Harry Potter and the Curse of V'Ardian
Chapter 27
Of Discoveries and Devastation
Standard Disclaimers Apply
oOoOo
After the revelation about Malfoy, Harry bid Katherine goodbye and hurried back to Gryffindor tower. It was mercifully empty and he went straight to his trunk and pulled out the journal that he hadn't looked at in months. The faded crimson cover beckoned him and Harry settled back on his bed with it. Reaching to a side table, Harry retrieved a quill and ink pot.
With only slight hesitation he dipped the quill into the black ink and touched it to the paper. Just as he had almost expected, and just as he had feared, the ink merged with the parchment and was absorbed. Setting the objects aside, Harry fetched his other book and, fixing the image of the journal firmly in mind, opened the cover. The picture inside was of a much newer looking journal, and at the top of the page was written a title. The Death Journal. Feeling concerned about what he was getting into, Harry read on. After a few lines, he got the gist of it. The Death journal was used to contact the dead. Feeling slightly dirty at touching something so dark, Harry shoved the journal back in his trunk and shut the lid. He closed the book again and this time thought of the Horcruxes that the elves had mentioned.
Surprisingly, there was little information about them and this worried Harry. He had to know what he was fighting. The book said that Horcruxes could be anything, animate or inanimate. With a sigh Harry closed his eyes and lay back, pondering the news that today had brought. He had a death journal, Voldemort had horcruxes, and Malfoy was on a mission. Dumbledore was better, he had a sister, and he was sure he was very much in like with Katherine. It balanced out.
oOoOo
Over the next few weeks, Harry had few dreams and Voldemort was not active, a blessed change from the months before. People still avoided him in the corridors, but even with the threat of the prophecy hanging over him, Harry was happy. He and Snape got on, more or less, but they didn't speak. Harry was fairly sure that was a good thing. Quidditch practice went blissfully well, a fact which Harry was glad of in light of the upcoming match against Slytherin. The DA was going extremely well, and he had new material prepared for them soon. About half the class had managed the shield spell against parseltongue spells, but Harry didn't want to keep them going on it any longer. He was getting bored of it; he was sure they were, and after all, what was the chance that Voldemort would come after each of them and use a parselmagic spell? He would just tell them to practice it in their own time.
In the weeks following Harry's escape from Voldemort, he grew steadily stronger, physically, mentally and emotionally. With regular feeds he was becoming much more lively and powerful. He felt the power he could now wield, the power Dumbledore had kept from him for much of his life. His grades showed as much, and he was quickly excelling. Everyone noticed the differences in him, but hardly anyone commented. He knew they feared him, and it was one of the few things Harry could complain about. The other was his eye. It was an incredible drawback, and it irritated him. He thought it was the only thing that he would not be able to make right in the future.
And now, with full use of his magic, Harry was rapidly becoming quite accomplished at Occlumency. He practiced Legilimency from the book, but didn't tell anyone. That evening, when the weather was starting to become chilly, Harry held a DA meeting. It was so much easier having everyone in one big group and he wondered what he would do next year if more people turned up. The first to arrive was Azi. Harry remembered Ron telling him that Azi's father was the Minister of magic in Africa, but apart from that Harry didn't really know much about him. They had never really talked, and Azi was a quiet type. Azi was hanging quietly around the door, and though he was a strong wizard, Harry thought he was slightly nervous.
"Hello, Azi," said Harry, walking up to him with a small smile. He stretched out his hand. "We've never really been introduced, have we? I suppose that's my fault and I guess I should apologise. I mean, it's halfway through the year and I thought it was about time I started to get to know you."
Harry grinned sheepishly but Azi smiled widely, white teeth luminous in his black face.
"Good to meet you, Harry," he said, his voice holding a slight accent. Harry shook his hand, relieved, but now also smiling broadly.
"So do you like the DA?" Harry asked. He had never really asked people what they thought of it, and realised it would be good for some outside input. Azi nodded solemnly.
"You teach very well. It is good because we learn different things to in class. It is helping me a lot." Harry nodded.
"We originally started it because we weren't learning anything in class. Professor Snape is a much better teacher."
"Well, that is good to hear," said a snide voice from the doorway. Harry looked up to see Snape standing in the doorway.
"Professor? I was uh, just telling Azi why we started the DA. Umbridge, you know…"
"Yes, well, I was just looking for a student," he said, looking down his nose at Harry, who nodded. Snape turned to leave, but Harry held up a finger.
"Hold on a sec," he said, and pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket. He glanced over it for a few seconds before turning back to Snape.
