
"Professor, how can we get classified information from Pettigrew if you blew Pettigrew into a bazillion teeny tiny pieces?" Harry asked as if he were talking to a child.
"Oh, yeah," Shelbie conceded after a moment.
"Excuse me!" Dumbledore interrupted. "I believe we've had a breakthrough in how to help our young Ms. Potter over here!"
"Huh?" Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Shelbie turned to the redhead, who was starting to stir.
"Me—Melissa?" Harry whispered, as though it might be too good to be true. It was.
"No. Not the…Lethargus Excessus," Melissa breathed before falling comatose again.
"The…Lethargus Excessus?" Ron asked quizzically. "What's that?"
"A very powerful spell," Dumbledore remarked, frowning. "Sometimes, it…may not be able to be reversed. Only a very powerful wizard is able to use it. I myself have never been able to master it. Harry? Where are you going?"
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't just stand here helplessly while my only relative could possibly be dying," Harry replied grimly, snatching the slip of paper out of a startled Hermione's hand and racing from the room.
"Harry!" Shelbie started after him only to find Remus Lupin had stepped in the way.
"Re—Remus? What are you doing here so early?" Shelbie asked, the surprise showing in her eyes. "You weren't supposed to arrive for another few days."
"Hello, Shelbie, Professor, Hermione, Ron," the former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher greeted cheerily, nodding at each person in turn. He walked over to Dumbledore to shake his hand. The headmaster was the only individual in the room that wasn't surprised to see Lupin. Hermione could only muster a tiny wave at the teacher.
"Heh," Ron half-laughed/half-said-hi-through-his-astonishment.
"Hello, Remus," Dumbledore replied pleasantly.
"So, how's Melissa doing?" Remus asked, walking over to her bed and gazing at her still face. "Not too well, I'm guessing."
"What…are you doing here?" Ron asked him. Remus smiled slightly.
"What, I can't see my own goddaughter?" Remus replied.
"You've never met her, though," Ron reminded him.
"Oh, I know, but she and I have been writing to each other since she found out she was Lily's and James's daughter," Remus explained. "I've come here to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes again."
"But, Professor Lupin, that position's already filled," Hermione said. "Professor Wood is teaching that class," she added, gesturing at the young professor.
"Hermione, my dear girl, Professor Wood is leaving," Dumbledore told her gently.
"Whaaaat?" Ron exclaimed, jumping up. "She can't leave! You can't leave! She's the only one in this school that can keep Malfoy under control!" He faltered of here as Remus and Dumbledore all looked at him with their eyebrows cocked. "What? It's true."
"Please calm down, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore reassured. "Ms. Wood is going to help the cause of light versus dark."
"Of good versus evil," Shelbie volunteered.
"The…Light Fighters versus the Death Eaters," Hermione volunteered. Shelbie looked at her.
"Light Fighters?" she repeated.
"Yeah, I just made it up. I figured that the Death Eaters had 'Death Eaters' and we don't have anything. Do you like it?" she replied.
"Yeah, it's very catchy," Shelbie praised.
"Thank you," Hermione said, grinning.
"Us versus Voldemort," Remus supplied flatly, giving Hermione and Shelbie a look that quite plainly said, "Quit it".
"Okay, okay, I get it," Ron told them, stopping the explanations. "I'm not stupid, you know."
"Oh, Ronniekins, no one thinks you're stupid," Hermione cooed, patting his head.
"Shut up, Hermione," Ron snapped. He looked around. "Where's Harry?"
"He ran out about five minutes ago, remember?" Hermione reminded him.
"Why did you stop me from running after Harry?" Shelbie asked Remus, turning to face her colleague.
"Because I walked in the door," Remus told her. "I didn't realize I was stopping you from following him. And people might get suspicious if they see a teacher and two other students run sprinting though the halls. They might alert someone that doesn't particularly agree with us on all accounts. Like Fudge, for example."
