A/N: Good news everyone!I got my computer back! The damn power pack gave out and I've been sharing with my parents and sister for the last two weeks! But now I'm back! Thanks for all the reviews and for that mistake I made ( you know who pointed it out, I'll fix it later).
Chapter Twenty-Four: Lock down
Snape and Malfoy Sr. quickly threw off their shock at another blatant attempt at murder, grabbed their wands and surrounded Harry.
"Come, Potter we have to get to the Headmaster's office quickly."
Harry nodded and pulled out his own wand. He shouldn't rely too much on his Elemental Veela powers all the time.
Lucius had gathered all of Harry's dive-bombing books with a quick spell when Harry noticed his hands were still shaking. Get a grip, Potter! Voldemort has been trying to kill you since before you were born! Now is not the time to fall apart!
They reached the gargoyle in record time, Snape whispering the password (snickers) with a brief look around before ushering them all up the rotating steps.
The ride seemed to take forever but when they finally arrived, Snape walked in without knocking. Dumbledore looked up, and for the first time, Harry saw a startled look cross his face before it was replaced with a calm mask.
The old wizard opened his mouth to ask what the problem was but Snape cut him off, his voice urgent.
"Make the signal, Albus. Another attempt has just been made."
At these words, Dumbledore stood suddenly and nodded at Fawkes. With a cry of what sounded to Harry like fear, the phoenix disappeared in a burst of flames.
A loud clank made all occupants of the office jump as glowing metal bars settled down over the windows, the door knob clicking after being locked and the fire suddenly dying in the grate. All exits or in an outsider's case entrances were sealed.
Dumbledore looked over everything carefully before settling his knowing blue eyes on the young Gryffindor in front of him.
"Harry, I need you to tell me what happened."
Harry inhaled a shaky breath. Although he loathe to admit it, his hands were still shaking, if only he'd let go of the armrests of his chair.
"I accidentally left my books in the Hospital Wing after Healing this morning. I was going back to get them when someone pushed me off the seventh floor."
"Why were you alone? You know someone tried to kill you this summer." Lucius had a peculiar look on his face, one Harry couldn't place.
"The stairs moved and blocked everyone off from me. WhenI had gotten my books and went back to the stairs they moved again."
Snape gave Harry an odd look and he finally placed the emotion that was etched on all the men's faces. Concern. For Harry. Dumbledore's concern Harry could understand, both of them having a relationship that was far more than just Headmaster and pupil, but Snape and Malfoy?
A sudden longing to have Draco there with him overcame Harry. His mate understood all this Slytheirn secrecy far better than Harry did. Was Draco even alright? Did his friends keep him safe, locked away in the charms classroom?
Dumbledore seemed to sense his worry and gave him a reassuring smile.
"I'm sure young Mr. Malfoy is just fine. When Fawkes has returned, I shall send for him. Now Harry, was there anything different about the stairs moving this second time? Anything at all?"
Harry felt some of the tension leave him at Dumbledore's words and tried to focus on the questions. Was it different the last time?
"It sort of shook, like it was straining against something." Harry realized now that he thought back. It was strange for the stairs to move again so quickly. "It moved like something other than Hogwarts was making it move."
Dumbledore stroked his beard and said quietly, "That's because there was."
Fawkes chose that moment to return. Dumbledore looked at his faithful companion for a few moments, something passing between them that no one else could imagine before the wizened man nodded his head in approval.
"Everyone is secure in their classes, the library was empty and only Mr. Longbottom was in the Hospital Wing, having had an accident on the way to the Gryffindor Common Rooms."
Harry sighed but felt disappointed.A killer was still out there, getting pretty desperate now, if they were willing to opening push him off the steps where anyone could have seen. And he or she obviously wasn't fussed with killing off as many others as was necessary to get the Boy-Who-Lived.
Looking at his hands, Harry saw the tie still clenched tightly in his fist. The colors mocked him, betraying his confidence in the loyalty of his House mates.
Without looking up, Harry raised the article of clothing to show Dumbledore, his voice emotionless as he spoke.
"I tore this off the person who pushed me. It really is a Gryffindor. A Slytheirn wouldn't be caught dead in this and it's obvious who is in what house so a disguise is just plain stupid."
Dumbledore nodded but looked at his two former spies instead.
"I'm sure you're both worried about Draco. You should go and bring him here while Harry and I have a chat."
Lucius sighed a relieved sigh and quickly rose and started at the door. Snape nodded once at both Harry and Dumbledore before leaving as well.
Harry felt that this would be one of those chats they had that would make him suspicious and scared of shadows for the next couple of days.
"Harry, I hate to ask this, but is there anyone, anyone at all, who could possibly be this murderer? Someone who may seem to be unimportant may be all we need."
