The following night at eight o'clock, Harry joined Page yet again for another lesson. He sat down looking thoroughly bored, but yet they both knew he needed to control his new ability.
"Right then, you have read the books I lent you?" Page asked as they were in her brightly warm office. He nodded is reply. "OK then tell me what you have learnt from Belinda Hopptitch?" Page looked at him closely, she got the feeling he didn't read all the books.
"Er, I think that she makes a good point in Occlumency, and that er, after reading her books, I got a throughout idea on how to control my seeing and also how emotions effect it." He finished bluntly.
"Hmm, yes, but what makes the valid point Harry, what is she trying to tell us?" He quickly looked at his feet; he seemed to find them more interesting then talking to Page. "If you haven't read them, I understand." Page added. He looked up with avid eyes. But he seemed unable to confess. "I know you have been busy, I didn't expect you to read both books. I just wanted you to grasp what she is telling us, you Harry. To you what do you think she is asking you to do?" His face contorted trying to find the right words.
"I think that, she is telling us that what we believe is what we are, as in, she is telling me that by controlling me feelings helps me to understand visions and to try and interpret what they are telling me-" "and to use them wisely." He added
"A vague answer, but I know what your saying. Tonight we are going to learn touch premonitions. I'll give you an old object and you tell me what you feel, more importantly what you see." She walked over to the cupboard and brought out an old book, which was scored deeply, pages were missing from it, as well as the front cover. She paused while handing it over to Harry. "If you can, try and give me a name to whoever owned this book." Harry took the disintegrating book from Page, as she sat down and watched him from behind her desk.
It was a couple of minutes before he seemed shocked and looked up at Page. His face was white as a sheet. He didn't look very well."Why did you give me this? This isn't funny?" He said as she threw the book on the desk in front of Page. She wasn't shocked; she knew how he would respond. The book was Voldemort's he left it at school. Page had borrowed it from Dumbledore and she wanted to see if Harry picked up on it.
"Harry, I want you to tell me what you saw?" Harry looked stunned. He went for his bags, and took out a quill and parchment.
"You want to know what I saw do you?" His temper was rising, but Page was calm. She knew that Harry had to get it out in the open; she wanted him to tell her what he saw.
He started to scribble down what looked like a landscape and a house.
After he finished, he chucked the parchment onto desk; it skidded to a stop right in front of Page's nose. She picked it up cautiously and scanned it.
It was an accurate picture of a house, Voldemort's house, with what looked like three dead bodies on the floor.
"I saw that! I have seen it before it was in my dream. I didn't think it was real." He was still angry, Page could tell, but she didn't say anything. "When did you dream of this Harry?" She asked him calmly as she set the parchment on top of the old book.
"About three years ago. I didn't know what it meant, but when I woke up my scar was hurting a lot, and then I sent an owl to Sirius telling him about it." He broke off, as if talking about Sirius was painful enough.
Page carefully replaced the old book back into the cupboard and sat in front of Harry again. He looked tired and worn, and Page couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Harry, let's leave it for tonight hmm? Go and get some sleep." Harry didn't move. He was staring at an inkwell on Page's desk. He seemed transfixed. "Harry?" He jerked looked up at her. "I said you could go now if you like. We can continue this next week."
"Oh right OK. Umm, this Thursday I can't make the DA meeting, can you take over for me please, I have Quidditch practise." He asked her as he was picking up his school bag, and shoving his quill and the used parchment of the picture he drew into it.
"Of course. Night Harry." Page said as he walked out of her office and closed the door behind him.
Thursday evening came, and Page was waiting inside the room of requirement waiting for the members. Hermione and Ron were by the door checking people had brought their coins to check there were an official member. As everyone took to a cushion and was waiting patiently for Page to speak Lavender put her hand up.
"Yes Lavender?" Mostly everyone was looking at her apart from a couple third year girls who were nattering to themselves.
"I was wondering about the spell we were working on last week, the Definius charm. Harry didn't tell us what it did." The third year girls had abruptly stopped talking and looked at Page.
"It's to throw off the balance of your opponent, its quite useful. Right now that I have everyone's attention, we are going to review what Harry has been teaching you. Let's get into pairs and show me what you have learnt." No sooner had Page said this, they all got up and paired off.
Spells were shooting in different directions, and Page had to reflect a few as they would of sent her flying. She help correct their aim and walked around and asked each pair which spell they were working on and what the effects of the spell did to an opponent.
By nine o'clock everyone was singed and sore from the continuous practise of spells and walked out of the room in a sordid way.
