Chapter 18 - Other Talks and The Visit
Taking his cue from Matt, Billy decided to proceed with the dreaded talk with the menacing and unapproachable Severus Snape who, unfortunately, was his uncle. He glanced at Chuck who was chatting animatedly with Jeric and raised one eyebrow in silent question. Sensing his dilemma, Chuck raised his head and nodded slightly as a sign of encouragement but Jeric openly eyed him with concern.
"Would you like me to come with you?" asked the younger boy. "Snape is little...umm...difficult to handle..." he added tactfully.
Billy considered it for a moment but he shook his head after a while. "No, I think I could manage. Besides, the worst that he could do is yell at me -- I think."
"Right." stated Jeric reluctantly. "Just be careful...and prepare yourself from some awkward questions."
Billy nodded. He knew what the awkward questions might be and had prepared for it. Their group had surmised that if anyone would ask those question, it had to be Snape -- the most critical one. But they had also decided to tell him if he asked. They needed help and only he could give them the answers.
Billy headed towards the dark and smelly dungeon, silently praying that Snape would be a little accommodating. The trip was short and he reached the professor's office in almost no time at all. As he stood outside, he struggled with himself for the umpteenth time if he wanted to subject himself to Snape's torturous presence or not. Unfortunately, before he could decide on anything, the door opened and out came the man he was looking for. He opened his mouth to speak but Snape beat him to it.
"Do you have anything relevant to discuss with me or are you just planning to stand there all night?" The intimidating man raised one eyebrow when Billy did not reply immediately. "Well?" he prompted rather rudely. "If you're just going to waste my precious time then you'd better leave."
At that, Billy finally summoned enough courage. "No, sir, but it's a matter of opinion. Is the discussion about my lineage relevant enough for your intricate mind?" he asked defiantly.
Snape merely smirked at him. "I see, you also possess that abhorable Potter trait...such arrogance...It's a shame that you also did not acquire that horribly untidy black hair or the match would have been perfect."
"I got my hair and eyes from my mother...or have you forgotten that she was your twin sister? In essence, you're mocking her as well..." declared Billy more bravely than he felt. "So if you're done with that juvenile character assassination of my father, who I have not even met to pass judgment, perhaps we could carry on a REAL conversation?"
Snape eyed him with narrowed eyed then let out a tiny hint of a smile. "Very well. It's good to know that you have inherited our flair for words. So aside from your pathetic lineage, from Potter's side of course, what else do you wish to waste my time for?"
Billy hastened not to let his disappointment show. He had expected the man to at least talk a little about their uncle-nephew relationship but perhaps acknowledging his eloquence in speech was the most positive sign of acceptance that he could get from the man. "I wish to talk about your Dark Mark -- is that mentally stimulating enough for you?" he asked instead.
Snape observed the slightly bitter tone in his nephew's voice but he ignored it for the mean time. He focused more on the fact that the young man had used the possessive term "your" instead of the general "the" but he let it pass. 'He knows...' he reflected, pleased that his nephew was not as moronic as he first assumed. "What about it?" he asked, careful not to let any emotion show.
"I...We just wish to know how strong is Voldemort's control over the person bearing it."
"Are you really interested in finding the answer?" asked Snape shrewdly, his eyes never leaving Billy's face even for a moment.
Billy nodded courageously.
"Suppose we trade information...I'll tell you what you need to know and you tell me what's the deal with your tattoos. Don't bother lying to me about it. I can feel its connection to mine and I know you can feel it too." said Snape matter-of-factly.
"Fine...We have a deal." Billy agreed without hesitation. Why should he? That was what he had really come for. No sense in delaying the inevitable.
The two had a long and in-depth discussion about the dark mark and its connection to the tattoo. It didn't take them too long to figure out how things were. Unfortunately, the solution to the problem was still highly elusive even to their combined mental prowess. There was one option but they were highly reluctant about it.
"We're running out of time." said Billy in a panic whisper.
"How much more time do you have?" asked Snape, trying to maintain a calm facade but failing miserably.
"Until we turn twenty."
"And when is that?"
"First week of December..." came Billy's agonized reply.
"Merlin!" Snape dropped all pretense of coolness as he realized the severity of their situation.
"We know and if we could not find a better alternative, then we would have no choice but to go back..." said Billy with such a painful finality that caused the usually reserved professor to shudder involuntarity.
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Harry noticed that his conversation with Chuck had been a little strained as soon as Billy stepped out of the room. It seemed that Chuck was not only agitated about his friends but also felt out of place. Whereas his two friends had some other relations they could patch things up with, he had none and the lonely feeling was gradually overwhelming him. They had always been the inseparable trio but the situations had changed and time might come that they might not need him anymore.
