Harry Potter and the Mind Mage
By James Milamber
A/N: Well, erm…this isn't what I wanted to write at all! This was supposed to happen at the Ball…oh well. Hope this works for you all anyway.
Zith is the pet snake of Sadi, Chief Eunuch of Nyissa, in the Mallorean series by the illustrous David and Leigh Eddings. Full points to everyone who recognised the reference. Half points to anyone who said it was from D&D, because there is a Zith in that too. It's not a small green snake with a red stripe, though.
Fortunately for Harry, Malfoy was fine after a brief stop in the Hospital wing. Much to everyone's delight, he was now terrified of Harry and would stop talking immediately if he entered the same room, and would get a look on his face rather reminiscent of a rabbit caught in the headlights of a truck. Clearly he was taking Harry's threat very seriously.
Hermione had not attempted to speak to Harry about his actions, and for that he was grateful. Ron only said that he would have done the same thing in Harry's position, and added several derogatory comments about Malfoy. Evidently they had informed Isabelle of Harry's meeting with Godric Gryffindor, and several times through the week he caught the Slytherin watching him with a thoughtful expression on her face.
The following weekend Harry, Ginny, Alex and Isabelle went robe shopping. Madam Malkin had set up a room off the Entrance Hall to look exactly like her shop in Diagon Alley.
Alex and Isabelle immediately vanished, both talking excitedly about robes they had seen and what they wanted to get, leaving Harry and Ginny alone. Their relationship was still a little awkward after what had been dubbed 'the Forest Incident', something about which James was clearly not very happy. All week Harry had been getting painful twinges in his scar, accompanied by brief flashes of emotions that didn't belong to him. He hadn't told Ginny about this, of course; he didn't want her to think he was trying to pressure her into anything.
They wandered about for a while, looking at the many styles of dress robes for sale. Harry couldn't really feel very enthusiastic about shopping. Just this morning he had woken screaming from a nightmare involving Voldemort torturing a room full of Muggles while his Death Eaters watched. The story had been confirmed in this morning's Prophet, although the only person that knew the whole story was Ron, who had been the only one still in the dorm at the time, and Harry had sworn him to secrecy.
For her part, Ginny was still feeling miserable. She didn't know what had caused this sudden depression that had descended over her like a dark cloud, but ever since her fight with Harry she had been feeling like she wanted the ground to just reach up and swallow her whole. Her teachers were growing alarmed at the sudden drop in her grades; Professor Milton in particular was concerned for her wellbeing. She had dark circles under her eyes, and she seemed almost lifeless, not at all her usual energetic self. Harry had watched in horror as she had slid deeper and deeper into a hole she could not get herself out of, and he had no idea what to do.
'Maybe we just shouldn't go,' Ginny said finally as they neared the back of the room. She lifted the sleeve of a robe listlessly, then let it drop.
'Not go?' Harry asked incredulously. 'What do you mean?'
Ginny sighed heavily, but said nothing. Her head drooped, and her eyes fluttered as if she were struggling to stay awake. Harry would have been offended if she hadn't been like this for the whole week.
'Ginny!' Harry grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. 'Snap out of it, will you?'
Her head came up sharply, and Harry was horrified to be once again looking into the serpentine eyes of Lord Voldemort. They were only there for an instant, as almost immediately they changed back into the dull eyes Harry had been gazing into all week.
'Ginny?' Harry asked cautiously, placing one hand against her cheek. She just stared at him, her eyes glassy and unseeing. Her head cocked to the side as if she were listening to something, and she nodded ever so slightly. Suddenly her eyes were clear, rational, and an animal snarl escaped her throat. Harry leapt backwards with an oath as she jumped at him, her hands extended and going for his neck. He tried to get his wand but she grabbed his hand and bit down on his wrist, making him scream with pain as she severed tendons. The Basilisk was confused, he could tell. It didn't know whether to attack or stay silent as the one it perceived as mate attacked it's charge.
