Chapter 34 - "If not three, then seven." - Part II

The squad, Harry, and Albus all dined at a round table in a larger chamber off of the Headmaster's office that Harry had not known existed.

"I can at least deliver the positive news that the Wizengamot will indeed postpone their investigative interviews for several weeks," Albus announced. "Or, until things have stabilized enough for us to resume without worry of leaving the school in danger." He reached for his goblet and added, "I received a bundled stack of missives to each of us, sent from the Undersecretary, if any of you wishes to review yours."

Harry smirked as everyone continued to focus on eating without acknowledging Dumbledore's last comment.

"I would like to begin an earnest search for that diadem, Albus," Lucius said between bites of his lunch. "The sooner we retain it, the better off we are, with regards to the last of our efforts to be rid of the Dark Lord."

"Once we find it, what will we do with it, sir?" Harry asked the Headmaster.

"Well, Harry, I've known only that their destruction will be quite a challenge," Albus acknowledged. "But, as you remember, it is not impossible. You destroyed the diary with the fang of the Basilisk, which tells me its venom is a powerful weapon at our disposal. I have also surmised that since the Sword of Gryffindor was used to destroy the Basilisk, that venom was likely retained within its goblin-forged steel, therefore leaving it as a viable weapon as well." He dipped his head down and looked around at the other adults as he continued, "I retrieved a dozen more teeth from the Basilisk's remains still contained within the Chamber of Secrets. They reside in the cupboard behind my desk." He continued, now directing his commentary to Harry, but it was clearly meant for all of them. "I do recall that you experienced some physical battering when you destroyed the diary, Harry, so I am tempted to use a less individualized method, but rather destroy them all at once."

"And what would that method be, Albus?" Severus asked warily.

"Fiendfyre," Albus replied.

The appalled silence hung heavily for several long moments before Harry finally asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

"Fiendfyre is quite hazardous, Harry," Remus explained. "Once the spell is cast, the only means by which to extinguish the raging, and all-consuming fire it conjures, is to deprive it of oxygen. Not an easy feat, even for an accomplished wizard like Albus Dumbledore." He looked around at all of their faces before circling back to Albus', "You are obviously concluding that the Chamber will be obliterated by your efforts, and possibly additional parts of the castle, if there exists as yet undetected alternate passages into the Chamber?"

"I've spent much of the past week in a state of research and reconnaissance," Albus said with a nod to acknowledge Remus' caution. "The Chamber has one opening, and that is the tap in the girls' lavatory on the second floor. It will only respond to someone speaking Parseltongue, asking it to open or close, which perhaps Harry can confirm are the same word?" He paused until Harry's nod confirmed this information. "I myself have only been able to access it with the Apparation abilities of Fawkes."

"I bet a house elf could get down there too," Harry surmised. "But I wouldn't want to put them in danger. This Fiendfyre sounds like a muggle nuclear weapon."

"That's likely the best analogy," Severus said tightly.

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Harry resumed his normal schedule after lunch, attending all classes with his classmates, minus Dean, who had not yet been released from St. Mungo's. He made his way down to the Dungeons after a couple of hours of study in the Library, and was glad when he found the potions master in his quarters, reading by a roaring fire. It was a familiar feeling now, to finish the day here, talking to Severus before bed. Harry dumped his books on his desk and quickly changed into pajamas, donning the freshly laundered, new blue sweater that he'd been thinking about all day. It was extraordinarily comfortable and warm, and brought a lovely relief from the chill of the castle. Something to be said for the finer things, I reckon.

"Have you made plans for your morning tomorrow?" Severus asked, watching as Harry came in to sit sideways on the far end of the sofa, where he could lean against the arm and study the flames.

"No, sir," Harry replied, stretching out and crossing his legs.

"Good," Severus said. "I would like to sequester you to the inner parameters of the Forbidden Forrest for a private session of magical instruction."

"Oh?" Harry's languid mood shifted to intrigue, as he was certain was Severus' intention.

"I'm going to teach you how to fly, young man," Severus paused as Harry jumped to his feet to gape at Severus in astonished amazement. "IF, and only IF," Severus continued, "you agree to live with me, indefinitely, and in these same circumstances, until you are more confident about being on your own." He paused again because he knew he'd caught the messy haired teen off guard with this demand. "And, if such a state of being takes years for you to achieve, so be it. If it takes only weeks or months, I will despair, but I will not stand in your way."