Chuck was not the man to wear his heart on his sleeves but that night, he was just...vulnerable...and he did not notice their youngest friend's sympathetic gaze as he dwelt on his pathetic over-sentimental mode.
Finally, Harry took pity on his friend and handed him a picture that he found in his trunk.
"Who's this man?" asked Chuck, still in his melancholy tone.
"That's Sirius Black, your father...and he would have been a fantastic father to you had he been alive...He was one of the greatest man I've ever met...He died to save me, you know." said Harry and he couldn't believe he was talking about his godfather in such a neutral tone. Perhaps seeing another person's grief made him realize that he was not the only one to suffer great losses at such a young age. In fact, he could even consider himself highly fortunate compared to his three friends.
Chuck stared at him, "How do you know that he'd be a great father?"
"He's my godfather and he successfully escaped from Azkaban just so he could protect me from someone who was trying to kill me. He risked everything for me and I'm not even his son....just his friend's son. And trust me, he didn't know about you because if he did, he would have told me. That's how close we were..." replied Harry, not caring if Chuck noticed the lack of symptoms of memory loss in his speech.
But apparently, Chuck was not thinking straight for it did not even occur to him. "I guess I'm too late then...I would never know...all I would have are mere memories."
"Sometimes memories are enough..." commented Harry in retrospect. Seeing that Chuck needed some time alone, he left to deal with some unfinished business. Outside Professor Lupin's chamber, he surreptitiously summoned the map and the cloak from the Gryffindor tower, hoping that neither Ron nor Hermione was currently using them. He needed those items in what he was about to do.
As soon as the map reached his hand, he tapped it with his finger and whispered. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." As expected, thin lines quickly appeared to reveal a map of Hogwarts complete with the names of those currently in it. Once he saw what he was looking for, he tapped it once more. "Mischief managed." The map immediately went blank and Harry pocketed it for safekeeping. He swiftly donned the cloak and headed to the Slytherin Common Room.
There, he waited patiently until someone could unknowingly let him in. He didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, three staggering boys blurted the password and he went inside with them. He took a few seconds to observe his surroundings. Nothing had changed since his second year. The Slytherin Common Room was still as cold and brimming with dark emotions as before. He briefly wondered why Dumbledore did not change its motif to something more cheerful. Surely, the horrible statues of hideous snakes and wizards holding murder weapons were not his idea of suitable decorations for students lounge. And the dull grey wallpaper lined with Latin inscriptions written in blood! Harry shivered in distaste. It was enough to inspire anyone to go dark!What was Dumbledore thinking?
Anyway, before he lost his nerve and his still volatile sanity, he silently climbed up the stairs and entered a room. It was not locked since its solitary occupant was still waiting for the others to arrive. He knew his target was alone...brooding probably, which made his timing simply perfect. Cautiously, he locked the door and performed silencing charms inside the room. He observed that the lone occupant immediately tensed and gripped his wand tightly in preparation for an attack.
"Who's there?" asked the boy hastily, his not-so-even tone betraying his anxiety.
"This is me, Draco." Harry said and quickly removed the cloak so as not to unnecessarily scare the boy.
Draco immediately lowered his wand and eyed him suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here to talk." replied Harry.
"There's nothing to talk about." stated Draco stubbornly.
"Oh, but there is...there is..." said Harry calmly and sat on Draco's bed to make himself comfortable.
"You're just making things harder for me, Jeric." said Draco in a resigned tone.
"Call me Harry."
"W-what?" Draco's question sounded more like a surprised statement than a question.
"I said call me Harry. I came here as Harry, your previous enemy who now wants to make peace with you, and not as Jeric, the boy who you made friends with sometime ago." he stated simply.
"But why?"
"Don't be dense, Draco. It's so unbecoming of you." commented Harry in amusement. The boy was still too surprised to comprehend the implication of his statements. "You knew my real identity then but you still chose to save me. In my limited vocabulary, it is a clear indication of friendship."
"So, that's what this is all about? You're feeling compelled to be my friend just because of that? Don't be. I'm not worthy of that." said Draco in a dejected tone.
"Who said so?" asked Harry curiously.
"Damn it, Harry! Weasley's telling the truth. I'm a good-for-nothing Slytherin advocate of dark arts. If you only knew who my father is and what I've done to you in the past, you wouldn't be feeling so magnanimous now!" cried Draco in frustration.
"You're afraid that everything would turn to naught when I regained my memories?"
Draco nodded reluctantly. "It's not meant to be..."
"Is there a written rule that a death-eater's son should not make friends with anyone on the light side?" prompted Harry.
