Halle Potter and the first year of madness
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When Madam Pomfrey was done attending to Halle, she sent her and Hagrid on their way. He accompanied her to Gryffindor tower while asking her some extra questions about the incident. Halle gave vague details about the creature in question. She didn't want Hagrid to go searching for Voldemort. Hagrid was tough but she was still wary. She did give him as much details as she could about the pathway to the clearing because the poor unicorn did deserve to be given back to her kind and perhaps buried.
Hopefully Firenze would help Hagrid out with that.
Hagrid once his questioning was done gave Halle a heavy-handed pat on the back that was meant to be comforting but was more painful than anything. He then left her and she gave the password to the fat lady and walked through the portrait.
As she stepped in, she was relieved to see one Ronnie, Neville and Hemione in the corner of the common room.
The three of them looked absolutely exhausted.
Halle came rushing over to them.
Neville noticed her first and was ready to greet her but immediately could tell that something was wrong even though Halle had been given a calming draught not even ten minutes ago.
"Halle what's wrong?" Asked Neville concerned.
Halle looked surprised at Neville for a moment. How did he know something was wrong? Then again Neville always seemed to notice if someone was feeling upset.
"Hals what's up?" Said Ronnie turning to the raven-haired girl.
Hermione also turned to look at her but she had a funny look on her face that made Halle look concerned for her.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you Hermione? And how comes you guys have been gone all day? What did Snape make you do?" Asked Halle.
She couldn't talk about Voldemort yet. There were other students in the common room.
"That slimy no good, greasy haired git made us do our detention all day." Said Ronnie heatedly.
"So, you guys didn't have lunch or dinner?" Asked Halle appalled.
"We had lunch and dinner but Snape wouldn't let us leave, so we had to have cold food and water in the dungeons...twice." Said Neville gloomily.
"That git!" Said Halle outraged.
"As for the actual detention itself, the git made us create 26 herbicide cures to the potion that he caused Neville to blow up, one at a time might I add. He then made us restock the store cupboard with a new batch of the ingredients needed to make the potions because he said and I quote 'he had to waste his precious ingredients so that some simpletons Gryffindors didn't murder their classmates' even though we already moved on from the herbicide potion, meaning we did them for absolutely nothing! As for dearest Hermione here, she's a little out of it. First time detention blues. She's never had one before. Me and Nev haven't either but she thinks it will affect her career chances in the future." Said Ronnie. Her tone a mixture of angriness and sarcasm at Hermione's expense.
Halle looked back at Hermione and could see the look in her eyes was kind of haunted. This had to have been a massive deal for her. Halle now felt guilty that she had never gotten round to talking to professor McGonagall, not that she didn't have good reason for not going to her but still.
"Ok now you." Said Neville seriously.
He wasn't gonna let it go but Halle was glad cause she needed to talk about all that she'd seen and heard tonight.
Halle looked around the common room. It was starting to fill out more with Gryffindors.
"What time is it?" Asked Halle suddenly.
"About quarter to 8." Answered Ronnie, checking her watch.
It was only quarter to 8? It felt like it was at least after 11. Everything that had happened tonight had happened under 45 minutes?
"Neville, do you know if Ryan, Dean or Seamus are in your dormitory?" Asked Halle, she could currently see Matt sitting with Freja playing a game of chess.
"We stopped off in the hall to see if you were in there and they were there. Haven't seen them come up yet." Answered Neville.
"Which means that we don't have much time. Follow me." Said Halle walking towards the spiral staircase.
The others shared a look that brought Hermione out of her stupor entirely. The three of them swiftly got up and followed Halle up the spiral staircase but instead of turning right, she turned left towards the boy's tower that also contained seven dormitories. Halle opened the door and there was the second door that led to the first year's boy dormitory. The towers always knew where you wanted to go.
Halle heard Hermione behind her.
"Halle we're not allowed to go into the boy's dormitories."
