A/N: Thank you all so very, very much for reviewing and participating in the story. I am plotting the next merge, and I am planning on making it to where no matter what your vote, you'll like the result. And this is possible because most of you explained what you liked about each and what you didn't like. To that end, I will not tell you which way I've chosen to go. You'll have to wait to see, that way you pay more attention to the build up and inexplicit explanations.
A/N2: I got a review from Vudu telling me that I posted the same chapter twice? But I couldn't find it. Could you review again and be more specific?
A/N3: Huge surprise and large plot development ahead! (bounces excitedly)
Dangerous Games
The next morning Harry got a surprise at breakfast. Ron and Hermione were talking about the classes of that day when a strange owl came swooping down and landed right in front of him. Harry opened the letter curiously and read it. His face became worried and he handed the letter to Neville. His friend met his eyes with equal concern.
"Who's it from?" Ron demanded and Hermione leaned forward, just as curious.
"Sirius." Harry whispered. "He's coming because he's worried about me with the TriWizard Tournament. He thinks I'll be in danger with that many foreign wizards and witches hanging around and he wants to be close just in case."
"He's coming back?" Hermione was very surprised.
"But he could be caught!" Ron gasped. "Fudge will throw him back into Azkaban if they get a hold of him."
Hearing it out loud, Harry's guilt tripled. Sirius was putting himself in danger because of him. He shifted in his seat and stood. "I'll meet you guys in class."
"Where are you going?" Ron asked, standing as well.
"I'm sorry; I'll meet you in class." Harry repeated and hurried from the Hall. Ron and Hermione moved to follow, but Neville stopped them. He knew Harry wasn't ready to tell all his secrets and would need space to talk to whichever of their mentors he was going to see.
Harry hurried down the hallway, heading for Severus, but was halted in his tracks when Silas spoke up. The Headmaster can tell where you are during the day. If you go to Severus, he will question him about what was discussed.
Oh. Harry bit his lip. What should I do?
Silas sighed. After learning he was an alter, Harry felt like he had to give way to Silas, that the Slytherin's opinions meant more. And it was really getting on his nerves.
Gabriel knew this, of course, and cut in, Why don't you go to Remus for now and go to Severus after curfew tonight when Godric is blocking Dumbledore from knowing where you are?
Alright. Harry nodded and turned around.
xXxXxXx
"He what?" Remus read the note and frowned at it.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Harry asked anxiously.
"Yes." Remus looked up and smiled at him. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Padfoot can be stupid at times, but he is semi-competent. I'll try and get a hold of him, warn him not to come."
"Thanks, Remus." Harry smiled and hugged him. "I don't want Sirius to get captured because of me."
"Even if he were captured, this isn't your fault, Harry." Remus looked down into his eyes. "I mean it. Don't blame yourself for his recklessness. He's a grown man and should know better." Harry nodded and Remus smiled. "Good. Now, don't worry about this. I'll do what I can."
"Okay." Harry smiled in relief and grabbed his bag. "I have to get to class. Thank you."
"No problem." Remus shooed him out of his office, wondering why Padfoot always had to find trouble.
xXxXxXx
Harry looked around carefully, but saw no one. It was past curfew so most all the students were in their common rooms. Satisfied, he pulled off his invisibility cloak and knocked on Severus' door. The Potion Master opened without a word and gestured him inside. Harry looked around the room. It was cluttered, which was unusual. There were books off their shelves and on the coffee table as well as the desk. Parchments sat next to them and there were bottles of ink in the strangest places. One bottle was sitting open on the mantle next to the round brandy bottle. Harry turned, looking up at his teacher questioningly.
"I've been researching the spells." Severus answered. He cleared the coffee table and gestured impatiently for Harry to sit on the sofa.
Harry did so, feeling the man's fatigue and frustration. He bit his lip. "I think… I think Silas has done some research, too. Maybe he could help you? If he wanted, that is." Harry felt heat sting his cheeks. He wanted to help Severus, but it was rude to volunteer the Core alter without asking first. I'm sorry, Silas.
I was going to share what I learned with him anyway. Silas drawled, unconcerned; though he did wish his Host would go back to calling him Sy. Harry needed to relax.
"That goes without saying." Severus smiled and sat with a tired sigh in his favorite chair. "I think I need a break, however. Tell me about your week."
"Well…" Harry folded his hands in his lap and looked toward the fire. He was glad for it. It wasn't quite cold yet outside, but down in the dungeons it was chilly. "I had my first class with Professor Moody. He demonstrated the Unforgivables on three spiders. Neville and I were… upset." He said delicately and glanced shyly over at his teacher from of the corner of his eye.
"Understandable." Severus answered evenly.
