Disclaimer: No money is being made by this. It is JK Rowlings world that our imagination just played in.
Chapter 10 The Invitation
Monday morning started off just fine. The night before had gotten late as Harry had explained all that happened during his detention, but his morning classes were interesting. He and Ron headed for lunch after their morning classes were over. There were just listening to Hermione talk of how her morning had gone when she suddenly fell silent and stared behind them.
"Mr. Potter!" Harry cringed. He'd been enjoying this year in that he'd so far had very little contact with Professor Snape. Something must have happened to make him extremely angry. His voice was dripping with venom.
Harry slowly turned. Snape was holding an arm that was lightly bleeding. Harry blinked in surprise.
"Did you, or did you not, have just one simple thing to do in your detention last night?" He was looking like he was in a very nasty mood.
"Er…"Harry could think of a lot of things he had done in his detention last night. He wasn't sure what Snape was talking about.
Snape sneered at Harry's uncomprehending look. "The eggs, Potter. Did you talk to the bloody snake about it's eggs?" At Harry's look of dawning comprehension, Snape's scowl increased. "I didn't think so. That will be another nights detent…"
He was interrupted by the Headmaster. "Pardon me, Severus, but several things did happen last night which took precedence over the egg issue. Mr. Potter will be excused on that matter. I believe he has a Care of Magical Creature's class this afternoon. Would you be willing, Mr. Potter, to speak to the creature at that time?"
"Of course, Headmaster. I'll be glad to." As much as Harry didn't usually mind detentions with Hagrid, he didn't think he was ready for another so soon.
Professor Snape looked angry that Harry was getting away with getting him bitten when the snake creature should have been more willing to give up its eggs. He stomped angrily back across the Hall.
The trio finished their lunch and made their way outside to Care of Magical Creatures. They were pretty much finished with the Runespoor and were moving on to another creature, a glumbumble, which was a furry insect whose sting caused melancholy. Hagrid was getting anxious because he would soon be getting an Erumpent, a large African mammal that looked similar to a Rhinoceros. Hagrid was excited because the horn can pierce almost anything and contained an exploding fluid, therefore it is quite a dangerous animal. The Runespoor would be shipped back to Africa in a week to make room for the Erumpent. Harry thought he'd be a little sad to see them go.
At the close of the class, Harry started to collect his books and turned to head back to the castle. Hermione sent him a glare and jerked her head towards the paddock. Harry couldn't believe he almost forgot again. He gave a nod of thanks to Hermione and made his way over to the paddock. There would have been no way to avoid another detention if he had forgotten to talk to the creature again.
Harry climbed into the paddock and the Runespoor quickly slithered over to him. He asked the animal if it would be okay if their eggs were used by the wizards. Two quickly agreed. Sapna was reluctant. Harry found she was hopeful of a male Runespoor coming by. The other two scoffed at her saying there would be no male in this cold climate, but Harry said he would make sure she was left alone.
The other two showed Harry where they had been hiding their eggs. Harry summoned a basket which had a small blanket in it and collected the soft shelled eggs. He was surprised by them. Their shells felt like parchment and their color was pure silver. There were about twenty eggs in all hidden under decomposing brush. The eggs were quite warm. Harry put a little warming charm on the basket and covered them with part of the blanket.
Harry saw that Hagrid wasn't at home as he left the paddock. He supposed he shouldn't just leave the eggs sitting there. Hagrid had told his class that they were considered very valuable. So he brought the basket into the castle with him.
Students were beginning to gather in the Great Hall for supper. Harry took a quick peek and while he didn't see Hagrid, he did see Snape. He would much rather hand off the eggs to Hagrid and let him give them to the Potions Master, but Hagrid wasn't here and he didn't want to carry them around all night. He walked up to the Head Table where Snape was sitting and set the basket near the professor.
The professor looked at the old and dirty basket and sent a glare at Harry. "Just what am I supposed to do with this thing while I'm eating, Potter?" he asked with disgust plain in his voice at the sight of the basket.
"I talked with the Runespoor. You can take eggs from the two outside heads, but not the middle one. The two outside ones showed me where they were keeping their eggs. I collected them, but didn't think I should just leave them lying around so here they are."
The Potions Professor looked at Harry with scorn when Harry said that not all the heads were willing to give up their eggs. His eyes got a flicker of curiosity when Harry mentioned collecting eggs. He looked extremely reluctant to actually touch the basket or remove the blanket, though. He looked like he thought he would be contaminated by touching such a common, dirty thing. The curiosity won out, though, and eventually, with two fingertips he flipped back a corner of the blanket covering the eggs. He leaned over the basket and started counting the eggs.
When Snape lifted his greasy head back up, Harry could see a light of greed in his eyes. With anyone else, Harry would think the greed was stemming from what they could get galleon-wise on the black market for the eggs, but with Professor Snape, Harry was sure it was just a possessiveness that he had such precious potion ingredients. He would never willingly give them up.
Snape got up from the table and lifted the basket, protectively cradling it with his free arm. "Well, color me surprised. You didn't totally mess things up. For once." With his parting shot, he turned and swept out of the Hall carrying his precious cargo, no longer noticing the dirty basket smudging his robes.
The rest of the week went by quickly. In his potions tutoring, Audra kept trying to find out how he knew her uncle and why Mundungus had been wearing a dress. Harry kept trying to sidestep how he met him and told her that he believed he was wearing a dress as a disguise. Harry had heard that some people in town had long memories and didn't allow him in their establishments.
Harry stopped by Hagrid's to ask what ever happened with Firenze going to the council meeting. Hagrid told him that Firenze was now allowed back into the forest as well. There may even be one or two others that might be willing to help Dumbledore.
Quidditch practice stepped up as the Gryffindors had their first game against Ravenclaw on Saturday. They also had another DA meeting. An additional five students joined, mostly fifth years. They seemed to feel a need for some constructive lessons and practice in their OWL year. Hannah kept close to Harry's side as protection against Cho. Harry was amused to see that Ernie kept even closer to Hannah's side. Ron kept his word, too, and stayed with Harry to help clean up. He couldn't stop the occasional snicker, however, which caused Harry to glare at him.
Harry was still getting flashes of Voldemort's emotions and occasional twinges in his scar, especially after his Occlumency lessons with Professor Dumbledore. He was glad the Headmaster seemed content to let Harry build his defenses slowly instead of smashing them down each time like Snape had. Professor Dumbledore was slowly using more strength in his attacks as Harry was getting better at pushing him out. Harry could not stop his Professor from entering his mind yet, but Dumbledore still seemed happy with the progress he was making.
The Saturday Quidditch game started chilly with clear skies except for the west. There was a build up of clouds growing on the horizon. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw players took their positions. The crowd waited with anticipation as Madam Hooch released the Quaffle and the game began.
Harry started his circuit of the pitch, flying high and looking down for that glint of gold. Harry listened to the commentary. Roger Davies grabbed the Quaffle first and started a drive towards the Gryffindor goal. Jack and Andrew tried to direct bludgers at him, but were deflected by the Ravenclaw beaters. Roger feinted to the right hoop and unfortunately, Ron fell for it and Roger made a goal in the center hoop. Ravenclaw was up 10 to zero. Katie started a return drive and passed to Ginny. Ginny took a shot but was unable to get the Quaffle past the Ravenclaw Keeper. Bradley from Ravenclaw rebounded but it was stolen away by Gryffindor's new chaser, Natalie MacDonald. She was able to pass to Katie and this time Gryffindor scored. On the game went.
Harry didn't know what was wrong with Cho. She normally marked him closely during games, but this was ridiculous. He wasn't even sure if she looked even once for the snitch. This was getting highly annoying. About thirty minutes into the game the build up of clouds to the west had drifted over to them and the skies turned gloomy. The wind started to get stronger and rain began to fall. Gryffindor was holding their own, but the Ravenclaw chasers were nothing to sneeze at. They stayed consistently a little ahead of Gryffindor on points. Ginny had the Quaffle and was making her way back up the field when a bludger sent from a Ravenclaw beater made her swerve at the last minute. Unfortunately, she didn't swerve fast enough and the bludger glanced a blow on her shoulder.
Harry winced in sympathy and forced his attention back to searching the pitch for a glimpse of gold. His hair was dripping into his eyes and he shook his head to try to flick it to the side. He had, fortunately, performed an impervious charm on his glasses so his vision wasn't overly hampered by the rain.
