-1A coldness crackled through the air as the walls shook with an inexplicable darkness.
Draco and Ron had their wands pulled in a flash. Ron pushed Harry away from his girlfriend with so much force that Harry slammed to the ground. The tremors in the room ceased.
Harry scrambled to sit up, only to find two wands pointed at his head.
It was at that moment that Severus stepped through the bedroom door.
Chapter 50 - Tumultuous
"What has happened?" Severus demanded, as he surveyed the situation. Under any other circumstance he would have immediately disarmed anyone holding a wand to his son, but considering the two people with wands drawn made him investigate the situation first. His hand unintentionally hovered before his own wand.
With a guilty look, Ron slowly lowered his wand, pointing it at the floor. He had never imagined an instance where he would hold a wand on his best friend.
Draco held his wand steadfast, never taking his eyes from Harry. "Harry forced legilimens on Granger. I had to smack him in the mouth to get him to stop. He became angry and the walls shook, the room reeked of dementor!" Draco explained in a rush.
Harry covered his face with his hands as he dropped to his knees, "I don't know what's wrong with me? I'm so sorry, Mione."
His mind was still reeling with what little he had heard:
The potion to bring Harry back has one important component that we are still in need of. Neither Severus nor I are able to offer that component since we are the only ones able to execute the potion.
What component was still needed? What could be needed that would make the Elixer of Life work?
Severus pushed Draco's wand away as he knelt before his son. He took hold of Harry's forearms, "Harry, where did this power come from? You haven't been able to perform any spells, yet you were strong enough to cast Legilimens? Where did you pull this magic from?"
Harry tried to lean into his dad as his head spun with dizziness. He was just so tired on top of feeling a strong sense of shame for his actions. He didn't understand what had happened. He felt even more degraded when his dad pushed him back.
"Look at me!" Severus demanded, taking hold of Harry's chin and forcing the boy to look at him. "Harry, where did this power come from!?!"
"I don't know, I just … felt so angry," Harry tried to explain. "It was like the time I broke your locking spell …" he trailed off as he realized where that dark magic had come from. In his fit of anger he had been able to access Voldemort's magic. He pulled away from his father's grip and pushed him away.
"Harry?" Severus reached forward to pull Harry back to him. "You tapped into Voldemort's magic, didn't you!?"
"I didn't try to! It just sort of happened when I got mad," Harry tried to explain. He was unprepared for the fierce reaction his dad would have.
Severus squeezed his son's arms tighter, shaking the boy violently, "You must not ever let yourself lose control, EVER!" Harry grimaced as he tried to pull free from his dad's fierce grip.
Both Ginny and Draco pulled on the Potion Master's arms to get him to stop shaking Harry.
"Severus, stop! " Draco shouted, "you're hurting him!'
Severus regained control and released Harry's arms. He shook off the two teens still grabbing at his sleeves.
Harry slumped back towards the bed, pulling his knees up to rest his head on. What was happening to him?
"Harry," Severus implored, "You mustn't ever let yourself access Voldemort's power!"
Harry looked up despairingly, "I didn't mean to!"
"Then how did it happen?" Severus anxiously asked.
Harry shrugged, rubbing his neck as he thought, "It happened when I became angry. It gave him access to my thoughts."
Severus laid a hand atop Harry's, "You must Occlude at all times. Need I tell you the importance of Occluding?" the weariness in Severus' voice was heard by all.
"It's getting harder. I'm just so tired. I almost didn't have the willpower to stop his dark magic from overtaking me," Harry admitted in a pained voice. "I'm scared, dad. I don't think I'll be able to fight back much longer."
"Harry, I'll help you. Together we can keep him at bay," Severus said, lifting a hand to rest on Harry's bent head. He rubbed the back of Harry's neck, ashamed for having lost control.
"No, dad. I think time has run out. I should go to him now, before I lose myself to his darkness."
The room went deathly silent.
Severus abruptly stood up, and then bent down to pull Harry to his feet. He pushed the boy up against the bedpost with his hand gripping the teen's shirt front.
Harry was afraid to look up and see the anger and disappointment he had caused. He knew he should have stopped himself from getting angry. He had let himself get past the point of no return, as good as inviting Voldemort to enter into his thoughts. This latest display of his stupidity had taken his last bit of critically needed energy, leaving him utterly fatigued.
Severus jerked Harry's chin up until they were looking eye to eye. In a voice filled with intensity, "I do not give you permission to stop fighting! That is a direct order!"
