Chapter Eighteen- Situations
Harry halted in mid-step, his eyes flashing, and slowly turned back around.
"Oh yes," Draco continued over the gasps echoing across the mass of students. He smirked, still quite oblivious to the rage flowing through the green-eyed Gryffindor. "My father's told me all about how the Death Eaters took turns after the Dark Lord was done."
It was only then that Malfoy noticed Harry walking slowly, deliberately, towards him. He fought a flash of alarm as he got a look at the other's eyes, which seemed little more than green flames, and squared his shoulders as he fingered the wand in his pocket.
Snape, meanwhile, was glaring at his Slytherin student, disbelieving of just what little amount of impulse control the boy had. Fool, Severus thought, then he noticed the look of murder Potter was wearing. Stepping toward Draco, with the intent to rebuke him, he stopped short when Potter spoke.
"Is that so?" Harry questioned in a deadly whisper, though everyone heard every word. "Your father would know how to do something like that, I suppose. What with all the practice he's had spreading your legs."
Severus nearly choked in shock, though the unbiased part of his mind laughed. The hall around them seemed to take in a collective startled breath. Harry moved closer to the blonde wizard, who was staring with his mouth slightly open. The predatory Gryffindor didn't pay any attention to his audience, all of whom where looking between the adversaries which mixed expressions of stunned horror and apprehension.
Harry's face gained a smirk that was considerably more virulent than the Slytherin could have ever managed. "Yes, I did overhear him bragging about how you loved it when he gave it to you rough."
A muscle twitched in Malfoy's jaw, then he was yanking out his wand. "How dare you!"
Before the blonde had even managed to pull the wood clear of his robes, Harry had his pointing straight at the other's chest. Eyes flaming, the young warrior shot a burst of raw power across the hall, knocking several students to the side and Snape back through the door to his classroom.
The blast struck Malfoy in a burning flash, sending him into the air and backwards several metres. Striking a wall at the end of the hall with a painful crack, the Slytherin slid to the ground, slumping sideways. The front of his robes were charred, and a faint odour of burnt flesh filled the passageway.
Walking through the middle of the parted students, Harry made his way towards his downed opponent. Recovering, his classmates stood watching, most not brave enough to stop him. Dimly he heard Hermione call to him, but she was quickly silenced by the others morbidly wishing to see what would happen. They watched as Malfoy shook his head and caught sight of the Gryffindor.
Forcing his vision to clear, he pushed up the wall in a panic. Draco then jerked away from it and finally managed pull his wand, brandishing it slightly wildly in his nearly disoriented state. Suddenly, it was wrenched from his fist, landing cleanly in Potter's free hand without a word spoken.
As Harry caught sight of Malfoy's shock and fear, he couldn't help smiling ferally. The other wizard swallowed, then narrowed his eyes hatefully. Clearly gathering himself, Malfoy tensed to attack. Harry was not surprised and allowed the boy to come at him.
As Malfoy charged, Harry ducked a high punch, then swung upward. His blow landed cleanly on the blonde's jaw, driving him back. Malfoy lunged again, and Harry saw a flash of silver near the other's side. The dagger came straight at his heart, but as it neared Harry smirked.
With a sharp movement, he grabbed the Slytherin's wrist in a crushing grip and squeezed. Eyes widening, Malfoy fell to his knees with a grimace, his knife falling from his slack hand. Just before it hit the floor, it veered upward and floated threatening towards Malfoy's throat.
Glancing up at his opponent, Draco saw Potter look intently at the dagger, then lock eyes with his own grey ones. Realizing that the Gryffindor was wandlessly controlling the blade, he took a shaky breath, struggling to not let a moan slip past his lips as the hand on his arm compressed the bone beneath the skin.
An emerald green gaze bore into the Slytherin's, and with a dizzying rush, Draco realized that Potter was fishing through his mind. He didn't have even a chance to wonder how the wizard holding him captive had learned Legilimency, before flashes of memories shot across his consciousness.
Harry didn't bother using his wand or a spell as he searched the blonde's mind, merely sifting through what he found as he focussed into the other's eyes. As he located the remembered conversations between Draco and Lucius Malfoy, Harry scanned them, looking for how much the boy really knew. Finding that the extent of the Slytherin's information was the vague references he'd already admitted to, Harry withdrew abruptly, leaving Malfoy gasping for breath.
"Listen, you little pompous, arrogant bastard, do not cross me," Harry hissed between clenched teeth. "You would do well to not fight against an enemy you have no knowledge of. Make no mistake, you know not me. Try something like this again, and it will be the last thing you ever do, do you understand?"
