Do you realize that so far you've read over 10,466 words that i've written, not including what you're reading now? Wow man. You must be dedicated. *hugs you* thank you!
Chapter-6 Harry Questions the Dractnox
...or lovingly known as "Malfoy's Dirty Little Secret"
*********************************
Harry left Dumbledore's office later that afternoon. He had missed Hermione and Ron at lunch-time, as he had had his lunch with the headmaster in his office, and was now returning to his dormitory under both Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore's orders.
His meeting with Dumbledore had certainly explained a lot. In summary, he wasn't crazy, these creatures were real, and as long as he kept it secret that he could see them, he would be safe. Dumbledore told him that it was quite an honor to see Dractnoxes, and that, as the Book of Worlds had said, only a handful of kings and the most powerful of sorcerers had ever communed with them. He also warned Harry that what he now possessed could put him into danger with the dark forces, and that he keep his new skill quiet.
The problem was, Harry didn't want this 'new skill'. He never wanted it. There was no cure for the Midst potion thousands of years later, as Dumbledore had gravely told him that many of the ingredients didn't exist anywhere anymore. Harry had kept insisting that he had never taken such a potion, and therefore his cure lied not in an antidote, but somewhere else. And besides, how could he have taken a potion that only existed thousands of years ago? The Violete star, as Dumbledore told Harry, burnt out two-thousand years ago, and thus made it impossible for the potion to be brewed anytime past that.
Harry's mind burned with questions as he hopped through the Gryffindor portrait hole and went up to his room. If these creatures really were only seen with a potion, then how had he ingested it? Where had it come from? Maybe he was seeing illusions? No. There was no spell that could do what these Dractnoxes could. No wizard had yet devised a spell for all-knowing. Merlin had been the only wizard ever reputed to have done such a thing, but of course, his secrets were never easily revealed.
Harry let his mind come up with absurd methods of how this came about. He was dreaming...He was in a coma from a quidditch match and hadn't woken up yet. No, he would've dodged whatever could have hit him easily. Okay, he was dead. No, he couldn't be dead. That was just stupid. Okay, maybe Snape made him drink one of his potions in class, the antidote hadn't worked, and he was suffering after effects? No, Snape got rid of his potions lately, as they were 'sub-par'. Perhaps someone got a hold of a time-turner, went back two-thousand years, brought back a Midst potion, and slipped it into his drink when he wasn't looking? No. That was one of the most stupid ponderings he'd had about these things yet. After all, why go through so much trouble just to give him an edge against others? What a waste, right? Honestly, he probably was going bonkers. Maybe Voldemort had something to do with this...
"No, no, Harry Potter..."
"Shut up, will you?!" Harry yelled at the Dractnox as he flung himself onto his bed. He was frustrated more than anything. If seeing these Dractnoxes wasn't driving him crazy, hearing them out of nowhere was. Harry couldn't wait to get back to his friends. And Hermione. She would have a theory about all of this, if she didn't already. But he wouldn't be able to find out until dinner. Until then, he had a few hours to kill.
***********
"What else lives in the Forbidden Forest?"
"There iss a lake deeper than any ocean, and darker than any night, where dwellsss the creature Magnioth, a great Mabnus he iss, with the tentacles tougher than dragon scales and blood which meltsss through any substance. He cannot be seen nor hisss lake found, and none esscape from the darknesss who so venture forth. In hisss cavern keepss Pandora's box."
"A Mabnus? Pandora?"
"Mabnus is a death creature, created by dark but a keeper of light. Mabnus' have been known as the protectorsss of human folly, and sooo do away with the foolish, like Pandora herssself."
Harry's mind was spinning. This Dractnox was full of lots of information, but also great stories. Harry now knew more than enough about the Forbidden Forest to keep him out for his own good, and also enough to practically beg him to enter it. He'd been captivated for nearly two hours now, with tales of creatures that were and still are in the Forbidden Forest.
"And what's at the bottom of the lake?"
"There is no bottom to a Mabnus' lair."
"Oh."
"Harry?" Ron poked his head into the dorm room, a smile on his face and the expectance of more than Harry himself in the room. "What's up?" Ron walked in, looked around. and shut the door. He sat on Harry's bed after throwing his books at the foot of his bed.