Severus suddenly released the boy and turned on his heel. Once he reached the door he addressed the group at large, "At no point are you to leave Harry's side. He goes nowhere without my express permission. You have permission to put him in a body bind should he attempt to leave. I'll hold you all personally responsible should he not be here when I return."
Severus strode out the door, slamming it behind him with a resounding bang.
The four teens looked at each other, and then looked at Harry.
Harry turned away, kicking fiercely at his trunk. How was he supposed to do this without his dad's support? He sat down on the trunk and dropped his head into his hands, "He'll never be ready to let me go. He just doesn't get it!"
"It's not fair!" cried Ginny. "Why the bloody hell does all this have to happen to you!?!"
Harry wondered that himself. Instead of reveling in self pity though, he wanted to think about something positive, "It's almost over. I won't have to fight Voldemort again after this."
When no one spoke, he looked up and grabbed Ginny's hand, "It'll be okay."
Ginny wiped away the few tears from her cheeks, "I can't blame the professor for wanting to protect you, Harry."
"I can't imagine having to face that slimy bastard again. Just the thought of it makes me feel like I'm going to sick up," Ron said, pulling Hermione into a firm embrace. Hermione hugged him back.
Draco stood by the desk with his arms crossed over his chest. He felt as if he were the only person, besides Harry, to understand what was going on, "I don't really think Harry has a choice. No matter how much Severus wants to keep him safe, it's obvious that Voldemort is getting to him. Just look at him, he's not even able to stand."
Harry frowned at that, but could hardly argue with the truth.
"My dad doesn't seem to understand that I have to do this before I lose myself to Voldemort's pull," Harry confessed. "It's getting harder to ignore his lure."
Hermione knelt down on the rug before Harry, "What is Voldemort using to lure you closer to him?"
Harry felt a strong need to let someone else know how Voldemort had been toying with him. "He tries to coax me, offering me power …strength, anything he thinks I want. He taunts me by using my own magic as bait for me to come to him."
"Your dad is right, Harry," Ginny said, "You can't let Snake Face get any closer to you."
"You guys have to help me," Harry said, smoothing back his messy hair and sitting up straighter. "My dad's never going to let me out of his sight. I'll need you all to help me get to Voldemort before it's too late. It's almost too late now."
The four teenagers looked at each other before coming to a silent decision.
Draco spoke up first, "I'll do whatever I can to help you."
Ron spoke next, his voice earnest, "I've always been by your side, Harry. I don't intend to let you down now." Both Ginny and Hermione nodded in agreement, since both girls were too choked up to speak.
Harry felt a rush of love for his best friends, "You guys are great. I knew I could count on you."
Just then the bedroom door opened once more. The headmaster stepped in first, followed by Severus and Remus. They all wore looks of great anxiety.
"How are you, my boy?" Albus asked, noting the overall exhaustion in the boy.
"I'm okay," Harry said, knowing anything else would be a blatant lie.
"It seems we have a problem," Albus said, taking a seat in the chair Hermione had abandon. "I'll not mince words. The Minister has called an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot for this evening. He is fighting to get custody of you, Harry. Fudge claims it is for the Wizarding Worlds best interest that you be put under twenty four hour guard in his own home."
"What's his problem?" Ron asked, "Why is he so bent on getting custody of Harry?"
"The minister believes that having Harry under his control will help sway the voters come election time in April," Remus stated.
"How can he even claim that Harry is a horcrux? He doesn't even have any proof," Hermione reasoned.
Albus turned his watery blue eyes towards Hermione, "He claims he does have proof. One of the Death Eaters is still in custody. A pensieved memory has been captured of Voldemort's return. Tom Riddle made an announcement to his followers to not harm his last remaining horcrux. He named Harry by name."
Ginny sunk to the floor by Harry's feet, "I hate him so much!"
Albus stood up, pulling his wand from the folds of his robe. "We must apply the rebounding spell now."
Harry felt his stomach tangle with nerves. Things were getting real. His eyes searched out his father's. He could see how tortured the man was and it scared him.
He looked to Remus', "The Minister can't really take me, can he?"
Remus closed his eyes against the pleading emerald green eyes of James' son. He had never felt so helpless in his life. He wanted to tell the boy that everything would be fine but he found himself struggling against the obvious lie.
"Ministry officials and Aurors have already surrounded Hogwarts. All the doors, floos and even the secret passage ways are now being heavily guarded. The school is virtually impossible to escape from with no less than forty eight ministry staff on campus. We will do our best to keep the Minister at bay for as long as we can," Remus looked to Snape for help.