"Well, if we weren't allowed surely some magic would stop us, right?" Replied Halle.
"Regardless!" Said Hermione agitated.
"Oh, forget the rules for a second Hermione. My question is why are we going into the boy's dormitory in the first place?" Asked Ronnie curiously.
"We need to have a private conversation." Answered Halle and with that she pushed the door open.
The boy's dormitory looked exactly like theirs but with a bit less personal decoration and only six beds.
On the righthand side of the room, on the end was a bed with the curtains drawn. This could only be Dewei's bed.
Although Halle had been unsure of herself around Dewei of late, she was still going to include him in this conversation. She felt like she should.
Halle walked up to his bed as Neville closed the door to the dormitory. She pulled back the curtains to find Dewei in black silk pyjamas and surprisingly reading glasses, with a large book in his hand. He had been thoroughly surprised to find them in the room but he quickly became very annoyed at their presence.
"Sorry. Just had to check it was you." Said Halle nonchalantly.
"I didn't realise your reproductive organs looked similar to mine. You'll have to forgive me for misgendering you fine gentlemen." Said Dewei rather sarcastically before returning back to his book.
He didn't even bother to close back the curtains and Halle; Ronnie and Hermione chose to ignore his comment.
"Neville which bed is yours?" Asked Halle.
"You're standing next to it." Answered Neville.
So, Neville had been sleeping next to Dewei for three months? She was impressed that Neville had managed to keep himself together all this time while sleeping next to the grim reaper.
"May I?" Asked Halle gesturing to his bed.
"Of course." Said Neville also coming to his bed.
Himself, Halle and a reluctant Hermione sat down on his bed facing an annoyed Dewei who was trying his best to keep his head in his book. Ronnie who was just watching Dewei smirked before plonking herself down on his bed without asking.
He glared very intensely in the back of her head.
"Ok, now that we're all settled, what's going on Hals?" Asked Ronnie curiously.
Halle took a moment to check their surroundings.
"I went into the forbidden forest tonight." Stated Halle in a controlled voice.
"WHAT?" Chorused Hermione, Ronnie and Neville.
Even Dewei had paused his glaring at Ronnie to look at Halle like she'd grown two heads.
Halle began to explain her unicorn story but she added a few details of wanting to grill Hagrid about Nicolas Flamel to really sell the idea that she had gone back down to see Hagrid instead of actually meeting with C.S. She then explained about the creature in the clearing, Firenze saving her, the meeting with Bane and Ronan and Firenze taking her back to Hagrid.
She hadn't told them about who the creature was or what Firenze/C.S had told her, yet.
"Halle, are you out of your mind? What on earth would possess you to go into the forbidden forest? It's forbidden and extremely dangerous. Even Hogwarts: A History can't depict just how many dangerous creatures there are in the forest. Do you know that the forest is said to be as almost big as the Amazon rainforest? Philosophers have said that the forest is so big, so powerful and so deadly that three quarters of it isn't even in this physical plane. People have disappeared in there, never to be seen or heard from again. I admire your valour and tenacity to try and help that unicorn but that was truly a stupid thing to attempt to do on your own no less and you almost could've died for the sake of it. You almost already died today, why go and risk your life for a second time?" Snapped Hermione.
Halle could tell that her tone was trying to be harsh but was coming across shrill more than anything. Halle appreciated that she was worried for her but grimaced at the tone. If she was shrill now, she wouldn't like what she was about to hear in a moment.
Ronnie sighed.
"I hate to admit it Hals, but I agree with the frizz queen here."
That earned Ronnie a scowl from Hermione but she ignored it and continued.
"You could've been eaten alive." Said Ronnie dryly.
Neville nodded his head apparently anxious of the idea of Halle almost being a blood bank.
Dewei who had actually taken interest in the story was giving Halle the most curious look Halle had ever seen on his face before.
Did he know something?
"Look I know it was stupid, but I just wanted to help. I didn't even think about the dangers of the forest. I just wanted to get her to Hagrid but she kept on backing off but that's not the important part of this story. There's something else." Said Halle slowly.
