Chapter 36: Surprise
Disclaimer: You know the routine, none of it belongs to me.
He groaned as consciousness returned, his vision hazy and his head spinning, he tried to focus but all he could see were undefined shapes. He blinked hoping to dispel the fog that had seemed to settle on his vision, reaching towards his eyes to adjust his glasses but frowned, realising his hands were bound behind his back. He struggled, testing the bonds and finding himself barely able to move, let alone break free of the ropes. He shifted, attempting to look around the room and felt himself brush up against something next to him.
Another person, unclear but from the red blur that he could see around the side of the face, he knew it had to be Elizabeth.
"You're finally awake." Another voice, familiar but wrong sounded across the room, he turned his head to look in the direction but couldn't tell who it was, though the yellow on the robe indicated it was a Hufflepuff.
"What's going on?" Harry asked groggily, shifting himself to face the person.
"I was going to ask you the same thing, found something interesting in the bathroom, did we?" He asked with a mocking laugh, drawing another frown from Harry. "I'm impressed you managed to find it so early, to be honest, I didn't get to do as much with it as I wanted." He stated calmly, pacing the room in front of Harry. "But you've always been involved in the mysteries, at least that's what I've seen."
"What are you talking about?" Harry questioned asking to delay him, to hopefully break free from the ropes that held him. "You attack us as we're walking through the corridor and you act like we're hiding something?" He said as he tried to work out who the voice belonged to.
"Don't treat me like a fool, perhaps it was by chance, but I saw Dumbledore lead you into there." He snapped, anger in his voice. "I know you can speak to snakes, and I know you know that is the location of the chamber. You left the door open."
"You're the heir?" Harry asked in surprise, not expecting it to be a Hufflepuff, not only that but for the person to have seen them entering, why didn't they think to take more precautions?
"In a matter of speaking, yes." He replied dismissively and Harry laughed.
"Well, your plan has failed, the snake should be dead by now and the only victim someone not even targeted by your agenda." Harry taunted and winced as he felt himself get hit by a stinger spell.
"True, Zabini wasn't my intended victim, I had planned to start slow, a few minor inconveniences here and there and then build up over time but... problems occurred." The figure replied.
"Ineptitude more like." Harry muttered only to receive another stinger for his mocking.
"I was going to just disappear after that, the plan failed and I have others in play, oh so many that require my attention but then I just had to speak to you. Th defeater of You-Know-Who. The Parselmouth that's managed to make friends in all dorms and multiple years." He stopped and walked in front of Harry, kneeling down so he was looking him in the eye. "The person who thinks he's untouchable."
"Wait... I recognise that voice, Ernie?" Harry questioned, the face of the second year Hufflepuff becoming clearer as he got closer.
"Close, I am him in a matter of speaking, or at least I have his body." Ernie said, stepping back away from Harry with an amused smile on his face. "You see, Ernie dabbled with something he shouldn't have. It was by chance more than anything, I'm not sure how he received my item, but he did and with it I was able to slowly take control." Ernie said and Harry looked confused for a split second before his mind dawned on what was happening.
"You're possessing him?" Harry asked, quickly realising who it had to be, "Voldemort!" He said and the Hufflepuff laughed.
"Fifty points to Ravenclaw, well done Mr Potter, well done." Ernie mocked, "Yes, he managed to get a hold of one of my artifacts and with it, helped me gain access to everything again, I could have been back sooner, but I needed to slip under the radar and who would ever expect a Hufflepuff of all people to be behind all of this."
"You won't get away with this." Harry snapped as he felt Elizabeth shift next to him, he tried not to look at her, but Ernie must have noticed something because he shot another stunner at Elizabeth and she stopped moving.
"None of that now, this is between me and you." He said and Harry tried to push himself to his feet.
"What do you plan now?" Harry asked and Ernie just smirked, the facial expression looking completely foreign on his face.
"I'll be leaving soon enough, I just had to speak to you first, because I just want to know one thing, how did you survive your confrontation against me?"
"You're the one with all the magical knowledge, you tell me." Harry snapped back and felt himself pushed back into the wall by a wave of magic, cringing as his hands felt the brunt of it.
"I'm not that Voldemort." Ernie spoke angrily, "I am a fragment of the past, I know what Ernie knows as I piggyback through his mind at the moment and he knows little on the situation. However, you were there, you survived the curse that no one else survived." He said with a grand gesture.
"Hate to break it to you, I don't have a clue." Harry said with faked nonchalance but the slight hitch in his voice gave away his nerves.