"Nothing much. Madam Pomfrey says I can go back to classes tomorrow, and just out for dinner tonight." Harry looked Ron hard in the face, and noted the bags under his eyes, and the disarray of his hair. "Ron?"
"Yeah, Harry?"
"Have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Yeah. Sure. Why do you ask?" He rubbed at his eyes. Ron always did have perfect timing.
"No reason...Ummm...So where's Hermione?"
"In the common rooom..." The Dractnox told Harry.
"In the common room. She's waiting for us. Where were you at lunch? We went to the hospital wing, but you weren't there. Or in here."
"I was with Dumbledore."
"You went without me?" Harry looked guilty, and Ron immediately rebuked himself. "I mean, that's alright. What'd you find out?"
"A lot, but I'd rather tell you when I have you and Hermione together. It'll be easier."
"Okay, but let's get going to dinner. I'm starved!"
"Dinner already?"
"Yeah! What've you been doin' up here this whole time?"
Harry smiled. "Umm...it's a long story..."
***********
Dinner passed much more slowly than Harry would've liked, as he was under more speculation than usual from the Slytherins, and he heard from Neville that several Gryffindors had heard him talking to himself in his room. Neville also said that he heard from some Hufflepuffs that Harry was going off his nut. By way of the rumor mills, Harry was positive all Slytherin house knew of his talking to 'himself' in Gryffindor tower, and by the triumphant smirks a newly-haired Malfoy was giving him, he only too appropriately guessed that Malfoy had something to do with the rumors...or possibly more.
"So anyway," Harry said back in the common room, "there's only three options. One, I'm crazy. Two, I have some of that potion inside me. Or three, something completely different is altogether wrong with me. Although Dumbledore is pretty certain that I have some of that potion inside me."
"Well, mate, at least you're not crazy. At least not more than we'd like," Ron said, giving him a friendly punch in the arm. Harry smiled and looked at looked at Hermione.
"Well, what do you think about all this?"
"I think I'm going to the library, Harry. If there is anything that can summon these things to you without that potion, then I'll find it." Hermione got up and gathered her things.
"But it's almost curfew!"
"That's all the time I need." And with that Hermione popped out of the portrait hole.
"I think she's excited to research something for fun," Ron told Harry quippingly.
"I wish..."
"Look at it this way, Harry. Can't these things tell you anything you ask them?"
"Well, yeah...but then I look like a loony for talking to myself."
"Yeah, but ignore that part," he said grinning widely, "You can ask them -anything-, Harry. ANYTHING!"
"Okay, Ron. I think we've covered that."
"Well, why not ask what our potions final will be on?" Harry's face got one of the widest smiles Ron had ever seen. "Apparently you haven't thought of the advantages you now have, have you?"
"It never crossed my mind...Not even once...Of course you know Hermione will kill you for ever suggesting that." "It'd be worth it just to have an edge over Snape for once. But you really haven't thought of that yet? I mean, think of all the spying you can do now! You can ask for any information and you'll get it!"
"I suppose...But Dumbledore did warn me that what I now possess is dangerous. For me and anyone else..."
"Like how?"
"Well, tell me why haven't you been sleeping so well?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Ron, anyone can see by the bags under your eyes alone that you haven't been sleeping well. Are you worried about something? I'm just fine, you know."
"No...nothing at all, I told you. Now you're acting like a nutter, Harry." Ron watched as Harry absentmindedly looked towards the Gryffindor fire.
"Why is Ron not getting any sleep?" Harry questioned the Dractnox quietly.
Ron looked from Harry to the fire. "You nutter!"
"He isss afraid that hisss brotherss will attack him with fireworks as he sleeepsss..." Harry gave Ron a bemused look and Ron looked at Harry disdainfully.
"What are you so happy about?" he said with disdain to match his face. Harry smiled and clasped a friendly hand on Ron's shoulder.
"Fred and George are not out to get you, Ron." Harry stifled a giggle and dodged a well-aimed fist from Ron.
"Oh shut up, Harry."
"See? If I can ask them anything, then I can also delve into your secrets. Personally, I don't think Fred and George are worth losing sleep over, Ron," he dodged a smack on the head, "but besides that, if anyone finds out, they could make me use the info to their advantage. That's why Dumbledore said it's dangerous." They both knew what person Harry was referring to that would just -love- to use him against the forces of light.