She saw that she had their undivided attention.
"I know why that creature was feeding off of the unicorn and I know what that creature was, or should I say I know who the creature was." Said Halle grimacing again.
"Who?" Said Hermione confused.
"Yeah, what do you mean who?" Asked Ronnie just as confused.
"I know this will sound crazy but I swear to you I'm not making this up. The creature wasn't a creature at tall, it...it was Voldemort." Said Halle looking at all of them.
The gasp from Hermione was instantaneous, Neville fell off the edge of his own bed, Ronnie went completely pale and winced at the use of his name and even Dewei looked extremely serious at this.
"What?" Cried Hermione.
"I said it was Vold..."
"Don't say the name." Hissed Ronnie as she looked around as though Voldemort would come bursting through the door any second.
"You Know Who is in the forbidden right now?" Asked Neville, his voice becoming a squeak.
"Yes. He was feeding off the unicorn's blood. When he got near me my scar exploded with pain. I couldn't take it, that's when Firenze came. Bane was so angry that he saved me and carried me on his back and started talking about the planets and asked Firenze what he'd been telling me. Firenze then asked me if I knew why the unicorn had been killed. He told me that only someone who was desperate would kill a unicorn. Unicorn blood can keep you alive even if you're on the brink of death but killing a unicorn means your cursing yourself in the process. Firenze told me that Voldemort has been drinking it at least until he can get his hands on whatever Fluffy's guarding. That it can restore him. I think Snape's trying to steal the package for Voldemort." Said Halle relieved she was talking about this.
Halle then proceeded to talk about the first night that her scar had prickled in pain after looking at Snape.
The others looked shocked.
"But You Know Who is gone. You destroyed him." Said Hermione recovering first.
"Hagrid said that he never believed he was truly gone, that he wasn't human enough to truly die. He said he was biding his time to come back and now he's out there in the forest keeping himself alive with unicorn blood." Said Halle, there was an undertone of rising panic in her voice as she truly thought about this.
Voldemort could come back!
"And a centaur just told you this randomly?" Asked Dewei. There was definitely a hint of suspicion in his voice.
Halle chose to ignore this.
"He came out of nowhere too. I asked questions, he provided cryptic answers. Besides when Bane got angry at him, he stood his ground and said he's against what lurks in the forest. He knew who I was too." Said Halle, her tone careful, to not reveal anything extra.
"Most of the magical world would know who you are. Even magical creatures with high intelligence would." Said Hermione factually.
Halle felt a jolt in her stomach at that but made no comment.
"Yeah, but with all the planet stuff Firenze and Bane was talking about, I think he knew I was gonna be in the forest. Hagrid said that centaurs were stargazers. Firenze had no kind of evidence that could prove that it was Voldemort and I didn't see his face to definitely say it was him but Firenze still confirmed it and the pain that my scar went through, I'm inclined to believe it." Said Halle adamantly.
"Merlin! What do we do?" Said Neville Panicked.
"We tell Dumbledore!" Said Hermione.
"Hermione even if we did tell Dumbledore, one we're not meant to know about the package and we'll probably get in trouble, and two if Hagrid won't believe us about Snape what makes you think Dumbledore, will?" Said Ronnie suddenly.
"She's right Hermione." Said Halle.
Why would Dumbledore believe a bunch of first years who hated Snape? Maybe he might believe them about Voldemort but he definitely wouldn't believe them about Snape.
"It's Dumbledore! He's one of the greatest wizards in the world, who might I add Halle, You Know Who was very afraid of. I don't think we can afford not to tell him." Said Hermione seriously.
"Uh, uh Granger. No way! After today's detention. I can't even fathom having another one and if we don't get expelled for nosing around, we'll certainly get detentions for the rest of the year." Said Ronnie heatedly.
