Harry is suspected, questioned, and interrogated, Quidditch anyone?
A/N: I own nothing this is all J.K.R.'s, what a brilliant mind she has.
Chapter Nineteen – Accusations and Memories
Harry Potter sat calmly in the Headmaster's office finishing off a steaming hot cup of tea. Dumbledore had just finished asking him a series of questions, the same questions asked to every other student that had been found unconscious in the Forbidden Forest, three nights previous. Harry had answered everyone of them unflinchingly and with a lie that had already been planted in his brain as truth. For truth, was what he had to speak when dealing with the Veritaserum in his cup of tea, which left an obvious bitter aftertaste.
Harry had not wanted his memories messed with, but Voldemort had insisted, and Harry had reluctantly agreed. Nothing had changed. He still had all of his memories of the night of Halloween, he just had new ones to access if need be. He remembered precisely what Voldemort had said he'd remember; a figure appearing in the hall just before they had reached the entrance hall, and then a flash of light. The other eight Slytherin's who had claimed to be with him were given the same memory. As were the five Ravenclaws, the two Hufflepuffs, and amusingly to Harry, one male Gryffindor seventh year, who Harry had seen on many occasions but never conversed with. Of course, some of them had some variations, as they all couldn't appear to be coming from the same corridor. That would look highly suspicious.
The seventeen of them together, were only a small handful of the young Death Eaters that roamed the halls of Hogwarts. Again, it would have been suspicious if all of the Death Eaters of Hogwarts were found with Harry. Dumbledore would have put things together far too quickly. As it were, only five or six were suspected of being, or were known Death Eaters. Others were not known at all. All of them had woken up in the Hospital Wing the night before, with the exception of Blaise Zabini. Who had amazingly escaped the whole ordeal relatively unscathed. Well, all except that he couldn't remember anything before leaving Hogwarts to attend the Death Eater meeting, that of course, Albus Dumbledore knew would take place.
Harry looked at the other four students that were sitting with him. They all had relayed the same account of their tall-tale and looked upon Dumbledore with worried, innocent eyes. Harry looked back up to the Headmaster, his eyes of course had a glamour on them. It wouldn't do for him to look upon Dumbledore with eyes that screamed darkness. Instead, he looked at the old man with the same innocence that the others held, but he put a small measure of fear in there as well.
"Professor Dumbledore, Sir, what do you think could have happened to us?" Harry asked in a Hermione-ish kind of way.
"Alas, I am not certain, Harry. You all seem to remember basically the same thing."
Harry looked around him in a frightened sort of way, he swallowed once, for good measure, and then asked his next question in almost a whisper. "Do you think it could have been the – the Dark Lord?" Now he was playing Neville to a tee and he was laughing hysterically inside for it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other Slytherins trying to keep from laughing as well. Not that Dumbledore noticed as he was focused solely on Harry.
"Again Harry, I'm not certain, but I do not believe so. For one, you were not hugely injured and Madam Pomfrey says that you have all made a full recovery," Dumbledore replied.
"Does that mean that the Quidditch match will still continue as planned?" Malfoy suddenly asked.
Dumbledore looked at all of them. They were all members of the Slytherin Quidditch team, and they all made it a point to look at the Headmaster with hopeful eyes. There was no way in Hell that they were going to forfeit against Gryffindor. Dumbledore sighed. "I don't see why it shouldn't as long as you come to me if any problems arise."
"Thank you, Sir. Then may we be dismissed? There are a few things that I would like to go over with the team before the match, and we only have an hour before the game starts," Malfoy asked politely and Harry forced himself not to snigger aloud.
"Yes, you may all go," answered Dumbledore with a slight sigh. The five Slytherins rose from their seats at once and began to file from the office. "Harry, may I have a word before you go?"
Draco gave Harry a pointed look and mumbled, "Harry, Quidditch."
It was a password of sorts. If Harry felt uneasy about being left alone with Dumbledore, Malfoy would wait with him. Harry gave Draco a smirk. Everyone really, always underestimated him. "I'll be down in a minute."
Malfoy nodded before he left. Draco had been made Harry's bodyguard of sorts, while at Hogwarts. Neither Harry nor Malfoy had been happy about this, but Voldemort had insisted, and had nearly cast Cruciatus on the both of them for arguing about it. They reluctantly agreed, but Harry still couldn't see what possible dangers there were. As long as everyone thought that he was on their side, no one would lift a finger against him.
