Title: Harry Potter and the Orb of Souls
Author: SerafinaMoon
Date: March 19-April 9, 2005
Summary: Voldemort has discovered a new weapon—the Orb of Souls. With it, he has discovered a way to purge the world—with their only savior.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any of its characters, or themes. I will not profit from this story except receiving enjoyment of your questions, comments, and input on this work.
Claimer: I do, however, own this story and its plot and any Original Characters that I may use during the duration of the story making process.
A/N- Well, here's chapter eight! I know you all have been waiting paitently for this chapter so here it is! Dig in! (Oh, and thank you so very much to everyone that reviewed!)
Chapter 8: Suspicion Sets In
Seems I've left the innocence of Eden long ago
Tempted by my heart to go it on my own
Beyond the garden
Somehow through the desert of my wanders alone
You have never let me go
I turn from You and still You cover me
I fall so far – You find me in the deep
Anywhere I am, anywhere I am
You sanctuary me
I have felt the separation deep within my bones
Brought me to my knees crying out for hop
Beyond the garden
Somehow through my tears You heard the words I
Could not speak, You were there to rescue me
I turn from You - and still You cover me
I fall so far – You find me in the deep
I lose my way – You're reaching out to me
Everywhere I go
Anywhere I am, anywhere I am
You sanctuary me
"Sanctuary" – Chris Rodriguez
Naito was grateful that it was Saturday the next day. He had, had a hard time waking and found his body to be achy and stiff from last night's Crucios. It seemed that the potion Snape had given him had been a pain reliever only as it did not get rid of the aftereffects of the curse.
Suppressing a groan, Naito had gotten out of bed and after wearily getting dressed, hauled himself into the Great Hall for breakfast. He dropped into the seat beside Draco heavily and put his head in his hands, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving from the Gryffindor and Head tables.
"Hey, Nate, how are you feeling," inquired Draco in a hushed whisper.
Naito grimaced and moaned, "Ugh."
Draco winced.
"That good, huh? We can stop by Severus' office after breakfast and get you something, how does that sound?"
"Good enough to get me through breakfast, I guess."
"I suppose that will have to do for now."
"Here, Nate. You need to eat something," Draco said as he loaded Naito's plate full of food.
"Since when do I need a minder?" Naito asked scornfully.
Happy that Naito was returning to his usual self, Draco cheekily replied, "Since you came to Hogwarts!"
Naito's countenance fell even though he knew Draco had been talking about himself, his mind flashed back to the meeting with Malfoy Sr. the night before and then the meeting afterward with Snape. How could he have said all those things that he did to Severus Snape Order member spy extraordinaire? Well, if he ever had a need to go back to Voldemort if this war did not end the way he wanted it to then at least they would never see it coming.
On the other hand, however, if he ever needed some help from the "light" side then he might be able to have Snape help convince them of his loyalty. Naito sighed, it was all just so confusing.
Draco broke into his thoughts, saying, "Hey, Nate? Are you alright? You kind of drifted off for a moment there."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to sort some things out."
"Oh."
A tense, uneasy silence fell between them and lasted until they got up from their seats and headed out of the Great Hall to the office of the Slytherin Head of House.
The walk down to the dungeons did not take as long as usual, as both boys became lost in their thoughts, so in next to no time, they were knocking on the door and asked to come in.
"How may I be of service to you gentlemen?" asked the Potion's Master with a glare that was somewhat less piercing and intense for their benefit.
Before Naito could give a diplomatic answer, Draco blurted out, "Nate's not feeling very well and we were wondering if you could give him something, Professor."
Naito shot Draco a very irritated glare, which Draco responded to by a roll of the eyes.
Snape eyed them warily, "I see. I expect this has to do with what happened last night?"
"Yes, sir," Naito put in before Draco could say anything.
Snape nodded and walked over to his stores, unlocking the cabinet and removing a purple vial from the case. Closing the cabinet and locking it back, Snape handed Naito the potion and said, "Take a sip of this now and save some of it for later if you start feeling bad again."
"I will, sir, and thank you."
Snape said nothing until they were almost out the door.
"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you Mr. Koori, if you could make your way up to his office, the password is 'Twisty Treats'," the Potion Master said with obvious distaste.
Naito nodded.