As soon as Page walked along the third floor heading towards her classroom she saw Harry and his team walking towards the Gryffindor common room, soaked to the skin and looking thoroughly annoyed and tired. Harry looked up at Page and gave her a weary smile as he led the team up the stairs, and passed Page.
"Not good practise then?" She asked him as he stopped on the bottom stair. He shook his head and water dripped onto the dry carpet.
"You looked like you have gone for a swim in the lake fully clothed." Page said with a laugh. "I could have been and I would probably be more dry then I am now. The hours we have been out in the rain, it's a wonder that my broom hasn't got waterlogged." Harry said. "Well I better go and get dried off, I'll see you tomorrow, night professor." "Night Harry." He passed her and walked up to the seventh floor as Page went down to the third.The week passed slowly as usual, and Page felt better after all of her classes got an A or above in their mini-tests.
"Well, you can leave early today if you want" said told her third year class on the Friday afternoon, "you have all done exceptionally well in your tests, but your homework is revision and I want notes of my desk on Tuesday morning." They all bustled out of her classroom leaving it messy as screwed up parchment were under the tables; Page vanished them away and headed to the Great Hall for her evening meal.
She sat down on her seat as usual and tucked into some cottage pie with carrots and gravy. Professor Flitwick came and sat down on the seat next to her, his feet dangling off the end.
"How are your classes going Page?" He asked her in his squeaky voice.
"Oh very well thank you, they all passed their mini tests I gave them this week, I think they are doing wonderfully.""I'm glad to hear it, we need a good professor teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, especially with Potter being here. He's remarkable isn't he? Always shows courage in every situation. He should be getting an O in no time in Charms. Oh hello Severus." Page saw his eyes dart over her head. She didn't want to turn around, but continued eating.
"I wondered if I could speak to Professor Quinn, unless you two aren't finished talking?" He asked them in a cold voice. Page thought it odd that he wanted to talk to her, and got a strange feeling that he wanted to talk to her alone, in his office away from the Great Hall. She swallowed her food and turned around to look at him. "No it is fine Professor Snape. What is it you wanted to talk to me about that is so important we have to talk in private?" He looked a little shocked at what she said, and gave a flicker or a smile. "I did not think it an impervious statement. Professor?" He gestured with his hand, and again Page had not finished her dinner and unwillingly left the hall and as she thought, when into his dark gloomy office in the dungeons.
Page stood by the door as Snape sat down on his musty chair overlooking Page with bored eyes. He dragged herself to the chair opposite him and sat down. She got the sudden feeling of a child being told off, was Page going to get told off? And for what purpose? What had she done wrong now? It was several minutes before he cleared his throat and seemed like he half-heartedly needed to talk to her.
"It's about the Duelling club that I needed to talk to you about. Some students of mine feel that we should start it up again." Without knowing what she saying, she laughed. "I hardly doubt that is the case Severus. We both know that the only reason why Malfoy wants to start up the duelling club is to curse Harry senseless, and I wont participate in such action. If that is all you wanted to talk to me about you have wasted my time." Page got up to go, but he put out a hand to stop her. "I suggest you sit back down, unless Harry will end up in detention for something he hasn't done." Page was furious with him; she pushed his hand out of the way. "How dare you blackmail me! You already put Harry in detention in almost every day, and we all know why Severus, stop living in the past and grow up!" Page barged out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She didn't want to return to the Great Hall as her food would of vanished, so she decided to return to her office. She quickly hurried along the third floor corridor, just as she was about to open her door, Snape came storming up to meet her.
"I WAS NOT FINISHED TALKING TO YOU." His eyes were ablaze, but Page had enough of him. "Severus, James has told me why you hated him, even Sirius. You were young they were having fun, but its your own fault." Page opened the door but Snape closed it shut with his wand, missing her hand. She turned around and faced him and gave him a look of deepest loathing. Her heart was thumping widely in her chest; her hands were staring to sweat with anger. "What do you want now Severus? I would like to get ready for tomorrow." His lip curled in a conniving way. "It is about tomorrow that I wanted to discuss with you. We have suggested that you keep quite, and don't utter a word."
"Excuse me? Who is 'we'? And why can't I say anything?"
"Just be careful what you say Page, we all know what happened the last time you tried to talk to them. You barely kept your post here." Page gave a blank face, what did she do? He gave her a devious smile. "You tried to tell them that Sirius was innocent and that you were communicating with him. Even Dumbledore thought it unwise." He turned to go. "Oh and tell Potter to keep his temper." He called as he disappeared down the staircase.