Cho was still following like a flea on a dog. Harry tried a dive to shake Cho off. She followed the dive, but was back behind Harry within moments. She grinned at him as if saying 'nice try, but not going to work for long.'
Finally Harry saw it. The snitch was coasting along about 40 feet above the ground darting behind two Chasers making their way to the Ravenclaw goals. Harry dived back down, aiming for the snitch. Cho followed behind. Harry increased his speed. If he could just cut his angle a bit to the left he should be able to cut across its path, but avoid the Chasers. Harry pushed his speed and made his cut at the last possible moment. He held out his hand and closed his fist around the small golden ball.
Harry held his hand up in triumph and heard the whistle blow when he heard a sickening thud behind him. He twisted around on his Firebolt to see Cho and Ginny had collided. Cho had only been watching Harry and not been paying attention to where the Chasers were and ran straight into Ginny.
Cho had been knocked sideways on her broom and Harry could see her grip loosening. Ginny reached over and grabbed Cho's robes while maintaining a firm grip on her own broom. As Cho's hand slipped off her broom, Harry saw her whole weight drag down on Ginny's arm. Ginny gave a yelp of pain. Harry then heard Ron's shout of panic. Bearing down on Ginny was one of the bludgers that had yet to be corralled at the end of the game. With mounting horror he saw it slam into Ginny's side. The force wrenched her from her broom. Harry watched in shock as Ginny and Cho started falling 40 feet to the ground.
In a flash, Harry was after them. He dove straight down at an incredible speed. He got slightly below them then managed to maneuver the broom to ram into the two girls at a slightly upwards angle. Both frightened girls immediately latched onto him. The sudden weight added to his broom made his broom lose control momentarily and they all plummeted down.
Harry had managed to catch the girls at 10 feet before he lost control of the broom. He never managed to regain control before all three hit the muddy ground with a thud. Harry ended up on his back with the two girls tangled somehow over him. Harry couldn't catch his breath. Time seemed to stand still for a moment and Harry couldn't hear anything. Then all of a sudden the noise rushed back and faces were swarming over them.
The two girls were both shaking and sobbing with shock. Ron was there and tried to help Ginny up, but she just rolled over and curled into a ball, holding her ribs. Someone helped Cho to her feet and Harry rolled over and propped up on one elbow to look toward Ginny.
"Ginny? You all right?" Harry put a hand lightly on her back. He could see Ginny take a few more shallow, painful breaths before she started to calm.
Professor McGonagall was suddenly there and took control. She knelt in the mud near Ginny and ran a hand over her ribs. "I believe you have a broken rib, Miss Weasley. You'll also need to get that shoulder looked at." She glanced over at Harry and Cho. "You two also should head to the Hospital Wing and get looked over."
Ron tried again to gently help Ginny up. This time she made it to her feet. Hermione helped Harry to his feet. Harry looked over and saw Michael Corner helping Cho towards the castle. She seemed to be arguing with him and gesturing back to Harry. Michael looked over to Harry and Harry wearily shook his head. Something had to be done about Cho. He didn't know what her problem was but they were going to have to clear the air once and for all.
Madam Pomfrey took Ginny to the far end of the infirmary and set up curtains around a bed there. She then shooed Ron, Hermione and Michael out. Cho and Harry took a seat on an empty bed to wait.
Cho grabbed Harry's arm and tried to give him a hug. Harry tried to hold her off. Harry started the conversation in a low voice. "Cho, what is going on with you? You hardly paid attention in the game to anything except me. That went way beyond marking the opponent. Then your inattention made you crash into Ginny! What is going on with you? You've got to stop this!"
"Harry! You've saved me again! That proves that you love me, not Hannah!" Cho was gazing with a fervor in her eyes that reminded Harry a bit of Dobby, but in a scarier way. He idly wondered what she meant by saving her 'again'.
"Cho, listen to yourself! That doesn't even make sense! Ginny was trying to save you, too. Does that mean she's in love with you? No. It means she didn't want to see you hurt or killed." Harry was trying to understand what reasoning Cho had for believing Harry was in love with her still, but he just wasn't getting it.
"Is it Ginny? Is she in our way?" Even covered in mud, the Asian girl was quite pretty, but she just didn't do anything for Harry anymore.
"No. It's not Ginny. I don't want to hurt you Cho, but there just is no 'us'. We've only had one date and that didn't work out. I hope we can be friends, but I can't see us being any more than that." Cho's eyes were clouding over and Harry was expecting the tears to start as usual. Instead her eyes suddenly hardened.
"So it is Hannah." Cho narrowed her eyes. "She doesn't love you like I can. I happen to know she's two-timing you. I've had reports of her meeting with Ernie MacMillan!"
"Cho, stop it! It's not about anyone other than you and me. I don't feel that way about you. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is!"
Cho's eyes now filled with tears. "But you have to! If we had stayed together last year, things would have been different!" Harry was watching Cho as she seemed to have reached some limit and went over it. She started clinging desperately to Harry. Harry had his hands on her elbows holding her apart from him. Her voice started rising in pitch. "You saved me! You have to love me! You saved me, my mother, my brother…Why didn't you save my father, Harry?" Harry stared at Cho in shock. She started muttering again. "If we had stayed together, we all could have been saved." She looked up again and then turned angry and started hitting Harry in the chest with her balled up fists. "Why didn't you save my father, Harry? Why did you let him go off to get help?" She was totally hysterical now.
Harry was staring at Cho in shock. She wasn't causing much damage with her hits with her arms trapped between them. "Cho?" He looked up and saw Madam Pomfrey and Ginny watching them from across the infirmary.
Madam Pomfrey went to a cabinet and took out a potion. Harry recognized it as a calming draught. Cho had finally collapsed in tears against Harry. Madam Pomfrey gently put a hand on her shoulder and steered her to a bed. She pressed the vial to Cho's lips and Cho drank it down. Her sobs subsided into sniffs and Harry could hear low murmuring between her and Madam Pomfrey. The nurse started putting up curtains around her bed.
Ginny walked over to Harry. She was wearing a hospital robe and had been cleaned up. Through the neckline of the robe, Harry could see a hint of a bandage he assumed was wrapped around her shoulder. She placed a hand on his arm. Harry looked up at her with shocked eyes. "I wasn't there. I couldn't save her father."
"I know. I know, Harry. Something's wrong with her. They'll help her now." Ginny started rubbing circles on Harry's back, trying to give him some comfort.
Madam Pomfrey came out from behind the curtains. She gave a sympathetic look to Harry. "I gave her some Dreamless Sleep Potion. She should sleep through the night. I'll notify Professor Flitwick of what happened here and he'll talk to her in the morning. She doesn't seem to have any physical injuries and should be fine for tonight. Now let's take a look at you. Miss Weasley, you should get back to your bed."
Ginny gave Harry one last comforting pat on the back and made her way back across the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey checked Harry over. He was fine. He only had the wind knocked out of him.
Harry was allowed to leave the infirmary and report what happened to Ron, Hermione and Michael. He still felt shocked by what happened to Cho and it was difficult explaining her breakdown to Michael. Michael closed his eyes. "I wondered if there was something wrong, but how can you tell if the change is a normal part of grieving or if something else is wrong? I just knew something was off."
The next morning, Harry took his time making his way to the Hospital Wing. He wasn't anxious to see Cho again real soon, but he did want to see how Ginny was. He expected she would be released today. Madam Pomfrey had only kept her for observation overnight. She had been able to heal her rib in a trice.
As Harry walked into the Hospital Wing, he saw a worried Asian woman near the bed Cho was in. A smaller boy was sitting across from her, kicking his feet on the chair legs. Cho was still sleeping. The woman looked up. It was obvious she had been crying. When she saw Harry her eyes flicked up to his scar and recognition flashed in her eyes. He paused as she stood and approached him. She gave a respectful bow. "Mr. Potter?"
Harry sort of jerked forward in an uncomfortable head duck/bow back to Mrs. Chang. "Mrs. Chang. How is Cho this morning?"
"She woke briefly earlier. Her Head of House called me and made arrangements for us to take her to St. Mungo's for an evaluation." She paused then continued in a more hesitant voice. "I want to apologize for any trouble she has caused you this year. I also want to thank you for teaching her how to defend us. I was very surprised she knew what to do and was extremely proud of her. After it was over, she told how you had taught her and others ways to defend themselves. She was very close to her father…I should have known something was wrong when she would speak more of you than of her father."
Harry ducked his head. "I hope she will be alright."
