I own nothing. If the spell is not from the books, it's Latin.
Chapter X
December 1990
It was late December and Harry was enjoying a relaxing Christmas at the Cove. It was a welcomed reprieve from the halls of Hogwarts. When he had returned from the Circle's Ball, he had struggled to find a sense of normalcy after having so much revealed to him. Malfoy was making a play for control, his godfather was the head of the Black family, the Delacours had offered their support, and then there was Greengrass. They hadn't spoken for the rest of the semester which Harry didn't mind at all. In the grand scheme of things, she wasn't that important. Besides, he had already put the ball into her court so if she didn't want to talk about it then he wasn't going to push it.
Christmas at the Cove was always a joyous time, a time where the entire family just enjoyed each other's company. Despite their business around the world for the Order, Sirius and Remus always managed to make it home for the holidays. This time was different, though, as the house was still reeling from the news of Sirius's new social status. There had been a lengthy closed-door conversation which Harry and Danny weren't privy to that resulted in a silent game between Sirius and their father.
To avoid the tension, Harry and Danny spent most of their time outside (which wasn't that uncommon for them anyway). Harry was never one to waste a moment that could be used to train and, more importantly, he liked to see how far Danny had progressed. Lily had melted a small arena in the snow and cast a heating dome around it so they wouldn't have to deal with the cold.
"Ow! Merlin, Harry that hurt." Danny rubbed his shoulder after Harry landed a blow.
"Well, your shoulder shouldn't have been there," replied Harry as he nimbly swayed back and forth on his feet. The two were practicing a form of dueling that blended traditional dueling and hand-to-hand combat.
"Again." Harry smiled wryly as his brother resumed the customary stance.
The objective of the style was to get as close as possible to your opponent and use quick motion spells and physicality to incapacitate them. It was an uncommon style as most wizards opted for the more traditional style of standing your ground and relying on your knowledge of spells and shields. The style was particularly effective since, if achieved, would hinder most duelist from using the more complicated spells that required extensive wand movements. It also forced your opponent to move to which most wizards weren't accustomed.**
Sirius and James had first learned the technique while in the Auror Academy, however, their instructors thought the style too "barbaric" and refused to teach it. Sirius and James, though, immediately saw its effectiveness and had trained themselves and fine-tuned the technique to suit their own individual styles.
Harry and Danny really took to this style as they were both accustomed to being mobile. Through, neither of them were overly muscular, their quickness and agility were their greatest weapons. They blocked and parried in fluid motion, never once allowing the other the chance to get off a spell, despite the fact that Danny had the added advantage of not needing a wand.
This was a new development since Harry had been away during his first semester of his second year. Danny had adopted extending his arm with an open palm as his means for casting. Though he didn't need to, Danny would still say the words of the spells he would use in their sessions. His repertoire was still limited but he was thankfully well beyond simple levitation.
As they continued their dance, smiles crept on their faces as the speed of their movements increased and yet neither of them could get an opening. It was typical for the two of them as years of training together had made them very in synch with each other's movements. Eventually their smiles turned into open laughter but like every other time, Danny was the first to falter. Harry was able to keep Danny's attention high with quick jabs and spells which allowed him to unexpectedly swipe low with his feet and take his brother's legs out from under him.
Danny fell back on his bottom with a satisfying thud. He looked up and found the end of Harry's wand.
"Typical," he grunted as he brushed off his clothes.
Harry continued to laugh good-heartedly as he helped Danny off the ground. "You should've-"
"-remembered that you're wanker."
Harry just laughed, his brother was still bit of a sore loser after years of Harry beating him.
"Yeah but I still can't do what you do. Show it to me again."
Danny smiled a little in excitement before he scrunched his face in concentration and extended his fist. A soft glow appeared inside before he opened his palm and a ball of light floated inches above his hand. They both studied it closely trying to find out exactly what it was.
"And you said it just happened one time as you and Moony were mediating."
"Yeah, I wasn't really thinking about anything and when I heard Moony gasp, I opened my eyes and there it was, just floating in my lap."
Harry inched closer and brought his face to almost touching the mysterious ball of light. "And you don't know what it does?"
Danny shrugged. "I can move it all I want." He demonstrated by moving the ball up in the air and in a few lazy circles before settling it back down just above his palm. "But Moony said that I shouldn't try anything until he can figure out how I made it."
"How is he going to do that?" Of the six people who knew about Danny's magic, Moony was probably the most versed in how it all worked…
Danny just shrugged again.
…But it was all still speculative.
Harry continued to stare deep into the ball of light and started to lose himself in its glow. It was blinding at first as nothing existed except the pure white light. His eyes glazed over and he felt the inexplicable need to touch it. It was like nothing else mattered to him. He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt warm like there was a fire building inside him and he had to touch it. He could hear the sound of his brother's voice saying something but it didn't seem important. Like a moth to a flame, his hand grew closer and closer until barely any space separated them.
"Harry! Don't!"
It was too late. As soon as Harry touched the ball of light, there was a loud crack and Harry was flung backwards into the air. He ended up a few yards outside the dome.
"Harry!"
Danny immediately rushed to his brother's side. The snow around Harry started to melt but Danny wasn't the cause. Harry was giving off a great amount of heat. Danny cautiously brought his hands closer and could feel the energy coming off his brother.
"Harry?"
"Gahhh!" Harry suddenly sat up looking fully alert. His whole body was twitching sporadically, like he had a nervous tic. He looked at Danny but couldn't seem to control his blinking.
