As always everything belongs to JKR.
Promised that there would be less of a wait for the next chapter...
Chapter 32 : Past tense, present tense
--- zzz ---
"You know I don't think Ron even remembers what he says sometimes."
Ginny was speaking as she lay on the couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, her head was on Harry's lap as he sat, legs out towards the flames. The fingers of his left hand lazily played with a strand of Ginny's hair while his right hand lay on her stomach. Ginny's right index finger gently traced the white scars that could still be read, as 'I must not tell lies.'
"When did he start? I mean I don't remember anything odd after he came back from the hospital wing in June. Did something trigger it off or what?" asked Harry as he released the strand of hair and took a drink from the mug of hot chocolate that had appeared on a table beside the couch.
"It seemed to start at about the same time as your abduction," began Ginny. "Ron had woken everyone up with his hollering at about 3 in the morning and we were trying to get back to sleep when the Aurors arrived with a warrant for your arrest," she continued.
"Do you remember much of what he said?" asked Harry.
"Unfortunately no. Hermione was staying with us as her parents had gone to Australia to visit her aunt and uncle. Most nights when Ron started, Hermione would go in. She'd cast a silencing charm so everyone else could sleep, but she hardly did. She'd be the best one to ask Harry."
"I'll speak to her in the morning."
"The only time I went in was the first time. It was obvious to me that Ron needed help and that Hermione was the best one to provide it. As soon as she sat beside Ron he calmed down." Said Ginny.
"Was that the time you saw light and felt that warm flush?" asked Harry.
"Yes. They felt it too. It's weird isn't it?"
"You can say that again." Echoed Harry.
"Dumbledore said he'd tell us more about this Sixth Power, but so far he's not said a word. Did Hermione come up with anything?"
"Not as far as I know but then she'd had to wait until she got back here to use the library.
Harry rubbed both hands across his eyes. "Questions, that's all we seem to have, questions and no bloody answers."
"Perhaps you'll get some answers on your detention later with Dumbledore." Said Ginny who then added, "Harry, I've been thinking. It might be a good idea for the six of us to get together and bring everyone up to speed on what's happened since June. What do you think?"
Harry sat and thought about the suggestion for a while. He hated to talk about himself but he needed first hand accounts from others and knew they felt the same. Eventually he replied "Seems like a good idea but I think we should have a word with Hermione first, see what she thinks."
"OK."
--- zzz ---
"Oy! Luvver boy, get your backside out of bed. I want some breakfast this side of midday." Ron shouted this in Harry's ear just as he hit him over the head with his pillow.
"Geroff, Ron." Shouted Harry throwing the pillow back at his best mate, but he had a grin plastered on his face. It felt so good to be back here. For a while Harry had been too scared to even hope he'd ever be allowed to return. Harry's face must have reflected his thoughts as Ron, instead of carrying on with their joking, sat on the foot of Harry's bed.
"Thought you'd never be back here didn't you?" Ron said perceptively. Harry felt a huge lump in his throat rendering speech impossible so he just nodded instead. "She's great you know." Said Ron. Ginny had warned Harry that Ron changed topic at the drop of a hat.
"Who?" said Harry perplexed.
"Marnie," said Ron with a silly grin on his face, "she's great. Stupid I know but for a while there I actually got jealous of my own brother. Stupid! I mean Bill? 'Course they were only working together. Got there in the end though. Knew they would. Madame Bones said the whole wizarding world owes them. Might get an Order of Merlin, only 3rd class, but still… not many people get that while they're still at Hogwarts."
Then without another word, he was gone. Harry looked over at Dean, Neville and Shamus.
"Beats me, mate." Said Dean.
Shamus just shrugged his shoulders and went down to the common room.
"Neville, what's going on?" pleaded Harry in a clearly worried tone.
"Ron seems to be a bit well, scrambled up somehow," answered Neville, clearly thinking before he spoke. "He knows what he's trying to say but it usually … well you saw for yourself. He reminds me a bit of my mum. Like thinking through a fog."
"How's he managing in class?" asked Harry, definitely worried now.
