Chapter Twenty: Drawing the Line
Harry was in the middle of teaching his fourth year Slytherins and Gryffindors on Wednesday morning when "Student Awareness Drill #2" was put into effect. Even though he had been expecting the drill this time, he cursed inwardly at the inconvenience of it all. Not to mention, this really would be an ideal time for a load of Death Eaters, Dementors, and who knows what kinds of Dark Creatures to actually show up while the whole student body was standing out on the grounds, away from the protection of the castle walls. Fingering his wand nervously, he quickly spotted Ron and Hermione and walked over to them.
"How was Ancient Runes, Hermione?" Harry asked conversationally.
"Oh, it was terrific, until Madame Investigator had to ruin it by showing up. She was absolutely horrid to Professor Winters, just because he's a muggle-born like me. Oh, I abhor that Toad Woman!" Hermione was obviously not taking Umbridge's visit very well.
"She's such a cow!" Ron agreed.
"Yes, well this is my third lesson plan this week that has been sabotaged by her ridiculous investigation," Harry moaned. "If any one of my students remembers a single thing I've taught them this week, it will be a miracle!"
"Listen to you, sounding all Professor-like," drawled Draco from behind, and Harry turned around to retort, out of pure habit, but the genuine smile on the Slytherin's face stopped him short.
"Hello, Draco," Harry sighed, "had a good day, have you?"
"Not really," Draco said, sighing heavily. "I think Father's informed Ms. Umbridge of my recent…shall we say…transition…and she's been showing up in all my classes. I swear she's tailing me! She was just in Ancient Runes and…"
"You have Ancient Runes with Hermione?" Harry asked, having never considered Draco the type to take that kind of class.
"Yeah, so?" Draco jutted out his chin and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just didn't know, that's all," Harry fidgeted, fearing he'd offended him. This friendship with Draco was just so new and odd. He had no idea he knew so little about this person whom he had allowed himself to hate for five and a half years.
"Where else has she shown up?" Hermione cut in mercifully.
"Astronomy, Potions, and Charms so far," Draco responded. "I expect she'll be in Herbology this afternoon. At this point, I'd almost miss her if she didn't show up," he added sarcastically.
"Why would she be tailing you, though?" Ron asked him. "I mean, yeah, you've done the whole about-face thing with us, and I'm sure your dad's furious, but what does it have to do with Umbridge, exactly?"
"Don't tell me you don't know what she is!" Draco exclaimed in a deliberately hushed voice. He was glancing from side to side as though to be sure no one was listening.
"She was Fudge's stooge, and now she seems to be Percy's," Harry said, "but as far as I could ever tell, she's just incredibly mean and amazingly short sighted. Are you telling us she's a Death Eater too?"
"She doesn't wear the mark on her arm like most of them do," Draco whispered, "but she comes to every meeting. She's been to Malfoy Manor more times than I can count. She's working with the new Minister, who I'm quite certain is being controlled by Father, and we all know what my father is, so you do the math!"
"I knew she was evil," Harry said looking at the back of his hand again. "But I really didn't think…I mean, some of the Order people even told me she wasn't…"
"Well, even Dumbledore doesn't know everything, Harry," Draco rolled his eyes. "But, like I said, she doesn't wear the mark on her arm. She carries it in her handbag. It's inscribed on the leather cover of her day planner. I've seen it, last year during one of those Inquisitorial Squad meetings. She doesn't know that I saw it, but of course she knows I saw her at Malfoy Manor all those times. She's got to be scared stiff I'm going to give her away!" Draco looked positively joyful to have this kind of blackmail-style knowledge about Umbridge.
"Which, by the way, you just did," Ron pointed out, and Draco gave him a look that clearly said, "Yes, I'm aware of that."
"Well, I suppose we best tell Dumbledore about that," Harry sighed again, "but I doubt it will help anything at the moment. Fudge may have been pompous and incompetent, but at least he was apt to punish a Death Eater once one was identified. Percy practically is one, whether by choice or not, and reporting her now won't do much more than alert the Order to her allegiance. But that's better than nothing."
"Someone should really do something about your brother," Draco nodded toward Ron then.
"He's hardly my brother, anymore," Ron growled under his breath, but Draco seemed to ignore him.
"I mean, if he could be released from that Imperious curse, he could almost be a half way descent Minister…aside from his being a Gryffindor and all."
"The slimy git burned down our house!" Ron continued, then, "What did you just say?!"
"I said, if he could be released…" but Umbridge was passing by at that moment and Draco fell silent, glaring at her as she passed. Harry thought he might have imagined it, but he could have sworn the amulet around his neck was growing colder the closer Umbridge got to them, and warmer again as she walked away. Just when they all thought she was going to step out of ear shot, she stopped, turned around, and walked back, stopping right in front of them. The amulet seemed ice cold again.
"Mr. Malfoy, how good to see you again," Umbridge said and then plastered on one of her horrible smiles.
"Ms. Umbridge," Draco acknowledged her coldly.
"And where are your friends, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle?" she asked, feigning surprise at their absence.
"These are my friends, Ms. Umbridge," Draco said, indicating the three Gryffindors with a brief wave of his hand. "Vincent and Gregory were nothing more than spies for my father, reporting to him about every little thing I did. Friends keep each other's secrets, Ms. Umbridge."
"Ah," she looked far too happy now, "And what sorts of secrets would your new friends here be keeping for you, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I don't have any secrets anymore, Ms. Umbridge, as you can see," there was a culpatory tone to Draco's voice, a quiet, implied accusation to his words, and the slight perspiration that crossed the short woman's brow did not escape Harry's notice. "Secrets always come out eventually, don't they, Ms. Umbridge?" The toad like eyes opened even more widely than usual for a fleeting moment. She took a quick, shaky step backward, but then another broad smile spread across her face.
"Yes, I suppose they do, but once a secret has served its purpose, letting it out does not matter any more. Give my regards to your father, Mr. Malfoy. And tell your mother I shall be seeing her soon." Umbridge sauntered away looking as though she had just won a little victory of sorts, and by the look on Draco's face, she must have.
"What did she mean, she'd be seeing your mother soon, Draco?" Harry asked. Draco's face had been drained of all color, his eyes glossed over slightly, his hands trembling either with fear or rage or both.
