September 20, Is when the spell was put on
September 23, Draco started to notice changes
September 28, is when Draco saw Harry in the forest (Tuesday)
October 4 is when the spell is lifted of (this is on a Friday)
October 5, Hogsmeade day
This should clear up some confusion, every chapter I will be updating the time line in order to avoid further confusion.
Chapter 5:
Harry woke up because something was bothering his nose. He snorted after he accidentally breathed deeply and got the unmistakable scent of clean owl. He cracked his eye open to see Hedwig cuddling against his face.
She hooted happily when she saw that he was awake.
"I'm up, damn it. I'm up." He mumbled, trying not to get owl feathers in his mouth.
After explaining to Hedwig about his dreams, he rose and walked into the Forbidden Forest to find a place to sleep for the night. There was a nice secluded spot where you could still see the lake but not be seen if you were on the lake. He settled down to sleep, safe in the knowledge that he was away from Gryffindor Tower and all it entailed.
It turned out to be a good spot for safety but not for physical comfort. The uncomfortable ground was making his back ache where stones were digging into his ribs, but he was so exhausted from lack of sleep over the last couple of weeks that the stones were a minor irritation. However, when the wind picked up and he was not shielded from it, he felt the cold go straight to his bones. He began to shiver from the discomfort and could no longer sleep.
Hedwig had been hunting for most of the night and retuned in time to settle down beside him to sleep also. She no sooner got comfortable when Harry began moving about restlessly. She ruffled her feathers irritably when he shifted again trying to find a comfortable spot where he could get a few more minutes of sleep.
"Damn! I guess I have to get up."
Hedwig agreed.
Harry slowly went down the hill to the secluded spot of the lake. He quickly got undressed and jumped into the freezing cold lake. Unknown to him, he was being watched.
Snape saw Harry come from the woods and walk past his meditation spot. The boy was completely oblivious to his professor's presence. He watched as the small boy stripped and he winced in sympathy when he witnessed the cuts and fading bruises on his back. His eyes flared in shock when the boy jumped in to the lake and quickly cleaned himself. Snape was thinking how crazy was this kid to jump into a lake in the middle of October just to smell clean. Snape nodded his head sadly. 'A kid who has nowhere to go.' Snape's meditation mood was completely ruined so he went back to the castle and left Harry to his own devices.
Harry was shivering when he climbed out of the lake. He was definitely awake and refreshed; ready to go to Hogsmeade and floo to Diagon Alley. He would have to be quick though. He did not have an answer yet as to where he would go but he was sure it would come to him soon. He giggled quietly to himself as he thought of his destination suddenly appearing in letter format.
He quickly got dressed in his muggle clothes. His tight blue jean that he had transfigured from a pair of Dudley's old hand me downs, a tee shirt which had met the same fate, and a pair of knee high combat boots. He threw a traditional Wizard's cloak over the whole ensemble.
He bit his lip, seeing some of the schools students leaving to go to Hogsmeade. He would have to avoid them as much as possible. He debated whether or not to use his invisibility cloak or not and decided not to. He would cause too much attention if a door randomly opened.
Harry kept to the shadows as he made his way through the back alleys of Hogsmeade, trying to make his way to where Hedwig said she would meet him. He was all alone, dodging everyone he knew, and finding it a bit exhausting. He had only just managed to sidestep Luna Lovegood because she had a Quibbler plastered to her face, otherwise she would have recognized him.
He finally brought his hood up to cover his face, cursing himself for being so stupid. He would not have looked the first bit out of place with it up earlier, everyone had their hoods up to cover their faces from the biting frigid wind.
There was also the smell of rain in the air. He knew that sounded funny, even to him, when he said it in his head. He just knew that it was going to rain 'properly' during the night. Harry cringed when he realized that he would most likely be spending the night out in the rain.
He arrived in the center of Hogsmeade much quicker than he had thought. He saw several Sixth and Seventh Years racing back and forth between Zonko's and Honeydukes'. He smiled softly, recalling the times he had to sneak around until Sirius had given his permission for him to go to Hogsmeade with the rest of the children.
Harry looked around to see if he could spot anyone he knew, then drew back in fear as he saw Hermione sitting with Ron on a bench not two meters from him. He watched as Hermione shared her lolly with the red headed prat and sneered as he struggled against the urge to grab the bastard's hands and rip them from his macho arms.
Hermione, well he didn't like the fact that she was the one who put the spell on him to begin with, but he had no problems with her beyond that she existed. He quickly averted his face and went back to accomplishing his goal of entering the Three Broomsticks where Madame Rosemerta could sell him some floo powder.
He stopped short once he entered the Three Broomsticks and caught sight of the silvery blond hair. Harry looked at Draco and smiled sadly. He was laughing with his good friends Pansy and Blaise while his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, just sat there flanking him and wondering what was so funny.
Harry idly thought to himself that he needed to thank Draco for all his help before he left. Draco probably would not understand what he was thanking him for in the first place but he felt he really should say something to the blond. His heart fluttered as he noticed Draco scanning the room. 'Maybe he can see me and I can talk to him now'. He thought. Then he changed his mind and decided he really needed to because that would ruin the plan and he really needed to go before Hedwig developed a hernia.
Harry smiled sadly and made his way to the main bar. There were tons of shady looking characters hanging out in the bar, all of them flirting with Rosemerta.
