Change of Heart

by Lplus

During the late summer of 1996 and the first term of his sixth year, Harry Potter wrestles with the machinations of his enemies, the growth of his powers and the consequences of a Change of Heart HT then HG also RHr COMPLETE at last.

21. Waiting for the Call

Ch 21: - Waiting for the Call

The next evening, Harry's generosity came back to bite him.

He'd left the great hall and was walking down one of the corridors on the way to the Gryffindor tower, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle detach themselves from the shadows and begin to follow him. He checked his wand and his protection charms, only to find he was missing his protection amulet!

Harry realised that the charm was of dubious use in the confines of the corridors, as it involved hurling him sideways away from the spell, but as a back up it had psychological value if nothing else.

Most of the students had already returned to their houses, but there were still one or two in the corridors. Harry was wondering just how Malfoy expected to attack him, with such a high chance of being seen. He was almost caught unprepared by the voice in his mind that quietly but clearly said:-

'IMPERIO'.

Harry felt the spell hit him as his mind floated away on a cushion of cotton wool.

Malfoy's quiet 'Come here, Potter.' was such an obvious instruction to obey, Harry couldn't believe he hadn't stopped to talk to Malfoy in the first place - until a second part of his mind burst through the doors of his consciousness and growled 'Cause Malfoy's a pillock. That's why.'

Harry almost stopped in his tracks, but with the spell broken, he had a mad urge to use the situation to annoy Malfoy further. He turned dreamily and walked slowly back to Malfoy with his best impression of a vacant look on his face. The students who were visible hadn't noticed; the imperio curse didn't produce a noise or a flare of any kind.

'Not so cocky now, are you Potter?' Malfoy sneered quietly, hiding his wand away.

'No, Malfoy.' he said submissively.

'Slytherin doesn't need your help, Potter!' spat Malfoy. 'We don't need your points!'

'No, Malfoy.' repeated Harry.

Malfoy sniggered and glanced at his two sidekicks.

'Well boys, what shall we get him to do?' he asked with a smirk

'Lick you boots?' queried Crabbe, slowly.

'Er – lick all our boots?' muttered Goyle.

'Morons!' hissed Malfoy, ' All of Slytherin do that! We want something more humiliating! Much more humiliating! But it can't look like Potter's under a curse.

'Won't he be able to tell everyone afterwards' asked Goyle, straining his brain to it's limits'

'I'll tell him to forget, idiot! He'll still be under the curse!'

'Oh'

Malfoy shook his head in disgust. 'Now then Potter, this is what I want you to do –'

Harry decided he'd heard enough, he was about to burst out laughing.

'Sod off Malfoy!' he chuckled.

Malfoy leaned back as if he'd been struck.

'If Voldemort can't get me to obey the Imperius curse, what hope have you got?' asked Harry. 'Ask your Daddy, next time you visit him in Askaban, he was there.'

He looked at Crabbe and Goyle, 'So were your dads, weren't they!'

All three were now looking at Harry with enough venom in their eyes to kill a fair sized city. Harry was beginning to wonder whether they would lose control and try to attack him without getting their wands out. He took a few steps back.

Crabbe was the first to break, though without using a wand, he could only manage a random burst of magical power that Harry easily deflected back at him with the protego spell. Crabbe was flung backwards and slammed against a wall.

Harry took the initiative and disarmed Goyle, who was still raising his wand.

That left Malfoy, who had his wand out and was opening his mouth to utter the first words of a curse when Harry's petrificus spell bound him. Harry had only had time to think of the spell, but there was still enough power to constrict Malfoy's movements completely.

Harry stood, pointing his wand negligently at Goyle, who had dropped on to his knees to pick up his wand. A couple of students were approaching warily; it appeared they were Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.

'Not a good idea, Goyle,' he murmured. 'Leave the wand and check on Crabbe - and don't play with his wand either.' Goyle snarled silently, but did as he was told.

Harry stepped forward in front of Malfoy. 'A little misunderstanding, I think, - don't you agree, Draco? - Old boy?'

Malfoys eyes quivered with fury.

'Of course I could tell the Headmaster that you used the Imperius curse on me, couldn't I?'

Still Malfoy quivered with fury.

