Chapter 14: Possession

Harry hung the portrait of the ex-Headmistress, Tena Verda, in front of the Hufflepuff common room.

"I'm crooked," she muttered.

Harry frowned and attempted to straighten the portrait. "How's that?"

"Perfect," she said. "I'm so excited! I can't believe I get to be the person who asks for the password! I've always wondered what it would be like."

"And they say Ravenclaws are the knowledge seekers," Harry muttered.

"That's very stereotypical," Verda sniffed.

Harry shrugged. "Now remember, the password is hippogriff."

Verda nodded.

"And you're not—"

"—to let anyone in without the password and tell everyone the password when they leave so they're sure to know it and tell them not to tell anyone else. I know!"

Harry grinned. "Alright then. And try not to let anyone out until you know I'm done. If you can do something like that."

Verda nodded. "Now go cast your spell."

Harry nodded and left in the other direction. When the darkness of the school started to press in thickly against his eyes and he could see nothing but blackness, he held out his hand, palm up and whispered. "Allumer!"

A small ball of light appeared in his hand. It cast less light than the Lumos spell and he did not wish to be seen.

He made his way silently to the dungeons, keeping a careful eye out for teachers, though he did not honestly expect to see anyone.

He stopped when he reached his old potion's classroom. He shook his hand that contained the little ball of light and it went out. Next he whispered, "Torche!"

All the lights on the walls flipped on, filling the room with light. Harry hesitated. He had to be ready when he performed the spell. He placed both hands on the wall and closed his eyes.

He stood that way for a moment. The next he pushed hard on the unyielding wall and yelled, "Solide!" three times in quick succession. Every time he yelled, a tremor ran up the wall, giving it an oddly jello like quality. Harry pushed harder than before. The magic swelled within him so greatly the last time he yelled that he felt himself loosing control.

Something cold crept inside Harry and he realized that it was panic. He struggled hard for a moment, pushing against the flood of magic that was too strong for him. He had not been ready! He had not waited long enough before trying next! He shouldn't have done it!

The magic pressed harder as though sensing his weakness. He could not hold it back! He struggled harder, willing the magic to go back, but the panic was rising in him. He tried to push it back down, but even as he tried, his concentration slipped from the magic at hand and it suddenly came on in a rush.

He felt the edges of his mind grow black. He was falling, the magic was smothering him! It was becoming harder to breathe...

He wasn't aware of it at first but a yell had sprung to his throat. He fell to his knees, his hands practically glued to the wall. He couldn't let go! The magic was too strong...

A hand grabbed him roughly though he was so close to unconsciousness that he hardly realized what was happening to him. He felt another hand grab his own and felt a strong presence next to him, taking some of the load from the magic. He pressed harder and the magic flowed from him in great waves, into the walls, strengthening them.

Quite suddenly the magic was gone and his mind went blank. He fell to the floor, hardly conscious of the figure next to him, falling along with him. The next second he wasn't aware of anything at all...

* * *

Harry felt drained. He felt as though all strength that he might have once had, had been sucked from his body. He just wanted to lie there on there forever. The object beneath him was cold.

Cold?

Memories suddenly filled him and he struggled to his feet. The magic! What had happened? It had been too strong...

Harry's eye landed on the figure next to him and he fell to his knees as the strength left him again. Grander...

Harry turned over the unconscious man next to him and felt for a pulse. What had he done? Why was he there? He hadn't told anyone he was coming! Grander should have been safely asleep!

Panic rose in Harry again and he felt desperately for a pulse. It was there, rather weaker than usual, but still there.

"Grander!" Harry practically yelled, shaking him roughly, trying vainly to wake him. "What did you do?"

Grander did not respond. Harry felt his forehead. It was cold and clammy to the touch. Harry felt a horrible emptiness slowly creep inside him. He had to get Grander to a hospital wing and quickly.

But they couldn't do anything for him. They couldn't do anything of proper use.

Harry looked down at the unconscious man and, with a snarl of sudden anger, placed his hand on his chest, concentrating hard.

The magic was not there. Harry pulled and pulled and muttered constantly under his breath spells and incantations, anything to make the magic some so he could help Grander...

Nothing came. He was empty. He had no magic left in him he had used up his supply in the effort last night. Fighting back the horrible despair welling in him, Harry stumbled to his feet again. He attempted fruitlessly to lift Grander but he was too weak.

