Chapter 11 - "To speak or not to speak…that is the question."

"Nothing…it's just a feeling." replied the bewildered boy then he gazed curiously at the one called Billy. "A-are you really my brother?"

"Yes, of course." Billy was about to weave a believable life story for the two of them when the boy clutched his scar as if it was terribly hurting him.

"Jeric….w-what's wrong?" asked Billy, his concern approaching panic level as the boy's face contorted with pain.

"Head…it hurts…h-horrible creature…." was all the boy managed to say before he collapsed once more and luckily fell on soft cushion of the sofa bed provided for him.

"What on Earth possessed you to say that?" asked Chuck after Jeric passed out for the second time that day. It was nearly dawn and the lack of sleep was making him a little slow in comprehension.

"Say what?" asked Billy, trying to appear nonchalant but Chuck and Matt were not fooled.

"That you're his brother…" came the sarcastic reply.

Billy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Would you rather I told him the truth? That we really don't have any idea who he is and where he came from? Wouldn't it be more traumatic for him?" he stated through clenched teeth. Something was clearly bothering him but he could not voice it out yet.

Silence followed. Billy was once again lost in his thoughts while Chuck keenly observed the emotions playing across his friend's features. Matt, who could not stand the silence anymore, headed to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast. He came back later with three mugs of steaming hot coffee and a plateful of garlic toast. The other two immediately reached for their coffee.

"You may have a point there but how's that going to help? Our enemies have found us and we need to leave. We can't take the boy with us." said Matt as he carefully placed the plate of toast on the center table.

"I have reason to believe that the dementors were not sent for us." stated Billy then he added in a more worried tone. "We have a bigger problem than that."

"What do you mean?" asked Chuck, eyeing him curiously. "You've found out something, haven't you?"

Billy nodded his head grimly. "I have a hunch that our quest is over."

The other two stared at the boy lying on the sofa bed with great interest. The boy looked so fragile and innocent, very much in contrast to the one they expected. Maybe that was why they foolishly believed his seemingly logical explanation regarding how he got his scar. But still, there were some doubts in their minds.

"What made you think that? Jeric may have the scar but we haven't seen him do any magic yet." commented Chuck though his tone indicated that he did not need a lot of convincing…just a few details would do. Matt nodded in agreement and waited for Billy's explanation.

"That's a fair question but I can only say one thing to that -- who do you think saved us from the dementors?" asked Billy earnestly. When the others did not reply, he narrated what he had witnessed outside with as much detail as he could recall. Starting from his own search, the unexpected arrival of some ministry aurors, and the alarming conclusion of the ones called 'Tonks' and 'Kingsley' before they apparated to a 'grim old place.'

"Suppose it's all true, how do we know for sure?" ventured Matt after realizing the full impact of Billy's words.

"Let's see if the effect of the memory charm had faded when he wakes up later. Then we'll have a long overdue man-to-man talk with him and everything would fall into place…hopefully." replied Billy.

"But what if he still doesn't remember anything?"

"Then we will play at the bar as if nothing out of the ordinary happened last night. Jeric will go with us but he'll just be there to observe. If my assumptions are correct, the people looking for him would be there. Then we would know for sure if he's the one we're looking for." replied Billy though it seemed that he was not really fond of the idea.

"Isn't it a little bit dangerous?" asked Chuck skeptically.

Billy sighed heavily before replying. "It's a risk we have to take. That's why we won't come unprepared."

The two reluctantly agreed. It was the only way to expedite the process and they knew that time was something they didn't have the luxury of.

"We better sleep for now. We have a long day ahead of us." said Matt to conclude the discussion.

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Draco was still seething over the last deliberately insulting letter that his father had sent him. He had done his job perfectly and it was not his bloody fault that he did not have any idea about the dark lord's evil plans. He did not deserve the tongue-lashing he got from his father. It was unfair and uncalled for. That rebellious feeling kept him from reading the parchment sitting carelessly on his lap. The letter was delivered that morning along with a beautifully wrapped package but he was not in the mood to look into it yet. 'Let father stew for a while.' he thought disdainfully as he shoved the parchment inside his pocket while the package remained untouched on his bed.

He donned his newly-acquired invisibility cloak, courtesy of his father of course and he wondered for the nth time why it was only recently handed to him when in fact, it was just wasting away inside an antique chest in one of their storage rooms. Imagine what he could have gotten away with if he only had his hands on it a few years back. Nevertheless, he carefully made his way out of his room to look for the dynamic duo. He found them walking casually towards their house dormitory. The two seemed to be discreetly arguing about something.

"I can't do it!" Draco heard the red-headed git exclaim. He wondered what 'it' was about but whatever 'it' was, he was all for it. Whatever was making that obnoxious-sidekick-of-Saint-Potter anxious was good enough for him.

