Harry had never thought that asking to be resorted would have such horrible consequences, but when one of his new dorm mates turns out to be a spy for the order, and Voldemort again offers him a spot in his ranks, Harry finds himself formulating plans that seem just as insane as speaking to a madman in his head.
A/N: I own nothing this is all J.K.R.'s, what a brilliant mind she has.
Chapter Sixteen – The Calm Before Madness
"What do you mean it's gone?" Harry's eyes darted around the room, taking in every dark nook and cranny but his voice remained calm and leveled. "I need that potion, who took it?" Panic started to cloud his mind until he noticed that someone was missing and anger leapt there instead. "Snape," Harry seethed before he brushed passed his professors, and out into the hall. Snape was the only other person with access to the potion besides… Harry came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hall and it was as if a block had been lifted from his mind. All color drained from his face. "I forgot. It must be a side effect," Harry whispered to himself and his eyes widened in sudden realization and horror, as the nights events came flooding back to him.
Harry abruptly sat up from the floor of Lyndira's office where he had collapsed. He dragged in a ruff long breath and abruptly started coughing. He was covered in sweat. His body felt like it had been frozen, and he swore that there was frost on his hands. It was taking huge amounts of effort to keep air in his lungs. His head shot up to the source of laughter that filled the air. It was almost childish, until it turned cold at the glare that Harry gave the Dark Lord, Riddle, as he unsuccessfully tried to get his coughing under control.
"This is why you should not cross me Harry Potter. I would have told you what effects Unicorn Blood has on the body, but you would not listen. Join me and this madness will stop…" the Dark Lords voice trailed off. "Your mind is strengthening! WHY?" Voldemort snarled suddenly.
A dark smile came to Harry's lips just as his coughing became manageable. "I've had enough of you and your emotions, my emotions… The potion may be a little extreme, but at least now I won't feel…"
Harry turned back to the professors who had followed him out, and ran his shaking hand through his raven hair. What had he done? He looked to his feet as he summoned the courage to reveal what he had done, the previous night. Until that very moment, the entire night had been a blank to him. He had taken it for a night just like any other. He hadn't realized that he was missing pieces of it. "I took the potion last night..."
"Harry why didn't you just tell us that you had the vial?" asked Lyndira.
"No, you misunderstand. I drank the potion last night, not that it seems to be working," Harry said quietly as he looked at the laces on his shoes intently. How could he forget? Maybe he wanted to forget. It certainly was not something that he wanted to remember. And why wasn't it working, it had worked fine last night. He had a night of peace without Voldemort's emotions. But now he could feel them again. Why?
Dumbledore's eyes grew very serious. "You drank the potion without any supervision?"
"Professor I don't need to be looked after…" Harry blurted out and then calmed his voice considerably. Harry shook his head at his own stupidity. "Until a few minutes ago I didn't even remember doing it. Malfoy decided last night that he'd initiate me into Slytherin… His task seemed simple enough, break into Professor Friedens' office and take something that she wouldn't miss, but I couldn't easily get anywhere else in the castle. The potion was sitting there in its small vial when I opened the cupboard… I tried to ignore it, but I was so angry at everything, myself… I took the potion so quickly I didn't even realize it until it hit my system..." Harry shuddered and paled considerably against the revealed disturbing memory. Voldemort knew that he had taken the potion. He was there, but why?
"Harry, I suggest we go to the hospital wing and have Madam Pomfrey check you over," Harry nodded once and followed Dumbledore without question.
Several minutes later, Harry sat on one of the crisp clean hospital beds, nervously ringing his hands, while Madam Pomfrey ran her wand over him. "I see nothing wrong with you Mr. Potter. Are you sure you took that potion? I haven't even found any trace of it in you system."
Harry gave an involuntary shutter. "Yes, I'm sure of it. I remember every detail of what it felt like. I could feel the potion flowing through my veins as if someone had injected ice into them. I-it was excruciating, but lasted only a few moments. Then I felt… an irresistible calm come over me… I remember that I stood there for a while just staring at my hands. Then I blacked out and woke up again on the floor. I assume a few minutes later or so. Then I left, next thing I remember I was sitting down in the common room…" Harry rose an eyebrow, in thought. "That would explain Malfoy's reaction. I never did bring anything back with me. I just shrugged it off as another one of Malfoy's tiffs," Harry said the last bit in a mumble that was more an out loud thought. Most of what he told them was true. Of course, he left out his interaction with Voldemort. Harry had decided a while ago, that they would deem him insane if he told them about being able to project the Dark Lord. Which then led to him questioning his own sanity, after all, he spoke to a mass murderer almost on a regular basis now.