"I only have Charms and Transfiguration with him and both Flitwick and McGonagall have gone easy on him so far. It's only been a week. He can do the work OK. In fact he seems to be mastering charms far easier than normal. It's mainly when he's talking about things that he loses track. It's like he's trying to hold two conversations at once, so he misses out on bits."
Harry was sitting on the edge of his bed, lost in thoughts of what Ron had been going through, when Neville suddenly spoke up and brought him back to the here and now. "I've been thinking, Harry, that it might be a good idea to ask Professor Dumbledore to try and find out more about the brain." At Harry's puzzled look, he added, "I mean, who was it? Why was it there? We don't know anything about that person and it might help Ron deal with it if he knew."
"Neville, that's a great idea. Tell you what, Ginny suggested that the six of us from the Ministry get together to go over things that have happened since June. I can't do tonight but how about tomorrow 7 o'clock in the Room of Requirement?" said Harry who breathed a sigh of relief when Neville readily agreed.
"I'll speak to Luna, OK?" Neville said with a distinct blush.
"Great, and I'll tell the others. Speaking of which they'll probably be wondering where I am." Harry darted off to the bathroom.
- o – O – o -
When Harry walked into the Great Hall some 15 minutes later it was to discover the five all sitting together, heads bent low and talking in quiet voices. All except Ron that is, who was still shovelling sausages and bacon into his mouth as though it were his last ever meal.
"Mornin' all." Said Harry as he sat down and picked up a glass of pumpkin juice.
Ginny passed Harry a plate loaded with all his favourite breakfast items, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, fried bread, mushrooms and two eggs.
Hermione spoke first. "Harry, you eat while we fill you in." After Harry had nodded his approval of this excellent suggestion Hermione continued.
"First, have you checked your new timetable? Just nod or shake your head." His mouth loaded with food, Harry shook his head.
"Right, well sad to say you're in Potions with Snape first thing tomorrow. I can just imagine what he's going to be like. But Ron and I will be there so we'll try and help any way we can."
"No more Potions for me though." Said Neville with a huge grin.
"Then we've got Defence against the Dark Arts with Finlayson so perhaps we can get on properly." Said Hermione before adding, "I don't know much about him yet though and it hasn't been for lack of trying to find anything." The annoyance was clearly evidence in her tone of voice.
"Well I can tell you," said Luna sipping on her cup of tea.
Still Luna sat and sipped. "Well what then?" said Ginny eventually.
"He wrote this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts text book, is an ex-Auror and was an accredited police officer in the muggle police, one of the few people to have bilateral accreditation. Oh, and he used to be a chaser for the Montrose Magpies." Recited Luna calmly.
"And how do you know this?" Demanded Hermione in a somewhat hostile tone but Luna seemed completely oblivious to the unspoken challenge.
"I asked Professor McGonagall." Came the simple and rather obvious answer. Hermione visibly deflated as she was unable to challenge the answer.
Instead she simply uttered "Oh!"
Ron had totally ignored Luna's earlier comments about their new professor but this last bit of news captured his attention.
"Montrose Magpies? Excellent. Perhaps we can get some tips from him to improve our plays."
Hermione just raised her eyebrows at this reaction.
"Harry, fancy going for a workout after breakfast? I really want to try out a few moves Charlie explained this summer."
"Ron." Started Hermione, but surprisingly it was Ginny who promoted the idea.
"Yes, Harry and I'd like to try some tricks I've thought up. Been reading some of Ron's old Quidditch magazines and I've got some ideas of my own I'd like to try."
"I give up." Said a very exasperated Hermione resignedly recognising that the trio of Ron, Harry and Ginny were now well and truly stuck on Quidditch and she wouldn't get much sense out of them until after their practice, albeit an informal one.
"I'm off to …" began Hermione, to which Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna, all chanted in perfect synchronisation.
"… the library!"
Even Hermione had to laugh at that.
The friends made their way across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase, laughing and joking as they went. Harry was in a particularly good mood. He was physically well, back at Hogwarts and with three of the people he cared most about in the world.