"And why not? Snape may not be the nicest person around but at least he's on our side. It's not the end of the world you know. Besides, we would be safer with an adult around." He heard the mudblood reply.

"I don't really care as long as it's not that greasy-haired slimeball! Snape takes the fun out of everything!"

'Pathetic!' Draco muttered under his breath as he listened to the childish whining of the muggle-lover fool. If he was not on a mission, he would have left them immediately. He neither had the time nor the patience to listen to such a pointless conversation. He knew that both of them would go anyway. 'Anything for the savior even if meant confronting the devil himself.' he thought disgustedly.

"Fine! You stay then, I'll go."

Draco was deeply amused to see the boy's freckled face turn as red as his hair. 'That's what you get for pissing the mudblood…'

"Hermione! That's not what I meant!" said the freckled-redhead hastily.

"Then what do you mean?" asked the bushy-haired girl on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

"I'm just a little concerned…"

'More like hysterical.' thought Draco dryly and he noticed that the mudblood must be thinking along the same lines for she raised one eyebrow at that.

"…but I umm…I'll go with you of course. I won't let you go alone with that git."

"Good. Better prepare yourself then. Professor Snape said we could leave after lunch." With that said, the two Gryffindors entered their dormitory.

Draco was left with a smug smile on his face. He had just overheard something very important -- Snape was really a traitor and he and Potter's friends would be visiting the boy-who-everybody-loved-despite-being-an-arrogant-jerk again. He had also learned the password to the Gryffindor dormitory and he kept that confidential detail in mind for future use though he was not sure if he could utter 'Die! Voldemort, die!' without fearing the wrath of the omniscient dark lord.

Draco quickly headed towards his classes while keeping a watchful eye on the two Gryffindors. Fortunately, the two have decided to attend their morning classes so it was not that difficult. Right after lunch, he went straight to the Slytherin dormitory and instructed his lackeys to tell anyone who asked that he was not feeling well and had to stay in his room. His mentally-challenged peers eagerly agreed and left him alone so he could 'rest'.

He knew that the professors would be suspicious later but he would already be gone by then. When he returns, he could easily fabricate an elaborate lie and apologize profusely then everything would be fine. Cheered by his thoughts, he took out the crumpled parchment from his pocket.

'Now, let's see what father has to say…'

Draco,

Son, it is time for you to prove your worth and bring glory to the Malfoy name. Our master suspects that there's a traitor in our midst. I believe you know who I am referring to. Keep an eye on him and report any suspicious activities immediately. Follow him and Potter's friends if you must but may I remind you that getting caught is extremely unacceptable so you better take the necessary precautions.

I have enclosed a generous sum of muggle bills and suitable apparels that you can use if and when the need arises.

Make me proud.

Lucius

'Funny...' he thought sardonically as he tore the paper bit by bit before sending it to flames. '…father only remembers that I'm his son when he needs me to do something for him…'

He brought out his quill and a blank parchment and began to write.

Lucius,

He began then thinking that his father might deem it disrespectful to address him that way, he changed 'Lucius' to 'Father'. He squinted lazily at the solitary word written. 'Father' did not seem appropriate either. He sighed heavily and dipped the quill on the black ink once more. He continued writing but nothing seemed to come out properly. In the end, he opted not to respond at all. For the first time in his life, he could not find the right words to say and he was unnerved by it.

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Snape stared disdainfully at the two Gryffindors before him. True, he did not have any valid reason to dislike them so tremendously but close association with Potter had clearly corrupted their otherwise sensible behavior. And that made them extremely intolerable in his critical eyes. It was bad enough that they were Gryffindors who always made Slytherin look terrible but their constant display of idiotic meddling in adult affairs (read: heroic acts) made it worse. The Granger girl just couldn't restrain herself from flaunting her academic knowledge while the redhead had more muscles in his body than what his miniscule brain could handle.

It was too much. But he did not really hate them. He just despised the way they lead the students and some professors. They believed them as if every word they say was gospel…. If they complained that Slytherins had done this or that, then Slytherins would pay. How many times had the students in his house came to him -- injured and badly-bruised -- claiming that this and that student had done it? How many times had he comforted Slytherins after hearing some particularly nasty verbal attacks from other houses? Countless times. But no Slytherins ever complained.

Who would believe that someone from any of the noble houses would attack them? None. So they kept their mouths shut except when there were lots of witnesses present and even then, they still come out as the villains. The Slytherins just endured the pain and pretended to be as cold as ice and as hard as steel -- the eternal façade. The high-and-mighty trio was not aware of this … or if they were, they just didn't care. Why would they? They had better things to do like winning the house cup, Quidditch cup, tri-wizard cup or something as mundane as saving someone from the dark lord's evil clutches.

