Ch 33:- Vengeance

At first sight, the four Modern Marauders didn't look too bad - at least they were now all conscious, but a second glance showed patches of scales and tentacles and fur and all sorts of other grotesque details; Dennis Creevey had trotters and his brother was green. Alison and Natalie both had boils and sores on their faces and Natalie had pointed ears – and nose!

It was all Harry could do to stop himself from charging downstairs into the dungeons and wreaking revenge right then. He was still struggling to remain calm as McGonagall swept into the hospital wing. She took a long slow look round, then addressed Harry.'

'Who did this, Mr Potter?'

'Malfoy, Professor.'

McGonagall looked deeply sceptical.

'On his own?' she asked.

'He had help, Professor,' said Harry through clenched teeth. 'Lots of help.'

McGonagall continued to look sceptical. 'Are you sure, Potter?'

Harry was about to scream at McGonagall that of course he was sure, but Colin got in first.

'There was more than a dozen, Professor.' he croaked, from his makeshift lily pad.

McGonagall came to a quick decision.

'Very well, I shall collect the other heads of house and go down to Slytherin to collect the culprits. If you could give us some names Creevey, I should be much obliged.' A thought obviously struck her. 'By the way, where is Miss Weasley? I thought she was coming back here?'

Heads were being shaken and shoulders of various shapes were being shrugged, when Harry had a sudden mental picture flash across the back of his eyeballs. A door, strangely melted, stood partly open, and in front of it Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson were slumped on the ground. Severus Snape stood in the foreground, wand raised and a rictus of hate on his face.

Harry's look of horror silenced all of them.

'She's in the dungeons, Professor!' He groaned. 'And I think she's in deep trouble!'

He was running before the echo of his words had died.

- o -

As Harry charged through the dungeon corridors, he saw no one except the occasional immobilised member of Slytherin, standing looking vacant or slumped in a corner. His memory of visiting the Slytherin common room disguised as Goyle led him straight to the common room door he had seen in his mind, but he could hear Snape's voice well before he turned the last corner.

Snape seemed to be gloating.

Harry slowed. Whilst Snape was gloating, Ginny was in little danger.

'And your parents, Weasley!' Snape was saying. 'Such a disgrace for such a pureblood family, to find their daughter has been thrown out of Hogwarts for brawling. Don't you thinks so? – But then, they don't act as purebloods should, so why should they care? – Hmmm?'' The oleaginous tones hardened suddenly 'Well? Answer me girl! Or has that unpleasant orange feline of Granger's got your tongue!'

'Give her to me, Professor, I'll see if she's got a tongue.'

Malfoy's voice sounded strained but triumphant, and as he approached the corner, Harry could hear him clearly. Obviously Malfoy had recovered at least some of his faculties.

'Be silent, you idiot boy.' hissed Snape. 'If you hadn't lost your temper because the Linney girl beat you, this wouldn't have happened at all!'

Malfoy's response didn't surprise Harry one bit. Whether or not Snape was spying on Malfoy or not, it seemed Malfoy considered Snape to be an ally of sorts.

'You'll regret that, - Professor!' Snarled Malfoy. 'You've been useful so far, but I'm telling you now, give me the girl, or you'll regret ever being born!'

At which point, deciding Malfoy had finally cracked, Harry stepped round the corner.

- o -

The sight that met Harry's eyes wasn't that much of a surprise.

Malfoy and his friends were now on their feet, still looking groggy and bearing a number of large and varied bat bogies. They had their wands out, and were standing behind the sneering Snape as he pushed his wand up under Ginny's chin, forcing her head back, and pointed her own wand at her face. They were still oblivious to Harry though, so the first they knew of his arrival was his shout of 'EXPELLIARMUS!'

Wands flew in all directions, but then all swerved towards him at his next shout; 'Accio Wands!'

As the wands slapped into his palm, he put all six into his pocket, then pulled out the small whippy wand he knew to be Ginny's and waved it and his at the stunned Slytherins.

Snape was the first to recover. He turned to Harry and advanced down the corridor with his hand out in the classic wizard pose.

'POTTER! You're – '

Harry had waved both wands and yelled 'IMMOBILUS!' - halting Snape as well as stopping Malfoy as he was reaching to grab Ginny, and preventing Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson from even getting their brains in gear. He rushed forward to touch his wand to Ginny's forehead and whisper 'Finite Incantatem' as he let enough power out to free her.