"We weren't even in the forbidden forest and I highly doubt that Halle we'll get in trouble for trying to help a unicorn." Said Hermione irritated.
"Yeah, but what if we let something slip about the package? Nicolas Flamel? Fluffy? I don't want to risk that." Said Halle grimacing.
She was determined not to go back to Privet Drive.
"Exactly. My mum would kill me if I got expelled." Said Ronnie also grimacing.
"So would my gran." Said Neville almost frantically.
"Well then what do you propose we do?" Snapped Hermione, crossing her arms.
"Stay out of it." Said Dewei suddenly who Halle noticed had finally gone back to the book.
"Dewei you can't seriously suggest that we do nothing? If Halle's right, then there's a seriously dangerous wizard lurking in the forbidden forest." Said Hermione heatedly.
"Yes, who's leeching off of unicorns to keep himself alive. That means he's weak." Said Dewei, his head still engrossed in the book.
"That doesn't make him any less dangerous Dewei!" Huffed Hermione.
"No, it doesn't but assumedly you believe Snape is trying to steal the package and after today you're now fully accepting this. So, he's the one that your priority should be focused on. The dark lord isn't going to walk straight into Hogwarts and declare war anytime soon, if he's basically been dying for ten years and needs the blood. Snape is inside the school and has access to the third-floor corridor. Besides to go to Dumbledore with all these theories, you'd need proof, physical proof. Proof you don't have. Yes, Dumbledore could probably believe that the dark lord is out there in the forbidden forest drinking unicorn blood but that doesn't mean it's proof until he sees a dead unicorn or a blood sucking dark lord. As for Snape, Weasley said it best. Professor Dumbledore has kept someone like him around for years. He wouldn't believe any of you, even with a bite wound on his leg. I doubt that would be proof either. My point is even if he believes you about You Know Who, he certainly won't believe you about Snape and then you'd have to explain why you have a massive concern for his potential return to power and that means admitting that you know about the package and risking expulsion. So, I would stay out of it, if I were you, Granger." Said Dewei unphased by Hermione's tone.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Zabini has a point. It was Snape that tried to get past the dog on Halloween. Snape who tried to murder Halle today and Snape's a dodgy bloke and into the dark arts. I don't see why he wouldn't try to steal the package for You Know Who. Hagrid's letting us off cause we're friends but I doubt Dumbledore will. Yes, it's disturbing that You Know Who is out there but think about what happens if Dumbledore does find out about him. He'll have to tell the ministry and the Governers and people will freak out. Dad told me stories growing up, about how people went berserk during the war. People will pull their kids out of Hogwarts or Dumbledore might shut down the school and send us all home. Leaving Snape all the time he needs to go snooping around the third-floor corridor. If Dumbledore's searching for You Know Who, he's not protecting the package. Snape can figure out how to get past Fluffy if he hasn't already and then grab it." Said Ronnie frettingly.
Halle, Neville and Hermione's eyes widened at this.
"I didn't even think of that." murmured Halle.
Neville went extremely pale. Even Hermione looked distressed at this thought.
"Surely Fluffy can't be the only form of protection for the package? If it's so valuable that it can restore You Know Whose power, then there must be other forms of defences for it. Dumbledore wouldn't be as so naive as to only have a Cerberus protecting it." Stated Hermione.
"Yeah, but the teachers all know about the package and probably Fluffy as well. So maybe they know about the other defences too?" Said Neville worriedly.
Halle internally groaned at the thought. If there were other charms defending the package then, someone who was talented at the dark arts could easily bypass them, he just needed the time to do it and arguably work out how to get past Fluffy.
"I don't think we can go to Dumbledore about this." Said Halle grimly.
"I don't like this! This is bigger than what we can handle. Not to mention there's still this C.S business that we don't understand which might have something to do with the package." Started Hermione.
Halle's eyes shifted to Dewei and she saw his jaw clench with agitation.