Zith, who had been sleeping wrapped around Harry's left arm, suddenly leapt from under Harry's sleeve and wrapped her body around Ginny's neck, forcing her to release Harry's arm and try to dislodge the snake. With his left hand Harry dove under his robes for his wand, leveling it at Ginny to Stun her only to have her foot come up and kick his hand sharply, sending the wand spinning end over end into a pile of discarded dress robes.
He tried to grab her and hold her, but with his mangled wrist this proved to be impossible. She caught his right arm as he tried to wrap it around her, her fingernails seeking and finding his injury. Harry almost blacked out from pain as she savagely dug the wound deeper, and he let out an anguished scream.
There was a rapid tattoo of running feet, and suddenly Ginny was pulled off him. Alex and Isabelle managed to hold her still between them while another student ran to get Madam Pomphrey and Dumbledore. Ginny hissed like a cat at her captors, struggling to throw them off, but neither would budge. Harry sat nursing his wrist, rocking backward and forward and only dimly aware of his surroundings.
Finally Dumbledore entered the room, banishing the racks of robes to the walls with a wave of his wand. He strode quickly across the room and knelt beside Ginny, who screeched and tried harder than ever to escape. Ron and Hermione were with the Headmaster, and they immediately went to Harry, sitting him up and supporting him.
'She is possessed,' Dumbledore said flatly, his wand coming to rest against her forehead. Ginny screamed again, this time in pain, and even through the haze filling his mind Harry wanted to run and comfort her. He fought weakly against the hands holding him up, but Ron and Hermione held him firmly. He felt someone binding his wrist and had to fight not to scream himself.
Ginny was thrashing wildly, trying to escape, but Dumbledore's hand was steady as he held the wand tip over her forehead, which was now glowing with blue light. Ginny's screams were growing weaker, and finally she collapsed against Alex, who had been holding her up from behind. The scream continued, however, now coming from the empty air above her head. As it had in Hogsmeade, the scream faded into the distance, finally dying altogether.
Harry stayed conscious long enough to see Alex and Isabelle hoisting Ginny's body up between them before he too felt blackness overtake him.
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Ginny's return to consciousness was a slow, painful process. She was aware of sounds before anything else, although she wished she wasn't. The slightest whisper sounded like a thunderclap next to her ear. She tried to remember where she was, and how she got there. She figured she was in the Hospital wing, that was easy to pick…but how? She drifted off into a restless doze still pondering this question.
When she awoke again it was night. Her eyes fluttered open automatically, although she immediately squinted them shut again. A memory came to her, distinct and clear: when she had been possessed by Voldemort, and woken up afterwards, and Harry had sealed all the windows shut so the light didn't hurt her eyes. She had heard later that it had taken Dumbledore himself a whole day to break Harry's spell.
The words Voldemort and possessed floated through her mind, but she ignored them. There had to be a good reason why she was here. Perhaps she had fallen down some stairs and had a concussion? But her head didn't hurt…
When her eyes finally adjusted to the dim light from the stars and crescent moon she ventured to open them again. The first thing she noticed was Harry, sitting in a chair beside her bed and loosely holding her hand. His eyes were open, and he was watching her intently.
'Hey Ginny,' he said softly, his fingers caressing hers. He raised his left hand to brush a strand of hair from her face, and she caught sight of Zith wrapped around his wrist. But what was that ugly scar…?
Suddenly it hit her. As if she were seeing through the eyes of another she saw herself attack Harry, and biting his wrist. She gasped as she watched herself, almost as if someone had hit the rewind button and played it through again.
'Dumbledore says it was when we were in the forest,' Harry said, his voice so low Ginny barely heard. 'That's when Voldemort…when he…' Harry's throat constricted as he tried to speak, and he felt close to tears. Ginny's eyes widened in horror as she realised what had happened.
'No…' she whispered, shaking her head slightly. 'No, it can't be…what have I done?' She closed her eyes tightly to ward off the tears she knew were coming.
'It was off Hogwarts grounds,' Harry managed to say, turning his face away from her and gazing out the window unseeingly. 'It was outside the wards, so you weren't protected.' He was silent a moment, then said unexpectedly, 'It's all my fault.'