"Harry, are you okay?" Danny asked timidly.
Harry didn't say anything at first as he experienced another full body tremor.
"I'm hungry." He sounded as if he was in a sort of trance, like he didn't know he was talking to anyone. He got to his feet and started walking back to the house. Along the way, his legs and arms would lose control and fly out in random directions.
When he stepped into the manor, he was quickly met by Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius who had their wands drawn and looked very alarm. They stopped abruptly at the sight of Harry.
"Harry? What-?" Lily couldn't finish her thought as Danny stumbled through the doors.
"Harry, wait! Mum, something happened to Harry!" Danny exclaimed as Remus and Sirius swept past him and went outside.
Harry, though, didn't seem to notice any of it and was still heading towards the kitchen. He was still mumbling about being hungry and his body was still twitching at random.
Lily grabbed a hold of Harry and they both sank to the ground. She cradled Harry in her arms and tried to still his body. James wheeled himself next to them and stared worriedly as his wife examined their son.
"Danny, what happened? We heard a loud pop. Did someone apparate?" asked Sirius as he and Remus came back into the house.
Danny kneeled beside Harry but seemed afraid to touch him. "It's my fault. He wanted to see the ball of light I made with you." He tearfully looked at Remus whose eyes grew large. "We were just talking about it and then his eyes kind of glossed over and he touched it."
"Merlin," gasped Remus. He knelt next to Harry and started casting diagnostic spells. After a moment, he spoke again. "He's fine."
"What do you mean he's fine? Look at him," exclaimed Sirius.
Harry had settled a bit but still didn't look like he knew what was going on. He had a soft smile on his face and looked well…drunk.
"I'm going" –tic- "to have a" –tic- "big turkey sub" –tic- "with lots of bacon." –tic- "Then I'm going" –tic- "to take a bath." –tic- "I like baths." –tic- "They're very relaxing." –tic- "Then…" Harry continued to ramble on, his speech still broken by random fits.
"There's nothing wrong with his body or his magic, he's just…" Harry said something about wanting to see the world upside down. "…out of synch. It should only be a matter of time before he's back to normal," clarified Remus as his brow scrunched in bewilderment at what Harry was saying.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, none more than Danny.
James reached out and grabbed Danny's shoulder. "It's alright Danny. He's okay."
"I-I thought it happened again. I thought I…" he trailed off as he looked at his father and the wheelchair he sat in.
"Hey, hey, hey, listen to me." James grabbed both of Danny's shoulders and made him look him in the eye. "Harry is going to be fine. Look." He turned so that they were both looking at Harry who was still nestled in Lily's arms.
He was still rambling but his speech was less broken and his spasms had ceased. The things he was talking about were very random and Sirius was having trouble keeping a smile off his face as Harry began explaining how he was going to ask Hagrid's dog, Fang, why he licked himself.
"See," James said with a smile as Harry started talking about flying on a broom backwards. "He's just like normal."
Lily couldn't hold back her laughter. "What about his hair? I know he's a Potter but-"
"My hair! What's wrong with my hair? What's going on? What happened? Why am I on the floor?" Harry was now fully alert and was desperately trying to find what was wrong his hair. He felt around and groaned despairingly; his hair was standing straight up.
"Nice flat top, Harry," joked Sirius.
Lily gently tried to smooth out his hair but it would spring back to how it was before. "It's like you've been electrocuted." No one understood what Lily was talking about as they none of them had ever used electricity. Lily quickly caught on to their confusion and searched for a way to explain.
"You know how balloons can make your hair stand on end?" Everyone nodded along. "Well, that times 100."
Harry just groaned as he continued to try to get his hair back to normal. He moved out of his mom's lap and took a deep breath.
"How do you feel, Harry?" Remus asked as he cast a few more spells now that Harry was back to normal.
"A little weird." Harry stretched his arms and legs. "But okay. What happened?"
"You touched the ball," Danny explained.
"Right. Definitely not going to do that again," he said as he got to his feet.
As soon as he did, Danny immediately wrapped his arms around him. "I'm glad you're alright, Harry."
Harry smiled as he patted Danny on the back and looked at his parents. In the back of their minds, they were all thinking about what this meant for Danny's growing power.
January 1991
"Welcome class to the second term of your Second Year Potions."
Harry mostly ignored Professor Slughorn as he was busy removing his potions kit and setting up his cauldron. Harry still and would probably continue to consider Potions his least favorite subject at Hogwarts. Not only was it the only class he wasn't the top student but it also meant he couldn't avoid Slughorn and his insistent recommendation to join his Slug Club. At first, it seemed like Slughorn only wished to add Harry because of the connection to his brother but after Harry's first year test results Slughorn couldn't stand not having the top student in his club, especially since he was of his own house. Harry continued to cite his busy schedule as the reason for his absence and it would work for a while but Slughorn was anything if not tenacious.
Harry pulled his wand to start the fire for his cauldron as he continued to ignore Slughorn's usually spiel about the syllabus.
"Starting this term, you shall be working with partners."
Harry almost blew up his cauldron. He prayed that he heard the professor wrong.
"Next year, you all shall begin your electives. You will be working in smaller classes and be expected to work in groups. So, to give you a head start, I've decided to pair you all with another student. Now, normally, I would be choosing your partners for you but this year I've decided to do things a little differently in a way that I'm sure all of you will enjoy."