Life was good.
Therefore, in the back of his mind, Harry was worried.
It couldn't last … could it?
Did he dare hope that his life would run smoothly, even if only for a while.
Ginny seemed to sense Harry's feelings and reached to take his hand in hers and the familiar warm glow suffused his body. At the same moment Harry noticed Ron reach out to take Hermione's hand. Ginny gave a knowing glance over to Harry who smiled his understanding back with a silent 'about time too!'
The practice session was brought to an abrupt end after a couple of hours by a brief but heavy, shower of rain which was the Gryffindors cue to run for cover.
Back in their common room everyone was focused on the previous week's homework. As he had not been at Hogwarts when it was issued, Harry decided to start on some planning for the DA.
Cho's comment the night before had convinced Harry of the validity of the DA and he had vowed to continue it. He did hope however, that it could be done more openly now Umbridge was gone. Tonight's detention with the Headmaster would be the perfect opportunity to discuss it.
Harry sat on the floor beside his trunk and pulled out all his DADA books. When he reached the Gilderoy Lockhart books he threw them contemptuously to one side but after a minute or two's thought, put them back in the pile with the others. He'd have to be discriminating in his use of the material they contained but there most likely would be some gold among the dross.
Soon the floor around Harry's bed was covered with notes, draft lesson plans, books, pictures and diagrams.
"Blimey, Harry, I reckon Hermione's been rubbing off on you. You must almost have as much info here as in the library. Is this all DADA?"
The comment and query had come from Dean Thomas who'd come to get a book about West Ham United Football Club, out of his own trunk to lend to a muggle-studies student.
"Eh?" said Harry only hearing half of what Dean had said.
"I said is all this stuff for the DA?" repeated Dean, picking up a book at random.
"Yes." Said Harry; he was trying to concentrate on what he was doing and as much as he liked Dean he was in no mood to chat.
"I wonder if Ginny wants to go for a walk. Was she in the common room, Harry?" asked Dean.
"Eh?" came Harry's districted response once more. Why couldn't Dean just shut up? Can't he see I'm busy! Thought Harry irritably.
"Don't bother. I'll go and see for myself." Muttered Dean as he stomped off, none too quietly. It was only a couple of moment later that Dean's words finally penetrated Harry's busy brain.
Ginny? Dean was going for a walk with Ginny? Not on your life. Thought Harry fiercely who suddenly went from being physically inactive but mentally alert to running on all cylinders. Harry jumped up, his legs objecting painfully with cramp in both calf muscles, and staggered as quickly as he could down the stairs from the boys' dormitories to the common room.
He burst in as though the devil himself was after him and landed painfully in a heap on the floor scanning the room frantically.
Ginny, on the other hand, was sitting legs curled up cat-like on a chair in front of the empty fireplace, a muggle magazine held up in front of her face trying, and failing, to hide her giggles.
Harry pulled himself to his feet and staggered over to sit on the end of the couch nearest Ginny.
"What's so funny?" challenged Harry clearly annoyed.
"If you could only have seen yourself. You came charging down the stairs and seemed to just keep going." Said Ginny now openly giggling.
"I'm glad you find me so amusing." Said Harry almost angrily. He crossed his arms and stared moodily into the empty grate. Very slowly and deliberately, Ginny closed her magazine and placed it on the wide over-stuffed arm of her chair. With continued deliberation she stood and moved to stand in front of Harry; when he continued to look down Ginny placed one finger below his chin and raised his head until he could ignore her no longer.
Harry stared into her face; Ginny smiled a gentle smile as she bent down and kissed him tenderly on the forehead. Taking Harry's right hand in her own Ginny pulled his arm around her as she snuggled up beside him on the couch, just as she had done in their dream, her head resting on his lap.
Harry gave a great sigh as he relaxed. He closed his eyes and in his mind he heard Ginny's voice. 'It's you I want to be with Harry, not Dean nor anyone else. You thought I'd rather go for a walk with Dean than be with you, didn't you?'
"No, of course not." Harry replied automatically but as Ginny looked up at him, an expression of disbelief clearly written on her face, Harry had to admit. "Well, yes, I suppose I did."