It was not but a few minutes later that Naito had reached the Headmaster's office and was knocking on the door, seeking entrance.
"Enter," called a soft voice from inside.
"Hello, Naito," Dumbledore said when Naito had stepped fully into the office, waving a hand to indicate that Naito should sit down.
Naito inclined his head and sat in the proffered seat, but did not say anything.
"I invited you to come and see me today, to ascertain how you are adjusting to your new milieu."
Naito sighed quietly, donning his innocent child persona to appeal to Dumbledore.
"It's ok so far, I guess. I really like being here. It's everything I've dreamed and more..."
"But?"
Naito's gaze traveled down to his shoes as he replied, "But I haven't really been able to make friends. I mean, Draco and I get on alright, but I don't know if I think of him as a friend really. Hermione invited me to that DA club and it was really interesting the two times I've been, but Hermione just seems a bit...distant. She was much friendlier on the train before I was sorted into Slytherin.
"When I came here, I didn't think the different houses would make much of a difference, but, apparently, they do. No one wants to be friends with a Slytherin, but no one in Slytherin is interested in making friends either, only allies or...well, lackeys basically.
"They don't care about the relationship that forms between friends; they just want to be able to get something out of the other person or be controlling."
Naito sighed again more audibly before finally meeting the Headmaster's sapphire orbs, which twinkled with an inner light.
"It's just frustrating sometimes, I guess, but, well...you go with what you've got..."
Naito trailed off, looking entreatingly at the Headmaster while the Professor sat back and steepled his fingers in front of him on the desk as he gazed at Naito as if to figure him out.
Dumbledore appeared to be thinking over what he had said (and more importantly—what he had not). It took a moment before the Headmaster said anything, but Naito waited patiently, not shifting in his seat or looking away as most would under the steely stare of those piercing, ice-blue eyes.
"I'm sorry that you are having such a difficult time making friends, but if you want my advice I would suggest opening up a bit more. They may not be so distant with you if you did not act the same way toward them. It is rather difficult after all to make friends—friends that you can really trust—with someone that keeps so many secrets and does not let their true self be revealed."
Why that bloody, meddling, old COOT! How dare he! Of course, he knows I'm spying on him, I should have seen this coming, Naito silently fumed.
Outwardly, Naito gave a slight nod and a wisp of a smile, saying, "Thank you for your advice, Professor, I'll be sure to think on it. If that is all?"
Naito trailed off on the last sentence; receiving a nod of approval, he rose from his seat and started for the door.
Before he had even taken two steps forward, a blinding pain seared across his forehead, sending him to his knees with its ferocity, as he clapped his hands to his head as if to ease the burning. A groan escaped him before he could check it, but Naito bit his lip to keep from crying out again as the Headmaster rushed over to his student who was obviously in pain.
"Naito? What's wrong, my boy? Are you alright?"
No, I'm not bloody alright! Would you be alright if it felt like someone had tied a heated piece of metal to your head! Naito thought, but did not open his mouth for fear of showing weakness by letting a pitiful whimper get past his defenses.
The burning sensation on his forehead grew sharper in pitch until Naito was afraid he would pass out and somehow he knew that somewhere his master was not very happy with someone and was probably casting the Cruciatus Curse on them.
Using the Occlumency he had learned from Voldemort, Naito managed to push the external influence from his mind.
After a moment or two, the pain receded to a dull throb, leaving a painful headache in its wake. It was then, that Naito became aware of his surroundings and noticed that Dumbledore had been whispering encouraging words in his ear and rubbing his back, and had been for quite some time.
Naito groaned mentally, Voldemort would certainly be displeased with him if he ever found out his protégé had shown weakness such as this in front of anyone, his mortal enemy no less!
When it became apparent to the Headmaster that his student was regaining his senses, Dumbledore asked, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
Naito looked up blearily, his eyes clouded and unfocused, but his voice was steady and unwavering in his reply (even if his speech seemed a bit thick), "I'm fine, my head just started hurting is all. 'Think I'll go lay down for a while."
It was as if a candle had been lit inside Dumbledore's mind as he recalled several instances with one young boy that suffered sever headaches.