She came up to him and him the sickly sweet smile she reserved for little kids and cute cuddly animals. "What can I get for you, sweetie?"
Harry knew just because of his height he would never get away with stating that he was older than fifteen. It really sucked to be so small. "I need to purchase some floo powder and was told you sell it."
She smiled again. "Yes, we do sell floo powder here. Do you need enough for one trip or two?" Her toothy smile was his reward for holding up two fingers before rummaging around behind the counter and handing him a velvet pouch with floo powder in it. "That will be one galleon, luv."
He handed her the money and she escorted him over to the fireplace. She gave him the spiel of how and when to use it and he nodded his understanding. He waited until she turned to go before saying the name of his destination and stepping into the green flames.
SSS
"Draco, what are you looking at?"
Draco turned to Pansy. "I was watching that guy who was staring at me earlier. He seemed awfully familiar. He had good fashion sense too. He had his pants legs tucked into his boots. Usually only girls can get away with doing that but he pulled it off really well."
Pansy blew her bangs off her face with a huff. "You are so GAY, Draco. And, speaking of gay…how is your hunt for Harry Potter coming along?
Draco looked pointedly at her. "I am not hunting him, Pansy Dear. I am merely trying to help him out of the rat hole in which our so called Headmaster has put him."
Blaise just clucked his tongue. "Whatever! Draco, if you want to deny it to us fine. However, we do recommend that you don't lie to yourself. It is just so NOT Slytherin!"
Draco just smirked at him and shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not lying to myself. I'm lying to people to save my ass." Then he dropped his head and banged it on the table. Pansy and Blaise patted his shoulders sympathetically after hearing him moan,
"FUCK! I did not just say that out loud."
SSS
Harry Potter hated floo powder. He hated the stupid chimneys that he had to travel through. And, he hated the stupid grates he had to come out of every damn time. Flooing was almost as bad a portkeying. He hated the feeing of something grabbing him behind the naval and yanking him away as he gasped for air. Sometimes he swore that he could hear the earth groan in distress as a portkey activated to the speed of light and tore a gaping hole in the universe.
Then he felt himself spinning on and on until he reached his destination. He was forcefully ejected from the floo system inside the vast main foyer of Gringotts. The humongous castle-like bank always took his breath away.
He could practically smell history here. It was a thick rich odor that radiated off the walls. The renaissance architecture of high archways and flying bulwarks looked absolutely beautiful in white marble. The only thing wrong with the building was the fact that it was crooked. It could probably have been fixed quite easily if it hadn't had a spell cast on it at the turn of the century.
' Nevermind…nothing else could be done for the building.'
He walked over to the goblin that bowed daftly and opened up the second silver door to the entrance of the bank proper. Harry remembered how just before he started Hogwarts he had been here and read the sign posted for thieves BEWARE. Then only a couple of months later he read the article describing the details of it having been broken into and the attempted robbery. 'I wonder why they never upped the security system?' he thought idly.
He approached a desk where a goblin was engrossed in some paper work. He was a funny looking goblin- a long pointed beard, long fingers, and long feet to match.
"Ahem!" Harry cleared his throat. The goblin seemed not to notice him, but when Hedwig flew in through the owl slot and landed on Harry's shoulder with a hoot, the goblin jumped and stuttered.
"Mmm aa ay I hellll ppp youuuu, Mr. Potter?" The goblin finally managed to get his name out after jumping to his feet and bowing to the boy in front of him.
Harry spared the creature the trouble of asking for his key. He flashed it at him and was relieved to see the thing shake its head hastily. "Follow me, Mr. Potter." Harry cringed at the use of his last name and looked around to see if anyone noticed him.
The messy haired boy followed the goblin to the carts and would take him to his safe. He stepped into it excitedly, remembering the thrilling ride last time. He pulled his sack that was charmed to hold up to two hundred galleons and still make it feel like one. It looked exactly like his messenger bag that had HARRY embroidered on it. He had bought the bag in his fifth year feeling like he needed it since he was taking so many classes and did not want all the strain on his back. This time the bag would be used for a different purpose. He waited patiently until the cart jerked back and forth then stopped.
As he stepped out of the cart and followed the goblin to his vault he decided to strike up a conversation. "I was wondering how much trouble it is to close an account here?"
The goblin looked panicked. "What? Why would…?"
Harry sighed before looking pointedly at the goblin. "I would like to close my account here. I don't have a great deal of use for it."
The goblin was back to looking stressed. "If it is our services you might want a word with our branch manager. I really do not want to be fired!"
Harry did not say anything else. He was guessing that if they lost an account like the Potter fortune in addition to the Malfoy one (the Malfoy's decided to take their fortune and keep it in a vault at Malfoy Manor. Leaving only small items: keepsakes, a few chests of jewels, mirrors, and a few personal possessions.) It would be a huge blow to the bank.
He didn't know the full extent of his fortune. According to Witch's Weekly he was as rich as the Malfoy clan. This was without his investment in Fred and George Weasley's shops being added in. He reckoned he was not going to be able to collect any more of his profits from them so there really was no point in keeping the bank vault. He heaved a sigh of frustration and stepped up to the door.
The goblin reached out a shaky hand and placed it on the locks, letting his magic open the vault. Once it was open the goblin stepped back from the door and let the owner enter.
Harry stepped into the vault and gaped. He was shocked to see that the piles of galleons had increased significantly since the last time he had been there.