"She means she'll be paying Mother a visit, most likely," Malfoy said rather condescendingly, but then he added more quietly, "It was father's way of threatening me." Harry felt sick. After all that Malfoy had been through in order to join the D.A., this was one of the main fears that had driven him to his decision. Harry thought of how he had felt thinking that Sirius was being tortured at the Department of Mysteries, and he suddenly had a great deal of sympathy for Draco.
"Maybe there is something we can do," Harry said. "Send her a warning or something…"
"We?" Draco snapped, "What do you mean we? She's my mother, and this was my choice, my fault." Malfoy shook his head distractedly, "I'll deal with this myself."
"You just told Umbridge that we're your friends," Ron started to say.
"Well, I didn't necessarily mean all of you," Malfoy sneered. Ron, to his credit, ignored that, mostly, aside from the tight grip he suddenly had on Hermione's rapidly whitening hand.
"And friends do what they can to help each other," Ron continued. "So, if there is anything we can do…"
"There isn't," Malfoy barked slightly, but then he sighed again. "But…thanks for offering."
A bell rang then, signaling the end of the drill, and the students began to filter back into the castle. Harry continued to glance over his shoulder, convinced that at any moment some dark creature was going to leap out of the forest or rise up out of the lake and attack the students. He lingered by the doors as other students filed inside, his eyes trained on the horizon, but nothing came. He walked in when all that was left were a few teachers who didn't have lessons to teach this hour. Ron, Hermione, and Draco were waiting for him in the entrance hall, his two Gryffindor friends standing a few paces away from his Slytherin friend.
"What were you looking for out there?" Ron asked Harry as he approached them.
"I don't know, really," Harry said. "I've just had a bad feeling about this investigation ever since Sunday night when Dumbledore sent that memo around to all the staff members. I just can't shake the feeling that Voldemort is behind it."
"Well of course You-Know-Who is behind it," Malfoy said exasperatedly. "How many times do I have to tell you, he's got control of the Ministry now, and no offense Weasley, but the Minister is his personal stooge. And he's sent his top spy to conduct an investigation," Malfoy sighed as though he were explaining things to a very inattentive child. "I mean, what else would it be but a plan of You-Know-Who's to figure out how to bring down the school, and Dumbledore with it?"
"Yes, I've thought of that," Harry said, slightly impatiently. "But I think there's more to it than that. I think you should be really careful this week, Draco, especially in Potions. Something's off about Snape. And he's been gone a while. Who knows who got to him while he was at St. Mungo's?"
"Snape is my Godfather, Harry. He's not going to do anything to me, even if he is in a bit of a foul mood lately. Who can blame him? That Umbridge woman coming in and sitting his class like she owns the place, not even bothering to show her face, hiding under that ridiculous, poorly placed disillusionment charm…What?" The three Gryffindors were looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"We were in potions with you," Hermione reminded him, sounding scandalized. "We didn't see her there. How did you see through a disillusionment charm?"
Malfoy smirked and stood up a bit straighter. "When one knows what to look for, any disguise is translucent," he informed her. "For example, you and Weasley have been hiding something for the last few weeks, been holding it practically in the palms of your hands, haven't you?"
"What? How…I mean…no, we're not…" Ron stammered, and Harry looked at him bewilderedly.
"What have you guys been hiding from me?" Harry asked, a hint of laughter in his voice as he viewed Ron and Hermione opening and closing their mouths like a couple of fish.
"It's nothing, Harry," Hermione said a little too quickly, "at least, we were planning to tell you, but…"
"Great Merlin, what is it?" Harry gaped at them.
"You'll see. It's meant to be a surprise," Ron said as he glared at Malfoy pointedly.
"All right, fine, don't tell me. Or tell me later. Whatever, right now, I have a class to teach, and you three are supposed to be somewhere as well, aren't you?"
"I suppose you'd better get on," Ron said reluctantly, grasping Hermione's hand again as though he would much rather stay. "I couldn't convince you to skive off Runes, could I?" he asked her with his best innocent face.
"I'm afraid not, Ronald. But I'll catch up with you at break in an hour." She pecked his cheek and moved to go.
"Oh, all right, see you later, then," Ron grumbled, and he and Harry watched Draco and Hermione walk toward their class on opposite sides of the corridor, but apparently still conversing as they went.
"So what's the big surprise," Harry attempted to catch Ron off his guard.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," Ron said as he continued to stare down the corridor where Hermione had disappeared from view. "Just trust me on this one, OK?"
"Sure," Harry shrugged, even though he was truthfully dying to know now. Still, his class was waiting. "Listen, I've got to go. I'll see you at break," he said, and he and Ron parted ways as Ron bounded up the steps toward the Gryffindor common room and Harry moved off toward the DADA room where his students were sure to be waiting by now.
Back in his own classroom, Harry was perplexed to find his students sitting stiffly in their chairs being excessively quiet. No one seemed to want to stir in the slightest, and they all watched him meaningfully as he walked to the front of the room. Tonks was in the back as usual, but she was doing something odd with her hands, an improvised signal of sorts, and Harry realized the cause of all this as he took a closer look around the room. Draco was right. Umbridge's disillusionment charm was extremely poorly placed. Her entire outline was framed in a conspicuous blurring of the objects surrounding her immediate person, and Harry had to choke back a laugh when he suddenly heard a distinct tapping and scratching of a quill on a clipboard. 'So I'm being observed, am I?' he thought to himself, and a broad smile spread across his face.
"Welcome back, class," Harry began and the students seemed to be melting out of their frozen state as he spoke in a jovial tone. "I believe we were about to see a demonstration of a proper patronus charm?" Several students nodded numbly.
"Right, may I first ask, are there any here who already know how to produce a corporeal patronus?" There were five D.A. members in the room, and each rose his or her hand, albeit apprehensively.
"Excellent! But five of you isn't nearly enough. By the end of this week, I'll be highly surprised if every one of you can't at least produce an incorporeal light, and hopefully we'll all have it down by next Wednesday. Those of you who know how to do it, please come to the front." Five students walked warily to the front of the room, a few of them casting worried looks over their shoulders at the corner where Umbridge believed herself hidden. Harry smiled at his faithful DA members as they approached, and he whispered in each of their ears the same set of directions. He lined them up at the front and said, "You may begin your demonstration."