"Or You-Know-Who, if they're a Slytherin," Ron said. He looked at an amused Dumbledore and hastily added, "Not to be judgmental, but nearly all of the Slytherins' have Death Eaters for parents. They're bound to be reporting back to them."
"I know, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore replied, surprising them all.
"So we won't run, Remus," Shelbie told him exasperatedly. "We'll say that Ron and Hermione need our help on an extra credit assignment and you're visiting, so you decided to tag along."
"Wait. What extra credit assignment?" Ron asked, alarmed. "We don't actually have to do one, do we?"
"Oh, of course not, Ron," Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes and sighing. "Don't be thick."
"Coming?" Remus invited, turning to the headmaster.
"I'll stay here," Dumbledore declined. Remus shrugged.
"Suit yourself." Turning to his three companions, he said, "Let's go find Harry."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry threw open the doors to the library only to have the librarian, Madam Pince, squawk a warning at him.
"Mr. Potter!" she screeched. "Stop running this instant or I'll inform the headmaster! Where are you going? You're not allowed in there!"
"I have a pass!" Harry shouted, throwing the signed parchment behind him and running through the doors marked "Restricted Section". He started pulling books off the shelves in groups of two and three and setting them down on a nearby table.
"Harry!" The raven-haired fifteen-year-old turned and saw Remus, Hermione, and Shelbie racing towards him. Ron was hurriedly handing a note to an irritated Madam Pince and finally just threw it at her and ran to his friends.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked him breathlessly.
"I'm going to help my sister by finding the counter curse," Harry replied.
"We're helping," Ron insisted. Harry started to protest, but when he saw the determined looks on his friends' and professors' faces, his take- control façade crumbled.
"Thanks," was all he could muster.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's start helping Melissa," Shelbie said. They all agreed and sat down next to the piles of books on the table that Harry had furiously pulled off the shelf. They were silent until, ten minutes later, Hermione let out a cry of triumph and scared everyone half to death.
"I found it!" she shouted. "I found the spell You-Know-Who used on Melissa! It's in a book called The Top 20 Evilest Curses in Existence."
"And you wonder why it's in the Restricted Section," Ron muttered sarcastically. Everyone laughed nervously and crowded around Hermione as she read the passage from the thick, dusty book.
"The Lethargus Excessus curse, or the Killing Coma Curse, is the evilest curse a witch or wizard could use on another. Many people do not know about this curse. The Ministry of Magic has tried to make sure the wizarding community, as a whole, does not discover how to use this curse, for it has the most deadly of results. When this curse is used, the victim may be immobilized anywhere from seven days to six months. When they wake up, they will have had the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of the person who administered the curse projected into their mind. They will believe those thoughts are their own and act upon them. The longer they are immobilized, the more beliefs they believe are their own.
The counter curse is known to the rare witch or wizard and, most times, they will not use it until what they want is done. The counter curse can only be performed by the giver of the original curse or by one person of the immediate family that the victim is closest to. The administer of the counter curse must be an unusually powerful wizard or this will not work. The counter curse takes more energy than performing the original. This will end only when the administer withdraws their thoughts from the victim's mind, says the counter curse, or…kills the victim."
Everyone fell silent at her last three words. Suddenly, Harry pulled the book towards him and flipped to the back. He found what he was looking for and, muttering, "452, 452", flipped to page 452.
"Found it," he stated victoriously, jabbing at the page. "The counter curse to Lethargus Excessus is Spiritus Excitare! Back to Melissa!"
His companions exchanged worried glances as they followed their charging friend out of the library, not even bothering to check out the book, figuring Dumbledore would understand and would explain it to Madam Pince.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Professor Dumbledore, sir! We found the spell!" Harry shouted, lugging the heavy book into the hospital wing.
"I don't know if that'll do any good, Harry," Hermione commented hesitantly, coming into the room seconds after her friend. Her comment earned herself an icy glare from Harry.