Fuming, Page slammed the door and slung down her work and without asking permission demanded Sirius to talk to her.
"SIRIUS, IF YOU DON'T TALK TO ME I SWEAR I'LL RESURRECT YOU AND KILL YOU!"
"I heard, I think you should talk, I don't know what Dumbledore is on about, oh and its nice to talk to you again too Page." He said slyly
"Don't annoy me Sirius, Snivellus has already done that." Page spat "What am I going to tell Harry?" Page asked him.
"Tell him the truth. Tell him that Snivellus don't want you two to talk just because you're better then him." He barked out a laugh.
"Sirius that's not funny." James butted in. "Page you should tell Harry. But you two had better be careful with what you're saying. And if anything goes wrong, I'll be here to talk you through it."
"James, thank you for your support, but I doubt they'll believe me. They don't want to know that I can talk to you guys, they are more interested if I can predict the future and see visions and make prophesies for people."
"They need to talk to us Page in order for them to understand. Look get some sleep and if you need us, we'll be here for you-"
"Yeah and if they say anything nasty let me talk to them, they'll understand who the mass murdered is when Im through with them."
When Page knew they had left, she instantly fell asleep.
The next morning Page had woken up earlier then expected and took several minutes to get organised before going down to breakfast.
She got a shock when she saw Harry looking grimly at his sludgy cold porridge sat all alone on the Gryffindor table. She walked over to him and sat down next to him grabbing a slice of toast.
"Why you up early?" Page asked him as she reached for some butter and jam. He didn't move, he looked like he was staring in space and hadn't recognised she was there. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, and no sooner had she done that he gave a surprised jump.
"S-sorry, I didn't sleep much last night. I'm kind of worried about today. What will they ask me?" He looked at Page who had half a slice of toast in her mouth.
"Er, you know, stuff." She said through a mouthful of mashed up toast and jam. After she finished she got herself another slice but talked to Harry before eating it. "Like how come you got the 'sight', how has it benefited you or hasn't benefited you. But, after saying all that your dad thinks that you shouldn't say anything. Him and Sirius were saying that they think its odd that this is happening to you. Their word of advice is you should think before you talk, and to keep your temper, no doubt they'll end up calling us liars. Just keep your cool." She tucked into her second slice of toast and jam, patted Harry on the back and walked to the teacher's table.
When she turned round Harry had gone.
By eleven o'clock Page was waiting at the entrance hall for Harry. She saw him running to meet her followed by Hermione and Ron.
"I didn't know you two also wanted to tag a long, it's going to be boring." Page said sarcastically.
"No, it's just that we wanted to make sure Harry wasn't followed." Hermione blurted out. She clasped her hands to her mouth, as though she has said a nasty word.
"Way to go Hermione." Ron snapped at her. "Malfoy has been turning up where ever Harry is, and trying to curse him."
"It's nothing I can't handle." Harry retorted. "We better go or we're going to be late." Harry led them out into the grounds and followed the path down to Hogsmead.
Hermione and Ron saw them off out of sight before going back into the castle.
By the time Harry and Page got to Hogsmead the Night Bus was waiting for them.
"Ere Ern, its 'Arry Potter. Wha' choo in for?" Asked a tall skinny straw colour haired man. He had a flat cap on that was covering most of his spiky fringe and a white muggle shirt on with a badge of the front that read 'Stan Shunpike'.
"I'm going to the Ministry, just an appointment." Harry told him, while Page paid Stan and pushed Harry onto the triple-decker bus.
As soon as they sat down the bus shuddered and took off with a loud BANG! Both Page and Harry clung onto the back on of the seat in front of them as the bus jerked this way and that. Within seconds they came to a halt and were right outside the Ministry of Magic.
Stan opened the bus door for them as they made their way to the unused phone box.
Page and Harry squeezed in and waved goodbye to Stan and Ern, and with that Harry and Page saw the bus disappear into the heart of London.
Page dialled the usual numbers six; two, four, four and two on the phone dialling pad, and waited for the voice.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, please state your purpose and name." Said the cool female voice, just after Page had dialled in the numbers.
"Miss Page Quinn and Mr Harry Potter here on a summons to Level 4, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau." And with that two badges came out of the change box and Page and Harry pinned them on front of their robes.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic" Said the cool female voice. "All visitors must report to the desk for their wands checked at the security desk which is at the far end of the Atrium." The phone box jerked and slowly sank underground. It grew steadily darker, and at the bottom of the phone box a bright light started to show from beneath them, as the Ministry was starting to come into view.