Severus stepped around the teens to sit next to his son on the trunk. "I would never let them take you, Harry. We must come up with a plan to move you away from here."
"Harry's still got his invisibility cloak," Hermione suggested.
"The aurors are aware of Harry's cloak. I was gravely in error to trust Alastor Moody to keep the Order's secrets from the minister. Fudge has put Moody in charge of the aurors on duty. That is the reason all the secret passages out of Hogwarts have been revealed," Albus explained moving to stand next to Harry.
The headmaster helped Harry to his feet, guiding the teen to the bed, "Unfortunately, once the rebounding spell is applied to Harry, we must not use any potion or magic around him. The rebounding spell will heighten Harry's sensation to all things magic."
Harry swallowed hard as he stretched out on the bed. His stomach threatened to lose the little amount of food he had eaten.
Severus came to stand next to the bed, placing a hand on his arm, "We shall come up with a solution to get you away from Hogwarts, Harry. Fudge has interfered with my family for the last time. Once this is over, he shall be dealt with severely." The last sentence was said in a menacing tone. Everyone knew the potion master never gave hollow threats.
"Just don't do anything that'll get you sent to Azkaban," Harry murmured, not caring what awful potion his dad might have in store for the minister. He thought Fudge had it coming to him.
Albus clapped his hands once, ending any further discussion on the subject. Fawkes appeared in the bedroom in a bright gust of fire, landing gracefully on the bedpost. He fluffed his wings and looked at Harry as he trilled out a lovely melody. Harry felt a small measure of peace settle over him, allowing him to relax into the pillows propped up under his head.
Albus addressed everyone in the room, "I must ask that all wands be given to me. Until the spell settles, Harry will have an adverse reaction to all magic. You are not to cast any spells whilst in the presence of Harry until his body adjusts to the rebounding spell."
Albus collected the wands, then placed them outside the bedroom door, firmly shutting it behind him.
Harry didn't have any idea what the rebounding spell entailed but it definitely sounded grave. Unobserved, he slipped a hand into his father's. Severus squeezed his hand back gently before letting go.
"How long will it take for the spell to settle?" Hermione asked.
"No more than an hour at most," Albus informed the group, "But I must caution again that no magic be cast during that time"
Albus waved his wand in a large arc over his head. The air crackled with leftover magic until the Headmaster snuffed it out with a flick of his wand. He began to chant, causing a small tickle deep within Harry's stomach.
Harry could feel the odd sensation of the unfamiliar magic attaching itself to his core. It felt uncomfortable for someone else's magic to be so mixed up with his own. He squirmed uncomfortably against the powerful force swirling around him.
Harry began to thrash about under the heavy burden of so much unfamiliar magic being pumped into him. He felt as if he might burst from the inside out! Throwing all pride to the wind, he screamed out as several hands reached out to comfort him. Didn't they know that touching him only made it worse? Just the aura of their magic made him struggle to get away from their touch.
He inched to the head of the bed, holding out his hands to keep everyone away, "No! Stay back! Don't touch me!"
Dumbledore finished the last of his incantation, sagging in a heap on the floor when it was finally done.
Remus and Hermione bent to help the elderly man up into a chair. Looks of great apprehension passed between them.
Harry stayed in his spot by the headboard, sucking in deep gulps of air. When his dad reached out to comfort him, he reared back, biting on his lip to hold back his cry of pain, "Sorry, it's just too much. Your magic is like this giant pressure against me." He didn't add that his dad and Remus both had an air of darkness attached to their magic that was extremely painful to endure.
He pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He looked at his friends, noticing an aura of magic pulsing out of them as well. He had never seen anything like it and wondered if everyone else could see it, but seriously doubted it.
It was as if he could actually see their magic in addition to actually feeling it. He squinted his eyes when Ron moved next to his dad. Ron's magic looked to be about as strong as his dad's magic was, but it was not as contained, or controlled. He knew Ron would be pleased to know that he had the potential to be magically as strong as his dad.
"Give me a minute," Harry said, taking in the raw emotion he felt. "Just stay back while I adjust to this spell."
Everyone took a step back away from the bed. Harry could breathe easier once his dad and Remus backed up even more. He could tell that his dad was aware of the pain he was causing him by the look on his face. He could feel the headmaster's power reverberating through his body, almost too strong to endure.
He closed his eyes and tried to relax. Within moments he succumbed to the heavy pull of sleep, fully aware that it would be his last rest before he faced Voldemort.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Severus felt the pressure of the situation building. There was so much happening to work against them. Hogwarts was no longer under Dumbledore's control, causing them to stay hidden within the safety of his apartment.