Harry rubbed his eyes, frustrated. "No there isn't. There can't be. My closest friends are Ron and Hermione. Ginny is next and then Neville and Luna Lovegood. Why, it isn't Colin Creevey or someone like that, is it?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, both Creeveys failed to come back this year. Their parents have pulled them out of Hogwarts. I suppose you did have other things on your mind that night."
Harry blushed. To be honest he didn't notice that his camera-clicking shadow-wanna-be was missing. Harry could really do without him to be painfully truthful but Colin deserved to learn magic just as much as the next person.
"I will cancel the rest of today's classes. Once you've seen Draco I suggest you go talk to Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. They will be awfully worried. Am I right to assume you have yet to tell them of your relationship with Draco?"
Harry nodded. "Ginny's reaction is up in the open really. Hermione will flip before thinking it through and accepting it but Ron...he may never accept this. He is just so stubborn and ...unforgiving!I hate that about him. And he's my best friend. What ifI have to choose between them?"
Dumbledore smiled sadly as he lent forward and gently patted Harry's hand.
"A true friend would never make you choose. Draco would not as well. You're relationship has been a breath of fresh air for a man who has seen so much bitterness and petty rivalries in his time. But remember the only difference between friendship and brotherhood is the genetics."
Pounding footsteps alerted them of Draco's arrival. The door busted open as the blond searched for Harry.
"Father told me what happened! When I find that miserable Gryffindor, I'll make him wish he had been sorted a Hufflepuff!"
Harry smiled tiredly at his mate, the anxious monster in his chest subsiding at Draco's closeness. The Slytheirn in Harry whispered that Draco was only doing this because he did not want to be responsible for a death of a fellow student while the Gryffindor and the Elemental Veela in him loudly protested that Draco really felt something for him. The same thing he, Harry, felt for the blond.
Dumbledore nodded at Fawkes again who disappeared.
"I'm informing the other teachers to let their students go now. Wait until they are finished and these three will accompany you to the Gryffindor Tower. Please brief your friends on what is happening and that you are okay Harry. Then go back to your rooms and stay with Sirius, Remus and Draco tonight. The person responsible for this might try again tonight.I should also call a staff meeting."
Draco cleared his throat. "My friends and I should be able to watch Harry until he is safe. Father and Uncle Severeus should stay here and inform mother what is happening."
Dumbledore nodded his consent and silenced Snape with a look.
"We have over looked one detail of all this. The murderer is a student. With four Slytheirns and an Elemental Veela, they will be fine. I need you here to help me with all the questions that will be asked.I am not all knowing you know."
Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him up. Once they left the office, Draco began to whisper non-stop.
"Pansy, Blaise, Theo and I all have this place where we meet when there's trouble. They'll be there right now. You're going to have to keep your talk with your friends short because us Slytheirns won't be welcome your territory at all."
Harry just nodded at his mate. Not hearing a verbal response, Draco stopped and pulled the Elemental Veela into a dark corner. He softly grabbed the sides of Harry's face and make the Gryffindor meet his eyes.
"We'll get this bastard, I swear. Once news gets out you've been attacked, won't your House mates stick by you through thick and thin and all that rot? With your House and my House on this, along with your godfathers and my parents and Severeus, Voldemort will be lucky to get a chance at you this year."
Harry still looked pale. He sighed and put his hand on the one Draco had placed on his right cheek, rubbing it slightly. Then he spoke.
"It's not just me I'm worried about. What if someone was with me this time too? I couldn't have saved them when I barley saved myself! It could have been Ron or... Hermione or, Merlin even you! I don't want to put you in danger any more than you already are."
Draco narrowed his eyes and huffed, annoyed. "You can't save everyone, Harry. We've already talked about this! Even if I wasn't your mate, Voldemort would still want me dead because I've spied against him."
Harry pulled Draco closer, wrapping his arms around the blond, he exhaled tiredly.
"I know but I can't help this. It's in my nature to worry about you. When it comes to me, Voldemort isn't exactly the most sane person to talk to. He's wanted me dead since before I was born."
"Well you're the only one who can kill him. I'd be wary of you too if I was him." Draco said and raised his eyebrow when Harry's head snapped up.
"What do you know about that? Better yet, what makes you think I can kill him? My mother's love saved me that night. Without her, I'd've been a greasy mark on the nursery of Godric's Hollow."
Draco pulled away slightly an gave Harry a skeptical look. "Then do tell, just what were you doing in the Hall of Prophecy this June? My father had to wait or your there and be thrown in jail for about a week after that little stunt. He said there's a prophecy there about the Dark Lord but that's all he knows. Let's not forget that you're also an Elemental Veela and the only person known to survive the Killing Curse. Isn't it logical to assume that you'd be the one to off the scaly bugger?"
