Chapter Eight: Prongs Rides Again, Take Two
Harry was headed towards the library, trying desperately not to feel depressed. Since his decision not to use magic was well known, the professors had tried using all kinds of punishments for his lack of cooperation. His detentions were still piling up, and the extra homework was alarming even to Hermione. The latest measure was to ban him from the Hogsmeade visits. So while all of the other students were gathering right now to head down, he was going to study some more.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. He was at the door when a hand fell on his shoulder. His hand twitched towards his wand, but he let it drop when he heard who it was.
"Harry, we need to get you to the Headmaster's office." Tonks and Shacklebolt stood behind him, both looking a little concerned. He nodded glumly and turned to lead them off. They speed up until they were flanking him, and his foreboding increased tenfold. When they reached the gargoyle, he immediately stated the password and they climbed the staircase. At the top of the stairs, the door was open and he could see lots of people seated in chairs around the desk. Fudge sat there, with his scribe Percy to his left. The look the supposed Minister sent his way was less than kindly. He straightened and walked forward slowly to take a seat right next to the desk. The Headmaster was looking calm and unemotional, and Harry adopted the same countenance.
"Well Mr. Potter, the visit here has two purposes." Fudge's voice had a cold edge to it, and Harry found that he couldn't care less. "The first order of business is the retransfer of power back to Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Thus I summon the former headmistress." He waved his hand, and Tonks, who had made her way over to the fireplace, tossed in a glittering yellow powder. Harry's heart started beating faster when he heard these words, and he started taking deep breaths. If what he thought was coming happened, he needed to be as in control as he could. It turned out not to be enough.
"Hem Hem." Just the sound of her fake cough was sufficient to set his blood boiling. He formed tight fists, trying with all of his might to calm himself. He noticed in a distracted way that the scars from her detentions were still visible. He closed his eyes and turned away from her, hoping not to have to interact at all. He heard her girlish voice greeting the occupants in the room, saving him for last. He ignored her voice, calming down as quickly as he could. It was all for naught when he felt a touch on his arm. There was an immediate flaring of pain in his head, and he shouted out.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" His eyes opened just in time to see her fly away from him, a look of surprise on her frog-like face. Fudge shouted indignantly, but he was too slow to prevent her descent into the fireplace. She slammed into the back wall, the floo powder still in effect transferred her back to the Ministry. The force of the impact had weakened the stones, however, and it was only seconds later that they collapsed, effectively sealing against her return. Fudge turned to him angrily, his wand in his hand.
"What have you done, Potter? I could have you thrown in Azkaban for assaulting the Undersecretary!" The Headmaster was now standing, trying to calm him.
"Cornelius, is it really necessary to threaten?" He was giving Harry a look that clearly said calm down, but he wasn't really in the mood to do that any more.
"That foul hag deserved everything she got! Is it any wonder that I don't trust you morons at the Ministry of Magic? When you saddled the school with her, you condemned us to torture and possible death!" Fudge looked scornful, but the other three looked shocked at the outburst.
"Really, boy, let's talk about torture. I have proof that you were involved in the casting of an unforgivable curse. The Cruciatus was cast in the Department of Mysteries, and it is from you that I think it came!" He finished with a note of triumph, and the Headmaster was looking panicked. If Harry were convicted of casting an Unforgivable, there would be little he could do to save him from Azkaban. Harry just laughed, and he shivered at how empty of humor it sounded.
"So, I can't cast the Cruciatus curse on a death eater, but it's okay for your precious undersecretary to use it on me just because she wants some information? You and your ilk will lead us to death in this war, and I'll not be a party to that!" Harry knew that he was well on the way to losing all of the control he had built up in the past couple of months, so he stalked over to a corner of the room. There he put his hands on the cool stone walls and started taking deep breaths.
Fudge had finally stopped yelling at the implication that Umbridge had tried to torture information out of him. He was unsure of how he should continue with this meeting, so he decided to bluster some more.
"You're always full of some story or another, boy. Why, you just recently started talking about Pettigrew and Black again..." That was as far as he got before the bowl on the table next to him exploded. He started in shock, and heard a deep breath from Harry.
"It would be best if you didn't mention that again. There are witnesses if you don't believe me." He turned and stalked back to the cowering man. "And there's this." He held out the scarred hand, suppressing a sigh when the man refused to look. Thankfully, Kingsley Shacklebolt took up the task. Inspecting the back of his hand, he gasped when he saw the white scars.