Dumbledore conjured a plush armchair and sat down in it with a heavy sigh. He removed his half moon glasses and put his head in one of his aged hands. "Minerva, would you be so kind, as to find Severus and bring him here please?" Dumbledore said without lifting his head. McGonagall nodded and left the hospital wing. After she was gone, he looked up to Lyndira. "Lyndira, could you please retrieve what's left of Harry's potion, with the ingredients, and the powder of a silver moonstone, and take them to my office…"
Harry jumped off the bed quickly and pushed passed Madam Pomfrey, panic clear in his voice. "No, you can't destroy them! You don't understand, I need this potion," Harry said getting in Lyndira's way, before she had a chance to leave. The powder of a silver moonstone, with a little fire, could incinerate any kind of magically enhanced potion ingredients, ingredients such as Unicorn Blood. Honestly, Harry was surprised that he remembered that. He had learnt about it in his first year through an essay given to the class by Snape. Had he just said that he had learned something from Snape? Harry thought with disgust.
"Harry this potion is not helping you. You are not seeing yourself the way I am. You're angry and hurtful. You have not been yourself…"
"That's exactly why I need this potion!" Harry interjected.
"Potter, you are stupid and rash!" Snape came through the open door to the infirmary, interrupting Dumbledore and Harry's argument. "Has the Unicorn blood started to react yet?" he asked Dumbledore who had banished his chair and was now standing beside Harry.
"From what I have seen, no, but that of course does not mean that it won't," Dumbledore said with an almost angry sigh. Dumbledore had been showing many emotions as of late, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by Harry, that most of the emotions revealed, were because of him. "We know too little about this potion."
"How long ago did you take it, Potter?" Snape asked looking the boy, close to a man, over.
Harry looked away from Snape's searching eyes. "Last night, just before you came looking for me. And it's not working, I feel fine."
"The book gave detailed descriptions of the side effects…"
"Yes, and I haven't had any," Harry interrupted him angrily, as a dizzy feeling fell over him and then a welcomed calm came over him, as he felt all emotion fall away. A small smile touched Harry's lips. "Finally," Harry breathed. He looked to Snape and the man actually flinched at the darkness that momentarily swirled in Harry's eyes, though Harry didn't notice. "I have Quidditch practice, Sir. If I have any horrible side effects, I'll be sure to tell someone. Please excuse me," Harry said politely before he left the hospital wing leaving several very confused staff members behind, and unbeknownst to Harry, one greasy haired Defense teacher itching to curse him.
Harry felt as if he didn't have a care in the world, as he walked back into the Great Hall and approached Ron, Ginny and Hermione. His friends, this was the real test, would the potion help against the curse. Harry sat down beside Ginny and looked at Hermione and Ron across from them. He braced himself for the pain, but it never came. "Hey guys," Harry said as Hermione's and Ron's heads snapped up from their almost finished meals.
"Harry," Ginny said and pointed out the obvious, "you're sitting with us."
"Yes Ginny, I'm sitting with you. I found a way to subdue the curse," Harry smiled, not truly genuine, rather plain, but it was a smile.
"Does that mean you'll be coming back to Gryffindor then?" Ron asked hopefully.
The smile faded from Harry's lips, but he wasn't angry. He wasn't sad. He wasn't anything. It was simply a reflex. "No, Ron. I made my choice and I have to live with that. But that doesn't mean that we can't be friends," Harry started to feel a tingle of the curse but it was just that. A reminder that he was on barrowed time, as he'd already learned the side effects weren't consistent. Harry stood up from the table. "I've got Quidditch practice."
"You're on the Slytherin Quidditch team? Bloody Hell, we'll never win a match again," Ron put his head in his hands and Harry forced a small laugh.
"I'm only the seeker. We still have the same moronic players as the other years, and if I'm correct, even the new players are going to need a lot of work to be anywhere near as good as Gryffindor," Harry looked down at Ginny and smiled. "Doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you though, Weasley."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ginny smiled back, and Harry had that same tingling sensation of the curse, it was getting worse.
Harry stepped back. "Well, I've got to go. Hermione I would appreciate it if you could post a sign up sheet for the D.A. I think that we should get as many members as possible."
"Harry, you do realize that we'll be going up against Professor Snape with restarting the D.A. He's not going to like that you are trying to out teach him in Defense," Hermione voiced her concerns but they were forced, she was obviously ecstatic about the D.A., but concerned that it was going to get him in trouble.
