Gone With the Wind

Merry Christmas….again!!!

A-man – yeah, it is supposed to be confusing. So I wouldn't worry too much…it will make more sense eventually.
Aussie-Girl3 – I love long reviews, hehe makes me feel special :-) Hope I didn't confuse you too much with the skipping around of time there, sorry about that…as to your story, I think maybe an inside look to Harry's duel club would be an excellent introduction to Harry's new position, or a look into his defence classes. Your writing style is excellent, with the exception o a few minor details…I would be happy to 'beta' your story if you want…just email me at adnil666 at yahoo :-) and I can give you some better tips, there isn't much space here…
siriuslyhot!!! - This quick enough for you? :-)

A/N: Okay the last chapter has generated a little confusion that was a chapter set in the future that will eventually set up a future chapter. I realise that was a little confusing but we are back in the past….hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7 – A Spooky Feeling

About two months had passed since Harry had travelled back to this time and the great hall was full to the brim with students and teachers alike, attending the annual Hogwarts Halloween feast. It was a sight to be seen. There was noise and activity in all directions as live bats flew over the house tables and made nests in some Hufflepuff girls' hair. There were pots of smoking potion and pumpkin lanterns floating over their heads and students kept looking up expecting the potion hovering about over their heads to empty their contents. There were never ending sparklers whizzing over the Slytherin's table causing students to dive for cover and emerge moments later looking extremely irritated at the Gryffindor's who were laughing hysterically at the antics. Peeves had snuck in and was now throwing ink balls at random students who turned around shouting at the tops of their voices to shout at Peeves, who turned back to then and stuck his tongue out in an oh-so-mature manner. In short, it was chaos!

Harry was sitting at the teacher's table, observing the scene with a ridiculously huge grin plastered over his face. He was looking over the hall as though there was nowhere on the planet he would rather be, his eyes were darting around mischievously and frequently rested on a small group of four guys…they were just sitting there, laughing and having fun. They looked so innocent, so carefree. Harry now had a small tear sitting in his eye as his eyes stopped moving and rested on a boy making an excellent impression of their most recent prank, he was skipping around on his seat looking confused until he burst our laughing along with the members of their little group.

A nudge brought Harry back to the table and McGonagall was facing him looking at him with his eyebrows raised, obviously expecting an answer.

"Sorry…err…Minerva…" Harry said trying not to cringe at calling his professor by her first name. "I was in another world there, what did you say?"

"I was wondering, Harry, if you had seen such a magnificent Halloween feast? Hogwarts is home to some of the finest and most spectacular feasts around!" McGonagall was trying to make small talk with him, while Harry fought the urge to start laughing as he nodded his head in agreement. Most of his conversations with this teacher had either resulted in detention, losing house points, or being told of in some way of another. She was, after all, his teacher. Harry sat there biting his lip while looking at McGonagall trying to listen to her talk of feasts and food. "You haven't lived till you taste the haggis the house elves prepare for us on Burns night, it's to die for! Why when I came here I thought that Hogwarts would have more important matter to busy themselves with and would simply ignore this wonderful Scottish tradition, but they prepared the most delicious burns supper of haggis neaps and tatties I have ever tasted..." Harry had sat there hearing but not really listening to what was being said and let McGonagall continue her tirade while he nodded in agreement every now and again.