"These are the marks of a Blood Quill." There was a growl in his voice that Harry had never heard before. He saw the look on the faces of the others, and the suspicion of her actions was confirmed. He had suspected the device was a Dark one, and he was right. He suddenly felt even more anger than he had before, and control was almost non-existent. His scarred hand shook as he shoved it into the idiot's face voice deadly quiet.
"I spent many nights with her, tortured for simply trying to warn others of Voldemort's return. Stop shuddering, you fool, it's only a name. I wrote over a thousand lines for her." There were gasps of horror from everyone, and Tonks started crying. "And you, you sniveling coward, you put her here and then abandoned all of us to her evil ways. For nothing more than your own personal gain, no less. I think it would be a good idea for you to leave now, and try to stay out of my sight for a good long time." Fudge opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking for all the world like a fish, before he got up and stumbled out the door. The two aurors followed with apologetic glances back at him.
Harry went back to taking his deep breaths, regaining his control now that there was no one to continually rile him. He knew he should be concerned over what Fudge had been saying, but he honestly couldn't bring himself to care. When he finally risked a glance at the Headmaster, he was looking less than sure about what to say. He finally seemed to decide on something, and spoke up.
"Harry, it seems to me that I am in the same boat as Cornelius. I also abandoned you, at a time that you needed me most." He wanted to say more, but he was stopped.
"At least you were working for the greater good, Headmaster." Dumbledore knew that it was true, but when Harry said it, it made him feel cold and unfeeling. He struggled to catch his breath, as there were pains in his chest from all of the emotion he was feeling. They sat quiet form some long moments, each wrapped in his own thoughts before a new voice intruded on them.
"Harry Potter, it has been some time since I last talked with you." Both heads shot around to the source of the words, and found themselves staring at the Sorting Hat. The rip on its brim opened once more. "I carry a message for you. Place me on your head to hear it." Harry didn't hesitate to walk up to the hat and put it on his head, while the Headmaster looked on in interest As soon as the hat slipped past his ears, he heard a voice that was entirely different than the one he had expected.
"Hello again, Harry." The voice of his ancestor rang in his ears, and he smiled automatically. "It has been many weeks since we last spoke. How are things in your life?"
"Well, I'm struggling with classes, just like I thought I would. The teachers aren't too happy with my choices, but there is nothing I can do about that." He felt a strange feeling coming from the presence, and he realized that it was worry. "It's not all bad, though. Hermione is helping me out with the written things, showing me ways to look for more information. Plus, I'm getting in a lot more reading than usual. Once she told me about some memory techniques, I started going through all of the books I could get my hands on. So all in all, I think this has been a good experience." He felt loving approval filling him, but it soon faded away to be replaced with a seriousness he hadn't felt for a while.
"I'm afraid the good news had ended. Even as we speak, a horde of Dementors along with some few Death Eaters are descending on Hogsmeade." Harry's heart felt as if it had been drenched in cold water. Hermione, Ron, and hundreds of other students were down there, almost all of them defenseless against the cold evil of those monsters. He started to remove the Hat, intent on telling the Headmaster this tragedy. "What are you doing?"
"I have to tell the Headmaster, then I have to go help. There aren't too many people around that can cast a Patronus, so having mine could really make a difference." He was surprised that the person he thought he had come to know would ask such a question. There were innocent people in the village, surely it was understood he had to do all he could.
"But you remember your promise, don't you? How could you help them without casting spells? Unless you plan to break your word with me." Harry felt disappointment fill him, but it burned away under the heat of his renewed anger.
"Are you really that insensitive? My word is important to me, but there are things that require us to act. I would rather break a million promises than let those people fend for themselves." Harry felt the words leave him, and he braced himself in case the presence took offense. Instead, he felt something hard land on his head, and a familiar pulling sensation behind his naval. He heard some last words before he no longer felt the Hat on his head.
"You'll do. Go forth and do battle, young Phoenix. We will speak more anon. Remember the Griffin's Claw." When he had regained his balance, he realized he was in a war zone.
Albus Dumbledore tried to keep his breathing under control as he stared at the Sorting Hat. Harry had disappeared not five seconds ago, and he was about to send out a call when a new sound cut his thought processes short.
A claxon was going off, and he shuddered with despair. The Hogsmeade alarm told him without question that the village was under attack, and no matter how much he felt for Harry, the numberless students there now must take precedence. With a swirling of his cloak, he sped out of the room, intent on a portkey he knew resided in the staff room.