'Your wand would give you away. - You didn't know that, - did you?' Malfoys eyes had stopped quivering and begun to look frightened. 'It most assuredly would, believe me. You three might find it better to leave your wands behind in Slytherin - to stop you acting rashly, so to speak.'

Harry looked at the approaching Parvati and Lavender. 'Finite' he muttered.

Malfoy staggered slightly, then looked round wildly, taking in his cowering friends and the approaching Gryffindors. Parvati and Lavender had both got their wands out, and were looking curiously at Harry and the Slytherins. 'Come on, you two,' he snarled, almost kicking Crabbe to his feet, then he sped off down the corridor, gown flying behind him like an enormous bat trying to keep up with a hurrying vampire. Goyle staggered away after him, trying to support the crippled Crabbe.

'Trouble, Harry?' asked Parvati. Lavender stood behind her, smiling slightly.

'A bit, - Yeah. - Sorry I couldn't save some for you two to handle.'

'Parvati smiled at him.' No problem, Harry - we're not too keen on handling naughty boys unless we have to.' she hesitated, then smiled archly, 'Well, - not Slytherin ones anyway.' She brushed past him, followed by Lavender, who winked at Harry as she drew level.

Harry gulped. He remembered ignoring Parvati at the Yule Ball, almost two years ago; she'd been more or less cool towards him ever since.

Parvati smiling at him in that fashion was a new development...that he wasn't at all sure he was equipped to deal with.

- o -

Back in the common room, Harry looked round for Hermione and Ron. They'd left the great hall before him and they were sitting in a corner, books in front of them, starting on Ron's homework. He walked over to them, grabbed a spare chair and sat down, elbows on the small table they were using.

'Harry?' asked Hermione, seeing his worried look. 'Are you alright?'

'Yeah mate, what's up?' added Ron.

'Malfoy.' muttered Harry.

Hermione's eyebrows rose.

'Tried the Imperius Curse on me.'

'What?' Ron and Hermione exclaimed as one.

'Stupid idiot. Remember I could throw it off year before last?'

They both nodded.

'I - er - even threw it off when Voldemort tried it on me.'

Mouths dropped open. 'You never told us about that, mate.' murmured Ron.

Harry shrugged. 'There's few things you don't know, Ron, and believe me, you don't want to.'

'So what happened?' asked Ron.

'I threw it off easily, and pretended I was under. He was going on about Slytherin not needing points! Then he was going to try to set me up to do something.'

'And?..'

This was Ginny, who had appeared out of nowhere and joined them. Harry glanced at her.

'I told him to sod off, and wound him and his gorillas up about their dads...Crabbe blew up and tried to curse me without his wand, then I disarmed Goyle and froze Malfoy before he could curse me!'

'Is he still there?' asked Ginny, a vengeful look on her face.

Harry shook his head. 'I threatened to tell Dumbledore, then let them go.'

Ginny looked sulky for a second, 'And they just went?'

'Lavender and Parvati turned up.' said Harry, nodding to the two sixth year girls across the room.

Parvati waved, smiling. Lavender was grinning from ear to ear behind her. Harry waved back and smiled.

'Those two!' hissed Ginny, 'They couldn't fight their way out of a mist patch.'

Hermione snorted with laughter, though Ron was looking more appreciative of Parvati and Lavender.

'They were in the DA and they could keep Crabbe and Goyle out of my way; that's all the help I would have needed,' murmured Harry. He was slightly shocked at Ginny's vehemence.

She growled quietly and Harry was reminded of her Patronus - and Dora's warning of so long ago that he should be afraid of her.

Hermione and Ron looked quite surprised too. 'What're you going to do Harry?' asked Hermione, as she stared at Ginny.

'Nothing, though I'd reckon you'd better keep your eyes open, and can you tell your spies to keep well out of Malfoy's way, Ginny?' She nodded, but Hermione didn't seem to want to let it drop.

'You've got to tell the Headmaster, Harry!'

Harry sighed. 'I suspect he knows, Hermione, he seems to know most things around here, and I bet an unforgivable curse is going to register on one of his instruments.'

Hermione looked at Ron and Ginny, then back to Harry. 'Have you heard anything about the Cruciatus curse, Harry?'