"If the man can't teach that's not my problem. Unless he some how manages to turn into Umbridge with her educational decrees and such, which is very unlikely, there's nothing he can do about it. There is no rule saying that a student can't hold a study group or in this case create a defense club, sanctioned by a staff member," Harry explained as he glanced over at the staff table and nodded to Professor Flitwick, who nodded pleasantly back. Harry then looked to the Slytherin table were the last of his new team mates were just setting off to the Quidditch Pitch. Malfoy was waiting impatiently by the door and Harry smirked at him.
"You got a staff member to sanction the D.A, already, who?" Hermione asked looking to the staff table herself.
"Professor Flitwick," Harry stated plainly and then rolled his eyes in the direction of Malfoy, who was motioning him to get a move on. "I really got to go now, before Malfoy throws another tantrum. I'll talk to you guys at dinner," Harry left his friends behind just as the potion started to fluctuate and his emotions started to return.
Harry started to wonder how long the side effects were supposed to last before he had to take the potion again. The book hadn't really given an estimated time, as it focused more on the vampire effects and not the side effects. This led Harry to another question, why hadn't he had any of the effects of the potion except for the lack of emotion. Harry shrugged the though off as he ignored Malfoy's rant. He followed the rest of the team to the changing rooms, where all of their brooms waited for them, brought down by the house elves. If only Hermione knew how much the Slytherins relied on the house elf population of the school, she'd probably ream him out about it, as he took advantage of the elves too. Harry made a mental note to himself. Best not mention it to her.
Harry had been up in the air for over an hour, lazily flying back and fourth around the pitch. He had spotted the snitch several times but he never went after it. It was after all, driving Malfoy mad that he wasn't showing off his skills to the team. Harry was just making another loop around the pitch from, fairly high up, when he spotted two figures standing on the edge of the forest. With startling clarity, Harry focused his eyes on the two men. By the aggressive hand gestures, it appeared that Blaise Zabini was arguing with Severus Snape, and it didn't look like Snape liked what he was hearing. Harry, having really nothing better to do while the rest of the team attempted to practice Quidditch, started in their direction. One thing that Harry would probably never learn, was that curiosity eventually killed the cat. But Harry had no qualms about spying on the two of them at that moment. Before Harry got into their sight, he used the new spell he had learned the night before, and with a thought blended into the air around him, Firebolt and all. Disillusionment was a wonderful thing.
"I won't. I've had enough! The order can go stuff themselves down a tiny hole and die, for all I care. I refuse to play mediator for the Dark Lord and the Order any longer. I do not wish to die!" Zabini shouted and attempted to stalk off but Snape grabbed his arm harshly.
"You signed up for this Blaise when you went to the Dark Lord willingly. You will follow through, or you will die. Whether or not it's the Aurors or the Dark Lord that kills you, is yet to be seen," Snape snarled. His words were barely above a whisper but Harry heard them clearly. "What do you think will happen when you stop reporting on the Order? He will think you've grown sympathetic to their cause, and he will not hesitate to kill you as a traitor. He may link you as a spy, and your death will be all that much worse. You are one of the youngest Death Eaters, and one of the youngest Order members. You must keep up your usefulness…"
"Look at this, Snape!" Zabini pulled back the sleeve of his robe viciously revealing a very black tattoo of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. The mark of a Death Eater, the Dark Mark, was blistered and raw red around the sides. "He's called me five times in the last week. Three of those times, I spent under Cruciatus for over a minute, for not having anything to report. You know what he wants me to do. He wants me to get him Potter. Not to kill him, no, he wants him to join him! I said I've had enough. He's already killed my parents, and my initiation was to kill my five-year-old brother! If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of the Order, he'd be dead now!" Zabini fell to his knees and put his head in his hands. Harry had to give his dorm mate credit. He wasn't crying to get out of this. He was just frustrated as all hell. Harry could relate. "I can't do it Uncle Severus, not anymore. It's beginning to be even more difficult to hold my Occlumency shield when around the Dark Lord. It's only a matter of time until he breaks it. Then he'll know where my brother is, he'll kill me and then him," Zabini laughed holding back a sob that almost escaped him. "Or worse, he'll kill him, them me."
Harry was having a very difficult time in suppressing his anger. How could Snape let his own nephew play spy against Voldemort? Spy against Voldemort! Harry drew in a sharp breath and quickly flew back over to the Quidditch pitch just as his Disillusionment Charm wore off. Harry regained his control over his emotions, and grabbed the Snitch as it flew by him. Thoughts swirling in his head, dangerous thoughts; it couldn't be that simple. Harry flew over to Malfoy and handed him the golden ball. "I'm done for the day. I've got things to do," Harry said as he flew away and landed just outside of the stadium. Surprisingly Malfoy didn't try to stop him.