"Expecto Patronum," they shouted, and five patronuses, a duck, a raven, a bear, a unicorn, and an eagle sailed out across the room headed directly for the corner where Umbridge was sitting. The tapping and scratching abruptly stopped and a shriek, a crash, and a scrambling sound let the students know that the inspector had just fallen off her chair. Giggles broke out across the room.
"Aren't they beautiful," Harry said of the patronuses as they sailed back toward the front of the room. He was barely suppressing his own laughter, but determinedly ignoring the almost invisible figure in the corner as she returned to her seated position. "Shall we all give it a try then?" The other students eagerly pulled out their wands while the five demonstrators returned to their seats.
"Hem, hem," Umbridge coughed.
Harry ignored her. "Now then, the incantation, as you just heard, is Expecto Patronum…"
"Hem, hem," she was louder this time.
"Does someone need to visit Madame Pomfrey for an antivirus potion?" Harry asked purposefully looking around the room, everywhere but toward Umbridge's corner.
"Mr. Potter," Umbridge called out irritably.
"Ms. Umbridge, is that you? I'm terribly sorry, but I cannot see you."
There was a swishing sound and Umbridge appeared in the corner, having removed her disillusionment charm. Harry feigned a surprised look and then smiled widely as though he'd just seen one of his friends come into the room.
"Oh, there you are," he said. "Was there something you wished to say, Ms. Umbridge?"
"Yes," she seethed, "Don't you think it is quite out of the range of necessary material for students of this age level to be learning the patronus charm?" She seemed to be trying to throw up her usual façade, but she was failing miserably as the sound of her voice was like a strangled whine.
"Oh, no, Ms. Umbridge, I most certainly disagree with that assessment. These students are more than capable, and such a skill has been highly in demand, now that the Dementors serve Voldemort instead of the Ministry." Harry paused as he watched her face turn red and her eyes bulge out at the mention of the Dark Lord. "I believe it was even published in one of the pamphlets put forth by the ministry itself on protecting oneself from an attack."
"That pamphlet was produced by the former Minister of Magic," she derided. "The current Minister, being infinitely more competent and intelligent, has wisely advised that students should not be required to feel as though they have to protect themselves, an opinion which leads to widespread fear and misguided preemptive attacks. The Ministry's aurors are more than capable of producing a patronus for you should you find yourself in need of one."
"The very attack which inspired this investigation was headed up by more than a dozen Dementors," Harry said angrily, "and there were no teachers or aurors on hand to defend the students who were out on the grounds that day. If it had not been for a group of students who did know the Patronus charm, several students would never have made it back to the castle. The aurors didn't show up until after the Death Eaters were practically on our doorstep! If that's what you call protection, then yeah, the aurors are more than sufficiently capable!"
Umbridge donned her disgustingly sweet voice again, "The aurors did not respond because they were not called quickly enough. This is no longer a problem. The Auror Summons spell has been developed since then." She surveyed the classroom with her best imitation of a motherly expression and said, "Don't let recent events or the ramblings of frightened wizards and witches disturb you, children. There is no reason whatsoever for any of you to feel the slightest bit threatened while you are at school."
"If there is no reason for alarm, what purpose does the Auror Summons spell serve?" Harry asked. "It seems a bit over the top to have the aurors available at anyone's beck and call if there is nothing to be afraid of."
"The Ministry is not unaware of present conditions in the Wizarding World, Mr. Potter. But there is simply no cause for frightening these children with tales of Dementors and Death Eaters attacking them with nothing but their own feeble skills to protect them. They should be learning the spell the Ministry has given them for calling for help, not the patronus charm, Mr. Potter."
"Well, it's too bad that we're simply out of time, then, isn't it, Ms. Umbridge. But perhaps we shall work that into our prospectus next week. Good work today, class, and ten points for each of you who helped in the demonstration. Please read the chapter on Patronuses starting on page 396, and have six inches of parchment on the subject ready to turn in on Friday. Oh, and please try to memorize the charm, 'Aggravare Informare', without wands of course, as we don't actually want to call any aurors to Hogwarts unnecessarily. They have enough on their hands as it is, I dare say. Class dismissed."
Harry turned his back on the infuriating woman and began stacking up his parchments and books so that he, too, could leave. "Tell me, Ms. Umbridge," he asked as something suddenly occurred to him, "Why has the Ministry decided to test the dueling skills of the students if the students should not be prepared to defend themselves?" He turned around slowly when she didn't answer, and seeing that she was still there he added, "Can you explain that for me?"
"Well, obviously, Mr. Potter, once an auror has been summoned and the situation verified as an actual attack, the person calling for an auror has the right to help defend himself," she replied almost mockingly. "For that, he would need to know how to duel properly so as not to hex the auror instead of the attacker."
"And might that person also then need to know a patronus charm, should the attacker be a Dementor rather than a Death Eater?" Harry raised his eyebrow at his former teacher, knowing he had just won the debate, and then strode out of the room without another backward glance.
"She was just stalling you, Harry," Hermione surmised when he told his friends at dinner about Umbridge's visit to his classroom. "You told her you would have them all producing a Patronus in a week's time. She just wanted to keep you from achieving that goal."
"Of course she did," Ron agreed, "anything to keep the students helpless long enough for her Master to get here."
"That may be so," Harry said, "but she still ended up on her arse! I wish I could have seen her face when those patronuses came flying at her! Malfoy was right, her disillusionment charm is horrid!" Ginny snorted into her pumpkin juice.
"She should ask you to teach her how to do it, Harry," Neville said smiling. "You could show her quite a few tricks, I'd bet."
Harry grinned at Neville, "I think you could show her a few tricks yourself, Neville. You're far better trained than I believe she is!"
"All thanks to you, Harry. Have you had any word on whether the D.A. will ever be able to reform?" Neville looked extremely eager, and Harry felt bad that his answer would probably let him down for the time being. He exchanged a meaningful look with Ginny.
"Not at any time this year," Harry responded sadly, "But next fall, maybe, if someone else can lead it besides me."
"Why can't you lead it next year?" Seamus asked, and Harry suddenly realized just how many people were listening now.
"It's complicated. But, I would love for the D.A. to continue, if there is someone else who can organize it. I expect I'll be too busy for it, what with preparing for NEWTs and Quidditch and all."
"But you started it in our OWL year," Dean pointed out. "And you were in quidditch then, weren't you?"
"Until Umbridge kicked me off the team, yeah, but I don't think I would have had time for both."