"She's right. We need an especially powerful wizard to conduct the spell," Shelbie defended. Harry stayed firm.
"Well, I'm going to try it," he said determinedly. "In the book, it said, 'the counter curse can only be performed by the giver of the original curse or by one person of the immediate family that the victim is closest to.' I'm the only one left alive in our family she's close to and I'd like not to be an only child again. Excuse my language, but it sucked." Dumbledore nodded solemnly.
"Go ahead then."
Harry took a deep breath before looking around anxiously.
"Where's Pettigrew?" he asked wildly. Hermione held up the cage with the thin mouse scampering around in it.
"Right here," she replied. Harry breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to his sister.
"Okay, here goes nothing," he said, rolling up his sleeves. Everyone in the room was silent with bated breath. "Spiritus Excitare!!!"
"Um, Harry, nothing happened," Ron remarked quietly and tentatively after several moments.
"I know," Harry whispered back, staring at Melissa.
"Try again, Harry," Hermione urged, now filled with full-fledged confidence for her friend.
"Okay," Harry replied, grinning shakily at his friend. "Spiritus Excitare!!!" he shouted with even greater force than before. This time, something happened. A huge, bright shower of multicolored sparks flew out of his wand to surround Melissa and pushed against Harry so he was shoved backward into Ron and Shelbie. He stayed there, staring, wide-eyed, like everyone else.
Melissa was lifted into the air with hundreds of thousands of little bubbles underneath her. After several minutes, she was set gently back down on the bed and nearly all the bubbles disappeared. The only ones that remained were pearly blue ones. They gathered together and covered the redhead's face. Suddenly, a greenish-grey spirit came flying out of Melissa, and sneering at them all ducking to avoid the…thing that was flying around them, flew out the window, gibbering. With a shuddering gasp, Melissa's eyes flew open and she started crying. Harry raced to her side and helped her sit up.
"Melissa? A—are you okay?" he asked fearfully.
"No! I—I mean, yes, but that… It was awful!" she sobbed, hugging Harry tightly (A/N: We all know we want to! I do, anyway!). "It's like he was there, inside my mind, telling me to do all sorts of horrible things to you and all my friends."
"It's okay, you're fine, he's gone," Harry soothed. They stayed this way for several minutes, with everyone in the room either crying silently (Hermione and Shelbie) or whispering sighs of relief (Dumbledore, Remus, and Ron). Madam Pomfrey came in a little while later, checked Melissa, pronounced she was okay, and let her free. They started to head off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower when Dumbledore placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Yes, Professor?"
"Please follow me. I need to speak with you all about the Order," he responded quietly as Remus and Shelbie exchanged meaningful glances.
A/N: Hope you liked it!!!!!! I worked really, really, really hard on chapters 9 and 10, just ask my friends. Anyway, please, please read and review!!!!!!!!! Buh-bye!!!!!!
It was a week after Voldemort's killing and bewitching of Melissa, and the Irish redhead still hadn't woken up. It seemed the Dark Lord had been true in his threat. Harry hovered over Melissa bed with Shelbie at his side, the two of them watching for any movement, any sign of life.
"Are you sure she's going to wake up?" Harry asked Madam Pomfrey for the tenth time in the past four minutes.
"Mr. Potter! If you ask me that question again, you're going to be lying in the bed right next to your sister!" Madam Pomfrey exploded.
"Sorry," Harry apologized meekly, turning back to Melissa. Shelbie just looked like he had a migraine. They were back looking at Melissa's pale face worriedly when Ron and Hermione burst through the door. Harry quickly turned to them.
"Did you find anything?" he asked. Ron and Hermione hesitated before answering.
"Not a thing," Hermione replied finally. Harry hung his head dejectedly. Ron glared at Hermione as if to say, "Why the hell did you give him the bad news first?!" before trying to reassure his friend.
"But we think that we may be able to find something on the spell You-Know- Who used in the Restricted Section. We were going to go talk to Dumbledore after talking to you," Ron said quickly. He looked at Melissa's still form. "Anything happen yet?"