Mrs. Chang smiled. "Thank you. I know she will be…eventually." Harry gave a nod and continued on to the end of the infirmary with a sigh of relief. He was glad that was over. He hoped he could avoid them on the way out. He knew that was cowardly, but he really felt uncomfortable in those situations.
Ron and Hermione were sitting by Ginny's bed. She was sitting up. She gave a smile when she saw Harry. "Hi, Harry."
"How are you, Ginny? Able to leave soon?" Ginny had the bandage off her arm.
"I'll have a final check any time now and should be able to leave after that."
The four sat with comfortable conversations for the first time since the summer. Harry wasn't sure what was different, but Ginny was much more relaxed.
"Hey, mate, thanks for breaking Ginny's fall. Madam Pomfrey said if she'd landed on the ground with her broken rib, it might have punctured a lung." Ron started to grin. "Of course, it's not like it's the first time you've done that, is it? Getting to be a habit finding you with my sister laying on top of you."
Harry blushed remembering earlier in the summer when Ron had been looking for Ginny when they were in the library and Ginny fell. Hermione rolled her eyes, and Ginny swatted her brother on the back of the head. "Ron, get a life!"
Madam Pomfrey made her way to where they were sitting. "You lot will have to leave while I check Miss Weasley over. Mr. Potter, I have been asked to give you a message that you are needed at Hagrid's Hut."
Harry excused himself from his friends, stopped at the tower to grab a cloak and made his way to the half-giants home. He knocked on the door and heard Fang start barking madly. Hagrid opened the door and ushered Harry inside. Hagrid looked quite windblown and upset.
"What's that matter, Hagrid?" Harry wasn't used to seeing Hagrid like this. He wasn't sure if he was angry or worried or something in between.
"I'm glad yeh came so fas', Harry. I'm afraid I've got some bad news. Sommat's tampered with the heating charm on the paddock. I on'y found out this mornin'. Must've happened some time yesterday is all I can figure. Maybe durin' the Quidditch match when ever'ones focus was turned away."
"How is the Runespoor?" Harry was concerned on how the cold-blooded creature survived the night.
"Dunno. Can't find 'em and Fang refuses ter go near the paddock lately. Tha's why I wanted you ter come. I thought maybe you migh' know where they would hide." Hagrid looked hopefully up at Harry.
Harry scratched his head. "I know two spots where they kept eggs warm. We can check those."
Harry and Hagrid went to the paddock. Off in the distance Harry saw Malfoy watching them with a satisfied smirk on his face. Apparently Hagrid saw him, too and Harry could feel his large friend tensing up. He started to mutter. "If'n I had one speck of evidence…"
Harry led the way to where the first nest of eggs had been found. It was empty. They made their way to the second nest and that one was empty as well. Harry started to call for them, listening hard for some return sound. After about twenty minutes he finally heard a faint hiss. "Thisss way…" Harry finally found them about five meters from the edge of the south end of the paddock. He quickly dug down through the decaying brush to uncover the Runespoor. The reptile didn't look good. It was curled around a third nest which still had eggs. Hagrid quickly lifted the creature and Harry summoned another basket. He dug out the eggs and placed a warming charm on the basket as he had the one before. They took the creature and the eggs to Hagrid's Hut.
Hagrid laid the Runespoor near the fire. Fang came near to investigate but the heads gave a half-hearted hiss to warn him away and he scampered off to hide under Hagrid's bed.
Harry sat near the fire. He put the basket of eggs next to him. "Sssapna, I put your eggsss in the basket because I was afraid they would be damaged from the cold. They are sssafe here for you. No one will disturb them."
The Runespoor started to move sluggishly towards Harry. Sapna peered into the basket and seemed satisfied. The snake creature twined its body around Harry as it had before. "You are warm. We will ssstay here."
Hagrid came over with a smoking mixture for the Runespoor to drink. Harry helped him get them to drink and soon they were looking much better than before.
"I want ter thank yeh, Harry, fer helpin' to find her. She'll be leavin' tomorrow. I'll keep her nice an' warm tonight and she'll be right as rain an' ready ter go." Hagrid leaned over to start making a nest of blankets near the fire. Harry carried them over to it and started to unwrap her coils.
"What'sss the matter, massster? Where are you going?"
"I need to go back to the cassstle. Hagrid will keep you warm until tomorrow when you will be heading back to your home."
"We want to ssstay with you."
"You can't. I need to sstay here and I can't take proper care of you. It'sss not safe for you to live here all the time. It getsss too cold. It will be better for you at your home. I'll tell Hagrid to make sure your eggsss go with you. You are more likely to find a male Runespoor at your dessstination."
The Runespoor just lay there with its three heads slowly blinking at Harry. Sapna finally leaned forward. "You may keep my eggsss."
Harry smiled at her. "I thank you. You are very generousss." He looked closely at Sapna and Sorena. "Remember, if Shamira starts criticizing you to the point it really bothersss you, move around for a change of scenery. Don't attack her. That's just how she vents her frustrations." Then he turned to Shamira. "Shamira, it really would work better if instead of calling them names, you just tell them you want to move around more."
The snakes bowed their heads. "We will try."
A whimper came from underneath the bed. Harry grinned and shook his head. Such an intimidating dog was such a coward. But everything should be fine for the night. He said a final goodbye and returned to the castle.
Time started passing normally again. Ginny spent some time again with Harry and his friends instead of seeming to avoid them. Harry knew he was ready for trying the animagus transformation, but wasn't sure about his friends. He had finally finished reading his father's journal and he knew he had to share one passage about the transformation with them.
The four were gathered in the trunk one evening and Harry pulled out the journal.
"Hermione, I know you're reading the books on the transformation. Have you reached the section on the actual transformation yet?"
"I've read that the first transformation takes considerable concentration and causes quite some discomfort, similar to that of the werewolf transformation." She recited the information almost as if she was reading it in her mind.
"Yeah, well, the 'quite some discomfort' is the part I want to warn you about. My dad wrote about it in his journal. I don't know if you will want to change your mind about this." Harry took the journal and flipped to the page he had marked. He began to read.
I finally transformed! Two days ago we finally decided to take the plunge. We were going to do it all at once, but just in case, we thought we would have just one of us go first. I went first. Sirius helped me get into a trance and the first thing I was able to see a set of antlers. Eventually the whole stag came into focus and started walking around. He was beautiful! Even in the trance I was so happy it was a large enough animal to help control Remus and he was so impressive. Sirius brought me out of the trance and I told him and Peter what I had seen. We then moved to the actual transformation. I wasn't worried. I knew that it would hurt. It would feel like what Remus goes through twice each month. Each time he transforms from human to wolf and wolf to human.
I never had a clue what he went through. The pain is unbelievable! It felt like every single bone was breaking and then melting into a new shape. It took me two days in the infirmary to recover! We had to make up a story for Madam Pomfrey. I cannot imagine why Remus isn't prematurely old and gray. The stress his body must go through…. What an awful thing to have to live with. I'm glad I went through it for Remus. It gives me an even greater understanding of what he lives with, but I can see the hesitation in Sirius and Peter's eyes. Peter's especially. If it wasn't for Remus, I don't think we ever would have done this…
Harry closed the journal. He saw horror in the eyes of his friends. He turned to Hermione. "Do you remember seeing Professor Lupin change into a werewolf?"
"I do…I just thought maybe it was more painful than usual that one time for some reason. I didn't realize he always feels that much…" There were some tears in her eyes.
"I just want you to be aware of everything about it. You will be feeling that pain the first time, too. Both when you initially change and when you change back. If you don't want to continue, you don't have to. My dad wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for Remus."
Ron spoke up. "What about you? What are you going to do?"
Harry looked down at the journal in his hands. "I'm going to go ahead. I'd like it if you could help me with the trance and stuff, but you don't have to do it yourselves. I feel I have pretty valid reasons to continue, too. Not friendship, but survival. I don't know what kind of animal I would be, but anything might help in a pinch. Even a slug."
Ron spoke again. "Well, I'm going to be right beside you. I'm going to go through with it. But did you have to mention slugs?" Ron still turned a bit green when he remembered the 'Eat Slugs!' incident back in second year.
Hermione agreed. "We'll just have to schedule it for a weekend. That way we won't miss any classes."
It didn't surprise Harry too much that his best friends were willing to go through the pain of the transformation with him, but then Ginny spoke up. "All the bones breaking and then melting, huh? At least it only happens the first time. It shouldn't kill me. After all, Professor Lupin is still alive. I can survive a few days of pain. I'm in, too."
Ron looked seriously at Ginny. "You don't have to, Gin."