Harry smiled as he felt his mentor's emotions fade and reverse into a waiting pool. Warmth built in his chest. He was so grateful that this man cared for him so much. He had to duck his head to hide sudden tears.
"Are you well?"
"I'm fine." Harry answered honestly, lifting his face and smiling sweetly.
"I see." A faint frown of doubt brushed the dark-eyed man's lips.
"Really, I'm okay." Harry relaxed back into the cushions behind him. "It was sad to see the Killing Curse. I knew that's how my parents died, but seeing it was so different. I don't really think of them much." He blushed with shame. "And when I saw the spider die, I couldn't help thinking and picturing my mother and father." Harry looked back into the fire pensively. Severus sat patiently, waiting for him to speak again. "I wonder if they looked like they were just sleeping. I know the Killing Curse usually doesn't leave a mark…" He looked back at Severus. "Do you know where they were buried?"
"Godric's Hollow was destroyed that night." He answered softly. "But their bodies were still buried there. The general feeling was that they'd want that since that was where they lived after you were born and that was the happiest time in their lives."
"Oh." Harry ducked his head again, the grief welling up.
"Harry…" Severus wasn't sure what to say. He had never mourned his parents' passing.
"It's alright." Harry wiped at his face. "Really, it is. I'm being ridiculous."
"It is not ridiculous to mourn." Severus said firmly, catching and holding the teen's eyes.
"But they've been gone all my life. I should be use to it by now." Harry protested, blushing.
It was Severus' turn to look into the fire. When he spoke, his voice was low and melodious, it was impossible for Harry not to listen to him. "As I've come to understand things from our discussions about your childhood, the Dursleys never spoke highly of your parents. In fact, they never told you the truth about them. It is only since you have returned to the Wizarding World that you've begun to understand who your parents are. Naturally, it is like being told about strangers. You knew they were your parents, but you didn't really accept them as your mother and father. First, you would have been confused, and it would take a while until you stopped believing in the Dursley's lies. Then you had to believe yourself worthy of the kind and loving people you have come to learn your parents were. I think seeing the Killing Curse made you realize just what you have lost. Lily and James deserve to be mourned. Do not be ashamed of that grief, Harry."
By this point, Harry was crying again. He was curled up at the end of the couch, his face pressed against the arm. Severus sat with him silently, but that was alright. Harry didn't need him to say anymore or to hold him. He could feel the very soft waves of support flowing from his teacher and that was enough. It was almost peaceful.
"I was thinking," Severus said when Harry's cries stopped, "of adding daggers to Gabriel's combat lessons. The sword was a consideration, but it is relatively impractical as they are rarely used in duels any longer. The dagger, conversely, can be hidden on the person and used in close quarters to kill or distract an enemy who expects purely magical attacks."
"I'm sure he'd like that." Harry smiled as Gabriel's shout of enthusiasm echoed in his head. "But when will he be allowed Out?"
"Soon. I have almost come to an understanding of the spell Dumbledore has placed upon him." Severus assured.
Harry nodded, "Do you want to talk to Silas now?"
"If you do not feel you still need my company." Severus said haughtily, lifting his nose in the air.
Harry laughed and Severus smirked at him. "Oh, yeah!" Silas had just reminded him. "I got a letter from Sirius today. He read the article in the Daily Prophet about the Tournament and he's going to find a hiding place closer to the school just incase I get in trouble and his help is needed. I already told Remus and he said he'd do what he could to make Sirius reconsider."
"That mutt is brain-dead." Severus growled in annoyance.
"He's just worried." Harry defended softly.
"I am aware." Severus sneered.
Harry shook his head, "Well, I'm going now. Good luck and thank you very much."
Severus waved away the teen's gratitude, his face creased with irritation. Laughing silently, Harry fell back and slipped gently into dreams of music. Silas took his place, his expression accusing as he raised an eyebrow at the man across from him. Severus knew instantly why he was receiving such a look, but had nothing to say to defend himself. There was no excuse for his slip of the tongue. He, more than anyone else, should not have made such a mistake.
"How is he taking it?" He asked instead.
"Gabriel would give him an Exceeds Expectations." Silas drawled. "I, however, am annoyed by his exponentially increased insecurity."
The Slytherin let Severus stew in silence for several more minutes before tactfully moving on to other subjects. Severus was grateful, though he didn't delude himself into believing he was forgiven. No. Silas would keep his transgression in reserve until such a time that it would be useful to bring up again in order to get something in return.
"My theory," Silas explained evenly, "based on the minimal research I have conducted about the possible function of the spell on Gabriel, is that it should not interfere with the natural process of switching In or Out. It should only act to draw him forward when summoned and anchor him Out until released by said summoner. There should be no damage should he come Out without said summoning."