"Okay, so you don't use 'em in front of others. That's easy enough. Do you have to talk to these Dractnoxes out loud?" Ron was very glad that they were the only ones in the common room.
"As far as I know...I mean, if I want to outright question them. But sometimes they answer questions I'm thinking about."
"Well that settles it then. We'll just figure out a way for you to ask 'em stuff without saying it out loud, and everyone thinking you're a nutter. But for now, let's have a little fun." Ron grinned evilly. "Ask it if it's true that Malfoy sleeps with a teddy bear."
***********
After many laughs and an hour's worth of questioning, Harry and Ron knew about how Filch baby-talked Mrs. Norris ("You ssso pwecious") and how Malfoy used to play with something similar to a muggle barbie doll when he was a child ("Some tough son-of-a Death Eater!" Ron chortled) and to their utter horror, they discovered by accident that Pansy Parkinson wore furry purple underwear, during class and on her free time ("URGH!"). But of course, had they known they'd get such an answer, neither boy would have considered....ugh...
"And just how large a stick does Snape have stuck up his butt?" Harry asked the Dractnox, laughing the whole time. Ron was laughing so hard that he emitted no sound.
"Leave you alone for a little while only to find out that -this- is what boys talk about?" Hermione popped through the portrait hole looking annoyed.
"H-h-ha-ha-ha-hi Hermione!" Ron erupted. He was on the floor, now laughing out loud with tears fully streaming down his face. "Y-y-you wouldn't -believe- the things we know!"
Harry had his head between his knees and was trying to calm down and stop laughing long enough to find out if Hermione unearthed anything useful. "Find anything?" His voice was muffled, and as he sat back up, Hermione saw his red face.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I even had Madam Pince help me, and she said there was no information on such things, and to stop wasting her time! She even accused me of making it up! The nerve!" Hermione then went into one of her rare impressions of an educator and said in a cranky Pince-like voice, "I've never heard of Dracknos! I've spent enough time looking for imaginary things for first-years all day, and I don't need these Dracneys to top it off! Especially from someone your age!"
Harry stopped laughing long ago, but Ron was still sniggering at her impression. Hermione returned her voice to it's normal pitch, and sat down in a comfy chair.
"Honestly! She's never heard of them! She's a -librarian-!" Hermione shot daggers at Ron, who was still sniggering, and looked to Harry. "So what -have- you two been doing all this time? You didn't find anything out, did you?"
"Actually," Ron started to snigger even more.
"Not now, Ron," Harry told him. No one needed to relive Parkinson's panties...uhhh..."No, not really." Hermione looked at him skeptically. "I mean it. Well, we did find out a lot more about Malfoy than you'd ever wish to know...but other than that, no. I've just been asking questions, then relaying the answers to Ron."
"Harry," Hermione said exasperated, "Why didn't you ask them about -themselves-?"
A light went on in Harry's head. A rather bright light that hadn't been there before. //What an idiot I've been! I can get all my answers from them! How stupid! I can't believe I've never thought of it!// Harry gave Hermione a I'm-so-happy-I-could-kiss-you look, and then addressed the Dractnox floating above him.
"I have a very important question this time. Maybe one of the most important I'll ever ask you. Exactly why am I able to see you, and how was it made possible?"
*********************************
12,780 words! Wowie! Okay, lot's o thanx to my reviewers! I feel so special! Sorry I had to end here, but I promise chapter 7 will be better! So, what did you think about Malfoy's dirty little secret? Eh? He likes barbies! Oh, and my disclaimer about that: I do not own barbie or anything to do with them!
Chapter-6 Harry Questions the Dractnox
...or lovingly known as "Malfoy's Dirty Little Secret"
*********************************
Harry left Dumbledore's office later that afternoon. He had missed Hermione and Ron at lunch-time, as he had had his lunch with the headmaster in his office, and was now returning to his dormitory under both Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore's orders.
His meeting with Dumbledore had certainly explained a lot. In summary, he wasn't crazy, these creatures were real, and as long as he kept it secret that he could see them, he would be safe. Dumbledore told him that it was quite an honor to see Dractnoxes, and that, as the Book of Worlds had said, only a handful of kings and the most powerful of sorcerers had ever communed with them. He also warned Harry that what he now possessed could put him into danger with the dark forces, and that he keep his new skill quiet.