He started in one corner and began scooping up all of his money into the bag. An hour and a half later he stopped, not because the vault was empty, but because the bag was full to capacity. There were still knuts, sickles, and galleons lying about everywhere on the floor.
Harry shut the bag and put some protection spells on it. He almost broke a sweat at how many he did; almost being the key word. He brought out the second messenger bag to reveal a small black leather pouch that Sirius had given him before he died. He finished scooping up the rest of the money into it before walking out of the vault.
The goblin who had accompanied him was still standing there. The poor thing was shaking, scared to death that he would be fired for sure. Being the unlucky goblin to escort two vault closures in less than one month was not good.
Harry sat back down in the cart and waited patiently for the goblin to escort him back to the lobby and then to the head goblin. Once they were free of the cart, the creature skittered about through the halls to the office. He kept staring over his shoulder, his anxiety increasing in proportion as he watched Mr. Potter perusing the fine marble walls and the paintings that were on it.
He could not suppress the smile when he saw the boy stop in front of a famous painting, 'The Centaur and the Kip'. The story behind it always made for a good laugh when it was told. Heaving a deep mental sigh he continued on the way.
The goblin knocked on a door with his long bony hands then opened the door to the head goblin's room. The goblin inside sneered at him pleasantly and bowed as was his custom.
Harry walked into the room, not really caring that he was ignoring proper manners and formalities. His main concern was not letting Dumbledore get a whiff of this: he was going to need his money to go abroad.
"Hello, Mr. Potter. Have a seat."
Harry didn't. The office reminded him too much of Dumbledore's office and he did not like it. "I prefer to stand. I should like to close my account here." He added in a firm voice.
"You cannot do that. You do not have the proper paperwork filled out by your guardian."
Harry strutted up to the desk and bent slightly so that he was at eye level with the smirking goblin. "I do not care!" The words were delivered in a cold calculating way, punctuated to make them more intimidating.
The Head goblin, Mr. Vectinstine if the nameplate on his desk was correct, stared back at Harry with a glare.
"How about we make a deal?" Harry said with a sweep of his wrist. Once he had the goblin's interest he continued. "This way you won't lose my account and your reputation of holding all the famous wizard accounts."
"Continue!" The goblin was skeptical but he was prepared to listen.
"How about if I leave you seven galleons today and every six months I send you an additional six galleons to put into my vault. You may also add any money in that Messers Fred and George Weasley leave here for me. When the time comes that I fail to add the six galleons, Harry Potter will have ceased to exist. From that point on the money should sit there until my Heir comes to claim it."
"How do I know, Mr. Potter that you will not just walk out of here and break the deal?" The goblin was not happy but he was still negotiating.
Harry nodded his head. "Your concerns are valid, Mr. Vectinstine. If you would be so kind as to hand me a piece of parchment and a quill?" He began writing and once he was finished he nodded his head in satisfaction and read it out loud:
I, Harry James Potter, (Hedwig hooted at this but Harry didn't answer back) hereby place 7 gallons back into my vault and agree to deposit herein an additional six galleons every sixth months until such time as I am no longer alive. If I fail to deposit the requisite amount and am alive and able to do so, my honor shall be forfeit and I will be convicted of stealing my own fortune: an act of unlawfulness. If I, Harry James Potter, die intestate, the vault will stop receiving money and will remain dormant until the appointed Potter Heir acknowledges this transaction. Signed and witnessed this day… 10/22/04.
Harry James Potter
The goblin nodded his head in satisfaction and called the unfortunate goblin forward to sign at the bottom of the document as a witness. Once that was done he added his name to the document and placed the official seal of Gringotts Bank on it before handing it to the goblin to file.
Before he left, Harry dug in his robe pocket and pulled out seven Galleons. The goblin accepted them and handed them to the lackey also.
"Thank you for your business, Mr. Potter." Both goblins bowed to him and he returned their greeting.
He straightened, nodded pleasantly to the head goblin and departed. He quickly strode out of Gringotts and breathed deeply the city air. He knew that the goblins would keep his secrets. They did not want anyone to know that the Potter fortune had been reduced to seven measly galleons. He could not help the snicker that escaped him. He had just pulled off a huge hoax.
Hedwig hooted.
"Yes, Hedwig. I know that I was going to get rid of my last name once I leave. I realize that I just lied. But you see" He whispered this close to her face, "Now they will all think that I am dead. No felony charges will be brought against me because they will think I am not alive. This is just perfect."
Harry almost had a skip in his walk but decided that he would comport himself with dignity until he was alone. He browsed along Diagon Alley, debating on whether to go into a bookstore. He was going to need everything from potions through herbology if he was going away from the Wizarding world.
He already knew how to apparate and had already got his license: Remus had been there to cheer him on. He had got it on his first try, but he did not like doing it. Apparating was a bit like flooing and portkeying; it gave him an unsettled stomach which he avoided if at all possible.
He walked into the bookstore smiling. He traced his hand along the spines of many of the books at Flourish and Blotts. He looked at The Way: Spells of Self-Defense. It was a book that covered illusions as part of self-defense. Harry picked it up not knowing really what it was about but understanding at the instinctive level that that he would need it.
