Beta'd by: Bombadilo Baby. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hmmm . . . not sure if I like how this chapter came out, but any-who. Enjoy! You get to meet some new characters this chapter!
Also let me know if there's any plot details that need explaining. My Beta and I have been considering posting some side chapters on the background and sub-plots for this story
(Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm too tired to check properly, seeing as how it's now wayy past my preferred bed time :-D )
Like many writers I know, any/all reviews, favourites, and follows are viewed with the highest regards.
Enthralling Weekends to You All! (if I could I would hand them out like Bertie Bots beans. . . Good weekends, that is)
-G
"What's going on?" Draco asked in confusion, glancing between Blaise and Harry.
Blaise turned to look at Harry, disbelief shining in his eyes. "Harry can do wandless, Merlin's beard, wordless, magic." He said quietly.
The group froze. Harry in confusion, Draco and Pansy in shock, the rest (who'd actually witnessed the event) in increasing wonder.
Harry frowned.
"I can do what?"
Chapter 16 – Madness
"I can do what?" Harry asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth. Not because he didn't understand what they were saying, but because he didn't understand why they were all so surprised. He hadn't thought that the magic he'd copied to send the note to Draco in class was anything spectacular. Frankly he was just grateful that the teacher hadn't sprung him, he wondered if there was a less obvious was to send notes in the future. And besides, Marcus had been able to send over thirty at once that morning in the common room, and they'd flown much better than his single paper crane…
"I-I mean-! " Harry stuttered, growing flustered by their stunned expressions and strange behaviour. ". . . can't you?" he asked slowly with confusion, a crease forming between his brow. Harry's voice trailed off with anxiety as he looked around the small assembled group.
The other Slytherin's before him glanced at each other incredulously, before turning back to Harry. They shook their heads silently.
"No. . . " Blaise eventually answered for the rest of the group.
Harry bit his lip "But-!" he fumbled, hands flailing at his sides slightly. "Isn't that what we do?" he asked, starting to panic. "I mean – witches and wizards, isn't that, the point?!" his voice elevated. Harry felt as though the floor had suddenly been yanked out from underneath him. He knew that he'd grown up with muggles, and that there was probably still a whole load of things that he didn't know about the wizarding world, but he honestly didn't comprehend what he'd done that was so surprising!
He was a wizard. So he'd done magic.
Harry opened his mouth, closed it, looking hopelessly around the group.
It wasn't until Draco's face transformed into a blinding smile that Harry realised he'd started to tremble. He didn't want to be different! He just wanted to be normal!
All he'd ever wanted was to be Harry. Just Harry.
But as Draco bounded up to him, brilliant wide smile on his pale face, a small voice in his mind thought that maybe he could live with being (a little) different so long as his friend still smiled at him like that.
"This is perfect!" Draco hissed excitedly, grey eyes illuminated like light, sun-kissed clouds. The blonde was poking him excitedly on the arm, as he bounced on his toes.
Pansy (rather like Harry) was looking at Draco in confusion, head tilted to the side. "Er. . . how?" she asked, honest curiosity in her eyes as she wandered closer.
Blaise only groaned, tipping his head back tiredly, already guessing where Draco was going with his excitement.
Draco's eyes never left Harry's. "For our pact! It's perfect!" he exclaimed in a hushed voice.
Pansy's eyes suddenly looked as dangerously excited as Draco's and Harry fought the sudden urge to take a step back.
Daphne, not having been part of their original conversation at the Welcome Feast (or the pact they'd made there) observed the proceedings with quiet, undisguised interest. Greg and Vince hadn't quite caught on like the rest had, but they did seem quite happy and distracted with the revelation of Harry's newfound talent.
"We would get top marks for every subject." Pansy whispered, eyes unfocused and dreamy like she was imagining some delightful fantasy.
Blaise was sighing. "We don't even know if it would work." He felt obliged to point out, lifting his head back up from its flopped position.
Harry was starting to feel as left out as Greg and Vince.
Draco finally turned away from Harry to flick an exasperated expression at the dark-skinned boy "Stop being such a pessimist." Draco said flippantly, obviously determined not to be dissuaded. "It's the perfect opportunity! He could teach us! Imagine the possibilities! The school would be ours!"
"How many people do you know able to do wordless magic, Draco? Don't even get me started on wandless!" Blaise questioned incredulously, both eyebrows raised high on his forehead.
"So it might take a little while, we'd have someone who can actually do it to explain. Are you honestly telling me that you don't want to leant it too?" Draco asked incredulously, still bouncing with excitement at the prospect of learning wandless, wordless magic.
Harry's eyes widened. "Wait! Wait!" he called, eyes bouncing between Pansy, Draco and Blaise. "I don't – What do you guys mean?" he asked.