"I agree." Severus nodded and strode across the room. His black robes were open causing them to look more like wings than normal and Gabriel snickered in their head. "I am more concerned about removing or breaking the spell." Severus showed him the paper. It held detailed notes and even a few diagrams. "The portkey spell binds into the very fabric of the object it is placed on. To destroy a portkey, you must destroy the object. But Albus has manipulated the spell to attach to a spirit."
"And to tear it off or destroy it would injure or even kill Gabriel." Silas' voice was ice cold.
"That is what I fear." Severus murmured. "There may be a way around it. I am researching the possibility of shifting the spell onto something else; a transfer, if you will. That would not tear or break the fabric of the spell, but this has not been tried before with portkeys."
"I understand. Do you want me to research the spirit aspect of the spell?"
"Yes. That would be helpful." Severus agreed.
Silas nodded, "There is one other matter. When Professor Moody demonstrated the Killing Curse, Demon reacted strongly and it took both Gabriel and I to keep him from coming Out. I suspect the spell called to him because he was essentially born from the essence of the Killing Curse."
"This is not good news." Severus said gravely. He felt a sudden chill of fear as he remembered the night Demon had conjured the powerful and destructive dark magic storm.
"No." Silas agreed. "I've begun researching ways to subdue Demon, a way to create a failsafe to keep him from coming Out without permission. I haven't made much progress yet."
"I will assist in anyway I can. I'm sure we can come up with something."
Silas nodded and stood, "I'll be in the library then." He picked up the invisibility cloak, but stopped when Severus grabbed his shoulder. The teen flinched violently and stood stiffly, face pale and breath ragged in his throat.
A vivid memory of Lockhart grabbing his shoulder just as Severus had, turning him, a wide lecherous smile, his robes being removed, and sweaty grasping hands following… Silas rode the flashback out, cold nausea curling in his stomach. He knew he couldn't push it away or he'd risk creating another alter. It took all his strength to not shove the greasy memories into a dark corner and forget about it. Instead he chanted that he was no longer trapped by a madness that had him mesmerized by every little sensation as if they were something completely unconnected to his own body and the slimy bastard Lockhart. He would never be used like that again. He knew better, was smarter and stronger. Deep breaths, it would never happen again. He was safe from that much, at least.
Severus watched impassively as his pupil recovered himself. He was very aware sympathy would be seen as pity and violently rejected. He mentally made a note to himself to talk to Silas about his reaction to touch at a later date. Late at night and after a bad reaction was not the time, so instead he changed the topic to minimize Silas' vulnerability.
"We've agreed Gabriel will be fine coming Out. I see no reason why we cannot get a few hours of training in." He lifted an eyebrow in invitation.
Silas opened his mouth to respond only to fade In as Gabriel rushed Out. The Gryffindor alter had been straining his self-control to the max all that week and his eyes lit up in relief and delight as he rolled his shoulders and grinned. "So. Where are these daggers you were talking about?"
xXxXxXx
Saturday morning Harry and Neville snuck out of the dorm. The other boys were still sleeping and they didn't want to wake them. They didn't see Hermione in the common room and hurried through the portrait and up to an abandoned room near the Astronomy Tower. Severus had promised that he would set up a temporary potions lab there for them to use.
Carefully, the boys cut and diced, stirred, and watched the time. Every second had to be used wisely or the potion would not be right. Remus came up around lunch time and took over for a bit to give them time to eat. The boys thanked him profusely and watched their cauldron's nervously as they ate. In order for the potion to be effective, the person who was going to drink it had to make it, so they had to be careful not to let Remus work on them for too long or the potion would spoil. Harry's was neon blue right now and Neville's a dark green.
An hour before dinner, the teens got to the part of the brewing where it was safe to put the potion in stasis. They cast the spell and gratefully went down to take a shower before hurrying to the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione spotted them halfway down to dinner and hurried over.
"Where have you two been?" Hermione snapped. "We were looking all over for you."
"Yeah, mates. I wanted to ask if you wanted to fly about the pitch a bit with me and my brothers." Ron frowned.
"We were working on a project." Harry soothed. "We would have invited you, but we are in the middle, and until we're done with this stage it wouldn't be easy to get you caught up with us."
"What project?" Hermione asked eagerly, completely forgetting her anger.
Ron, however, groaned. "Not you, too! Who needs extra homework?"
"We'll be done with this stage after next weekend, and I'll tell you what we're doing then." Harry offered.
"Why can't you tell us now?" Hermione demanded, taking a seat at the Gryffindor table between Ron and Harry. Neville sat at Harry's other side.
"Cause you'll want to join us and we can't spare the time to teach you what we've learned." Neville answered.