Glaring, Malfoy made no attempt to answer, and Harry twisted his arm sharply. His hold was nowhere near the light show he'd given Ron days ago, but was a painful warning to an enemy. Crying out lowly, the blonde tried to jerk away, but the other wizard held him still.
"Answer me, fool," Harry bit out, wrenching Malfoy's wrist once again. "Do you understand me?"
Nodding, Malfoy squeezed his eyes shut tightly, pain running up his arm. Harry straightened from where he had bent over his victim, but didn't release his grip. Suddenly a noise behind him caught his attention, and still holding the other wizard, Harry glanced over his shoulder.
Blinking, he saw a transparent wall of colour separating them from the other students and the Potion's master. Their forms were somewhat disjointed through the swirling tints and shades. It looked just like the shields within the Great Hall, and reacted the same to the curses Snape was throwing at it in an attempt to break through.
Wondering at that, Harry barely noticed the Slytherin kneeling in front of him until the boy whimpered. Looking down, he realized he was gripping Malfoy's wrist hard enough that the other's hand had gone quite pale. Relaxing his grasp, he again turned his attention back to the shield. The wall had remained throughout Harry's distraction, not dissolving as did the other ones he'd seen.
A chuckle echoed through Harry's mind and he whipped his head around looking for the cause. "Who's there?" he questioned sharply.
"Do not fear, young warrior," a soft voice answered. "You are in no danger from me."
The sound came into his head again, much like Riddle's when Harry suffered a vision, but the sense of this being was almost the opposite of the Dark Lord. It was gentle and Harry was filled with a sense of safety and security. But he was still weary.
"Who are you?" asked Harry, still scanning the hall around him.
Another chuckle, then his answer. "I am where you are."
Raising his brow, Harry snorted. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
"I am where you are," repeated the voice.
"You are- what? That makes no sense, no one's here," Harry responded in annoyance.
"I am everywhere here."
Shaking his head, Harry narrowed his eyes. "Look, who ever you are, show yourself and stop your bloody riddles."
Abruptly the floor beneath his feet rippled and Harry struggled to stay upright. "What the hell?" he exclaimed, then his eyes widened. "No way."
"I knew you were intelligent, young one."
"This is crazy," Harry muttered, mostly to himself. "You can't be what I'm thinking you are."
"I am this school."
Nodding, Harry chuckled. "And I am now certifiably insane. Brilliant."
The voice laughed lightly. "Oh no, warrior, you are not insane. In fact, I would say compared to my other human friend, you are quite lucid."
"Who is your other friend?" Harry asked.
"The headmaster."
"Ah," Harry mumbled. "I don't know if that is really a good indication of my sanity. Well, anyway, if you are whom you say, why in Myrddin's name are you talking to me?"
"Because of that," stated Hogwarts. At Harry's raised eyebrow, the voice of the school explained. "You have knowledge few have had since my creation. Knowledge that those who refer to Myrddin as Merlin have never learned. Only those who have studied what has passed down from Myrddin could have been taught thus. I respond to those with such knowledge. Not that I haven't noticed your power, young warrior."
Harry ran his eyes over the stones in the wall and nodded. "All right, sure. Then, why now? Why decide to speak now?"
"Well, that would be for a couple of reasons," it answered slowly, as though contemplating something. "First, you knew me to be sentient, and you admitted to it. Thank you, by the way. I'll tell you, it's rather disheartening when almost everyone considers you to be nothing more than a pile of stones. As if rock could hold and protect as I do."
"Yes, I see your point," Harry interjected amicably, hoping it would move on.
"Regardless, I realized you were worthy to converse with, young one. And second," continued the school, "you amuse me."
"I, what?" Harry questioned, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Chuckling, it responded quickly. "Take no offense, warrior, I mean none. It is your actions I was referring to. For example, during your exam, your handling of that annoyingly irritable dolt of a Potion's master that is even now attempting to get through one of my shields. Completely futile, I assure you."
With a laugh, Harry shook his head. "I have to say I'm shocked that you approve of how I acted."
"If anyone asks, I don't," it replied easily. Harry laughed again. "But as for right now, I completely agree with you."
"Now?" inquired Harry.
"Yes," Hogwarts said. "About Mr Malfoy. That little whelp needed to be taught some modesty. Badly."
Harry blinked, then glanced down, having completely disregarded the fact that he was still holding the Slytherin boy captive. Said wizard was staring at Harry with wide eyes, panic evident in his expression. It took a moment for Harry to figure out why Malfoy was so unnerved, then he realized just how it must have looked as he spoke out loud to the school talking in his head.
