Unexpected Changes - Before It Was Too Late
by BEWD Sorcerer
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! sob Except maybe the plot...
Setting: Before Sirius went through the Veil, how it could have been different had Voldemort been impatient and decided to try a different tactic. It's after Christmas and a few Occlumency lessons.
It had been a week.
A week of Ron and Hermione pestering him because of his self-imposed silence. After all mouth is the source of all evil.
A week of the Slytherins treating him as one of them.
Draco Malfoy had come up to him the morning after his encounter with Riddle to congratulate him for finally opening his eyes to reality. Ron had nearly socked him if it hadn't been for Hermione who had watched Harry's reaction. He thanked him for his consideration and tried to go back to his breakfast. Malfoy had stared for awhile, then he started laughing after he sighed. He had returned to the Slytherin table still snickering.
They had a potions test that morning and Snape had acted most peculiar. He kept staring at Harry like he'd never seen him before and since the Slytherins weren't aiming to get him in trouble, he believed he'd made a fair grade on it.
A week of all these students coming up to him to welcome him. At first he didn't realize what they were welcoming him for, then it hit him.
'Welcome to the Dark Side, Harry Potter.'
There were very few, mostly first years, that hadn't approached him. It was stunning. Nearly all of Hogwarts was rooting for Voldemort. Only a few of the teachers actually supported Dumbledore. If so, he wondered, why hadn't Voldemort taken over the school? A little voice in his head teased him that it was because of him. Publicly gain the school and loose Harry or wait a little longer, convince Harry, and gain the school publicly once the most important player is secured?
So now a week later when he got the feeling that there was someone watching him, he didn't freak out; he just turned to face them, wondering who it'd be this time. It couldn't be anyone as surprising as Neville smiling broadly and welcoming him, making Ron scrunch up his face in complete bewilderment and Hermione just blink confusedly.
Out of the shadows stepped Ginny, grinning as she bounced over to him.
"I'm so glad you switched. Don't worry about anyone but Professor Lupin and Sirius. Once you convince them, everything will fall into place. Speaking of, how're you going to talk to them?" Ginny seemed to know exactly what was going on.
"I... I don't know. I can't very well owl or fire-call them." Harry shifted, uneasy with the fact that Ginny, Ron's little sister who was nearly killed by Riddle three years ago, is on Riddle's side.
"Wait, didn't Sirius give you something before we came back? Did you ever open it?" Harry was surprised that anyone saw that and remembered. Even he didn't remember since it was done so quickly and he hadn't had time to think about it anytime afterwards.
"Yeah, he gave me something and, no, I never opened it. You think it's something I could use to contact him?"
"Maybe. See what it is first, then if it's nothing like that then we can start planning to contact them some other way."
'oo0oo'
Sirius had given him a two-way mirror.
"Sirius!" The face of his godfather appeared in the mirror.
"Harry! About time! What happened? Did you forget about me?" Sirius mock pouted, making Harry grin.
"I didn't forget about you, though I didn't know what your present had been until just now." At the hurt look on Sirius' face, he quickly explained. "We were rushing that day, then Occlumency practices started and only just now did I remember because Ginny mentioned it. You should be glad I remembered at all or you'd have to wait till summer to talk to me." Sirius scoffed.
"I would have eventually just tracked you down and demanded you tell me why you'd been giving me the silent treatment." Harry sighed, shaking his head.
"Sirius, I'm sorry to say this, but you really shouldn't leave headquarters." Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but Harry beat him to it. "The less encounters with Death Eaters, the better. I know you can hold your own in a fight, but you need to be alive and safe above all other things. Also what I wanted to talk to you is very important and very secret, so only you and Remus can hear what I need to say. This unfortunately can't be done through a two-way mirror because if someone were to walk in on you or me, we'd be in so much trouble. We need to talk face-to-face, but that will have to wait till summer." Sirius looked concerned. (AN: Sirius looked serious! XP)
"Alright, next time I see Moony, I tell him, but you had better spill everything that's bothering you when we do get to talk." Harry just smiled and nodded, then paled as someone clunked up the stairs.
"I gotta go." Harry shoved the mirror into his pocket just as the door opened. It was Mad-Eye Moody.