Wizards and witches were busy milling around, going hither to thither, with their robes billowing behind them.
The phone box came to a stop, and Page and Harry managed to squeeze out of it unceremoniously and headed off towards the security desk.
"Hello, we are here to have our wands checked." Page asked a grumpy looking wizard with fraying robes as his head was buried in the Daily Prophet. He unwillingly put down the paper, and took Page's wand as dropped it onto the scales.
"Willow, eleven and a half inches, dragon-heart string core, been in use for twenty-seven years." He said gruffly, pulling out a long piece of thin parchment and handing her wand back to her. Harry placed his wand on the scales as well, and waited for the results.
"Holly, eleven inches, phoenix feather core, been in use five years?" Harry nodded and the wizard gave him back his wand.
Page quickly led Harry away from prying eyes, and headed towards the lifts.
There was a small queue of people waiting for the crystal clear lift to appear. Page looked up and saw a couple of flying parchments fluttering above her. She looked at Harry; he saw what she was looking at and mouthed the word "memos". Page winked at him to make sure she understood him. At that moment the lift came swiftly from the depths of the ministry and briskly opened for them all. It was a little cramped, but as the levels approached the wizards and witches dispersed.
"Level four Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau." Said the cool female voice again. The lift stopped and its colourless glass door opened as Page and Harry stepped out.
Harry followed Page to the end of the corridor, and sat down on a seat while Page went to check their times at the desk.
Page called Harry over to her and Harry followed her in what looked like a classroom. It has been the same room that Page went into the last time she was called into the ministry.
"Welcome Miss Quinn, Mr Potter, please take a seat." Said a young portly wizard with bright green robes. "Im Finniest Porter, but you can call me Fin." He stepped out of the way, and there were three other people in the room with them. "This is Harriet Diggle," he said indicating to a slim horse-faced woman, which horribly reminded Page of Petunia Dursely. She was wearing canary yellow and sea blue robes with a mauve shawl wrapped around her neck. "Jamie Picking". Who raised a hearty hand and waved at them. He was also a young wizard, but was wearing muggle clothes. "And Delores Umbridge." Page shot a scared look at Harry, who was eyeing her with the deepest of hatred Page had ever seen.
"I believe me and Mr Potter have already met." She smiled sweetly her sickly sweet voice echoing in Page's head. Her toad like mouth stretched as far as it could go. She was wearing a bright pink robe with a matching pink bow in her hair.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her rudely. Harry then stopped and sharply turned around. "Did you hear that?" He asked Page. She was a little worried about his abrupt question. "It sounded like hooves." He flickered a look at Umbridge who was looking at him in disgust. She giggled a stupid girly laugh, but after this she said nothing to Harry or Page and now and again Page saw her quickly look over Harry to make sure there was nothing there.
"Right well, if you were not clear on why you were sent here I'll go over the basics." Began Fin "We are here to talk about your new er gift Harry. I believe that it was handed down to you by miss Quinn here, would you mind explaining it to us, you know, what you 'see'." He said after he saw Harry's puzzled face.
"Um well, I er see visions of the following day or week, or the outcomes of the School Quidditch matches." Harry said after Page gave him a worrying look.
"I see, well in reports I have here," Fin said brandishing a bottle green folder which was full of parchments, "it says that you have been possessed by you-know-who. Would you care to explain?"
"Say something!" Page heard Sirius in her head.
"Em well er, how did you hear Harry had been possessed? Unless you have hard evidence-" Page began but Harriet Diggle cut in.
"We do, we have had many reports on Mr Potter who has claimed to be taken over by you-know-who and also that he speaks what you-know-who has been saying." Page was stunned on the information, which was given. Page just wished she could stop time and curse all of them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Page saw Harry fidget uncomfortably in his chair.
"If you say Harry has been possessed, why would it bother you?" Page asked them. Page saw Umbridge smile and whisper something in Harriet's ear, which made both of them, laugh.
"I think it's important on what information Harry seems to create from all of this." Blurted out Jamie Picking. Without any hesitation Harry got to his feet, "They are not creation's. I told her last year" Harry said pointing to Umbridge "that Voldemort was back, and she didn't believe me! She made me write out 'I must not lie' on the back of my hand." Harry showed them the scar to prove it. "If you think I'm lying, give me some veritaserum and I'll prove to you that everything I say is the truth. You people have no idea what I go through. None of you do. Don't you dare call me a liar." Harry sat down; everyone was taken aback by Harry's abrupt manner.