Ginny's look turned belligerent. "You don't have to protect me from some pain, Ronald. I've had enough things happen in my life emotionally that a little bit of physical pain won't amount to much more. I want to do this. I want to do this for myself. You never know when it could come in handy. I'll bet Sirius never thought it would help him escape from the Ministry or protect him in Azkaban."
Harry smiled and the tension eased. "I hope we never have to hide out from the Ministry using our animagus forms. I just wanted you to know what we're getting into. How is everyone doing with their spells?"
It ended up that only Harry was accomplished in performing the animating spell. Ginny was close, but Ron and Hermione, while getting closer were still struggling. "Why don't we see if we can do this at Christmas Break? That gives us a bit under three months. Then we won't have to miss any school and probably will be able to keep out of sight better while we recover."
It was agreed and they all went back to practicing or studying.
Time started passing quickly and Harry was getting distracted. He felt he had a lot to think about. He thought about his vault, the house elves in his care, Sirius, Cho and what she had said about her mother already having financial problems since her father was kissed, Occlumency, and, as always, Voldemort. October was passing swiftly and Halloween was coming up soon. Harry was getting some foreign feelings of anticipation that he didn't like.
Harry made his way down for another potions tutoring session with Audra. He still used the Marauders Map and it was a good thing. Harry was a bit early for the tutoring. He looked at the map before entering the room. Blaise had already been there but he found Audra coming down the hall. What he was not pleased to see was Malfoy's name skulking along behind her. Harry entered the room and quietly told Blaise that Malfoy was following Audra. He still had the map in his hand and quickly showed Blaise. Blaise raised his eyebrows then motioned for Harry to go back into the tunnel.
Harry did as suggested. He felt a slight twinge about showing Blaise the map, but it wasn't like it was a total secret anymore. He had been using it both last year and this to release students from the DA. Even if they hadn't seen it up close, they still probably suspected what it was. Even some teachers knew. Snape and Dumbledore had seen the map before. Well, Harry wasn't sure Dumbledore had actually seen the map before he snuck it back out of the fake Moody's office at the end of Fourth year, but he definitely knew about it. He was sure they both suspected Harry had gotten it back somehow. Blaise was just the first Slytherin student to see it.
Harry watched the dots on the map. He couldn't hear anything from in here, so watching was his only choice. Blaise was pacing back and forth. Audra was at the potions room door now. Malfoy was just around the corner from her. Suddenly Blaise's dot moved rapidly towards Audra's. Audra must have been dragged into the room and their dots were suddenly extremely close. Malfoy moved up to the doorway then quickly left.
Harry entered the room. Blaise and Audra were leaning heavily against a desk kissing passionately. Harry cleared his throat. "He's gone."
As they pulled apart Audra looked dazed. "Dare I ask…?"
Blaise pulled her back up. "Red Herring. Malfoy was following you. He must have noticed you went missing a time or two and decided to find out what you were up to. Now he thinks he knows." He turned to Harry. "Where is he now?"
Harry pulled out the map and searched the dungeons. "Looks like he went back to the common room. He's found Crabbe and Goyle. Could he cause you trouble with this?"
Audra's eyes were wide. She stared unbelieving at the Map. Her voice was hushed when she spoke. "This is amazing! How did you get this? Did you make this?"
"Actually it was made by my father and his friends. I use it to get to these meetings without getting caught." Belatedly Harry remembered that Audra was Head Girl and had the power to take the map away from him.
Audra must have noticed his sudden tension because she looked at him closely. "Could you loan it to me?"
"Er…no. Only Ron, Hermione and I in this school know how to work it and, no offense, but it's not something I would ever loan out."
"Good. Keep it that way." Harry must have looked confused because she added, "I was testing you. You use it so naturally you must have had it for some time. No awful pranks have been done that aren't accounted for so you must not be using it for that. Just make sure it stays that way. Besides, it just saved my bacon."
Blaise asked curiously, "What do you mean you're the only ones in this school who know how to work it? What's to work? You just look at it."
Harry gave a half-smile. He held his wand out and silently thought 'Mischief Managed'. The map went blank. Audra and Blaise gave a gasp. "There's a trick to it."
Audra took that as a challenge. She pushed her sleeves back and held out her wand over the old parchment. "Revealo." Nothing happened.
"You're not going to make it show anything. If Snape couldn't, you won't be able to."
Audra's eyes got wide. "Professor Snape saw this? When?"
"In my third year. Unfortunately he got a little snarky with it and it started insulting him." Harry gave a laugh. "It's funny now, but I was horrified then. I hadn't known that the map makers were my father and his friends and that they and Snape absolutely hated each other. It's quite an interesting parchment."
"Is that why he always picked on you in class? We always thought it was just because you're you. You know, 'Famous Harry Potter'," Blaise wondered.
"Partly. I look just like my dad. But I'm sure he's got other issues, too." Harry took a breath, pocketed the map and said, "Well, enough on that. Shall we get started?"
They were working on a burn-healing paste. He tried to focus his attention on Audra's instructions. He had to wait two minutes to add sliced caterpillars to the powdered Chinese Fireball dragon egg when his mind started to wander again.
Harry thought about Ron in the Finance class. Ron was having top marks. Harry thought he was probably the top student in class. Ron was enjoying the previously unknown feeling. He had taken to the challenge of only having a small amount in his 'vault' admirably. It felt a little odd to Harry that Ron would suggest going to the library as much as Hermione would when it came to homework for Griphook's class. Each student had to keep enough money in their vault to adequately house their 'family'. They could decide to do different things with their galleons; invest it or start a business. There were random bits of favorable and unfavorable events that would happen. Ron had carefully investigated the different options they had to invest in and started with a small investment that slowly grew. Then when he deemed he had a comfortable safety net he started his own business. Again he carefully investigated many different aspects of what the business would do and who it would be aimed at. Even when he drew an 'all inventory destroyed in fire' he was able to rebuild his business with his safety net. Then rebuilt his safety net before putting more money into the business. Griphook was very impressed.
Thinking of Griphook made him think of his vault. He wasn't doing too well in the finance class, but in real life he had more money than he knew what to do with. He thought about the galleons he inherited from Sirius. Here he was with his finances and there was Cho's mother who was now struggling with medical bills for her daughter as well as the regular bills, just because Voldemort…
"Potter!" Audra screamed at him. Harry jerked back to awareness. He looked at the timer. More than two minutes had passed. Much more…That was bad. He looked at the cauldron. It was about to explode.
"Watch out!" Audra ran to the far side of the room. Harry was caught between the worktable and the wall. He had nowhere to run. He ducked down. The potions' explosion was a small one, but large enough to cover Harry pretty good. The gloop could mostly be scraped off, but fumes were what made it bad. Scourgify did not get rid of the stink.
"Urgh! I smell like bad dragon breath!" Harry's eyes were watering.
"How would you know what a dragon's breath smells….Oh, yeah. Never mind."
Harry smirked. They didn't even know about Norbert.
Audra wrinkled her nose. "I think we'll do this again another time. I can't stand this." She pointed her wand at Harry. "Chanel Allure!"
Harry jumped in surprise at the mist coming his way. It hit him and he stood there in shock.
Audra took a deep breath. "Yes. That's much better!"
Harry took a sniff. "I smell like a girl!" Harry was highly offended.
Blaise just laughed at him. He turned to Audra. "It smells better on you, honey."
"I'm never going to live this down!" Harry started muttering as he cleaned up the area around the cauldron and then the cauldron itself. He rinsed off as much as he could in a sink in the potions room, but the perfume still lingered. He thought he'd rather smell like the dragon breath.
Finally he was ready to go back to his dorm. Blaise and Audra left, still quietly laughing at Harry. Harry didn't really mind them laughing at him. He'd laugh himself if he didn't still have to get past all of Gryffindors to get to the showers. Come to think of it, maybe he take a bath in the trunk. There were more manly scents in there he could use if the perfume proved stubborn to remove.
Harry went into the tunnel and lit it with a wandless lumos spell. He rummaged through his bag for his invisibility cloak. Hopefully he could get through the common room without attracting notice. Or at least no one would know it was him.
Harry made his way through the corridors keeping a fair distance between him and other students. He was able to get into the common room unnoticed and up to his dorm. With a feeling of relief he went down into the trunk.
As he went he started to remove the smelly clothing. He took off his robe and his shirt. He wadded them up and threw them onto the counter to take care of later. Maybe he'd call Winky to try to clean them for him. That way he wouldn't have to carry them back into the dorm near all his dorm mates.
