A/N: This chapter was released later than intended. Uni has only recently resumed back and it's been crazy balancing school with work while still trying to find time to write.
However, I'll try to get the subsequent chapters out faster. I'm trying to work up a couple of them even much faster and post them on my patreo/n for early access.
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Uy Scuti
A warm heat soaked the top of his back, sinking into his bones, to the tip of his fingers and toes. The sound of sizzling and cracking cut into the stillness of the night.
Harry opened his eyes. Sue sat before the grate, tending to the crackling flames.
Wait, was it all a dream?
He dragged himself toward her. The orange and blue flames hissed at him. Something shiny twisted and shifted beneath, spitting and cracking, trapped in the fire under the grip of Sue's wooden stick.
Harry sat upright against marble-wall, cross-legged across the grate. Sue's gaze never wavered from the fire, her orange eyes locked against the substance struggling in the flames.
But Sue has brown eyes.
A chill gripped Harry's spine as he shifted his gaze back to the fire. The thing within whimpered and cracked, a faint smell of helium washed over his nostrils.
"What is that thing?" Harry asked.
"Oh, that is Uy Scuti." Sue replied. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Is that even possible?"
This makes no sense at all.
"Oh, don't sound so bewildered Harry," Sue laughed. "All great constellations started out as little more than nothing, after all."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Sue didn't reply. Her attention was focused on the squirming substance which seemed to have doubled its effort to escape the flames, almost as if it knew it was being spoken about.
Harry scratched his hair, the heat was becoming unbearable, despite his level of tolerance.
The thing in the flames whimpered and Harry felt a tremor race through him. Sue's wooden stick trapped it firmly in place.
She must have placed fireproof charms on the stick.
"Why is this… thing —"
"Uy Scuti."
"Right," Harry shifted. "Why is this Uy Scuti in the fire?"
Sue's lips curved into a wide smile. Her head swiveled to Harry and held his gaze for the first time, orange eyes filled with mirth and amusement.
"Why, of course, to burn!"
Harry recoiled as if stung, his mind reeled at her words. Maybe all that fire did something to her head… Or my head.
"Stars don't burn, Sue."
"Of course they do!" Sue said. "They burn hydrogen and helium and when they run out of fuel, they burn out !"
Harry's gaze shifted to the still-struggling substance, held in the flames under Sue's grip. A faint yearning seized him.
"How long will it take for that to burn out?"
"Oh, not long now," Sue replied. "They usually go out in a loud explosion of fire, it'll be glorious!"
Harry's eyes lingered on the squirming substance and something stirred inside him. He didn't want it to burn out.
He grabbed Sue's stick but she held on with surprising strength.
"What are you doing, Harry? Let it burn !"
Harry ignored her and tugged. The wooden stick slipped from her grip.
Her orange eyes darkened to an angry red and the hairs at the back of Harry's neck stood on end. Sue's smile evaporated and was replaced with a frightening scowl. Her legs stretched as her body expanded. Feathers sprouted from her arms and smoke oozed from her ears.
This is definitely not normal.
"You should have let it burn, Harry." She screeched at him. "Now we do this the hard way!"
Her hand shot into the air and snatched the shiny substance. She turned and made a beeline for the fire. Harry moved to stop her. Sue snapped her fingers and a gust of wind pushed him to the floor.
Wandless magic, since when has she been able to do that ?!
Sue stepped into the fire as though it was a tub of warm water. She knelt and pressed the thing to the fire. Harsh, orange flames roared around her.
An intense wave of heat washed over Harry, burning and constricting. A flash of white light seared at his eyes and he flinched upright with a gasp.
"I see you're awake, Mr Potter," Madam Pomfrey's stern voice cut into the silent atmosphere of the hospital wing.
What the heck was that dream?
"Here, drink this." Harry cast a dubious look at the outstretched vial filled with brown, viscous liquid. Madame Pomfrey scowled.
"Drink it now or I will cast a body-bind on you and force it down your throat."
