Draco stood quietly for a second before turning to leave. At the door he ran into Filch who blocked him with a greedy smile. He eyed the bottle of gin, still on the floor, with triumphant eyes.
"Well, well, well, some idiots are getting expelled today!" he snarled gleefully, ushering the offending students out of the room and colleting the gin bottle before leading them to Dumbledore's office.
They filed inside dolefully and stood quietly while Filch filled Dumbledore in. none of the students tried to argue for the right to stay at school.
"Thank you, Argus" Dumbledore said dutifully, signalling for him to leave.
The headmaster waited until the door had closed before picking up the gin bottle, unscrewing the lid and smelling its contents.
"You are aware, aren't you, that alcohol, toxins and other forms of drugs are illegal in this school?"
"Yes sir" they chorused.
"What exactly were you doing with it?" Dumbledore sat the bottle in the centre of his desk for all to see.
"Playing a game, sir," Ginny said, her voice quivered slightly and Dumbledore prompted her to tell him the name of the game.
"Spin the bottle"
Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Finally he looked up again.
"As it is Valentines Day, I am not going to expel you-" The students looked at each other excitedly. "However…I am going to suspend you all for five days. Please go and pack you bags and meet back here in ten minutes. That is all"
The Gryffindor and Slytherin students shunted each other out the door with renewed vigour.
"That was close!" Dean exclaimed as they ran to the Gryffindor tower.
Draco followed Blaise back to the Dungeons. When he saw Hermione sitting on the floor in an empty corridor he ushered his friend on and made a right turn before slouching down beside her.
"We shouldn't have played," she said sadly though she hadn't been crying.
"Filch caught us" Draco informed her and she turned, wide eyed, to stare at him.
"What happened?"
"We got suspended"
"All of you?"
"Yeah, its only for five days though"
Hermione sighed and slumped back against the wall. Draco put a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Is it Weasley?"
"…Yeah"
"He's over you"
"How do you know?"
"I heard him telling Potter"
"Well I guess that's a good thing…I'm going to miss you, though"
In the Gryffindor tower Harry was having trouble deciding whether to take him trunk or a smaller bag. He decided on the latter and packed a few outfits inside. Now he began to worry about where Dumbledore would send him. Would he send him back to the Dursley's as a decent punishment?
"Lucky Harry was there" Seamus said, jerking Harry from his thoughts.
"Why?" he asked, moving over to a mirror and examining his eyebrow piercing.
"Because Dumbledore cant expel you. He has to keep you safe from the dark lord and he can't just keep you here and not the rest of us."
"It was only a game of spin the bottle," Ron said, opening the door so the five of them could file out silently.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter if we got expelled or not. My mum is going to kill me anyway"
They waited a few minutes for Lavender, Ginny, Claire and Parvati then, realising that the girls had already left, made their way quickly back to Dumbledore's office.
Once everyone was there, Dumbledore handed out letters and sent them home, one by one, via the floo network.
Harry was last to leave and Dumbledore held him back.
"Did everyone want to play the game? I do know it can be quite intimidating…"
"Well everyone agreed on it… Hermione was a bit uneasy but she still played."
"Hermione was there?"
Harry looked Dumbledore determinedly in the eye.
"Leave her out of this. She doesn't need the burden of being kicked out of school right now"
"I wont say a thing. Here, take this"
Harry took his letter and stepped over to the fireplace.
"Where am I going?" he asked, taking a handful of floo powder and waiting, impatiently, for Dumbledore's reply.
"Grimmauld Place, Harry, do you really think I'd be careless enough to send you back to your uncle's house?"
Harry smiled slightly. "Of course not" he dropped the powder in the flames, shouted the address and seconds later he was standing in Sirius' deserted dining room.
He didn't call for his godfather; instead he went, silently, upstairs, deposited his bag in his room and wandered along the corridor to the study, clutching the letter firmly in his hand.
Sirius was in the study with Lupin, both were writing letters.
Lupin saw Harry first and he jumped to his feet in a hurry.
"Is something wrong?" Sirius asked, also getting to his feet.
"I got suspended"
You could tell Lupin had been a prefect in his day because of his frown. Sirius, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear.
"What did you do?
"We got caught with alcohol"
Sirius' smile faded slightly and Lupin's frown deepened.
"We didn't drink it" Harry lied "we were playing spin the bottle"
"I thought you had a girlfriend" Lupin mused, signing his letter and handing it to a barn owl waiting at the window. Sirius put his letter in a drawer.
"I do, she was playing too"
Harry led the men downstairs and the three of them sat around the table. Harry handed Sirius his letter and his godfather began to read with amusement.
"…It would be best if you discipline your child in the way you think best in order to fulfil the suspension punishment? It's the exact same as when I went to school!"
"You got suspended, Sirius?" Harry met his godfather's eye with a tiny smile.
"Twice" Lupin answered for his friend with a scowl.
"Well Harry…" Sirius folded the letter and placed it in the centre of the table before surveying Harry with warm black eyes. "I can't think of a punishment so if Dumbledore shows up…just tell him you washed the windows or something. Would you like a butterbeer?"