Harry shut his eyes regretfully. Nothing Slughorn was going to say would make this any better. Oh how he hated how much Slughorn loved being loved.
"I've decided to allow you to choose who you partner with." Slughorn produced a large smile at the class's reaction and seemed pleased with all the looks of admiration directed towards him. None of the other teachers would ever allow the students to pick their own partners. The room immediately broke out in excited whispers.
"Listen!"
Slughorn tapped his wand a few time on his desk to get everyone's attention.
"Be sure to choose carefully as the groups will be permanent for the remainder of the year."
Harry paled a bit at the idea of working with someone for the rest of year. He had only one chance. He started to raise his hand but someone beat him to it.
"Professor, will we be allowed to work alone if we so choose?" The question came from Greengrass who was probably thinking along the same lines as Harry.
"No, Ms. Greengrass. The work we will be conducting will require you to have a partner."
Harry's heart sank. He didn't have to look around. There was a rather short list of people that he would want to pair with and seeing as how they were twins and that their friendship was a secret, it wasn't likely to be one of them. But the real reason he didn't look was that Harry already knew who his potion's partner was going to be.
It was the end of a particularly long day for Harry. He picked a secluded table in the corner of the common room and effectively stared off anyone who tried to approach him. He was still having to deal with people coming up to him about internal manners in Slytherin. He really couldn't understand how anyone would want to deal with being the leader of Slytherin.
He opened up his bag and started pulling parchment and quills to start working on his Herbology essay on the Mandrake root and its medicinal uses. He then had to follow that with practice transfiguring objects into water goblets. Both assignments wouldn't be too difficult but five feet of parchment took time.
He was about finished with the essay when he felt a presence standing nearby. He had a sinking feeling that he knew who it was and the inevitable conversation he was going to have to have with his future lab partner.
"Are you going to sit down or just stand there glaring holes into my skull?"
Harry didn't have to look up as he was sure there was scowl on Greengrass's face as she sat down across from him. She started to speak but Harry interrupted her by putting up his finger as he continued to write his essay.
They proceeded to sit in an uncomfortable silence. Harry kept his focus on his paper. He was almost finished and didn't want to lose his train of thought, besides, he enjoyed how it annoyed Greengrass that he still hadn't looked at her. When he finally put the finishing touches, he put down his quill and glanced at Greengrass. She was leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed and looked very peeved. He smiled inwardly a little at that.
"Are you finished now? Am I allowed to speak?" she said sarcastically.
"You may." He made sure to sound extra condescending.
She narrowed her eyes a bit but proceeded to talk anyways. "Look, I know this isn't what either one of us wants but we should try to make the best of it. Just do your best and try to stay out of my way and everything will work out fine."
Harry couldn't believe the nerve of this girl. It was like she thought he was going to hold her back or something. "I'll have you know that I've been brewing potions since I was five. I know what I'm doing and don't need your help."
"Five, you say?" She faked looking impressed. "That's great. Good enough for second place."
Harry grounded his teeth. He wanted to say something back but he wasn't looking to get into it with Greengrass at the moment. Instead he decided to take the high road.
"Why don't we call a truce, hmm? Neither of us want to let this affect our performance so why don't we agree to keep our interactions purely academic, ok? We'll do the work and then go our separate ways, deal?"
She looked to ponder the idea for a moment but responded. "Fine."
Harry thought that was the end of it and started getting back to his homework. Greengrass got up to leave but paused as she stood next to him.
"And Potter…" Her words died out when he looked up at her. She appeared to contemplating something and her face had an unusual softness to it.
"Is there something else you want to talk about, Greengrass?"
Whatever the cause of her sudden change in attitude, his words must have stopped her. She quickly cleared her head and adopted her usually stern expression.
"We should meet in the library. It'll be less crowded and quieter." She added the last bit as a small fight had broken out behind them among two sixth years who were seemingly arguing over a girl.
Harry groaned a bit as he was already seeing looks coming his way to do something about it. "Sounds good."
'Anything to get away from this,' he added in his head as he watch the two boys pull their wands on each other. The two looked like they were about to throwing curses when said girl came running and started yelling at them.
Greengrass glanced back at him expectantly but it looked to Harry that the situation was under control. He started putting his stuff away, grabbed his bag, and got up to head to his room.
"See you in the library tomorrow after dinner."
He left before she had time to respond. He was really looking forward to the peace and quiet of his room. He figured he could also give Danny a call on the mirror. Hopefully, his brother had had a better day.
Two Weeks Later
When they had first walked together into Potions and set up at the same table, Slughorn practically wet himself in excitement. The thought that his two best students had paired together was apparently too much for the walrus man.
Things had started a little rough as both wanted to take the lead. There was a small war for the stirring rod and prep knife since both thought they were more than capable doing everything on their own. But Slughorn wasn't exaggerating when he said that the potions would need two people.
The potions they were brewing required simultaneous ingredient preparation, stirring, heat adjustment, etc. Normally, spells would allow a single individual to accomplish everything but Slughorn banned their usage. They eventually came to an unspoken agreement to alternate duties not only to appease Slughorn's desire for collaboration but also keep them for killing each other. Things were running smoothing for the most part but that didn't stop the occasional hiss or angry glare when they pumped into each or got in the other's way.
Things with Greengrass were probably the most irascible during their study sessions in the library. To insure fair play, Slughorn had them use Buddy Parchment which ensured that one student didn't contribute more or less to the assignment. So Harry and Greengrass would spend a few nights every week in the library to study together. It was during this time that Harry started to get to know his lab partner.