"I could teach myself." Hermione insisted. "I wouldn't get in the way until I was caught up."
Harry looked at Neville questioningly and the larger teen shrugged. Harry bit his lip and looked back to his friends. Ron was looking curious and hadn't even begun eating yet. Silas? Gabe? Harry questioned.
They're your friends. Silas answered coolly. Harry winced, knowing the Slytherin didn't really approve of them.
I think you should warn them that it is against the rules first and see how they react. You don't want them telling on you! Gabriel answered, glaring over at the Core alter. Silas shrugged and looked away from him.
"Well… you see… it's not exactly permitted." Harry told his friends nervously.
Ron's eyes got wide and he leaned forward eagerly. "I won't tell. I swear!"
"Is it bad?" Hermione asked, doubtfully.
"Bad?" A voice across from them questioned and the four teens looked to see Fred and George had taken the empty seats there. "Harry would never do anything bad."
"But he might do something mischievous…"
"…devious and dangerous…"
"…something completely worth…"
"…getting involved with so let…"
"…us in on the secret plan, too."
"We want to help whatever the…"
"…risk. We swear upon everything…"
"…we hold dear we would never…"
"…betray you to the authorities."
"Well…" Harry opened his empathy and felt a surprisingly strong wave of affection and reliability from the cheerful twins. "Alright. Hermione?"
She nodded once, her brown eyes serious. "I trust you, Harry."
"About time." Ron mumbled and she elbowed him hard in the ribs, making him gasp and cough.
Harry leaned forward and his friends all put their heads closer to his. "Neville and I have been studying the Animagus Transformation. Next weekend we'll finish the Animagus Revealing Potion so we know our animal and can start researching it before beginning the actual casting of the Animagus transfiguration."
"We can give you our notes and the books we've been using if you want." Neville offered.
"Wow!" Ron said excitedly, his blue eyes sparkling. "That's so cool!"
"It's a very complicated process." Hermione said with just as much enthusiasm. "I've always wanted to study it, but there are no books in the library. It seems you have to be in seventh year before McGonagall will give you her books and help tutor you."
"We always did want to…"
"…try that spell. Not everyone can…"
"…do it, but I'm sure we all can. Especially, …"
"…if we help each other out."
"Remus and Sirius have been helping, too." Harry explained; their enthusiasm contagious. "We've been working on it for almost two months already."
"Great!" The twins said in unison. "When can we begin?"
"After dinner, lets all meet in the library." Neville recommended. "No one should be there on a Saturday night. We'll give you our notes and explain the process."
"Thanks, mate!" Ron nodded.
The six ate quickly and hurried back up to the Tower. After grabbing everything they needed, they went to the library and found a secluded corner. They spent a good three hours going over the material and explaining everything. Everyone was excited and they promised to work hard memorizing the process and thoroughly researching and understanding the transfiguration. They hoped to be ready to start brewing the potion by October.
xXxXxXx
Silas waited until he was sure everyone was sleeping before returning to the library to work on his own research. He worked for four hours and crept down to the dungeons around two in the morning. Severus was awake and waiting for him. They discussed what they had learned.
Severus had made great progress in his study of portkeys and had created a spell he thought would transfer the portkey spell to another object without damaging the first object. They would try it on books tomorrow night. Silas was making progress studying the spirit aspect, but still didn't know enough to feel confident about changing Severus' spell so that it affected portkeyed-spirits and not objects. Fortunately, that wouldn't become necessary until Severus actually succeeded in transferring the spell.
It was about three thirty when all this was completed and Gabriel came Out for two hours of training, dueling with both wand and dagger. Severus was much faster and harder to defeat than Sirius and Gabriel felt exhausted and sweaty when the lessons were finished. Smiling happily, the Gryffindor made his way back to the Tower for a shower and bed.
Harry, completely ignorant of all this, woke around nine the next morning feeling rested as he had slept the whole night through. He went down to breakfast with his friends before disappearing to work some more on the potion with Neville. Hermione, Ron, and the twins went up to the library to study. Hermione was very amused that the three redheaded boys were willing to do so on a Sunday, no less, but when they asked why she was laughing, she only shook her head at them.
xXxXxXx
It was lunch time and Harry and Neville smiled at the four as they groaned about the confusing and extremely complicated transfiguration they had committed to mastering. But Harry knew through his empathy that none of them were even thinking of quitting. Neville could tell the same just by how they acted and grinned at Harry, who smiled back.
"Mr. Potter, you will go see the Headmaster after your meal." A dark, sneering voice said.
"Yes, sir." He answered faintly as he turned to look up at Severus. Worry churned in his gut. What had happened? Why did the headmaster want to see him? The dark-eyed man met his gaze and the teen felt how worried Severus was and it only made him more frightened.
