Harbinger of Destiny: Herald of Fate
Chapter 4
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.
Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi
Draco Malfoy was not a kind person. He did not smile happily at the first years or help pick up the books of someone who tripped in the hallway. He did not go caroling at Yuletide or treat House Elves with respect. He did not volunteer his time to tutor those who fell behind, even though he was the best Potions student of his class.
Draco Malfoy was also not an evil person. He was snotty, aristocratic, elitist, and occasionally cruel, but he was not evil. He was the product of the environment he grew up with. His father was a Death Eater of Voldemort's inner circle, and even though the Dark Lord was inactive for the better part of Draco's childhood, Lucius Malfoy maintained his somewhat questionable habits.
In the short span of Draco's life he had been the witness to torture, rape, and death, and these were only some of his father's heinous crimes. But to a child who is surrounded by such destructive and dark practices, they no longer seem so strange. To a child who is immersed in the Dark Arts by the age of eight, torture seems commonplace.
Which was why Draco was not so very shocked or horrified by the actions of the Elves after the slaves fateful misdemeanor. In fact, it was not the harshest thing he had ever witnessed nor, perhaps, been subjected to. What took more effect was the sudden understanding of what the Dark Lord, his soon-to-be lord and master, was trying to accomplish.
And it thrilled him.
The weeks following that "incident", as Harry deemed to call it, seemed ordinary enough. Aside from a suspicious and paranoid observance of himself by Kabul, Harry resumed activity as normal. Rosalina had treated his wounds enough so that he would not get an infection and had let them heal naturally. After three weeks, they were partially closed over but would often open again at unfortunate moments.
Assured of the relative safety of Hogwarts, Amin had relieved them of their constant watch. Now only two of them had to be guarding him at a time and the others were free to do as they pleased, so long as they remained within the boundaries of the castle walls.
It was more freedom than Harry had experienced yet as a slave and he cherished it. True, he was the Head of the Bodyguard, and, as such, took the most shifts, but it was still an amazing amount of freedom compared to what he was used to.
They still of course, took their meals in the kitchen, biding the rule to never eat with their betters and, unsurprisingly, had forged a friendship with the House Elves. Smitten, perhaps, by their common bond of slavery with these high and mysterious creatures, the House Elves were always quick to prepare meals, fetch strong alcoholic beverages (which the bodyguard were forced to turn down) and strike up friendly, albeit somewhat sporadic, conversations in the Elvish common tongue (the language that both High Elves and House Elves spoke).
In this new style of servitude, Harry was specifically relieved of duty during the time when the Master had Potions, and took his meals in the Great Hall. Thus, he had little contact with either Snape or Hermione after the event.
Malfoy, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Fascinated by the slave that dared defy his master, Malfoy talked about him constantly, watched him closely, and even once attempted conversation, insulted when Harry refused to respond.
Twice, Malfoy had begged his master for permission to "use" Harry for the day and twice Amin had refused, for which Harry was grateful. What the Slytherin Prince would do with him if he did receive permission Harry didn't no, but he was willing to not find out.
Currently, Harry was taking a shift free from duty with Amick Reginald. Amick was one of those people who could remain cheerful in nearly any situation. He was a strong fighter, intelligent, and an Aurealis, an aura reader of somewhat unusual strength. All of the bodyguard had a specific talent particular with them and Amick's was perhaps the most useful aside from Harry's elemental abilities.
Harry eased himself lightly into the wooden chair settled around the small table designated as the slaves eating space and nodded his thanks to the chattering House Elves who delivered the steamy meal. "Taq," he muttered tiredly and the Elf nearest him bounced excitedly at his simple thank you. Across from him Amick laughed heartily at the same behavior from his Elf.
(Assume this conversation takes place in Elvish)
"Excited little buggers aren't they Avex?" he commented lightly, using the nickname Harry had picked up after his training, a teasing memoir to a noted historical elementalist who was acclaimed to have extremely powerful control over fire, Harry's elemental strength.
"Oh behave Amick," Harry groaned, leaning back, and sending Amick an amused grin. "They're just curious about us. We should be grateful that they go to so much trouble to make food for us to eat every day."
"Cri (aye), grateful I am, but you would think they'd get over their initial curiosity after the first month or so."
Harry just shrugged, stuffing his face with the sandwich in front of him.
"Hope Peli can control himself, that Elf is a ticking time bomb," Amick went on. "He's going to burst soon and I don't know what's going to happen after."
"It's not in his nature," Harry said, slightly reproachful.
"Nor apparently in yours." Amick was serious, a rare thing, it was the first time the two friends would talk about the incident that had occurred three weeks previous.
Harry sighed. "If that blast had hit it would have killed her."