Harry stumbled toward the door. He had to get help!

"H—Harry?"

Harry whirled around and ran back to his fallen friend.

"Why did you come?" Harry asked, almost angrily. "You shouldn't have! I told you it was too dangerous!"

"You," Grander tried to sit up and Harry did not stop him. "You sounded like you needed help."

"How did you know I was coming?" Harry asked, helping him to his feet as he attempted to stand.

"I saw the portraits outside the common room," Grander said. He leaned heavily on Harry, who had forgotten his own weakness in light of Grander's troubles. They slowly made their way to the door. "I figured I'd know where you were going so I hurried down. I only found you when you started to yell..."

"I should have waited," Harry said bitterly. "I should have and you told me and I didn't listen..."

"I doubt it would have made a difference," Grander said, shaking his head. "By all reports you've always been headstrong. But Harry," he suddenly stopped and Harry slowed to a stop as well. "You yelled the word three times. It looked to me as if you cast the same charm as many times as you said the word."

Harry didn't look at him. He couldn't.

"I wanted to strengthen the castle as much as I could," he said, looking at him feet. "Normally I couldn't have done it. I just wasn't properly prepared."

"I'll say," Grander said. They started walking again. Harry began to realize that Grander was rather heavy and he tried hard not to think about it.

"Where are we going?" Grander asked as they found themselves out of the dungeons and in the Great Hall.

"Hospital Wing, I suppose," Harry said. He was breathing rather heavily.

"Right," Grander said. He paused and looked at the long flight of steps they would be required to climb. "Are you sure?"

Harry was thinking along the same lines. "I know a short cut," he said. He started in a different direction, crossing his fingers that it was still there.

He stopped in front of a wall and looked at it. "We have to go through there," he explained to Grander. "I only hope there's enough magic in the school to keep it working."

"There are secret passageways at Hogwarts?" Grander asked blankly. Harry wanted to hit him.

"You stay here," Harry instructed. "I'll go through first."

"Through that solid wall?" Grander asked, looking as though he thought Harry's brains had been addled.

"It's only solid if you don't know it's a passageway," Harry said. He walked over to it and reached out a tentative hand. His fingers slid through the stone. He grinned. "It's still here."

Grander shook his head wonderingly. "You know, that would be one of the strangest things I had ever seen in my entire life time...but only before I met you. Let's go then. We can't sit here forever."

Harry couldn't argue with that despite the fact that at the moment, it sounded like fun. He helped to Grander to his feet and they started toward the wall.

"Wait!"

They stopped and looked around. Verda, the previous Headmistress that Harry had left in charge of the Hufflepuff common room, was in picture frame behind them, breathing heavily and Harry had the impression she had just run a long way.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. As though on delayed reactions, his scar began to burn. All the color left his face. "No..."

"They're here," she said, practically crying. "I couldn't do anything. I sealed the Hufflepuffs inside their common room so no one can get in or out. I went to warn the others and I found you! We have to do something!"

"Verda!" Harry gasped. "I don't have any magic! I—I just used all of it for that stupid spell! What am I supposed to do?"

Verda shook her head helplessly. "I don't know! I'm just a portrait, for goodness's sake! I can't leave my frame!"

Something clicked on in Harry's head. "Unless you can..." he muttered. "Verda go tell the others. Tell them to seal their common rooms and report here. Go!"

Verda scampered. Grander's face had gone completely white. "They're here? Who's here? What's going on?"

"Voldemort," Harry said, he turned back to the wall.

"Voldemort?" Grander yelped. "Are you sure?"

"My scar is burning," Harry said, angry now that Voldemort should come at this exact moment. "It can't be anyone else."

"Your scar burns when Voldemort's around?" Grander asked.

"What exactly did those history books tell you?"

"Something about a sixth sense for danger," Grander said shrugging.

"It doesn't matter," Harry said. "If he knew to come now, he must have known that I would be defenseless tonight. There must be a spy in the building. Bloody hell! Why didn't I see this before?"

"What are we going to do?" Grander asked.

"We have to get as many people to this exact spot as we possibly can," Harry said. "You stay here. It will be faster if I go alone."

"I—" Grander stopped. There was no arguing with the truth behind those words. "Right. I'll tell the portraits where you've gone."