I will despair… Harry heard the words with shock, and yet a part of him already knew that Severus genuinely cared about him now. He called me "son" yesterday, he reminded himself. And look! He's literally bribing me to agree to live with him…. He'd cast his eyes downward for a few long moments, while he'd pondered these new truths.

"Your answer, Mr. Potter?"

"Alright," Harry said in a quiet tone. "I agree to your terms."

Severus allowed the corners of his mouth to turn upward as he tried not to reveal his intense relief. "I have one rule that you must not break," he announced firmly. Harry waited with raised eyebrows. "Other than those in our sacred circle of trust, you. must. not. tell. a. soul that you have this skill. Until you are out of school."

Harry blinked. He'd already been imagining making the announcement to his dormmates. He felt a smile tugging and tried to smother it so that Severus wouldn't think he wasn't being taken seriously. "I won't. I promise."

Severus nodded. "One week from today, you'll have legal majority."

"Yeah," Harry said, growing quieter again. He'd resumed his seat but now had his legs drawn up. "So much keeps happening that I haven't really had time to figure out what I'll want to do. Now that I think about it, I never had a goal for what comes after getting emancipated. I just knew that I needed to get that much done."

"You've had a difficult journey to this point," Severus reminded him. "From what I have observed, much of your focus has needed to remain in a survival status. This is exactly why I feel it's best for you to simply stay with me until you've had real time to make some decisions. And until you do, you can rely on me to facilitate and advise you. By now you know I'm not interested in controlling you, do you not?"

Harry nodded quickly. He knew that a week from now, when he was emancipated, that he most likely would still have a horcrux in his scar to deal with, and he couldn't do that on his own. He had no idea how that issue would resolve. Frankly, he couldn't even contemplate the problem for more than a couple of moments before a sort of exhausted fugue would set in.

"We are making progress, Harry," Severus said, guessing with partial accuracy at the direction of Harry's thoughts. "We're in possession of nearly all of the objects that we must destroy. None of us enjoys the sense of operating in blindness, but we are indeed making measurable strides."

Harry nodded again. He flashed a small smile at Severus to let the older wizard know he was in agreement, but otherwise stayed silent.

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Harry followed Severus out into the chill morning air, hustling to match his mentor's pace with enthusiasm. The exercise helped him loosen unused muscles, as they headed down the slope that led to Hagrid's hut, and beyond, to the clearing of the forest where Harry had learned about hippogriffs in third year. He grinned when Severus stopped dramatically in front of him and spun around to face him. Severus, of course, ignored his amusement, as if zipping around on one's heel was a completely normal action to take in any circumstances.

"I'm quite certain that when I tell you to imagine the sensation of free fall, as if you are hurtling downward at very high speed, you realize there are two ways to experience that sensation: through a state of fear, or through a state of thrill," Severus began.

He had Harry's full attention. "I assume I need to summon the thrill," he surmised.

"You do not. Either will do."

"Really?" Harry was truly incredulous. How utterly typical. "I suppose you figured this… thrill versus terror detail out for yourself?"

"Lord Voldemort was many things, but an adept instructor he was not," Severus drawled. "He taught one large group of Death Eaters, choosing only those most loyal and demented, how to fly by passing each of them a bottle of a rare potion called Felix Felicis and told them to spend the following day learning to fly."

"Severus," Harry asked slowly, knowing he was being toyed with, but still needing reassurance, "you weren't part of that group of demented loyalists, were you?"

"Mr. Potter, you should not tread so closely to the line between insult and flattery," Severus returned, and he spun zippily on his heel again and took several large strides away, before spinning back to face a snickering Harry. "I am a spy. I spied on the class and saw for myself that he had little ability to impart practical instruction. However, he did demonstrate two key steps, in addition to summoning the sensation of free fall." He moved his robe to expose the black dragon hide boot of his right foot. "You begin your transition into flight with a pivot on the toes of your unfavored side." He arched his booted foot so that his heel was lifted, front of boot on the ground to hold his balance and some of his weight. "I am left handed, so I pivot on my right side."

Harry was giving him his rapt attention. "So I'll pivot on my left foot," he said with a nod.

"Correct."

Harry blinked, waiting….. "Sir?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well…. then what?"

Severus reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a small, cube-shaped crystal vial with a golden cork stopper. "For you," he said as he levitated it to the confused teen. "Teach yourself how to fly."