Harry returned her scowl but drank the potion. He shifted his head to look outside the window, to see traces of the orange-sun setting towards the direction of the Black Lake.
"What day is it, Madam Pomfrey?"
"It's September the 1st, term starts in a few moments."
"Huh?"
Madam Pomfrey shook her head at him, in sympathy. "Your magical reserves were empty when they found you. You were suffering from magical exhaustion."
The fire. I need to find a way to get stronger magically. I can't ever be trapped like that again.
"Your friend, Mr Corner, was the one who advised that you were brought here instead of St Mungo's."
"Where's Michael?" Harry asked. "Is he and the others alright?"
"Mr Corner is alright, as is Miss Turpin and Mr Zabini, Miss Li though is another matter."
A fresh stab of guilt lanced through Harry. He stifled it before it could fester.
It was her or me and it can't be me.
"What happened to Sue?" He asked, already aware of the answer. He had to play his cards right if he was going to shift suspicions away from him.
"She was found inches away from you, dead with a hole in the middle of her chest."
Harry mustered his best look of shock. "How?" He asked, keeping his voice low to mask his emotions.
"The aurors said it was some sort of rebounding spell cast by the Death Eaters, since they found two others dead like that. Some bodies were burnt beyond recognition though."
"That might have been me." Harry affected a scared and embarrassed tone. "I tried to use the Fire-Making Charm to fight them but it got away from me, I didn't mean to burn them like that. The fire almost killed me too!"
"Ssh, it's okay," Madame Pomfrey hushed. "You did the right thing, you brave boy. You fought those Death Eaters when some other cowards just ran and fled."
"They were coming after me and Sue, I didn't know what to do !" Harry added, doing his best to look as small as possible. Madam Pomfrey sidled to his bed and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You did well, Harry, you did admirably well, Slytherin House should be very proud of you."
She waved her wand over his head. "Your vitals are normal, you are free to go if you want to join the rest of the students at the welcoming feast."
Footsteps echoed near to the entrance of the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey stood to check the new arrivals. A moment later, Michael, Blaise and Lisa poked their heads through his curtains.
"Harry!" Lisa flew at him in a blur of raven-hair. Harry had just enough time to brace himself.
"Jeez, let the man rest will you?" Michael teased, but something in his voice gave Harry pause.
His cheer almost seems forced.
Lisa scowled and released herself from him, smoothing the newly-formed creases in her uniform. "Well, I'm glad you're not dead."
"Yeah, me too," Harry replied. He was in good spirits despite the auspicious occasion.
Blaise cleared his throat, his hands in his pockets. "Have you heard… about Sue?"
Harry nodded, unable to trust his voice not to betray him. He schooled his expression to a sombre one.
"The aurors couldn't identify the spell that killed her," said Lisa. "Dad said it was a spell they've never seen before, probably one of the Death Eaters."
"I didn't hear an incantation." Harry lied. "They were mostly using nonverbal magic."
"Sucks," Blaise said. "At least the bastards that killed her paid for it, did you recognize any of them?"
"There was Macnair," Harry admitted. "Their leader was someone named Alecto but I don't know anything about her beyond that."
"Alecto Carrow," Lisa said. "She pleaded Imperius Curse to get out of Azkaban after the war."
"Like the Malfoys then," Harry replied. "Maybe Lucius Malfoy was there at the World Cup with them, I hope the aurors caught him, Malfoy will stop mouthing about his father once he's disgraced."
"If Lucius Malfoy was among them, he was smart enough to avoid capture." Michael said. "A good number of the Death Eaters the aurors captured were actually foreigners and they didn't have the Dark Mark; the Daily Prophet is having a field day about it."
Harry frowned. There was something about the tone with which Michael spoke that niggled at him.
"Here is your uniform, Mr Potter." Madame Pomfrey deposited a pile of black fabric with a green tie at his bedside. "Professor Dumbledore asked me to inform you that you should see him in his office after the welcoming feast, the password is Acid Pops."
Harry nodded at her and turned back to his friends. "I'd see you guys at the feast."
"I'll save you a seat." Blaise promised. Harry nodded his thanks.