From there he wandered three more bookstores. Eventually he acquired fourty-one books that ranged from Potions: The Most Deadly Brews and their Creators (Harry was not surprised to see Professor Snape's name listed at all.) to Plants From Around the World and Their Uses. Harry was starting to get frustrated with his lack of self-defense books when he noticed a small journal. He picked it up and immediately became intrigued. It was a complete diary of a man who believed he could fly without the aid of a broom or a flying carpet. How Mr. Lavite said he could fly was not the most imaginative title around but Harry liked it none the less.
The salesclerk looked at the stack of books and then at Harry's scar. "My boy, what a lovely collection of books you have here." The clerk was practically glowing about the fact the boy was buying all this. He tallied up the price and smirked when he announced in a pompous voice, "That will be one hundred and eight galleons, Mr. Potter."
The cost of the books did not make a dent in his pocket change. He scooped the books up and put them into his bottomless messenger bag. He did not like the way the clerk eyed him as he stowed the books away and just before he left he smiled and waved his hand slightly as he whispered, "OBLIVIATE!"
Harry walked out of the bookstore feeling quite light hearted. "At least I won't be bored wherever it is I finally wind up." He whispered to Hedwig who was sitting on his shoulder.
He laughed pleasantly when she hooted, "You are done!"
"Yes. Last stop was the Magical Menagerie, sleepyhead. I had to get this owl I know some treats."
Harry chuckled again at her expression. She stretched her wings and flew off his shoulder.
He looked up and noticed that the sun was setting. He had spent so much time looking for books that he had not noticed the time slipping away so fast. He reckoned he had just enough time to get an ice cream before leaving Diagon Alley.
Hedwig flew along beside him as he walked to Foretscue's Ice Cream parlor. Once there he ordered a coffee ice cream with walnuts in it. He smiled at the cashier and she smiled back. (More likely she was amused with the pompous tone of the cute little wizard.) He only sat down under the umbrella, resting for a few, minutes while he ate before leaving to head back down the street. The Three Broomsticks closed their floo just after seven o'clock and he would need to find a place from here to floo back there.
Hedwig screeching from her perch alerted Harry to danger. He jumped up quickly and raced into an alleyway. Hedwig landed on his shoulder, "What is it?" He asked.
She hooted at him too quickly for him to understand. After looking at her oddly for a second he carefully maneuvered around where he had a good view of the street- and looked right at a Death Eater's robe.
Now Hedwig's behavior made perfect sense. His breath hitched as he realized he was being looked for. He looked at the other side and noticed the Order of the Phoenix was also looking around searching.
'0H no! I hope they're not looking for me also.' Harry thought then promptly forgot about them as he listened in on a Death Eater conversation.
"We know Mr. Potter is here. Find him, then immobilize him, but do not harm him. Voldemort has a need for him."
Harry gasped. "SHIT!" He looked at his owl who was perched on a trashcan. "You are going to have to leave soon and go back to Hogwarts." He said to her. "Don't worry. I know what to do."
Hedwig watched as he took off his glasses. The glasses triggered a spell to lift off a revealing spell. His hair was now waist length and his vision was correct without the glasses. Harry looked like a new person, his bangs covered his forehead and his hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Harry straightened himself up. He did not want to be discovered, he needed to find a place where he could use the floo and he needed to do it soon. Ollivander's wand shop seemed like the best choice so he gripped his two bags harder and sprinted across the street. He heard shouts for him to stop but he did not listen. He ran into the shop and slammed the door closed behind him before leaning on it heavily.
"Hello, Mr. Potter. You certainly look different." The old man said as he sat behind his desk smiling childishly at Harry. "Looking like that I can honestly say you look more like your mother than your father."
Harry gasped.
"Oh, dear! Was I not supposed to have recognized you? Well, since I knew you were coming, it is not of great importance. Don't worry, an outsider or even your closest friends would not recognize you. Long hair and no glasses really do make for a remarkable change." He smiled again at Harry's flabbergasted look.
"Well, I cannot go against the great Ollivander." Harry said lightly: painfully aware that his humor was hollow.
"Yes, well, I know why you are here. We wouldn't want you to be caught this far from Hogwarts now would we?" Ollivander stood up and motioned for Harry to follow him to the back of the shop.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he realized Ollivander had led him to a working fireplace. Harry dug his floo pouch out of his pocket and after wrapping Hedwig up in his cloak so she would be secure for the ride, he threw some of the precious powder into the fire and watched the flames turn green. He was about to step in and call the Three Broomsticks when Ollivander smiled and shoved a black velvet box into his hands.
"I have something here for you."
And then Harry was calling "The Three Broomsticks!" He flashed the old man a grateful smile before stepping into the fire without a glance at the box.
Harry almost puked once the trip was done. He waved to Madame Rosemerta but she just looked at him oddly. He brought his hand up to his hair and realized that he no longer looked like Harry Potter. He would have to fix that before he entered Hogwarts before dinner.
He left the pub with no further incident and stepped into a patch of woods growing beside the entrance to Hogwarts. He resized his trunk, placed his two bags in the trunk, then brought out another one. He shrank the trunk again and placed it back in his pocket. Then after shouldering his black school bag that he uses for school, he replaced his glasses and became Harry Potter once again.
Hedwig, glad to have her Harry back, nipped his ear affectionately. He ruffled her feathers lovingly in return and then let her fly off to the owlry.
He waved good bye to her then walked into Hogwarts. Harry was pleased to notice that everyone was ignoring him except a few who snorted in his direction but they were all easy enough to ignore since they meant nothing to him.
