Chapter 9: The Forgotten Date And The Unforgotten Hate
He was climbing the tower. He did not know where he was but he kept climbing the ever winding, never ending stairs. He must have climbed at least ten flights of stairs before he finally reached the top. The view that greeted below was magnificent. It was beyond words. No intricate details and nothing stood out. But there were colours everywhere. And they piece together into a wondrous picture of a city Harry had never been to. Too bad he could not admire the picturesque sight before him. He swivelled around and saw a lump on the floor. It was a woman with wild curly hair bent over her knelt down form, her face hidden.
"Crucio!" Harry heard himself saying, only he knew that the cold and high-pitched voice could not possibly belong to him. The woman began shaking violently, as if she had spasm, and she screamed in agony.
"Tell me," he went on, "what did you see?"
The woman stopped her quiver and spat, "I will not tell you a thing, you filth." Harry found her voice very familiar but before he could match an owner to that voice, Harry felt someone jerking his arms.
"Harry! HARRY!"
Harry's eyes flew opened and he found five worried faces peering down at him – Hermione, Janieve, Ron, Ernie and Professor Sprout. His scar seered and burned and he grabbed his forehead in pain.
"Mr. Weasley," said Professor Sprout, "could you please accompany Mr. Potter to the Hospital Wing?"
"No! I need to see Professor Dumbledore!" Harry blurted. Hermione and Ron looked on at him uneasily.
"Professor Dumbledore is a busy man," Professor Sprout said sternly, "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would be more than enough to take care of your finger." Then Harry understood. His teacher must have thought Harry had fainted from the prick on his finger and that he was going to complain to their Headmaster about her.
"No, Professor, you don't under –" Harry said.
"I'll take him, Professor," Hermione interrupted. She grabbed Harry's arm rather forcibly and wrenched him out of the Greenhouse.
"What are you doing, Hermione?" Harry asked angrily. "I need to see Professor Dumbledore!"
"We are," Hermione answered quickly, "That's exactly where we're heading."
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Janieve was pacing the Gryffindor common room that night. Most of the students had gone to bed since it was a school day tomorrow. Janieve, however, was really worried about Harry. He and Hermione had been gone halfway through Herbology and never came back. She and Ron had went to look for them at Hospital Wing but Madam Pomfrey informed them quite impatiently that Harry had never came to look for her.
"Stop doing that," said Ron, "you're making me nervous."
Janieve stopped pacing but immediately went into cracking her knuckles. Finally, at eleven, the Gryffindor common room door flew open. In came a tired looking Harry and serious face Hermione.
"What happened?" asked Ron.
"Where did you go?" asked Janieve at the same time.
Harry and Hermione looked up, surprised to see them there. Harry collapsed onto one of the couch by the fireplace and watched the dying fire dazedly. Hermione just looked between Harry, Ron and Janieve.
"Well, are you going to tell us anything?" Ron pressed.
"We went to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione responded.
"Did Harry have one of those… visions again?" Ron asked.
"What visions?" Janieve asked in puzzlement.
"Well," Hermione began, but not before shooting a look at Harry first. Harry gave her a slight nod and she continued. "Harry saw Voldermort using the Cruciatus curse on a woman." Ron cringed.
"What you mean Harry saw Voldermort using the whatever curse?" asked Janieve. At this question, Ron and Hermione looked at each other uneasily. Harry, on the other hand, remained gazing stonily in front of him.
"A Cruciatus curse," Hermione said. "It is one of the three unforgivable curses. If used on another human being, the person will feel immense pain. It is also known as the torture curse."
"And… Harry saw…?" Janieve prompted.
Hermione looked to Harry and Harry said, "It's okay. I trust her."
"Well, Harry and Vol…" said Hermione, "No Harry, you should tell her this yourself."
Harry gazed at her, then at Janieve, but said nothing.
"I'm sorry Harry," Hermione said stubbornly, "I know it's hard for you but you need to do this yourself." Then she turned to Ron, "Come on Ronald, let's go to sleep." Ron just gaped at her stupidly so she had to practically tow him up the spiral stairs leading to the boys' dormitories.
