Chapter 10 - Who am I (Part II)
"Obliviate!"
"What have ---" cried Billy upon witnessing what Matt had done to their young friend.
"...you done?" finished Chuck as he, too, stared in shock at the crumpled figure lying helplessly on the ground.
Matt did not say anything as his mind tried to process what has just happened. He and his friends just went out to take a walk and look what they encountered...dementors on the loose no less. He did not know if those monstrosities were supposed to be there or if they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he knew for a fact that dementors did not just roam around a muggle village for leisure. Someone must have sent them there...but how? Their group was well-hidden and their secret keeper was killed in a random attack by death-eaters a few years back so how could that someone know where they were?
His initial thought was that it must be the boy. He must have betrayed their location but he disposed of that idea immediately. It was simply ridiculous. In the short time that he had known the boy, he had felt that he could be trusted. Besides, he was also hiding so he wouldn't do that.
"Damn it, Matt! It's Jeric!" snarled Billy as he tried to get closer to the boy despite his weakened state.
The sharp voice brought Matt back from his reverie and he stared in anguish at the boy whose memory he had just eradicated without thinking of the repercussions.
"He's our friend! He would have understood. You didn't have to erase his memory." said Chuck angrily as he followed Billy.
Matt weakly stood and met the accusing glares of his friends. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I recklessly acted out of impulse. We always erased the memory of any muggle who saw us performing magic. I forgot that Jeric is different."
"Damn right, he is!" yelled Billy as he and Chuck combined their forces to levitate the boy inside their humble apartment.
Matt meekly followed. While inside, nobody said a word as they waited for the boy to regain his consciousness so that they could assess how much of his memory was lost. Although still tired from the frightening encounter, no one really felt like taking a nap or doing anything else. They just sat on the sofa and waited….and waited…and waited…
"Merlin! It's been four hours already. Why hasn't he waken up yet?" exclaimed Billy as he looked over the boy with growing concern.
"That's weird..." said Chuck thoughtfully.
"What's weird?"
"I don't know. There's just something that keeps nagging my brain. None of the muggles we obliviated ever fainted before so why did he?" stated Chuck with increased worry. He stood up and went directly to their mini-library to check out some facts about Memory Charms, leaving his two friends behind.
Billy automatically eyed Matt suspiciously after hearing that. "Matt, was the Memory Charm you used enough to knock him out for that long?"
"Definitely not! You know how weak we all were that time. How the hell could I have performed a strong one? At the most, it could only erase his memory of the dementors." replied Matt while staring fixedly at the wall to avoid meeting his friend's eye.
"Then why is he in this state?" pressed Billy.
Matt held up his hands in frustration. "I don't know. Look, I'm already guilty enough. Please, don't rub it in."
"I'm just asking a question and not rubbing it in." replied Billy caustically.
Fortunately, Chuck returned to prevent the brewing argument. "Quit it, guys. It's not helping but I have a question though--"
"What?" asked Matt sharply, assuming that it was another attempt to torture him.
Chuck glared at him. "Actually, I wanted to ask if any of you noticed the person who conjured the Patronus that drove the dementors away..."
"Oh, I didn't really see the person. Everything was hazy back then. I remember hearing someone cast the charm but the voice seemed so far away..." replied Matt sheepishly.
"No one was there...except Jeric who was right behind us. Maybe he saw who our hero was." said Chuck while in deep thought.
Billy did not comment but stared hard at Jeric as if trying to figure out something then without a word to anyone, he quickly put a chameleon charm on himself before rushing to the place where the boy had fallen.
He stood at the exact spot and his eyes hastily searched the ground. He had no idea what he was looking for - a wand perhaps? He had a sneaking suspicion that Jeric was not just an ordinary muggle due to his unnatural reaction to magical books, newsletters and his easy acceptance of owl post. He was not the only one to notice his unusual behavior either. Chuck and Matt pointed it out at one time too but they purposely ignored the signs because they all liked Jeric but maybe...just maybe it was time for them to learn more about who Jeric really was and why he ran away. There must be more to the story than the boy had previously let on.
