Harry Potter and the Curse of V'Ardian
Chapter 30
Of Endings and Enemies
Standard Disclaimers Apply
A/N: SensiblyTainted- Yes, Snape is on the light side, but him and Harry really don't get along. I think Snape was trying to get to Harry because Harry was putting his hands on his daughter. Bad Harry.
oOoOo
Today was the day, Harry thought, when everything would change. He stared stonily down at the letter in front of him.
I want this back, it said, followed by a rather cryptic message about tonight possibly being Snape's big show, and he would do well to watch the map. With a heavy heart, he signed it Lord V'Ardian.
It was easier to think that if he kept the two identities separate, it wasn't him.
He rolled the Marauder's map within the letter and attached them both to Hedwig's leg.
"Take this to Snape, girl," he said softly. He watched Hedwig fly off into the sunset. A moment later there was a crack behind him and Dobby appeared.
"Harry Potter, sir, Headmaster Dumbledore requests your presence at the Entrance Hall and asks that Harry Potter bring his Cloak."
Harry stared for a moment at the little elf with the big eyes and the big heart, and gave a small smile.
"Thankyou, Dobby. Tell him I'll be there in five minutes."
"Yes, Harry Potter, Dobby will do that."
There was another crack and Dobby disappeared.
Harry stood with a sigh and went to fetch his Cloak.
He met Ron and Hermione in the common room and sat down next to them.
"Hey guys."
"Hi, Harry," said Hermione.
"Hi, mate. Have you done that Charms essay yet or-"
"No, Ron, listen. I need to speak to you guys."
He saw Ron and Hermione exchange a glance. He sighed.
"Look, I know I went a bit crazy the other day with Snape, but I'm fine now. It's just, I'm going out with Dumbledore tonight, and I want you guys to stay in the tower okay?"
Another look.
"What are you going out with Dumbledore for?"
"I can't tell you. You just have to trust me, alright. I have to go. I'll see you later."
"Bye, Harry," said Hermione softly.
He hurried to meet Dumbledore.
oOoOo
"Ah, Harry, right on time. How are you this evening?"
"Good, thankyou, sir," said Harry. He didn't meet his eyes.
"You have your Cloak?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well, then, let us go. Can you apparate?"
Harry had managed to apparate once in their lessons so far, but he didn't feel confident. He couldn't use his brand of apparition.
"I'm not that confident yet, sir."
"No matter. Once we get past the wards I shall assist you. Now let us be off."
They began walking.
"Where exactly are we going, sir?"
"To the place where Lord Voldemort took two young children as a child and tortured them. A cave, more specifically."
"Wasn't Tom Riddle at an orphanage, sir? How did he get to a cave?"
"The cave is a short distance from the village where the children from the orphanage holidayed once a year."
"Oh," said Harry.
"Here we are," said Dumbledore cheerily, coming to a stop outside the gates of Hogwarts. "Take my arm Harry, no need to hold on too hard, I am only guiding you."
Harry held Dumbledore's elbow, there was a lurching feeling, an unpleasant pressing against his eardrums, and they were standing on a blustery stretch of grass atop a cliff. The crescent moon was high in the sky.
Poseidon's Reach, Harry realised. Voldemort hid a Horcrux here?
"Come along, Harry," said Dumbledore, humming merrily. He headed for the path that trailed down the cliff. Harry followed him, and they stopped at the first entrance.
"No, not here," Dumbledore said, and began walking again. The path wound steadily lower, getting steeper and steeper. It ended abruptly, some twenty metres above the heaving ocean.
"We must climb," Dumbledore said and, rather sprightly for a man so old, swung down over the edge of the cliff and began descending the slippery rocks. Harry waited a moment and followed him. It was hard going, and Harry marvelled at the fact that a young Tom Riddle had managed the climb, before remembering that he had probably used magic.
"Ah," Dumbledore said again, and Harry nearly slipped when he saw that Dumbledore had stopped. "I am afraid we shall have to swim, Harry."