First off, Greengrass never smiled – ever. Not even the day in Charms when they were practicing the Wind Charm and a student had accidently knocked Professor Flitwick off his perch. The entire class had erupted in laughter and even Flitwick had joined in having become accustomed to occasionally falling off his stack of books to the amusement of his class. This had ultimately led to a complete breakdown of the lesson as everyone wanted a shot at the professor. She hadn't so much as grinned as Flitwick was hanging on for dear life to avoid being blown clear across the room.
She was also very studious which Harry appreciated. Their first couple of study sessions were a little awkward as neither of them were up for speaking or even really acknowledging the other's presence. At most, it was just asking to pass a book or checking a reference. When they did speak, though, she was annoyingly sarcastic and jumped at any opportunity to hold a mistake over his head. Harry was slowly resigning himself to a very irritating term in Potions until something rather unexpected was about to bring the two closer: their mutual hatred of Professor Horace E. F. Slughorn.
Harry was making his way to the back table in the library to wait for Greengrass for their latest Potion's assignment. It was typical fashion for Harry to arrive first and reserve the table in the back so that they would have limited interruptions. The less time they spent together the better.
Harry knew that tonight would be a particularly rough night of studying. Slughorn had spent a considerable amount of time lecturing the class about the merits of his new partner system using Harry and Greengrass as a prime example.
Slughorn had insisted that everyone take notice of the exquisite craftsmanship of his two prodigies. He wowed the class with all the things he was sure Harry and Greengrass were going to achieve and how it would take them to the heavens and beyond (with his help, of course).
Harry brushed off the comments like he always did when Slughorn started preaching but he noticed Greengrass's eyes narrow dangerously as soon as Slughorn uttered "my prodigy." Her face only darkened as Slughorn went on. It was safe to say, if looks could kill…
When they had left class, he was barely able to remind her to meet him in the library before she stormed off. Harry dreaded the thought of spending the next hour or so with her so they could work on their essay on Sleeping Draughts.
*Achoo! Achoo!*
Not to mention he had a cold.
He didn't have to wait much longer before Greengrass stormed into the little alcove and angrily threw her bag down and pulled her supplies, muttering along the way.
"Arrogant son of a hippogriff. Calling me his prodigy. I'll show him."
The smart thing was not to say anything. His father always said that when it came to angry women that it was never smart to poke an angry dragon. But Harry was just as annoyed by Slughorn's showboating.
"You would think he'd noticed that neither of us usually ever follow his methods."
"Who would follow that walrus' antiquated methods? It's like learning from a dinosaur."
"I don't think there are walrus dinosaurs," Harry quipped.
"Yes there is, it lives in the dungeons," she muttered back.
Harry couldn't hold back a smile and a bit of laughter but Daphne didn't so much as twitch. She just stared at him.
What's so funny?
Harry dropped the smile and rolled his eyes. At least they were making progress. They started working and didn't say much for the next thirty minutes or so. Greengrass was the first to break the silence after Harry had handed her his part of the essay.
"You're not too bad at this."
Harry had to take a moment to give over his initial shock of what sounded like a compliment. He quickly recovered.
"Thanks, my mum taught me. She would have gotten her masters if she hadn't been recruited by the Department of Mysteries or…" Harry didn't finish. He didn't like to think about what his life would have been like if the prophecy had never been made and his family didn't go into exile.
Greengrass seemed to understand. "She's good."
"She's the best."
"I didn't say that." She mumbled under his breath.
"Excuse me." He glared angrily at her.
She didn't seem fazed at all. "She obviously didn't teach you that potions is more than just cauldrons and ingredients." Her eyes gained a wistfulness. "It's an art, a dance. Seemingly unrelated factors combining, interacting to create something magical."
"I don't know about all that. I'll take my wand over a potion any day."
"Says the brigand."
*Achoo!*
"One who's sick." She perked up a bit, enjoying the fact that he wasn't feeling well.
Harry glared at her as he rubbed his nose.
Though her face didn't show it, she looked to be enjoying herself. "Tell me, Potter, what spell would you use to get rid of that cold, huh?"
"There isn't one," he replied, not liking where she was taking this.
"And yet," she shifted through her bag and pulled out a bottle. "There's a potion that could have you back on your feet in seconds." She pushed the bottle towards him.
Harry cautiously grabbed the bottle, uncorked it, and smelled the contents.
"It's not poison, is it?" With Greengrass, you could never be too careful.
"Not likely. It would take too long to break in a new lab partner."
Not entirely assured, Harry downed the potion regardless. Almost instantly his sinuses cleared and his sore throat was gone. It was amazing! It even tasted good.
"This is incredible. You should be selling this." Harry tipped back the bottle.
"We do. That'll be five galleons." Greengrass held out her hand expectantly.
"Wha-?" She didn't really expect him to pay did she…wait. "Oh very funny, Greengrass."
"If you say so." She put her hand down and went back to her work. Harry joined her and they continued in silence.
"Thanks." He peeked at her but she didn't look up.
"You're welcome."
"Did we just have a conversation?" The rarity of the situation seemed worthy to note.
"Don't get excited Potter."
There was something about the way she said his name that rubbed him the wrong way. Considering that they had just had the closest thing to an amicable conversation, Harry decided to try to do something about that.
"You know, we're going to be at this for a while."