He was still deep in thought when several popping noises distracted him from his contemplation. He spun around, with wand poised to attack, to check out the identities of the persons who had just apparated. There were only three of them. He noticed the Ministry of Magic insignia on the wizards' robes but he dared not lower his wand. He had painfully learned from experience that not all Ministry officials could be trusted. But he needed to find out why they were there so he sureptitiously made his way towards the nearest tree and tried to listen from there.
"I'm telling you. It's the Potter kid again...same thing happened two summers ago. Who else would you-know-who send them to?" said one wizard to his companion.
'Potter? As in Harry Potter -- The Boy Who Lived? What's this man talking about?' thought Billy as the conversation grew more and more interesting.
"That's a good theory but why the dementors only? Why are there no death-eaters present?" commented a purple-haired witch who was thoroughly inspecting the place.
"Probably still recuperating...or maybe they were just testing the waters."
"Hey, have you discovered anything yet?" queried the third wizard who was currently investigating where Jeric was located a few minutes ago.
"Not much. Just that three persons were fighting the dementors from this spot..." the wizard pointed to the ground where he was standing on. "...then someone from your location helped them a few minutes later."
"What about their identities?" inquired a fourth wizard who had just arrived to the 'crime scene'.
"Good thing you came, Shacklebolt. We've been having a bit of a problem. We can't seem to find any magical signature here."
"Even the most powerful one?" asked the one called Shacklebolt incredulously.
"Yes, sorry." muttered the wizard shamefully.
The four wizards were now huddled near Billy's hiding place as they discussed their findings.
"Do you reckon the neighbors saw anything?" said a still unnamed wizard.
"Don't think so but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Nymphadora, why don't you take care of it?"
"Call me Tonks." said Nymphadora while glaring at the one who called her as such. Then to Billy's amazement, she instantly morphed into a more dignified appearance and headed to the neighborhood.
Billy witnessed as Shacklebolt, who seemed to be the one leading the group, commanded the other two wizards to immediately report the incident to the Ministry while he check out the place once more.
"Hey, hey! Kingsley, look at this. Isn't this odd?" called out Tonks after a while, pointing at the house numbers. The wizard walked over and tried to see what caused her excitement. "Look at the house numbers...there's 25, 26, 28, 29 etc...but there's no number 27."
Billy paled instantly as realization dawned on him. Muggles never paid much attention to the error in numbering before but nothing gets past determined aurors who were seriously trying to figure out a mystery. He watched as Shacklebolt nodded solemnly. He had a suspicion that the auror had just realized something important. Then Tonks must have reached the same conclusion too for they both apparated to what Billy vaguely heard as a 'grim old place'.
When the two were gone, Billy ran back to the apartment to urgently discuss the necessity of leaving.
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Back at the Gryffindor Tower
Despite his sore muscles and severe headache due to lack of sleep, Ron got up early the next morning. He and Hermione came in too late the previous night and had not had the chance to check how his sister was doing but he fully intended to rectify that. After all, it was partially his fault why she ended up there in the first place.
He quickly changed his clothes and was about to leave when his eyes fell upon a small package lying innocently on his bedside table. It was not there when he arrived so whoever put it there must be someone from the Gryffindor house...therefore harmless, right? And whoever that person was, he intended it to be discovered first thing in the morning. He thought about it for a minute but then decided that whatever was in the package could wait.
He reluctantly walked to the door and about to turn the knob when tantalizing questions started to overwhelm his brain. What the heck could be so important for someone to place it there in stealth? Couldn't that someone just wait for him to wake up and hand it to him personally? Why go to all that trouble? Ron thought some more about the possibilities, weighed the pros and cons, puzzled over the identity of the person until finally, curiosity got the better of him. Thinking that a few more minutes wouldn't hurt, he returned to his bed and carefully opened the package.
His eyes almost popped out of its sockets when he caught sight of the silvery material that was neatly folded inside, a seemingly blank parchment and something that was unmistakeably a wand box. Then he noticed the letter on top of the table where the package had been. With trembling hands, he opened the letter, almost afraid to read it and praying that it didn't contain some unbearable news. As he read the message, he became increasingly nervous, pissed off and guilty at the same time.