Without further ado, Dumbledore dropped into the churning sea and struck out along the base of the cliff with a perfect breast stroke. Stemming any feelings of guilt before they could make themselves known, Harry scrambled down the slippery rocks and dropped into the cold water. With a gasp at the chill, he followed Dumbledore into a small cave. He heaved him up onto a ledge and Dumbledore cast a drying charm on him.
"Before we go any further, Harry, I shall have to ask you to promise me that you will do whatever I ask you to, whether it be to run, to hide, or to do something you do not wish. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," said Harry.
"Very well. Let us go on."
Inside the cave, Dumbledore paced around the walls, stopping occasionally to touch the wall, murmur, and then moving on. Ten minutes later he let out another, "Ah."
"Is this it, sir?"
"This is how we get in, yes."
"How, sir?"
"A moment, please, Harry," Dumbledore murmured, running his hands lightly over a bit of stone wall.
"Ah, how predictable," Dumbledore whispered. "Yet disappointing."
"Sir?"
"I believe Voldemort requires anyone who wishes to enter to give a sacrifice."
"A sacrifice?"
"Of blood, I believe. How crude. Riddle never did understand that there are worse things than pain and death."
Dumbledore pulled back his sleeve and drew a short silver knife from his pocket. He held it to his forearm.
"No, sir, let me-"
But Dumbledore drew the blade across his skin and blood sprayed against the wall. He drew his wand and healed the cut. The stone dissolved into an archway and Dumbledore looked back at Harry.
"I believe, Harry that your blood is quite a bit more essential than mine, don't you agree."
Harry nodded dumbly and followed Dumbledore into the doorway. For some reason the comment had stung him deeply.
They followed the narrow ledge into the darkness of the cave, and they lit their wands. Inside the cave, the water lay green and still, lit unnaturally from beneath. A luminescent glow came from the centre of the salty lake.
"Is that the Horcrux, sir?" asked Harry.
"Yes, Harry, I believe so."
"How are we supposed to get it? Can't we just summon it?"
"You could try it, I suppose," said Dumbledore. Harry raised his wand.
"Accio Horcrux," he said firmly. Something splashed out near the centre before disappearing again, and ripples disappeared unnaturally fast, leaving the surface as placid and still as before.
"As I thought. We shall have to cross." They continued along the ledge and Dumbledore stopped so suddenly that Harry nearly ran into the back of him. Dumbledore turned to face the water and reached out his arm, hand scrabbling in the air.
"Aha," he said brightly. "Here we are."
He leaned out over the lake, feet just scraping the ledge and hanging from something invisible. There was a grinding, clanking sound, and suddenly a chain materialised in Dumbledore's hand. He yanked down on it hard and tapped it with his wand, and it began threading through his hand. Out of the depths, Harry saw a black object rising up, and a thin bridge appeared, linking them to the small glowing island in the centre.
"It doesn't look like it will hold both of us, sir," said Harry.
"I do not think it will matter, Harry. I think the bridge will measure the amount of magic within a person, not their weight. I also believe that he will not have expected one so young as you to make it so far, and as you are underage, you will not matter. We shall be fine."
With that, Dumbledore said off across the flimsy looking bridge, and Harry followed him. True to Dumbledore's belief, they made it across unharmed, but Harry wasn't so sure that Dumbledore's reasoning had been correct.
"Sir shouldn't it be harder than this?" he asked, looking down at a silver chalice that was filled with clear green liquid.
"Yes, Harry, I think we shall encounter more problems. Only Voldemort himself would be able to retrieve his Horcrux unharmed. Now quiet, please, I need to think."
Dumbledore stood, considering the chalice and the small goblet that stood next to it. He reached out a hand that seemed to be met half way with an irresistible force, and exhaled slowly.
"I believe he means for us to drink it, Harry," Dumbledore said softly.
"Let me do it, sir," Harry said instantly. Dumbledore had said that only Tom Riddle would be able to reach his Horcrux unharmed. But what if Harry had a part of Tom Riddle in him, as he was so sure he did? Deep inside him, surrounded and sheltered by his own, lay the malignant magic that Harry had extracted from both Dumbledore and Tonks. Surely if he released it, just a little, he would be able to get the Horcrux?