Harry was just heading back into the castle from the changing rooms, thoughts still accumulating, forming a plan, which was possibly the most insane idea he'd ever had, when Snape rounded on him, a dangerous glint in his eyes. For a brief moment, Harry thought that he had been seen spying, but Snape was his usual nasty self. It was about the skipped detention.
"You owe me a detention Potter, my office now. I have a few things that need to be sorted through," Snape growled with almost a smirk on his face.
"No, I didn't do anything to deserve getting a detention. I won't serve it," Harry said with venom in his voice.
"Very well, I will be taking one hundred points from Slytherin, and the entire house will know it was taken from you If you do not serve your detention with me today," a cruel smirk came onto Snape's face with the look that Harry let escape his mask.
Snape knew that the house would willing take out the loss of so many points on Harry, and Harry was already having enough problems in Slytherin. He thought about just letting him take the points, but something in the back of his mind told him to stay on good terms with his dorm mates. That they'd come in handy later. "Fine," Harry growled quietly and he couldn't help the sound of his defeated voice. He was ashamed to have to give in to Snape.
"Good. Professor McGonagall is giving you and Mr. Weasley both detention for the outburst in the Great Hall this morning. You and him will be serving the same detention. The Owlery needs to be cleaned, and when you're both done with that, I have a special project for you." The look on Snape's face, made Harry want to take back agreeing to do the detention. But now that he knew Ron had the same fate as him, Harry wasn't going to let Ron do the detention alone, even with how much it may hurt him. Harry prayed that the potion would kick in again. Just long enough to get through the detention.
Two hours later Harry and Ron entered back into Snape's office. Both were sweaty and filthy, and Harry had a splitting headache. "Done with the Owlery I see. Weasley you may go. Potter, I have a task for you."
Ron gave Harry a sympathetic look as he left Snape's office, but Harry ignored it as his headache was building. "What task is it, that you want me to do?" Harry asked as the door clicked close behind him.
Snape stood up from his desk and walked around towards Harry. "Tell me Potter, how much precisely have you learned from Merlin's Diaries?"
Harry eyed Snape apprehensively. "Loads, why?"
"How many diaries have you been able to access?"
Harry didn't know where this line of questioning was going, but he was beginning to get agitated. "All of them that have been given to me. I have read through thirty and glanced through twenty," Harry asked again, "why?"
"Fifty!" There was almost astonishment in Snape's eyes. "That's all but one of them…" Snape murmured as walked around back to his desk and picked up a thick book with a white cover. It looked almost new but had a look of being ancient. Just like Merlin's Diaries. Snape ran his hand over the cover and then after a moment looked back up to Harry. "Dumbledore knows about this book, it's who I obtained it from. Only one person has ever been able to read it in the last hundred years, and she was the Heir."
Harry looked at the book and felt suddenly drawn to it. It was his grandmother's, he was certain it had belonged to her. Harry reached out to take it but Snape moved it away. "Let me have it, it's mine," Harry said without thinking and Snape got the answer he was looking for, without even asking the question.
"You're the Heir of Merlin," Snape snarled disbelievingly. "No wonder the Dark Lord wants you on his side," Harry clenched his jaw at Snape's open remark and moved again to take the book, but Snape wouldn't let him have it. "Before I give you this book, there is a spell in it that the Dark Lord wants. My task for the last year has been to try to break the magic on it, and get the spell for him. He's not happy with my failure. He is loosing patience and trust in me. That cannot happen. I got you the potion ingredients, and saved them from Dumbledore. Now I need you to help me, in return for my services," the way Snape spat the last words it told Harry that it was painful for him to ask for help, not that he was actually asking, but close enough.
Harry noted that his potion, and the box with the Unicorn's Blood and Vampire's Blood in it, were sitting on Snape's desk. Harry contemplated for a moment. Was there fear in Snape's eyes? Was Snape out to save his own hide, while his nephew was struggling not to be exposed? "Why, why should I help you save your own skin?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Harry knew that the fear in Snape's eyes wasn't for himself. It was for Blaise. Harry held out his hands and the book zoomed to it, he opened it and words started to appear. Harry closed the book again, "What's the spell, and I'm only doing this to help Zabini," Harry growled.
If it was possible, all color drained from Snape's already pale face. "What?"
"He told me," Harry lied. "If your cover's blown, his will be too. So what's the spell?"
A/N: Harry's helping Snape? Plans are formulating in his mind, Spy against Voldemort!