"Bloody hell! He shouldn't have done this..." With that in mind, he ran to the girl's dormitory with the package and the letter, knocking out a few unsuspecting first years along the way but he did not even stop to mutter a simple apology.
"Careless git!" He heard a student mumble but he ignored him.
"HERMIONE! GET DOWN THERE NOW! I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, ignoring the nasty glares of some students due to the irritating ruckus he was creating.
"HERMIONE!!!" He shouted some more until a groggy Parvati opened the door to answer his frantic call.
"Hey! What the hell do you want, Ronald Weasley? It's only six in the morning, for Christ's sake! Some of us are still sleeping, you know, so buzz off." she said before slamming the door forcefully enough for him to get the message that he was not exactly welcome yet.
"Parvati, please. It's urgent! I've got to talk to Hermione immediately." Ron pleaded. Parvati must have sensed the desperation in his voice for she opened the door once more.
"Hermione's still asleep, Ron. Would you mind waiting a little longer? I'll just tell her you came to see her when she wakes up, okay?" said Parvati exasperatedly though in a milder tone now.
"NO! It's bloody important! What I have to say can't wait! Parvati, please...I promise I won't make fun of your divination nonsense anymore if you wake her up for me...please..."
Parvati merely raised an eyebrow at him but she slowly relented. "Fine. But you owe me one, Ron. Don't forget that."
"I won't...I won't. Thanks! I could kiss you for that..." said Ron, oblivious of the snickers from the other students who were witnessing the exchange.
Parvati blushed a little but tried to mask it. "Ha-ha! Very funny. Forget the kissing part. You're just not my type." She said in an icy tone and left Ron staring oddly at her.
Within minutes, another sleepy person opened the door but this time, it was Hermione who did it.
"What's the "bloody important" thing that we have to talk about that you have to wake me in this ungodly hour?" asked Hermione calmly as she descended the stairs to meet her friend.
"It's about Harry." stated Ron simply.
Hermione's eyes glazed for a moment at the mention of Harry's name, no doubt recalling their little escapade the day before and her 'souvenir' to Harry but something in Ron't tone suggested that she was not going to like what he was about to say.
"He came here last night." said Ron more calmly than he felt.
"Oh...and?" prompted Hermione as she mentally braced herself.
"He left a package containing his invisibility cloak, the Marauder's Map..." Ron paused for a moment, sneaking a nervous glance at Hermione. "...and his wand." he finished quickly and waited for the explosion to come. He did not have to wait long. Hermione was, after all, the one who had the highest comprehension level in their school, not counting the professors of course.
"He what?!? Of all the stupidest things to do! Why the hell would he do that?" exclaimed Hermione but fortunately, she still had the common sense not to shout it out for everyone to hear.
Ron sighed heavily. "I was just thinking the same thing. He did leave a letter." he said as he showed Harry's letter to her.
Dear Ron and Hermione,
I'm so sorry for all the trouble I caused you but you have seen for yourself that I'm safe and enjoying myself right now. I am carefully thinking about the things you said to me and deep in my heart, I know that you're both right. I need to come back and face my responsibility. Yes, I've come to accept it as such though I also acknowledge the fact that I'm not yet emotionally ready to face another battle with the dark lord and his lackeys. I need time to heal and being there is not going to help me.
I know you would be horrified to learn that I've left you the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map but I believe you need it more there. As for the wand, it was a stupid idea really...("You got that right, mate." mumbled Ron while Hermione looked horrified.)...I can't explain it but I felt that I have to leave it there, too.
Ron, you may use the cloak and the map for whatever purpose you may deem necessary as long as you don't get it confiscated by Filch. I'll kill you if you do. (He-he, just kidding!). As for the wand, Hermione, I wish you would keep it safe for me. When I get back, I'll look for you first to retrieve it and to talk. We need to talk...about...well - certain things. I'm not sure yet on what I feel about what happened and have no definite idea where it will lead us to. I mean, we have been best friends for six years now and I have been contented with that but now, everything has changed and I am so confused.
I highly appreciate your visit today but please don't do it again. I don't want anything to happen to both of you. Send my best regards to Ginny and Neville and please tell the others not to worry anymore.