Harry looked down at the table. 'No, nothing.' he said quietly.

Hermione touched his hand. 'It'll be alright, Harry.'

He looked up and smiled wryly. 'It'd better be.' he muttered.

- o -

Care of Magical Creatures had been going slowly. Both the other groups were still struggling a bit with the detail of the illnesses of the Hippogriff but, once more, Hermione had managed to impress Hagrid sufficiently to allow her group to go slightly early. Harry had been surprised though, when Hagrid had grabbed him and asked him to check out the thestral in the end box. How Hagrid knew he could see them Harry wasn't sure, but still knowing only a little about them meant that any examination was going to be pretty meaningless.

Approaching the box, Harry peered in. The thestral seemed perfectly healthy - but there was a person in the box who was skulking at the back in a very unhealthy fashion; Charlie Weasley.

Harry was about to walk away, when Charlie hissed at him. 'Harry! - Get in here, I need to talk to you!'

A pause

'Please.'

Harry looked up and down the row of boxes, the rest of his class were still busy at the other end of the row. He unlatched the door and slipped into the box.

'Okay, Charlie,' he murmured. 'What's the problem?'

Charlie looked embarrassed. 'Harry, - I want to say - I'm sorry for tearing into you in Dumbledore's office. It was just that - well -'

'I heard.' said Harry flatly. 'Remus told me, straight after.'

Charlie seemed to relax slightly. 'I also didn't realise that, well - you and Dora -'

Harry sighed heavily. 'Yeah, - well, - How did you find out? Ginny?'

'Ginny? - No. - Dora told me, last night. She's getting better all the time, Harry!'

'Good. I'm pleased for you both.' Said Harry, trying to inject some enthusiasm into his voice.

Charlie started to smile at him. 'Thanks. Er - Dora's wondering when you're going down to London to see her?'

Harry suddenly found the Thestral to be a fascinating animal to study as he tried to decide how to explain just how he felt. At last he turned back to Charlie.

'Not for a while, not unless I have to go down to the Ministry. You know I had to use the Cruciatus curse?' Charlie nodded 'I'm being investigated, even though Dumbledore said I could.'

Charlie was silent.

'So, Tell Dora I'm ecstatic she's improving, will you? I might get to see her, but well, - who knows when.' A thought struck him. 'How come you call her Dora?'

Charlie chuckled. 'Well, actually she asked me to. – I think she really liked you calling her that.' He coughed in a slightly embarrassed manner. 'She'd really like to see you, Harry.'

Harry sighed. 'I'd like to see her too, but – well, you know - things aren't the same….'

Charlie nodded slowly, but said nothing.

Harry turned to leave the box, but Charlie put a hand on his arm.

'Hang on Harry, there's another thing I wanted to ask you about. What do you know about Dean Thomas?'

Harry stared at Charlie. 'Dean?' he asked.

'Yeah, Dean.' growled Charlie.

'Which Dean?' asked Harry slightly desperately.

Charlie stared back at Harry. 'The Dean that's going out with Ginny?'

There was an edge to Charlie's voice. Harry gulped.

'Oh, that Dean!'

'Yeah, Harry, that Dean. Now, what's going on?'

Harry licked his lips. He didn't want to get Ginny into trouble with Charlie; dammit, he didn't even really want to get Dean into trouble with Charlie, after all, Ginny had approached Dean, not the other way round. Trouble was, the little green god was sitting on his shoulder, whispering in his ear.

The truth, Harry decided, just the truth.

'Nothing's "going on" Charlie, as far as I know.' he said, with a dry mouth.

Charlie looked dubiously at Harry. 'But they are going out?'

'Well – yeah – they're going out but, well, that doesn't have to mean a lot.'

Charlie stood looking at Harry for several seconds more. 'No' he murmured, 'It doesn't…. Sorry, Harry. It's not fair on you to ask that sort of thing.'

Harry looked away, thinking that Charlie didn't know the half of it.

'I'd better go back to the Castle, Charlie.' he said. 'Would you give Dora my – best wishes – when you see her?'

Charlie started to retreat into the back of the thestral's box. 'Yeah. I'll tell her Harry. Take care.'