"Nobility is not becoming of a slave," Amick quoted Kabul quietly. "If you were not so very valuable, you would have been killed. If it had been me, I would not be sitting at this table right now."
Harry downed the last bit of his pumpkin juice and stood, pulling his robes tight about his body. "Our shift begins in ten minutes," he said shortly.
"Did you know her?" Amick asked abruptly. "I mean, did you at least have a reason for what you did."
"What does it matter? Her life is as important as anyone else's whether I knew her or not."
Amick touched a hand to his shoulder. "Look Avex, Harry, I know this has been harder on you than anyone else. I mean, you're human right? I don't know much about your past but I know you were a wizard and you're just about their age. It makes sense that you might know them..."
"We have to go," Harry said shortly, and strode away.
Dream Sequence
His face shown with ethereal light. It was bright, so bright that individual and particular features could not be made out. He was clothed in black, as always. There was so much anger, so much rage. Pain. Pain emanated from him and encompassed all things nearby.
Flames whipped out of his ebony form, flaring in different directions to form a circle around the figure. Wisps of smoke rose and transfigured into the image of a lion. But the lions eyes shone green and the image of a snake was reflected.
Suddenly the image was gone. There was a road that forked in two different directions. One held darkness, malignant in origin, anger and rage, hopelessness. The other too held darkness, but it also held hope. Both held death.
The High Lord Amin stood in the center, holding a gold encrusted collar.
End Dream Sequence
Neville woke in a sweat, then pounded his head repeatedly against his pillow. Why did this dream haunt him so? Why was he seeing images in his minds eye that made no sense? The other day he had foreseen the answers to a Transfiguration test he had not known they were going to have!
The Elvin slave had called him Jequi, but that would mean that what Neville saw was the future. Surely he did not have that much magic in him to be able to predict that which was to come! Impossible for a boy who could not transfigure a tea cup into a mouse.
But things that he had seen had already come to pass. He had predicted the arrival of the Elvin Lords and their slaves, had seen Hermione's brash action and its subsequent punishment. He also had a vague idea that something important was going to happen soon. And that, whatever it was, Ron and Hermione would play vital parts. But the two weren't even speaking!
Perhaps that was his first task then. Maybe, to figure out what he was seeing, he needed to take the steps that his dreams were willing him to take. He only hoped that they would not lead him astray and down that darker path.
Ron frowned, deep in thought. It was breakfast, and he was sat across from Hermione, a rare occurrence nowadays. She was so subdued since that torturous incident that was largely her fault. She was hardly like herself. This bothered him deeply.
Even though they had drifted in separate directions after Harry's disappearance, Ron would always care deeply for Hermione. She was his second friend ever, his last link to Harry, and, perhaps, the love of his life.
To find her so disconcerted was uncomfortable to say the least.
"Are you all right Hermione?" he daringly breached conversation.
Hermione was startled out of her thoughts and stared at Ron, paling slightly. They hadn't spoken since the event three weeks ago and before that had said little to each other besides. "Fine," she grunted. Ron's face darkened.
"Don't give me that. You're upset, I can tell."
She sighed. "Dumbledore talked to me. He told me if I could not hold my tongue he would be forced to suspend me from Potions class. I can't even blame him Ron! I was so foolish, so childish!"
"You were defending your beliefs," he said slowly. "It's who you are. You shouldn't blame yourself for the idiotic way that bloody Elf reacted. If anyone was immature it was him."
Hermione did not look abated. "If I hadn't of spoken up that poor man wouldn't have been tortured Ronald."
"It was his choice to step in front of you," Ron said reasonably. "Not to say you shouldn't be grateful that he did, but he was fully aware of what would happen to him when he did it. Perhaps you are partially to blame, but you can't take sole responsibility."
"Snuffles wrote me the other day," Hermione said abruptly. Ron blinked at the sudden change of conversation . "He says that Harry's alive..."
Ron turned his head away. "Do we have to talk about this 'Mione? Harry's been gone for three years. If he was alive he would have come back to us."
"He says he has proof Ron," Hermione persisted.
Ron snapped. "What proof?" he hissed, slamming his hands down in front of him, glaring. Hermione's eyes grew teary but she did not shrink back.
"He accessed the Potter family vaults Ron. In it, he found the family tree..." she trailed off, and Ron took a shaky breath, sitting back down and ignoring the stares that were glued onto the pair. "Harry's name isn't on it Ron."
"But that means..."
"It means that Harry is alive."
Ok guys, that will be explained next chapter. Please, no reviews about how a family tree works, this is my family tree and I'll explain more about it next chapter. But please, do review.
BTW, I've never read Tokien's works, so if my writing style resembles it, it is not intended. Thank you.