"You should try the owlery," he advised. He wasn't quite sure what had provoked him to pull out the Marauder's Map in front of Azi, or Snape, for that matter, but it was too late now. Snape tilted his head slightly, eyes nodded.
"Hmm," he said, and turned on his heel. Harry grinned.
What is that?" asked Azi. Harry, who was glad that Snape had decided not to make a fuss said, "A little family keepsake," and tucked it back into his pocket. Azi seemed to accept this and glanced around the room.
"Want to help set up?" asked Harry, and Azi nodded. Hermione and Ron arrived not soon after, followed by a bunch of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. The Slytherins always turned up late. He absently rubbed his left arm, where the dark mark tingled, and was surprised when it flared briefly, and his scar twinged. He turned to see a bunch of Slytherins enter, Caydon Augustus in tow. Harry's eyes narrowed, but the feeling was already gone and he deemed it a coincidence.
"Okay," he said, when everyone was settled. "Today we're going to start something new," here there were a few mute cheers, "and this stuff's a bit more fun. We'll be learning some offensive spells that pass through your typical shield, and some more defensive spells. I'm thinking that we might have a bit of a duelling tournament next term."
This time the cheers were louder and Harry smiled as they got to work. It would be an interesting night.
oOoOo
As Harry cleaned up that night, he noticed that his invisibility cloak was missing from where he had left it on the shelf. He muttered an oath and then jumped as someone touched him from behind. He spun around to see Katherine, his cloak dangling from her outstretched hand.
"Looking for this? I didn't mean to make you upset, but I didn't really have an excuse to give the others for staying behind."
"That's all right," Harry smiled. "I'm glad you did. Your father was looking for you earlier. Did you see him?"
Katherine nodded.
"Yes, I did, and he had some very interesting questions about a strange piece of parchment."
Harry blanched a bit and she laughed.
"Don't worry. He said he'd always wondered how you managed to sneak around without getting caught, and considers this a challenge. He's looking forward to confiscating it."
This wasn't exactly what Harry wanted to hear, but he wasn't too worried.
"Last time he saw it all it did was insult him when he tried to read it. He was furious."
Katherine laughed and looked around at the empty room.
"You up for a walk."
"Definitely, Harry grinned, and grabbed his cloak and the map.
"Astronomy tower?"
"Sounds good," she said.
oOoOo
As Harry fell into bed that night, or rather that morning, he yawned deeply and fell asleep straight away. It was the first night in a long time in which he dreamed.
oOoOo
There was a flash of green light and a scream.
A man yelled and reached out in vain to his wife.
A man laughed and the body of the woman rose up in the air, twirling around.
A woman laughed and the man rose to join his wife.
A man hissed evilly and the man's body began to contort into different shapes.
His scar seared with pain and a presence invaded his mind.
Harry woke up and leaped out of bed, his heart beating in fear. It was not fear for himself, or fear of what he had soon, but fear for the man and the woman in the dream. Fear for Hermione's parents.
Nobody in his dormitory woke as Harry uttered a sharp hissing noise, and then there was nothing to hear but the sound of the gently falling rain.
oOoOo
When Harry arrived, he paused for a moment and concentrated deeply. He concentrated on the scar on his arm, and it began to burn sharply. And then he thought of Snape and it was as though he had tunnel vision. He was rushing along a black line, and at the end of it was the still form of a sleeping Snape. At the same moment that Harry saw Snape, the man himself jerked awake and clutched his arm in pain. Harry was quite sure he heard him utter a word that teachers definitely weren't allowed to say. Retracing his path backwards, but keeping the length open, Harry returned to the house in which he now stood and opened his eyes. Keeping the link through the scar open hurt, but he needed help. He prayed that Voldemort couldn't tell what he was doing.
Harry saw the dark mark as it was shot up into the sky, and he said a prayer of thanks that he could still hear screaming. It meant they were still alive. It took a few minutes, but suddenly Snape was there, apparating with a crack. Harry turned to greet him and could tell that Snape was surprised by what he was seeing.
"Potter, what in Merlin's name are you-"
"Not now," Harry said sharply, cutting him off. "There are Death Eaters attacking Hermione's parents. Get help."
Snape disappeared without even scowling at Harry, and again Harry's respect for him grew slightly. He sincerely hoped that Snape remembered to remove his mask before he apparated anywhere official. Taking a deep breath, Harry pulled his cloak over his face and moved silently through the house in the direction of the screams. He thought about Hermione, sleeping peacefully back at Hogwarts. He had to save them.
Harry was caught by surprise as he passed through the kitchen and found a Death Eater there already. The Death Eater let out an exclamation of surprise and raised his wand, but Harry was quicker. The Death Eater hit the floor in unconsciousness.