"Nothing," Harry replied bitterly, casting his gaze over Melissa. "Whatever Voldemort did to her, I'm going to make sure he pays."
"Harry. She'll be okay. I know it," Shelbie told him, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder. "She's strong." Harry gave her a weak smile. Ron and Hermione smiled briefly, then left Harry and Shelbie alone.
Shelbie nudged Harry, saying, "Go with them. Dumbledore wants to talk to you." Harry started to protest. "Go," Shelbie pressed, pushing Harry out the door. "I'll get you if something happens."
"Fine," Harry finally gave in, sighing. "You're to alert me as soon is anything happens," he added, pointing his finger at Shelbie.
"Relax! Now go!" Shelbie replied. Harry looked at Melissa one last time before Shelbie pushed him out the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ron! Hermione!"
Ron and Hermione had just stepped off the stairway of Dumbledore's office, note form the headmaster in hand, when they heard their names called out. They glanced at each other suspiciously before turning around. They saw Harry racing up the corridor with a cage in his arms. Ron's mouth dropped open when he saw what was in the cage.
"Harry—what...is that?!" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with shock.
"I believe you mean…who is that," Ron told her. Harry didn't say a word, though his eyes were twinkling mischievously. Hermione looked at Ron with confusion in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Ron?"
"Look at the paws. What's odd about them?" Ron quizzed. Hermione bent down and examined the animal's paws. Realizing what Ron was talking about and why Harry was looking so incredibly smug, Hermione stood up straight with a gasp.
"Harry, Ron, that's—that's…Pettigrew!" she finally managed to choke out.
"Exactly," Harry replied simply. And so it was. Pettigrew, in rat form, was scampering nervously around the metal cage on his three good paws and one metal one. Harry held the cage up to his face to he could speak directly to the supposedly dead "hero".
"Listen here, you filthy, disgusting, little "(here Harry used a couple of words that made Hermione exclaim his name and Ron's eyes widen in surprise) "I'm going to take you to see some friends of mine and you are going to tell them your story, whether we have to use Veritaserum or you just tell us outright," Harry hissed. Hermione was watching, not him, but the cage with apprehensive eyes.
"Harry, did you use any sort of spell to make sure Pettigrew doesn't transform back and escape?" she asked hesitantly.
"You bet. Did you think I would actually let this opportunity to get him imprisoned?" Harry replied.
"Well…" Hermione avoided his gaze as she tried not to answer her friend's question.
"Gee, thanks for the confidence, 'Mione," Harry told her dryly. "Of course I put a charm on the cage. An Unbreakable Charm."
"Speaking of Unbreakable Charms, what did you do to Rita Skeeter last year?" Ron asked Hermione curiously. "Did you let her out?"
"Nope."
"Whaaaat?????"
"Hermione!"
"Kidding. Just kidding," Hermione reassured them. "I let her out when I got back to my house. She immediately transformed back and Disapparated after I warned her again."
"Oh, good," Ron breathed. "Do you think she'll be writing any more insane headliners?"
"Let's hope not. Or she'll be answering to me," Harry said darkly. Ron looked at him in alarm. "Especially if they're about me."
"Oookay, Harry, maybe we should get you to Dumbledore, huh?" Hermione remarked, shooting a distressed look at Ron. She started ushering Harry the short distance down the hall to Dumbledore's gargoyle.
"Ice Mice," Hermione stated. The gargoyle didn't move aside like it usually would; instead, it merely reached into a side compartment and produced a small piece of parchment and handed it to Ron. Ron looked at it strangely.
"Where is he? He was just here a moment ago," Hermione wondered.
"Oookay," Ron said after reading the note two or three times.
"Oh, for heaven's sake. What does it say, Ron?" Hermione pressed.