"No, but my father and his friends would surely kill me for that...not to mention my own housemates." replied Draco seriously.
Harry nodded grimly at that. He was perfectly aware that Draco was not exaggerating. "Then we could make it a secret...at least until after the light side wins...I firmly believe that you're not irredeemable, you know. You have already proven that. Agreed?"
"A-agreed." said Draco though still slightly unconvinced.
"See, it's not so hard. We can still hate each other for effect, so as not to make certain people suspicious but inwardly, we know the truth and that is enough....and it's already late. I've got to leave now." stated Harry, flashing the Slytherin with a warm smile. Then he added as an afterthought. "Oh, by the way, forgive me if I hadn't shaken your hand when you offered friendship during our first year. Like you, I was a little prejudiced too. But we've both matured since then and we're now capable of making our own rational judgments and decisions..."
Draco nodded absentmindedly then as Harry turned to leave, something clicked on his mind. "Harry!"
"Yes?" asked Harry, his smile widening a bit more. 'Draco is not a Slytherin for nothing.' he reflected.
"You remember!" It was a statement.
Harry bowed slightly. "Of course...We can't have old Voldie's perennial target running around without his memory, can we?" he said with a grin.
"Who else knows?"
Harry shook his head. "You're the first to know but don't tell anybody. I want it to be a secret for now."
"Don't worry. You can count on me." said Draco truthfully.
"I know."
For the first time since they arrived at Hogwarts, Harry saw Draco giving out a real smile. Harry turned to leave. One mission accomplished.
There was still another thing he must do. If only he could figure out what that was...
People in the great hall were impatiently waiting for the Headmaster to finish his meal. That morning, he would announce the schedule of the nearest Hogsmeade Visit and everyone was excited about it. Unfortunately, it seemed that the old man was deliberately slowing down his intake of food as if he was dreading making the announcement.
"I wonder what's wrong." commented Hermione as she watched the Headmaster divide what could have been a spoonful of dessert into eight miniscule pieces.
"Please don't tell me he's going to cancel the trip..." said Ron, alarmed at the thought. He had planned on bringing his best friend to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and other shops they had enjoyed before hoping that it would trigger something.
"If he does, then he's just doing it to protect us." stated Neville, seemingly not bothered by the idea at all.
Harry was startled at hearing Neville's voice. The boy had been very quiet since his arrival that he almost forgot his existence or maybe he was just too preoccupied to notice. Neville was not among those who hounded him for information. He just sat and listened but he never intruded. Sometimes, Harry caught the boy staring at him as if wondering about something but he never spoke a word. It was as if he was contemplating deeply on what to say and was patiently waiting for the right time to say it. But when was the right time?
Harry was jolted away from his reflection when Dumbledore rose to address everyone.
"Good morning, everyone! I am aware that you're all excited about the Hogsmeade Visit. The staff has decided that it would be held tomorrow." This was followed by thunderous applause from the students and sighs of relief but Dumbledore was not finished yet. "However, due to recent events, I regret to announce that only the students from the sixth and seventh years are allowed to go so if any of the younger students needed something, you can just request the professors or your older classmates to buy them for you."
A stunned silence followed the Headmaster's last pronouncement yet nobody dared to publicly question his decision. They understood why they were not allowed but they didn't have to like it. Instead, the younger students just showed their reservation by appearing downcast and refusing to talk about it at all.
The next day, it had become apparent that the visit was not something that the younger students took lightly especially the third years. They refused to watch the older students leave and were religiously picking on their food...They were so depressed that even the cancellation of their morning classes went unnoticed.
Harry was watching the brooding faces with sympathy, knowing fully well that it reflected his own disappointment. He knew perfectly well how it felt. He, too, had been banned from Hogsmeade before. In fact, he and his band mates were not permitted to go too, for security reasons. They perfectly understood the need for caution especially now that they had discovered and accepted something appalling yet unavoidable.
Harry racked his brain for something that could possibly cheer them up....and suddenly, it clicked! Of course, the answer was so simple! Voldie's Downfall could hold a show to cheer the whole school. Besides, he missed playing and he knew that his friends did too.
With an excited whisper, Harry informed his friends of his plan to hold an impromptu performance and asked them if they would be willing to do it.
"Well, why not?" commented Matt distractedly. His usual serious demeanor was replaced with gaiety since his talk with his father but apprehension for what they were about to do was taking its toll on him. His new-found inner peace had been shattered but he hoped that it would be restored in time.
At Matt's approval, the others quickly agreed. There was nothing to do since their trainors went to accompany the students in Hogsmeade. And it was a welcome change to their otherwise all-work and no-play daily routine. Who would have thought that the kindly headmaster could be such a slave driver?