The first thing she said was. 'Give me back my wand, Harry!'

'What?'

'Give me back my WAND!' she yelled

'NO!' Harry yelled back. 'McGonagall's on her way! And you're deep enough in the dragon doo-doo already!'

He froze as another voice made itself heard.

'I am already here, Mister Potter. I have been right behind you the whole time!'

Harry looked round to see his housemistress standing not five yards away.

'How? – What? – Wh – How did you keep up, Professor?' he gasped. Ginny was looking almost as amazed.

McGonagall smiled frostily. 'Four paws are sometimes better than two legs, Mr. Potter.'

Harry remained flummoxed, and he showed it.

McGonagall simply miaowed. It was very realistic.

It was Ginny who moved first. She stepped in front of Malfoy and stared into his eyes, which immediately took on a haunted look. After a few seconds, Ginny broke the eye contact and turned to McGonagall. She reeled off a string of about fifteen or sixteen names, that included Baddock, - but not Bryant or Pritchard, Harry was interested to note.

'Those are the guilty Slytherins. Professor.' she said tonelessly.

'Thank you Miss Weasley, however that does not excuse your behaviour in invading another house and cursing its students! You are to go directly to my study! I will deal with you shortly!'

Ginny turned and walked away, head held high. She'd barely even looked at Harry, except to demand her wand, but as she reached the corner of the corridor, she turned and looked back at him. He could see a tear trickling down her cheek as she mouthed what looked like a 'thank you' – and then she was gone.

Harry turned back as the common room door opened slightly and a worried face peered out.

'Er, Professor Snape? – Professor Snape?' quavered the third year. It was Janine Bryant. She regarded Snape, Malfoy and the other Slytherins with a look of total bewilderment then she turned to look worriedly at Harry.

'Mister Potter?' she asked, pitifully.

'Don't worry, Janine,' he said as kindly as possible.

'Are Alison and Natalie all right? – It's just that, well, some of the others have been saying – ' she stopped in confusion.

'We know who was responsible, Miss Bryant.' said McGonagall, 'and the Gryffindors will recover.'

The girl looked relieved.

'I suggest you go back inside and wait a while, Bryant. I'm sure Professor Snape will be with you soon.'

The girl retreated and closed the door. McGonagall turned to Harry.

'Please go and get Professors Flitwick and Sprout, Mr.Potter, and Professor Moody, of course.' he nodded. 'And keep those wands safe. I want Professor Dumbledore to examine them.'

'Will you be alright, Professor?' asked Harry.

'After you've dealt with the situation so masterfully? Of course!'

He was halfway down the corridor before McGonagall spoke again.

'Mr. Potter?' she asked. 'How did Ginny Weasley know the names of the guilty Slytherins? Malfoy said nothing!'

Harry smiled wryly as he replied.

'She read his mind, Professor!'

- o -

As Harry hurried out of the dungeons and began to climb the stairs, he was pounced upon by a distraught Ron.

'Harry!' He gasped. 'Did you find her? Is she okay?'

'Yeah! Me and McGonagall got there before Snape or Malfoy could do anything, Ron, but she'd hexed a load of Slytherins, including Malfoy, and McG's sent her to her office.'

Ron was just about tearing his hair out, but Harry grabbed him and dragged him along on the way to Professor Moody's study.

'Er – Ron? Just where did you get to?' he asked, 'Didn't you didn't see Ginny on her way out?'

'No I didn't! I got lost down there!' Ron wailed. 'You and McG took off like scalded cats – well, McG WAS a cat - and I couldn't keep up!'

'But you've been to the Slytherin common room before?'

'That was four years ago, Harry! You might remember the way, but I don't. Bloody Hell, Mum's going to go spare and then some, if Gin's in trouble. She's already been on at me about Gin's poor grades!'

Harry slowed and turned to Ron. 'Poor Grades?'

'Yeah. Poor grades!' Ron looked thoroughly miserable. 'First her grades, and now this. Mum's going to kill me for letting her get into this kind of mess!'

Harry privately wondered just how out of touch Mrs. Weasley could be, expecting Ron to influence Ginny, but he kept his peace as he sent Ron off to McGonagall's study to talk to Ginny and then began hammering on Moody's study door.