Ernie pointed his wand at Harry, "You're lying," he said in amusement, "you know exactly how you survived."
"I know there's an infinite number of ways I could have survived," Harry replied and felt another stinging spell hit him. "Afraid of triggering the wards?" Harry asked mockingly. "Or is it something else? are you only able to cast simple spells right now?" Harry questioned and Ernie frowned before the look disappeared under a careful poker face.
Ernie flicked his wand and Harry crashed across the room, hitting the floor roughly, he groaned out in pain. "You don't have long." Harry managed to spit out as he forced himself back into a sitting position, "how long do you think it'll take them to get back from killing your snake, they were winning when I left." Harry taunted as he tried something else to get himself free. thinking he pulled on his ability, thinking of the wish fulfilment description that Elizabeth had told him. He knew how to bring items through, but this was slightly different. He flexed his hand and steeled his features as he felt a small knife appear in his grip.
"And I'll be long gone before they find out," Ernie replied dismissively, "of course I can't have you spoiling everything by telling them what I'm doing." He tapped the wand against his cheek, thinking, "I could kill you, there's multiple different ways that can take it from you in the blink of an instance," Ernie took a seat on the edge of the desk, tapping his wand thoughtfully in his hand, Harry, his hands concealed shifted the knife to cut at the rope, hoping his movements weren't too obvious. "The simplest of course I could just say one word, cut your throat and leave you to bleed out, but there's no fun in that... not to mention the mess." Ernie continued, "What to do, what to do?" He continued musing, although the look in his eyes showed enough to anyone who could see and that he knew exactly what he was going to do, he was just toying with Harry. The Boy Who Lived felt the ropes cut away and shifted his weight slightly, making sure to hold his arms behind his back as he pulled himself up into a kneeling position, still focusing on Ernie as he moved. "Willing to die on your feet, how noble." Ernie mocked and pushed himself back into a standing position as well, He walked towards Harry, wand pointing directly at his chest and smiled, "goodbye Potter, I won't make the same mistake again." He said and froze for a moment as Harry returned the smirk.
"No, you'll make a whole new one." Harry responded lashing out with the knife, catching Ernie by surprise, the possessed teen barely raising his arm up in time, the knife digging into flesh. He cried out in pain and pushed Harry away, stumbling slightly as he moved away, blood running freely down his arm.
"You foolish child." Ernie hissed in a tone that would make the Voldemort that he would become proud with the venom that was contained in it. "Do you think this changes anything?" He asked pointing the wand again at Harry. "Do you think some little resistance will stop you from dying here?"
"No, but this might." Harry said as he tore open a tear underneath Ernie, dropping him through the floor onto the floor below, quickly he closed it again, fumbling around the room in an attempt to find either his glasses or his wand but finding neither. Ernie could return at any moment or he could flee, knowing that his window of opportunity was closing, and Harry needed to get his wand to protect himself and Elizabeth, not to mention wake her up as well.
His blurred search came up empty, realising that Ern... Voldemort he corrected his thoughts quickly realising that Ernie wouldn't have done any of this and it had purely been Voldemort to do it, he started pushing the desks and the chairs against the door, no doubt Riddle had locked it when he brought them in here, a quick check validating that straight away and he couldn't risk him coming back... in... here...
He kicked himself, "I've got to stop thinking so simply at times like this." He muttered as he moved over to Elizabeth, untying her hands and looping her arm over his shoulders, he struggled to pull her up, the difference between them making it harder for him to carry but he managed, and walked towards the wall, with a gesture opening another tear taking him straight into the Infirmary. Closing it behind him he looked around, seeing the room deserted, except for the petrified Zabini in the bed in the corner he called out. "Madam Pomfrey are you here?" He asked and winced as he heard a slight crash.
She exited her office, brushing off a shard of glass from her uniform as she quickly moved over to the two, "Mr Potter, when did you arrive and what happened here?" She questioned sharply.
"About two seconds ago and we were attacked." He explained as Madam Pomfrey helped him move Elizabeth to a nearby bed. The two lowered her down before Pomfrey gestured for him to sit down on the next bed, running medical scans over both of them.
"Head Injury, multiple stunners, a few bruises and scrapes..." The Mediwitch muttered as she cast another spell to clean the blood away from her face. "Mr Potter what happened?"
"We were attacked returning from a meeting with Professor Dumbledore." He started to explain as she started to examine him. "Someone stunned us from behind, it must be where Elizabeth hit her head." Harry said, thinking on the fly to come up with a logical explanation as to how it happened.