Laughing whole-heartedly, which only increased the other's alarm, Harry also registered that he was still magicly keeping Malfoy's dagger aloft and pointing at its owner. Bringing it around in front of the blonde, Harry touched the tip to Malfoy's neck, snickering when he pulled back.
Harry released his wrist, and Malfoy fell hard against the stone floor. Pushing up, the Slytherin struggled to right himself. Finally gaining his feet, he skirted around the grinning green-eyed wizard, nearly scraping the wall so to maintain as far a distance as he could from him.
As Harry watched in amusement, pocketing his wand and the dagger, Malfoy neared the oscillating shield, which promptly dropped. On the other side, Snape almost fell as it disappeared. Glaring at Harry, the professor was visibly taken aback when Malfoy ran over to him and grabbed his arm. When the boy spoke, Harry could hear the castle's laughter along with his own.
"Professor! Professor!" Malfoy exclaimed, looking wildly toward Harry, then to Snape. "Potter's mad. I tell you, mad! He tried to kill me! Then he started talking to himself! You have to Floo St Mungos, Professor." The blonde was panting between words. "The knife was floating, sir! Maybe he was talking to that. Oh, dear Salazar, he's dangerous, insane!"
"Calm yourself, Draco," Snape admonished, wrenching his arm free of his student's grip and glancing at the gawking students behind him. He lowered his voice. "This is not the place for such behaviour. Straighten up and act like a proper Slytherin, now."
Malfoy took several deep breaths and threw back his shoulders, though he glanced sharply in Harry's direction when the Gryffindor shifted his stance. Effecting a withering stare, Snape turned toward Harry, who stood calmly a few feet away.
"Potter," hissed the Potion's master. "My office, immediately."
Harry nodded agreeably and walked past them. As he made his way through his dumbfounded classmates, Harry kept his face blank and ignored their whispered words to their friends. Snape sent Malfoy to the infirmary, with the boy's lackeys following, then strode to his office, sending the observers away with a sharp rebuke.
Slipping into his office, Severus saw Potter facing away from him. With a resounding echo, he slammed the door behind him, raising an eyebrow when the boy didn't flinch, but merely turned around. Sneering, the Potion's master gestured for Potter to sit, then stalked over to tower over him.
"Are you aware that you could be expelled for your little show, Mr Potter?" Severus ground out in an ominous tone. When the boy gave a subtle smirk, he saw red. "What do you have to say for yourself!"
"It is against the rules to oust a student for defending himself, sir," Harry answered, staring at the wall over his teacher's shoulder.
"You were not defending yourself, you arrogant brat," Snape scathed. "That was little more than a production for an audience. What, have you missed having someone watch your every move with awe?"
"I apparently have you to do that. Why else have you been staring at me? Sir?" replied Harry sharply.
Eyes narrowing, Snape leaned further over Harry, forcing him to look him in the face. "Perhaps I was just wondering about the same thing Mr Malfoy was. Tell me something, did you enjoy your little time with the Dark Lord? Were you too filled with shame to show your face here after it?"
Harry clenched his jaw, fighting his urge to lash out, even as his fisted hands shook with the effort. In his state of rage, he wasn't quite sure he could keep himself from doing serious damage. He felt his magic tingling, though he knew the result of using it could be deadly.
"Maybe you even carry a Mark, like so many others think. Do you, boy?" questioned the Potion's master silkily.
Angrily, Severus grabbed the younger wizard's left arm, wrenching it to expose the forearm. Just as he attempted to yank up the sleeve, he saw Potter's eyes flash bright green. A light filled his vision, and Severus found himself thrown back against the shelves of his office, breaking several full jars as he hit them.
Managing to remain upright, he blinked to clear his vision, only to be hit with another shot of power, this one sending him forward over his desk. Landing painfully on his side, Severus looked up to find Potter standing over him, glaring at him with an expression to match the Potion's master's worst.
"Do not touch me, Snape," Harry growled out, reigning in his magic once again.
As Snape went for his wand, Harry flung out a hand, flipping the man onto his back and calling the wand out of the older wizard's pocket. Flinging it across the office, it hit the wall, one end shooting a blast of sparks, then it clattered to the floor.
Breathing heavily, Harry jerked up the sleeve covering his left arm, pulling hard enough to rip the seam. Uncaring, he thrust his arm out for the other to see.
"I have never, and I will never wear another's brand, Snape," he stated in a rough voice. "Unlike some."
With that Harry turned on his heel and strode from the office, the jars shaking on their shelves as his magic swirled around him. Letting the door bang behind him, Harry increased his pace, and made his way out the first exit the school offered.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review, I love them so very much. Your opinions really help me know where the details should go.
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Zenn