"However, I don't want to get sent home and I don't want to get in trouble either. So, if we're not going to Dumbledore, then we need a proper plan. We need to know what's under that trapdoor and we need to ensure that Snape can't get whatever that package is." Finished Hermione with a determined look in her eye.
"You're not suggesting we go down there ourselves, are you?" Asked Ronnie looking at Hermione like she was mad.
"Don't be absurd Veronica! Unless any of you know how to get past a three headed dog, then I can assure you, we won't be going anywhere near that trapdoor. However, we're possibly the only people in the school who knows about any of this and that means we have a responsibility to Hogwarts and the wizarding world to keep it safe, if we're not going to delegate such a task to the correct authority, which we should but seeming as we're not, then the task falls to us." Replied Hermione firmly.
"Just can't leave things alone, can you Granger?" Said Dewei indifferently.
"You might not be affected by the return of You Know Who Zabini! but the rest of us are. Especially Halle and myself. She's the one who destroyed him all those years ago, he'll undoubtably want revenge. As for me I'm a Muggleborn. You Know Who started a war to eradicate my kind. I'm not going to sit around knowing he's lurking in the forest trying to return to power." Said Hermione fiercely.
"Whatever you say Granger." Replied Dewei coolly.
"But Hermione what can we do? We're just a bunch of first years." Said Neville
"I'm aware of that Neville and I know that lowers our capabilities but we need to try. The first thing we need to do is find out who Nicolas Flamel is. We work out what the package is and then we attempt work out what other possible spells that are guarding the package. See if Snape already knows that information then we need to make it harder for him to attempt to steal it." Said Hermione with an almost mischievous glint her eye.
"And just how do you propose we do that?" Asked Ronnie looking at Hermione like she was mental again.
"You're telling me that the potions expert has no ideas?" Replied Hermione.
"I have plenty thank you but protection is big in the potions world." Responded Ronnie a little defensively.
"Research my dear. It's all about research. The greatest wizards and witches in the world wouldn't be anywhere without research. Tomorrow, we start researching, bigger and better defences and Nicolas Flamel. We're looking for anything that can restore your power and types of magic that can be defensive, seeming as Fluffy's an animal as opposed to a spell. Actually, we should see if we can learn anything on Fluffy as well. We'll give Hagrid some time before we badger him about other defences. Luckily, it's Sunday tomorrow, not too many people will be in the library." Said Hermione as she seemed to be planning, perhaps a schedule in her head.
Halle shared a quick glance with Ronnie. Sundays was her day to sneak off to the passageway and work on her potions. Although she probably could get away with it if Hermione was engrossed in research. She didn't think Hermione would ever take initiative like this but Halle's respect for her was increasing for it.
She didn't like the idea that she could possibly be doing C.S bidding but Voldemort was an overall problem if he managed to come back and if they weren't going to go to Dumbledore then the responsibility did fall down to them.
She would have to figure out a way to deal with C.S seeming as he wasn't going to kill her and he wanted her help, which she wasn't going to give but maybe she could pretend too and bargain her friend's safety. She would have to work it out but for now Nicolas Flamel was the prime target.
She was glad that the passageway existed cause maybe they could find information in there if the library didn't supply any. She knew she would have to show Hermione the passageway soon. Dewei was another story but she'd work on that later.
Hermione began coming up with research strategies for the five of them to work on. Why she was including Dewei was a mystery to Halle as she was sure Dewei wouldn't lift a finger to help them but he strangely gave no protest as she mentioned his name in the strategy.
Neville and herself and would look for Nicolas Flamel. Ronnie and Hermione would look for defences while Dewei was tasked with finding more about Fluffy which again, he gave no objections.
Halle found it strange. Dewei was so hot and cold with them at the weirdest of times.
When Hermione was done planning, herself, Neville Halle and Ronnie left the boys dormitory and returned to the common room. Hermione suggested that they take their mind off of things by doing some homework for an hour.