In his dream, Harry had seen three, and hoped that this one was one of them. He was not that lucky. As he passed through the hallway there was a whisper on his left and Harry felt a spell as it slashed through the hood of his cloak and hit his face. He spun around, cursing his bad eye and fired off a stunner. The Death Eater put up a block and Harry ran forward quickly. The Death Eater dropped his shield to curse Harry again, but Harry was almost on him.
"Expelliarmus!" yelled the Death Eater, and Harry's wand flew from his hand.
A split second later Harry grabbed the man's wand and forced it away. He used his vampiric strength and this time the Death Eater was not unconscious because of magic. Harry snapped the wand and dropped it, picked up his own and bound the man. He hoped that the others were as easy as this. He hoped help arrived soon. The screams had died down now, but he could hear someone sobbing and tightened his grip on his wand. In the distance he could hear police sirens coming there way.
Harry continued down the hall and peeked cautiously around a corner. Two Death Eaters stood over the bodies of Mr and Mrs Granger, taunting, while another stood back silently. Harry directed his wand at this Death Eater and cast a non-verbal stunner. The thump as he hit the ground caused the two others to turn around and Harry jumped out and made his presence known. Before they could turn around one of them hit the floor. The other was not so stupid, and Harry had a feeling he was in for a fight.
Harry's gaze flickered to the tear-stained face of Mrs Granger, and onto her husband, and he saw that they were fine.
"Well, well, well," murmured the Death Eater, and Harry caught the slippery voice of Lucius Malfoy. "What have we here?"
Harry raised his wand but did not reply.
"Mr Malfoy," replied Harry. "It concerns me that you are not in jail."
"So you know who I am," he said, a sneer in his voice, "but you have yet to tell me your name."
"There is no need for me to. I only need to wait until the Aurors arrive."
Malfoy laughed.
"Is that so?" he said, even as a crack sounded outside. He started slightly, losing his calm now. It appeared that he had not believed Harry. There was another crack, then two more, and then the sirens stopped. The front door was blasted of its hinges and Malfoy took the opportunity to curse Harry. He made a slashing movement with his wand, and Harry new no suitable shields. A gash appeared in his chest and he was momentarily winded. He glared at Malfoy and suddebnly Malfoy fell to his feet, gasping for breath, hands clutching at his throat. His wand clattered to the ground and Harry bound him in ropes. He wasn't quite sure what he had done, but the end result was all that mattered.
He looked out the window and saw that it was indeed Aurors that were arriving, and not more Death Eaters. He turned to the Grangers.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
Mr Granger nodded slowly after a few seconds.
Harry nodded in reply.
"Good. There are people coming to help now."
With a last look at them, Harry dissapparated.
oOoOo
Harry fell into bed for the second time that morning with a huge yawn. He fell straight asleep.
oOoOo
Harry awoke the next morning and cleaned himself up as best he could. His chest was bruised and aching from the cut and there was a gash on his cheek, but it had already started healing. He pulled on his robes and started down the stairs, noting that Ron had already left. He found Ron in the common room with Ginny, holding onto a distraught Hermione.
"What's going on?" asked Harry, worried about why she was so upset. The last he had seen, the Grangers had been all right.
Hermione started speaking, but was overcome with a fresh wave of tears. Ron looked up, scowling.
"Her parents were attacked by Death Eaters last night," he said. "They left the Dark Mark over their house."
"Are they all right?" Harry asked, not having to try too hard to feign worry.
"What do you think?" snapped Ron, as Hermione sniffed and wiped her eyes.
Harry took a step back, frowning.
"Well I don't know, Ron. How would I know what to think if I wasn't there?" Ron looked away and Harry was surprised when Hermione looked up at him tearfully.
"How could you not know, Harry?" she asked angrily. "You see things all the time, and you couldn't see this?"
Harry felt like he'd been punched in the stomach and he gaped at her in disbelief. Without a word he turned a left the common room. He headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, but before he could pass through the entrance hall he was accosted by Snape.
"With me, Potter," he said.
"I'm hungry. I'm going to breakfast." Harry continued walking, not in the mood to listen to Snape.
He was entirely unprepared for when Snape gripped his shoulder tightly. Harry stopped still.
"Take your hand off me, Snape."
The hand did not move, and Harry was thankful there were no students around.
"What happened to your cheek, Mr Potter?"
"I ran into a bludger."
"Hmm." The hand turned Harry around steered him around the corner into the dungeons. Snape opened his office door and propelled Harry through it and roughly into a chair.
"Thankyou," said Harry, crossing his arms and staring at Snape levelly, which was hard, as Snape was still standing.