Harry nodded, stepped past the thestral and out of the box, into the watery late autumn sunshine.

- o -

The Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff third years brought the same sort of results as the Gryffindor and Slytherin lesson. None of them managed to produce a Patronus, although several came close - one or two came very close.

Harry had decided that the Patronus charm was a lot less advanced than the Ministry made out when it set the syllabus for OWLs. Of course, using the charm for real was a completely different thing, but learning it early seemed to be a sensible idea. Achieving the power to use it against a dementor would come, or not, when it was ready.

Harry was heading for Professor McGonagall's classroom for double transfiguration, when the unmistakable figure of the Headmaster appeared at the end of the corridor. Harry slowed as he approached the Professor.

'Harry,' began the Headmaster, 'Are you on your way to a class?'

Harry's heart lurched; was it Dora? Voldemort? The Ministry?

'Yes, Professor.' he said, trembling inside. 'Transfiguration.'

Dumbledore looked at him closely for a few seconds before chuckling slightly. 'Do not worry, Harry. Nothing untoward has occurred. Very well, please come to my study after classes.'

Harry nodded and watched as Dumbledore stalked away along the corridor. It had to be important, even if it wasn't urgent, whatever the Headmaster said. He wondered what had happened now.

All through transfiguration, part of Harry's mind pondered on what the Headmaster wanted to see him about. Once or twice, the whole of his mind was pondering, which caused one or two slight hiccups in his practical work.

At the second scathing comment from McGonagall, Harry finally managed to concentrate sufficiently to complete the tasks. Even then, McGonagall had give Harry and additional three pages of essay to write - on the subject of concentration.

Muttering under his breath, Harry knocked on the Headmaster's door and walked in. Dumbledore was sitting by the fire, considering one of his more intricate instruments. Harry remembered that instrument reacting the last time the Headmaster had tried Legilimens on him. It hadn't reacted when Snape had looked into his memory though; perhaps it hadn't been switched on. Dumbledore waved Harry to the chair opposite, on the other side of the fire.

'Good afternoon, Harry' murmured the Headmaster. 'I hear you are getting quite good at throwing off the Imperio Curse.'

Harry started, but relaxed again almost immediately. He'd been the one who'd said Dumbledore knew about it!

'Yes, Professor.'

'So good that you didn't feel it necessary to inform me?'

Harry cringed inside, either answer was going to make him look a twit. Boldness, Potter, he thought.

'Yes, Professor.'

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose a couple of millimetres but his eyes were smiling. 'Well, after Lord Voldemort, I suppose Draco Malfoy is a mere bagatelle.' Harry saw the twinkle in the Headmaster's eye and relaxed slightly.

'What exactly happened Harry?' asked Dumbledore.

Harry described Malfoy's use of the curse on him, and the ensuing exchange of pleasantries. By the end Dumbledore was smiling slightly and nodding sagely.

'So,' he said, 'Are you wearing your amulet?'

Harry nodded.

'Good. As Alastor so often says – constant vigilance!'

Harry was amazed that Dumbledore was taking it so calmly. 'How did you find out, Professor?' he asked.

Dumbledore placed a small plug of purple tobacco in his pipe, snapped his fingers, and lit the pipe with a small flame that suddenly issued from his right index finger.

'Harry, I have in this room some of the finest dark magic detectors that patronage can obtain. A few of them you have begun to cover in your NEWT level Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons.' Harry nodded. 'Others are above even ENEWT level. I seem to remember you have a collection of early instruments at home.'

Harry nodded again.

At least three of these can detect the Unforgivable Curses, and two can detect the beginnings of the curses, even if they are not completed.'

Harry looked up, startled. 'Do they record it, Professor?'

'In a way, Harry. That is why I have no doubts about your story of the fight. Your warning spell is a modification of the same principle, although no recording is possible.

'So you can prove to the Ministry that Bellatrix LeStrange tried to kill me!'

Dumbledore shook his head. 'It is more complex than that, although I believe I can convince the Ministry that was the case.'

'More complex? Professor?'

'The question is more whether you should have used the curse at all. Yes I know I told you to.' Harry was about to interrupt, 'and the Ministry did not countermand me but the question has been asked. In some ways I believe this is an attempt to inflict damage on me, as much as on you.'