"What of it?" She didn't bother looking up.
"Why don't we try using each other's names? Greengrass is a bit of mouthful."
She stopped writing and studied him for a moment before she replied. "Fine."
They worked for a while in silence. The only sound was the scratching of quills. About an hour into it, they were almost finished when Daphne broke the silence.
"Pott-Harry?"
"Yeah." This time he was the one that didn't bother to look up.
"I wanted to say thank you," she said softly.
Harry stopped what he was doing. He hadn't heard her speak with that tone since the ball and it threw him off a bit to hear.
"For what?" He feigned ignorance but he knew what she was talking about.
"For what you did at the ball. You didn't have to do what you did." She made intense eye contact. There wasn't a way Harry was going to get out of this conversation.
Harry shrugged. "You didn't know me, why should you have expected anything different."
"You're right. I'm sorry. I was wrong to judge you."
It was odd to hear Daphne sound so apologetic. It was another instance where a new side from his rival had left Harry stunned.
"Apology accepted."
Harry thought that was the end of it and got back to work. Through his peripheral, though, he noticed Daphne looking at him expectantly.
"Don't you have something to say to me?" And just like that, she was back to her old self.
"What did you get for number twelve?" She put down her quill and crossed her arms. It was fun to see her flustered.
"Aren't you going to apologize?"
"Did I do something worth apologizing for?" Harry shoot back innocently. His mind instantly went to the week he spent with Fred and George prior to the ball. But she didn't have to know that.
"You…" she started but then stopped. Harry held his breath. If she did know that he had orchestrated the week from hell then it probably wouldn't end well. Luckily, her arms dropped and looked a little disappointed. "I guess not."
Harry breathed a mental sigh of relief. Thank Merlin no one knew he was friends with the infamous Weasley twins.
A satisfied smirk crept on Harry's face once Daphne looked away. It felt good knowing that he had gotten one over his rival.
Fate, it seemed, had other plans.
"He's back here, I know it."
"I bet you he's not."
"Our usually wager?"
"Deal."
Harry cringed and settled his head on the table. This wasn't going to be good.
Fred and George appeared from behind the stacks but only saw Harry at first.
"I told you! It's Harrrrr…" George noticed Daphne. "Balls."
"You two!" Daphne rose to her feet and angrily pointed at the twins.
"Greengrass, hi. It's nice to see you." George didn't do so well to hide his surprise of her presence.
"Oh don't play innocent. I know you had something to do with that week before…" She suddenly stopped and looked between the twins and Harry. "What's going on here? Do you three know each other?"
"What? No! Of course not." Fred really needed to work on his denials.
"Then what was all that 'It's Harry!' nonsense and knowing we would be here."
Fred seemed stumped on that but George quickly responded.
"I didn't say 'It's Harry!' I said 'Its hairy balls.' Big difference."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" She crossed her arms.
"It means…" George lost it but this time Fred saved him.
"…It means that we are men and sometimes we talk about our hairy balls."
George, ever the compatriot, nodded along confidently. Harry, though, painfully closed his eyes while Daphne looked just plain disgusted. He took off his glasses and pinched the brim of his nose.
"Enough!" Harry had heard plenty (especially about hairy balls). "There's no point guys."
Daphne momentarily forgot about the twins and squared on Harry. "Nothing to apologize for, huh Harry?" The sarcasm was dripping from her mouth as she said his name.
Harry just wore his poker face and didn't say anything. The Marauders never apologized for a prank and Harry wasn't going to break that tradition.
"Well…this is awkward," said Fred, breaking the starring contest.
Daphne angrily started packing her things never once missing the chance to send glares at the three boys. Just as she was leaving she turned to them and said.
"You will rue this day, all of you." And she was gone.
"That went well." Fred awkwardly smiled as Harry turned his stare to his friends.
"Fred. George. How nice of you to show up," said Harry through clinched teeth.
"Hey, how were we supposed to know she'd be here?" George defended.
"Is there something you two needed or did you just want to give me a headache?"
"You know, George, I don't think I like his tone."
They crossed their arms simultaneously.
"Maybe we shouldn't tell him what we found."
"Found what?" If there was something about this whole mess that could come out positively then he would hear it but the twins remained tight-lipped.
"Fine, I'm sorry. It's just tough with Daph—Greengrass." It was safe to say that he and Greengrass were back to last name statuses.
That seemed to garner him a bit of sympathy as twins dropped their arms. "Yeah, tough break there, mate."
"But you were the one that wanted people to hate you and Greengrass is about as warm as an iceberg-"
"I get it, thanks." It was true that his partnership with Greengrass was another unforeseen consequence of his plan while at Hogwarts and therefore, as the twins often liked to point out, all his fault.
"Now what is it that you two found?"
"We found it! We found the last marker," George said excitedly.
"Where?" They had spent months looking for Harry's father's marker with little success. It had been very frustrating.
The twins deflated a bit. "Well, OK, we didn't actually find it but we're sure we know where it is."
"What is that supposed to mean? How do you know and not know something?"
"Well, Fred and I got to thinking that your dad was the leader of the Marauders, right? So we figured that his marker had to be someplace special."
"And then we figured that there was only one location in this entire castle that any true prankster would consider as the pinnacle for any prank."
Harry was getting tired of the hypotheticals. "Where is it?"
"Dumbledore's office." They said together. Harry's look of disbelief caused Fred to explain further.