Harry waited patiently while Dumbledore shuffled papers on his desk. He put them aside after a moment and looked up to Harry. "Mr. Weasley informed me that the morning of Halloween, he caught you and Mr. Malfoy discussing something in a classroom together. Now he said that the two of you were discussing Gryffindor Quidditch Secrets, but I want to hear the i truth /i from you. What were you two really discussing?"
Harry fought down the impulse to curse Dumbledore where he stood. How dare the old man! He was under a Truth Incantation. If Voldemort had not warned him that he might be, and he had not taken measures against it, Harry would have never known. So the old man distrusted him that much.
Harry looked Dumbledore straight in the eyes with a pleasant smile that hid all of his hatred beneath it. "Gryffindor Quidditch Secrets," he said calmly without faltering. "I know what it seems like," Harry shook his head in a regretful manor. "Ron was rather mad about it, but I'm finally being excepted into Slytherin and honestly, I don't want to play for a loosing team. After all, it's not really, like they were secrets. Everything I gave Draco, he could have gotten out of Quidditch Through The Ages, as Ron has."
Dumbledore only nodded in response. "Very well, and good luck, may the best team win. You are dismissed."
Harry smiled passively at Dumbledore before he left and headed straight for the Slytherin changing rooms, laughing in his head the entire time. Unbeknownst to Harry, Dumbledore wasn't sitting passively in his office. He was angrily pacing, trying to figure out how all of the students had lied to him under Veritaserum. Several of them, Severus had pointed out as known Death Eaters, others were highly suspected, and some didn't fit into the equation at all. And then there was Harry, as much as Dumbledore didn't want to see it, Harry was always suspected, and that was worrisome.
Three and a half hours later, Harry flew high above the pitch, watching the swift movements of the two teams below. Harry had seen the not so elusive golden snitch hundreds of times since the start of the match, but Malfoy had instructed him not to catch it unless Ginny had spotted it. She hadn't as of yet. Malfoy wanted Slytherin to rack up so many points that Gryffindor would have no chance of catching up to them, even if Harry let Ginny take the snitch, which he wouldn't do. As it stood, the score was currently 490 – 330 in Slytherin's favor.
Slytherin was decimating Gryffindor. That wasn't to say that Gryffindor wasn't putting up a fight. It seemed that they weren't going to go down easily and were using just as many dirty tricks as the Slytherins. It was actually turning into a rather astonishing match. Both teams had about the same amount of penalties, which made for a rather interesting game, and had the school sitting on the edge of their seats.
Harry watched Ginny fly around the far end of the pitch, searching for the snitch somewhat frantically as the Gryffindors managed to score two more goals, almost consecutively. Harry smiled to himself, it was time to have a little fun with the youngest Weasley.
Harry flew lazily towards her and began trailing her unenthusiastically, which seemed to annoy the witch as she kept glancing over her shoulder heatedly at him. After tailing her for nearly a full minute, Harry suddenly looked to the other end of the pitch and appeared as if he was following something with his eyes. As soon as he caught Ginny's attention, he laid flat against his broom and shot off towards the false source. Ginny of course took the bait and followed, really hadn't the girl learned anything?
The announcer, a fourth year Ravenclaw, who Harry recognized from the D.A, pointed out to the crowd, Harry's and Ginny's move towards the snitch that wasn't anywhere near there, not that the Ravenclaw knew that. Harry swerved as if the snitch had done the same and Ginny again followed.
After leading Ginny half way around the pitch and back, Harry became board with the cat and mouse routine. He was just about to reveal the jest, when a brief blinding pain erupted up his left arm. Harry had to struggle to remain on his broom, as he pulled his arm against his chest. He shot his eyes to Malfoy as soon as the pain abated.
Malfoy mouthed from his position, 'get the snitch.' Malfoy too looked as if he had been in pain as well, but he hid his guise much more coolly then Harry had.
Harry, who hadn't lost his sight on the snitch for nearly the entire game, dropped into a vertical dive that most professional Quidditch players would never attempt. Ginny wisely did not follow. Harry forced his broom horizontal again, just before he would have hit the ground, and rolled so that his back was to the green grass below him. Harry's raven hair caught at the short grass as he zoomed over the ground and expertly closed his hand around the snitch before shooting back up into the sky, just before reaching mid pitch. All together, the move had taken Harry less then thirty seconds and would be remembered for years to come. Of course, the crowd went wild, after they stopped holding their breaths.