Janieve found herself staring at Harry blatantly as he struggled with his words. Finally, Janieve said, "It's okay, Harry. I don't need to know." She would have regretted saying that. Truth was, she wanted to know. She wanted to know everything about Harry. She knew it was probably too soon to feel this but she cared for Harry. But precisely so, she did not want to force Harry into saying things that he did not wish to or was not ready for. And seeing the relief washed over his handsome face, Janieve knew she had done the right thing.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said lightly and headed for the stairs that led to the girls' dormitories.
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The following morning at breakfast, an owl had swoop down on Janieve to deliver her a letter from Harry. He told her that he was sorry for forgetting their Quidditch lesson last night and that he wanted to make it up to her this evening. Meanwhile, Harry was observing her as she read his apology silently. Janieve had to use every ounce of her energy to force down the smile threatening to spill over her face.
"Apologies accepted," she had told him.
"Meet you outside the Gryffindor common room at nine," he had whispered back to her.
And throughout the day, Janieve found it difficult to concentrate on her banishing spells during Professor Flitwick's Charms class.
After dinner, she had gone back to the library to study with Hermione while the boys went for Quidditch practise. At nine sharp, she bid Hermione goodbye outside the Fat Lady's portrait and waited for Harry. Harry came out of the common room shortly with his broom over his shoulder, a yellowed piece of parchment and a thick black cloak.
"Well, can you hold this for me?" Harry asked as he handed his broom to Janieve. He proceeded to unfold the piece of parchment and tapped his wand on it.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he muttered and words started appearing on them. On closer inspection, Janieve realised that it was a map of Hogwarts.
"It's the Marauders' Map, shows where the people are in the castle," Harry explained. "Let's go," he said and he draped the oversized cloak over both of them. They crept quietly out of the castle and found themselves on the Quidditch pitch five minutes later. Harry stuffed the map into his robe pocket and rode his broom.
"Well, get on the broom," Harry said and Janieve positioned herself behind Harry, the cloak still covering them. Harry kicked off into the starry night and Janieve found herself hovering about fifty feet above the ground.
"Merlin's beard," Janieve breathed. They rode higher and higher into the air as the castle of Hogwarts diminished beneath them. Soon, they were sweeping over the trees and past the lake, then back to the pitch. The feeling was indescribable.
"This is amazing," she said, her arms wrapped tightly around Harry.
"I told you I would make it up to you," Harry shouted back to her. They rode for another fifteen minutes, passing through the towers protruding from the castle gracefully. They landed finally onto the pitch, both breathing hard and grinning.
"That was… Wow!" Janieve exclaimed. "Thank you!" Harry's grin broadened.
"My pleasure," he said.
"Well," Janieve said, "I would like to try flying on my own."
Then, Harry tied the cloak around her and told her that it would make her stay invisible as she flew. Then she kicked off into the sky and circled the field for a few rounds until she was no longer frightened by the experience. She dived downwards and her legs buckled a little as she touched the grassy ground. Nevertheless, she felt exhilaration even as they were walking back to the Gryffindor tower.
"Snape is coming this way!" Harry hissed into her ear. They backed away from the corridor and found themselves running up a stairway.
"Wait! Professor Winter is coming down now!" They looked down at the Marauders' Map and found Severus Snape and Florence Winter closing in on the two of them from both sides, with no escape route in sight. They pressed themselves against the wall and covered themselves with the Invisibility Cloak. Snape and Winter met on the stairway that Harry and Janieve stood.
"Severus," said Professor Winter.
"Florence," replied Snape in a less friendly tone.
"I've never got the chance to speak to you ever since my return to Hogwarts," she said.
"I have nothing to say to you," Snape replied coldly.
"You do remember everything, don't you?" she asked. "You always blame people and never forgive anyone, don't you?"
"I said, I have nothing to say to you," Snape said through gritted teeth.
Winter studied him for a long moment before she said, "As you wish, Severus. Good night."
"Good night," Snape responded coldly. They stepped past each other and continued on their way to where they had intended to go. When Harry and Janieve thought it was finally safe, they quickly went back to the Gryffindor Tower, constantly checking the Marauders' Map.
"Jumping Ferrets," Harry said to the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady opened the door for them drowsily. They climbed through the hole, grateful to be back without getting caught. Exhaustion overtook them and they just collapsed onto the couch and slept fitfully under the Invisibility Cloak.