"Think about it. It's probably the most protected room in the castle, it's the only place we haven't looked, and it's Dumbledore! You have to some brass balls to go after him."
"Enough talk about balls."
Fred had the decency to blush. "What do you think, though? We're right, right?"
The idea had merit and it deserved further investigation. Harry's relationship with the Headmaster was amicable at best. They hadn't really met since last year's incident with the forest but he was sure that they were on good enough terms that Dumbledore would let him in his office. He did basically encourage Harry to use his father's cloak so he could continue to train in the Forbidden Forest. An idea started to form as he started packing his things.
"Where are you going?"
"Dumbledore's office."
"You're going now?"
"You want to wait to see what's behind the M?" Harry said as disappeared into the stacks.
Fred and George looked at each other, smiled, and excitedly scrambled to their feet to catch up.
Harry had to remind the twins that they couldn't be seen together and told them to hang back. They agreed to stay out of sight but were coming along no matter what. Their excitement over another Marauder treasure was evident.
It didn't take Harry long to find Professor McGonagall and inform her that he needed to see Professor Dumbledore. It was fairly uncommon for students to request a meeting with the often busy Headmaster but Professor McGonagall reacted that like it was nothing. Harry had the feeling that she had specific instructions to arrange a meeting should he ever desire it.
He quickly made his way up the stairs and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Harry walked in and immediately searched for Dumbledore but didn't see him at his desk. Seeing an opportunity, he looked around for anything resembling his father's marker. He knew it so well. He had seen his father's twelve prong stag form more than any other of the Maruaders.
He looked around the foyer among the many trophies and awards. He looked around the bookcases and even under the table of strange instruments.
Nothing.
"Can I help you, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore appeared from the balcony of his observation dome that overlooked his desk.
Harry quickly straightened himself out and tried to look as innocent as possible.
"Yes, sir. I thought it would be a good time to discuss next year."
"I believe Professor Slughorn will handle your electives," responded Dumbledore with a certain amount of feigned ignorance.
"Daniel, Headmaster, I want to talk about Daniel," Harry said bluntly.
"Ah yes, your brother. Please have a seat." As they sat, Dumbledore offered a bowl of lemon drops but Harry declined.
"What would you like to discuss?"
At that instance, there was a flash of fire as Fawkes appeared upon his perch. Harry nearly jumped out of his seat but Dumbledore didn't react at all. He was probably used to Fawkes coming and going as he pleased. Harry quickly collected himself and started to speak.
"I wanted to be sure that everything is ready," he said with a wary eye towards the phoenix.
"I have complete confidence that Hogwarts is ready to receive your brother." Dumbledore rested his arms on the desk and folded his hands together. He had a soft smile on his face.
"Good, good." Harry bowed his head and tried to think of something. He needed some way to explore the office for the stag.
"There is something we do need discuss that pertains to Daniel's first year."
Harry perked up at that, curious about what Dumbledore wanted to talk about concerning Danny. Dumbledore dropped his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"I have already been contacted by the Prophet to arrange a press conference for Daniel's first year at Hogwarts. Now, I assure you that the press will never interfere with the student's lives here at Hogwarts but I'm afraid that the Ministry has gotten involved. It could result in quite a circus next year."
"Why would the Ministry get involved?"
"For years Minister Fudge has claimed that the Ministry orchestrated your family's exile and were under their protection and now that your brother is due to return, it creates an opportunity to…well…how should I put this?"
"Profit." Harry offered disdainfully.
"To put it mildly." Seeing that Harry was obviously upset, Dumbledore quickly followed. "Never fear. I've got a plan. I've informed the Prophet they will have unrestricted access to Platform Nine and Three Quarters while maintaining Hogwarts's immunity." A very satisfied smile crept on Dumbledore's face as he spoke.
"You didn't tell them that we don't take the train." It was more of a statement than a question.
"It must have slipped my mind."
Harry, impressed, smiled a bit. He had a feeling that Dumbledore had a habit of outsmarting the press and definitely looked like he enjoyed it.
"That will only stop the Prophet. The Minister, however, is free to come and go as he pleases," added Dumbledore, seemingly bursting Harry's bubble.
"My father is not going to like that." If there was anyone that Harry's father absolutely loathed, it was Cornelius Fudge.
"Don't worry about Minister Fudge. I can handle him." Again, it looked as if all of this was a common occurrence for the headmaster.
"Thank you, Professor." It was all Harry could think to say. Dumbledore continued to show him that he was on their side.
"You're quite welcome." There was a lull in the conversation. Harry was still desperately trying to think of way to explore the office. The conversation had certainly been a distraction, especially since it had so much to do with Danny. He still, though, had to keep in mind the reason he was here.
"Might I make a request?" Dumbledore sounded a bit timid, as if testing the waters.
"Go on." Harry had his suspicions about what this request entailed.
"I would like to meet him before the year begins. Here, at Hogwarts."
"I'm not so sure about that." He was growing to trust the headmaster but was always cautious when it came to his brother.
"I seek only to get to know him, with you present, of course, and avoid showing any favoritism while the student body is present," Dumbledore quickly assuaged.
"I'll talk to my father." It made sense to Harry and it certainly would be better to get the introductions out of the way and away from the prying eyes of their peers.
"Thank you. Now for why you really wanted to see me today." Dumbledore stood and spun his chair around. Harry's eyes widen to see his father's animagus form right in the middle of the back of the chair.