Severus spun and stalked from the Great Hall, his robes flaring more than normal with his agitation.
"Greasy git." Ron grumbled.
"What does Dumbledore want?" Hermione asked fretfully. "I swear I haven't told him anything."
"Me either, mate." Ron shook his head.
"What do you guys mean?" Harry asked, looking from one to the other.
"He had us up for tea the other day." Ron admitted. His eyes begged Hermione to help him out, but she was too upset. "He asked us how you were and if you talked to us about your summer. We said you hadn't and that we didn't feel right talking about you without you there. He said he understood."
"Did he use Legimency?" Harry asked Gabriel's question obediently and bit his lip nervously.
"He wouldn't!" Hermione gasped, pleading with her eyes for him to say Dumbledore wouldn't go that far. Harry ducked his head, wincing at her sharp distress.
" 'Fraid he would, Hermione." Fred spoke lowly.
"He tried it on us when he couldn't get through…
"…the telepathy blocking potion we had given Ron."
"But as we're twins, he couldn't…"
"…get through to us, either."
"Oh, no." Hermione groaned, bringing her hand to her mouth. "What if he did? We didn't mean to tell him anything. Honest!"
"I know you didn't." Harry hugged her. "You don't really know everything, even if he did, and I don't think what you do know would get me hurt."
She nodded.
"I have a lesson in the courtyard." Neville said quietly. "I'll see you guys tonight. Good luck, Harry."
"Be careful." Harry said with dark, solemn eyes.
"You, too." Neville answered worriedly.
The others said nothing as Harry stood and made his way to the Headmaster's office. And even if they had, he wouldn't have heard them. He was too busy listening to Silas and Gabriel argue.
If I'm already Out, then he can't summon me. Gabriel said pointedly. So I should just confront him and demand him to release me.
And he's going to do that out of the kindness of his heart? Silas hissed. No way. You can't let him know that you know what he's done. You have to let him actually summon you before you can confront him about it and besides, you shouldn't confront him and make demands until you have something to actually threaten him with.
Gabriel subsided, growling. Harry felt distinctly nervous and afraid, and he wished Severus was there with him. As if he heard, the black-eyed professor stood waiting by the gargoyle with a fierce scowl on his face. Harry's legs almost gave out with his relief and he smiled up at his mentor with trembling lips.
"What took you so long, Potter?" Severus snapped.
In public, Severus had to treat him as if they weren't close – though he was much better than he had been in Harry's first and second year due to the fact that Dumbledore was aware they had come to some type of understanding during Harry's detentions. Even knowing this, however, it would have been hard to deal with his teacher speaking and acting so harsh toward him if it weren't for his empathy. It made him constantly aware of the truth about Severus' feelings, and the concern and affection that often surrounded Harry when he opened up to Severus reassured him.
"Potter?" Severus asked sharply, concern rising off him like smoke.
Harry jerked out of his thoughts and smiled sheepishly, nodding his head to let his teacher know he was okay and as ready as he'd ever be for the confrontation ahead. Severus gave him a doubtful look, but turned and began to climb the spiraling staircase. Harry followed, only hesitating a second.
"I've brought Potter, sir." Severus sneered as he entered the office.
"Come now, Severus. Be kind." Dumbledore twinkled at them. "Thank you for bringing him. You may go now."
"What has he done this time?" Severus drawled coldly.
"Nothing, dear boy, nothing. I merely wished to talk to him."
Dumbledore looked over his half-moon glasses and waited for the young man to walk stiffly out of his office. The old wizard turned his attention to the teen standing in front of his desk. Harry stood straight with his hands clasped in front of him and his eyes on the ground.
"Good afternoon, Harry. Have a seat."
Harry did as he was asked.
"I hope you've had an enjoyable first week back at school." The man said affectionately.
"Yes, thanks, sir." The teen answered softly, shyly peaking out from his bangs.
"Harry, do you remember second year?" Dumbledore smiled. "When you used Godric's Sword?"
White light flared silently behind Harry's eyes and he crumpled, unconscious, to the floor. Dumbledore stood and stared with shock at the small teen, but relaxed when the boy groaned and got to his knees. Gabriel panted, trying hard not to vomit as hot pain throbbed behind his eyes. The room kept tilting and spinning and he wanted more than anything to curl up and lie still, but he could feel the old bastard's eyes on him and staggered to his feet with tightly gritted teeth. No way would he give the bastard the pleasure of seeing him weak.
"Are you well, Gabriel?" Dumbledore asked with deep concern.
"My head fucking hurts." He spat, ignoring the tears of pain falling from his slitted eyes.
"I'm sorry, my boy. Here." He reached into his desk and pulled out a potion.