"It says 'Be back in twenty minutes'," Ron told them. "Where could he be?" Suddenly he looked up at the same time as Harry and Hermione. They looked as if a light bulb had clicked on over their heads.
"Hospital wing," they said in unison, whispering for no reason. They raced off down the hall, the cage containing Pettigrew banging unceremoniously against Harry's legs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They reached the hospital wing less than ten minutes later and, sure enough, there was Dumbledore sitting on Melissa's bed, chatting pleasantly with Shelbie. Harry dropped the cage uncaringly on the bed to the right of them and hurried over to his sister's side.
"How is she?"
"Nothing has happened yet, Harry," Shelbie reported. She then spotted the cage on the bed that Hermione and Ron were keeping a wary eye on. "What's that?" Harry held up the cage and gestured to the rat inside.
"Guess," Harry replied. Shelbie leant closer to the cage, then drew back, as Hermione had done when she realized who it was.
"Pe—Pettigrew?!" she exclaimed.
"Correct," Ron told her. Shelbie snarled and drew her wand. Harry flung his arm across his sister's friend, stopping her from performing one of the Unforgivables.
"What are you doing, Harry?!" Shelbie exploded.
"Professor, how can we get classified information from Pettigrew if you blew Pettigrew into a bazillion teeny tiny pieces?" Harry asked as if he were talking to a child.
"Oh, yeah," Shelbie conceded after a moment.
"Excuse me!" Dumbledore interrupted. "I believe we've had a breakthrough in how to help our young Ms. Potter over here!"
"Huh?" Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Shelbie turned to the redhead, who was starting to stir.
"Me—Melissa?" Harry whispered, as though it might be too good to be true. It was.
"No. Not the…Lethargus Excessus," Melissa breathed before falling comatose again.
"The…Lethargus Excessus?" Ron asked quizzically. "What's that?"
"A very powerful spell," Dumbledore remarked, frowning. "Sometimes, it…may not be able to be reversed. Only a very powerful wizard is able to use it. I myself have never been able to master it. Harry? Where are you going?"
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't just stand here helplessly while my only relative could possibly be dying," Harry replied grimly, snatching the slip of paper out of a startled Hermione's hand and racing from the room.
"Harry!" Shelbie started after him only to find Remus Lupin had stepped in the way.
"Re—Remus? What are you doing here so early?" Shelbie asked, the surprise showing in her eyes. "You weren't supposed to arrive for another few days."
"Hello, Shelbie, Professor, Hermione, Ron," the former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher greeted cheerily, nodding at each person in turn. He walked over to Dumbledore to shake his hand. The headmaster was the only individual in the room that wasn't surprised to see Lupin. Hermione could only muster a tiny wave at the teacher.
"Heh," Ron half-laughed/half-said-hi-through-his-astonishment.
"Hello, Remus," Dumbledore replied pleasantly.
"So, how's Melissa doing?" Remus asked, walking over to her bed and gazing at her still face. "Not too well, I'm guessing."
"What…are you doing here?" Ron asked him. Remus smiled slightly.
"What, I can't see my own goddaughter?" Remus replied.
"You've never met her, though," Ron reminded him.
"Oh, I know, but she and I have been writing to each other since she found out she was Lily's and James's daughter," Remus explained. "I've come here to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes again."
"But, Professor Lupin, that position's already filled," Hermione said. "Professor Wood is teaching that class," she added, gesturing at the young professor.
"Hermione, my dear girl, Professor Wood is leaving," Dumbledore told her gently.
"Whaaaat?" Ron exclaimed, jumping up. "She can't leave! You can't leave! She's the only one in this school that can keep Malfoy under control!" He faltered of here as Remus and Dumbledore all looked at him with their eyebrows cocked. "What? It's true."
"Please calm down, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore reassured. "Ms. Wood is going to help the cause of light versus dark."
"Of good versus evil," Shelbie volunteered.
"The…Light Fighters versus the Death Eaters," Hermione volunteered. Shelbie looked at her.