Harry glance about with a fighter's eyes, searching for the enemy even as he reveled in the feeling of his wand in his hand. He felt an energy high, power coursing through his body. He finally spotted a group of ten Dementors cornering some students next to a burning building, and he sprinted towards them. There were some on the ground, but two were attempting to stop the shadowy monsters, casting spells that had no effect. They fell to their knees as he got closer, and the lead Dementor went to lower it's hood in preparation for it's most fearsome attack. Harry decided he was close enough. Skidding to a halt, he flung out his arm with the proper incantation, using his joy at once again using magic for fuel.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He felt the spell leave his wand, and his joy increased. A silver stag larger than any he had cast before burst from the tip, almost seeming to fly to the creatures. They scattered with high pitched screams, fleeing from the students that they wanted to feed from. Harry checked them over, noticing that only one was still conscious, and gave a start when he realized it was Jason. The Slytherin was staring at him in awe, and Harry gave him a small grin before more screaming ripped through the air. He looked in all directions, and he despaired of ever helping everyone. No matter where he looked, there were shadowy cloaks flowing, and people in danger. His Patronus might be strong, but there was no way it could protect the entire village at once. The stag faded from his sight, and his head gave a shuddering tingle. For the second time in his life, he felt his thoughts racing around, putting together information he was sure wasn't there before. His wand rose again, and glowing runes burned in the air, spreading until they formed a circle.
He stuck his wand into the middle of his circle, and his legs started shaking as he felt energy being pulled from his body to his wand hand. In his mind, memories came fast and furious: his friends laughing and playing, flying high above the ground, they all flashed before his eyes, only to be pulled to his spell, making the glowing circle seem even brighter. Gather what strength he could, he shouted the spell newly formed in his mind.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM ACIES!" He fell to his knees as the energy that was supporting him disappeared. When he raised his head, he only saw a field of silver. At least a hundred stags ran about, chasing down Dementors, sometimes teaming up to tackle a particularly large group. Smiling at the even more astonished Jason, he made to stand, but a tingle warned him against it. Throwing himself forward, he winced when the fourth year was hit with a Stunner. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a masked figure stalking towards him, and he knew there wasn't much he could do about it. He tried to cast a shield spell, the Stunning Curse, anything, but nothing happened. The Death Eater walked up to his side and casually kicked him.
"So Potter, looks like your luck finally ran out." The voice of Lucius Malfoy made him stir, but another kick quickly stilled his movement. "As much as I would like to kill you myself, the Dark Lord wants that pleasure for himself. However..." He bent over him, and started beating him with his fists. Harry tried to put up a defense, but he was so drained he only stopped less than half of the punches. He knew he wouldn't be able to prevent his capture, and he realized that he was going to die soon. Earlier in the summer, he had been ready to give up, but things were different now. He had to survive, for everyone's sake. His hands tingled, as the words from the voice came back to him. Remember...
"Griffin's Claw." The tingling intensified at his whisper, and Lucius bent closer, having finished his attack.
"Well Potter, time to meet the Dark L-" His words broke off suddenly, and he stumbled back, holding his stomach. Harry looked from the shocked expression on his pale face to the blood staining the silver end of the sword in his hands. They sat and stood in silence for a minute, each staring at the other. Then, with a small sigh, the patriarch of the Malfoy family slumped to the ground, to stand no more. Before Harry could even think, however, there was an anguished cry.
Draco Malfoy stood not ten feet away, screaming his rage at the boy who lived.
"You killed my father, Potter. You will pay! Crucio!" Harry twitched as the pain ran across his nerves, causing him to scream. Once again, he felt the pain connect with something deep inside himself, and he saw flames. Draco's insane laughing turned into screams of pain. The pain disappeared as the screams started, and Harry lifted his head to see his enemy draped in flames. He shuddered as it caused him to remember what had happened to the others, and as suddenly as they appeared, the flames died out. There was a Crack! and Draco was gone, apperated out. Harry lay back down, trying to calm his stomach as the smell of burnt flesh drifted towards him.
Only to sit back up again, causing some pain again to his sore muscles. There was something hard in his pocket, and it felt like a book. He pulled it out, but the pressure of the battle was starting to get to him. As his eyes drifted shut, he read the cover. What You Need To Know About Yourself by Godric Gryffindor.