"Sirius!" Lupin pulled his friend back into his chair. "How about you make Harry actually wash the windows? They are filthy…"
"Fine. Harry you can wash the windows. Now can I have my drink?" Sirius strolled into the kitchen, humming and Lupin rocked back on his chair, thinking. Finally he spoke to Harry who was picking at a knot in the wooden table.
"There's a meeting in fifteen minutes. I guess it would be best for you to sit in on it and tell the disbelieving members what Voldemort actually said about the ceasefire."
"What, they don't believe me?" Harry was only a little surprised. He knew the members suspected him of switching sides, it reminded him of Darth Vader in Star wars.
"Its mainly Mad-eye. But there are a few outsiders who are slightly concerned."
"I haven't joined Voldemort"
"I know"
Sirius came back with their drinks and there was a knock on the door.
Lupin left to answer it and moments later he returned with Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, and about ten members Harry only vaguely knew.
Tonks and Kingsley laughed when Harry explained why he was there but Moody and a blonde witch simply stared at him, a little wearily.
The room slowly filled up and finally Lupin called everyone to order.
"What's Potter doing here?" a bald wizard asked when Lupin asked for Snape's report. "Has he been conjuring snakes in class again? Dumbledore never told us how he got that ring…"
"I was playing spin the bottle with my friends" Harry defended himself.
"Who, That Malfoy kid? He's no good."
"I might just leave" Harry stood up.
"Sit down, Harry. Kenny, leave him alone. Now, can we get back to our meeting? Severus…"
As Snape gave his report, Harry let his eyes meet the bald wizards eyes. They glared at each other for a minute, Harry becoming angrier, before Kenny's eyes widened in fear and he turned away quickly. Harry wondered why.
The meeting took about three hours. Harry had to give his account of the weekend in the forbidden forest three times.
"But why didn't Voldemort try and kill you?" Kenny asked for the second time.
"Because we were negotiating. He wanted to know where I got my magic from and in return I got a half year ceasefire."
"You don't seriously trust him to keep his end of the bargain, do you?" Asked a snubbed nosed, old witch.
"Actually I do. I think he's got bigger things on his mind."
"You mean the Prophecy? How do you know he didn't make it up?"
"I don't!" Harry slammed him fist on the table and it cracked. Everyone in the room took a deep breath and some of them actually took out their wands.
"I'm trusting him on this, ok? If that Prophecy is true then we're going to need his help"
Lupin cleared his throat. "I think that's enough for today. Shall we meet again on Monday?"
There were a few nods and everyone began filing from the room.
Harry heard a few snitches from conversations and he didn't like the sound of it one bit.
"His eyes…"
"Did you see his eyes?"
"It was like you-know-who was inside him"
Harry remembered Ron mentioning something about his eyes and he waited impatiently for everyone to leave before turning on Lupin, Sirius and Kingsley who was staying for dinner.
"What happened to my eyes?"
The three of them exchanged glances and Harry examined the crack in the table. It went the whole way through and he realised that his magic must have recharged with his anger. He ran his finger over it, muttering the incantation, and the table began to repair itself.
"They went red. Or they caught on fire or something…" Sirius said finally. "Are you sure Voldemort isn't inside you?"
Harry glared at him and he shuddered.
"They didn't go red then" Lupin said, examining Harry with keen eyes "but there was something there…I guess it must just be a magic build-up. People are seeing his power being released through his eyes.
"Cool" Harry breathed, turning to examine himself in a cracked mirror on the wall. He couldn't see anything at all.
The next five days were like a holiday for Harry. His magic recovered sufficiently and his anger slowly faded away. By the time Thursday rolled around he was full of energy and ready to get going again.
He had just finished packing his bag and was heading out the door when he hit his knee on the doorframe. He leg collapsed and he felt white-hot pain shooting up his leg. He feel forward blindly and his body slammed against the opposite wall, shaking the foundation in the old house.
"Harry?" Sirius called up the stairs. "What happened?"
"My leg" He managed to call back. His throat was closing up with shock as he slid down the wall and pressed a finger to the bone.
Sirius appeared at the top of the stairs and knelt down beside his godson.
"What happened?"
"I…I think I popped it out for a second or something…" Harry swallowed hard and lifted his leg gingerly to flex his muscles. He could still move his leg and put weight on it but it felt bruised and tender and Harry began seeing black haze in front of his eyes.
Sirius felt his leg gently then looked up at the wall where Harry had fallen. It was cracked in two places.
"You seriously need something to vent your anger on, Harry" he said, Helping Harry to his feet. "I can't have you knocking my house down every time you trip over…don't look at me like that!" Harry fixed Sirius was a scowl as they went downstairs to the dining room.
Lupin and Tonks each took a turn to check out Harry's leg but could find nothing wrong with it.
They sat there for so long that Dumbledore appeared via the fireplace exclaiming that Harry was late.
Sirius explained Harry's situation and Dumbledore transported him back to Hogwarts with a portkey.
Harry sat quietly on the bed in the infirmary and let Madam Pomfrey work her magic before he was released to go to the Tower. His leg still felt sore and heavy and he had to limp slightly to avoid pain.