A plethora of black-robed students lined the corridors, all the way to the Great Hall. Harry squeezed in-between Blaise and Daphne Greengrass 'round the middle of the Slytherin table, just in time for the Sorting to begin.
"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Potter." Malfoy sneered. "I was hoping you died when I heard you weren't on the train, how disappointing."
Harry ignored him. Malfoy's bark is worse than his bite and this is not the time and place to smack him.
The sorted first-years squeezed onto the ends of the table.
Slytherin has just ten this year, all purebloods by the look of them.
A hush fell over the hall as Professor Dumbledore rose to speak.
"I have some very important announcements to make. Firstly, I would like us all to raise our goblets in the honour of Sue Li, a brave girl who met her demise standing against the forces of darkness."
Dumbledore reached for his goblet and raised it high in the air, almost everyone else mirrored him. The entire Ravenclaw table had their heads bowed in sombre silence and Harry could see some of the older students sobbing into their hands.
"It is sad to see Sue leave us so soon but let her sacrifice remind us that there are always those to stand with in the fight against evil. Let it be a reminder to us when the time comes to choose between what is right and what is easy."
Dumbledore trailed off for a moment as he threw a gaze around the hall, and then his blue eyes — which had seemed to hold that of everyone else, for a moment, in one pregnant pause — resumed its usual twinkle.
"I would like to welcome Professor Alastor Moody to our teaching staff. He will be taking over the role of Defence Against the Dark Arts."
A light applause echoed through the hall. Moody did not wave or acknowledge the applause in any way. His magical eye roved around, scanning the hall with relentless fervour. Harry felt a chill when the eye settled on him for the briefest of seconds.
That's certainly one to be wary of.
"Lastly, I have been told that it is my duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup has been suspended this year as well as the Duelling Club. This is due to the return of the Triwizard Tournament, which will be starting by October."
"So is anyone from Slytherin going to put their name down for the Tournament?" Pansy Parkinson asked.
"We're the house of the cunning and ambitious, not stupid," Nott replied.
"What do you mean?" Millicent asked, her huge, bushy brows furrowed in confusion.
"For Merlin's sake Bulstrode, don't you know anything at all?!" Malfoy sneered. Pansy and Daphne giggled into their hands.
"The tournament was discontinued because the death toll got too high." Nott said. "All the contestants — and a good number of spectators— kept dying before the end."
"Still, they'd have made it safer or something." Millicent shrugged.
I doubt that, but I'm still entering either way. It's a once in a lifetime chance.
"Heard what happened at the World Cup?" Tracey Davis asked.
"I was there," Daphne replied. "Mother left with Astoria before the commotion started."
"A lot of people were injured," said Tracey. "But no other Hogwarts student died except that Li girl from Ravenclaw."
"Serves that bitch right if you ask me."
"Pansy!" Millicent exclaimed, shooting nervous glances at Harry. Blaise's fists clenched but he didn't say anything.
Harry pictured a long, paintbrush moving in circles over a piece of paper.
I can't let it get to me. It's not my fault she died. It was either me or her.
The plates cleared. Harry stood, and wiped crumbs of bread away from his robes.
"Let's head back to the common room, Harry." Blaise said. "I've still got some unpacking and sorting to do."
"I'll catch you there later, I've got to meet with Dumbledore."
A quiet look of understanding passed between them and Harry turned and dragged his feet towards the other end of the hall.
He turned towards the Headmaster's office, a knot of dread tightening in the pit of his stomach.
Fooling Madam Pomfrey was a piece of cake; Dumbledore's the real deal.
"Acid Pops." The Gargoyle leapt aside to reveal the spiral staircase that led to Dumbledore's office. The door swung open before he could even knock.
"Ah, Harry." Professor Dumbledore stood at the entrance with a slight smile. "Come and have a seat."
The portraits, lined on the walls, chattered to each other. A few of them waved at Harry as he passed. Fawkes thrilled and preened, releasing sparks from the end of his feathers.