The problem was, Harry didn't want this 'new skill'. He never wanted it. There was no cure for the Midst potion thousands of years later, as Dumbledore had gravely told him that many of the ingredients didn't exist anywhere anymore. Harry had kept insisting that he had never taken such a potion, and therefore his cure lied not in an antidote, but somewhere else. And besides, how could he have taken a potion that only existed thousands of years ago? The Violete star, as Dumbledore told Harry, burnt out two-thousand years ago, and thus made it impossible for the potion to be brewed anytime past that.
Harry's mind burned with questions as he hopped through the Gryffindor portrait hole and went up to his room. If these creatures really were only seen with a potion, then how had he ingested it? Where had it come from? Maybe he was seeing illusions? No. There was no spell that could do what these Dractnoxes could. No wizard had yet devised a spell for all-knowing. Merlin had been the only wizard ever reputed to have done such a thing, but of course, his secrets were never easily revealed.
Harry let his mind come up with absurd methods of how this came about. He was dreaming...He was in a coma from a quidditch match and hadn't woken up yet. No, he would've dodged whatever could have hit him easily. Okay, he was dead. No, he couldn't be dead. That was just stupid. Okay, maybe Snape made him drink one of his potions in class, the antidote hadn't worked, and he was suffering after effects? No, Snape got rid of his potions lately, as they were 'sub-par'. Perhaps someone got a hold of a time-turner, went back two-thousand years, brought back a Midst potion, and slipped it into his drink when he wasn't looking? No. That was one of the most stupid ponderings he'd had about these things yet. After all, why go through so much trouble just to give him an edge against others? What a waste, right? Honestly, he probably was going bonkers. Maybe Voldemort had something to do with this...
"No, no, Harry Potter..."
"Shut up, will you?!" Harry yelled at the Dractnox as he flung himself onto his bed. He was frustrated more than anything. If seeing these Dractnoxes wasn't driving him crazy, hearing them out of nowhere was. Harry couldn't wait to get back to his friends. And Hermione. She would have a theory about all of this, if she didn't already. But he wouldn't be able to find out until dinner. Until then, he had a few hours to kill.
***********
"What else lives in the Forbidden Forest?"
"There iss a lake deeper than any ocean, and darker than any night, where dwellsss the creature Magnioth, a great Mabnus he iss, with the tentacles tougher than dragon scales and blood which meltsss through any substance. He cannot be seen nor hisss lake found, and none esscape from the darknesss who so venture forth. In hisss cavern keepss Pandora's box."
"A Mabnus? Pandora?"
"Mabnus is a death creature, created by dark but a keeper of light. Mabnus' have been known as the protectorsss of human folly, and sooo do away with the foolish, like Pandora herssself."
Harry's mind was spinning. This Dractnox was full of lots of information, but also great stories. Harry now knew more than enough about the Forbidden Forest to keep him out for his own good, and also enough to practically beg him to enter it. He'd been captivated for nearly two hours now, with tales of creatures that were and still are in the Forbidden Forest.
"And what's at the bottom of the lake?"
"There is no bottom to a Mabnus' lair."
"Oh."
"Harry?" Ron poked his head into the dorm room, a smile on his face and the expectance of more than Harry himself in the room. "What's up?" Ron walked in, looked around. and shut the door. He sat on Harry's bed after throwing his books at the foot of his bed.
"Nothing much. Madam Pomfrey says I can go back to classes tomorrow, and just out for dinner tonight." Harry looked Ron hard in the face, and noted the bags under his eyes, and the disarray of his hair. "Ron?"
"Yeah, Harry?"
"Have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Yeah. Sure. Why do you ask?" He rubbed at his eyes. Ron always did have perfect timing.
"No reason...Ummm...So where's Hermione?"
"In the common rooom..." The Dractnox told Harry.
"In the common room. She's waiting for us. Where were you at lunch? We went to the hospital wing, but you weren't there. Or in here."
"I was with Dumbledore."
"You went without me?" Harry looked guilty, and Ron immediately rebuked himself. "I mean, that's alright. What'd you find out?"
"A lot, but I'd rather tell you when I have you and Hermione together. It'll be easier."
"Okay, but let's get going to dinner. I'm starved!"
"Dinner already?"
"Yeah! What've you been doin' up here this whole time?"
Harry smiled. "Umm...it's a long story..."