"No, Harry, I shall do it. Do you remember what you promised me? That you would do whatever I asked, immediately?"
"Yes sir," Harry said resignedly. Dumbledore picked up the small silver goblet.
"I must ask that if at any time I cease drinking, you shall force me to go on, even if it means having to grab me and force it down my throat."
Harry sighed.
"Yes sir, I will."
"Very good," said Dumbledore quietly, and without further ado, he plunged the silver goblet into the chalice and filled it to the brim. He brought it quickly to his lips, and Harry watched it slip into his mouth, as smooth as quicksilver.
He repeated the action quickly, and then a third time, but then Harry saw that his hand was trembling and his breath was coming in short bursts.
"Please…" murmured Dumbledore. "Please…don't make me…"
"Keep going, sir," said Harry firmly, and Dumbledore obeyed him silently, plunging the goblet into the half-empty chalice. He swallowed the mouthful and fell to his knees, the goblet clanging on the stone floor.
"No! Take me, please, not them!" Dumbledore wailed. Harry knelt next to him and picked up the goblet, blocking out Dumbledore's ravings. No matter how much the man had hurt him, he found that he still couldn't bear to see him like this.
Harry plunged the goblet into the green liquid and held it to Dumbledore's pale face and watched it swim over his bloodless lips. Dumbledore began to cough and splutter, pushing Harry away from him.
"Another one, sir," Harry said quickly. "We're nearly there."
Dumbledore obediently swallowed the proffered drink, but now he began trembling violently, muttering incoherent phrases.
"Come on, Professor," said Harry, filling the goblet again.
He sighed as Dumbledore slumped back against his arm as he drained the goblet. His eyes rolled back into his head. Harry filled the goblet again and felt it scrape the bottom.
"Last one, sir," he said. Dumbledore's mouth sagged open and Harry poured it in slowly. Dumbledore coughed some of it up, but then it was all gone. Dumbledore closed his eyes, muttering quietly, and Harry laid him gently on the floor with a sigh. He checked his pulse to make sure he was still breathing, but suddenly something grabbed his leg from behind. He spun around to see countless Inferi, groping hands preceding them out of the water. He threw out his arm, not bothering to grab his wand.
"Incendio," he murmured. The slimy had slipped off his leg and the owner uttered an odd gurgling sound, before the Inferi slipped under the water once more and it became still and motionless. Dumbledore stirred at his side.
"Sir," said Harry, going to him.
"Help me up, Harry," said Dumbledore hoarsely, and Harry gripped his upper arm and hauled him to his feet. Leaning on Harry for support, Dumbledore reached into the chalice and pulled out a pendant, silver in appearance. Harry watched emotionlessly as Dumbledore thrust it quickly into his robes, breathing heavily.
"I shall need you to lead me, Harry," said Dumbledore, and Harry nodded.
Their going was slow, but they finally made it out to the door. This time Harry cut himself before Dumbledore could protest and they passed through the stone archway. After all, it was the least he could do.
They reached the heaving swell of the ocean, and Dumbledore motioned to the water.
"We must return to the path above. We cannot apparate from here."
Harry frowned in concern, and Dumbledore saw the look.
"Do not worry, Harry, I shall be fine. You may go first."
With a quick nod, Harry lowered himself into the frigid water and struck out for their destination. It was harder going this way; the current pushed them back the way they had come, and it was a good ten minutes before Harry reached in exhaustion for the rock cliff. He pulled himself slowly out of the cold water and heaved himself up to the path. Dumbledore came afterwards even slower, and Harry reached down to grab the back of his robes and pull him up. Dumbledore slumped with a sigh against the cliff face and closed his eyes.
"I… must rest for a moment, Harry. I do not think I can make it back just yet."
"That's alright, sir," said Harry loudly. "I can take us."
Without waiting for permission, Harry grasped the weary man's arm and focussed on the town of Hogsmeade. Dumbledore landed with a thump and Harry fought to keep him upright.
"Well done," wheezed Dumbledore. A moment later the door to the Three Broomsticks burst open and Madam Rosmerta came running out, night gown flapping around her ankles.