"Nonsense, Harry," Katie Bell chimed in. "But perhaps you're expecting some other assignment to keep you busy?"
"Like what?" Harry asked, wondering how anyone could have found out about his teaching assignment.
"Like being Head Boy, perhaps?" she said with a roll of her eyes.
"WHAT?!" Harry shrieked, and everyone in the Great Hall turned to see what all the shouting was about.
"I am not expecting to be Head Boy," Harry grumbled. "I'm not even a prefect. Doesn't someone have to be a prefect to be named Head Boy or Head Girl?"
"Well, people usually have to graduate before they can teach a class, too, but you've been teaching all this year!" Neville pointed out.
"I've been assisting! Professor Tonks is technically teaching."
"Well, you give the lessons, don't you?" Dean asked.
"Well, yeah…"
"And you write the tests?" Neville said.
"Yes, but…"
"And Umbridge was just in there evaluating you, not Tonks, wasn't she?" Seamus added.
"Yeah, but…"
"And you assign grades to your students," Dean said.
"Well, of course I do, but…"
"What else does a teacher do?" Seamus continued. "You get to do things the rest of us couldn't even imagine doing, Harry, because…well…because you're you, you're Harry Potter…"
"Exactly, Harry, you're the Boy-Who-Lived! Why wouldn't you be Head Boy next year?" Katie summed up all their opinions.
"Why wasn't I made a prefect, then?" Harry asked evenly. He no longer felt any jealousy toward Ron on that issue, but he wanted to prove a point. "Why was I nearly expelled, twice, for doing underage magic? Why have I served more detentions than the rest of you combined?"
"Same reason," Neville said somewhat apprehensively. "Because there are some people in the Wizarding World who think they can pull themselves up the ladder of power by latching onto your bootstraps! Uncle Algie always used to say that people who desire power will either follow or try to destroy those who are already really powerful."
"But, I'm not, Neville!" Harry said exasperatedly. "I'm not all that powerful, really, not anymore than the rest of you lot. Most of you can do any spell I can, and with just as much force behind it. All you needed was the confidence that it could be done."
"Oh tish tosh!" drawled Malfoy from behind Harry's back, and everyone turned or looked up to see him. Harry noticed Neville looking warily at Malfoy and sighed as he realized that not all his friends would forgive as easily as he had, and most of them would never fully understand why Malfoy had changed.
"Don't you 'tish-tosh' me Malfoy," Harry said with a grin as he turned around to look at the Slytherin turncoat.
"I'll tish-tosh you if I bloody well please," Draco grinned back, "What is this rubbish about you not being more powerful than this lot?" he waved his arm disdainfully over the heads of the gathered Gryffindors.
"Draco…"
"No, you're going to listen for once, Potter!" Malfoy barked, and Harry's eyes grew wide with astonishment. His cheeks burned red and he opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Malfoy smirked and continued, "You are the most powerful young wizard in the world, powerful enough that we are all relying on you," Draco paused and looked Harry right in the eye, "to vanquish the Dark Lord. There is no one else who can do it, and you know it!"
Harry's jaw dropped open. How did he know? How could Malfoy have heard the prophecy? But then, if Voldemort knew a portion of the prophecy, perhaps his Death Eaters did as well, and Malfoy could have gotten it from his father. A chill ran down Harry's spine as he considered the full weight of the prophecy and he shuddered visibly.
"Don't you dare let us down by thinking you can't do it, that you're not powerful enough," Malfoy continued. "You have something You-Know-Who has never had."
"What's that," Harry asked shakily, his eyes fixed on Draco's. He wondered if the Death Eaters knew about the whole prophecy somehow, if all Dumbledore's effort to protect that knowledge last year had been for naught…But then why would Voldemort have worked so hard to get the prophecy if he already had it?
"You have us," Malfoy said, and Harry sighed with relief. "You have friends who would gladly fight and even die for you, not because they fear you, but out of respect, admiration, and loyalty. The Dark Lord doesn't care about anyone but himself. But you have put yourself in harm's way countless times to defend the people you care about. So, not only are you the most powerful wizard any one of us has ever known, but you have the combined power of all of us to back you up. That effectively makes you the most powerful wizard in Europe, possibly the world."
"Dumbledore is loads more powerful than me," Harry replied meekly. "He's the only one Voldemort ever feared."
"Not anymore, Harry," Draco said, his tone low and meaningful. "He's positively petrified of you! That's why he keeps trying to kill you. That's why every time he has you cornered he has to toy with you. He needs to prove to himself that he really is more powerful than you, but he knows he isn't. He's known that since you were a year old."
"I didn't stop Voldemort that night because I was powerful," Harry shouted, his anger kindled. "He was stopped because…" his voice trailed off to nearly a whisper. "…because my mother gave her life to save me. It was my mother whose spell was more powerful than his, whatever that spell was. She's the one who really stopped him."
Malfoy surveyed Harry disdainfully for several moments before he finally replied, "Believe what you want to, Potter, but the truth is as plain as the scar on your head. There is no one but you who can stop him this time. Even if it was your mother's sacrifice that saved you before, she's not here now. You are. You have to do what she no longer can."
"I know," Harry whispered; he sat down and put his face in his hands. "I know…" he repeated.
"And we will all be there to help you," Malfoy said in a quiet voice that resonated through the room. Harry looked up at him. There was no fear or falseness in Draco's eyes, only determination, resignation, and loyalty.
"Thank you," Harry said. He stood up and looked around. Every eye in the Great Hall was focused on him. He was used to this. What he was not used to was the utter determination and complete approbation with which they regarded him, as though they all would like to have said the same thing as Malfoy. Umbridge was glowering at them from the guest table, and Dumbledore was positively beaming! McGonagall had a hand clapped over her mouth, and Hagrid was all red faced and was wiping tears from his eyes. Some of the Slytherins looked mutinous, but in the face of such united opposition, there was nothing they'd be willing to do. As Harry surveyed their faces, the same feeling of brotherly love that he'd had the night of the last D.A. meeting swept over him and he was entirely overcome, tears streaming down his face. Ginny stood up beside him then and took his hand. Then Ron and Hermione stood up. Slowly and silently, every student in the room, except for those few mutinous Slytherins, stood up with Harry and his friends. The teachers stood up after the students had all done so, even Snape, though he looked bothered by it, and last of all, two of the investigative team stood up as well. Umbridge looked furious, but she didn't speak. No one spoke.