Surprisingly it was Daphne who answered. "Wordless magic is a very unusual talent in the wizarding world" she explained, finally taking pity on Harry. "and there have only been a handful of known witches or wizards capable of wandless magic. Not including accidental magic with young children..." She admitted, looking at Harry speculatively. "Did you do it intentionally?" she asked Harry, blue eyes intent.
". . . What?" Harry stuttered, glancing around the group in confusion. No one else clarified her question.
"The magic" she explained. "did you do it intentionally?" she asked again.
Everyone was listening for Harry's reply, standing with a hushed quiet.
"Well – I mean – yeah, but, what difference does that make?" he asked, with flustered bewilderment.
Daphne nodded thoughtfully, but even her eyes gleamed eagerly now. "It means that it wasn't some form of accidental magic, meaning that, in theory, you should be able to do it again." She said. Everyone turned from Daphne to look at Harry expectantly.
Harry's brow creased in confusion at their expressions, but he plucked the slightly crumpled class schedule from his pocket without thought. With a slight moment of concentration, the piece of paper folded itself into a delicate paper crane, ruffling it's wings before sailing itself across the room towards the blonde girl.
The moment the paper alighted on her outstretched hand its form melted, smoothly unfolding into a sheaf of paper once more.
Dead silence fell over the group, and Harry stood awkwardly on his own as everyone stared at the single piece of paper. The silence continued and Harry felt dread rising up, like lead in his stomach or something thick clogging his throat. Harry stood rigidly, alone. Then he saw Draco's astonished eyes lift, raising slowly to meet his, and he couldn't do it. Harry bolted from the room, down the hallway. No thoughts to his next class down in the Herbology greenhouses.
He wished he could take it back. Take it back, and never have it happen.
He should have known better…
He ran blindly down the corridors, ears deaf to the surprised and worried shouts behind him.
It was just like Primary school all over again. Where all he'd longed for was to melt into the background so that Dudley's group never found him, so that the teacher's didn't question why he wore ragged baggy clothes, so that he didn't come home with higher grades than Dudley. When he'd met the Malfoy's and Severus, his Godfather, he'd thought (stupidly!) for a moment, that it would be okay to try. Actually try for once. But apparently even here he was a freak. Harry felt tears building up in his eyes, and he kept his head down, eyes screwed shut, to keep water from dripping down his face.
He wasn't sure how far he ran, but suddenly he collided with something solid. His breath lurching from his lungs, Harry was stumbling to the ground only to be caught by two pairs of strong arms.
With green eyes, eyelashes damp with tears, the raven looked shakily up to his rescuers.
Twin red-headed boys were staring worriedly down at Harry. They shared a silent, concerned glance, before smiling kindly down at Harry. They crouched either side of the little Slytherin, one lifting him up and settling his back to his feet, as the other made a show of dusting off (non-existent) dirt from his hair and shoulders.
"Whoa! Hey now Little Firstie!" the Gryffindor on his left started.
"Don't let those stuck-up Prefects" the boy on his right started.
"Catch you racing through" The first continued the sentence seamlessly.
"The corridors so soon after arriving"
"At Hogwarts!" Left said, making a show of eyeing the corridors around them suspiciously, as though for any authority figures, before they turned back to Harry.
"Set's a bad impression" Right whispered.
"We should know!" They finished together, winking.
Harry stood in the corridor shakily, wishing he was alone, unable to meet the eyes of the Gryffindor boys. The twins shared a glance again, then crouched down lower beside the small first year Slytherin.
The one on the right was pulling out a large piece of parchment, whilst the other reached up to gently wipe the tears on Harry's cheeks away.
"Where are you off to"
"in such a hurry"
"Little, Snake?" they finished together, looking at the pale, tear-tear streaked raven with concern.
Harry looked up at them shakily. Having no idea how to answer. He was lost, feeling horrible with tears bubbling up in his eyes again, and had just realised he had no idea how to get to his next class.
Another glance was shared before they nodded with resolution, they leant closer, smiling at Harry conspiringly. Harry stumbled back slightly as a huge piece of old parchment was unfolded between them with a flourish. One of the Gryffindors tapped the paper with their wand whilst the other murmured something beneath their breath.
Harry watched in surprised awe (momentarily forgetting his own problems) as ink spread like water across the parchment, filling it with moving lines, squiggles and dots.
Across the top writing was scrawled neatly.
'Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs are proud to present: the Marauder's Map.'
The ginger haired boys beamed at him "Messrs Fred" the boy on the left tipped his head in a bow.
"And George" the other mimicked his twin.
"At your service!" they crowed together.
Harry looked between them with baffled, dazed eyes.
"Go on then" Fred urged him, nudging Harry's shoulder gently.
"Tell us where" George said
"or who" Fred interrupted
"or what" George added cheerily.