"Albus!" she gasped. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"Fine, fine, Rosmerta. We are simply on our way back to Hogwarts from a tiresome journey-"
"You mean you haven't been there?" asked Madam Rosmerta with a gasp.
"What do you mean?" asked Dumbledore, startled.
"The Dark Mark, Albus. It's been seen above the school!"
Dumbledore straightened at once.
"We must go immediately."
"I have brooms that you can use," said Rosmerta. "I'll get them for you."
"No, no, Harry can get them," said Dumbledore quickly.
Harry raised his wand.
"Accio Madam Rosmerta's brooms!" he called out.
Two brooms flew towards them and Harry clambered onto his.
Madam Rosmerta helped Dumbledore onto his and Harry cast a binding charm to keep him there.
They rose swiftly into the sky, and immediately saw the Dark Mark hanging over the Astronomy tower. Dumbledore landed first, and then Harry, stumbling against the battlements with a thump. Noises echoed up through the door from below.
"Cloak, Harry," whispered Dumbledore, leaning against the wall for support.
Harry threw it on quickly, and no sooner had he done that than a charm hit him and he froze, immobile.
He saw Dumbledore slip down the wall slightly, his wand falling from his grasp, and a second later Draco Malfoy burst through the door, wand raised.
"Accio wand!" he called, and Dumbledore's wand flew towards him.
"Hello, Draco," said Dumbledore politely, and his voice was no longer hoarse and weak, but strong and confident.
"Shut up!" snarled Malfoy, his face twisting into a sneer.
"It is not too late, Draco, to change sides. I know you are not bad at heart. I can help you."
"Shut up!" Malfoy yelled again. "How dare you speak to me that way, when I have you at my mercy?"
Dumbledore shook his head sadly, and Harry saw Malfoy's wand drop slightly.
"I can help you, Draco, and your mother if that is your wish. Even your father, if he should so choose."
Malfoy sneered again, a flush tinging his cheeks pink.
"I don't need your help, Dumbledore. I have made it this far on my own. It was I who found the way into the school, I who told the Dark Lord all he needed to know."
"And how did you get into the school, Draco?" asked Dumbledore. "Are there other Death Eaters here?"
"Yes," spat Malfoy. Harry heard fighting in the stairwell and wondered who was winning. Malfoy's face took on a smug smile. "That vanishing cabinet. When Montague got stuck in it he said that sometimes he was at Hogwarts and sometimes he was at Borgin and Burkes. There's two of the, you see, and they form a kind of connection. I fixed them. It was all me."
Dumbledore smiled, infuriating Malfoy.
"I commend you on your ingenuity, Draco. I admit, I was unaware that such a way into the school existed. You were very clever."
Malfoy sneered.
"Do not think that I will spare your life just because you compliment me, Dumbledore. I have a job to do, and I will do it."
"My dear boy," said Dumbledore, his voice holding a hint of reproach. "I knew that you were set this task. I have been watching you all year. I have seen you fail, time and time again with useless ploys. You were so desperate…"
Dumbledore slipped down the battlements further, his head hanging at an odd angle.
"Shut up!" Malfoy screamed. "I have succeeded and the Dark Lord will reward me beyond nay others once I kill you!"
"Draco, if you truly intended to kill me, you would have done it by now."
Harry saw the defeated look that crept over Malfoy's face, and his arm fell to his side. At that moment the door burst open and Snape entered the room, followed by four Death Eaters. Harry saw his eyes take in the two brooms and dart around the room. One of the Death Eaters chortled.
"Oh, it's Dumbledore, look at that, and he's completely defenceless."
The witched at his side giggled with mirth.
Dumbledore smiled slowly, inclining his head.
"Amycus. I see you've brought Alecto, too."
The third Death Eater, with long, dirty nails spoke up. He was covered in blood.
"Don't let him distract you, Draco. Do the job and let's get out of here."
Malfoy didn't move, his eyes riveted to Dumbledore's face.
Dumbledore looked at the Death Eater who had spoken.