Harry nodded. The next second he stepped through the wall and found himself in the place he had clearly pictured in his mind—the staff quarters.

Harry began banging on the doors. Sleepy head poked out.

"What's the meaning of this?" snapped the headmistress angrily. "You again? Always causing trouble!"

"Voldemort's here," Harry said. "I can't stop him."

"What?" people were outside now, some were pulling on robes while others pulled out wands.

"I performed the strengthening spell tonight," Harry said. "I've nothing left!"

"What are we supposed to do?" asked a witch that Harry recognized as the one who taught Astronomy.

"Are you willing to fight?" Harry asked in all seriousness.

"What can we do?" asked the headmistress glaring at him. "If you really have performed the spell, then our only weapon, the technology, will be going crazy!"

"I can help you," Harry said. "But I need to know that you're willing to sacrifice yourselves for a moment if it means defending out school. There's no guarantee you'll make it out alive."

"I'll do it," said a wizard firmly. "What have we to loose?" He was followed by many others. Harry felt a surge of gratitude for there people. Even if the magic was not strong in them, at least they were willing to fight for a cause.

"We have to hurry," Harry said. "I know a shortcut to where we need to go."

The headmistress was frowning at him but he did not care. He was willing to look like an idiot if it meant Hogwarts would be saved.

Harry led them through the secret passageway and they followed without complaint, though some exchanged nervous glances. The second Harry was back to where Grander sat waiting, he grimaced. Voldemort was closer here and his scar burned fiercer.

Verda was already waiting for him with all the portraits that had not been confined to the Headmaster's office.

Harry was exceptionally glad to see Dumbledore among them, though he knew he would. Seeing the headmaster's calm face was certainly helping.

"What do you plan to do?" Dumbledore asked, though Harry was quite sure he already knew.

"We need wizards," Harry said, not only talking to Dumbledore but to everyone. "And these portraits are the most powerful wizards of their time."

"What, you want us to learn from them?" asked the person Harry knew to be Slytherin head of house. "In about three seconds?"

"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "But I am going to need—" He paused as his scar let out a particularly painful throb. "—I'm going to need them to fight Voldemort and obviously they can't do anything while they're portraits. There's a spell—"

"Too risky," cut in Verda. "You're not in good enough shape to handle that kind of magic."

"I have to try," Harry growled, fiercer than he intended.

"There's a spell," Grander prompted.

"Yes," Harry said, turning his attention back to the people waiting on him. "All I have to do is perform it once; then whoever I bring out of the frame can perform it again."

"Why do you need us?" asked a teacher.

"Because," Harry said quietly. "Their bodies are dead. There's no being for them to transfer their spirits." There was a collective mutter from the teachers. "It's only temporary," Harry said quickly. "You can instantly come back at any time. You see everything that's happening, but they have temporary control."

"I'll do it," said a witch suddenly, stepping forward. "I don't want to see my kids in danger."

Harry nodded. A few more people stepped forward. Harry didn't have time to see what happened to the others.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said. Dumbledore walked to the nearest frame. Harry took a deep breath. This was going to require magic and he didn't have much he could use. He'd have to get it right the first time.

He placed one hand on the first person's head and his other on the top of Dumbledore's frame. Taking a deep and shuddering breath—which he was sure would not inspire confidence—he suddenly yelled, "Echanger!"

A trickle of magic came to him which instantly turned into more. Harry pressed harder. He needed more magic...

The magic came to his bidding, but his body was not yet ready to handle more and he yelled, but kept his feet. It felt as though something was over him, wringing him out as though to squeeze the final juices from him. He felt old and weak and he didn't know how long he could hold out. The next second it finished and he fell to the floor.

The edges of his vision were turning black. The man bent down next to him and looked at him, worry in his eyes. "Harry? Are you alright?"

"Dumbledore?" Harry asked, trying to bring the man into focus. The man nodded. "Finish it," Harry gasped out. "Bring the others. I'll be fine." He coughed suddenly. He whipped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and saw blood. He fell back against the wall, breathing hard. The man had not moved. He was looking at Harry worriedly.

"There's nothing you can do!" Harry yelled, glaring at Dumbledore. "Bring in the others! I didn't do this so the next second Voldemort could take over Hogwarts!"

Dumbledore nodded and turned away, seemingly reluctant. Harry only heard the beginnings of a spell before he was completely unconscious.