"How did you…" Harry was speechless. How could Dumbledore have known?
Dumbledore chuckled to himself. "Do you think I didn't notice the newest decoration to my chair. One must always be mindful of the things they sit on."
Harry really hadn't suspected that, though, it did make perfect sense that someone as detail-oriented as Dumbledore would notice such a thing. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, he quickly got to his feet and joined Dumbledore by the chair. He started to reach out but stopped and looked to Dumbledore who nodded in consent. He traced his fingers of the etching and smiled.
"Prongs."
The stag suddenly came to life, reared his legs, and then took off out of the office.
"Wondrous magic," Harry heard Dumbledore mutter.
"Did you let him or did he get you?" Harry had to know. Was this all Dumbledore's doing or did the Marauders actually best the seemingly omniscient headmaster?
"I seem to remember that I forgot to lock my door that day." Dumbledore smiled knowingly.
"You seem to forget a lot of things," Harry quickly pointed out, a smile creeping on his face.
"It tends to happen once in a while. I am quite old." They continued to smile at each other. "Off with you now. I'm sure that the Weasley twins are anxiously awaiting your return."
Not bothering to comment on how he knew about his secret friendship, Harry bade his goodbye and quickly made his way out of the office.
Stepping off the rotating stairs, Harry was immediately assaulted by Fred and George.
"We saw it! We saw it!"
"I told you it was there, didn't I? Didn't I?"
Harry held up his hands in defeat and to quiet them. "It's not over yet, guys. We still have one more thing to do."
Fred and George looked confused. They thought their search was finally over.
"What are you talking about, mate?"
"Yeah, that was the last one."
"We still have to give the final password," reminded Harry.
"How we going to do that?" asked Fred, having already realized the dilemma.
"You two have to get me into the Gryffindor common room," said Harry like it was no big deal.
"Harry, mate, we know that you're sneaky as a devil but how in Merlin's beard are we going to get you-"
"-A Slytherin-" George quickly added.
"-into the Gryffindor common room."
"Easily, now turn around," instructed Harry. The twins huffed in indignation but did as commanded. Harry then reached into his robes and pulled his invisibility cloak and put it on. As soon as he had disappeared, George started to turn back around.
"You know, Harry-" His words died out as he saw nothing but an empty hallway. He tapped Fred on his shoulder and turned him around to look.
"Where did he-"
"-To the Gryffindor common room, gents." Harry loved seeing the dumbfounded look on the twins' faces whenever he disappeared on them. It's probably why he yet to tell him about his father's old cloak.
"You know, one of these days, you going to have to tell us how you do that."
"No I don't."
The twins threw their hands up in defeat and started walking towards their common room, grumbling under their breaths about Harry not playing fair. When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, the twins told Harry to hang back so they could clear the common room, though they probably didn't want Harry to hear the password: there was tradition to uphold after all.
A few minutes later, Harry watched the Fat Lady burst open and students piling out with their hands over their faces. A thick green cloud escaped out of the top of entry way.
"What is going on here? What's wrong with you all?" cried the Fat Lady.
"Someone let off a dungbomb," said one of the older looking Gryffindors.
"It's rancid in there." The girl had her nose pinched and sounded very nasally.
"Well close me up or else the entire hallway will smell," the Fat Lady ordered. She held her handkerchief to her nose, though, it was impossible for her to smell the putrid odor.
With that, Harry made a mad dash for the entrance but it was too late, one of the sixth years slammed the entrance shut.
"What about everyone else?"
"They must have went up to the dorms."
"I hope someone managed to open a window, I still have to finish my homework."
"Come on, let's go outside. I need some fresh air."
The group of Gryffindors left and even the Fat Lady walked off the canvas to parts unknown.
Soon Harry was left alone, scolding himself for missing his chance to get into the common room. The portrait had been right there, wide open, and he had hesitated. He stood just outside the portrait, hopefully waiting for someone else to choose to escape into the hallway. As he did so, he came up with more and more ways to ridicule the twins for their idiotic plan.
Harry bounced on his toes as the portrait slowly started to open and two heads appeared.
"You there?"
"It's all clear, buddy."
"So get out of the way." They had barely opened the portrait and their bodies were blocking what little room there was for him to get through.
"Oh, right."
The two stepped aside and opened the portrait all the way. Harry squeezed through, careful not to touch the twins and reveal himself. Once he was in, he checked the area and stairs to make sure the coast was clear. He then pulled off the cloak.
"Whose idea was it to use a dungbomb?" Harry scrunched his noise. There was still a faint cloud of green floating in the air.
The twins jumped out of their skins before they turned around to see Harry standing in the middle of their common room.
"Stop. Doing. That." George made a show of checking his pulse.
"Where's the M?"
"Over here." Fred pointed as he started walking to the corner over Harry's right shoulder. He pushed aside the small two-sitter and then a panel from the wall. Etched in the wall was the M surrounded by the different markers of each member of the Marauders, Wormtail and Moony to the left and right and Prongs and Padfoot along the top and bottom.
"Wicked!" said the twins simultaneously.
Harry just smiled as he traced each of the figures. It had taken two years but he had finally completed all the trials. He knew he couldn't have done it without the twins' help which is why he felt horrible about what he was about to do.
"Guys, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"What, mate? Do you not know the password?"
"No, it's not that. It's about what's inside here. It has to stay with me."
"What do you mean? I thought we were in this together."
Harry could hear the betrayal and it made him feel even worse.