"Is that you, Fenrir? Feeding without the full moon now, are you?"
Fenrir laughed.
"Can't deny what I am, Dumbledore," he laughed harshly.
"Enough," snapped Snape, finally speaking up. "This is what you came here to do, Draco. Kill him."
Malfoy didn't move, though his wand arm flinched slightly.
"Severus," pleaded Dumbledore, and Harry saw the silent communication between the two.
"Very well," Snape growled, his face pale. He raised his wand.
"Avada Keda-"
In that moment, Harry broke the spell binding him in place and stunned the four Death Eaters that stood behind Snape and Malfoy.
"Stop!" he commanded, pulling his Cloak from his body. Snape's wand flew from his hand and landed in Harry's.
"Harry," said Dumbledore weakly.
"Potter!" spat Snape. Harry stepped next to Draco and gave him a long, searching look. They boy looked completely defeated. Harry turned to Dumbledore and raised his wand.
"Harry, what are you doing?" asked Dumbledore, despair and surprise on his face. Harry swallowed. It would have been so much easier if Dumbledore had died in that cave, so much easier.
"I'm sorry, sir," Harry said, his voice cracking slightly. "I truly am."
"What are you talking about, Harry?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes wide with shock.
"Yes, what, Potter?" snapped Snape.
Harry swallowed and licked his dry lips.
"It was me," he said, "who told Voldemort that you would be away from Hogwarts tonight. I told him to attack."
Harry heard Snape draw in a sharp breath. Dumbledore's face was pale.
"Why, Harry?" whispered Dumbledore, his voice filled with despair. "Why did you do it? You don't have to, you know. You are the only one who can-"
"I know, sir. And I will kill him."
"Then why?" whispered Dumbledore. He was slumped low over the battlements, now. The sight was pathetic, and Harry almost could stand seeing the great wizard there like that.
"It was you who told me I couldn't escape my destiny, Dumbledore."
Harry let his eyes go red and his teeth slip past his lips and he saw Dumbledore's eyes widen in understanding.
"Harry-"
"Avada Kedavra," Harry whispered, unleashing Voldemort's magic from inside of him. There was a flash of green light, and Dumbledore hung suspended in the air for a second before he was propelled backwards over the battlements. Harry watched the space where he had fallen for a moment and lowered his wand. He turned to Snape and Malfoy.
Malfoy took a step backwards.
"You bastard!" he spat. "You lied to me! Who are you?"
Harry stared at him in sorrow.
"I? I am Lord V'Ardian, Draco."
"So this is what you had planned, Potter?" asked Snape, his lips quivering in fury. "To kill the headmaster?"
"It was about to happen anyway," Harry said. "And we don't have time to talk. The Order is fighting there way up here as we speak."
Suddenly there was a sound to Harry's left and a fist collided with the side of his head. He reeled sideways as his vision blacked out, holding out an arm for support. He scrambled to his feet and rounded on his attacker.
"You bastard!" screamed Malfoy, as an angry tear slipped down his cheek. "We had a deal! How could you do this to me?"
"What is this, Draco?" asked Snape quickly, looking between the two of them. Harry sneered.
"You hardly held up your end, Malfoy," he spat. "And I would hardly expect an ally to take advantage of my disabilities." He shot a look at Snape.
"If you want to help, leave now. I need someone close to him and with Dumbledore's death you will be close to him."
"You want me to take credit for his murder?" asked Malfoy in disbelief.
"Yes, Draco, that is what I am asking. It won't be for long; I will end this quickly, I promise you, but you must go now."
Malfoy nodded slowly, unhappily.
"I cannot leave," he whispered.
Harry turned to him.
"I will protect her," he said quietly. "I promise you."
Snape sneered slightly, but it held no malice, and he inclined his head slightly and swept from the room. Malfoy took one last look at Harry and followed the Potions Master out.
Harry waited a moment before raising his wand to his throat and muttering, "Sonorus."
He took a deep breath. When he spoke his voice echoed through the castle.
"By the authority of the one called Lord Voldemort, I, the Lord of V'Ardian, hereby command all followers of the Dark Lord to return to their master. Your job is done."