"Do not mock me, Potter. I wish to know how you contacted me last night."
"I'm not quite sure," said Harry truthfully. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
"I have given up trying to incriminate you for leaving school grounds, Potter. I can assure you that everybody is sufficiently bewildered about the strange person who turned up at the Granger's house last night and subdued five Death Eaters. Including Lucius Malfoy. His son is far from happy."
"Really?" Harry raised a disbelieving eyebrow. He sighed deeply, and then flinched slightly as a stab of pain went through his chest. Snape noticed, and sneered slightly.
"Lucius was very quick to point out that although you bested him, he did manage to injure you, quite severely by the looks of it."
"It didn't work as well as it should have. It's healing all ready."
"You didn't go to Madam Pomfrey?"
Harry didn't bother answering.
"What curse did he use?" asked Snape, eyeing Harry's chest.
"Some Dark Arts curse. I hadn't heard it before."
"Show me," said Snape.
Harry decided that this had gone far enough and jumped up.
"I'll be fine," he said.
"You have three choices," said Snape icily. "The first is that I force you to see Madam Pomfrey. The second is that you stay here and show me willingly, and the third is that I force you to stay here and charm your shirt off."
"Stuff you," said Harry. "I'd like to see you try." He turned and headed for a door, and it was a second before he realized that it was very cold down here. He looked down and saw his bare chest and spun around in anger. It took a second for him to remember to stick his hands behind his back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he spat. He was acutely conscious of his bruised and purpled chest between them, at the same time as he was desperately hoping that Snape hadn't seen his arms.
"Show me your arm, Mr Potter," said Snape softly, his voice dangerous and leaving no room for discussion.
"Excuse me?" asked Harry. "Put my clothes back on!" he spat.
"Show me your arm," Snape said slowly.
"You said you wanted to see my injury. Here it is. Are you happy?"
"Your arm, Mr Potter."
Harry felt himself growing angry, felt the thin veil of anger settling over him and changing him.
"Control your temper, Potter," sneered Snape. "It changes nothing."
"You have no right to do this to me. I have had it with you interfering in things that are none of your business."
"Hold out your arm, Mr Potter," or I will force you to."
Seeing no alternative, Harry grudgingly extended his right arm to Snape's probing gaze.
"The other arm, Potter," said Snape softly. "I have seen this one."
"Screw you," spat Harry, and spun around. Clutching his left hand to his chest, Harry grabbed his shirt and robes and opened the door.
Only to come face to face with Malfoy, his fist raised to knock on the door.
"Potter? What the hell?"
Malfoy leaned around Harry to stare at Snape, bewildered. He looked back at Harry and down to his scar-riddled chest, and the giant gash that lay diagonally across it. Slowly understanding dawned on his face, and it morphed into a twisted expression of acceptance.
"It was you, wasn't it?" he asked Harry. "He told us he didn't know who it was, but it was you."
"I can't help what your father does, Malfoy. If he starts trouble that I choose to finish, then that's his problem."
Malfoy looked as though he were about to retort, but then he slowly nodded.
"Yes. Yes, that's true."
Then he grinned maliciously.
"He really did a job on you, didn't he? Someone else has too, by the look of it," he said, taking in the scars on Harry's chest. Self-consciously, Harry moved his shirt to cover his chest, and it was then that Snape acted. While Harry had been preoccupied with Malfoy, Snape grabbed his arm and pulled it from his side. Harry spun around fiercely, but stopped when he saw Snape's face. He looked over Harry's shoulder.
"Close the door, Draco."
Malfoy did as he was told, but instead of leaving the room he came around and stood next to Snape, still staring in horror at Harry's chest. Snape didn't object and neither did Harry. Snape just stood staring down at Harry's arm.
"When?" he asked.
Harry shrugged and retrieved his arm from Snape's grasp. The anger had left him and now he felt deflated, defeated. He knew he could have left any time he wanted, and maybe some part deep down in him wanted people to know.
"The day after Katherine left, I think. I can't be sure; I kind of lost track of time."
"You called me through this? Just like he does."
"It was the only way."
Snape nodded and stepped back.
"You should have told someone, you know."
"And what would that have achieved?" Harry shot back.
"Potter, do you realise, you could call the Death Eaters, just like you called me. I had no idea that it was you. It felt- it felt just like him."
"I have thought about it," Harry admitted, "but he'd probably notice."
"But if we had Aurors prepared, ready, waiting."
"An ambush? Could work. It hurts me though. It hurt enough just calling you."
Snape nodded and moved to a chair, gesturing for Harry and Malfoy to do the same.