Harry held the winged golden ball up with his right hand and gained another rousing cheer, especially from the Slytherin side of the stands. He forced a smile onto his face, it had been a remarkable catch. However, Voldemort lingered in the back of his mind, something was wrong. Someone had found out something, and he needed to see him now, it was an order. Harry dropped out of the air to join his teammates, who had landed seconds after Harry had caught the snitch.
Malfoy slapped Harry on the back as he landed smoothly next to him. "Show off, but great catch," Malfoy laughed. "Everyone to the changing room, then we've got a celebration to get too," Draco pounded the sky with his fist. "Slytherin Victory!" Malfoy shouted and a cheer of the same words echoed from departing Slytherin students around them.
Harry began to follow the other Slytherins but stopped, as he saw the Gryffindor team walking silently behind them. Harry couldn't resist, and he turned around. "Drive us into the ground, hey Weasley?" Harry gave Ron a smug smile.
"Looks to me like we decimated you," Malfoy sniggered behind him and Harry smiled wider.
"I don't know if I'd call that playing a fair game, Potter. Seems to me you spotted the snitch too easily," Ron said stepping up to Harry, the rest of the Gryffindor team followed. Harry took a step forward. He, as well, had the Slytherin team at his back.
"Are you calling me a cheater?"
"Your words, not mine," Ron snapped at him and Harry without warning grabbed onto the front of Ron's Quidditch robes with his right hand.
"Potter," Harry briefly heard Draco warn him from behind, but Harry ignored it in favor of leveling his wand at Ron, with his left had, anger overriding his senses. His broom lay forgotten on the ground. Draco then grabbed onto Harry's arm, and dug his fingers into the mark, which still stung. Harry dropped his arm immediately but hadn't let go of Ron yet. "Harry let him go," Draco said warningly again. "We don't have time for this," he hissed.
Harry let go of Ron's robes, but not before letting his glamour on his eyes drop for a fraction of a second. He gave a menacing smirk to him as Ron visibly paled and took a step backwards. Harry laughed. "Thought so," he scoffed as he grabbed his broom, and turned and left with Draco and the other Slytherin players following him.
"What the Hell was that back there, Potter? Do you realize what could have happened? Dumbledore could have seen…"
"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry snapped and grabbed Draco's robes, and slammed the blond teen against the wall of the Slytherin changing rooms, with amazing strength and speed. The others stopped what they were doing to look at Harry with mingled fear and respect in their eyes. "Everything's fine. No one saw but Weasley, and I don't think he even knew what he saw," Harry said coolly as he let Malfoy go. "Now I suggest you find someone to cover for us, he's angry. I don't think we should keep him waiting any longer," Harry whispered harshly before turning away to change. Voldemort really was angry, and it was rolling in waves over Harry's own emotions.
"Crabbe, Goyle, get over here, I have a task for you," Malfoy said before Harry disappeared into one of the changing stalls with a smirk on his face.
As Harry emerged, fully changed into his customary black t-shirt and black cargo pants, Malfoy had just finished explaining the plan. Crabbe looked a little befuddled but Goyle looked as if he was going to enjoy this. Harry pulled out a single silky strand of his rather long black hair and handed it to Goyle. "You'll need that, if we're not back within an hour, get out of the common room, it'll only last that long."
Goyle nodded and started out of the changing rooms with Crabbe following. They were going to double back after letting themselves be seen and each drink a vile of Polyjuice potion. No one would miss Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin party, but everyone would miss Harry and Draco.
"I just hope Crabbe doesn't make me look too bad," Malfoy grumbled as they disappeared.
Just after the rest of the team made their departures and Harry had finished laying out his Slytherin robes for Goyle, as Malfoy had already done for Crabbe, Harry pulled out of his pocket the smooth black stone that he had gotten on Halloween. Harry set the alarm on his watch for fifty minutes before he held the stone out to Malfoy, who placed one of his fingers on it as it sat in his palm. "Activate," Harry hissed and felt the sudden pull behind his navel.
Harry and Malfoy landed without stumbling in a small sitting room, that held a view of a rolling countryside from it's windows. Harry walked casually over to one of the windows to determine where they could be, but green grass was all he could see. It was actually quite beautiful. Harry turned from the window after a long moment and back to Malfoy who had gone startlingly pale, even for Draco. He was pointing to something moving across the room and Harry looked in that direction. A snake was uncoiling itself from one of the plush sitting chairs, and starting to move towards them, a really large snake.
"Foolish younglings, not wise to disturb the layer of a snake," The snake slithered around them.