Harry was silent for a while, but another thought struck him. 'I thought the Aurors were given permission to use the unforgivable curses, in self defence.'

'They are, Harry, although only in time of war.'

'But we are at war, Professor!' exclaimed Harry.

Dumbledore stared at the fire. 'We are indeed at war and I am not seriously worried about either of us, but there is an element of doubt - and I have a feeling there is something else behind this display of vindictiveness.'

'Umbridge,' muttered Harry.

'Yes, but more than her hatred of you and me.'

Dumbledore lapsed into silence and gazed into the fire. Harry waited for a minute or two before standing up. Dumbledore seemed to realise he was still present.

'Before you go, Harry, how are the Third years taking to the Patronus charm?'

Harry hesitated before answering. 'Better than I expected, Professor. Quite a number of them could manage to produce a corporeal Patronus, in the classroom, if they practised hard.'

'I understand one did.'

'Yes, Professor, Pritchard.'

'You sound surprised,' chuckled Dumbledore.

'Well, - I suppose I am.'

'And yet he has a perfect happy memory to use, has he not?'

Harry was frankly puzzled. 'I'm sorry, Professor, I don't quite follow you.'

Dumbledore stared at the fire again. 'I wonder what scenes of jubilation were played out as Pritchard's father returned to the bosom of his family, Harry.'

Harry thought of Pritchard and his mother and little sister welcoming home Mr Pritchard. Just for a second or so, he imagined himself and his mother, and a little sister very like Ginny welcoming home his father from prison. He felt a sudden ache in his heart, and a lump formed in his throat that threatened to choke him.

Harry could hardly talk. 'I'd better go, Professor,' he croaked.

Dumbledore looked at him and gently smiled. 'I believe we will have to go to London in the next two or three days, Harry.'

'Even at the weekend, Professor?'

'Oh yes. Weekends are the preferred time. Fewer Ministry personnel about to ask questions when the Minister meets undesirables such as you and me.'

Harry managed a small smile at the thought of being described as an undesirable.

The Headmaster stood and ushered Harry towards the door. 'You had better go back to you common Room, Harry. I will of course, inform you as soon as I hear anything - and Harry? I'll be having a word with Professor Snape this evening.'

Harry wondered just what Snape was likely to do to Malfoy. Assuming Snape was gathering information from Malfoy and his friends, he couldn't do a great deal to jeopardise the arrangement. Snape was already supposed to be trying to discover what plans had been in place on the day of the fight; Harry had little faith that anything would come of that either.

Walking back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry was unable to get the mental picture of himself and Ginny as brother and sister out of his mind. He knew it couldn't mean anything more than his wishing he'd had a family, but...

- o -

The rest of that week passed calmly enough.

Harry wondered if perhaps Snape had managed to exert a bit of control over his house after all, because even Malfoy was keeping out of Harry's way.

Katie got into a bit of a lather on the Thursday evening, though. She'd booked the Quiddich pitch for the Saturday afternoon and had reacted with extreme hostility to Harry's warning that he might have to be absent.

'Harry!' she stormed. 'If you don't make practice, I'm not including you in the team for our first match!'

Harry shrugged. He really wanted to play, but if push came to shove, defending himself against Umbridge was slightly more important than his quiddich game.

'Okay, Katie.' he murmured sadly, 'If that's the way it's got to be, so be it. You've still got Jack, haven't you?'

Katie couldn't believe Harry would just accept her ultimatum. She just nodded once.

'Good,' continued Harry, 'I'll lend Alison my Firebolt anyway - so she should be able to outpace Cho Chang.'

'What about Ginny Weasley?' asked Katie, hesitantly.

Harry sighed. 'I'll see, depends if she wants to use my GTA.'

'I'll make sure she does!' muttered Katie.

Harry just shrugged and was about to walk away when Katie called him back.

'They'll need the brooms for Saturday, if you're not going to be able to practise.'

Harry raised his eyebrows.

'To get used to them properly; - you remember what happened at the trials, don't you?'

Harry smiled to himself at the memory of Ginny losing to Alison because she couldn't control his broom.