"Harry that's enough." Page said to him. "Although Harry has made a valuable point. Why don't you give him veritaserum?"
"That's an excellent idea." Fin said with a cheery smile.
"I hardly think so Fin, " Umbridge began. "No doubt Mr Potter will lie out of it." She leaned back on her chair and smiled a sickly smile.
Page wished so hard for it to be wiped off her face.
"Nonsense Delores. Harry you wouldn't mind would you?" Fin asked him. Harry shook his head. "Right then, I'll send a memo to a friend of mine who will im sure send us some Veritaserum right away." Fin said with a smile, he produced a quill and parchment from his wand and began writing; after he finished the parchment folded itself up and flew out of the door.
After a couple of silent minutes, a dumpy looking wizard with white hair came into the room with a small bottle of white misty-looking liquid.
"Here you go Fin. When you've finished with it, just pop down and put it on my desk." He said handing over the veritaserum to him.
The man left the room. It was quite, too quite. Page looked at Harry, he was still looking at Umbridge, not taking his loathing eyes off her.
"Right then, shall we continue, Harry does have homework to do." Page said finally. "Yes of course." Fin said. He pulled the cork out of the bottle, and went towards Harry. "Now it will make you a little woozy, but not to worry it doesn't last long, maybe about five minutes or so. Tongue out please Mr Potter." Harry obeyed him, and Fin put a drop of the veritaserum on his tongue.
Page saw Harry's eyes roll back, and he looked very calm and relaxed.
"Right now Mr Potter, tell me everything you know about you-know-who?" Fin asked him gently as he sat back in his seat.
Harry took a deep shuddering breath.
"Voldemort came back two years ago in July. Cedric and me got pulled by a portkey to a graveyard where Voldemort's house was. Wormtail performed a spell on me, and cut my arm open to pour my blood into this cauldron, which, would bring back Voldemort. Wormtail used his hand, as the 'flesh of a servant' and the bones of Voldemort's father to help bring him back. Cedric got killed then and there when we arrived.
I was tied to Voldemort's father's tombstone and Wormtail gagged me.
After all the ingredients were in the cauldron, Wormtail placed Voldemort's body into it, and after saying the spell Voldemort had come back to his full strength, he had his body back and his power.
All the deatheaters were there, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Macnair, Nott and Barty Crouch." Harry looked up at the stunned faces of the room, Page included.
"He's lying," Umbridge said. "Mr Crouch was a respectful wizard-"
"He can't be lying Delores." Fin said in a harsh tone. "Why do you say Barty Crouch Harry?" Fin asked him and yet again Harry took a deep breath and continued.
"It was Mr Crouches son who was a deatheater, it was him who sent up the dark mark using my wand at the Quidditch World Cup, and Mr Diggory convicted Mr Crouches house elf Winky and he freed her."
"Another
lie, Mr Crouches son died when he was in Azkaban." Umbridge
retorted. "He is not lying Miss Umbridge, he is has taken the
veritaserum, so don't you dare say he's lying. Continue Harry,
what happened in the graveyard?" Page asked him fearful of the
answers he was about to reveal.
So Harry told them in detail,
everything, even the connection of the two wands, and Harry's
parents and Betha Jorkins and Cedric Diggory. How he managed to get
away from Voldemort and the deatheaters, and take Cedric's body
back to Hogwarts. And also about Barty Crouch who was impersonating
Alastor Moody. And also what happened in December, and all the times
Voldemort had possessed him what Harry felt and heard.
When he
had finished he looked exhausted. He slumped in his chair Page helped
him, and turned to look at them all.
"That is the truth, Harry cant lie. It's impossible. You have no idea what this boy goes though. And Delores Umbridge, I think you should be ashamed of yourself, your not fit to be apart of the ministry or of Hogwarts. You're worthless to everyone and any one. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to take Harry back to school so he can rest, that's if you need more information from him?" Page got up, but no one said a word to her as she left without another word.
When Page and Harry got back to school, Page took him straight to Gryffindor common room and laid him down on his bed, he instantly fell asleep. Ron then barged in, and ran towards Harry.
"Merlin's beard! Harry!"
"He's OK Ron, he just needs sleep, that's all. If and when he wakes up, can you tell him to come and see me please?" Page asked him as she was on her way out of their dormitory.
"Sure, but Professor, what happened?" Ron said, gaping from Harry to Page, he looked white as a sheet. "I'm sure Harry will tell you when he wakes up. Bye Ron." With that Page left and headed straight to Dumbledore to tell him everything.