Halle wanted to protest that homework wasn't really that distracting but decided against it. The other three were nervous as it was and with this new research, they would have to get in homework anytime they could. She wondered if they would have a session tomorrow. They had their four chosen spells as Hermione had shown the other two the levitation charm and they had shown her the fire spell and the knock back jinx which she mastered easily to be able to save her life today. Their body bind curses besides Hermione's could use some perfecting but even Neville could do the curse. Halle had other spells in her chosen research but they would have to talk about it later.
/
The next day Halle felt very uneasy. The shock of the previous night was truly beginning to hit her. She had met with Voldemort and C.S in the forbidden forest and hadn't died.
Both Voldemort and C.S were out there hidden in the forest and the school and now her and her friends were going to take up the mantle of protecting the package.
Halle's nausea only got worse when she had come to the dormitory to find her wand and potions neatly laid on her pillow. None of the others had even noticed it was there when she had gone up to bed.
That just made Halle feel sick.
Did that mean C.S could walk into Gryffindor tower anytime he pleased?
Halle had no time to ponder this though. The moment the quartet and Dewei finished breakfast; Hermione was dragging all four of them off to the library. They had a mild altercation with Draco Malfoy and the two meatheads Crabbe and Goyle who hadn't taken the opportunity to gloat yesterday about Halle nearly falling off her broom but Draco couldn't get a rise out of her or the others. They were too occupied to be interested.
It pleased Halle to see the flush and sneer on his face as they walked away from him.
When they got to the library, they got suspicious glances from madam Pince but they ignored it and found a large table where they sat down and Hermione pulled out some parchment and quills and told them which isles to start searching with discretion as Madam Pince liked to keep an eye out for trouble makers and suspicious activity. Halle was still very surprised to see Dewei was with them. It was very rare that he stepped into the library. He hated being around people and yet he was allowing Hermione to drag him there and sit with them.
Perhaps he wasn't as nonchalant about Voldemort's return as he wanted them to think he was?
Halle and Neville got up and went to the suggested isles that Hermione had given them and picked up three books each before bringing them back to the table. Ronnie and Hermione did the same with some large defensive books and Hermione went back to a different isle to collect some books on magical creatures for Dewei so that there wasn't any room for him to be difficult.
Dewei scowled but looked through the books as the others did. They spent their entire morning in there until lunch and when they finished, they came back to the same table while collecting some new books with the exception of Ronnie who said she was going to see if she could look for some information from her brothers. Halle and Neville knew that was code for going to the passageway.
Their afternoon was also spent in the library. Halle became frustrated. She couldn't find any information on this Nicolas Flamel. How were they meant to help save the school if, there was no information on him whatsoever?
It was strange because the more Halle thought about the name was the more, she was sure that she knew the name Nicolas Flamel. She was sure she had seen that name somewhere before but where?
Neville had no luck either and if Dewei was learning anything about Fluffy then he hadn't shared that information with them. He was silent as ever as he read through book after book. Only Hermione was getting anywhere with her research. She had been writing plenty of notes of what looked like different defensive spells.
They were like this for a while until Ronnie came back reminding them about dinner. They put away their books and went down for dinner, where they sat down, for once at the end of table as far as they could from the other Gryffindors. Halle would've thought Dewei would've been thrilled minus their presences but he seemed agitated when he assumed they would sit next to Matt and Freja and they didn't. Halle noticed his eyes glance the hall but he sat down and remained silent on the matter.
It occurred to Halle that they were probably being obvious that they were up to something and Dewei was aware of that. His Slytherin mindset was probably screaming at how obvious they looked to everyone, that something was going on, especially to C.S if he was in the hall.
They'd have to work on that.
Thy didn't go outside tonight. Hermione suggested that they keep a low profile for a while until the research phase was over. The others agreed. Hermione asked about Ronnie's chat with the twins and she was vague about her answers but said she would explain more later.
This was the routine pretty much throughout the rest of November going into late-December.
Little did they know that the routine was about to be heavily disrupted by a gruesome attack.
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