Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Chapter 19: Explanations Galore!
Harry was flabbergasted still, from the previous night's events. He was in the same room as Voldemort, as well as twelve of his closest Deatheaters, and not one attempt on his life. Dumbledore also had no attempt made on him either. These events were incredibly strange. 'There must be something seriously wrong with the world if Dumbledore and Voldemort are going to team up,' Harry thought. He didn't realize how right he was.
Harry didn't sleep at all that night. He was still shaking from the encounter. It was early enough now for Harry to go to see the headmaster in his office. Afraid of what might be told to him, Harry reluctantly left. He was up before most people, seeing it was early on Saturday morning. He met no one when he arrived at the stone gargoyle concealing the headmaster's office.
The gargoyle, to Harry's surprise, jumped from his stone perch and let Harry in. the ride up from the spiraling staircase seemed to take forever and all to soon all at the same time. Harry was just raising his hand to knock on Dumbledore's door when he was told to come in. Harry had been expecting it, so it didn't surprise him too much when it happened.
Across the room sat Dumbledore, who looked like he hadn't slept in years. At the site of Dumbledore, Harry had a flash of anger towards the man who could have potentially put his life at risk. He put it in check for now so he could get some answers.
"Hello Harry," Dumbledore began, "you no doubt have a lot of questions, to which have the answers to, at least I hope I do. I will start with last night to explain away questions from there, and possibly others you may have.
"First, the reason why that meeting ever took place to begin with was because of the Red Death. They have threatened the wizarding community here in Europe as a whole. Including Voldemort. They are going to kill everyone. At least they're going to try. If that happens, Voldemort has no one to rule over, if he survives.
"We have no idea why they're doing this, Voldemort and I, but we are both intent to stop this. As to why I have aligned myself with Voldemort, I had to choose the lesser of two evils. I do feel sick to my stomach helping him, don't get me wrong, and yes, we are helping him, but there is no other way. It would be pointless fighting two wars and having the ministry after us.
"Voldemort is going to focus mostly on fighting. We will be supporting his fighters if they need help, and playing a sort of diplomacy between Deatheaters and the ministry.
"There is another reason to this, Harry, and it concerns you," Dumbledore said, as if reading his mind. "For us to have agreed to Voldemort's terms, I demanded a shipment of some… shady potions ingredients for undisclosed purposes. Voldemort, being his normal 'All must bow to me' pompousness, asked why. I refused to tell him, for I might endanger you. He didn't budge neither so I finally told him a watered down version of it all. I'm sure he figured it out, and he almost broke the deal off to go after you, but a Red Death attack had him focused on more pressing matters.
"He finally gave us the needed ingredients because he realized we would need you in this upcoming war. Speaking of which, you should be able to utilize tonight, after the Halloween Feast." Dumbledore finished.
Harry had many of his questions answered. He was also glad that he was privy to the information about the Red Death. Also as to why Dumbledore aligned himself to Dumbledore. He still had a few questions left to be answered.
"Last night," Harry said, "I noticed or felt a connection between you and Voldemort that I couldn't explain, like you were almost… happy talking with Voldemort," Harry left off there and let Dumbledore explain the rest.
He had a pensive look on his face while stroking his beard. He finally sat up and related his ponderings back to Harry.
"Harry, you'll find this out for yourself when you get older. I'll try to explain it, but it is really something you have to live through to understand. In my veins, runs the blood of warriors. I live to fight. You have it in you and so does Voldemort. A few wizards do. Because of this, you always want to battle. Be it with wits or arms, you'll always want to do this. Right now, you may not, but you will. It has been a long time for Tom and I to use what is in our blood. Last night was the first time in I say twenty years.
"As to why I think you felt the connection, it might have been because of your blood, or you have finally accessed your final ancestor's power you inherited. Gryffindor always did have a knack for Legilimancy. You now have Parseltongue, Aura Reading, and Legilimancy. Well done." Dumbledore finished with a smile.
"What's Legilimancy?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore stood up, looked at his bookcase behind him, and picked an old, tattered black book that seemed unnaturally thin compared to all his other books. "Read this," he stated, and Harry slipped it into his robes.
"How long will it take for this potion to take effect, professor, and will it cure my lust for my uh… classmates?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore once again smiled and said, "Yes, I believe it will cure your yearning for the opposite sex, Harry. As for how long, I don't know. It isn't a normal potion I know. It has to seep into you, I know that for sure." He finished.
"Sir, do you know why I went all googly eyes for girls?"
"Yes, I do. When you damaged your reserve intake, you also damaged one of your hormonal outputs. It didn't know when to produce or to quite making the hormones. Therefore, it just started to produce the hormone nonstop." Dumbledore said.
"Thank you sir, I'd better go, breakfast just started, and I really don't want to answer my friends questions as to where I have been." Harry stated and walked out to Dumbledore telling him to be back in his office right after the Feast.
The day went by much like how the staircase ride to Dumbledore's office went. Too fast and too slow for Harry's liking. Their was no trip to town today, for fear of a Red Death attack, which just prolonged the agony.
The feast was finally over, nothing special or spectacular about it, besides Malfoy cursing a seventh year through the Hufflepuff table. He apparently said something derogatory to a muggle-born who passed by which angered Malfoy. He got a detention for his efforts.
Harry was once again making his way to Dumbledore's office. Inside was Dumbledore, Snape, and a drunk man Harry didn't know.
"Excellent to see you, Harry," Dumbledore greeted. Snape's sour face was still intact and the drunken man seemed like he didn't really care who entered the room. "Let us make our way to your chamber." Dumbledore said.
They followed Dumbledore all the way to the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. It opened as soon as they entered, and they made their way to the bottom. Dumbledore said he charmed and charmed the entrance until it finally would accept his magic signature, 'which took forever,' according to him.
The bottom wasn't better than the last time he was down there, but it did look a little bit more hospitable. In the chamber was a glass tank with a mask floating in it.
"Potter, you are to submerge yourself into the potion and let it repair your reserves by seeping through your skin. You may not drink this at anytime because it will kill you in three seconds, needless to say, there is no antidote." Snape barked out. "How long you are to be in it is unknown until you awake."
"Harry, this is Mundungus Fletcher, he will be your guard." Dumbledore said. The said man gave a drunken wave and a burp with flames, denoting he had been drinking firewhiskey. "If you would, go change behind those curtains."
Harry looked to where he was pointing, and seen a curtain standing all alone, which Harry was sure wasn't there before. He did as he was told and out wearing nothing but muggle swim trunks.
"Potter, if you will, submerge your self now, with the mask on." Snape commanded. Harry did so, and he could breath oxygen through the mask. Under the potion, Harry just had the question of how he was going to eat, when little tubes shot out and embedded themselves in his veins. He could feel a liquid run through them and into his veins making him drowsy. Harry looked up one final time to see Dumbledore smiling, Snape looking bitter, and Mundungus Fletcher pass out behind them.
AN: How was that? Should be one more chapter coming in this installment. Should come quick with school getting out and all. Don't know if I should continue this little series here, I don't know how many people like this one compared to my other stories. Oh well, let me know how you feel on this subject. I doubt anyone is reading this little bit of information anyways. Peace.