Your friend,
Harry
P.S. By the way, if you ever find out anything about my new friends, please let me know as soon as we meet again. I instinctively know that they are good people but I'm still extremely curious.
Hermione neatly folded the letter in a daze and hastily shove it inside the pocket of her cloak. She stared enigmatically at Ron for a moment then to her friend's surprise, she embraced him and cried dejectedly on his shoulder. "I thought the kiss meant something to him, too, Ron. But I was wrong." she murmured in between mournful sobs.
Ron patted her back and attempted to assure Hermione. "I'm sure it meant something to him too. I was there. I saw his face. He's just confused right now. Give him time." he said softly, hoping that his words were enough to console her.
"We've got to talk to Dumbledore." said Hermione after draining the tears in her eyes.
The two nervously walked to the Headmaster's office, bracing themselves from the harsh reprimand that would surely come their way.
"Cockroach Cluster." Hermione said to the gargoyle that was guarding Dumbledore's office and it opened immediately.
Once inside, they were shocked to find not only the Headmaster but also several Order members discussing what seemed to be a very important matter. Embarrassed for barging in unannounced, they quickly turned to leave but Dumbledore stopped them from doing so.
"Why don't you join us, Miss Granger and Mister Weasley? I'm certain that there's something that you could contribute to the meeting. We're currently discussing our concerns regarding Mister Potter." The two teenagers shifted their gazes guiltily at that. "Calm down, both of you. I already have an inkling of what might have happened yesterday and yes, I am also aware that Mister Potter came to visit last night."
"You knew?" said Ron almost in panic.
"But how?" asked Hermione nervously.
"I admit I was almost fooled until I noticed that a certain hysterical redhead was not present when his sister was rushed to the hospital wing and that a certain close friend of his was also noticeably absent." the Headmaster grimly stated as he eyed the two teenagers intently. "Now, before anything else was said, why don't you enlighten us of yesterday's events?"
Ron and Hermione then quickly narrated what happened from the time they left the school grounds and what they have done to locate their missing friend. The Order members seemed particularly curious about the method they used to trace Harry.
"What muggle device did you use again, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Snape, not bothering to hide his amazement.
"We used the Internet through a computer, Professor. It's like a huge library that contains a variety of information ranging from rare literary books to anything as trivial as personal thoughts. It also contains advertisements, schedules of performances...and the like. But not everything was there. We're just lucky that the bar where Voldie's Downfall was supposed to perform posted the schedule on the Net." explained Hermione.
Professor Snape shook his head in disbelief. Muggles invented something like that? He should definitely learn to use that device if that was that helpful. For once, he could identify with Arthur Weasley's fascination with muggle artifacts. "How ingenious!" he commented enthusiastically much to the surprise of all the people in the room. He quickly assumed a stoic expression to mask his earlier outburst.
"Indeed." agreed Dumbledore but his voice was still grim. "Unfortunately, you were followed and through you, the enemies were able to trace Harry's location. Several dementors attacked a certain muggle village last night and we have enough reason to hypothesize that Harry and his friends live there."
"How can you be so sure, Professor?" asked Ron, horrified that they had unwittingly endangered their friend's life.
"As of now, the ministry is still trying to identify the four persons involved in the attack and find a house that doesn't seem to exist. Fortunately, there was no casualty. However, the aurors were more mystified about the residue of powerful magic that still hung in the atmosphere when they arrived. The air was almost crackling with energy and a force that strong is almost always identifiable but the aurors could not find a match. For some reason, I have a feeling that it was Harry." said Dumbledore matter-of-factly.
"But it couldn't be Harry, sir." said Hermione.
"Why not, Miss Granger?" asked Professor McGonagall who, until that time, was silent throughout the discussion.
"Because he left his wand here last night, Professor. That's the reason why we came here. We're afraid for his safety. He's quite unprotected." stated Ron.
Dumbledore frowned at his words. "I was afraid of that but it's not entirely unexpected."
Ron thought for a moment then as if remembering something, he turned to the Headmaster again. "Wait a minute...you saw Harry last night, didn't you? Why didn't you stop him?"