Head held high he entered the Great Hall. The first thing that caught his attention was the fact that Hagrid was the only teacher there. 'Funny, they must all be in a meeting.' He thought.
When he walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down the whole end of the table nearest to him jumped up and squashed themselves together at the other end. Harry chuckled sadistically as he observed the lot of them acting stupid.
He turned his attention back to his food when a plate appeared in front of him full of food. "Wonderful!" He eyed the steak and baked potato avidly before picking up his cutlery.
As he took his first bite of food a voice rang out. "You WHORE! How dare you sit here at Gryffindor table and eat our food?" It was Seamus, face flushed red with anger.
Harry just shrugged his shoulders and ate another bite of steak. He began to hear insults from all around the room. Whore, ass, evil son of a bitch…the list went on and on. He just ignored it all and continued to eat. One fact registered: The Slytherins were not participating in the Harry bashing.
He stood silently and started to walk away. "How DARE you walk away from us?" It was Ron. Harry turned to face him and whispered something. Ron flushed a beautiful rose color before he casually turned around as if to saunter back to the other Gryffindors. Instead he continued on to where Hagrid was sitting alone at the head table.
"Hagrid, my love!" Ron's voice rang out and instantly caught the attention of everyone in the room. "I want to consummate our love in front of everyone." Ron started to strip.
The reactions of the people involved were priceless. Hagrid was so shocked and horrified he was temporarily catatonic. Hermione temporarily lost her voice and could be seen to mouth the words, "Oh no, oh no!" Over and over. Ron had started to tug Hagrid's pants down when the Slytherins' started laughing.
Harry let the hex go and Ron came to. He was practically naked (his red thong did not hide much), kneeling on the floor in front of Hagrid trying to rip the half giants clothes off him.
Hagrid was still in shock and had not made any move to protect himself. When the spell broke he gave a horrified shriek and ran from the hall screaming for Headmaster Dumbledore to save him.
Ron screamed in shock and made a lunge for Harry. He was thrown backwards when he connected with the barrier that Harry had erected around himself. He landed, dazed and confused, among his discarded clothing and just sat there until Hermione approached him to help him dress.
Seamus watched the scene and decided to retaliate on Ron's behalf. But he was not able to jump on the small wizard and beat him like he wanted to either because he could not get past the shield. He met the same fate as Ron had.
"My loves!" Seamus screamed and ran toward Crabbe and Goyle.
"How can you sit there and ignore me after you gave me the greatest sex of my life? Have you forgotten how you pounded into me over and over again?" His voice a choked sob as he fell to his knees in front of the Slytherin table, groveling in front of the horrified Crabbe and Goyle.
Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other, shock and horror written on their faces,
"I DID NOT!" Both boys shrieked in high girly voices before they grabbed Draco and shoved him in front of the hysterically groveling Gryffindor. "You're a bad wizard! Save us from that thing!" Both boys went back to huddling on the bench and clutching at each other for security.
The whole Slytherin table was convulsed in tears of laughter as they mimicked Seamus, "TAKE ME!!" The girls trilled as they clawed at any boy available.. "I want it hard and I want it NOW!" Pansy made a gropey gesture at Crabbe and Goyle as she said it and watched in absolute wonder as Goyle drew his wand and pointed it shakily at her, "Touch me, bitch, and you die."
Draco Malfoy standing in front of him with his wand drawn and leveled on him did not deter Seamus from his mission. The idiot did not lower his voice one decibel even. "TAKE ME! I WANT TO HAVE A THREESOME NOW!" Draco's face paled even further as Finnegan began removing his clothing in what one could only assume was supposed to be a seductive manner, all the while licking his lips and leering at the sobbing duo of henchmen.
Hagrid, realizing he was in charge because none of the other teachers were available, had gathered his courage, refastened all his clothes and re-entered the hall. "Enough, Harry!" Release that spell right now!" His voice boomed around the room.
Harry snapped his fingers together and Seamus came out of his stupor. He took one look at the menacing sight of Malfoy in protective mode and flung himself away from the Slytherin table. "You son of a bitch!" He roared at Harry before he encountered the barrier for the second time.
Harry turned to leave and with a flick of his hand the dishes on all the tables except Slytherin exploded all over them. Slytherin was too busy cheering loudly as Harry left the room to notice much of what everyone else really looked like.
"OMG! I think I fell in love!" Blaise gasped out between bouts of laughter.
"If I may remind you, you have your own little lover! He is mine." Draco said in a possessive voice then once more commenced smacking his hand upside his head. "DAMN IT! CAN'T I EVER KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!"
Pansy giggled, "You have to admit the kid has so much power that he is scary. It is going to take an uncommon individual to be his mate. Don't you think so, Dear?"
Blaise nodded agreement with her statement. "Indeed! He is very scary: very interesting too!"
SSS
Harry walked briskly to the library. He smiled wickedly to himself as he whispered, "That felt good!" However, Mr. Finnegan deserves to be punished just a little bit more than that but for now that will have to suffice he thought. Besides, I'm leaving and hopefully I will never see that fat boob again. Harry giggled as he thought 'fat boob'. Can't I think of a more insulting name than that? I really am lame…
He sighed and went looking for some books. He grabbed at least twelve horology books, more herbology books that he knew he didn't have, three magical animal books, and five different potions books varying from healing potions to glamour potions that he often quoted in papers as reference materials. And, finally he stopped looting the library after he chose fifteen DADA books. He was surprising satisfied when he noticed that the books spells easily lifted off with one counter spell. His satisfaction, even if it was for a little while, felt wonderful. 'Taking these books was only a small part of the payment for what Dumbledore owes me.' He thought. He looked once more around the library and put the books in his bag with the purchases he found at Flourish & Blotts. He settled down in one of the dark corner chairs and picked up a book. He would stay here until it was time to go and then he would find a nice spot outside to sleep where he would be safe.