"You see, Harry," Draco's voice cut softly through the silence, "Even Dumbledore is standing behind you. We're all waiting for you to tell us what we should do, and we will do it. You don't need an army of Death Eaters and dark creatures to conquer the world. You already hold the world in your hands, because of your heart!"
As Thursday morning dawned, Harry had almost forgotten the scene Draco had caused in the Great Hall the night before. It was only as he stumbled down the steps of his dorm into the common room that he remembered. Everyone was watching him carefully as though waiting for him to do or say something, and students stepped out of his way as he passed by them. Throughout the day people treated him like royalty. Anonymous gifts showed up on his pillow after lunch, a pile of Honeydukes sweets, an alphabetized collection of chocolate frog cards, and a note that said, "From all of us." As he passed through the corridors, students whose names he had never known would wave and call out "Hi Harry," or "Good morning, Potter."
All of this attention did nothing to ease the sense of foreboding that had plagued Harry all week, and the nervousness only increased as the hour approached for the first years to begin their dueling exams. Why the ministry wanted to test them was still unclear to Harry, and the answer Umbridge had given to that question yesterday did not sit well with him. Not only did he inherently not trust the despicable woman, but he had the distinct impression that this investigation was a cover for some bigger plan that Voldemort might have in his quest for power over the wizarding world.
He watched the clock anxiously as he sat in his Transfiguration class that afternoon. As the hour approached three o'clock, he could feel the knots tightening in his stomach. By four he could leave here and go down to the Great Hall as a staff member to observe the testing. Until then, as a student of this class, he had to remain in his seat. His foot tapped nervously on the floor and he absently scratched out the notes that Professor McGonagall was writing on the board, a number of doodles joining the words on his parchment as time wore on. Hermione had to nudge him twice to prompt him to answer a question the Professor had asked him, and he'd had to ask for a repeat of the question. McGonagall seemed to understand how he was feeling, though, and did not take any points away from Gryffindor for his lack of attention, and soon afterward she dismissed the class about thirty minutes earlier than usual. Harry sprang from his seat, shoved his things carelessly into his bag. He dashed out the door without waiting for his friends and headed straight for the Great Hall.
Visions of students falling prey to who knew what danced in his head as he opened the doors to the Great Hall and stepped in. The first years had just begun filing out and the second years were in line waiting for a Ministry member to call them forward for their test. Harry scanned the faces of the first year students carefully, but nothing seemed amiss with them. No glazed over eyes or slack expressions, though a few seemed distinctly unnerved and frazzled, the way any student would after a difficult exam. He breathed a tentative sigh of relief as he watched them leave the Hall and turned his attention to the second years whose exams were just getting under way.
"Hi, Harry," a second year Harry didn't know called out when she spotted him, and Umbridge's attention was immediately called to his presence. 'I should have brought my invisibility cloak,' Harry thought to himself. 'Then I might have caught her in the act. At least if I stay here now, she won't dare do anything to them.' He settled himself into a chair at the back of the hall and crossed his arms in front of his chest, determined to stay here as long as it would take to keep an eye on the proceedings.
He realized as he scanned the head table every few minutes that he needn't have worried so much. Dumbledore was there, in his usual seat, watching with an absently amused grin on his face while the students exchanged spells with their test givers, clapping from time to time when a student, usually a DA member, outsmarted his or her opponent. Other Professors wandered in and out during their free hours as well, though Snape did not make an appearance at all.
Harry's lower extremities were beginning to feel numb when the examiners finished with the second years and called for the third year students to come in. The door opened and a number of students filed in. Brittany Maddox waved cheerfully when she saw Harry, as did Dennis Creevey and Tristan Hammley. Harry nodded to them in response and smiled when he saw Umbridge scowl again. He was impressed with how his students conducted themselves during their exams. Brittany held herself proudly, shoulders square, with confidence in her eyes. Dennis didn't fidget or fumble. And it gave Harry quite a reason to smile when Tristan disarmed Ms. Umbridge within the first thirty seconds of her test.
The third years completed their testing and the teachers stood up to move the house tables back into place for dinner. Harry approached Dumbledore then, and the old man smiled merrily.
"I still think something isn't right about this investigation," Harry said quietly as he stood beside the headmaster and waved his wand at the Slytherin table to scoot it over a little further to the left. "And Professor Snape is not himself this week, sir."
"I would have to agree, Harry. I called a meeting of the order just yesterday, but Professor Snape, who has never missed a summons before, did not show up," the headmaster said. "When I questioned him about it, he said that he was too busy catching up after his absence to attend."
"That doesn't seem like Snape to me," Harry frowned. "Do you think someone could have done something to him while he was at St. Mungo's, Professor? An Imperious curse or some type of personality altering potion?"
"It is not likely that Professor Snape was the victim of an Imperious curse, Harry, as he would be almost as quick to throw it off as you yourself would be. As for potions, there are few that I know of that would alter a person's personality, and none so very slightly as what we are seeing in Severus."
"Perhaps he is simply not well yet," Harry offered.
"Perhaps. Some injuries leave scars on our minds long after they have healed in our skin," Dumbledore said wisely.
Harry nodded, but then he frowned. He knew what it was like to bear invisible scars from his own past. And while that was certainly something that had altered his life and personality, he didn't think it was quite the same type of change as he'd seen in Snape. And from what he'd seen from Ginny's memory, Snape's injuries had not been that extensive. Surely the Potions Master had survived worse in the course of his work for the Order. And no injury would be likely to alter a man's handwriting ever so slightly. Things just didn't seem to be adding up, and once again, that nervous, edgy feeling began to settle into Harry's stomach.
"It just doesn't make sense," Harry said aloud. But just then, the students began to file into the Great Hall for dinner, and Harry spotted Ginny in the crowd.
"We can discuss it later, Harry. I'm sure Professor Snape will be fine. You go and enjoy your dinner with your friends. You'll want to keep up your strength for the exam you'll be taking tomorrow," Dumbledore said cheerfully.
A second wave of dread washed over Harry then. How could he have forgotten the NEWT level exam he was supposed to take in order to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts next year? In all his worry over the investigation, it had slipped his mind entirely. Harry attempted to give the headmaster a reassuring smile, which probably came off as more of a grimace, and headed over to the Gryffindor table where Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for him expectantly.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Ginny asked when she saw his anxious looking face. "Were the dueling exams really bad or something?"