Ron was the only unrelaxed suspended student. His mother had made him clean the house from top to bottom and, by the look of the scratches on his face; he'd done the garden as well.
Harry sat down beside Claire and she snuggled up to him. Outside the castle rain was thundering down in bucket loads, making it hard to hear what people were saying.
Hermione listened to Claire enquire about Harry's knee before sneaking down to the entrance hall in hopes of seeing Malfoy.
She was lucky enough to pass him as he was leaving the castle. He spotted her and ran over, enveloping her in a bear hug.
"Man I missed you" he showered her with kisses before finishing with one long, extremely passionate kiss on the lips. A few Hufflepuff girls watched enviously from a classroom door.
Hermione giggled and pushed him away. "I missed you too. Did you have any trouble with your dad?"
"No. He was working in Egypt"
"Did you do anything interesting?"
"I found out that I have an arranged marriage to Pansy. Great, isn't it?"
Hermione took a full step back from him in shock.
"Great? You think it's great?"
Malfoy laughed and pulled her close to him again.
"I was joking!" he kissed her forehead. "I told mum about you, she says I made a great choice"
"She really said that?" Hermione had been wondering how Malfoy's parents would react.
"Course she did. No mother wants her son ending up with some sleaze bag like Parkinson."
"Speak of the devil" Hermione muttered, pulling away and glaring at the advancing Slytherin girl.
"Draco" she said in a simpering voice. She pouted. "We have to go and finish that report."
Malfoy groaned. "Cant it wait?"
"No!" she grabbed his wrist and dragged him away before he could even kiss Hermione goodbye.
Hermione sighed and returned to the Gryffindor common room. There she found Harry sitting by himself, staring blankly out the window. Hermione sat down beside him.
"What's up?" she asked, examining her nails.
"They don't trust me anymore"
"Who? The order?" Hermione looked up sharply and surveyed Harry with concern.
"Its not that I care. I don't even know who most of them are but they think I've joined Voldemort…something to do with my eyes"
"I know what they mean…" Hermione muttered, avoiding Harry's accusing gaze.
"You don't believe me either?"
"Course I do. I was talking about your eyes. Ever since you came back from that thing with Voldemort…I don't know, you've Changed, Harry, and its scary"
Harry watched Hermione's retreating back with a feeling of sick helplessness.
Maybe he was becoming Voldemort. After all, it is easier to kill a man then it is to love.
Harry shook his head in Horror. He couldn't believe he was thinking like that.
But it would be easier to kill Claire then risk being hurt by her…a knife to the throat would be relevantly painless…
This time Harry hit himself in the head. Was Voldemort secretly attacking his mind?
He gazed across the room at Claire. She was laughing along with a few younger girls who happened to idolise her. The light from the fire was bouncing off her golden curls, holding Harry captive.
Just a quick tug of the trigger…
Hermione came back over to sit next to him and he mentally carved the skin from her face with a blunt blade.
Harry jumped to his feet and ran from the room.
After ten minutes of pacing endless corridors, he found himself outside the room of requirement. Carefully he opened the door and peered inside. The walls were lines with glass cabinets filled with all sorts of knives and guns. Along the far wall were targets with all his friends faces taped to them.
He slammed the door shut and ran, as far and fast as he could.
He passed Ginny near the charms classroom. She was stroking her stomach and chatting to Katie Bell.
He could kill the baby as well. That would be easy, just a quick twist of the neck.
He ran even faster.
Ron tried to stop him in the Entrance hall but all Harry could hear was the thud of the bullet lodging into Ron's brain. He ran even faster still, clutching his head in agony, no knowing where he was destined to end up…
Eventually he found himself kneeling in the mud on the cliff hanging over the lake. He was soaking wet from the rain and couldn't get the images of his dead friends out of his mind.
Rain trickled down the back of his neck and he could feel hot tears sliding down his cheeks.
He fell forward, his hands sloshing into the mud. Overhead lightening flashed dangerously through the sky.
Maybe he could just kill himself. Then nobody would win. There would be no love, no deaths, and no pain…
He sat up again and looked blindly over the cliff edge at the black lake below, is waters swelling and spraying menacingly up the rocky surface.
Slowly he let himself fall forward over the edge.
Just as there was no going back, arms closed in around his chest and pulled him back.
He struggled against them. He managed to break free and he stood up to face his captor. It was Malfoy. He looked outraged at Harry's stupidity.
"What are you doing, Potter!" he screamed through the rain that was storming down around them. More lightening flashed and Harry took a step back.
"No one will die!" he yelled back, stepping back again.
Malfoy lunged for him as Harry made a grabbing motion in thin air. Invisible hands closed around Malfoy's throat and he fell to his knees, gasping for air. Harry squeezed harder, watching his friend slowly die. Suddenly something clicked in his mind and he released his invisible grip, horrified at his actions.
Malfoy, still on his knees, looked up at the insane boy.
"Tell Claire I love her," he whispered, letting himself fall backwards.
"NO!" Malfoy's voice echoed throughout the darkness as he jumped at Harry.
Both Boys fell.
Hmmmm
just so you know… I'm feeling confident that there will be a sequel to the story.
I'll say no more