The Gryffindor house had it all. They were the heroes….the best in everything. While Slytherins were slime, evil beings that were better off eradicated from the face of the Earth to make their lives more pleasurable. Could anyone blame him if he was a little biased towards his house-the underdog? Probably, no one would comprehend the complexity of it all.

Yet, amidst everything, here he was, taking a nauseating ride in the Knight Bus, accompanying two insufferable Gryffindors who couldn't even appreciate the risks he was taking just so they could ensure the safety of the most insufferable Gryffindor of them all. 'Damn you, Potter! Just make sure that you're worth all these sacrifices and I might even forgive you for existing.' he muttered angrily under his breath.

"What's that you said, Professor?" asked Hermione suddenly, forcing the Potions Master out of his self-pity mode.

"Nothing." came the professor's curt reply.

"Oh, I thought I heard you cursing Harry or something..."

"Spare me from your juvenile accusations, Miss Granger. I have more important things to do than that." the professor replied caustically.

Hermione winced inwardly. Though she couldn't see his face, she knew what the old professor's facial expression must have been.

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Jeric woke up a few hours later feeling exhausted. The nightmare he had was so realistic that he found himself seriously contemplating about it while he prepared a cup of hot chocolate. Vaguely, he wondered why the snake-like creature kept calling him 'Potter' -- was pot-making their family business? Somehow he doubted it. He remembered the vile creature taunting him, challenging him to fight but he just stood there, feeling oddly detached. The creature was so enraged by his unusual reaction that 'it' began to threaten him with the deaths of innumerable people that he did not even know. Its eyes turned blood red and its slit-like nose throbbed with rage.

However, instead of being terrified, Jeric just found the bizarre tantrum display amusing and did not waste time telling the creature so. The monster became positively livid but before it could do anything, its revolting face faded to oblivion as Jeric regained his consciousness.

Jeric sipped the hot beverage and attempted to figure out the meaning of his nightmare. It must be a link to his past but definitely, such a creature did not exist. The snake might just be a symbolism of some sort…maybe he was terrified of the slithering menace or something.

As Jeric emptied his cup, he watched the three young men sleeping on the carpeted floor. He had a nagging suspicion that they were not being entirely honest with him but strangely enough, he didn't care. He felt safe and secure in their presence and that was good enough for him in his delicate state. He could wait patiently until they've decided to tell him everything.

For the mean time, he had to worry about school. How could he take his classes when he couldn't even recall a single math or history lesson? He could request for a leave of absence but he would fall behind. His parents would be pissed….but wait, how come they weren't here yet? Perhaps his brother… that word rolled off his tongue in a weird way…as if he wasn't used to calling his brother that. Oh, maybe that was it. Maybe they did not get along before like most siblings do and now, Billy was feeling guilty and haven't told their parents yet for fear of a harsh reprimand. 'Yeah, that must be the reason.' he thought grimly and found that he didn't like the feeling of being at odds with anyone.

He struggled to forget his last trail of thought and let his eyes wander around the house. If he had to stay here, then might as well be familiarized with the place. Then his eyes fell on an electric guitar hanging on the wall. He got up and gazed at the beautiful piece of metal longingly. He suddenly felt the urge to get it and play to his heart's content but…'Am I allowed to touch this? Or more precisely, do I even know how?'

The internal battle did not last long. The desire to play won and he carefully removed the guitar from the hook. He plucked the strings tentatively at first but he soon realized that what his mind did not remember, his fingers surely did. And he let his nimble fingers do the rocking…and take control. He closed his eyes and let his body sway to the rhythm… the exhilarating sensation that was gradually erasing the fears and doubts that was giving him hell a while ago. He was in his element.

"What the hell?!?" Jeric heard someone exclaim. Perhaps his companions were awakened by the noise but he refused to open his eyes…Afraid to let go of the blissful peace that was overwhelming his heart right then…'No, not yet…please…not yet.'

Then as the feeling intensified, Jeric sensed that he was gradually rising from the ground. But still, he did not dare open his eyes. It was just his imagination and nothing else. 'This is heaven!' he thought happily. Then as he plucked the last note, he felt his feet touching the ground once more and that was the time he opened his eyes.

"THAT WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!" exclaimed Billy, enthusiastically wrapping his arms around the boy. Then he turned to the other two who were still too in awe for words. "Need more proof?"

Chuck and Matt shook their heads and stared at Jeric in utter amazement.

"What?" Jeric asked in confusion. Surely, these three must have seen him play before.

"How did you --"

"Do you --"

Billy sighed at the others inability to put their acts together. "I think what they meant to ask was how you floated while playing and if you could remember anything now?"

"I f-floated?" Jeric asked in surprise.

The three nodded their heads vigorously.