"No, amazingly enough, the dueling exams were simple and straight forward, and nothing odd happened at all," Harry responded quietly.
"What is it, then?" Hermione prompted, and Harry looked at her apologetically.
"I totally forgot about my NEWT exam in Defense tomorrow," he blurted out without thinking.
"YOUR WHAT?!" Ron and Hermione shouted in unison, gathering the attention of several curious onlookers.
"Since when are you taking a NEWT exam in your sixth year?" Hermione asked in a slightly jealous voice.
"And when were you going to tell us?" Ron added sounding offended.
"Like I said," Harry replied with a sigh, "I totally forgot about it until Dumbledore reminded me just now. I have to take it tomorrow." He lowered his voice so that only Ron, Hermione, and Ginny could hear him. "Can we go to the Room of Requirement after dinner? I need you to help me study."
"Sure, Harry, but why are you taking it at all?" Ron said.
"I'll tell you when we're up there," Harry responded. Harry's friends ate their supper quickly while Harry picked at his food absently, his appetite having been squashed by the amount of anxiety he'd been through so far today. When Ron finally pronounced himself "stuffed" the four of them exited the Great Hall and made their way up to the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy and paced in front of the opposing blank wall until the door to the room appeared. Harry pushed it open and found himself in a miniature replica of the Hogwarts library. A single table surrounded by four chairs sat in a corner of the room by a window that showed the sun setting in the west. The rest of the room was surrounded in bookshelves filled with Defense books.
"All right," Harry began when the door was finally closed and locked. "Here's the deal. I've been asked to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher next year, so I have to take this test…"
"You're already teaching defense," Ron cut in. "Why do you suddenly have to take a test to do it. Did the Ministry pass a new decree or something?"
"I've technically been assistant-teaching this year. Tonks is the professor. I just…help…at least as far as the Ministry is concerned," Harry explained. "But Tonks is needed in the Auror department now that Kingsley's gone. She can't teach next year, so…"
"So they asked you?" Hermione sounded incredulous.
"Blimey, Harry," Ron said, "I don't think Hogwarts has ever had a student be a Professor before graduation before. How is Dumbledore getting away with it?"
"You'd have to ask him, I suppose. McGonagall just said that I'd have to take this exam and get at least an E on it, and then I'll have to begin attending all of Tonks' classes for all seven grade levels for the rest of the term."
"How on earth are you supposed to be able to do that?" Hermione asked, disbelief etched into her face.
"The same way you took all those classes in our third year, Hermione. With this," he responded as he pulled the time turner out of his robe pocket and held it out before them. Hermione immediately snatched it out of his hand and examined it thoroughly.
"I…I think it's the same one…" she finally said, her voice an awed whisper and her eyes wide as she turned the amulet over in her hand. "Look, it has this scratch on the side here. That happened when we used it to save Sirius from the Dementors."
"You're sure?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," she said, "I…I think you had better not let Umbridge or anyone else from the Ministry see you carrying this, Harry."
"Why's that?"
"Well, if McGonagall's given you the same one she gave me, then she probably never sent it back after I was done with it. They're very rare, and very highly regulated by the Ministry. It would have been too risky to ask for another one, given the state of affairs at the Ministry now. It was hard enough to get this one when Fudge was around. I really think they haven't told the Ministry that you have this, Harry. It's probably registered to Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore. If someone from the Ministry found this on you…"
"They'd probably claim I'd stolen it, I imagine," Harry sighed. "Well, whatever the risk, McGonagall said there was no other way for them to qualify me for the post. I have to do this, Hermione. If Dumbledore can't find a descent Professor, who knows what kind of idiot the Ministry will try to foist on him? We don't need another Umbridge around here. Someone has to help the students prepare for the…the day when…when they may need to defend themselves." He couldn't quite bring himself to voice his greatest fear, that Voldemort would attack the school personally some time in the near future.
"And there's no one better for the job than you, Harry," Ginny said confidently. "Just look what you've done with the D.A.!"
"Thanks, Gin," Harry said with a small smile. "So, will you guys help me study tonight?"
"Of course we will, Harry," Hermione answered, and the four of them sat down at the table and began opening books.
"Keep an eye on the clock, though," Harry added as he began looking in a book titled, Defensive Magic and Its Proper Uses. "I don't want any of us to miss our dueling exams."
"What a shame that would be," Ron said sarcastically. "It'd be terrible if we didn't show up to give Umbridge a preview of what we can do so that she can report it to her Master."
"Well, we don't exactly have to show everything we know, do we? We just have to show up to keep from being expelled," Ginny said in a low, conspiratorial voice.
"Exactly," Harry agreed. "Besides, from what I saw of the second and third years' exams, they aren't expecting much. In order to test every student in a class within forty five minutes, they can't spend too much time on each one. Just use the disarming spell and call it good, I'd say."
"But will that really work?" Hermione asked. "She knows us; she'll be expecting more of us."
Harry shook his head as he replied, "I don't really think the purpose of this is to gather information on the skills of the individual students as much as to simply give the appearance of doing a thorough investigation. Voldemort would never give much thought to the skills of mere students. He would assume superiority from the start. The thing I fear most is that this whole week is just a cover for something else, a distraction to keep Dumbledore's eyes off the Wizarding World for a few days while he's fully occupied with happenings here."
"The Daily Prophet has been oddly quiet this week," Hermione mused. "What do you suppose Vol..Voldemort is planning, Harry?"
"I haven't a clue. But I'm certain we'll find out before the end of this week."
As Harry predicted, the dueling exams were simple and straightforward. Nothing they were asked to do would have shown the true level of their skill, let alone revealed anything to their enemy. Harry grew nervous as he watched Draco step up to Ms. Umbridge for testing. He imagined Draco getting hit with some irreversible curse or deliberately flunked by this woman who was in league with Draco's father. But nothing happened, and Malfoy managed to disarm Umbridge within a few seconds of the start of his exam and then proceeded to hold her at wand point for a little longer than was necessary. Only when Dumbledore called out, "Well done, Draco, you may go now," did the Slytherin lower his wand and walk away, a look of pure venom shadowing his pale face as he exited the Great Hall.