Gabriel backed away with a hot glare. "No way am I taking anything from you. What the hell did you do to me?"
"It is merely a way to ensure I am talking to you, my boy." Dumbledore set the potion down on his desk and met the teen's eyes. "I have much to share with you."
"You have much to make up for, you mean!" Gabriel aimed his wand. "Remove the spell."
"Don't fight me, Gabriel. You have a more important enemy. Voldemort. And I can give you what you need to know to defeat him."
"Oh?" Gabriel fumed. "And why didn't you say that to start with? Why the spell, old man?"
"It's just a precaution, Gabriel. Please understand." Dumbledore stood and moved around the desk, but Gabriel wouldn't let him get within reach. Sighing, Dumbledore stopped and stared soberly down at the young teen. "You have a responsibility. Voldemort marked you and he won't stop until you are dead. I want to ensure that you are prepared to face him and win. That is why I put that spell on you. It is an advantage you can use. Nothing can make you retreat now until I free you."
"I don't need this or your delusions! The only reason why you did this is so you could have some control. You didn't do this for me, so stop lying to yourself, bastard!"
"Don't push me, child." Dumbledore warned and his magic flared like a slap in the face. Gabriel bared his teeth, furiously. "Without me, you will not survive this war. I know what is best."
"So you're an information-whore, not willing to spread your knowledge for free, and the price of my survival is to wear your leash." Gabriel laughed. "I think I can live without it! I have so far, no thanks to you."
Dumbledore went red, radiating power. Gabriel screamed, clutching his head as he fell to his knees. Helpless and unable to cope with the sensation, he felt his mind begin to crumble with insanity. He was trapped, pinned to the front of their skull, and had no where to run, had no way to deal with the situation. There were no tools or techniques in Gabriel's psychological make-up that would allow him to cope.
There was a grating noise, like metal on cement, as Gabriel broke and lashed out wildly. An implosion as the power in the room violently reversed made Dumbledore stagger backward and his ears pop. Mindless, Gabriel growled and began casting spells, tearing jagged gorges into the walls and floor, catching furniture on fire and shattering metal and glass instruments. The portraits were screaming and Dumbledore was roaring spells to contain the thrashing youth. He was able to finally hit the teen with a stunner and Gabriel crumpled to the ground once again.
"Rest with ease, my child." Dumbledore groaned and fell back into his seat, breathing heavily. There was no doubt that Gabriel was powerful, but he was being impossible! He sighed in frustration and tugged at his beard, thinking furiously behind his hard, blue eyes.
xXxXxXx
Silas stared at Gabriel as the Gryffindor appeared in his bed. The red sheets absorbed the blood streaming from lacerated flesh. Bruises and burns decorated his skin and his clothes were torn to shreds. Their physical body may have been unharmed, but the mental wounds the forced consciousness had inflicted because Gabriel didn't have the means to handle the situation had been torture, and his projected body reflected that. Silas gently lay his fingers on the Gryffindor's fevered and sweat-soaked brow and over the metal band that still sizzled against Gabriel's skin. He stared grimly at his burnt fingers and disappeared.
xXxXxXx
Dumbledore's focus returned as the teen began to move. Gingerly, Silas lifted himself into a sitting position. His head hurt badly, but there was no damage otherwise. He kept his face lowered so that his bangs hid his icy eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was still sharp and smooth. Dumbledore's eyes sharpened warily, knowing he was dealing with the Slytherin.
"You miscalculated, Headmaster. Gabriel is a fighter. Give him a target and set him loose, but don't threaten him and make him helpless and expect him to sit calmly and talk strategy with you. That is my arena and you only succeeded in hurting him." Silas tilted his head. "Talk to me if you want to talk. Negotiate with me if you want to make deals. Leave Gabriel for the battlefield. I may be Slytherin, but I am not your enemy. I exist to keep Harry and Gabriel safe, to think of ways to achieve our goals without cost or pain. Surely you can respect that."
"I apologize." Dumbledore murmured. "I never meant you harm."
Silas didn't dispute that ridiculous claim. He needed Dumbledore to trust him so that he could take his knowledge and then stab him in the back with it. Hopefully, he would even be able to puncture the man's rotting heart.
"Do you understand the consequences of your position as the Boy-Who-Lived?" The ancient wizard tested.
"I do." Silas said with quick efficiency.
"You realize you must defeat Voldemort?"
"I will not allow the Dark Lord to destroy me." Silas sneered, lifting his face so Dumbledore could see his hard, unforgiving eyes. They were eyes that knew too much, eyes that chilled even the hardest of hearts and Dumbledore wasn't an exception.