Harry was still thinking about this as he made his way to the loo. He was just removing his belt when he heard a squeak. He spun around to find the tub already in use. He froze. "Ginny!"
Luckily the tub was full of bubbles and all he could see was her neck and head. Her hair was piled on top of her head and her eyes were wide. Suddenly her nose twitched.
"Who?" she demanded.
"What?" Harry had no idea what she was talking about. Here he was standing in only in his trousers and he was trying not to think about what she wasn't wearing and she was asking strange questions. He knew his brain might not be working his greatest at the moment, but even so, he didn't think that question made sense.
"Who? I know it's not Cho and it can't be Hannah. She's openly dating Ernie MacMillan now. And I know for a fact that Professor Dumbledore does not where Chanel perfume! So who? Who is it that you keep meeting?"
"Audra Fletcher."
"The Head Girl? You're dating the Head Girl? A Slytherin?" Harry didn't think she realized, but she leaned forward in that little rant and now her shoulders were rising out of the bubbles.
Harry knew he was staring and he had to snap out of it. He needed to wrenched his gaze from the slight wave movement her leaning forward caused. Causing the water to dip down…then rise back up…then dip back down again…a few bubbles were popping…. He shook his head. He hadn't seen anything yet that wouldn't be shown in a swimsuit, but he'd better get out of here before he did. Her question slowly filtered into his brain. He started backing towards the door. "I…I'm not dating her. I…I'll tell you about it when you're through. I'll just go now…." Harry gave up and ran for the door. He heard Ginny give another little squeak and then heard a splash as she dove back low in the water.
Harry started pacing back and forth out in the main area of the trunk. He had put his shirt back on but didn't button it. He had thought about putting a bathrobe on, but thought that might be a little too intimate a look for their conversation so on the smelly shirt went. He could hear some water movement and splashes from the loo and tried not to think of what was happening in there.
After a short while Ginny came out. She had put on a blue jumper. Her hair was still wet, even though it looked like she had made an effort to comb it. Her cheeks had a rosy glow on them. Harry didn't know if it was because of warm water or because she was embarrassed.
"Sorry about walking in on you. I never even thought you might be there, even though I should have."
She blushed a deeper shade. "No problem, Harry. I guess being brothers they didn't bother with locks on the door and I didn't bother with a locking charm. Guess I will from now on." She trailed off. She seemed to have trouble focusing in any one spot. She would glance at Harry's face, then her eyes would travel down to his open shirt then flick away as if she silently yelled at herself and then start the circuit over again.
Finally she swallowed hard and sat in a chair. "So. You said you aren't dating Audra Fletcher?"
Harry was glad for the change in subject. He sat is the second chair. "No. Professor McGonagall set it up for her to give me potions tutoring. I blew up a cauldron tonight and she decided the smell was too bad and sprayed me with whatever this smell is. I thought I could try to wash it off down here instead of by any of the guys."
Ginny gave a half laugh. "I can see that you would prefer washing down here. I must say, she put it on a bit heavy."
"The potion that blew up landed on me and smelled pretty bad."
Ginny started to ask nonchalantly, "So you meet with her often?"
"Every week. I have to say I prefer it to Snape's class. They do seem to like to laugh at me, though. I don't really mind that much. I think I'm just as much a mystery to them as they are to me."
Ginny frowned a bit at the beginning of the sentence, then her frown changed to confusion. "They?"
"Yeah, Audra and Blaise." At Ginny's raised eyebrows, Harry continued, "Blaise Zabini is always there, too. He's dating Audra. We had decided to keep the tutoring sessions quiet because it would cause trouble with the other Slytherins, but Audra didn't want to keep it from Blaise. She was afraid it would look bad if he found out later and didn't want to put that strain on their relationship. They seem very comfortable with each other. Very close."
Ginny smiled a very big smile. Harry's heart jumped. "That's nice!"
"Yeah. I've been surprised that some Slytherins are just like us. Just in a different house is all. Probably should have seemed pretty obvious, but there you go. They're not bad at all, Blaise and Audra. I think at first Blaise was suspicious of me being alone with Audra, but now he and I practice different spells when potions take a while to brew. It's actually kind of fun." The conversation lagged for a moment. Ginny seemed content to sit quietly. She was smiling to herself. "So how have things been with Dean? I haven't seen you by him and his friends lately."
Ginny looked up surprised. "Things are fine. There's nothing between him and me, though. He's interested in Parvati. It's fun to flirt, though. That's all they do in that group."
"I don't think I'd know how."
Ginny focused on him. She got a wide grin on her face. "Oh, it's easy. Just like learning a new language. Like igpay atinlay." Her look turned coy. "Maybe I'll have to help you with it sometime."
Harry held his hands up. "I think you'd run rings around me."
"We'll see. Could be fun." She stood up and Harry stood too. She came near and took each side of his open shirt in each hand. Harry started to find it hard to breathe. "Well, I'll leave you alone now so you can take this back off and start your soak in the tub."
She turned and started to walk away. Harry just stared after her. She turned back when she reached the ladder and gave him a wink. Then she climbed out. Harry collapsed in a chair. If she was going to start flirting with him, he was going to be in trouble.
Ginny was as good as her word. She started prompting him for extra words at their greetings.
Harry was sitting at breakfast with Ron and Hermione when Ginny came walking past with some other fifth year girls. She paused to say good morning to them.
"Good morning, Ginny."
She looked at him with amusement in her eyes. "And…?"
"You're looking lovely, as always." Harry replied. He felt a little foolish as the other girls started giggling, but Ginny smiled at him approvingly.
"Thank you, Harry. You're getting better at this." She moved off down the table as Harry watched her. Finally he turned back to his friends. Ron's mouth was open and Hermione looked like she was trying to hide her laughter.
Harry blushed at returned his gaze to his food.
Harry had finally made some decisions about a couple of things that had been on his mind. Now he had to find out if what he wanted to happen was even possible.
The last week of October finally arrived and with it the last day of his finance class. This was his last chance so Harry got his courage up and approached his Professor. "Sir, I was wondering if you could spare some time to talk."
Griphook looked at him curiously. "All right, Mr. Potter. I have a few minutes now."
Harry bit his lip. "This might take longer than that. I was wondering if you could come back some night or weekend…or even next Monday at this time since I'll have a free period then."
Griphook's eyes were reserved, but he eventually nodded. "I'll meet you here next Monday, same time as this class had been."
Harry smiled in relief. "Thank you."
Harry's foreign feeling of anticipation was finally explained Friday morning. A picture of a schmoozing Cornelius Fudge was plastered across the front page and the headlines of the Daily Prophet proclaimed:
Minister of Magic attacked by Death Eaters
The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was attacked on Halloween night at his personal residence in Sherborn, London. The Dark Mark was found flying over his home at 1:00 a.m. Undersecretary Delores Umbridge was one of the first on the scene. 'This is a tragedy, but I shall strive to do my utmost to carry on his noble work.' Delores Jane Umbridge was second in command to Cornelius Fudge and so has become our Interim Minister of Magic. Cornelius Fudge is in the Long-Term Care Unit at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. It has been reported he had signs of multiple Cruciatus Curses and is under the care of Head Healer Blythefield. The prognosis for recovery is not good …
"That toad is our Minister for Magic?" Ron could believe what he was reading over Hermione's shoulder. "We're really in for it now. She hates Harry and Dumbledore worse than Fudge. You-Know-Who might as well just do whatever he wants now!"
Hermione was shaking her head and handed over the front page for Harry to read and then gave another gasp. Harry could just see several photographs of people blinking up and scowling. "I think he already is, Ron. Listen to this!"
Breakout at Azkaban!
Late last night Azkaban was broken open and several high security prisoners escaped. It is reported that this is the work of He Who Must Not Be Named. This is the second time prisoners have broken out enmass from Azkaban Prison. Among those missing are…
She spread the article from page three out on the table and Harry could see photos of each Death Eater that had been at the Department of Mysteries who had been caught. "So he got them all back out. Why does that not surprise me?" He looked around at the other tables. Michelle Avery was listening to her friend who seemed to be gloating, but she looked to be feeling rather sick herself. Malfoy of course was being his usual arrogant self further down the table. He looked up to the Head Table and saw Professor Dumbledore talking with Professor Snape. Professor Snape rose suddenly from the table and quickly exited the Great Hall. The Headmaster looked extremely worried. The Headmaster looked up and locked eyes with Harry for just a moment.