Harry cancelled the spell and began running. He ran down the now empty stairway, past the bodies of unconscious Death Eaters and Order members. He pelted through the Great Hall and into the Entrance hall in time to see Snape and Malfoy running through it, and he followed them out onto the grass. He felt a lurch in his stomach as he saw Katherine in the shadows, her face pale as she watched her father flee from Hogwarts. He turned his gaze from her and watched as Snape and Malfoy passed the lake, the last of the Death Eaters to leave Hogwarts. The Dark Mark floated high, and Harry saw its green light cast over a group of people gathering at the base of the Astronomy tower.
Fighting down the sickened feeling, he walked slowly towards them and they parted before him, as if he had some kind of right to be the one to see him first. Some people were crying, and someone said his name, but his eyes were riveted to the man on the ground. Dumbledore lay on his back, eyes closed, and were it not for the odd angle of his leg, he could have been sleeping. Harry knelt next to him, his throat constricting so hard that it was painful.
There were whispers behind him, the rumours of who had been his murderer already flying. Snape, some said, even Malfoy. Harry would agree, later on, simply to preserve the charade that he had so successfully engineered. Now, though, he was acutely aware of what he had done, and he shifted his eyes from Dumbledore's lined face.
He reached out a hand, and saw that it was shaking, and plunged it into the folds of Dumbledore's robe. His hand sought out the locket, and he felt the rough links of the chain against his palm. He drew it out and stood, pushing it deep into his pocket without looking at it.
He wished he had just let Dumbledore die when he had been sick.
A shrill gasp came from behind him.
"Mr Potter! Is that the headmaster?"
Harry turned around to see Professor McGonagall.
"Yes," he said hollowly. "It is."
McGonagall raise a hand to her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Who?" she whispered.
"It was Malfoy," said Harry. "Malfoy and Snape."
His gaze darted sideways to where Katherine stood in the shadows. He lowered his head to the ground as he listened to the gasps of horror and indignation rippling through the surrounding people.
"I have to go, Professor," he murmured. Professor McGonagall didn't answer, but brushed past him and knelt at Dumbledore's side. There were people shouting through the darkness now.
"Dumbledore's dead! Snape killed him! Dumbledore is dead!"
Harry joined Katherine in the shadows and she flung herself into his arms.
She's going to hate me. She's never going to forgive me.
"It wasn't him," Harry said softly. "It wasn't."
Katherine shook her head into his chest.
"Who was it then?"
Harry swallowed hard and stepped back from her.
"I did."
Shock passed across her face, quickly followed by anger.
"You killed Dumbledore?" she spat. She sneered at him. "How could you do such a thing?"
Harry stepped back from her further and smiled sadly. He looked up at the sky.
"Answer me!" she spat, stepping towards him. He looked steadily back at her, his eyes sad.
"Because it was the only way, Katherine," he said softly. "Dumbledore took a lot from me, but I had no wish to kill him. I told you about the prophecy, but I don't expect you to understand, and I'm sorry that you can't."
She shook her head slowly and Harry left.
oOoOo
It was decided, with much stubbornness and argument on McGonagall's part, that Hogwarts would remain open, if only because it was advocated by the new Minister for Magic.
The last two weeks of school passed quickly, exams came and went, and the day finally came for them to return to their homes. Harry sat on his bed, fingering the now worn and creased message that had been clasped inside the Horcrux. It hadn't been a Horcrux, in the end. Someone else had got there first, and replaced it with a useless necklace and a note to Voldemort.
It angered him that Dumbledore had gone through what he had for nothing. His eyes were drawn to the initials at the bottom of the note.
R.A.B.
He thought he knew who it was. He hoped he was right. He thought he might even know where the locket was now secreted, if it had not been destroyed. With a sigh, Harry put the message back in the locket and pushed both deep into his pocket.
He swung out of his bed and closed the lid of his trunk.