The other deep seated fear Severus tried not to think about was that Voldemort would have the opportunity to inflict vengeful punishment on Harry before the Beast struck the final blow. As much as it grieved him, he understood there was really nothing they could do to protect the boy against that sort of torture. The sooner Voldemort cast the killing curse, the better off Harry would be.
The altered Elixir was the best shot they had to bring Harry back to life. There was still an unspoken fear that the potion would not work but it was the best chance they had to be rid of the beast forever.
At this time, the most pressing issue was how they would get Harry pass the aurors and out of the castle. He paced in front of the fire, keeping a close eye on his sleeping son. The other teens had refused to leave and were huddled together, whispering frantically amongst themselves.
Severus was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed all four teenagers looking at him. Draco stepped away from the group, seeming to gather his strength before he addressed all three adults.
"We think we've come up with a way to get Harry away from the castle. " Draco looked right at Severus, "But… we need to know if you're willing to actually let Harry go?"
Severus narrowed his eyes at the boy's audacity. Before he could speak, the male Weasley spoke up.
"We know how protective you've become of Harry, but if this plan is to work then we need your help," Ron stepped back, away from Snape's piercing glare. He took comfort in Dumbledore's small smile.
Severus could not hold the student's doubt towards him against them. He regretted having gave the impression that he was not willing to support his son in any way possible.
"My concern for my son does not inhibit my intellectual capacity. I am well aware of Harry's fate. Should you have a concrete plan of escape, I shall endeavor to assist."
Both Ron and Draco looked to Hermione for an unspoken reaction.
Ron nodded his head before turning back to address the professors once more, "The only way to outsmart the aurors, without using magic on Harry … is to escape in plain view. Remus, you said that there were forty eight aurors or ministry officials guarding the castle?"
"Yes, I believe that was the correct number at our last count," Remus said.
"What do you think would happen if there were forty eight Harry Potter's trying to escape at the same time?" Ron explained.
Hermione further explained, "We could have the students take polyjuice potion. I read there is a polyjuice potion that doesn't take a month to brew. "
"I am acquainted with the potion," Severus dryly alleged, having been forced to make it this past October. "I may even have enough in supply."
"All the Quidditch players could fly out on their brooms at the same time, forcing the aurors to chase after them. The aurors wouldn't know which was the real Harry," Ginny said.
"We thought maybe, since Harry can't use magic, that maybe he could use a threstal to get away. All the aurors would be so busy chasing after the fake Harry's that they wouldn't notice the real Harry," Ron added.
Severus was truly impressed by the thought and inventiveness of the plan. He paced a bit more, trying to find any flaws in the plan. The students using polyjuice potion would not be in any danger since the ministry officials would never think to harm Harry. As far as everyone was concerned, his son's safety was of the utmost importance.
The four teens were looking from him to the headmaster with anticipation.
"I can find no reason why this plan shouldn't work," Albus gleefully announced. "Severus, what do think?'
"Yes, I believe the idea is valid. In fact, the plan you have come up with is rather ingenious." Severus looked at Draco approvingly.
Draco felt compelled to say, "It was Weasley's idea. He thought the whole thing through."
Severus raised both eyebrows in momentary astonishment. He turned to address Ron, "Yes, Harry has always insisted that you have a knack for stratagem. Well done, Mr. Weasley."
Ron seemed to be shocked into silence, as were the other students.
Hermione took a coin out of her robe pocket, "When Harry is ready to leave, he just needs to tap this coin with his wand. The coin will notify all the Quidditch players that it's time for them to take the polyjuice potion and fly out of the castle."
"When did you have time to spell these coins?" Severus asked, amazed that the students had a secret way of communicating.
"Actually, we used those last year when Harry was secretly teaching DA," Hermione said.
Remus smiled, "You four students have left nothing to chance, have you? I am very proud of each of you."
Severus left the bedroom to fetch his supply of polyjuice potion. He found the almost full bottle of polyjuice in a locked cabinet. The sight of the muddied brown potion brought back memories of his son's time spent with Vespa. The memory caught him off guard, causing an almost breathlessness at the thought of nearly losing his son.
He leaned against the wall as grief overtook him. The time he had spent with his son had been tumultuous at best but it had also forced both men to face greater issues. They had been in desperate need of someone in which each of them could have faith in. No matter what the outcome would be, he felt immeasurably fortunate to have had Harry in his life.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXTBC
Thank you for the wonderful reviews!