SSS
Hermione tried to clean the mess that Harry made off her robes. She wasn't angry at him for the mess, no- she was more curious as to why her once best friend was acting the way he was. She had been trying to work out the puzzle ever since Pansy had approached her the other day to ask about what was wrong. Hermione had been so distressed that he had spilled her secret about the dreams that had been haunting her ever since Seamus and Harry had gotten together.
When Ron finally went to her and started ranting about how Harry should be expelled for using his magic, Hermione thought that would be the perfect time to talk to Harry.
"Ron, I'm Head Girl. I will go speak to Harry about his behavior." Her eyes narrowed when he had the audacity to cheer.
"Alright, Hermione. Get him good." He said as he gave her a forceful kiss. She hated it when he did that. It made her stomach turn. There was something different about Ron this year and she did not like the feeling at all.
She stood up and put a quick cleaning spell on herself to make sure she was at least presentable, then went to find Harry. She walked from the Great Hall totally unaware of the eyes watching her from the Slytherin table, they were still laughing at the sight they had all just witnessed.
Hermione walked through the halls, eyes glazed over as she thought about Ron: his aggression, his possessiveness of her, his thickheadedness sometimes. She sighed aloud and let the click of her high heels soothe her with the rhythm of walking down the empty hallway.
She entered the Library thinking that this would be the first place to look for Harry. He always went to the Library when he was sad and needed to think. Never once would he touch a book, he just sat and stared out the window while she would do her homework.
Once Sirius had died though, the library became a safe haven for the boy. If you ever wanted to find Harry Potter he was at the library doing everything but his homework. Harry had discovered art and his sketches were almost as good as Dean's. But, it was his paintings that were absolutely beautiful. In this medium his ability surpassed that of Thomas, but even there he did not compete with Dean: they would laugh with each other saying they wished each had the other's ability.
Hermione missed Harry's laughter the most. She couldn't understand why he stopped laughing. She believed that when a person died, the others should pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. Harry just seemed to shattered somehow when he saw Sirius fall through the Veil. And, he never picked up any of the pieces. She finally decided she would probably be the same way if she had been through as much as he had.
She was surprised to find Harry reading a book in the back of the library. He was trying to brush an offending hair out of his eye. The look of concentration oh his face made her want to stand and watch him forever without disturbing him; that look of concentration in his eyes was priceless.
She looked at the title of the book and gasped, Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. It was the very first book that the three of them had picked up to try and figure out their first adventure together, the sorcerer's stone. Hermione read this for light reading, finding it absolutely fascinating about the recent things wizards came up with.
"Ahem!" She decided to interrupt him.
Harry lowered his book and glared at her over his glasses. "What do you want, Granger?" He growled.
She suppressed the flinch over the fact that Harry had just called her Granger. She had not heard his voice in over a month and the first thing she heard him say was her name in a despising tone.
"Um… I would like to talk."
"But I don't want to talk to you." He said and went back to reading.
"Harry, damn it! What got in your knickers and died there? I want to know why you are being so mean to everyone. No one had done anything to you. The first day of school you holed yourself up in your room, you barely ate, and rarely talked. Then a week later you just stopped talking altogether. What the hell is going on?" She said in a harsh whisper.
"You have no clue, do you?" He said in an even more harsh whisper. He leaned his body forward and closed the book. "Do you not remember what you did on the night of September 20th, Mione? Or, do you remember and just choose to ignore it?"
Hermione looked at him. "I do not remember that far, Harry."
Harry just snarled at her. "I do not want to discuss this with you, Granger. Maybe you should go talk to your boyfriend about it." He spit out the word 'boyfriend'.
Hermione watched Harry open-mouthed as he stood up, packed his bag, and left the library. She blinked a few times to suppress the tears then whispered, "What did happen that day? I'm so confused." She put her hands up to rub her stinging eyes trying to comfort herself.
"Hello, Granger."
Hermione grumbled, knowing who was standing there. She had the wild idea that if she did not look up or speak they would leave her alone. No, such luck she reckoned as she heard three sets of chair legs scrape on the floor.
Surrounded, she finally looked up. "What?" she glared at the two brown eyed Slytherins before turning to their silver eyed leader.
"Don't get rude! We are here to try to help you." Blaise taunted her in a chiding voice.
"Come on, Granger. We just had a brain blast and decided to help you." Draco said as he fingered through one of the books Harry had left lying on the table.
"Oh! I feel so honored. What? No names: Mudblood? Buckteeth? Come on, I'm not in a good mood, maybe I can spout off a few comebacks." She said.
"Sorry, Granger. Not today. I'm under oath not to taunt the Granger today and maybe if you behave yourself, I will leave you alone tomorrow also." He shrugged his shoulders and eyed Pansy.
Hermione glared at Pansy and Blaise, "What about you two?"
Pansy grinned, "Well, I could do with a good shag if you are up for it. I sort of fancy you. I am sure that I can do more for you than the Weasel."