"You've been hit with several minor jinxes; you've got rope burn on your wrists and is that blood on your robes?" She said in surprise at the blotches on the front of his robes.
"I woke up in a classroom, no wand, no glasses and my hands were tied behind my back. The person who attacked us decided to throw a few extra spells." Harry said evasively as Madam Pomfrey continued her examination as flames erupted in the centre of the room and Fawkes appeared along with the people who had gone down into the chamber.
"Madam Pomfrey, I'm afraid to say we require your assistance." Dumbledore spoke and then paused as he saw the state that Elizabeth and Harry were in. "Mr Potter?" He asked questioningly. "What happened?" He asked and Harry took a brief glance at Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore gestured for him to continue. "It's okay, Madam Pomfrey will not tell a soul." He added as extra reassurance.
"We were attacked on the way back from the chamber and stunned from behind I woke up in a classroom tied up and before Elizabeth could wake up, she was stunned again. He took my glasses, and he took my wand."
"Do you know who attacked you?" He asked and Harry nodded his head.
"I couldn't see him too well because he took my glasses, but I knew who it was. But it wasn't him at the same time." Harry muttered unsurely.
"Who was its Harry?" Dumbledore questioned calmly, seeing the hesitance in his voice.
"It was Ernie McMillan." Harry said drawing mutters of confusion and surprise.
"A Hufflepuff in your year I believe?" Dumbledore question sadly and Harry nodded his head. "He was a Pureblood... but no relation to Salazar Slytherin." Dumbledore said as he thought about the student.
"He wasn't Ernie though, he was possessed." Harry said drawing many a surprised look from the adults that were in the room.
"Possessed?" Dumbledore repeated, glancing at Madam Bones who also looked unnerved by the information supplied by Harry.
"He didn't speak like Ernie did and he flat out said that Ernie had got a hold of something that belonged to him, which allowed him to take control." Harry explained as he closed his eyes, the conversation replaying in his mind. "It was Voldemort... but not him." He spoke and saw the flinches in the room from the others, though he noticed that like Dumbledore, Amelia didn't flinch at his name being used.
"Are you sure Mr Potter?" Amelia Bones questioned and Harry nodded his head.
"One hundred percent."
"Then what do you mean that it was 'him but not him'?" She questioned and Harry closed his eyes again thinking back to the conversation.
"It was what he said, 'I'm not that Voldemort. I am a fragment of the past; I know what Ernie knows as I piggyback through his mind at the moment and he knows little on the situation. However, you were there, you survived the curse that no one else survived.' If it was him or if it wasn't, I don't know but he claimed to be a younger version of him, he also didn't try to do anything stronger than a stinger and a stunner as we... discussed the situation, he didn't appreciate me pointing out you were winning against the basilisk." Harry said with a small smile getting one in return from Dumbledore.
"Where is he now?" Amelia asked and Harry shrugged his shoulders.
"I managed to get him out of the room we were in after cutting the ropes that he had tied us up with, I blocked the door and I'm guessing he heard something or someone because he left very quickly." Harry answered evasively and Amelia looked at him suspiciously but didn't push, instead she turned towards the Hit Wizards. "Montague, Taylor, see if you can pick up the path that he took, he can't have travelled far with the wards in place. Jenkins, go to Professor Sprout and get entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room, secure Mr McMillan's items, we may find the item in question there, we may not but there could be a clue." She ordered and the three quickly left the room. "Dumbledore, if he escapes..." She trailed off, knowing what kind of disaster it could be.
"Severus, gather the rest of the professors and assist in the search." Dumbledore ordered and the potions master was already nearly out the door before he had finished. "Mr Potter I'm glad to see that the two of you are relatively unharmed.
"Except for a huge headache." Elizabeth muttered as she slowly opened her eyes and forced herself up into a sitting position. "I was stupid." She muttered more to herself than the others. "I'm sorry Headmaster." She spoke louder, looking at the older wizard as Madam Pomfrey handed her a potion to deal with her headache. She held onto it a moment before speaking again, "I was stupid, I should have acted like he could have been there as unlikely as it was." Elizabeth said and Dumbledore waved it off.
"It was a fault on all of us for not securing the area first. He will be found, and we'll be able to free him from the effects of this possession and with the Basilisk dead the school is safe again. For now, you two rest we will assist with the search and come to speak to you shortly." Dumbledore explained and both he and Amelia turned to leave, Madam Pomfrey was quick to follow after Dumbledore, seeing the slight limp that he was moving with, trying to get him to receive some form of treatment leaving the two in the room with the petrified Blaise.