He let his mind wander over his new life and noticed how busy he had been with life here at this time. Hogwarts could do this to a person though; give them the feeling that no life existed outside the castle. It was a dangerous trap to fall into, and it seemed that all succumbed to the feeling except their dear headmaster…Dumbledore. Harry knew he had to start looking at life outside the castle, but the idea was hilarious as they sat there in the noisy hall eating a banquet of delicious food and laughing and joking as though nothing could ever go wrong. A small twinge started to grow in the pit of Harry's stomach as though his insides were being wrapped around into a huge knot that could not be released. The feeling increased as he went through all that had to be done in the next 25 years. When he came to think about it, there was so much to do. So many potions to prepare, so many spells to study, so many people he had to protect. He knew, of coarse he could only protect certain people, all for their own reasons, and all he knew still lived in his time. Harry then looked at all those he would have to let fall before he could save all he wanted. His parents, the Longbottom's, Cedric, Sirius, Lupin, Dean Thomas…he would have to go through the hell of knowing he was guilty for their death, but also knowing he had a chance to save them again but could not take it. They were gone, if he rescued them he would never know they may have died and so would never go back in time to save them so they would die and the circle would go on forever. There was no question of what would happen, he would just make matters worse if he did something. And so, for the first time in his life, Harry would be the one left behind. He would be the one who could do nothing when fighting was at its worse and people he loved were dieing. The whole thing made his head ache, all he knew was he could do nothing.

"…. I think it was 31 years ago, and a student of mine decided she would try and bring me a haggis as a present for burns day. Of coarse she was a vegetarian and wouldn't get a proper one. She brought a vegetarian haggis, would you believe! Vegetarian I tell you! Don't know what she was thinking…" Harry suddenly realised he had no idea what McGonagall was taking about but nodded along anyway, wondering how they had gotten onto the subject of vegetarian haggis. He hadn't even realised there was such a thing.

Harry was in the middle of nodding in agreement to our dear professor's tirade and a stab of pain jolted through his scar. The pain, so intense he had to fight not to black out then and there. He sat there screaming out in pain; the throbbing bullets reverberated around his skull so he could not absorb anything else other than the insufferable pain that was now pulsing through his body. It was centred around his head and students and teachers looked on in horror as they watched the young man clinging to his forehead while the rest of his body thrashed around the room, as though in some sort of fit. And just as quickly as the pain started, it ebbed away; letting Harry gasp for air as he lay on the ground, surrounded by teachers trying to find the source of the problem. He was a wizard and, therefore, should not suffer from muggle diseases such as seizures and fits. Everyone knew this was something magical, and knowing he was well protected within the safe walls of Hogwarts, they knew whatever did this was powerful.

Harry lay on the ground of the great hall with the full attention of everyone, something not even Dumbledore could manage. This was going to take a lot of explaining. He lay on the ground for a full five minutes at least, though it felt like an age to them, before Harry had managed to breathe regularly. His face was still pale, and almost green as the headmaster reached down to help him up. His strong arms lead Harry from the room, everyone parted to let Dumbledore through. Harry tried to walk himself, to show he wasn't in to bad of a condition, but Dumbledore held fast to him as he led Harry from the room. Slowly a light murmur of voices broke into loud and curious chatter among the students; Harry wished, not for the first time, he were one of those in the dark, a curious onlooker to someone else's horror.

Dumbledore clung to Harry, on some instances even stopping him from collapsing there in the corridor. After seemingly endless twists and turns they came face to face with the stone gargoyles. He could not remember the password being said, nor could he remember the rotating staircase that lead to Dumbledore's office. He was pretty sure he had passed out for a few minutes as Dumbledore dragged him into a seat in his office where he was awoken. He looked around the circular room, glancing over the familiar portraits of old headmasters who were looking on with bored faces. Expecting nothing interesting to come of this little conversation. They were usually right. Harry noticed one portrait missing, Phinneas Nigleus. Of coarse having a portrait with direct relations to a dark family would be a major problem, Harry guessed the portrait had been moved to a less used area of the castle. Aside from this rather blank space on the wall the office was crowded with much more gadgets and gizmos than Harry remembered, and it clicked that it had been he who had caused most of that. He had been the cause of quite a bit of destruction in the headmaster's office. Harry reasoned with himself; Dumbledore shouldn't have kept information from him, Dumbledore had plenty of experience that should have taught him that Harry was best not left in the dark. No matter how much it was believed it would have left him happier or better off, it never worked that way and someone always got hurt.