"Light Fighters?" she repeated.
"Yeah, I just made it up. I figured that the Death Eaters had 'Death Eaters' and we don't have anything. Do you like it?" she replied.
"Yeah, it's very catchy," Shelbie praised.
"Thank you," Hermione said, grinning.
"Us versus Voldemort," Remus supplied flatly, giving Hermione and Shelbie a look that quite plainly said, "Quit it".
"Okay, okay, I get it," Ron told them, stopping the explanations. "I'm not stupid, you know."
"Oh, Ronniekins, no one thinks you're stupid," Hermione cooed, patting his head.
"Shut up, Hermione," Ron snapped. He looked around. "Where's Harry?"
"He ran out about five minutes ago, remember?" Hermione reminded him.
"Why did you stop me from running after Harry?" Shelbie asked Remus, turning to face her colleague.
"Because I walked in the door," Remus told her. "I didn't realize I was stopping you from following him. And people might get suspicious if they see a teacher and two other students run sprinting though the halls. They might alert someone that doesn't particularly agree with us on all accounts. Like Fudge, for example."
"Or You-Know-Who, if they're a Slytherin," Ron said. He looked at an amused Dumbledore and hastily added, "Not to be judgmental, but nearly all of the Slytherins' have Death Eaters for parents. They're bound to be reporting back to them."
"I know, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore replied, surprising them all.
"So we won't run, Remus," Shelbie told him exasperatedly. "We'll say that Ron and Hermione need our help on an extra credit assignment and you're visiting, so you decided to tag along."
"Wait. What extra credit assignment?" Ron asked, alarmed. "We don't actually have to do one, do we?"
"Oh, of course not, Ron," Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes and sighing. "Don't be thick."
"Coming?" Remus invited, turning to the headmaster.
"I'll stay here," Dumbledore declined. Remus shrugged.
"Suit yourself." Turning to his three companions, he said, "Let's go find Harry."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry threw open the doors to the library only to have the librarian, Madam Pince, squawk a warning at him.
"Mr. Potter!" she screeched. "Stop running this instant or I'll inform the headmaster! Where are you going? You're not allowed in there!"
"I have a pass!" Harry shouted, throwing the signed parchment behind him and running through the doors marked "Restricted Section". He started pulling books off the shelves in groups of two and three and setting them down on a nearby table.
"Harry!" The raven-haired fifteen-year-old turned and saw Remus, Hermione, and Shelbie racing towards him. Ron was hurriedly handing a note to an irritated Madam Pince and finally just threw it at her and ran to his friends.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked him breathlessly.
"I'm going to help my sister by finding the counter curse," Harry replied.
"We're helping," Ron insisted. Harry started to protest, but when he saw the determined looks on his friends' and professors' faces, his take- control façade crumbled.
"Thanks," was all he could muster.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's start helping Melissa," Shelbie said. They all agreed and sat down next to the piles of books on the table that Harry had furiously pulled off the shelf. They were silent until, ten minutes later, Hermione let out a cry of triumph and scared everyone half to death.
"I found it!" she shouted. "I found the spell You-Know-Who used on Melissa! It's in a book called The Top 20 Evilest Curses in Existence."
"And you wonder why it's in the Restricted Section," Ron muttered sarcastically. Everyone laughed nervously and crowded around Hermione as she read the passage from the thick, dusty book.
"The Lethargus Excessus curse, or the Killing Coma Curse, is the evilest curse a witch or wizard could use on another. Many people do not know about this curse. The Ministry of Magic has tried to make sure the wizarding community, as a whole, does not discover how to use this curse, for it has the most deadly of results. When this curse is used, the victim may be immobilized anywhere from seven days to six months. When they wake up, they will have had the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of the person who administered the curse projected into their mind. They will believe those thoughts are their own and act upon them. The longer they are immobilized, the more beliefs they believe are their own.