Suddenly Harry's scar seemed to burst with pain. He pressed his hand against his forehead with all his might. This wasn't the snake uncoiling. This was extreme emotions and a lot of them. The pain was so intense he couldn't see straight. He was feeling hate, pleasure, frustration, annoyance and a gamut of others.
Ron and Hermione seemed to realize what was happening and started to drag Harry out of the Great Hall. Neville, Ginny and even Luna crowded around him, too, so Harry ended up being shielded from other student's prying eyes.
Harry wasn't really aware of what was happening around him anymore. He was told later that the group was met by the Headmaster. The Headmaster directed them to Firenze's classroom and had them lay Harry down on a mossy patch under a tree. Harry immediately curled into a fetal position.
Harry was suddenly standing inside a large room. Voldemort was pacing back in forth, occasionally sending curses toward Bellatrix and Wormtail. There were about a dozen other ragged looking black robed figures in the room as well. Suddenly more black robed figures with white masks started to fill the room. It was the largest group Harry had seen yet. When Voldemort finally seemed to feel everyone was present, he started. His high-pitched voice rippled with anger. "Who attacked the Minister last night without my permission?"
None of the bowing figures made a move. Voldemort was not happy with that. He started to walk down among the bowed figures. A stopped at one figure and place a bony, scale-like finger on top of the Death Eaters head. "Tell me. Look me in the eyes and tell me if you attacked the Minister last night."
The Death Eater looked up and said, "No, Master. I would never do so without your permission."
He continued to stop at each Death Eater in the room and received similar replies. Finally he seemed content with their answers. "It seems that someone else is using my Mark and giving us credit for what they are doing. I don't like that. It was not time yet to remove the Minister. Things are to happen when I say they are to happen. Nutcombe, find out if our Interim Minister's wand was used for this deed. She now has his position and was early on the scene."
A bowing figure said, "Yes, Master."
Harry was slowly pulled away from the scene. He opened his eyes and gasped, "It wasn't him."
The weekend proceeded a little quieter than usual. Once again, the castle seemed a little more nervous and unsure than before. In Harry's occlumency lesson, he was able to learn that Umbridge's wand had been tested and no dark curses had been recently used by it. The Headmaster was concerned that Harry had been pulled into a vision while he had been awake. That had never happened before. Harry hoped it was just the extreme and conflicting emotions being broadcast that made this happen. Regardless, he started working harder than ever to block the Headmaster from his thoughts. He was successful with spoken words, but when the Headmaster silently did the curse, it still took him a while to push him out.
Finally Monday came and Harry nervously made his way back to Griphook's classroom. He was carrying his portfolio with him. When he entered the room, Griphook was already there, sitting on his raised chair behind the desk. He had his long fingers drumming the surface and he had a scowl on his face. This didn't bode well for Harry. It didn't look like Griphook was in a good mood. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Harry straightened his shoulders and knocked on the door.
"Come in, Mr. Potter." Griphook's tone was not very friendly either. "Shall I begin? I want you to know that I have already submitted the grades to your Headmaster and I will not be changing any of them. Not even yours. You did acceptable work in this class, but not any better than that, so that is what you earned."
He stopped and glared at Harry, daring him to say anything about it. Harry blinked. "Well, that's okay. That's what I hoped for. I certainly didn't expect better." He stopped and grinned. "But I bet Ron did good. He really seemed to understand this class."
Now Griphook blinked. "Yes. Mr. Weasley did very well. He received the top mark for the class." He looked a little confused. "You did not wish to see me about this class? What did you wish to see me about? I thought it would be about your grade."
Harry shrugged. "I would like good grades as much as anyone, but the main reason I wanted to take your class wasn't for the grade. I wanted to learn about what I have and what to do about it."
"And what have you decided to do, if I may ask?" Griphook was starting to look interested.
Harry started to get nervous again. He hauled out some of the bundles from his portfolio. "There are two main things. The first one is about my investments. I've learned in this class that this could be a good source of income if managed correctly. Unfortunately I have neither the time nor the desire to research what needs to get done to do a good job at it. I would like to hire someone I trust to manage it for me. I would, of course, expect reports on what activity is taking place."
Griphook had a thoughtful look on his face. "That is not a bad idea. Do you know who you would hire?"
"Well, I...er…I was wondering if you would be interested." Griphook's face reflected surprise. "Payment could either be a flat fee or a percentage of profit earned or whatever else we could come up with."
"Me?"
"Would it cause problems with your job at Gringotts? I admit that I don't know all the rules in the wizarding world yet about stuff like this…"
"It would be wise to speak with Ragnok about this, but if the compensation is adequate I believe he would be agreeable. May I see the detail of the investments already made? I would like to get an idea of the volume to be worked with."
Harry handed over the appropriate bundle then added, "I've also talked with Winky and Tubow…um…they're…er…"
"Your head house elves, Mr. Potter. Yes, I know." Harry was momentarily surprised, but continued on.
"Yes. Well, we've sat down and came up with some figures of what we need and figure that we could add this much to what can be invested from what is currently in the vault." Harry pointed to a figure on an accompanying sheet he had scratched a bunch of numbers out on. "That still leaves a couple of year's expenses readily on hand before any investments should have to get sold, even if no income came in at all. Also, any additional profits earned beyond the income we want transferred back could stay to be reinvested elsewhere."
Griphook's eyes started to gleam. "I think we could definitely come to an agreement. Let me bring your request to Ragnok and I'll contact you in a day or two. What is your second item?"
Harry shifted nervously again. "I'm not sure if this would even be possible and as I said, I'm not real familiar with all the rules, but I inherited quite a sum from my Godfather. I was wondering if I could use that to help those who have been hurt financially by Lord Voldemort."
Griphook's eyes became guarded. Harry continued. "I don't want to tread on any of Gringotts business, but I was thinking about a girl I know, Cho Chang. I know her mother was having a hard time making ends meet after her father was kissed by Dementors. Now Cho needs some medical help and I imagine they're having an even harder time. Maybe they could qualify for a Gringott's loan or something, but if they couldn't, I would like to help them get back on their feet. Maybe even offer something like this class to teach how to best manage their galleons. I have a feeling all that was handled by Mr. Chang before the attack and maybe Mrs. Chang doesn't know so much about it."
Harry couldn't read what Griphook was thinking. "Once again, Mr. Potter, I'll bring this to Ragnok's attention and we will be contacting you shortly."
Harry spent a restless night. He wondered if he just royally messed up. Only now was Hagrid's warning from his first year coming back to haunt him. 'Never mess with Goblins.'
Harry was confused. He knew the goblins were trusted to keep wizards money, but from Griphook's reactions they apparently didn't do any more than that. They obviously knew all about what was needed to be done, though. It was obvious from his class that at least Griphook was more than capable to handle anything that came up and Harry had the impression that as clever as Griphook was, he wasn't in the higher levels in the bank.
Then for his second idea…. Harry might as well just throw up his hands and give up. For as much interest as Griphook had in his first idea, he seemed to totally lose it with his second. Harry wondered if he had somehow just gravely insulted the goblins. Harry probably just single-handedly started the whole next goblin rebellion.
On Wednesday morning he didn't feel any relief from his unease when he received an owl asking for a meeting with him that evening. Harry figured he'd have to reschedule a DA meeting so he took out his galleon and readjusted the time to reschedule for Thursday instead. Around the Great Hall many students felt a sudden warmth coming from their fake galleons and casually pulled them out to check what the new reading was. Hermione looked over at Harry questioningly.
"Something just came up. I've got to have tonight free." Everyone slowly made their way to their first class of the morning. For many of them it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. As Harry and his friends made their way into the room, Blaise passed nearby heading for a seat on the far side of the room. In a low tone and not making eye contact he said to Harry, "I see your Sickle idea was not a new one. You may want to emphasize a little more discretion in your 'study group'. I don't think anyone else noticed, but everyone pulling out galleons at the same time could raise some suspicions."
Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind." The class then proceeded as normal with Professor Vigori giving lip service to the Protego shield then having them practice shooting confetti out of the wand.
Eventually the day passed and Harry paced back and forth in the common room after dinner. He wasn't sure what time his meeting would be and couldn't settle to do any homework. Finally Professor McGonagall entered the common room. This was an uncommon event so every eye turned towards her and silence fell. "Mr. Potter?" Her eyes searched the common room until they landed on the nervous Harry. Her eyes seemed to hold surprise, caution and slight worry. She made her way over to him and handed him a note.