Dumbledore sat patiently giving Harry time to brood over his thoughts. He was searching for something in his pockets as Harry's forced his mind to think about what had happened with his scar. It was obvious that his connection with Voldemort still existed; there was no other explanation. Though this explained it made little sense, the connection had not yet been created between him and the Voldemort of today. Though he had the connection, Voldemort hadn't been through the ordeal that caused them to link together. The connection should only exist between him and the Voldemort of his time, it existed but since that Voldemort was not alive in this or in his time he should not be experiencing any type of connection. If it was true that Harry was indeed experiencing Voldemorts emotions then the link was stronger than they ever imagined. Not only could it surpass time but also circumstance. The magic that bonded them would haunt Harry, so much so that even when Voldemort had not been marked with Avada Kedavra the connection still stood strong.

Moments passed as Harry sat thinking about the pain that had shot through his head, more unbearable and more excruciating than ever before. Voldemort was at the height of his power; Harry had just believed that since this was the past, nothing could hurt him. A stupid mistake to make to but one he had to learn the hard way. Now he sat in Dumbledore's office seeing that he had found whatever it was he had been looking for in his coat of infinite pockets, he unwrapped the sherbet lemon and popped it into his mouth then looked up at Harry with that god damn twinkle in his eyes. Harry couldn't help but be frustrated at Dumbledore's need for knowledge. He would do better not to know who he was or where he came from, but Dumbledore was not the kind of man to sit back and watch this kind of thing without trying to figure it out along the way.

"Well Harry, that was an interesting display of events I must say," Dumbledore looked over at him, searching deep into his eyes. Stared back and their eyes locked, his mind was blank and his eyes empty of all emotion. They sat there in silence, each looking into each other's eyes for many moments with neither wanting to break the prolonged silence.

Eventually Harry began to speak and Dumbledore moved his eyes from his piercing gaze, "Albus, I realise that explanations are in order and I understand your curiosity. The situation is complicated and that is almost as much as I can tell you at the moment, I hope you can understand this and I promise that whatever you ask I will not lie, but I know I cannot tell you all you wish to know." Harry finished but continued to look to the floor, searching Dumbledore for any hint of emotion or any hint of what was going through my mind.

"You do realise I could put you under Veritserum and have you questioned? You would have no control over what you say." Dumbledore stated bluntly as he took particular interest in his fingernails.

Harry swallowed and tried to think of the easiest way to stop him forcing the information form him, he knew it would only make the situation worse, "It would cost you more than it would me, professor," Harry's mind was racing faster than his firebolt but he didn't show it in his voice. It was calm and level, no emotion and no change was shown. He hated threatening Dumbledore, it was almost laughable that he was brave enough to do it, not even the boldest of Gryffindor's would try and intimidate him. Harry could see Hermione's face if she saw him talking to the legend in such a way.

"Harry, be quiet. You should respect him; you would think that after seven years I would have drummed some manners into you but your turning more and more into Ron every day!"

Harry smiled at the though, he could also see Fred and George egging him on and Ron standing in the background saying "Good on you mate!" and grinning widely at his friends daring. Harry smiled slightly but it was one filled with sadness, remembering that when he waited out his time he would be twenty-five years ahead of them.

"Do you want to tell me something, professor?" Dumbledore asked. Harry raised head at being talked to formally and being addressed as a professor, a title he had not yet become fond of.

"I believe, Professor Dumbledore, there will be an attack on Hogsmeade this later this evening, if you wish to join me…I believe our services will be required. You should notify the remainder of the order." Harry stood then stood and looked over at Dumbledore as though waiting for him to stop his departure. When he said nothing Harry walked to the door and with a quick glance back at Dumbledore he left the room. The headmaster sat at his desk, the last rays from the sunset shone upon the few strokes of auburn hair that mixed with the grey on his hair and beard. He sat quietly for a few minutes and then realising the time, he sent for the order…he guessed they would need all the help they could get.

A/N: Well that's chapter 7! I was meant to actually start the whole hogsmeade incident this chapter but I got a little carried away with the scar and everything. So you will just have to wait…

Your thoughts…?