Hermione just sighed and started to stand up. She started to walk away but Draco placed his hand on her arm and opened his mouth. "We know you are worried about Harry." It was a slip of the tongue to use the name Harry instead of Potter.
Hermione heard it. "You know what is going on. What is wrong with Harry? Tell me! I demand to know!" Draco brought up his hands before Hermione finished her rant and Goyle put up a silencing spell around them. She jumped when she saw Draco's two bodyguards advance from their position in the shadows. "They are getting good at this!" Hermione said without thinking.
"Alright, then" Pansy said as she eyed Hermione. "Who do you think did it, Draco?"
Draco hummed softly. "Well, it was probably the Weasel. If you are having dreams about it then he was not powerful enough to deliver the spell properly."
Hermione bristled. "Excuse me! I am right here and I thought you…"
Blaise interrupted her. "Just hush! We are trying to figure out what we can show you."
Hermione was about to go off again when Draco raised his wand at her. She froze.
"MEMORIES COLECTSA" Draco said in a whisper.
Hermione began to whimper as that day became clear once more in her mind. The whimper soon became an anguished scream as she slid down the wall. She cried and hiccupped, "How could I do that to him." She repeated over and over. "No, no! That was not what I wanted to do when I suggested repressing him. I wanted to send him to my mediation class so he could rid his head of bad karma.. I never intended for them to do that to him." Hermione was sobbing hysterically as she muttered to herself.
Pansy came over to her and wrapped her arms around the fragile girl. "It is all my fault!" Hermione whined as she clung to Pansy. "If I had never listened to them Harry would have probably came out of his shell."
Pansy continued to rock her back and forth. "No, I don't think it is your fault." She said.
Blaise added his support. "I think you were tricked into doing it because you believed in the Weasel. If you didn't then maybe this would not have happened. You did not have any reason not to trust him." Blaise added wanting to say something to comfort the girl.
Hermione eventually stopped crying and straightened up. She helped Pansy stand up and then moved away from her. Steadying herself on a chair, she reached down and removed her heels. Then after rolling up her sleeves she sneered, "I'm going to get that filthy leprechaun and his weasel sidekick."
Draco jumped her and grabbed her around the waist. "Whoa there! We can't do that. We will get expelled. Along with the fact that this isn't something for us to do. It is Potter's job."
Hermione slumped back against Draco's chest. She knew it was true. She would have to get back in Harry's good graces and then they would hold a major planning session. She nodded to Draco to let her go.
"I understand what needs done." When Draco released her she bent over and put her heels back on. Standing up again she looked at Pansy and Draco. "I am going to break up with the disgusting little insignificant bastard weasel though. He watched him…him." She shuddered as she spat out the 'him'.
Draco looked a little confused. "He watched what?" He had to ask even though he already knew. He felt fear bubble up in his stomach.
"That filthy bastard Finnegan. Weasel watched him rape Harry. I could not stop it. I could not get through Harry's locking spell…" Hermione broke down crying again.
"What?" Draco shrieked. This time it was he who was being restrained. "Let me go, Crabbe. I am going to go kill both of the miserable fucking sons of a bitch. … THEIR TESTICLES OFF AND FORCE FEED IT TO THEM…"
Pansy put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
Draco grumbled and sat down rather heavily on the wooden chair. He blinked a few times when he noticed Hermione had stopped crying and was staring at him open-mouthed. "Contrary to popular belief, I am worried about Potter." He said carefully choosing his words to keep from arousing anymore suspicion.
Hermione snorted. "If you want to believe that, OK. No more crying from me. If you guys are really here to help Harry, then help me plan my revenge on Weasel. At least then we might have a few nice little ideas for Harry."
Pansy took the seat next to Hermione again. "Actually we already thought of a plan. We know that Potter left his room and we believe that he is getting ready to be leaving Hogwarts. We actually want that to happen. We think it is the best thing for him. We are also concerned about you being left in the tower by yourself. Once Harry leaves there is bound to be a ruckus and it would help us immensely if we had someone like you up there in the inner circle to tell us what is happening."
Hermione gave Pansy a long slow look and smirked. "Go on. This just keeps getting better and better."
"As I said, we will need someone in the inner circle to find out all they can. We need to know if they are going to start looking for Harry…where…when…that sort of thing. We think you should stay with the weasel." She spat out the name, "For at least two more months. It will give you time to plan your revenge and then you can do what you want to him." Pansy added as she stared at her with a calculating look.
"If he leaves, yes, Dumbledore and the Gryffindors will certainly look for him. Yes, I agree. I will stay with the weasel for the two months unless he decides to hit me since Harry isn't here to take it anymore. That will be the day I rip off said testicles myself and shove them down his throat for him." She said looking at Draco with a blush on her face.
Draco just chuckled. "I think the only one who is safe to talk to is Dean Thomas. He is the only one the Slytherins know about anyway. That is because he is the mysterious lover whom Blaise showers with kisses and …" He glared at Blaise who had just slapped him upside the head. He glared and rubbed his head then added, "I was just going to say chocolate frogs."
Pansy giggled and batted her eyes at Hermione. "I wish I had a mysterious Gryffindor lover."
Hermione blushed softly then turned her attention back to Blaise. "So, you are his…wow! He always did say he had a good catch. I believe I agree with him."
Blaise just sighed. "What? You thought I was a homophobe? Is there something else you want to know?" She noticed that Draco had drawn closer and was listening avidly.