"What happened when I was unconscious?" Elizabeth asked and Harry dropped down on to the adjacent bed letting out a tired sigh.
"we were moved to a classroom..." Harry started to retell the story.
HPCVHPCVHPCV
The possessed Ernie moved quickly through the Forbidden Forest, his mind racing as he tried to work out what Harry had done to get him out of the room, a hole appearing in the floor and then closing straight after, dropping him into the classroom below. He winced as he moved, pain in his leg from the landing, unable to brace himself properly and knowing that something was definitely twisted. He cursed at how badly his little scheme had gone, everything had been rushed, there had been no time to properly prepare the school for the Basilisk and the only student he had run into was by chance when he had unleashed it and even that had failed.
And then somehow the location and the cause had been discovered. How had they learnt it all? He entered a clearing; he knew he was relatively close to the edge of the wards, but he needed to catch his breath. He paused, taking a moment to catch his breath as he tried to piece everything together. "He had nothing on him when I tied him up, I made sure of that." He muttered aloud, "how did he get that knife?" he asked as he looked at the wound on his arm. "Wandless magic to conjure it? he couldn't have learnt it in that time." He said trying to rationalise it.
"Oh, very well done." A new voice spoke out and the possessed teen snapped his wand in the direction of the voice to see a cloaked figure leaning against a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. Had he been there before he stopped? had he been that unobservant?
"Who are you?" Voldemort snapped and the figure held up hands to show he was unarmed.
"Easy now, I'm not here to pick a fight with you." He commented but the teen didn't lower the wand an inch. "Have it your way, I've got to say impressive work, not only do you manage to get Salazar's pet killed, something that had been protected for a thousand years I add, but you also manage to get the Chamber discovered. Were you really this hasty when you were that age?" He asked and Voldemort looked surprised.
"How do you know all of this?" He asked surprised and angry at the mocking from the cloaked figure.
"I know all about you, I know who you are and what you've done, I know how you lost, and I know what you plan to do. And I am here to help." He explained drawing a look of disbelief and dismissal.
"You're here to help?" He scoffed at the figure.
"You will be taken down by Centaur before you reach the edge of the wards. There is no escape on your own." He taunted, "you can take your chances with the beasts or you can come with me and learn all you need to know about Potter and the tools he has at his disposal." He said as something appeared next to the man. "Offer lasts for four more seconds."
"I want answers."
"You'll get that and so much more soon enough."
"Fine then." He said and walked forwards, the two disappearing from the clearing.
HPCVHPCVHPCV
The search was thorough, but no trace of Ernie was found, Amelia Bones and the hit wizards left with all of the contents of his trunk with words that Auror's would be sent to question students to find out if they had noticed anything different with him. Thankfully they had been able to find their wands and Harry's glasses, stashed away in the classroom that they had been stuck in, being able to see and properly protect himself again was definitely an improvement.
Snape disappeared for the better part of three days, with supplies brought to him by the House Elves and Fawkes, he had set up a station in the Chamber to properly handle the remains of the Basilisk. His classes were handed over to Professor Sinistra to cover but the general population of the school had no clue as to where he had gone and why. But at the same time many of them did not care, all they saw was the positive of no Snape for multiple days. Elizabeth had continued work straight away and Harry had been surprised that Dumbledore had yet to return to question him on what had happened with Voldemort.
The atmosphere was sombre. There was confusion and more than a bit of fear from the Hufflepuffs and as word spread with no clear answer, they found themselves not alone in the confusion and fear.
Somehow word had also spread that Harry had been out and about at the same time and after the events at the Duelling Club, another rumour had started that he had been responsible for the disappearance. Thankfully it didn't hold much weight as his friends from the different houses had stood up for him, pointing out that it would be completely out of character for him to do something like that.
Still, there were mutters and a few of the Hufflepuffs were giving him space. He found it hard to be that torn up by it. They didn't know him; they didn't take the time to know him and they passed judgement with little to no chance for him to defend himself. He would only find himself in the spotlight for a little time however as one morning when the Daily Prophet was delivered, unlike the usual couple of dozen that arrived for the subscribers, one appeared for each student and each professor. surprised by all of this the students and teachers unrolled their papers they found two surprising headlines.
Break in at the Ministry!
Sirius Black to be taken to Trial!
All Harry could feel was that things had barely scratched the surface.
TBC
Well there is Chapter 36 done and out the way, my shortest chapter for this story I do believe.
I enjoyed writing the start and then the end became really hard to deal with though you can probably tell. Next chapter should be better overall
It's the Trial of the Century, Sirius Black: Mass Murderer or Victim!