Harry would have liked to catch up with Malfoy just then, but he was called to the front at the same moment for his own exam. By the time he'd finished disarming the wrinkled old wizard before him and left the Great Hall himself, Malfoy was nowhere to be found. Assuming he'd gone to the Slytherin common room, Harry waited on the steps with Hermione for Ron to come out. Then the three of them returned to their own common room and collapsed into their usual places by the fireplace. Neville and Luna were already there, looking rather comfortable together on their sofa.
"Hey Neville," Harry said, realizing how long it seemed since he'd last had a chat with his roommate.
"How's it goin' Harry?" Neville returned absently, his eyes fixed blankly on the fire, his fingers laced in Luna's long blonde hair.
Ginny came down from the girls' dormitories just then and snuggled up next to Harry. "Hey guys, how was the dueling exam?" she asked.
"Boring and irritating," Ron replied.
"Complete waste of time," Hermione agreed.
"So what's on the old toad's agenda for tomorrow?" Ron asked Harry.
"A written exam," Harry responded as he stroked Ginny's soft locks. "It's to test us on how much we've learned this week about emergency procedures."
"Oh joy," Ginny sighed. "Well, nothing much to worry about there, though, is there? I mean, it's kinda harder to harm a student during a written exam than during a practical one like tonight's, right?"
"Certainly," Hermione said. "I think Harry's right. This is all just a show. And there's been nothing at all in the Daily Prophet lately. Whatever is going on, they're doing an excellent job of keeping it hushed up."
"What are you reading the Prophet for, anyway?" Luna asked airily. "The Quibbler has had plenty to report. Here, take a look!" She pulled a copy of the most recent edition out of her book bag and extended it out toward Hermione.
"Thanks," Hermione sighed, taking the paper from Luna. "I suppose it's worth looking, anyway." She scanned the articles carefully, muttering as she read. "Let's see now, Hinkypunks loose in the forbidden forest, no, a mad Hippogriff attacks a werewolf, well, they're a little late with that one…hmm…Heliopaths in the Dark Lord's army…no, no, no…I'm sorry, Luna, but this rubbish really doesn't help us any."
Luna frowned and took the magazine back from Hermione, but rather than putting it away, she turned to a specific page and laid the volume open on the table between their sofas. "You missed this one, I think," she said lightly, pointing to the headline.
Hermione leaned forward to read and her eyes grew wide. "Ministry officials accused of being in league with You-Know-Who, Minister of Magic suspected as well?" she read. "Holy crickets, who wrote this article?" She scanned the page a moment longer before crying out, "Rita Skeeter?!"
"She still works for Daddy sometimes, gives him his best articles. Go on, read it," Luna encouraged.
"She accuses half the Ministry of being in league with the Death Eaters in here," Hermione summarized. "She's on the right track, but this is just too many…I don't think…But she's got Percy right…."
"What's she say about Percy, Mione?" Ron asked anxiously.
"That she thinks he's either a Death Eater himself or he's under a particularly strong Imperious curse. She says he's deliberately sabotaging the Ministry's ability to fight against the Dark Lord; she calls him the Dark Lord…not You-Know-Who…I wonder why?"
"Never mind what name she uses for the Old Snake," Ron said. "At least someone else out there has figured out that Percy's not doing things right. But I'll tell you one thing! If he's not under an Imperious Curse, he's going to have a lot to answer for next time I see him!"
"I really think Malfoy's right about the Imperious thing," Harry commented casually. "It just seems to make sense to me. Percy wouldn't have burned down the Burrow like that on his own. He may have been upset with your parents for their involvement in the Order, but I really don't think…I mean…"
"He was very angry with our parents," Ginny reminded Harry.
"Yes, but wasn't that just because he thought I was lying and Dumbledore was foolishly believing me?"
"He also wanted to stay in good with Fudge and the other Ministry people," Ron said. "Had high ambitions, he did."
"OK, but who would go and burn down their parents house if they were trying to get positive recognition for advancement within the Ministry?" Harry asked.
"Good point," Neville jumped in. "Seems a pretty backward way to go about getting public sympathy to say that someone framed him for that, doesn't it?"
"Exactly," Harry said. "It doesn't add up, Percy's ambitions and beliefs, verses his recent actions. It just doesn't make any sense, what he's been doing, unless he really is doing it because he's being forced to. Either they've got something big to blackmail him with, or he's being controlled by the curse, and Draco said his father was boasting about being in control of the Ministry just a couple of weeks ago. The most logical conclusion is that Lucius Malfoy is controlling Percy."
"Which means the most logical solution is to release Percy from that curse," Hermione added.
"Yeah, but for that," Ron replied, "we'd need to remove him from harm's way as well, so they can't just put him under the curse again as soon as he's free of it."
"It would help to put the source of the curse behind bars," Ginny suggested.
"Good luck keeping him there," Harry said. "We already did that last June, and he was out again before we were even home from Hogwarts. How do we keep him there once he's been captured?"
"Well, who's to say we'll ever have the chance to put him back in Azkaban?" Hermione said. "Besides, that's the Order's job to worry about him, along with the rest of the Death Eaters. Ron, we have to go do our patrol."
"What patrol?" Ron asked, his mind not fully focusing on Hermione's last statement.
"Prefect patrol of the corridors, Ron? Honestly, after almost two years, you should remember this by now…"
"OH…oh…right, sorry. I guess we'll talk to you guys later. We're on duty now. See ya," Ron stammered as he rose from his seat and followed Hermione out the portrait hole.
Harry and Ginny said goodnight to Neville and Luna then and ascended the stairs to the landing between the boys' and girls' dorms. Harry pulled Ginny into his arms and nuzzled her neck, enjoying the feel of her hair tickling his nose.
"This investigation will all be over tomorrow," he murmured, "and I'll take that test, and then starting Monday, I'll barely get to see you anymore."
"We'll find ways to see each other, Harry," she comforted him. "It'll be fine. And it's only for May and June, right? After that we'll have all of summer to spend together."
"True," he agreed. "I can't imagine where else your family will stay this summer. Have your parents said anything about rebuilding or anything?"
"They haven't said a thing about the Burrow since Christmas. I don't know what's going on there. They always write stuff about working hard and missing us and all, but never anything specific. Not even a hint about anything important. But you know how it is, being in the Order and all, they have to be careful what they write in letters."
"Yeah, I know. Well, whatever the decision for your family's living arrangements, they're certainly always welcome at my house," Harry said.
"Thanks, Harry," Ginny replied. "You better get off to bed, though. You need your rest tonight, big day tomorrow and all."