"Harry, Dean's been helping me with my muggle studies essay on muggle sports, that's all."
"Good." Said Harry but then he added, "It's nice of him to help you like that."
"Yes it is. Dean's OK." Said Ginny as she lazily traced the index finger of her hand over the white letters on Harry's hand just as she had done in their dream. "I must not tell lies." Said Ginny clearly and succinctly. "It should read "Do" not "Must".
"Eh?" asked a perplexed Harry who obviously had not realised just what Ginny had been doing.
"That old hag, Umbridge, should have gotten you to write, "I do not tell lies" because you have been proved right about Voldemort being alive. Oh, how I wish I could have seen her face when her beloved Cornelius had to eat humble pie. I bet her face would have been a picture!" continued Ginny, still holding tight to Harry's hand.
"Yeah. Well that's one picture I can do without seeing, thank you. If I never see that woman again, it will be too soon."
The Gryffindor common room had a very old, frequently rude and very bad-tempered grandfather clock. Like the Weasley's clock this one had events and locations instead of hours and minutes. There was a single hand for the first years and one for the second years; other years had two or three hands. Unlike the Weasley's clock this one had two faces. The second, larger face, still had locations and events but many more hands. All the Gryffindors were introduced to this clock on their first evening, straight after the sorting feast.
The clock, however, also had two distinct personalities; the first was kindly and informative and could help the students telling them, well in advance, when something was due. It's help and advice had been invaluable over the years.
The second personality was a crazy mixed-up mess with elements of Peeves, Sir Cadogan and Argus Filch. If you got on the wrong side of this personality you were for it. It would tell you that it was the wrong time, the wrong day or to go to the wrong place. This personality had tricked Harry on more than one occasion in his first year and he'd earned detentions as a result. It was a lesson quickly learned.
The two personalities were called Gog and Magog but to the students they simply referred to the clock as 'Gramps'.
It was Gramps now who chimed to warn Harry and Ginny that it was dinnertime but in the truth the rumbling noises emanating from Harry's stomach had announced a need to feed before Gramps got a chance.
"Come on you two, there's shepherds pie on the menu tonight and bread and butter pudding for afters." The voice had a soft and melodious tone and Harry and Ginny acknowledge kindly Gog's words with a quick word of thanks as they headed out of the portrait hole to dinner.
As Ginny and Harry stepped off the bottom treat of the marble staircase in the entrance hall, Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, appeared from the dungeon. It was the second time Harry had come face to face with Malfoy since his return to Hogwarts and since his imprisonment by Malfoy senior.
Malfoy was strutting around, hands thrush deep in his pockets, tie untied and draped casually, but elegantly, around his neck. As he looked, really looked, at the blonde-haired Slytherin, Harry had almost an epiphany.
Draco Malfoy was, in many ways, like the teenage Sirius that Harry had seen in Snape's Penseive.
Both were from aristocratic and moneyed families.
Both had been raised to firmly believe in the supremacy of pure blood families in the wizarding hierarchy.
Both were stylishly elegant in a nonchalant, no-effort, way that Harry knew he could never achieve, no matter how hard he tried.
Both were extremely attractive to the opposite sex.
Both had their share of sycophantic followers – Malfoy had Crabbe and Goyle while Sirius had Wormtail, aka Peter Pettigrew.
Both were arrogant and sure of themselves.
Where the two were opposites – and the contrast could not have been more marked – was their devotion to the Dark Arts.
Malfoy was totally devoted TO the Dark Arts while Sirius was totally and unequivocally against the Dark Arts and all who practiced them.
"Ah, Potter. It was so nice of you to be a guest this summer but it was rather rude of you, you know, to leave without a word to your gracious host. Still I suppose one must tolerate gross and base manners from one who was dragged up by muggles. Polite society simply demands that a guest repays their host for their hospitality and, believe me Potter, you will pay."
As he recited this obviously well rehearsed speech Malfoy's face wore a smile but the eyes were as cold and cruel as ever. It may have been couched in elegant speech but Harry was all too well aware that the threat contained therein was very real.