Dumbledore nodded, pulling the boy's hands away from his head, expecting to see a peculiar shaped scar on his forehead. Naito gazed at the ancient wizard in confusion, wondering what he was doing, but Dumbledore gave nothing away, except the twinkling of his eyes seemed to have dimmed a bit.
Despite the fact that he knew contrary, Albus could not give up the hope that his poor, beaten-down student (or former student) was still alive and well. He was grasping at straws and he knew it, but he could not help but wonder what that little display had been. An ugly suspicion was creeping up on him, one that Albus Dumbledore hoped would be in err.
For if it was true, Harry Potter would have been residing and training with Voldemort for over a year.
Shaking his head and pushing away ridiculous notions Dumbledore helped Naito up and sent him on his way, but he could not help the lingering doubt that nibbled at his subconscious mind.
Naito, on the other hand, was wondering what the brief flash of emotion that appeared on the Headmaster's face had been about. Deciding to worry about it later and figure out what had happened in the office, Naito made his way down the spiral staircase from the Headmaster's office only to run across a man in shabby robes and gray tinged hair. His face was careworn and he seemed to carry himself as if the entire world had fallen out from under him.
A smile lit his face when he saw Naito, although the boy could detect a hint of caution in his stance and reluctance in his expression. This man neither worked at the school, nor came by often. His appearance seemed vaguely familiar and Naito guessed he was a member of the Order though he did not recall seeing him at the last meeting.
Of course, he could have been off on some mission for Dumbledore, but it appeared that his visit was triggered by some important and/or urgent Order business. Naito merely nodded at the man and continued on his way before the man could start talking to him. Hopefully he could double back and transform in enough time to figure out what the man wanted to say to Dumbledore.
The man's nose flared as he walked by and Naito had to wonder at the startled, or more like shocked, expression that crossed his countenance before he visibly shook himself and proceeded up the spiral staircase clearly rattled.
When the man fully disappeared and it seemed that no one else was in sight, Naito transformed into a Billywig, twisting around in the air in a circular motion of flight, Naito zoomed up into the office he had just left so fast that neither occupant noticed his arrival.
Only Dumbledore's phoenix seemed to give any indication that it knew he was there as it stared at him with great intensity as he settled behind some of the odd trinkets Dumbledore kept.
Quickly changing his form to a beetle before the phoenix decided to eat him, Naito crawled into a small space where the crimson phoenix could not get him where he could watch and listen.
"Hello, Remus. How are you?" Dumbledore asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine, Albus. I just came to tell you what I've found out on my trip."
"What is that?"
"Voldemort's growing bolder. He's attacking more fiercely and these attacks aren't as random as he's been previously. He's looking for something, a book, or books, as three out of every four places he attacks have some type of magical library. It's obvious he's after specific information; I just thought I should let you know before I head back to Headquarters to turn in. I'm sorry I could not pinpoint what he's after, but that was all I could uncover."
"That is quite alright, Remus. You found out more than I thought and it was good of you to come to me after just getting back. I hope you rest well, my boy."
The one called Remus nodded and swept out of the room.
Naito was about to follow him until Severus Snape banged through the door, clearly agitated.
"Severus!" the Order of Phoenix leader said with a hint of surprise.
"What is the matter?"
"I've been called. I need to leave, did you talk to Naito?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And what, Severus?"
"How did he seem to you? What did he say? I got him to open up quite a bit to me last night as I've already told you."
Naito bristled as he heard that, growing angry at his teacher for betraying him for breaking his confidence. That was until he heard what the Headmaster said next.
"Yes, though you've still yet to tell me what all he said."
"That is not any of your concern at the moment, Albus. You needn't know what was discussed in fidelity, you only need to know of his change in position. I will not break confidences merely to satisfy your curiosity, Albus, just as I trust you to do with me."
"You are right, Severus, but it is hard to trust without proof."
"Yet, you continually ask the Order to trust me on your word only. Am I so untrustworthy myself?"
"Of course not, Severus, but one can never be too cautious now days."
"That is true. Now, you've yet to answer my question."
"Which question is that?"
"How-did-Naito-seem-to-you!" the Potion's Master ground out with gritted teeth, tired of the circular spin the conversation was following.
Dumbledore sighed, "He stayed guarded the whole time and practically begged me to make Hermione and Ron like him. I cannot help but become suspicious when we know Voldemort has ordered him to spy on us and is so obviously trying to do so through them."