- o -

Professors Moody and Flitwick were in their studies, but it took Harry a very long time to find Professor Sprout. She wasn't in her classroom, or in her rooms in the cellars close to the Hufflepuff common room. Harry had asked several people, but it was Justin Finch-Fetchley who had eventually suggested Harry try the greenhouses

When Harry finally found the diminutive professor, she was crooning to a patch of mimbulus mimbletonia. After racing through at least half the huge glass structures, he was both winded and slightly the worse for wear from the strange scents and pollens of the more esoteric herbage under cultivation. He slid to a halt and shook his head in an effort to clear away the effects of the herbs, before advancing carefully towards the Hufflepuff housemistress.

It didn't help.

Three Scourgify spells later, Professor Sprout and Harry were finally clear of the gooey green sap that had burst from the plants as Professor Sprout has stabbed one of them - when she twitched on finally hearing Harry's stumbling approach. Shaking her head and muttering imprecations about idiot Gryffindors, she had bustled off towards the Slytherin dungeons, leaving Harry to make his way back to Gryffindor and the Housemistress's study.

- o -

By the time Harry reached McGonagall's study, he'd been so long finding Professor Sprout and the others heads of houses that, according to one of the paintings on her wall, McGonagall had already been back and taken Ginny to the Headmaster's study. The painting appeared to be of one of the earlier housemasters of Gryffindor house, from at least a hundred years ago.

'Been gone for a while now, boy. The other boy was sent back to his common room.' The painting had muttered.

'Thanks' said Harry, deciding the 'other' boy must have been Ron. 'Did anyone else come in here?'

Thanks? – Thanks? THANKS? Thundered the portrait. 'What kind of word is THANKS?'

'Er – a word of gratitude, - er – Sir?' ventured Harry.

'Gratitude. - Yes. - Much better word!' The portrait subsided into a background muttering about the youth of today and how much better flogging round the quadrangle had been, and how they didn't have any IDEA how to speak properly these days and really the school was going to the dogs!

Harry gently closed the door and set off for the Headmaster's study, wondering whether Professor McGonagall had called the Headmaster to return immediately, or whether she needed to use the Headmaster's study in her official capacity as Deputy Headmistress, because she intended to expel Ginny!

Until now, Harry had been almost too stunned to do anything other than accept McGonagall's decision regarding some sort of punishment for Ginny. Now, however, the idea that Ginny might actually be expelled had, for some reason, got a toehold in his brain and his normal feeling of suppressed rage was creeping back, fresh from its short holiday and raring to go. A small voice was also beginning to make itself heard above the background babble of his thoughts; it was telling him that if Ginny was expelled, he was leaving too.

- o -

Surprisingly, the statue at the base of the stairs to the headmasters study didn't wait for a password before opening and lifting Harry to the Headmaster's door; even the door opened before he had time to knock. Taking heart from the subservient behaviour of these supposedly inanimate objects, he marched into the room and looked round. The Headmaster had indeed returned and was sitting at his desk studying a piece of parchment. Professor McGonagall was sitting in an armchair beside the fire; she was watching Harry as he approached and gently shaking her head. There was no one else in the room.

'Where's Ginny Weasley? Professor?' Harry asked, rather more truculently than he intended. He took Snape's and the Slytherins' wands from his pocket and placed them on the desk.

The Headmaster peered at them over his half moon spectacles and then appraised Harry silently. Eventually he spoke.

'Good afternoon, Harry. I am pleased to see you, too.' he murmured, before indicating a chair.

'Please take a seat, I shall not be long.'

The Headmaster returned his attention to the parchment, leaving Harry to stand and fidget. He saw McGonagall's stern gaze upon him, whereupon, by dint of a supreme effort, he managed to achieve a measure of stillness and sat down.

The Headmaster finally finished reading, signed the scroll and put it aside.

'Well, Harry?' he murmured. 'It seems you find it difficult to avoid hexing my potions master at every opportunity. I understand from Professor McGonagall here that he is presently in Professor Moody's study, threatening to tear you limb from limb.'

Harry glowered at the headmaster. 'That was self defence Professor!' he exclaimed. 'Professor McGonagall will back me up! He was about to attack me.'