"Severus-"

"This is a very precious elixir, popularly referred to as 'Liquid Luck,' Mr. Potter," Severus said firmly. "You now have everything you need to fly."

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Severus busied himself with gathering various samplings of potions ingredients, leaving Harry to sputter and fuss over the predicament in which he currently found himself. In the clearing, Harry stood very still, thinking. He hadn't yet taken the potion because he was afraid to waste it.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Do I need a wand for this?"

"That's an interesting question. What's the answer?"

"Maybe you decided to teach me this because I can use my magic wandlessly?"

"Did I?"

OY!

Exasperated, and desperately wanting to rise to this challenge, Harry downed the Liquid Luck. What did he have to lose?

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By Saturday evening, Harry was exhausted, but triumphant. He'd managed to combine a method of centering himself, then summoning that sensation of free-fall, pivoting on his left foot and launching into the air. He could get himself several feet off of the ground and turn himself horizontally to glide a dozen meters before the surge of momentum would fade. He'd decided that he needed his wand to be in his hand while he was in flight, presumably to channel and control his magic in a way that wouldn't drain it so quickly.

The potion had helped him get the concepts of what he was mastering into his awareness. It started to wear off just as Harry realized he was starving, after having skipped dinner. Severus had told him the following practice sessions would be more difficult without the confidence boost from the Liquid Luck, but that since he had had a glimpse of the concept of the mechanics of flight, he'd be able to rebuild what he'd accomplished today without the help of the elixir.

"How long did it take you to learn?" Harry asked as they hiked back up to the castle for supper.

"I was able to fly at my own discretion after about ten days," Severus responded, wondering inwardly if Harry would master the skill more quickly. "But it took me about a year to refine and finesse my style." The latter he added with a deliberately arrogant tone.

Harry snickered. "I'm still struggling to understand why Voldemort wouldn't have also taught Lucius this skill," Harry mused.

"The Dark Lord was not in favor of elevating his servants to a degree of power where they might find a way to overthrow him," Severus returned.

"But you're very powerful, Severus, and skilled. He wasn't threatened by you?"

"He managed to convince himself that I was a strategist who favored action via intellect," Severus said, unable to smother how touched he was that Harry saw him in such a light. "Lucius, as I've indicated, was a benefactor. And although Lucius participated in some of the darker magical mayhem as a Death Eater, the Dark Lord simply could not comprehend that his servants could be multi-faceted."

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"I've seen very little of Harry this week," Lucius commented as he sipped at some Ogden's Finest Scotch, compliments of Minerva who had joined them on a whim for an early nightcap. It was eight o'clock, Thursday evening, and an entire week had passed since the previous horrible event. "He's not spending much time with his peers. Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Severus drawled to cover the pride he felt for Harry's accomplishment. "He's been working at his flying skills all week, during every spare moment he's had."

"I must admit to feeling a degree of envy, Severus," Remus told the group of coin holders who were assembled in his quarters for a nightcap and a listen to a record or two. "That's a good skill to have, especially in these times."

"Has he kept up with his assignments?" Lucius asked.

"I've heard no comments from his other professors, and he's doing well in my class," McGonagall interjected with a tone that suggested Lucius was fussing unnecessarily. In truth she rather enjoyed the way Harry had brought out the kinder side of Lucius Malfoy.

"Harry will have his legal majority as of tomorrow morning," Severus felt compelled to remind them all. It was not as though anyone had forgotten.

The fireplace made a loud crackling sound and then burst with the green flames of the floo network. Clearly someone was attempting to travel through it. Severus crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, stretching out his legs to take in the spectacle he suspected was on its way. Lucius hunched forward, elbows on knees. Remus flipped the record over and set the needle at the beginning of the B-side of Supertramp's Breakfast in America album. The first strains of Take the Long Way Home began to play as a very sooty Harry Potter came stumbling out of the fireplace, barely keeping his footing, only to be greeted by a chorus of laughter. Even Severus laughed.

"Hey!" Harry sputtered defensively. Remus came over with his wand in hand to syphon the dark powdery mess from Harry's face, hands, hair, and clothes.

"I think the next workshop you attend should be called, How To Travel Unfettered in the Wizarding Floo Network," Lucius declared, wiping his damp eyes. "That was quite a show, young man. Take a bow."