"Very well, I will speak some more with him. I must go, Albus."
"Be safe, my boy."
Snape glared at the Headmaster for the last comment before sweeping from the room. This time, Naito followed the man out. Landing on his clothes, Naito hitched a ride to the Death Eater meeting.
A short hike down to the Apparation point passed the school wards and a quick Apparation later, and the two servant spies of the Dark Lord were with their master once again.
Jumping off Snape's shoulder as soon as they arrived, Naito fluttered a ways away and transformed into a black ferret before slinking unseen back to where the last of the Death Eaters were Apparating in.
Voldemort was pacing angrily in front of his servants, his strides swift and sharp, his piercing ruby eyes sweeping over all over those assembled and glaring at a few chosen lackeys that were already shivering in fear.
Once the Dark Lord was sure that he had amassed all of his chosen followers, his rant began.
His high-pitched voice coming out as a hissing whisper of breath that sent chills up the spines of everyone gathered.
"I am disappointed."
With those three simple words, many were cowering in terror, physically keeping themselves from backing away from their Lord.
"I have had you searching for the Orb of Souls for a year now and you have still not discovered its location. I am beginning to see now why it took you all thirteen years to come looking for me."
An imaginary wind swept through the crowd as many shivered and shifted nervously again.
"The truth is you are all incompetents! I send you out to perform simple, menial task and you bumble along like a group of idiots. I ask you to capture Harry Potter, you let him and his band of school children get away when handed to you on a silver platter. I ask you to attack a Muggle town and find a book, you blow up half the library in a zealous attempt to 'please me' as you put it!"
Voldemort paused momentarily to let the full effect of his words sink in before shouting, "Crabbe, Goyle, Lucius, Bella, and Zibani..."
Voldemort continued calling out names, but Naito did not know who they were; he was happy to note that his minder's name had not been called, nor had Snape. All those that were indicated stepped forward before the Dark Lord and knelt down on the ground at his feet.
Voldemort looked down on them, his expression stern and pitiless, promising pain for failure to comply with their master's wishes in the way that was asked or expected of them.
Knowing what was going to happen, Naito winced inwardly, feeling sorry for them in a way, as he could relate.
"Crucio," the word was thrown out in a hissing breath full of malice and hate and Naito knew Voldemort would not let those under it up in just a few seconds. The man, or snake, or monster, whatever Tom Riddle was, was clearly displeased and it showed.
His body language and tone of voice spoke volumes more than his words did, unless you counted the one that had half of his servants on the ground crying out in pain.
It was whole minutes before Voldemort let any of his lackeys crawl shakily to their feet, kiss the hem of his robes, and return to the semicircle around their master as they swayed with the wind.
When Voldemort stopped silently fuming, he called out instructions, "Severus, I want you to check in the restricted section and even the regular section of the library at that blasted school for books on ancient artifacts! Whatever you find, I want you to bring directly to me!"
"Ganmou, I want you to speak with the goblins at Gringotts, find any that might help us and ask them if there are any books pertaining to the object I'm looking for!"
"Lucius, get in touch with your allies at the Ministry and see what they can dig up!"
Some others that had not yet been found out as being Death Eaters were given similar instructions, but what interested Naito most was what Voldemort issued after that.
First he called together Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, Antonin Dolohov, and some other trusted followers that had not already been given assignments. Then he cast a silencing charm around them so that what he had planned would not be overheard.
Luckily, Naito had been hiding in the shadows near where the Dark Lord was standing and was able to hear everything they discussed.
"Dumbledore is planning a trip to Hogsmeade for his students in October before Halloween. That old coot still believes that they are safe as long as they are in 'his' domain, but I want to prove to him there is no such thing as his territory. We are going to attack the students that go on this little exertion and make a mess of the Hogsmeade area to make a point to that Muggle-loving fool that nowhere is safe."
"Bella, I want you to plan the attack, let me know what you come up with. I want those brats Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in my grasp. Capture them and I'll be able to bring Naito back to where he belongs. I don't like the idea of him in Dumbledore's grasp. I want him back here where I can keep an eye on him.
Lucius tells me that the boy had nothing to report when he went to see what Naito had found out. Either the boy is lying or he is not as good of a spy as I had originally thought. Either way, I want to get him back here soon so there is no way of anyone discovering who he really is. If we lose the boy, it could very well spell our downfall."