Dumbledore glanced at McGonagall and raised and eyebrow. She nodded almost imperceptibly.

The Headmaster returned his attention to Harry.

'Very well, Harry, although I believe Professor Snape would disagree - since, apparently, his wand was in your possession.'

'Professor Snape would disagree if I said the sun rose in the east, Professor,' muttered Harry. 'and I doubt he absolutely has to have a wand to curse me!'

Dumbledore smiled slightly. 'That may be the case, although I have never seen him use magic without it.'

Harry snorted derisively. 'You don't need one, Professor, even I don't. I really doubt Snape does.'

Dumbledore regarded Harry thoughtfully. 'Only the strongest wizards are able to perform powerful spells without a wand, Harry.' he paused, as if considering whether to go on. 'Severus Snape is an exceptional potions master and a strong wizard; he is not one of the strongest, however.'

Harry gulped at the possible implication of the headmaster's statement. Desperate to change the subject, he returned to his original question.

'Where is Ginny Weasley, Professor?' he asked doggedly.

This time, Dumbledore glanced once more at McGonagall before answering.

'Miss Weasley is packing to return home by portkey.' he replied.

Anger blazed up in Harry's mind, burying any sense of self restraint, or self preservation for that matter.

'Well I'm leaving too, then!' he stated baldly.

McGonagall stopped breathing. Dumbledore looked at Harry inscrutably for ten seconds, whilst Harry's anger continued to build.

'Would you please explain yourself, Mr. Potter?' hissed McGonagall, finally.

Harry glared at them both as if they were completely insane.

'If you've expelled Ginny Weasley, I'm leaving Hogwarts.' he snarled.

Dumbledore's eyes changed ever so slightly, but his face remained impassive.

'I see, Harry, and where will you go?' he murmured.

'Home! - To Grimmauld Place. – I've money and a place to hide, what else do I need?'

This time it was McGonagall who spoke.

'You may find it rather lonely after the first year or so, Mr. Potter.'

Harry continued to glare, but McGonagall smiled slightly, annoying him even more.

'I think you may have misunderstood the Headmaster, Mr. Potter.' she continued 'Miss Weasley is merely suspended for a month.'

Harry deflated slightly, but his sense of grievance remained. A month would put Ginny's poor grades back even further. In her OWL year, being given tasks to carry out in the way Pritchard had been would be almost totally ineffectual. He was about to retort with a bitingly sarcastic reply, when a loud knock on the door was followed by Moody poking his head round it.

'I've finished interrogating Malfoy and his friends, Headmaster.' he growled 'Do you want to see them now?'

Dumbledore regarded Moody for a second or two, then returned his gaze to Harry.

'Yes, Alastor, I think the time has come,' he said, still looking closely at Harry. 'Please bring them in, in a few minutes or so - and you had better ask Professor Snape to step in here as well; – Mr Potter is just leaving.'

Harry shut his mouth with a snap and turned away from the Headmaster in disgust. If Malfoy didn't get at least a month's suspension too, he was still going to leave, and that was just that. Dumbledore would just have to lump it. He was halfway to the door before he heard the Headmaster's voice.

'I think you might have received an erroneous impression, Mr Potter.'

Harry stopped, but he didn't turn.

'Miss Weasley's suspension begins today, - and it will not take account of the holidays.'

Harry took a deep breath.

'I would also like you to leave Miss Weasley's wand please.' added McGonagall 'I will return it to her before I send her home.'

Harry let the breath out slowly. He returned and placed the wand on the Headmaster's desk then hurried out of the study. This time he had a look of grim satisfaction on his face; Ginny's suspension ran during the holidays, so it ended on the day that next term started.

Outside the Headmaster's Study, Moody was standing with Professor Sprout and the dishevelled and batbogied ringleaders of the Slytherins. Three of them glared at Harry, but remained silent. Of course, it was Malfoy who chose not to. 'You are SO DEAD Potter!' he snarled.

He seemed quite insane, not caring that Alastor Moody and Sprout were standing listening to every word he said. Even the other Slytherins looked as if they would have shut Malfoy up if they had dared.

'You're going to DIE, you filth half blood!' repeated Malfoy, menacingly 'So's that disgusting red haired bitch Weasley and the whole of her vile red haired family!'

Harry furiously muttered 'Silencio' under his breath, whilst waving his wand in an apparently casual manner in Malfoy's direction.