His face was stained a light pink. "Do you know?" He could not finish the question. It meant that much to him.
Hermione smiled sweetly at Draco's obvious distress. "If you are asking about Harry, he is bisexual. He told me back in year four that he often had dreams of being with a certain guy." Draco's obvious relief had rearranged into a pout when she did not mention who Harry dreamed of. She quickly went back to chatting with Blaise hoping that Draco was not a sense as rumors circulating in Gryffindor tower said he was.
Pansy decided to save Draco so she spoke. "We are good with that. Anyway, about you and me..." Pansy bit her nail. "When Dean comes down to the dungeons you can sneak down with him. You might need a safe haven if things get too much for you."
Hermione nodded then asked the question that had obviously started bothering her. "If Harry is not sleeping in the tower, does anyone know where he is sleeping?"
The Slytherins just shrugged their shoulders. Obviously they did not know.
SSS
Harry rolled around on the ground groaning. It was freezing and he was trying his best to stop the frigid cold from damaging his body. He wished his owl were with him, she wasn't much good for the cold but she was a great comfort. He finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.
The dreams began almost immediately. He found himself walking down an unusual tunnel. Harry felt like he had found his home. He settled down to sit on an overstuffed chair and was pleasantly surprised when it floated up in the air where there was a table with tea and biscuits.
"Hello, Mr. Potter." His host said.
Harry studied the man. "Hello, Mr. Riddle." He returned politely. He wondered vaguely why he was having tea while being suspended some four feet up in the air with a 22 year old version of Tom Riddle.
"Would you care for some tea? You look rather like you could use some. It isn't really a good idea to sleep rough outdoors in Scotland this late in the season."
Harry nodded then watched bemusedly as the tea pot floated over to his cup and poured itself. The creamer and the sugar bowl also helped themselves and he was quite enchanted to see the delicate little 'English Rose' pattern tea cup giggle when the spoon stirred its contents. The tea was perfect and he sighed contentedly as if someone had cast a heating charm on his whole body.
"I have a question and I hope I don't offend you with it being odd…" Harry was unsure of how to broach the question. "You are not really behaving like I was led to expect you to and I need to know what you are really like."
The other man nodded. "You may call me Tom. I will try to answer your questions but I don't know what all you have heard so I don't really know where to start."
Harry hesitated then blurted out, "What are your ideals? Why do you do what you do? What path do you want to lead the Wizarding world down?"
Tom laughed. "I guess that the only way to find that out is to come to me directly isn't it, Mr. Potter. None of those questions are easy yes or no answers. They will all take a bit of explaining."
Harry scowled. "Please refrain from calling me Mr. Potter. That is no longer my surname."
Tom chuckled again. "Would you really like to know what I am doing?"
Harry nodded his head.
"Then come with me. I will not hurt you unless you attempt to hurt me."
Harry looked at him. "Are you inviting me to join you? I have been your enemy up until a few minutes ago when you gave me a cup of tea. Now we are having a dinner conversation like old friends." He quirked an eyebrow.
"Ummm. I see your point. What if I explained that you are not my enemy? You were simply in the right place at the wrong time. It is the Minister of Magic and Professor Dumbledore who are my enemies." Tom took a sip of tea and was about to speak again when Harry heard the sound of a bell ring gently. "It is my time to leave. Good day, Harry and I hope to chat with you more when I have a few minutes."
SSS
Harry woke with a start. Sweat was covering his back. He looked around and noticed that he wasn't in the forest anymore. He sprang up and went into a crouching position, ready to defend himself.
"Calm down, Mr. Potter." A droll voice commented from a dark corner of the room.
Harry looked around and his eyes widened in shock when he recognized Professor Snape. "Umm, Hello, Sir."
The professor rolled his eyes and gently took a sip of the tea he had just poured.
Harry realized the little bell he had heard must have been the teapot being delivered by a house elf. He looked around and noticed that he was snuggled in a blanket and had been placed in an overstuffed chair much like the one he had been dreaming of sitting in. He had to ask, even if the question was obvious. "Sir, why am I here?"
"Mr. Potter, you are here because I brought you here." Professor Snape explained in the same dry voice he used to explain an unusually simple potion. He realized that Harry did not understand so he continued. "You were in my meditation spot and I brought you in because it is raining and with the temperature dropping everything will be frozen solid soon. I thought you would appreciate waking up warm and dry much more than waking up dead from exposure to the elements."
Harry was beginning to wonder if he was awake after all. 'Snape just admitted he helped me!' He wiggled back down into his chair and pulled the cover up to his nose. It smelled like Snape: sandalwood and musk rose. He gave the older man a brilliant smile and said, "Thank you, Sir."
Snape nodded and handed him a cup of tea. He watched with eagle eyes as the boy eagerly drank the overly sweetened beverage and resettled into the chair. The sleeping draught he put in it had the child drifting off to sleep immediately. He watched for a few minutes to see and noticed that Harry was once more shaking from the cold. He cast another heating charm on the blanket then went to find a heavier quilt to put over the shivering boy.
Only after he was completely sure that Harry would suffer no ill effects from being out in the rain did he walk into his bedroom and shut off the lights.
YAY!!! my beta rocks i know it was a hard chapter to correct...TODAYS A SNOW DAY>>>>>>>>im really happy if you guys can't tell.
Ashlie: nope can't tell at all throws snowball at Andi
Andi: WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!