Please make your way to the Finance class room. You guests are awaiting your presence.
Headmaster Dumbledore
In a quiet voice, his professor asked, "Mr. Potter, what did you do?"
Harry just gave a slightly sick shrug back and swallowed heavily. He straightened his shoulders, gave his friends a quick wave and left to go to his doom.
As he made his way down the hall he started wondering about the wording of the note from his Headmaster. 'His guests'? As in more than one? Harry had thought that only Griphook would be coming. His heart was beating very fast as he descended the last staircase.
Harry entered the room and saw the Headmaster sitting in a comfortable chair along with two goblins also comfortably seated; Griphook and a goblin unknown to Harry. The Headmaster rose from his conjured chair and motioned Harry into the room. He, too, had a reserved, somewhat nervous look to his eye because of his unexpected guests. "Harry, imagine my surprise when our visitors arrived. You were expecting them?" Belatedly Harry realized he probably should have told his Headmaster that he would be having visitors coming to the school.
Griphook stood up. "Mr. Potter. I have passed along your ideas and Ragnok has decided he would like to speak to you in person about them. Ragnok, this is Mr. Potter." Ragnok inclined his head briefly in Harry's direction. His eyes seemed to be mostly hostile, but with a tinge of curiosity.
Harry mirrored the gesture and mumbled, "Pleased to meet you."
Harry could feel his Headmaster shift a little uncomfortably behind him. "Ragnok is in charge of Gringotts."
"Oh." Harry felt his Headmaster was trying to tell him something, but whatever it was, was going right over his head. He turned to the silent goblin. "You must be very busy then."
Harry could see that the seated goblin was darkly amused at Harry's reply. His smile was one that showed very pointed teeth and didn't seem truly happy. "Yes. Very busy." He turned his gaze to Professor Dumbledore. "If you would leave us, Headmaster Dumbledore…."
The old Headmaster left the room after one last concerned look at Harry. As the door closed, Harry swallowed hard. Now he was alone with two goblins and he had a feeling then next hour or so wasn't going to be so pleasant. Griphook moved to stand behind and to the side of the seated goblin, almost like a guard.
"I'm sorry. I should have told the Headmaster you were coming. I just never thought of it," Harry began. His stumbling explanation was cut off at the strange expression that quirked at the face of the seated goblin.
"Don't apologize. I must admit I was a bit surprised he was unaware of our coming, but his reaction was quite telling. He not only had no idea we were coming, he also does not know why we are here, does he?" The cynical amusement was back on Ragnok's face.
Harry's brow frowned in confusion. "No. It's about the currency in my vault. Why should he know?"
Harry heard the same noise that he heard when he thought Griphook was laughing at him, this time coming from Ragnok. "You do not realize how closely he watches you? Even other beings understand his concern for you."
Harry thought briefly of the prophecy and Dumbledore needing to make sure he was safe. Then he thought of Dumbledore's confession about how he had not been able to follow through with his original plans for Harry out of his own caring for Harry's piece of mind.
"Maybe I should have run this past Professor Dumbledore before I asked Professor Griphook. I never meant any insult. I fully admit that being raised by muggles, I have very little knowledge of how things are traditionally run in the wizarding world. But I probably should have asked for more advice first to gain more knowledge. It just seemed logical at the time." Harry hoped that he could get his point across that he did not mean to insult the goblins.
Ragnok leaned forward in his comfortable chair. "Have a seat, Mr. Potter. Let's take this one item at a time. You're first idea of having Griphook handle any investments for you; that seemed logical to you?"
"Well, of course. It was only a suggestion. I know he has his own job at Gringotts, but I thought that if he was interested, Professor Griphook is someone I trust to know what he is doing and to handle any of the investments wisely for me. Like I said, he was just the first person I thought of. I can keep looking for someone else I trust to handle things for me."
"You are not interested in handling it yourself?" Ragnok's steady gaze stayed consistently on Harry's face.
"Not really. Of course, I'm interested in what it will be invested in, but I'm not interested in doing the research and stuff."
"And what would you want it to be invested in? Do you have restrictions?"
Harry thought for a moment. He had never really thought about it before, but he decided he did have some limitations. "I guess I would not want it invested in anything Dark."
"What is your definition of 'Dark'? The same as the Ministries?" Ragnok still kept his intense gaze focused squarely on Harry.
"I don't think so. I wouldn't want anything invested in anything that promotes serious harm to other beings." At the continued stare, Harry continued, "For example, I have some friends who have a joke shop. I would have no problem investing in their business, even though some of what they do may cross the line occasionally from what the Ministry deems acceptable. Their pranks never are made to cause lasting harmful effects. Now there are some shops I've seen that are approved by the Ministry, such as Borgin and Burkes, that have some truly awful things in it that are meant to cause lasting harm. Am I explaining this okay? Is this something even to be considered? When I mentioned it earlier, Professor Griphook seemed rather surprised and I wondered if it just wasn't done."
"You are explaining adequately. It has not been done since the 18th century. Not that it cannot be, just that it has not been. Moving on. Could you explain to me your second idea? I am not understanding the intentions."
"I have a classmate whose family was hurt by Lord Voldemort." Harry briefly noticed that Ragnok did not flinch at the name even though Griphook did slightly. "I also inherited quite a lot from my Godfather, Sirius Black. I just want that money to do something good for those who have been hurt if they need it." Harry noticed that Ragnok's face was totally impassive. "I really have no idea how it could even be set up or managed. If the victims qualify for a Gringotts loan or could manage things another way, that's fine, but if someone doesn't…. I'd hate to see their lives damaged even more if there was something I could do to stop it."
"So you want to set up a fund for wizards?"
"Not necessarily just wizards. Any being really. I know He's attacked other beings and muggles. Would there be any way to find out what happens to his victims in the muggle world? Sometimes it may not even be money that's needed but training in how to use what they have left. I learned a lot in Professor Griphook's class, even if my grade was only 'acceptable' I do know how useful that teaching could be to others. If he, or someone else like him, could teach others who need it…maybe the fund could pay for their teaching time."
Ragnok looked at Harry with consideration. "You do realize that the amount you are speaking of is quite a large amount of galleons. As it stands, you are one of the wealthiest patrons of our bank. Removing those galleons will lower your worth considerably."
Harry just shrugged. "I still have more than enough for me. Being the richest doesn't matter to me."
Ragnok finally ended his fixed gaze of Harry's face and turned towards Griphook. "You were correct. He is an unusual wizard." Harry rolled his eyes. So what was new? Ragnok faced Harry again. "I believe I understand your intentions now. I think we might allow a trial. Mr. Potter, I will choose someone from my loan department to bring into this. One who I feel could have a solid understanding of what you hope to accomplish. You will need at least one wizard participating in the counseling. Not many of your kind are wise enough to listen to what we have to say." Harry remembered the student that walked out of class the first day. "Perhaps Miss Delacour. She is familiar with what is needed for loan analysis and has a solid background in advising others. I believe your Headmaster might be able to point you to someone who could work with her in finding who may qualify for your 'loans'. What would you want to call this fund? 'The Harry Potter Foundation'?"
Harry shook his head emphatically. "No way. Keep my name out of it. If it has to be called anything, call it 'Padfoot's Fund' or something."
"Yes. I will allow a trial. As long as any time spent on either your personal vault investments or the charitable trust be recompensed to Gringotts. If that can be agreed on, I will allow Griphook or any others working for Gringotts to participate in this if they so desire."
"I agree. I agree that it is to be a trial also. Both ways. This is new to me, too. I think both parties should be willing to stop it if we don't feel it's working like we hope."
"Agreed, Mr. Potter." Harry and Ragnok both stood and shook hands again. Griphook came forward and shook Harry's hand also, telling Harry to call him just 'Griphook' and he'd be pleased to work for a percentage of profit instead of a flat fee. Harry then gave them permission to access to his vault in the sections and amounts affected and they left the room.
They made their way to the Entrance Hall and Harry saw the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall coming from the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore gave a respectful bow to Ragnok. Harry watched with widening eyes and a dreadful suspicion began to build in his stomach. The Headmaster spoke to Ragnok. "Your business is complete?"
"Yes. A successful visit I think. I believe we are entering an interesting era. Things could be changing." Ragnok inclined his head to the Headmaster and then turned to Harry. Again Harry heard the strange soft laughing sound coming from the goblin as he saw the dawning realization in Harry's eyes. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter. I hope our business together runs smoothly."