They enthusiastically approached the staff table to ask for permission. The staff seemed delighted at their suggestion too and they quickly requested the unsuspecting students to stand back as they adjusted the tables and seats at the Great Hall to fit their purpose. The students watched in awe at what the professors were doing but they were nevertheless confused. The Headmaster had not announced anything else that would be happening that day so why all the fuss?
While the professors were busy preparing their make-shift stage, Harry and his friends went to retrieve their instruments. He was so thrilled with the prospect of performing once more that he did not notice a certain Gryffindor following him until the said person called his attention.
"Jeric." called a timid voice. Whoever that was seemed a little unsure of approaching him but did it nonetheless.
Harry turned around and was surprised to see Neville staring uneasily at him.
"Oi, Neville. Why are you here?" he asked curiously. He wondered why the boy chose to be left behind.
"I...I want to talk to you."
"About what?" Now, he was really interested.
"You've heard of what happened to me and Ginny a few months ago?" Harry nodded absently. The boy seemed pleased at that. "Well, it occurred to me that what happened was a direct consequence of us not being that prepared for a direct attack. I suppose our laxity was due to the fact that it has always been you..."
"And so?" Harry did not want to sound rude but Neville was taking an excruciatingly long time in making his point, whatever that was. Fortunately, the boy did not take offense in his words.
"I'm not sure if you could still recall....but a few years ago, we started a defense club called Dumbledore's Army. We learned lots of practical defense strategies and maneuvers there. Unfortunately, this year it had stopped and at such a crucial time too." At this point, Neville seemed to hesitate. Harry raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I'm wondering if you would be willing to continue it now that you're back. I've heard that you and your friends are taking lessons from Dumbledore and the others so your predicament would not be a problem at all."
Harry stared at him in surprise. Neville had just reminded him of something that had been niggling his brain for some time now. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about that. The wheels in his brain worked overtime as he considered his options. After Billy's conversation with the Potion's Master and later with the Headmaster, they had come to a painful conclusion that there would be no other available option. In a few days' time, the four of them had to leave to sort things out and there was no telling what the outcome of their mission would be.
Therefore, someone else had to take care of Dumbledore's Army. Someone capable and responsible enough...His thoughts immediately went to one bushy-haired girl who was growing more lovely each day. Unfortunately, that girl was also the Head Girl and she already had lots of duties placed on her hands. Another option was Ron, his bestfriend. However, Ron was also the Quidditch Captain and he still had his NEWTS to consider. Surprisingly, Draco also came to his mind but he hastily dismissed that thought. Much as he believed in the Slytherin's duelling capabilities, he was absolutely certain that the other members would never tolerate his presence. No, Draco definitely was not an option. It was simply unthinkable...Not to mention hazardous to his health.
Going back to his dilemma... who would lead the defense group? Why not Neville, a small voice told him. Yeah, why not? Neville was mature enough to handle that. Besides, he had noticed that his defense skills had improved greatly especially after what happened at the Department of Mysteries. Yes, Neville would do great and Harry told him so.
"Why don't you initiate it, Neville? I'm sure you could do it even without my leadership. I'm sure Ron and Hermione would be willing to help you. I could even pop in once in a while to teach new spells but I couldn't be the leader." said Harry, encouraging the boy to live up to the Gryffindor name.
"Why not you?" asked Neville in an almost fearful voice. Clearly, the thought of doing something so big frightened him. He was good at following the leader but being the leader was an entirely different thing.
"Well, aside from the fact that I know you'd be great at it, I or rather my friends and I had to leave in a few days time. We have no idea when we could get back..."
"But--"
Neville's attempted protest was cut off by the arrival of the other three band members.
"Hey, kiddo! We're wondering what happened to you...Here, take this." said Billy as he handed Jeric his instrument.
Harry grinned at the three for interrupting. "Glad you brought my guitar with you."
"Of course, anything to hasten the preparation. I'm just sooo thrilled...I never thought we could do this again and at a magical school at that." said Chuck excitedly.
"Why? What are you going to do?" asked Neville, momentarily forgetting his own concerns.
"WE'RE GOING TO ROCK THE WHOLE SCHOOL!" The band yelled simultaneously and grinned at Neville as if the whole world had a reason to celebrate. One would think that they were just normal adolescents benefitting from life's simple pleasures... but they have problems....In fact, their problems weighed far too heavy for their young shoulders to bear....But for now, they were going to enjoy....to forget even for a while that the power of darkness was looming before them...For now, just for a while....let time and destiny be immaterial....
"LET THE ROCKING BEGIN!!!"