"Harry, I'm afraid I must ask you to relate what happened at the Quidditch World Cup to me." Professor Dumbledore said. "The aurors found you unconscious beside Miss Li's corpse, most of the other bodies they found were burnt beyond recognition."
"I don't remember much, sir." Harry said. "Mr Turpin told us to hide in the woods while he defended the Minister, but the Death Eaters followed us…" Harry paused and considered his next words. "They seemed to be after me."
Dumbledore's eyes sharpened and he sat a little straighter in his chair. "Did the Death Eaters say anything?"
"Their leader, Alecto, knew about my encounter with Voldemort. They wanted my blood. They came after me, not Neville."
Dumbledore steepled his fingers beneath his chin. "Lord Voldemort has contacted some of his Death Eaters, it seems."
"Does that mean he's getting stronger?" Harry asked.
"He is not yet up to full strength, of that I am certain," Dumbledore said. "But enough about Lord Voldemort, tell me what happened when you refused to surrender your blood."
Harry refrained from speaking until he was sure he could trust his voice. The chatter of the portraits seemed to have faded and the only thing he could hear was his own hammering heartbeat.
I have to get this right. The right amount of emotion.
"We traded spells with the Death Eaters," Harry replied. "Sue and I were cornered and I lost control of the fire and blacked out."
"Did you see the spell that hit Miss Li?"
"No sir," Harry lied. "I only found out about Sue when I woke up."
Something fluttered at the edges of his mind as he held the headmaster's gaze. The image of the Quidditch World Cup plains came unbidden into his mind. He saw a flash of red hit Sue and the mammoth of flames that escaped his wand. Harry forced the mental image of the paint-brush into the forefront of his mind, closing the connection.
Legilimency! He suspects something!
Professor Dumbledore stroked his silver beard with a hand.
"Forgive my intrusion, Harry. My curiosity got the best of me."
"It's alright sir," Harry nodded, trying to muster a polite expression.
"I must say I'm impressed by how far you've come in your Occlumency studies." Dumbledore said
Does he know I lied? Or maybe he suspects something.
"Thank you sir, my mother's diary was very helpful."
"Lily was very good at the Mind Arts. Alas it's getting late, Harry, you had best get to your dormitory." Dumbledore said. "A busy day tomorrow lies ahead."
"Alright sir."
"And Harry," Dumbledore said as Harry opened the door to leave. "Do try your best to stay out of trouble this year. The Triwizard Tournament will bring a lot of unfamiliar faces to Hogwarts this year, and we — for the most part — remain ignorant of what they know or their true intentions."
"I understand sir, I'll be more prudent."
The chill, night breeze ruffled his robes and hair the moment he stepped out from Dumbedore's office. Pale, moonlight filtered through the cracked windows, reflecting off a huge, bronze, set of armour at the end of the hallway.
Harry strode past the dozing portraits, their silent snores reverberating across the semi-empty corridors.
A shadow shifted to his side, robes fluttering and flapping in the treacherous wind. Harry paused before a large stone badger and turned. The shadows stilled.
"Who's there?" He narrowed his eyes at the empty corridor and took three steps forward.
A flash of blue light slammed into his side, pushing him back against the rough stone statue. He rolled over to dodge another spell. The statue smashed into pieces, spraying him a heap of debris.
Harry kicked to his feet and reached for his wand. His left sleeve felt empty against his skin.
Where is my wand?
"Looking for this?" Michael stepped out from behind the bronze knight, holding out a familiar piece of brown wood. A sharp glint hovered in his eyes as he pointed his wand at Harry.
"What are you doing, Michael?" Harry dived to dodge another bludgeoning spell. A low ringing noise, like the sound of a gong, echoed in his ears.
"I was stupid to ever trust you." Michael leveled his wand again at Harry, a faint blue light glowing at its tip. "I thought you were finally doing alright. I foolishly thought you were finally going to be happy with her."
"What are you talking about?!" Harry grunted as he threw himself to the side to avoid another barrage of Michael's spells.
"Protego," He stretched out his right hand and a faint blue shield rose to intercept another bludgeoning hex.