But the old headmaster pushed away his unease and initiated a wandless, non-verbal Legimency spell. Silas was aware of the intrusion at once and smoothly pulled what he wanted the headmaster to see in front of his impenetrable Occlumency shields. Dumbledore saw his antagonistic feelings for Voldemort, his unbreakable loyalty to Harry, and Dumbledore saw respect that was directed at him for his knowledge and power. (Though in truth, the respect he saw was for Severus. Silas had carefully grafted that emotion to an image of the headmaster. None of the other alters would have gotten away with it, for though they knew Occlumency, Silas was the only Master.)
Satisfied and greatly pleased, the headmaster stood and went to a mirror. He had misjudged Harry's Slytherin side and he silently rebuked himself for falling prey to the House prejudices. He was too old to do that. In fact, he had a Slytherin who had proven very loyal and invaluable in Severus, and he should have remembered that. He whispered a password and the wall began to turn, revealing a room with several bowls filled with silver water.
Dumbledore gestured for Silas to come stand beside him. "What I know, I will tell you. But I warn you, some of what I have deduced is from incomplete puzzle pieces. I may be wrong."
"But you think you're right?" Silas asked neutrally.
"Naturally I do, but as I have already proven to you, I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being – forgive me – rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger."
Correspondingly huger? Silas sneered silently.
Dumbledore removed a Pensieve and brought it over to his desk. He set it down gently and looked over at the teen, standing respectively at his elbow. "You look worried," he smiled.
"Where are we going, sir?" Silas asked, not bothering to reply to the headmaster's inquiry.
"For a trip down Bob Ogden's memory lane." Dumbledore pulled a crystal bottle containing a swirling silvery-white substance from his pocket. "He was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He died some time ago, but not before I had tracked him down and persuaded him to confide these recollections to me. We are about to accompany him on a visit he made in the course of his duties. But before we actually view this, I need you to swear a wizard's oath with me that you will not inform Harry of what you learn here tonight. It is for the best, and this would be a wasted endeavor if Harry lost his innocence."
Silas kept his disgust toward the headmaster's refusal to understand that they were ALL Harry and that the precious Harry Potter had lost his innocence long ago hidden. He swore the vow easily. There were dozens of ways around it.
Ignorant of Silas' treacherous thoughts, Dumbledore tipped the contents of the bottle into the Pensieve and gestured for the teen to put his head in. The Slytherin merely raised an eyebrow. The headmaster smiled, putting his face in first. Silas took a deep breath and followed. He watched silently as the scene at a rundown cottage with a father and two very inbred children played out. The only time he spoke was to confirm to Dumbledore that the men were occasionally speaking Parseltongue, though he didn't elaborate on exactly what was said and Dumbledore never asked.
"What happened to the girl at the cottage?" Silas asked casually as they returned to the headmaster's office. "Merope or whatever her name was."
"Oh, she survived." Dumbledore answered as he sat behind his desk. He summoned a new, undamaged chair for Silas to sit in. "Ogden apparated back to the Ministry and returned with reinforcements within fifteen minutes. Morfin and his father attempted to fight, but both were overpowered, removed from the cottage, and subsequently convicted by the Wizengamot. Morfin, who already had a record of Muggle attacks, was sentenced to three years in Azkaban. Marvolo, who had injured several Ministry employees in addition to Ogden, received six months."
"The girl called the man Tom and her father's name is Marvolo." Silas drawled, wanting to move things along. "I'm guessing that filthy, abused girl is Voldemort's mother? The muggle that she was punished for liking is his father?"
"That's right." Dumbledore smiled in approval. "I am glad to see you're keeping up. Marvolo and his children were the last of the Gaunts, a very ancient Wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins."
"I would never have guessed that." Silas sneered.
Dumbledore laughed, "Yes, well, lack of sense coupled with a great liking for grandeur meant that the family gold was squandered several generations before Marvolo was born. He, as you saw, was left in squalor and poverty, with a very nasty temper, a fantastic amount of arrogance and pride, and a couple of family heirlooms that he treasured just as much as his son, and rather more than his daughter."
"I cannot believe the wealthy man would marry Merope." Silas shook his head.
"I think you are forgetting that Merope was a witch." Dumbledore smiled gently. "I do not believe that her magical powers appeared to their best advantage when she was being terrorized by her father. Once Marvolo and Morfin were safely in Azkaban, once she was able to give full rein to her abilities and to plot her escape from the desperate life she had led for eighteen years.
"Personally, I think she used a love potion to make him love her. I am sure it would have seemed romantic to Merope. In any case, within a few months of the scene we have just witnessed, the village of Little Hangleton enjoyed a tremendous scandal. You can imagine the gossip it caused when the squire's son ran off with the tramp's daughter.