Harry felt a tug of a smile at the corner of his lips despite himself.
"you're looking for." Fred concluded.
"And we will solemnly swear to lead you there!" they swore, bounding to their feet (pulling a surprised Harry with them), and jumping into a ridiculous theatrical stance.
Harry edged slightly away from the loud duo, snuffling and rubbing his wet nose of the sleeve of his cloak as he stared down at his feet. His embarrassment built in his chest as he realised how stupid he must look, enough that complete strangers were trying to cheer him up. There was only one place he wanted to go, but he didn't think he should go there now. . .
The request left his lips despite the reservations. "Do you know where my Godfather, Professor Snape, is?" Harry's voice trailed off in a whisper, before he bit his lip, cringing. He shouldn't interrupt his Godfather now, Severus was probably busy, and Harry didn't want the man to see him like this anyway. Besides, he was sure it wasn't long now before Draco told both the Malfoy's and his Godfather about what he did. He didn't want to see that same reaction shocked reaction. Didn't want them to think to also think there was something wrong with him. That he was a freak. . .
If the twins were surprised by the request they masked it quite quickly.
Fred raised a brow at his brother. "What do you think Freddy? Think we can track down the Great Bat of the Dungeons for this little Firstie?"
"The Cobra of Hogwarts." George nodded, seriously.
"Our one any only" Fred agreed solemnly.
"Terrifying" George shuddered jokingly.
"Sharp tongued" Fred added musingly.
"Merlin's beard, do you remember our first -" George went on happily.
"Sharp eyed" his twin continued.
"year? Honestly don't know how-"
"Cloak billowing" Fred went on obstinately.
"many times we've been-"
"Large proboscised" Fred added, cautiously touching his own nose, as though to check it's dimensions.
"caught by that teacher. I swear he can sense movement –
"Freddie" Fred interrupted his twin.
"Yeah, Georgie" George replied casually.
"Stop ruining our good impression. We're reassuring the Snake, not reminiscing on our, admittedly spectacular, exploits." Fred reminded him.
George suddenly leaned closer over the map, nose almost scraping the paper as he set to searching for the Potions Master's name. "Right you are Georgie" George cheered.
Harry edged closer curiously, a hand reaching up to curiously trail over one of the west wings on the map the twins held.
"Wow!" the twin's suddenly exclaimed in shock as much of the ink suddenly faded in colour, highlighting one single bright green dot labelled Severus Snape that was pacing through the dungeons. Harry hastily removed his hand from where it had glanced across the map, and instantly the colours returned to normal. However the map didn't stop there, writing started to scrawl across the page, and two sets of bright blue eyes watched in rapt attention at the message which appeared.
'Mssrs Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are delighted to renounce our claim to the Maraurder's Map (given that it has into the hands of one of our brilliant progeny). May you use it for its intended purpose!' it wrote before finishing with a flourish 'Give em' hell!'
Two sets of blue eyes turned towards Harry. "Great goblins"
"Merlin's moustache"
"Trolls toes"
"galloping gargoyles"
They muttered, looking at Harry with new eyes. Very bright, delighted, blue eyes.
"He's a little Marauder" he murmured together. Then a beaming grin stretched slowly across their face.
"Right!" Fred shot up, followed closely by George, who lifted Harry up and perched him between the two twins, high off the ground on both their shoulders as they set off down the corridor towards the dungeons.
"onwards Georgie!" George called to his brother.
Harry was frozen in shock on their shoulders, hands tightly clutched to both Gryffindors to keep from falling. He tried to process what just happened. The map the twins had seemed to think that he was somehow related to one of the Maraurder's, though he had no idea who they were...
In any case, Harry was soon (quite uncomfortably carried, given the number of stares received) down to the dungeons.
Fred recklessly rapped loudly on Severus' office door, merely smiling along with his twin as an incredulous Potions Master opened his door to meet his Godson perched on the shoulder's of the two Weasley twins.
Severus sighed, raising a dark brow at his Godson, as he waited for a rational explanation for this madness.
Harry was carefully levered back on the ground, before the Weasley twins bowed with a flourish to the small raven haired boy. Much to Harry's bewilderment.
"If you ever need anything at" George smiled
"all, mini-Maraurder, just" Fred went on
"Give us a shout." They finished, before disappearing with a cackle back around the corner.
There was a pregnant pause, as both Slytherin's eyed the empty corridor.
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but pray tell, why were you brought to my office by those two red-haired devils?" Severus asked eventually, turning to Harry.
Harry's reply was interrupted by the loud arrival of the six Slytherin first years Harry had recently run from, as they barrelled round the corner, breaths puffing, and hair and uniforms in various states of disarray.
Severus pinched his nose with a sigh.
"Great Merlin, it's going to be a long year" the potions master muttered.