"Right, right," Harry muttered. He kissed her gently, then turned and ascended the steps into the sixth year boys' dormitory. He pushed the door open and stepped in. Neville and Ron's beds were empty, of course, but Seamus and Dean were both fast asleep. So Harry tip-toed across the floor to his bed and very quietly changed into his pajamas, trying not to wake them. He was just settling into his bed when Ron came charging through the door, slamming it open and shouting.
"Harry, Harry, it's Snape…and the Toad…get up…come on!" Ron roared.
"What on earth?" Dean exclaimed groggily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"What's all the shouting about?" Seamus asked.
Ron ignored them and started pulling Harry out of the dormitory. "Ron, could I at least get dressed before we go running off somewhere?" Harry asked irritably.
"What? Oh, whatever, here!" Ron threw Harry's robes at him. "Throw that over your PJ's and let's go!"
Harry pulled his robes on and checked for his wand in the pocket. Finding it there, he followed Ron hurriedly out of the room with a murmured apology to Dean and Seamus on the way out.
"What's all this about?" Harry asked when they had joined an irritated Ginny and an anxious looking Hermione by the portrait hole. Neville and Luna were gone, and he presumed Neville was walking his girlfriend back to Ravenclaw's common room.
"We were on patrol just now," Hermione began to explain.
"And we went down into the dungeon corridors because Ernie and Hannah wouldn't," Ron added.
"And Snape was down there in his office as usual," Hermione continued.
"And Umbridge was with him," Ron said. "And they were talking about…about…."
"They were spreading some kind of potion all over the test papers," Hermione exclaimed. "And Umbridge almost got some on her finger or something…"
"Right," Ron took over again, "And Snape yelled at her to be more careful, and said…"
"What on earth are you to trying to tell me?" Harry broke in.
"Snape and Umbridge are poisoning the test papers with a potion that will cause anyone whose skin comes into contact with it to be under the express control of V..Vo..Voledmort!" Hermione finally finished.
"WHAT?!" Harry couldn't believe his ears. "Snape's been off lately, but he's a member of the Order! He wouldn't do that!"
"Snape's been off all right," Hermione said. "Off the grounds entirely, if you ask me!"
"You mean…" thoughts were swirling around in Harry's mind now, something about a dungeon, a cell, the Dark Lord, and a prisoner…a spy…Hadn't Draco said Umbridge was a spy for Voldemort?
"Snape said something to Umbridge about his son, that his son would soon be coming back to him," Hermione continued. "But as far as I know, Snape has never had any children of his own. He only has Draco as his godson. But he didn't say godson. He said son."
"Snape never came back at all," Harry said, starting to put the pieces together. "He's being impersonated by someone else, someone whose son has been estranged to him…"
"Someone like Malfoy?" Ron suggested.
Harry's eyes caught Ron's and a complete vision suddenly burst into Harry's mind. "Snape's in the Dungeons of Malfoy Manor, Lucius is here disguised as Snape, and Draco is in very real danger!" Harry concluded, his hands trembling as he spoke. "And the investigation is a cover for something that is going to happen right here, tomorrow, when the students take that test! We have to stop them! We have to tell Dumbledore!"
"Dumbledore and McGonagall are in London tonight," Hermione sounded almost desperate. "They had to report to the Ministry as part of the investigation!"
"How dreadfully convenient," Harry said. "Look, tell someone, Flitwick, Winters, Trelawney, Tonks, anyone and everyone. Get all the Prefects informed, and the Head Boy and Head Girl. I'll assemble the D.A. They need to know. Voldemort is going to attack the school within the next twenty four hours, and with the headmaster gone, there's a good chance he'll be here tonight! Go!"
Ron and Hermione raced out of the portrait hole again and Harry pulled out the fake gold galleon he'd never stopped carrying in his pocket. He tapped the galleon with his wand until it read, "Room of Requirement, now!" across the bottom, then gave it one last tap to make it warm up. Praying his D.A. members hadn't all disposed of their galleons, and taking hope in the fact that all those who'd returned from last year's group had still had theirs, he ran with Ginny to the Room of Requirement and they paced quickly in front of the bare stretch of wall that hid the door. The door appeared, and Harry opened it to find a room nearly the size of the Great Hall, though without the fancy ceiling charms, and surrounded in dark detectors of all kinds. There were sneak-o-scopes, and foe glasses, and all kinds of odd looking amulets, all humming and showing shadowy images of Umbridge, Snape, and a couple of the other investigators from the Ministry.
A few students wearing befuddled and sleepy expressions began to wander into the room then. Dean and Seamus came among the first group, and Seamus' jaw dropped when he saw all the dark detectors showing them who their foes were. Soon nearly half of the D.A. had arrived, and Harry couldn't wait any longer. Draco still wasn't here. Something might be detaining him. Ron and Hermione stepped in breathlessly just as Harry made his mind up.
"I have to find Malfoy," Harry said to them as they stopped in front of him. "None of the Slytherins have come! Something's wrong."
"We couldn't get into Slytherin's common room to find their prefects. I think they've changed their password," Hermione reported. "Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw prefects, Head Boy and Head Girl have been informed. The Head Girl has gone to get the teachers."
"Good," Harry said. "When it looks like everyone is here that's coming, get them up to speed. You lot will have to do something about those test parchments. Burn them if you have to. But don't let Umbridge or anyone else know what you're doing, or we'll all be toast. I'm going to the Slytherin common room to find Malfoy."
"I'll come with you," Ginny offered.
"No, I need you here," Harry said. "If anything's happened to Draco, you'll know through the bond. I might need you to send help for me."
"And someone send Hedwig to Dumbledore immediately!" Harry called as he ducked out of the room and raced down flights of stairs toward the dungeons. He didn't bother trying to conceal his footsteps until he had arrived in the Entrance Hall and was approaching the steps that lead to Snape's classroom. He hoped he would remember where Slytherin's common room was. Draco's amulet was growing colder again, and when he pulled it from within his robes he saw that its emerald eyes were glowing brightly, confirming that something was indeed going on down there. He finally found the bare damp wall that he remembered was the entrance he needed, only to realize that he didn't have a password or a Slytherin to invite him in. "What now?" he said out loud.
Just then, two big, beefy arms emerged from behind the wall, took hold of Harry's forearms, and pulled him through.