Harry rolled his eyes, but dropped into a sloppy bow as a round of applause resounded. He finally allowed himself to see the humor, but it was tough, because he was tightly wound. "I've been thinking…. why did I get portkeyed to Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked.

He happened to be looking at Lucius when he posited the question, so he saw the range of expressions transmute across his mentor's face as the arrogant blond Slytherin displayed a moment of numb, fugue-like confusion, followed by slow recollection, and then a dawning of reality. Lucius jumped to his feet.

"The vanishing cabinet," Lucius declared. "The Dark Lord assigned a task force to locate and restore the sister to the cabinet kept at Borgin and Burkes. If I'm not mistaken, Wormtail was assigned to lead the effort. The original vanishing cabinet is likely right here!"

"IN THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT." The rest of them said in unison, as they each mentally connected the dots.

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The next hour passed very quickly as the squad, Harry, and Minerva all entered the Room of Requirement together, requesting the storage room hosted within. Harry was quite daunted by the size of the interior, and the scale of the countless stacks and piles of stuff. And there were magical creatures, like pixies and doxies, and Harry didn't care to bother with them whatsoever. They spread out and searched for a large, elegant mahogany cabinet, and Harry was ordered to pay close attention to any sign of reaction in his scar. The diadem still needed to be located.

After a long stretch, Remus finally grew impatient and raised his wand, "Accio Ravenclaw Diadem!"

Nothing.

Harry raised his wand, "Accio Vanishing Cabinet!" They all heard a scraping sound, and then a loud dragging noise, most definitely caused by wooden legs on a stone floor. Harry flashed a look of alarm at Lucius, who happened to be beside him. "Finite incantatum!" The noise subsided, much to Harry's relief.

Lucius laughed and clamped a hand onto the back of Harry's neck as the two of them headed in the direction of the source of the noise.

"I'm not aware of how it is used," Lucius admitted as the others made their way over to survey the old, somewhat battered, Vanishing cabinet. It sat in a cleared area, and it took little imagination to conclude that it had recently been examined or even repaired. "I will take a trip over to Borgin and Burkes first thing tomorrow and get more information on how it works."

"Lucius," Harry said warily, "last week, while Neville and I were being held there, Wormtail kept saying that the others would be coming soon. I assumed he meant they'd use a portkey too, like you three did, or Apparate. But what if he meant they'd be coming through the cabinet?"

"I see your concern, Harry, but I think it would be a stretch to imagine the LeStranges starting their journey to the store from Hogwarts, wouldn't it?" Lucius returned, but he was not being dismissive. "I'm fairly confident that this is a two-way passage only. There are not additional cabinets, creating a network like a floo system. These are equipped with a special magic that opens a sort of portal. You enter one and exit through the other."

It actually sounded kind of cool to Harry, but he didn't see the connection between Wormtail's antics in the school and this cabinet. "I guess it's probably how Wormtail got into the school."

"Agreed," Severus said. "I think we would be wise to assume that if there's a plan to use it, that it will be to facilitate a one-way journey that originates in the store."

"We need to get that cabinet out of Borgin and Burkes," Remus said with real urgency. "Immediately." He drew his wand and cast his Patronus, taking a moment to give it silent instruction. "I just asked Dora to alert the Ministry. Perhaps they will be good enough to send a team to monitor the storefront."

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Severus floo'd back to his quarters with Harry and kept his arm around the young wizard when they'd cleared the hearth, feeling the need to give the boy a warm embrace. "You've impressed me tremendously this week, with your focus and determination, all while still managing your school assignments."

Harry hugged him back. "Thanks," he muttered into Severus' shoulder. Neither let go for a few more minutes. "I'm nervous about tomorrow," Harry admitted when he stepped back from his mentor.

"There will be no pomp and circumstance, you realize?" Severus told him. "It will be a typical day. However, if you're inclined to feel like celebrating, that can be arranged." The thought that he should do something to honor Harry's Independence only just now occurred to him. I've not looked forward to this change of circumstances at all.

"No, I don't want to celebrate," Harry said quickly. "Really. I just feel weird because it was supposed to bring such relief, but things have been so much better that-"

"You think your life is improved?" Severus asked in mild astonishment. "You've been assaulted, and violated, you've sustained injuries…" He stepped closer to Harry and cupped a hand around the teens head to tug him back into another, harder hug.

"It's been so much better, having help," Harry said.

"You will still have help, Harry," Severus said. "Whatever you need."