"I know what you did to Sue." Michael snarled. "The Aurors did not recognize the effects of the Fulminis spell because it's from the Black family Grimoire but I live with you at Grimmauld too, I recognized the effect of the spell and considered the possibility so I filched your wand when no one was looking and imagine my surprise when I cast Priori Incantatem on it."
Shit. Harry ran a hand through his hair and raised the other in appeal. His heart clammered fast against his chest.
"Let me explain, Michael—"
"Shut up!" Michael screeched. "You killed her and blamed it on the Death Eaters!"
"I had no choice!" Harry snapped. "The Death Eaters wanted my blood and I was already spent from using the Incendio spell, I was going to fall apart any moment if I lingered but the only way to finish him was through her."
"Crucio." The violent red beam tore through his shield like it was paper. A wave of intense pain flooded his insides, tearing through every ounce of Harry's willpower not to scream.
It felt like eternity for the pain to stop. Harry rolled upright and spat out blood through bruised lips. He jerked to his feet, trying to control his shaking feet.
"Stop lying." Michael punctuated every word with a punch. "Didn't I just tell you that I did Priori Incantatem on your wand, there was no incendio spell, you made that up, didn't you?"
"No," Harry whispered, trying to catch his breath. "There was a fire, I made it happen. But there was nothing I could do for Sue, it was either her or me."
"Crucio," Michael bellowed. Harry threw himself to the side to avoid the spell, his knees bouncing together at the impact.
"She was your friend," Michael screamed. "Don't you get it?! She loved you!"
He leveled his wand once more but, this time, Harry was ready for it.
"Cruci—"
"Expelliarmus." He snapped his fingers and both wands soared out of Michael's hand. Harry caught them and held them up to halt Michael's advance.
"Look," he said, taking a tentative step forward. "I know you're angry with me, but you have to understand, I did what I had to do to save myself, you would have done the same. It was all about preventing Voldemort from gaining a drastic advantage, there could have been no compromise! Sue was in the way. Didn't you agree with me last year that taking no quarter was the best approach to dealing with Voldemort?!"
"Pettigrew was a treacherous bastard!" Michael spat. "He deserved to die but Sue was your friend! She was your girlfriend!"
"Well, sometimes there are more important things than protecting a friend." Harry said. "What about the thousands of innocent people who will lose their lives if Voldemort should return to power? Many of them are muggles who have done him no harm !"
"Don't pretend to care for the lives of muggles," Michael snarled. "They're nothing to you. You only care about yourself and maybe I was stupid to think you were finally going to give love a chance for once—" He closed the distance between them a jabbed a finger at Harry's face. "—but no, you're still the stupid, selfish, paranoid, little boy I met at St Giles."
"Here we go again about love again!" Harry shouted. "What was Sue's love ever going to give me?! Will it grant me unrivalled power? Will it make me powerful enough to stop Voldemort?!"
"Love is power!" Michael said. "Friendship, loyalty, those bonds matter more than the strength of any spell you can cast ! I'd prefer to have a wand that is loyal watching my back than to have an all-powerful one that might betray me, wouldn't you?"
"I'd rather be powerful enough not to need their help in the first place," Harry replied.
Michael let out a sigh. "If that is truly your wish, then we have nothing else to discuss." He snatched his wand from Harry and turned back in the direction of the Ravenclaw Tower.
Harry watched his retreating figure for a moment, before stashing his wand. A dull, lingering ache seeped into his bones. He jabbed his wand at his ribs and winced
Michael is wrong, only power matters. He flicked his wand and the broken fragments of the stone statue sprang back together into one solid shape. And I'm going to become powerful enough that I won't need anyone else.
A/N: Do leave a review, if you like the story. I'd be posting the next couple of chapters, on my Patreo/n, over the next couple of weeks for early access. FFN updates will also come slightly faster, until the teaser ends. I'll try to update faster this time around. You're more than welcome to come and join my Discord, and any kind of support and contribution on patreo/n is immensely appreciated !
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