"You're correct, Mister Weasley and I did not stop him precisely for the same reason that prevented you from forcing him to come back." Dumbledore then stared sadly at all the ones present. "Mister Potter needs time and we're going to give it to him but we'll still guard him without his knowledge to ensure his safety."
The headmaster then reluctantly turned his attention to Ron and Hermione. "This decision is very hard for me but may I request the both of you to visit Mr. Potter again since he is more likely to talk to you than anyone else? But, of course, this time you will have some adult supervision. Do you agree?"
The two nodded in agreement. "When can we go, Professor?"
"You may leave as soon as Professor Snape finishes everything he needs to do today. Yes, he shall be the one to accompany you. You shall be excused from all your classes and any homeworks assigned today...." The headmaster droned on and on but nothing more seemed to penetrate the teenagers' minds as they ogled the antagonistic professor in alarm.
"P-Professor S-Snape?" cried Ron in horror. Being with the potions master for an hour was dreadful enough but to spend a whole day with him? It was simply unthinkable!
Hermone's thoughts were running along the same time. "C-can't we go with Professor Lupin instead?"
"I'm afraid not but rest assured that Professor Snape shall be well-concealed. You might not even know that he was there at all. You don't need to talk to him if you don't wish to but if you want everything to go smoothly, I advise you to at least confer with him from time to time." stated Dumbledore mildly.
The Potions Master glared at the two students. "May I inform you that I also do not find this task enjoyable in the least. It's just something that must be done so don't you dare complain." he said venomously.
"Y-yes, professor." agreed the two wearily.
"Very well. Please be prepared and try to find out as much as you can." said Dumbledore in a lighter tone, ignoring the looks of disgust passing between the potions professor and the two students.
As they finalized their plans, little did they know that in a muggle village called Little Wimbleton, the residents of twenty-seventh house were acting particularly strange as their young friend opened his eyes weakly and asked the question that they were all hoping he would not.
"Who am I?" asked the boy, still feeling exhausted but could not comprehend why. He wondered who the other three hysterical persons were but for the mean time he would settle for knowing his identity first. "Who am I?" he asked again, more loudly this time.
"Oh, my God! Jeric, that's your name. Can't you recall anything?" asked the one with the black hair and compassionate face that seemed familiar.
The boy shook his head wearily. He speculated why he was in that state but could not come up with any logical explanation. If he had an accident, shouldn't he be at the hospital? "Can you tell me what happened please?"
"Umm....you got a nasty bump on your head yesterday. Maybe you are suffering from temporary amnesia. I'm Billy, by the way. I'm uh--your brother." said the black-haired one, extending one hand to help him up while ignoring the puzzled looks that his two friends had sent his way.
"I'm Chuck, your brother's friend." said another one who was eyeing him with concern.
The boy stared at the third young man who seemed afraid to meet his eyes. For some reason, he felt safe in their presence but he detested being in the dark about his own life. He furrowed his head in concentration, trying very hard to recall something. Several strange images flashed in his mind, but everything was so unreal. Whoever heard of a flying broomstick, magical school, and a tree that hits back? Perhaps, he was just remembering something he saw in a muggle television.
"Did you recall something?" asked Billy kindly after noticing his dazed expression.
"Yeah but nothing real. They were just something I saw in a muggle television." he replied nonchalantly.
The three immediately turned sharply at him. "What did you say?" They asked at the same time with similar incredulous faces that Jeric thought was comical had the situation not been that grave.
"I said that they were just something I've seen from a muggle television." the boy repeated, vaguely wondering what the big deal was, then he eyed the three with great uncertainty. "And you know what else? I have this weird feeling that my name is not really Jeric."
Billy's black eyes quickly shot up to meet emerald ones. "Now, little brother, whatever gave you that idea?"
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Author's Note: Thanks to those who reviewed. I hope this chapter answered the queries as to why Matt had obliviated Harry. You'll find out more about the mysterious past of the band members on the next chapter so just hang on and wait for the next posting (maybe next week... :-)
Anyway, please remember to review so that I know that someone appreciates my story.
Happy reading :-)