Harry drew his wand and pointed it at her. "Back off Nagini, our master would not appreciate it if we were harmed," Harry hissed in Parseltongue and the snake recoiled and hissed menacingly at them.
"Nagini, leave us. " The snake looked to her master for a moment and then left glaring at Harry with red gleaming eyes as she did.
"Merlin, I wish I could do that," Malfoy whispered beside Harry before he bowed low to their lord.
Harry barely nodded, as his scar was searing pain. It took probably a full two minutes for the pain to abate this time, and Harry struggled to stay on his feet. "So who found out what and why not just kill them and tell me in my head?" Harry growled after he was able to unclench his jaw.
Voldemort smirked at Harry's discomfort for a brief moment before his face grew serious again, angry. "Have a seat gentlemen," Voldemort invited, and then continued after the three of them had sat. Malfoy looked quite uncomfortable, no doubt, he had never sat in front of the Dark Lord, especially this new and improved one. The Dark Lords handsome features did nothing to hide the evil that shrouded him, more like it enhanced it. "I have a portrait that connects to the Headmasters office. Apparently, Dumbledore has had a moment of revelation, he'll be breaking Severus' memory charm, any moment, I'm sure. You were going to be revealed so I thought it wise you were not there, to be revealed."
Harry shrugged with boredom, before relaxing back into his chair. "Is that it?"
"I did see this as a problem, Mr. Potter," Voldemort seethed. "Once Dumbledore finds out that you are a Death Eater, he'll have your wanted poster put up next to mine. He is not as much of a fool as you believe he is. He knows how powerful you can be. It's his greatest fear, you turning Dark."
Harry thought this over for a few silent minutes and then a thoughtful smile came to his face. "Let me deal with our dear old Headmaster. He cannot break my glamours, I doubt even you could, and he can no longer read my mind."
Voldemort rose an eyebrow at Harry's bold declaration, "and what about Severus?"
Harry raised his hands in prayer position and looked at Voldemort with innocent eyes that were filled with malice. "Dear Saint Potter, had to join the Dark Lord to gain the knowledge of how to defeat him. If he were caught or revealed, it could mean the death of the poor boy, and sadly the destruction of the Wizarding world. Of course, he would need his Professor's help to maintain his level of evilness," Harry laughed quite insanely. "They have no idea how persuasive I can be."
Voldemort smirked and let out a cruel chuckle. "Spoken like a true Slytherin. Very well," Voldemort's smirk disappeared again. "But if any problems arise, portkey back here immediately. I will not have you captured by Dumbledore, and Draco, keep an eye on Mr. Zabini. He may prove problematic in the near future."
"Yes, my Lord," Draco answered.
"Now let me see your stone, I believe your time is almost up," Voldemort said and Harry glanced at his watch. He was correct, they had five minutes left. Harry handed his stone to Voldemort who pointed his wand at it and it briefly glowed blue. "This will take you to the Slytherin Prefects' bathroom. I surmise you can get to your dormitory from there?"
"Yes. my Lord," Draco answered before he bowed to Voldemort.
Harry again barely nodded, which he received a red-eyed angry glare to. He held out the stone for Malfoy to touch and then they disappeared, arriving in the luxurious Slytherin prefects' bathroom. "Impressive," Harry smirked at Draco's smug smile. "Gryffindor is better."
Malfoy snorted and rolled his eyes. "Right, Potter. Come on this door leads to the hallway outside of our dorm room."
"And where does that door lead?" Harry pointed over his shoulder to an identical door, on the other side of the bathroom.
"The girls' prefects' bathroom," Malfoy answered, and then laughed at the grin that spread across Harry's face.
"It's all clear to me now," Harry said as if he'd had an epiphany, and Malfoy gave him a skeptical look. "Why you spend so much time in here," Harry laughed, answering Malfoy's unasked question. They entered into the hall, after checking to see that it was clear. Draco just rolled his eyes again.
Harry and Draco were just about to enter their dorm room when Harry and Draco ran down the hall towards them. Well Crabbe and Goyle in disguise as Harry and Draco were running down the hall towards them.
"Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore are heading this way. Snape and Dumbledore came in the common room and broke up the party. We were able to slip away, I'm pretty sure we weren't seen," Harry/Goyle explained as they reached them.
Harry looked at his watch. "Damn, you still have at least five minutes before this wears off." Harry looked up the hall, to the many closed doors in particular. One especially caught his eyes. "You two in here until the potion wears off," Harry said opening the door to the boys' bathroom, which was nearly across from them.