'They're not fit to call themselves pure blo—'

Malfoy's raving was cut off as if Harry had ripped out his tongue, but he continued shouting silently for a second or so, seemingly unable to comprehend that his voice had disappeared.

The silence persisted whilst Malfoy grew ever more agitated, and the rest of the Slytherins became slightly more relaxed. Moody was looking on with a gleam in his real eye and what could loosely be described as a smile on his scarred visage. Harry decided to put as much distance between himself and the Headmaster's study as possible, though he did cancel the spell as he turned the corner at the end of the corridor. Malfoy's raving was clearly audible three corridors away.

- o -

Harry didn't really want to go straight back to the Gryffindor Common Room. He didn't really want to face Ginny quite yet, either. He totally understood her reasoning for blasting her way into Slytherin, because he'd had to fight down the urge to do the same thing himself. The trouble was, it was absolutely the worst thing she could have done to help rid the School of the pernicious influence of Malfoy. Harry just couldn't face her and commiserate with her, whilst all the while a part of his brain was still swearing at her for her lack of self control. To make matters worse, another part of his brain was insanely jealous of the fact that she'd actually done what he had forced himself to forego.

As a displacement activity, Harry decided to visit the Hospital wing, instead. He thought he'd better see how the four who had been the first to suffer were progressing. It turned out that Madam Pomfrey had everything in hand; well, mostly everything. The girls were drinking various potions, and were looking a lot more cheerful as the boils and sores were already fading from their faces. Dennis had normal feet, sort of, and a supply of flies had been arranged for Colin, who was, not surprisingly, feeling somewhat low.

'It'll wear off in time for Christmas, won't it Madam Pomfrey?' asked Harry.

Madam Pomfrey hesitated as she was about to hand another potion to Dennis and regarded his brother thoughtfully.

'Yes, Mr Potter. A few days is all that type of spell can last, especially when an incompetent the likes of Draco Malfoy casts it!'

Colin looked slightly more hopeful at her words. At least, Harry thought he did - possibly.

Alison Linney had a more urgent question though. 'Did you manage to find Ginny Weasley, Harry?' she asked in a worried tone.

Harry nodded.

'Is she alright?' added Natalie

Harry sighed deeply.

'Harry?' This was Dennis, and he was beginning to sound thoroughly worried.

Colin was looking even greener.

Harry sighed again.

'Okay' he said finally. 'You'll find out eventually anyway. Ginny's not hurt, but she hexed a lot of Slytherins, including Malfoy!' he spat the name. 'before Snape got there. Me and McGonagall - ' Madam Pomfrey sniffed loudly, 'Professor McGonagall, reached her before he could do anything.' He stopped.

'So what's the problem? croaked Colin.

'She's been suspended.' he said quietly.

'What?'

'For how long?'

'Typical!'

'What about Malfoy?'

The last was Colin, again. Being reptillian and green apparently hadn't affected his brain.

'A month. As for Malfoy, I - er - I don't know. Dumbledore's back to sort it out. He was going to deal with the Slytherins as I left.'

'If he doesn't suspend them too--' exclaimed Alison.

'Expel them you mean!' That was Natalie.

'Flog em first!' added Dennis.

'And what did Snape do?' asked Colin shrewdly.

Harry coughed. 'I - um - I immobilised him, and the Slytherins.'

'Yay! Nice one Harry!'

'Ribbit!'

'One hundred percent, Harry!'

'I bet that's wound him up.'

Harry chuckled at the memory of a static Snape.

'Oh yes.'

- o -

Eventually Harry decided he couldn't put off returning to the common room any longer. He'd just have to restrain himself if Ginny talked to him, though part of him desperately wanted to commiserate with her. As he was leaving, it was Colin again who asked the most awkward question.

'Harry, how did you know Ginny was in the dungeons?'

Luckly, he'd asked the question quietly.

'Er - Intuition, Colin.' murmured Harry,

'Maybe you're a seer!'

'Er - well, - maybe.' he shrugged and smiled. 'Just don't let on mate, ok? or I'll have all the girls and half the boys in the school asking me about their future partners.'

'Ribbit!'

- o -

When Harry reached Gryffindor Tower, he found that he needn't have worried.

Ginny was already gone.