Harry tried to look just as un-knowing as Ron in Potions but inside he was relieved. So Draco thought the prophecy was about Voldemort. Good. No worries there about having to explain why just glancing at Harry could spell your death out faster than Ron could tell when dinner was late.
"Okay, so I've survived the Killing Curse but I really don't know much about this prophecy concerning Voldemort. I figured your dad was just there to kill me and my friends for escaping in fourth year." Harry paused and scratched his chin, looking thoughtful. "You know, since fourth year, I can be considered the only person to ever survived having all three Unforgivables thrown at me by Voldemort? And Hermione says I'm an underachiever."
Draco looked pale and glared at his mate. "That's nothing to be proud of. He's killed hundreds without so much as blinking in the last war. With one spell. Concentrate on trying to beat me in getting Head Boy next year."
Harry sniffed at him playfully, his bad mood momentarily gone. "That will be simple. Everyone knows I'm Dumbledore's favorite."
Draco smirked and pulled them back out into the corridor, holding Harry's hand. "Yeah but Snape still hates you."
Harry glared but suddenly remembered something. "Draco, did your dad ever mention Snape having been married?"
Draco stopped again and looked back at the Gryffindor, that one sentence having triggered something in his memory, something from this summer. The Headstone. Rachel Potter-Snape.
"No he didn't actually. I saw the headstone the night you almost died. He's your...uncle?"
Harry nodded. "I know it's weird but I want to talk to him about it. I don't think Sirius and Remus know but he should visit her. I don't think he even knew where she was all these years."
Draco nodded. "We'll talk to him this weekend? It will give him time to work this all out. Father said that Sev has lost a lot in his life, this just might give him some closure."
Harry grinned wickedly. "Then I'll be a shoe-in for Head Boy next year."
Draco scoffed before dragging him down the corridor again. They were late and it wasn't safe.
A/N: My next update will be in two weeks time. I know long wait but I have two essays due soon and I need to get them completed during the timeI have left. Here's a sneak peek at the next chapter though!
Chapter Twenty-Five: Sherlock Hermione and Ginny Watson
"Okay Ginny, now that you've successfully dragged me away from my homework on the second day back to classes what is so bloody important?"
Ginny gave her best girl-friend a look. She really loved school more than was healthy. Ron had better get up the courage to snog her soon before she hurt herself and surrounding innocent by-standers.
"It's about Harry."
Ginny watched in amusement as Hermione's whole expression changed from annoyance to worry in the span of three seconds.
"Is he okay? Nothing else has happened? Oh I knew we should have walked Harry back to Sirius and Remus after he came to talk to us! We-"
"Hermione! Harry's fine. He's actually better than fine. I down-right amazed that he could do this!"
Hermione waited for Ginny to continue but the flame-haired girl just smiled sweetly. Hermione huffed, impatient. Her boys were the only thing you didn't mess with and Ginny was messing. Well, her boys and school. Education was important!
Ginny gave in and lent close to her brother's crush.
"What would you say if I told you Harry was a bloody big liar?"
Hermione's eyes widened as she looked into Ginny's blue eyes for confirmation that this wasn't some stupid Fred-and-George-like joke.
"I'd say who confunded you because Harry can lie about as well as Hedwig can tap dance."
Ginny gave the girl an exasperated look. Now Hermione decides to have a sense of humor!
"I'm serious! Harry has been lying to us for the last few months! Look, I've been reading this book for Care of Magical Creatures. You know my dad has had this thing for Muggle inventions? Well he's also a bit of a monster junkie as well."
Hermione put her head in her hands. "Ginny, I love your family, I really do but is it safe to trust a book like that? That's like saying Norbert was cute and cuddly."
Ginny grabbed the pillow off her bed and whacked the Gryffindor Sixth Year around the head.
"Yes, it's perfectly safe, thank you very much! It's also very old. And since Bill is marrying a part-Veela I decided to do some research. There was something in it about Elemental Veela."
Hermione's eyes lit up with the prospect of learning something new.
"Really? I've been through the whole of the Hogwarts library and couldn't find anything! Harry's been spending a lot of time with Remus and Sirius soI can't really question him. They're probably all trying to help him find his mate. I wish we could help but Sirius and Remus, well Remus at least, are responsible adults."
Ginny shook her head. "No I don't think they're looking for his mate, nor do I think he's spending all his time with his new guardians."
Hermione, for the first time in her life was utterly clueless.
"Then what has he been doing? He needs his mate! All Veelas of any kind do!"
Ginny's eyes were sparkling as he interrupted her friend.
"He isn't looking for them because he's already found them. He's known who his mate is since about a week after his sixteenth birthday. Now I want to know why he's keeping it from us."
Thanks for the reviews! See you all in two weeks!I swear the next chapter will be good!