The counter curse is known to the rare witch or wizard and, most times, they will not use it until what they want is done. The counter curse can only be performed by the giver of the original curse or by one person of the immediate family that the victim is closest to. The administer of the counter curse must be an unusually powerful wizard or this will not work. The counter curse takes more energy than performing the original. This will end only when the administer withdraws their thoughts from the victim's mind, says the counter curse, or…kills the victim."
Everyone fell silent at her last three words. Suddenly, Harry pulled the book towards him and flipped to the back. He found what he was looking for and, muttering, "452, 452", flipped to page 452.
"Found it," he stated victoriously, jabbing at the page. "The counter curse to Lethargus Excessus is Spiritus Excitare! Back to Melissa!"
His companions exchanged worried glances as they followed their charging friend out of the library, not even bothering to check out the book, figuring Dumbledore would understand and would explain it to Madam Pince.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Professor Dumbledore, sir! We found the spell!" Harry shouted, lugging the heavy book into the hospital wing.
"I don't know if that'll do any good, Harry," Hermione commented hesitantly, coming into the room seconds after her friend. Her comment earned herself an icy glare from Harry.
"She's right. We need an especially powerful wizard to conduct the spell," Shelbie defended. Harry stayed firm.
"Well, I'm going to try it," he said determinedly. "In the book, it said, 'the counter curse can only be performed by the giver of the original curse or by one person of the immediate family that the victim is closest to.' I'm the only one left alive in our family she's close to and I'd like not to be an only child again. Excuse my language, but it sucked." Dumbledore nodded solemnly.
"Go ahead then."
Harry took a deep breath before looking around anxiously.
"Where's Pettigrew?" he asked wildly. Hermione held up the cage with the thin mouse scampering around in it.
"Right here," she replied. Harry breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to his sister.
"Okay, here goes nothing," he said, rolling up his sleeves. Everyone in the room was silent with bated breath. "Spiritus Excitare!!!"
"Um, Harry, nothing happened," Ron remarked quietly and tentatively after several moments.
"I know," Harry whispered back, staring at Melissa.
"Try again, Harry," Hermione urged, now filled with full-fledged confidence for her friend.
"Okay," Harry replied, grinning shakily at his friend. "Spiritus Excitare!!!" he shouted with even greater force than before. This time, something happened. A huge, bright shower of multicolored sparks flew out of his wand to surround Melissa and pushed against Harry so he was shoved backward into Ron and Shelbie. He stayed there, staring, wide-eyed, like everyone else.
Melissa was lifted into the air with hundreds of thousands of little bubbles underneath her. After several minutes, she was set gently back down on the bed and nearly all the bubbles disappeared. The only ones that remained were pearly blue ones. They gathered together and covered the redhead's face. Suddenly, a greenish-grey spirit came flying out of Melissa, and sneering at them all ducking to avoid the…thing that was flying around them, flew out the window, gibbering. With a shuddering gasp, Melissa's eyes flew open and she started crying. Harry raced to her side and helped her sit up.
"Melissa? A—are you okay?" he asked fearfully.
"No! I—I mean, yes, but that… It was awful!" she sobbed, hugging Harry tightly (A/N: We all know we want to! I do, anyway!). "It's like he was there, inside my mind, telling me to do all sorts of horrible things to you and all my friends."
"It's okay, you're fine, he's gone," Harry soothed. They stayed this way for several minutes, with everyone in the room either crying silently (Hermione and Shelbie) or whispering sighs of relief (Dumbledore, Remus, and Ron). Madam Pomfrey came in a little while later, checked Melissa, pronounced she was okay, and let her free. They started to head off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower when Dumbledore placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Yes, Professor?"
"Please follow me. I need to speak with you all about the Order," he responded quietly as Remus and Shelbie exchanged meaningful glances.
A/N: Hope you liked it!!!!!! I worked really, really, really hard on chapters 9 and 10, just ask my friends. Anyway, please, please read and review!!!!!!!!! Buh-bye!!!!!!