"Y…yes. Me too." Another laugh and the two goblins left Hogwarts. Harry turned to his Headmaster. "He's not just the manager of the bank, is he?" It came out as more a statement than a question.
"No. Ragnok holds the highest position in Goblin society. He is the leader of all goblins in the United Kingdom. Would you mind explaining why he was at my school?"
Harry weakly closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he had just been chatting so casually with the goblin leader. He gave a sickly smile at his professors. "Not at all."
Harry spent the next hour explaining to his professors what he'd been thinking since finding out about his finances and what he had proposed to Griphook. He also asked for their help in finding someone to work with Fleur or whoever the bank contact would be in identifying Voldemort's victims who may need help. Professor Dumbledore immediately said he would start thinking about that. When asked why he did not seek one of their counsel, Harry just shrugged and said he didn't think of it. He knew that wasn't really the truth. Anytime his mind would drift towards asking either of them their opinions he realized he subconsciously re-directed his thoughts elsewhere. Harry knew he hadn't wanted to explain all that had been on his statement, such as Potter Place. When Harry finally left, both professors had stunned looks on their faces.
The next weekend came and went. The Daily Prophet was running stories on some of the new proposals being submitted for laws to the Wizengamot by Interim Madam Minister Umbridge. Harry couldn't believe some of them. Horrible added restrictions for werewolves, centaurs, goblins; any creature other than wizards actually. Harry knew that it wasn't illegal for Griphook to handle his finances, but it would be soon if Umbridge had her way. Harry wondered if that was in reaction to a small article that had been written in the Daily Prophet because of Griphook's appearance in public, buying and selling on Harry's behalf.
He'd had some explaining to do to his friends when that article came out. Ron had seemed to swallow hard when Harry mentioned money but had held his tongue. Harry told how one thing he learned was that unlike Ron, he didn't have a talent for managing money. He mentioned his brainstorm about hiring Griphook. Hermione interrupted at that point. She mentioned that Harry should have known that Goblins didn't handle that type of thing. They had learned that in their History of Magic class after all. Harry shrugged and just said he must have slept through that lesson. There was a very good chance that it was true after all. He often caught up on his sleep during Binns' classes. He continued to describe his meeting with Ragnok and Griphook. Ginny now had the strongest reaction. She had heard stories from her brother Bill about the goblin leader. Harry mentioned how stupid he felt when he finally realized who he was and how he sometimes felt he was just comic relief to the goblins. He avoided mentioning the money inherited from Sirius. He wanted to keep that private.
There were a few articles about how Fudge's condition was not changing, but was getting the highest care possible under Healer Blythefield. One morning Harry asked about that. "Neville, do you know this Healer Blythefield?"
Neville shook his head. "No. He usually stays away from the normal care of patients at St. Mungo's. I know more about Healer-In-Training Bosworth. She's the one that takes care of my parents." He said this last part very quietly. "Why Harry?"
"I don't know. It's just sounding strange to me. You trust Healer-In-Training Bosworth?"
"Yeah. She seems like a good person. I'll miss her when she finishes her training. She cares about people even if they can't care back." Neville seemed to have felt he said enough on the subject and turned back to his food without looking at Harry any longer.
Another week went by and on the 20th of November Harry received a surprise letter with the morning mail. It was in a very thick parchment envelope carried by a pretentious looking owl. Harry accepted it with a feeling of dread. He looked to his friends. Each one was looking back at him, not moving a muscle. Slowly Harry opened the envelope. He scanned the letter noticing the seal of the Minister of Magic at the bottom.
Dear Mr. Potter,
You have been invited to the Ministry of Magic for discussions on occurrences of last year. You are to present yourself to Interim Madam Minister Umbridge's office at 3:00 p.m. on Friday the 13th of December 1996.
Delores Jane Umbridge
Interim Madam Minister for Magic
A note was attached inside the letter.
Harry,
I know you probably didn't expect to hear from me, but I just had to write a short note. I don't know if I'll be seeing you when you have your meeting with our new Madam Minister and I know you like your solitude, but having friends near you is always a good thing.
You should see what a job she is doing. She is filling in so well you would almost think she could have been planning for this position for a long time. Feel free to respond as you like. Communication is just as secure as it was last year in case you were concerned.
Percy Ignatius Weasley
Harry didn't say anything. He just handed the letter to Ron. Hermione and Ginny leaned over his shoulder to read along. When they looked up each had a look of confusion on their face. Ron finally broke the silence. "What in the name of Merlin is this? She wants to talk to you about last year? Since when? And what is with this note from Percy? Since when would he write anything to you?" Ron scowled at his brother's handwriting.
Hermione was frowning at the note again, re-reading Percy's note. "I think it might be a warning. Ron's right. Percy would never just write you a note. It has to mean more."
"Sounds like a load of bull to me." Ron said, re-reading it himself. "He thinks she's doing a great job and everything is secure. Doesn't he remember all our owls were being watched by the Ministry last year?"
Ginny broke in. "I think Hermione is right. '…Could have been planning for this position for a long time?' I think he's suspicious of Umbridge. 'Communication is just as secure as last year…'? I think he's trying to tell us that the owls are being watched by the Ministry again this year."
Ron now frowned at the letter. " '…having friends nearby is always a good thing.' He could be warning Harry to not ever be alone with her." His friends all looked up at Harry. He still hadn't a word. "What are you going to do?"
"I'll take it to Dumbledore."
Harry had an Occlumency class that evening and he brought his letter with him. He showed his Professor the letter and Percy's note and told him what they thought the note might mean. The Headmaster closed his eyes and sighed. "I agree with your assessment. I, myself, have had doubts about our Interim Minister, but without proof can do nothing. I will send Professor McGonagall with you to your meeting. As a minor you should be able to keep an adult representative from the school with you at all times. I will also see if I can come up with any more information about this." With that said, they moved on to their lesson.
That weekend, Harry was brooding in the common room. He was nervous and he just had a bad feeling about his Ministry summons. He had homework open in front of him, but was paying absolutely no attention to it. Suddenly he heard a throat clear and saw Ginny with Ron and Hermione behind her standing near.
"Harry, can we talk?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"Come down into the trunk. We'll talk there."
Harry agreed and followed them up to the boy's dormitory and down inside the dimensional room. They had previously expanded two additional armchairs and a table so it now looked more like a meeting place rather than a large empty room. Each took a seat.
Ginny started. "Harry, we've been talking. We think you should start the animagus transformation now instead of waiting for Christmas Break. We don't know how your meeting at the Ministry will go, but it can't be good. Umbridge hates you. We all know that."
Ron shuddered. "Besides, it's on Friday the thirteenth. Nothing good could happen on such a bad luck day."
Hermione frowned at him. "Besides unsubstantiated myths, we think it would be good for you to have a back up plan. It is possible that turning into your slug could help you out somehow."
Harry softly laughed at her attempt to lighten the mood. Ginny reached over to him and covered his hand with her own. "You said you were ready to try, right?"
"Yes. I could. Who would help me with the trance?" Harry knew he'd have no problem with the spell. He could wordlessly and wandlessly hold the animating spell for over ten minutes now.
"I will." Hermione stood up and walked over to the bookshelf where they had the book with the most details on how the trance worked. Ginny went over and took out a miniaturized beanbag and enlarged it.
Ron saw that Harry was becoming nervous. "We figure you've got three weekends to get this thing down, mate. That should be no problem."
Harry suddenly remembered. "I can't do it this weekend. I've got potions tutoring tomorrow."
Hermione glared at him. "We can explain to Audra. What is more important? Huh?"
Harry surrendered. He did find it ironic that his friends were pushing him so hard to become an illegal animagus. Even Hermione.
Ginny started pulling at him to get up. "Now come over here and lie down on this." She pushed him down on the bag. They all sat around him on the floor. Hermione started the process.
"Close your eyes Harry and follow my voice. Listen to the rhythm of my words…" Harry let himself be pulled into a trance-like state. Distantly he heard Hermione's voice continue. "I want you to look for your animal. Look deep within yourself. What do you see?"
Harry looked. "Flames." A burst of flame had appeared in front of him. He distantly heard some questioning sounds. "I see flames, but they don't burn. They're dying down now. There's a bird. A golden-red phoenix! There's red on the back but lots of gold on the wings and tail. More than Fawkes." Harry was staring at awe at the wonderful phoenix in front of him. Suddenly something came leaping out of the shadows caused by the fiery lights thrown from the bird. Something black with long fangs, snarling at him and lunging for his throat. Harry screamed and snapped out of his trance.