'Okay, Katie. Tell them to collect them on Saturday morning if I can't be there for the afternoon. If I've already gone, Ron can deal with it.'

- o -

As the Headmaster had predicted, the call to the Ministry came early on Friday evening, just after dinner. The so called Preliminary Investigation had been set for Saturday afternoon, although the Headmaster had admitted that it might not occur until the Sunday, so they would possibly have to stay in London. Harry wondered if he'd get a chance to visit Grimmauld Place, to see how Dobby and Winky were getting on.

Katie took the news surprisingly calmly, only swearing once, but Harry knew she felt terribly let down – by fate, if nothing else. Hermione and Ron had rallied round Harry, to the extent that he felt slightly suffocated. Ginny had simply waved as she sat with Dean, Neville and Seamus. In the end, Harry decided to take himself up to the dormitory, where he lay back thinking of the fight and trying to think of ways he might have avoided using the Crucio curse. There didn't seem to be any, - that didn't involve him dying, anyway.

Eventually he slept.

- o -

Harry spent the next morning becoming more and more edgy. Everyone else seemed to be busy. He'd gone over to classroom 14 far a while, but couldn't settle down to anything useful. He'd stood staring out of the window at the scudding clouds and the few brave souls who'd gone to watch the Hufflepuff practice session. Occasionally, his glance strayed to the right, towards the woods at the base of the mountain and the place where he'd been within a second or so from death, yet again. Eventually he returned to the common room, to sit with Hermione and Ron.

Harry had already made sure Alison Linney had his Firebolt, with strict instructions not to break it (or herself.) She'd taken the broom reverently and promised earnestly that she'd be careful. He sat waiting for at least an hour for Ginny to turn up to ask for his GTA, but at last, deciding that Katie hadn't prevailed over Ginny's pride, Harry rather sadly gave up and trudged up to his dormitory to wait for lunch. The Headmaster had told him they'd be using a portkey, so a quick lunch would be possible before they left.

As the morning wore on, Harry became less and less interested in lunch until the idea positively revolted him. Just as he was summoning the energy to go down to the common room again, Harry heard a knock and was stunned to see Hermione peering round the dormitory door.

'Are you decent, Harry?' she hissed.

He stood up, automatically looking round the dorm, even though he knew he was the only one there.

'Yeah! But - what on earth are you doing here?'

Hermione looked behind her and Harry could hear her talking to some one else.

Eventually she moved to one side, and Ginny tiptoed furtively, into the dorm.

'Harry?' she said, hesitantly, 'Can I -er - please - may I borrow your GTA?'

Harry sighed. 'I was just about to go down to the common room, Ginny, you didn't have to come up here…. What would - Dean - say?'

A strange look flitted across Ginny's face.

'He's gone to the library,' she muttered.

Harry just regarded her silently for several seconds, before picking his best broom up from beside his locker and handing it to her.

'Be careful.' he said.

'Don't worry,' she said slightly huffily. 'I won't break your new broom.'

Harry glanced down self-consciously.

'I - er- wasn't worried about the broom.' he said then looked up furtively, wondering suddenly what effect his statement would have.

Ginny just smiled for a second. 'Thanks, Harry,' she murmured, 'Take care in London, and don't let that - Umbridge get to you.'

'I'll try not to - ' he began, but was silenced as Ginny suddenly hugged him tightly.

'I'll be thinking of you,' she whispered, 'and if you get to see Dora, give her my love, would you?'

Harry was so surprised, he could only nod to Ginny as she grabbed his broom and hurried out. Hermione stood for a moment looking quizzically at Harry, before following Ginny down the stairs.

When he went down shortly after, neither of them was anywhere to be seen.

- o -

Harry was first at the lunch table. He'd decided that he'd try to eat something but even his favourite steak and kidney pie couldn't tempt him to eat more than a few mouthfuls. Eventually he gave up and went back to Gryffindor to get his overnight bag for the trip, in case he didn't get to his house, and then trudged down to the headmaster's study.

Ginny hadn't turned up in the great hall before he left, so he couldn't say anything to her. As he knocked on the door to the Headmaster's study, he reflected that it was probably a very good thing.