"Headmaster wants to talk to you, Potter." Harry nodded, wondering what the headmaster could want.
'oo0oo'
After Harry's declining of lemon drops and tea Dumbledore just sat with his hands steepled in front of him, staring at Harry, who felt very uncomfortable especially when he felt a gentle prod to his mind.
He knew it was Dumbledore, but his prowess in Occlumency was sadly lacking. What could he do to prevent Dumbledore from finding the memory of that morning a little over a week ago? The answer arrived in a cooling wave from his link to Voldemort. He could think clearly, knowing that his mind was protected, and knew that when asked whatever the headmaster's excuse for why he was dragged to his office he would deny and evade without detection.
Dumbledore was shocked and concerned when he was locked out of his Golden Boy's mind by a presence that felt suspiciously similar to Tom Riddle. Maybe if someone went into Harry's mind they could enter Voldemort's mind through their connection? It was very possible and sadly probable, also explaining why Voldemort would go out of his way to protect Harry's mind... unless he was still unaware of their mental connection and just reacted to someone probing HIS mind. This was very complicated and not to be pondered in the impatient presence of Moody, who was glaring at Harry.
Moody had been informed of their connection and didn't like it one bit. He saw their similarities and assumed that they would make the same choices because of them, despite Dumbledore's insistence that they would not and already had chosen different paths.
Back in Harry's mind Tom had already sensed the hostility from Moody, correctly interpreted it, and warned Harry, who was somehow unsurprised.
:He's insanely paranoid, what'd you expect: Tom had just shrugged, then pointed out that Dumbledore was finally going to speak.
"Harry, my boy, I'm sure you're quite curious as to why I called you here-" Dumbledore started rambling about something or other, while Harry tried to ignore Tom's shudder at the utterance of 'my dear boy' and subsequent vicious comments at both Dumbledore and Moody.
He just barely caught Dumbledore asking him a question, but Tom wouldn't shut up. Shifting uncertainly, Harry was about to ask what the question was, saying that he had a lot on his mind, when there was a knock at the door and Lucius Malfoy strode in without waiting for Dumbledore to let him in. Moody growled at the blond, who ignored him in favor of visibly starting as he noticed Harry.
:All my Death Eaters are under strict instructions not to harm or annoy you because I will know and punish accordingly. They will also do nothing to reveal your change in position either, so you shall be safe. Lucius is better in control of himself than that. He must have something up his sleeve.: And indeed he did.
"Potter, I want to have a word with you," he glanced up at Dumbledore and Moody before adding, "alone."
"You won't sway me to your side and threatening has never helped, so what do you have to say?"
"I must say that I'm s-"
"You're being forced to say this by your master, so it doesn't count as an honest apology and will not be accepted."
"The Dark Lord has ordered no such thing. I-"
"You're still not being honest."
"The Dark Lord would delight in changes from you."
"The Dark Lord can go to Hell. I will do what I want to do, not what he wants me to do." :Changes in my demeanor toward the Malfoys or any other Death Eaters must be earned.: Tom nodded at this.
:I will inform them of this.: Malfoy sniffed indignantly.
"Then what-" Harry smirked at the tall blond.
"Go report to your master; he'll no doubt have a new set of instructions for you, but not after a round of Crutiatus, I'll bet. It's predictable and cruel. I won't have anything to do with an idiot like that." Tom stiffened.
:Oh, really: Hurt slinked down their link to Harry.
:You better find some better way, you lazy sod.: Tom finally realized that Harry was teasing him.
:You little brat, I've got a punishment for you, but I guess I'll have to become more creative with my Death Eaters so you won't leave me.: Harry sent reassuring warmth over their link before focusing on the arguing Auror and Death Eater.
The fight became grating extremely quickly, so he excused himself and returned to his dorm only to meet his two best friends fidgeting while apparently waiting for him to return. Their eyes rose to meet his and he knew that it did not bode well.
AN: Dun dun duun! Will the Golden Trio become the Dark Trio or break up into non-Trio chunks, leaving Harry to be befriended by others such as some of the Slytherins? Eep! Sorry it took so long to get this up. Sirius and Remus weren't behaving for me and eventually Remus just up and left. Moody is being a real pain, just like Lucius Malfoy. Stuck up git.