Crabbe and Goyle did as commanded, and Harry and Malfoy went into their dorm, where Nott was reading on his bed. "Hey guy, party get a bit boring for you too?" he asked and then raised an eyebrow, and then started sniggering at them as they started throwing school robes on frantically.
Malfoy kicked off his shoes and threw one at Nott. "Shut up Nott, Snape and Dumbledore are on their way down here."
Nott shot off his bed and drew his wand. He started casting Disillusionment Charms frantically, all over the room. Mostly at cabinets that didn't belong, cabinets that were full of things such as, Firewhiskey, and books stolen from the restricted section of the library. Harry chuckled, Nott had brought in many things that would get him expelled, if not Detention, with Filch for the entire school year. Harry suddenly felt sorry for his dorm mate and cast a Mass Disillusionment Charm on anything that would look suspicious. Not many people could cast a Mass Disillusionment Charm and Nott and Malfoy looked at him in surprise. Harry just rolled his eyes.
Nott gave him a thankful look before settling back on his bed as if he'd never moved. Malfoy suddenly threw Harry's defense book at him and Harry caught it, and fell back on his own bed, as Malfoy was doing with a transfiguration book. Harry had just managed to open his book and turn it the right side up when their door opened. Harry lowered his book and sat up, as if he had been there the entire time, and the appearance of his professors was a mystery to him.
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, did you find out what happened to us?" Harry asked innocently as his dorm mates sat up themselves and looked at their Professors in much the same way.
"Something like that," Snape sneered with a dangerous tone.
"Harry, may we have a word with you alone for a moment?" Harry looked to the other two boys, who simply shrugged, but Harry caught the glint of uncertainty in Malfoy's eyes, and smirked slightly before looking back at the two professors.
Harry set his book aside and got up to follow his professors. "Sure," Harry said as they left the room. No sooner had the dormitory door closed then Snape grabbed Harry's robes and slammed him roughly against the opposite wall. "Bloody Hell, Snape, what's going on, let me go!" Harry shouted as if in complete surprise.
"Show me your left arm Potter!" Snape demanded bringing his wand up to Harry's throat.
Harry looked at Snape with fear in his eyes, and then to Dumbledore for good measure. "W-what, I don't understand." Snape leveled his wand Harry's eyes and Harry flinched back. Dumbledore forced Snape to back off and let go of him, and Harry collapsed to the floor and looked up to Dumbledore with frightened eyes.
"Please, Mr. Potter, show us your left arm," Dumbledore said calmly.
"I didn't know your trust in me had fallen so far. I'm not a Death Eater Professor," Harry said with a bit of a plea in his somewhat shaky voice.
"Just show us," Snape snapped.
Harry rolled back the sleeve of his robe to his elbow, and slowly rolled his arm over to reveal a blemish free forearm. "As I said, I'm not a Death Eater."
Snape grabbed a hold of his arm. "But you were there, I saw you!"
"There w-where?" stammered Harry with all of his innocents.
"At the Death Eater meeting on Halloween!" snarled Snape, and Harry pulled his arm away from the man and stood slowly up.
"Professor, I was found unconscious by you with several other students on Halloween. It took us nearly three days to wake up. How could I have been at a Death Eater meeting if I was unconscious?" asked Harry with just the right amount of anger showing in his voice.
Dumbledore sighed, "You could not have been. I must apologize, Harry. Voldemort is obviously trying to make fools of us all. You have done nothing within the last two months to warrant this treatment. I am sorry, you may go back in your dormitory, as I believe your dorm mates are showing some concern for you."
Harry looked over Dumbledore's shoulder to see Malfoy and Nott looking out into the hall. Harry suppressed a smirk. "Professor, just because I made one mistake two months ago does not mean that I'm going to go Dark. I thought that I had already proven that to you. I guess I was wrong," Harry said sadly and left his Professors in the hall.
As soon as Malfoy had closed the door behind them, Harry doubled over and clamped his hands over his mouth to silence his laughter. Malfoy and Nott were doing much the same thing, when the door suddenly opened to admit Crabbe and Goyle, who were stuffed, what looked to be somewhat painfully, into Harry's and Draco's too thin robes. Of course, this made everyone laugh harder.
A/N: Poor Harry, how wronged he's been, mistrusted by dear Professor Dumbledore, and how harsh that good for nothing Snape is being... OK enough sympathy for evil Harry, onward to the next chapter!