At the end of last year Harry had been instrumental in the capture of Lucius Malfoy, Draco's arrogant father, and his incarceration in the wizard prison, Azkaban. Neither Dumbledore nor any other member of the Order of the Phoenix had been able to determine just how Malfoy senior had been able to secure his release. Harry believed large quantities of gold had probably changed hands to effect the liberal use of memory charms on the jailers, no evidence to the contrary had been produced and the theory fitted in with the Death Eaters modus operandi, their method of working.
Harry felt Ginny squeeze his hand and once more heard her words in his head. 'Harry it's a bit odd isn't it? Look at Malfoy's sleeves. Everyone else has their shirt sleeves rolled up above their elbows but Malfoys are only just unbuttoned and turned back above his wrists.'
Harry understood Ginny's inference at once. Had Malfoy already joined the ranks of Voldemort's minions? Harry decided to try and find out.
Stepping forward Harry assumed a pose almost exactly mimicking Malfoys.
"Malfoy. So you have returned to Hogwarts. It's funny but I would have thought that with your family connections in, er... certain quarters and now you have your OWLs, that you would left these hallowed halls to join the, er… 'family' business. But then again perhaps your connections are somewhat less beneficial you have led everyone to believe. Or was your little speech about who you know being more important than what you know just your way to cover up your abysmal marks?"
'Nice one Harry,' came Ginny's voice in his head only to be echoed by both Hermione and Ron moments later as they stepped into the hall.
It was clear to all present that Harry's words had found their mark. Malfoy's usually pallid, unruffled expression turned a stormy, angry red for the briefest of moments only before he regained control uttering, "But it was not I that required extra tuition in a remedial class in order to gain my OWL in potions, Potter. I believe that distinction belongs to you." Malfoy's smirk was unmistakable.
Hermione's voice beat Harry's retort by at least a couple of heartbeats. She laughed a controlled laugh before uttering sweetly and patronisingly. "Draco, Draco, you poor naïve thing. You really do believe every cock-and-bull story you are fed don't you. One day, Draco dear, you will start to grow up and actually think for yourself instead of blindly repeating platitudes and opinions held by the real grown ups."
Harry could feel Ginny shaking with silent mirth at the superb put-down when Ron decided to add his voice to the debate. "Always said the Malfoy family motto should be 'By Brute Strength and Ignorance'. Your boys here are your brute strength so that means you must be the ignorance, Malfoy." At that Ron turned to Hermione and held out his arm "If you are ready to dine, shall we proceed?"
Hermione took his arm and, as though they were about to enter a lavish ballroom instead of the Great Hall, swept imperiously passed a stunned Malfoy.
Harry copied Ron's gesture and held out his arm, Ginny took it and with a regal bearing they too, turned to enter the Great Hall for dinner. Before they got a chance to cross the threshold however, Malfoy had placed a hand on Harry's shoulder to halt him in his tracks but Harry was expecting this response, after all it was vintage Malfoy behaviour.
Releasing Ginny's hand Harry spun around, his left hand gripped Malfoy's left wrist and, before he was able to react, Harry's right hand pushed Malfoy's left sleeve up beyond his elbow exposing the naked understand of his forearm.
Not a blemish marred the skin. Harry was unable to mask his disappointment.
"Looking for something, Potter? Or are you determined to earn yourself yet another detention?" The drawl this time came not from Malfoy but from Snape. Now it was Harry's turn to feel the flush of anger. Rather than let his tongue respond as he would wish, Harry turned his gaze away from the Slytherins and into the Great Hall.
Dumbledore was striding between the tables right at them.
"Good evening Professor, Miss Weasley, gentlemen. I would recommend that you make all haste to enjoy an excellent shepherd's pie before it is all gone. The bread and butter pudding is also superb and I would suggest you all partake." His words contained no overt rebuke but Dumbledore's expression and gesture were unmistakable. Not here – not now!
Suitably chastened the four Slytherins were followed into the Great Hall by two Gryffindors and one Headmaster.