"I will not fail you, Master," cooed Bellatrix Lestrange, her eyes lighting up with an insane glint.
"Good. See that it is so."
With that, he displaced the Silencing Charm and turned back to face the others.
Unfortunately, Naito did not get to find out what was said as Nagini came up behind him. Naito managed to jump out of the way just in time as Voldemort's pet snake struck.
Oh no! Oh no! OH NO! The voice inside Naito's head cried. Voldemort's surely going to notice the commotion any minute!
Twice more, Naito had to avoid Nagini as she lunged at him. Quickly, before anyone could notice what was going on, Naito sprinted out of his hiding spot and launched himself into the hole Nagini had used to enter the throne room of Voldemort's Headquarters, the snake hot on his trail.
His front just barely fit in the hole and he had to use his Metamorphmagus abilities to shrink himself to fit, costing him a precious few seconds and allowing Nagini to catch up to him.
She wrapped her tail around his middle, squeezing the breath out of him so that he let out a squeak of dismay. He thrashed within her grip so that she squeezed harder, suffocating him.
He squeaked some more and began clawing and scratching at her, but nothing he did made her let go of him.
He finally made one last, desperate swipe at her head and managed to claw at her glittering eye. She immediately dropped him and coiled into herself. Wasting no time, Naito squirmed out of the hole and down the hall, never noticing the glittering black eyes of one of the Death Eaters on him.
It was not long until Nagini regained her senses and was enraged enough to follow Naito into the room he had trapped himself in.
Seeing no other way out, Naito changed back into his regular self and began hissing at Nagini in Parseltongue.
"Nagini! Stop trying to eat me!"
The snake stopped in surprise as she flicked out her tongue to taste the air around her and find out that it truly was her master's apprentice that stood in front of her.
"What is it that you are doing here?"
Thinking up a quick lie, Naito replied, "I came to see your master! I wanted to talk to him, but I did not wish to do so where all of his followers might hear us!"
"Very well, snake-child, I will let him know you wish to speak with him alone, stay here."
Naito's eyes widened and he hissed a fierce, "No, Nagini! Wait!"
But she had already left the room to summon her master.
Oh man! I am in SO much trouble!
Hastily Naito tried to think of a good reason why he needed to speak to Voldemort without any of his Death Eaters around. He came up with nothing; Naito wracked his brain, trying to dreg up a plan, but Voldemort came in and he still drew a blank.
I am in SO MUCH TROUBLE! He was already mad before this! Occlumency shield!
"Naito, Nagini says you wished to speak with me. Have you discovered what Dumbledore is up to? Have you yet managed to get inside the Order?"
"Um...well, not yet. I just-"
"Crucio!"
Naito let out an ear-piercing shriek as the curse struck him and he fell to the floor, convulsing in the throws of the Cruciatus Curse. Thankfully, it lasted only a second and Naito was able to scramble to his feet and reclaim a little of his lost dignity.
"What other reason could you have to come here and risk Dumbledore finding out where you have been?"
"I thought you called me!"
The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What makes you say that?"
Remembering what had happened in Dumbledore's office, Naito said, "I felt something...a sharp pain in my forehead and I could tell that you were angry. I did not know what it was so I thought you might have called me."
"And you could not appear before the other Death Eaters if you thought I had called you why?"
Occlumency shield!
"Well, that's not how you usually contact me. I mean, I know you haven't marked me yet, but you usually have some other way of letting me know when you want me. You know, like when you send someone to tell me, but I figured that was how the Dark Mark on your Death Eaters arms worked and guessed that might be your new way of contacting me while I was at Hogwarts. And since you didn't send someone to get me, I figured you probably only wanted to speak to me alone so I told Nagini to get you."
Aware that he was becoming discursive, Naito brought his story to a close.
A tense silence hung between them that was nearly palpable and Naito almost let out a sigh of relief when the Dark Lord spoke again.
"When you had this feeling in your head, Naito, did you see anything?"
"See anything? What do you mean?"
"When you felt pain in your head, did you have any sort of vision with it? Did you see anything?"
"Um...no, I put up and Occlumency shield to block the pain out and it went away."