"But the villagers' shock was nothing to Marvolo's. He returned from Azkaban, expecting to find his daughter dutifully awaiting his return with a hot meal ready on his table. Instead, he found a clear inch of dust and her note of farewell, explaining what she had done. From all that I have been able to discover, he never mentioned her name or existence from that time forth. The shock of her desertion may have contributed to his early death – or perhaps he has simply never learned to feed himself. Azkaban had greatly weakened him, and he did not live to see Morfin return to the cottage."
Silas sat silently. He was very aware that the love potion and the speculation about what Marvolo did and felt after returning from Azkaban was pure speculation on the headmaster's part. Personally, Silas couldn't really see the man starving to death because he couldn't cook a meal for himself. Marvolo seemed the type to turn cannibal if he really had to. Granted, Azkaban is horrible and damages the sanity, but Silas had seen Sirius at his worst and he would have been able to survive on his own, and Sirius had been in the prison for twelve years, not six months. But he kept his own opinions to himself.
"As for Merope, within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumor flew around the neighborhood that he was talking of being hoodwinked and taken in. What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under an enchantment that had now lifted, though I daresay he did not dare use those precise words for fear of being thought insane. When they heard what he was saying, however, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby, and that he had married her for this reason."
"He abandoned his son?" Silas lifted an eyebrow.
"Yes and no." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "I'm not certain he even knew Merope was pregnant when he left. I believe Merope, who was deeply in love with her husband, could not bear to continue enslaving him by magical means. I believe that she made the choice to stop giving him the potion. Perhaps, besotted as she was, she had convinced herself that he would by now have fallen in love with her in return. If so, she was wrong. He left her, never saw her again, and never troubled to discover what became of his son."
They sat in silence for several long minutes after that. Dumbledore looked thoughtful, but Silas could tell he was pleased with himself. He hadn't expected Silas to be as pliable as he was presenting himself. The Slytherin kept his face cool and tried to ignore the infuriating tyrant. Again, he thought Dumbledore's reasoning was severely flawed.
It was obvious the headmaster was a Gryffindor. First of all, why the hell would she stop controlling her husband, and why didn't she just reinstate the slavery when he showed signs of rebelling? That love potion stuff was crap. He suspected something more along the lines of the Imperius Curse, and something had to have gone dreadfully wrong somewhere along the way for Tom to be able to get free and leave Merope willing to let him go.
"I think that will do for today…?"
"Silas." He answered reluctantly.
"It's time for dinner, my boy." Dumbledore smiled. "I appreciate your attention and am pleased you are taking this so seriously. I know it must be difficult."
"I am just grateful you were open to giving me a chance." Silas bowed his head.
"Not at all, my boy, not at all." He beamed happily.
xXxXxXx
Silas waited patiently in their bed for the others to fall asleep. He had ignored Harry's friends when they had tried to press him about what happened to him up in the headmaster's office. Neville had come to his rescue, promising Harry would talk to them when he was ready. They accepted this reluctantly, but Silas didn't really care. Finally, the breathing around him became even and deep. He crept from his bed and pulled on their invisibility cloak.
Severus opened his door to him before he could even knock. Silas smiled grimly and took a seat as well as a hot mug of cocoa with a splash of whisky. It was the first time he had ever been offered a drink and was thoroughly enjoying the warming and numbing effect as he related his experiences in the office. He had never vowed not to tell Severus what he had seen, after all.
"How is Gabriel?" Severus asked when Silas fell silent, chewing over this information and why Dumbledore wanted Silas, and through Silas Gabriel, to have it.
"Boy is actually stealing the memories that caused the trauma." Silas stared into the fire. "I believe Gabriel won't remember much passed being summoned. Boy should finish by tomorrow morning and the Gryffindor will be recovered then."
Severus watched him for a moment, "And what do you believe the purpose of the information Albus gave you is?"
"I suppose anything we know about Voldemort could possibly give us an advantage over him in battle, but I'm not sure anything specifically useful was shown to me. He may be testing me still and not revealing the more pertinent issues yet. All I know is his evaluations were faulty and naïve. I'm not sure whether Dumbledore believed what he was saying, or was again testing me."
"I would venture that he actually believes what he told you about the motives involved." Severus sneered. "In any case, he has the salient facts correct and that's all that matters really."
"Yes." Silas agreed. He looked over at their teacher. "If that's all, I think I should return to the Tower."
Severus nodded sharply and walked him to the door. "Should I tell Harry? I'm sure he'll ask what happened."
Silas shrugged and slipped into the dark corridors. Severus sighed and went to his desk. He had a few letters to write and a headmaster to distract with politics. Oh, yes, he smiled cruelly; the headmaster would get what was coming to him. All in good time.
Chapter end. Please review.