"We are and I'll let you borrow it whenever you want but I need it."
It was obvious that they weren't getting it.
"Things are going to change next year and it's important that I can…I just will need it."
With Danny less than a year away from Hogwarts, Harry needed a way to keep an eye on him. There was no telling what would happen and he needed the ability to find his brother at any moment.
The twins looked at each other and seemed to converse silently. After a moment, they seemed to agree on something and turned to him.
"Look, mate, we don't know what's in there and for all intents and purposes it belongs to you but we can't help but feel a little jipped," said Fred.
"I know and I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important." He needed to sound as sincere as possible. He didn't want this to ruin their friendship but if forced to choose between the twins and his brother: there was no contest.
Harry watched them silently confer with each other again. After another moment, they stopped and turned to him again.
"We want money," George said abruptly.
"What?" Harry wasn't expecting that.
Fred put his hand up to stop George. "What my handsome but simple brother was trying to say is that we want your help as an investor."
"Invest in what?"
"George and I don't have any illusions. We aren't like our brothers. We don't want to work with goblins, dragons, or the Ministry. We want to open our own joke shop."
"We just don't have any money," George said sheepishly.
Harry and the twins had never talked about the fact that the twins had hand-me-down clothes, books, and just about everything else. Harry knew they didn't come from much but that wasn't what was important. They were his friends and he wanted to help.
"I think we can come up with some kind of arrangement." His family had more enough money and he was sure that Sirius would love the opportunity. He was always saying that there wasn't enough laughter in the world.
"Oh and we want to meet them."
"Yeah, that too."
"Deal." Harry put out his hand with a smile. He was glad that they had understood and didn't hold it against him. His dad and Peter weren't an option, obviously, but he was sure he could convince Moony and Sirius to pay them a visit. Fred and George smiled brightly and took turns shaking his hand.
"OK, let's do this before someone shows up."
Harry inched closer until he's just a breath away from the M and whispered softly, "Lily-Flower."
If there was one secret about the Marauders and their markers was that none it would have been possible without Lily Evans. The final password was the group's tribute to their unofficial fifth member.
The images sprung to life and ran together in a circle around the M before it split apart in the middle. Nestled innocently in the small crevice was a large, worn, folded piece of parchment. Harry slowly pulled it and set between him and twins.
"That's it."
"An old piece of blank parchment." They clearly sounded disappointed.
"Watch this." Harry carefully unfolded the leathery piece of paper. "I'm solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Immediately, letters formed as if written by an invisible hand.
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers
are proud to present
The Marauder's Map
"What does that mean?"
Harry just smiled. "It, my friends, means that we have the key to the castle."
They leaned over and began to realize just what it was they were seeing. Displayed before them was every nook and cranny, every single person within Hogwarts.
"Sweet Merlin's balls."
Harry was really getting concerned with Fred's obsession with balls but couldn't help but agree with his assessment. What lie before them was the Marauder's greatest treasure. The cumulation of years of exploration and study. Harry could never get a complete answer as to who invented it but there was one thing that they all agreed on: it should only be used for good (and pranks).
Fred and George were already whispering excitedly to each other and pointing out all the secret passageways they had yet to find. Harry, though, looked at the names. Dumbledore was still in his office and back in the observation dome, King was in his dorm, Grey was in the library, and Greengrass was in the potions lab near the ingredient cabinet. Harry tilted his head curiously at that. He knew full well that Greengrass had a full arsenal of ingredients in her room.
'Why would she be raiding the Potion's cabinet?'
"Harry, this is the coolest thing I have ever seen."
"We'll be unstoppable."
"Come on, we should get out here before someone sees me."
Suddenly remembering where they were, Fred and George quickly got to their feet and turned around. They weren't even going to question how Harry disappeared, they just wanted to see the map again.
"Mischief managed." Harry carefully tucked the map in his robes and threw on the cloak. "I'll meet you at our usual spot."
"Copy." They immediately made a dash for the portrait hole. Harry just shook his head and smiled. Those two really were something.
Ten minutes later, Harry walked, sans cloak, into the abandoned classroom where they usually met. Fred and George greeted him as soon as he entered and held out their hands. Harry handed over the map and chuckled to himself as the twins gingerly placed the parchment upon the desk in the front of the room.
"What were the words, Harry?"
"You say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' to activate it and say 'mischief managed' to deactivate," he explained.
Fred repeated the phase (having won some unseen contest on who would do it first) and his eyes lit up as the map came to life. Harry hung back as the twins poured over it, trying to put as much to memory as possible.
"Hey Harry, check out what your girlfriend is doing," said George with a sarcastic smile.
Ignoring the jab, Harry walked over and expected to see Greengrass still in the Potions lab but was surprised to notice that she was back in her dormitory. She seemed to be in quite a hurry, too. Her dot was moving rather urgently throughout her room.
"You don't think she's planning something do ya?" Fred said with an ounce of worry.
"Probably but at least we'll see her coming," Harry said as he held up the map.
George, though, was quick to break up the suspense. "Pssh, what could she possibly do to us? She's just a girl."
"Yeah, and who says 'rue?'" Fred quickly added on.
The twins proceeded to mockingly reenact Greengrass rant in the library before breaking down in laughter. Harry quickly joined in but for some reason couldn't shake the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach.
**Note: To get the best idea of what this fighting style looks like see this video .com watch?v=CeHrq_Fs1vk. Just replace the guns with wands.