"Hm...very good. If you feel anything like this again, draw up your Occlumency shield like you did before; it is not my 'new method of calling you' as you put it. Now get back to Hogwarts and do your job or I'll be forced to take drastic measures to make sure you can never go back!"
"Yes, Master," Naito murmured and bent down to kiss the hem of his robes.
Voldemort smirked down at him and ran a hand tenderly through his hair. Naito suppressed a shiver at the touch.
Get your hands off of me you slimy snake!
"Now go, my young snake. And make sure those band of phoenix don't eat you up."
Ugh! Where had he come up with that
"Yes, Master."
"And be sure to find out what that Muggle-loving fool knows."
"Yes, Master."
With a swish of his robes, Naito Apparated to the room next door and turned back into a Billywig, circumspectly following the Dark Lord back into his throne room and over to where Snape stood where he turned once more into a beetle and settled on the Potion Master's robes.
Voldemort did not keep his Death Eaters much longer after that, and soon, Naito was riding back to Hogwarts on Snape's cloak.
I think I'm beginning to appreciate just what it is that Snape does. Sheesh, how does he keep this double role thing up? And I'm not even reporting information back to anybody!
With a jolt, Naito realized Snape had made it to the Headmaster's office and was giving him a detailed report of everything he had witnessed.
"Welcome back, Severus. You are well I trust?" the Headmaster's voice seemed a bit off when he said that, almost as if he were concerned for Snape and trying not to show it.
"Yes, I was not punished, however, there were several that were not lucky enough to escape the Dark Lord's wrath."
No kidding!
"What happened, Severus?"
"Apparently, he had some of his Inner Circle Death Eaters attack a Muggle town to find a book only to have them blow up most of the literature in order to terrorize Muggles for sport. Needless to say he was not pleased.
"Some of his best lieutenants were held under the Cruciatus Curse for at least three minutes because of it."
"Whatever it is that he's looking for must be important to him," commented Dumbledore.
"Yes, he let it slip that he is looking for the Orb of Souls. Do you know what it is, Albus?" Severus asked when the ancient wizard gave an audible gasp.
"Indeed I do."
Naito heart sped up; he was finally going to find out what the Orb of Souls was!
"Will you tell me?"
"Alas, I do not believe that would be a wise course of action."
"Why not? You know my Occlumency shield has not yet been penetrated by the Dark Lord."
The fact that Snape sounded a bit hurt at the Professors reluctance of sharing information.
"You are not the problem, Severus."
"Then what is?"
"The very walls have ears, my boy."
"Are you suggesting...?"
"Perhaps. I am quite curious about our new student. I believe he has more to hide than we have at first believed."
Snape stiffened at that and said, "Sir, while we were in the meeting, I noticed the Dark Lord's snake acting oddly."
"Oddly? How so?"
"It was attacking something. I caught a glimpse of it before it ran out the hole Nagini uses to get into the room. It looked like a black ferret. Perhaps Naito is an Animagus?"
"Hm..."
Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Maybe. We will have to keep a sharp eye out."
"Actually, I would think it was Draco Malfoy, but from what I've heard, his ferret form was white."
Dumbledore seemed to chuckle at that, but Naito was completely confused; although things became a bit clearer when he seemed to fall back into the past once more.
Malfoy's face went slightly pink.
"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."
"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," said a voice that sounded suspiciously like his own.
BANG!
Several people screamed—Naito felt something white-hot graze the side of his face—he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he'd even touched it, he heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall.
"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"
Naito spun around. A grizzly haired man with a revolving eyeball was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing.
There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody (Naito finally recognized the retired Auror from the Order) was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Naito—at least, his normal eye was looking at Naito; the other one was pointing into the back of his head.
"Did he get you?" Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly.
"No," said Naito, "missed."
"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted..
"Leave—what?" Naito said, bewildered.
"Not you—him!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody's rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head.
Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons.
"I don't think so!" roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again—it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more.
"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," growled moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do..."
The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly.
"Never—do—that—again—" said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again.
"Professor Moody!" said a shocked voice.
Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books.
"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher.
"What—what are you doing?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the ferret's progress through the air.
"Teaching," said Moody.
"Teach—Moody, is that a student?" shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms.
"Yep," said Moody.
"No!" cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet wincing.