"It was in- in the prophecy, you know," said Harry, hesitating as he glanced at Malfoy. He wasn't sure if he wanted to trust Draco entirely just yet.
"Indeed?" murmured Snape.
"In the parseltongue bit. It said 'thrice marked, thrice linked, thrice bound."
"Of course," breathed Snape. "The scar on your forehead, then the Dark Mark, and then, that night you escaped, you gave him your mark."
"Yes," Harry nodded. He glanced at Malfoy, and saw that the blonde was staring in rapt attention at Harry's right arm.
He looked up to meet Harry's gaze and his hand went to his face.
"You gave the same mark as me," he murmured. "And you gave it to him, as well. You marked us just like he marks his followers."
"That was different," said Harry tightly. "I knew what I was doing when I marked Voldemort."
Snape stood abruptly and moved over to a low shelf, removing several vials from it and a small rag.
"If you insist on not seeing Madam Pomfrey," he said, as though he had actually believed Harry really would. He moved Harry's arm and clothes away from his chest and paused for a moment, examining the scars. Harry saw an unfathomable look pass across his eyes, and knew what Snape was thinking about. Malfoy, too, could not take his eyes away from the riddle of old and new scars that adorned Harry's chest.
"Merlin, Potter, who did that to you?" Malfoy asked, as though he could not believe that even Death Eaters could be so cruel. Harry sent him a patronizing glance.
"Who do you think?" he asked condescendingly.
"Well, a Death Eater, I guess, but I don't know which one. Was it my father."
"No," said Harry curtly, turning his head away and drawing in a sharp breath as Snape touched that rag quite forcefully to his chest.
"Then who-"
"Listen, Malfoy, I really have no desire to have this conversation. What's done is done."
"Are you always so flippant about these kinds of things?" he drawled. "I mean, if I'd been tortured and kept in a cell for that long I'd-"
"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry, and this time when his eyes turned red it was because he had willed it.
Malfoy shut up straight away, his face somewhat pale.
"Jeez, Potter, no need to do that. And how can you do that, anyway? You look like him," said Malfoy from Harry's left.
"Thankyou for the glaring compliments, Malfoy," said Harry, rolling his eyes and wincing as Snape patted a potion onto the wound with the rag. It stung.
"This is healing amazingly fast," said Snape in wonder.
"Yes, that's been happening a lot lately. I think I may have died without my amazingly useful healing abilities."
"Are you sure you don't remember who-"
"You are curious, aren't you? You really should learn when to stop." He looked Malfoy in the eye, and then raised a hand to trace the scar around his dead eye. "This one…this one was given to me by Augustus Rookwood," said Harry. It was amazing how many people he had been able to identify as he thought back over the incidence in the hospital wing.
"I remember when that happened," said Malfoy. "They said you were crying like a baby."
"I never cry, Malfoy," said Harry.
"You cried that day you murdered my Aunt," said Draco softly.
Harry turned to face him.
"That is the exception," he growled. "Believe me, it will not happen again. You can be sure the remorse I held was not for her."
"My mother was very upset."
"So was Rookwood when I broke his wand," said Harry, changing the subject back to the original one.
"Ah yes," said Draco. "He was absolutely furious. Came out blundering on about how he hadn't even been talking to you and you kicked him in the back."
"Yes, well, he deserved it. So did the other one," said Harry, feeling that they were getting very close to a dangerous subject.
"What were they doing?" asked Malfoy, apparently missing the threatening looks that Harry was sending him.
"I really don't want to talk about this any more, Malfoy."
"Aw, Poor Potter," mocked Malfoy. "Did they hurt your feelings?"
"Drop it," said Harry in exasperation as Snape stood up. He looked down at Harry, a strange expression on his face. Malfoy seemed to be getting an idea of what had happened.
"They did something to Katherine, then?" he asked. "Odd for you to stick up for a Slytherin, Potter," said Malfoy.
"You will close your mouth, Mr Malfoy, right now." He turned to Harry. "Would it be prudent for me to pay Augustus Rookwood a visit, Mr Potter?" asked Snape.
"I think that would be a very good idea, sir," said Harry. "You of all people should have reason to. I think you would find it very satisfying. Send him my regards when you do."
"I will do that, Potter," said Snape quietly. Malfoy was looking extremely confused. As Snape turned away, Harry added one more thing.
"Tell him that I said thankyou."
Snape turned back in surprise.
"For what?"
"For only being smart enough to do fifty percent of the job."
oOoOo
A/N: Like it? Hate it? Tell me! Turned out heaps different from what I planned, but I think it was okay. Should Harry be an animagus? What should he be? Remember to review- Wujjawoo.
Chapter 28: Of Close Calls and Criminals