"You sure did and it was amazing too!" exclaimed Chuck who now seemed too happy for an entirely different reason.

"I…I d-don't know how I did it. I wasn't even aware until you told me." replied Jeric then he added weakly. "And I still couldn't recall anything…"

"Hey, never mind that for now. Since Jeric haven't forgotten how to play, we could be complete at tonight's performance then we could talk about everything later…" Billy said quickly to cheer everyone up. He just hoped that his instinct that the good wizards looking for Jeric would show up at the bar was correct because if not, they were doomed.

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For the umpteenth time that day, Snape leaned forward to hiss angrily at Hermione's left ear. "Would you mind reminding that idiotic friend of yours not to attract attention to himself?" He and the students were whiling the time away by exploring some muggle shops and book stores. They had at least two hours to spare before the performance and everything was going smoothly until Ron began asking inappropriate questions, some loud enough to be overheard by innocent passers-by.

Hermione immediately turned red at the reprimand and cursed herself for being too engrossed in a book to notice how her friend was doing. She quickly whispered something to Ron that made him shut his big mouth hastily.

A few meters behind them, a certain blond-haired Slytherin concealed by the invisibility cloak was keenly observing the group in mock amusement. He had initially thought that the Potions Master was not with them until he saw him remove the cloak in a secluded spot. He overheard them whisper something like 'Voldie's Downfall' but he deemed it irrelevant to his investigation. After all, he was already aware that they were working against the dark lord. He was getting bored with the whole espionage thing when, finally, the professor glanced at his watch and beckoned the two to follow him.

The professor once again wore the cloak and the visible ones walked with grim determination on their faces. Fortunately, the next destination was somewhere nearby and they just had to cover a few blocks to get there. The show had already started when they arrived and there was only one vacant table left. It was a little far from the stage but they still had a good view of the band performing on the stage.

Draco, the other invisible stalker, wondered about what the hell they were doing there and positioned himself near the exit for a quick get-away if necessary. He noticed that the two Gryffindors had their eyes fixed on the stage. He followed their gaze and was dumbfounded when he recognized the person they were staring so intently. 'Potter? That was Potter?' he thought disdainfully but found himself oddly fascinated despite his mockery.

Then he noticed that the two appeared more worried than cheerful at seeing their best friend once more. Curious beyond belief, he carefully made his way near their table to overhear the juicy details of their discomfort.

"Why is he looking at me like that?" cried the mudblood in anguish.
"I don't have any idea…maybe he didn't recognize us or something…He's not wearing his glasses so maybe that's the reason." said the redhead and patted her back in a vain attempt to console her.

"Miss Granger, the other guitarist seemed to harbour some negative feeling towards the both of you. Then he whispered something to Mr. Potter that prompted him to look at you that way. Do you have any idea what it was all about?" came the cold voice of the Potions Master who seemed surprised by Potter's behavior too.

The mudblood turned pale at the professor's words. "B-but I d-don't understand…just yesterday, h-he -- " she began but stopped when she noticed that the performance was finished and the band was heading their way.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Harry in such a frosty tone that only added to the confusion of the people concerned. Even Matt and Billy seemed unprepared. Chuck was the only one who seemed to understand the situation.

Draco witnessed the confrontation with a mixture of bewilderment and incredulity.

"W-what do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Jeric, come on. You don't have to talk to that lying piece of scum…two-timing bitch!" said Chuck angrily and began to stride towards the exit, expecting the other three to follow him but a fuming redhead beat them to it.

"Wait a minute!" yelled Ron and immediately gave the one who maligned Hermione's name an upper cut. "How dare you call her that? And you.." he shot dagger looks at Harry. "…if you don't want to be with her then just say so. " He then gathered the distraught girl in his arms and tried to console her.

Jeric glared at the redhead and felt like giving him a thump or two for daring to hold his 'girlfriend'. "How could you? You're my best friend yet you had the nerve to steal her away from me?" he said in an even tone. He was grateful for Chuck for telling him that the two had also been there last night and had fled upon seeing him. Then he turned at the gorgeous girl who was supposed to be his girlfriend. "Was I that bad that you had to flaunt your unfaithfulness in front of me?'

A heavy silence followed. The girl looked stunned…so was the redhead. They did not know what's going on yet…but they have a feeling that something was not right.

"H-Harry? It's you, right?" asked Hermione tentatively, afraid of what his reaction might be.

"My name is Jeric." came the simple and curt reply that begged for a thousand and one explanations.

Another torturous silence followed. Everyone seemed at a loss for words. Even Snape failed to whisper an intelligent comment to Ron or Hermione's ears. Billy scrutinized the redhead and the bushy-haired girl as if looking for something then finally he addressed them.

"Follow us. We need to talk." he said in such an authoritative way that no one, not even Jeric or Chuck, dared to disobey.