Ginny's head snapped up, and she looked at him incredulously. She had expected him to blame her for everything, not himself, and his unexpected comment caught her off guard. 'What?' she finally asked, thinking she'd heard wrong.
'It's all my fault,' Harry repeated, still refusing to look at her. 'If I hadn't lost my temper you would never have been outside the wards and this would never have happened.' His left fist clenched reflexively, and Ginny felt his other hand tighten it's grip on her own.
'Don't be silly,' Ginny sighed, laying her head back on the pillows. 'It's my stupid fault for being possessed in the first place. If I wasn't stupid enough to write in Tom's diary all year…'
'Yes, but I'm the one who took you outside the wards so he could get you,' Harry said, obviously determined to take the blame. Ginny smiled sadly.
'How about we just say it was both our faults and leave it at that?' she asked, and was surprised when Harry chuckled weakly.
'What a pair we make,' he said, finally turning to face her. Ginny could see unshed tears standing out in his emerald eyes. 'I think we may as well just buy this place,' he said, waving his free hand to encompass the room. 'We spend more time here than any other students. This is, what, three times this year one of us has been unconscious in here? This is only the sixth week of classes!'
Ginny giggled, and Harry was immensely relieved to hear something he hadn't for far too long. He reached forward and wrapped his arms around her, and felt her own arms slide around his neck. They clung tightly to each other for a long time, each soothed by the other's presence. The world faded away, and all thoughts of Voldemort or possession faded with it. There was only them, two beings entwined together by bonds beyond the understanding of either.
Nothing else mattered.
Forgotten on the end of the bed, a small green snake lay watching the two teens as Harry climbed into bed with Ginny and they both fell asleep, locked in each other's arms. Zith's forked tongue tasted the air and found the odor of reconciled love pleasant. She hissed softly in satisfaction, coiling herself into a loop and settling down for the night. As she herself drifted off to sleep, she began to purr softly.
A/N: Sorry folks, but I'm feeling dramatic. I have no idea where the biting thing came from…although I have just finished playing R.E. Zero again, so that might be it…
Angelord: No boxers over pants, don't worry. And don't even get me started on Soccer…
Nahar: favorite story? Now I know you're exaggerating. Thanks anyway, though.
Rednal29: So much stuff here I can't respond to all of it…oh well. Thanks for the reviews!
Ava: That's a very good point, I never noticed that before. Hmm…
Pegasus: All I can say is that you have excellent taste.
IndigoRose: I can handle the fact that you're "a bit poo" at some sports, everyone is. What I can't handle is that THE POMS INVENTED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE! Sheesh…
weirdsister: I couldn't resist putting in some "Australianisms". Far too few stories have them, I reckon…
Whimsical Firefly: Nothing wrong with an Irish accent. And just because we're in with NO CHANCE for the cup doesn't mean you have to bring sheep into it (what the hell, go for it). I know several NZ'ers who are going to get the hell heckled out of them tomorrow…
Mistriss-Genari: Nice to know I've piqued your interest. As to Harry controlling his emotions, it's a little more complicated than that. You'll see.
AutumnHeart: I'm not saying anything. But, anything could happen (and frequently does…)
twins-rule: No that you mention it, maybe Kheldar and Liselle can make a cameo…or maybe more…they were my favorite characters too, but I'd have to get them just right. Could work…
Larna Mandrea: That's the first time I've got THAT response. Cheers for the food, by the way. Sorry, but the position of selfish brat has already been taken by my sister, so looks like you're out of a job…lol
Melindaleo: As usual, you see right to the heart of matters…
David305: Smartass ;)
gpotter: (gags)
siriusblack08: Where are these spelling mistakes, exactly? Aussies spell lots of words differently, mind you.
sunni07: Sorry, but the country that gave the world George W Shrub is NOT the best. And again I say, don't get me started on Soccer…(coughs something that sounds remarkable like "pansy") Cricket and Rugby are the ONLY sports that are worthwhile.