The other boys were down in the common room; nearly everyone was. He sighed again. Increasingly of late, he had been torn between fits of rage, where he wanted topunch and yell, and bouts of sadness and depression. He hadn't spoken to Katherine since that night, though he would have to do so today, to tell her that she would be going to Grimmauld Place with him. He didn't think she had forgiven him for what he had done, and he wasn't sure he expected her to. He wouldn't tell anyone else, at least not for a while. He wouldn't be able to stand it if Ron and Hermione shied away from him, or Emily.
He smiled. Emily, he thought, was possibly the best thing that had ever happened to him. Maybe, he thought, this was what the prophecy referred to, when it said that he would be strengthened by blood of the same.
Harry looked over to the Daily prophet that sat on his bedside table. For two weeks now, the Daily Prophet had run front page portraits of Snape and Malfoy, and a number of other Death Eaters. Harry wondered how Katherine was. He had meant to go see her; had made it as far as the entrance to the Slytherin common room before he had lost his courage and turned back.
Quelling the urge to sigh again, he covered himself in his Invisibility Cloak and headed for the staircase. He bypassed the excited crowd in the common room and slipped out of the portrait hole, heading for the dungeons. He only had to wait for a minute before a group of first years came out, and he slipped in before the doorway sealed.
He scanned the room and found Katherine far corner, hidden behind the Daily Prophet.
Navigating carefully through the older Slytherins who sat in dignified poses, Harry made his way to her side. Lancing furtively around, Harry cleared his throat quickly. Katherine's gaze darted off the page and he felt sorry for startling her. Her gaze narrowed.
"Go away, Harry," she whispered angrily, pulling the newspaper closer to hide her face.
"I need to talk to you, Katherine," he said. "Where do you think you're going to go during the holidays?"
"I was intending to go to my father's house," she said stiffly.
"You can't be serious, Katherine. You know full well that it isn't safe," he hissed quietly. "I promised your father I would look after you, and I'm going to. You can come to Grimmauld Place."
"I don't think that's a good idea," she said quietly.
"Emily will be there," said Harry.
Finally Katherine acquiesced, her gaze hard.
"Fine," she said. "Now will you please go?"
Harry spun angrily on his heel and marched out of the common room and back to Gryffindor tower. Halfway there he remembered he had to speak to Professor McGonagall, and headed instead to the headmaster's office.
He pulled off his Cloak as he ascended the staircase and knocked on the door.
"Enter," said McGonagall crisply. "Mr Potter," she said in surprise, when she saw him.
"Professor," he said. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be staying at Grimmauld Place during the holidays, and I wanted to know who the new Secret Keeper is, now that…"
"Of course," she replied, her nostrils flaring slightly at the reference to Dumbledore. "When a Secret Keeper dies, the responsibility is passed on to the owner of the dwelling. In this case, that would be you. That is something I wanted to talk to you about. If you wish to change, I can-"
"No, Professor," Harry cut her off. "That's fine. I also wanted to let you know that my sister will also be coming with me, and another student, as well."
McGonagall raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Another student, Mr Potter?"
"Katherine Winters, Professor. She's friends with my sister, and her father is away. I just thought I'd let you know."
"Mr Potter, you cannot simply let any person into that house!" she said angrily. It surprised Harry somewhat that she did not know Katherine's true identity, but he supposed it was safer that way. "She may not be trustworthy. She is a Slytherin."
Harry bristled.
"I assure you, Professor, that she is far more trustworthy than many of the other people the Order lets into that house, and as it is my house I may let in whomever I like."
McGonagall frowned.
"Don't take that tone with me, Mr Potter. I just hope you understand what you are doing."
"Yes, Professor," he said. "I am perfectly aware of the consequences of all of my actions."
oOoOo
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I have so much work to do! Thanks to all those who reviewed. Reviews make me happy :) I had some questions about why Snape and Harry keep each others secret and then fight. I thought I explained this, but if you didn't get it, then it's like this: Snape and Harry keep each other's secrets because they're kind of blackmailing each other. If one of them tells the other's secret, the other can easily tell their secret. They also both understand that they need to put their animosity aside to achieve victory, and their silence goes towards 'the greater good'. Remember to review- Wujjawoo.
Chapter 31: Of Grimmauld and Ghosts