Naito shook himself, that vision had been intense. He had recognized more of the people in it and clearly identified one of the familiar, but unknown voices as his own. Man, he hated it when these things just attacked him like that!
"I did not know you had been amused at that display."
Snape snorted lightly, "I just did not like Mad-Eye, or should I say, Barty Crouch, doing what I had felt like doing ever since Draco came to school. Of course, I would have done it differently, but it definitely took Draco down a peg or so."
"Yes, I do believe it did. Now, what else happened at the meeting, Severus?"
"Well, basically, he issued us all orders to search for books containing ancient artifacts. He told me to search through the Hogwarts library, both the regular and restricted sections to see what I could find.
"Lucius is supposed to contact some people at the Ministry and that Japan Potion's Master, Ganmou, is supposed to find some Gringotts goblins that are willing to work for the Dark Lord and figure out what they have."
Dumbledore heaved a heavy sigh and said, "Is that all?"
"Well, I did find it peculiar that after Nagini chased the ferret out, she came back in and told the Dark Lord something that caused him to leave. When he came back he seemed to be mulling over something and was not quite as angry as he had been before. He dismissed us all shortly after that."
"Very well, Severus. Thank you for doing this."
Snape nodded and rose, heading for the door until a weary voice from behind him stopped him.
"Be careful, Severus. It would not do for us to lose you."
"Of course, Headmaster."
And with that, the Potion's Master swept out of the room, leaving a tired old magician to ponder over the troubles of the world.
(To Be Continued…)
A/N- Whew! That has got to be my longest chapter ever! It basically wrote itself! 15 pages is really good for me! Although about a page of it came from the 4th book itself...but that was still really good for me! I hope you all enjoyed it!
Coming Up: A trip to Hogsmeade is never complete unless there is plenty of action involved, and you can bet our favorite main character will see lots of it in Chapter 9: Fight or Flight
Review Responses:
AshenWolf: Thank you! I'm so glad you like my story and the way I portray my characters! I do try, but sometimes they get away from me, if you know what I mean. I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!
tempusfugit3: Actually, Naito is Harry...if you remember the end of the second chapter, I believe, Harry's given a potion that takes away his memories, making it the perfect opportunity for Voldemort to give him a nudge in a different direction. Yes, I did think the spying on each other was sort of comical in a strangely ironic way. Dumbledore was mostly confused and wondering how Harry could have died if the Prophecy basically said Voldemort was the only one that could kill him. And as you can see, I've made Voldemort out to be not much of a potion brewer and thus hires Potion Master's to work for him instead! I don't hate constructive criticism, I know to use the thing about the comma, it's just that sometimes I get so excited w/what I'm writing that I get in a big hurry and make mistakes that I look over...
Willow Evenstar: I love you! Thank you SOOO much for reviewing all of my chapters! You are the most awesomest person ever! Yeah, I know my Draco is a little OOC, but I account it to the fact that we only ever see him from a bad POV. I mean, we don't really know what he's like when he's w/his friends, not withstanding that moment in COS when Harry and Ron pose as Crabbe and Goyle. Naito's been finding out things about his past life in all the flashbacks he's been getting, but he doesn't remember everything until...lessee...chap 16? I wager...I made an outline for this story, but I've decided to change one thing so the chapters might be a little messed up.
becky: I'm glad I haven't managed to scare you off! I guess that means I'm doing my job of being entertaining. I hope you'll continue to stick with me as I have no intention of quitting this story.
MagicmanSmokegirl: Yay! My friends! (whistles) Wow...I think I already emailed you what I thought about you're rant so I won't bother to repeat it here. (laughs at mental image of Ron becoming bloated)
Suki Itachi: Thank you so much! (squeals as well) (glomps)
LadayoftheWood: (lol) (shakes head) How is your poetry notebook coming along? Mine's ok, but my pics have been deteriorating cuz I'm getting bored w/drawing all the pics...
Hazel-Beka: Trust you two to notice my OOC's...sheesh, can't I slip anything by you! Yeah, as you can tell, that chapter gave me a bit of trouble...the characters just didn't want to behave.
I'd like to thank my beta reader Jin Cheng for doing such a good job and helping me write this chapter! You did a great job Jin Cheng! I love you, Jin Cheng!