***********
Dinner passed much more slowly than Harry would've liked, as he was under more speculation than usual from the Slytherins, and he heard from Neville that several Gryffindors had heard him talking to himself in his room. Neville also said that he heard from some Hufflepuffs that Harry was going off his nut. By way of the rumor mills, Harry was positive all Slytherin house knew of his talking to 'himself' in Gryffindor tower, and by the triumphant smirks a newly-haired Malfoy was giving him, he only too appropriately guessed that Malfoy had something to do with the rumors...or possibly more.
"So anyway," Harry said back in the common room, "there's only three options. One, I'm crazy. Two, I have some of that potion inside me. Or three, something completely different is altogether wrong with me. Although Dumbledore is pretty certain that I have some of that potion inside me."
"Well, mate, at least you're not crazy. At least not more than we'd like," Ron said, giving him a friendly punch in the arm. Harry smiled and looked at looked at Hermione.
"Well, what do you think about all this?"
"I think I'm going to the library, Harry. If there is anything that can summon these things to you without that potion, then I'll find it." Hermione got up and gathered her things.
"But it's almost curfew!"
"That's all the time I need." And with that Hermione popped out of the portrait hole.
"I think she's excited to research something for fun," Ron told Harry quippingly.
"I wish..."
"Look at it this way, Harry. Can't these things tell you anything you ask them?"
"Well, yeah...but then I look like a loony for talking to myself."
"Yeah, but ignore that part," he said grinning widely, "You can ask them -anything-, Harry. ANYTHING!"
"Okay, Ron. I think we've covered that."
"Well, why not ask what our potions final will be on?" Harry's face got one of the widest smiles Ron had ever seen. "Apparently you haven't thought of the advantages you now have, have you?"
"It never crossed my mind...Not even once...Of course you know Hermione will kill you for ever suggesting that." "It'd be worth it just to have an edge over Snape for once. But you really haven't thought of that yet? I mean, think of all the spying you can do now! You can ask for any information and you'll get it!"
"I suppose...But Dumbledore did warn me that what I now possess is dangerous. For me and anyone else..."
"Like how?"
"Well, tell me why haven't you been sleeping so well?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Ron, anyone can see by the bags under your eyes alone that you haven't been sleeping well. Are you worried about something? I'm just fine, you know."
"No...nothing at all, I told you. Now you're acting like a nutter, Harry." Ron watched as Harry absentmindedly looked towards the Gryffindor fire.
"Why is Ron not getting any sleep?" Harry questioned the Dractnox quietly.
Ron looked from Harry to the fire. "You nutter!"
"He isss afraid that hisss brotherss will attack him with fireworks as he sleeepsss..." Harry gave Ron a bemused look and Ron looked at Harry disdainfully.
"What are you so happy about?" he said with disdain to match his face. Harry smiled and clasped a friendly hand on Ron's shoulder.
"Fred and George are not out to get you, Ron." Harry stifled a giggle and dodged a well-aimed fist from Ron.
"Oh shut up, Harry."
"See? If I can ask them anything, then I can also delve into your secrets. Personally, I don't think Fred and George are worth losing sleep over, Ron," he dodged a smack on the head, "but besides that, if anyone finds out, they could make me use the info to their advantage. That's why Dumbledore said it's dangerous." They both knew what person Harry was referring to that would just -love- to use him against the forces of light.
"Okay, so you don't use 'em in front of others. That's easy enough. Do you have to talk to these Dractnoxes out loud?" Ron was very glad that they were the only ones in the common room.
"As far as I know...I mean, if I want to outright question them. But sometimes they answer questions I'm thinking about."
"Well that settles it then. We'll just figure out a way for you to ask 'em stuff without saying it out loud, and everyone thinking you're a nutter. But for now, let's have a little fun." Ron grinned evilly. "Ask it if it's true that Malfoy sleeps with a teddy bear."
***********
After many laughs and an hour's worth of questioning, Harry and Ron knew about how Filch baby-talked Mrs. Norris ("You ssso pwecious") and how Malfoy used to play with something similar to a muggle barbie doll when he was a child ("Some tough son-of-a Death Eater!" Ron chortled) and to their utter horror, they discovered by accident that Pansy Parkinson wore furry purple underwear, during class and on her free time ("URGH!"). But of course, had they known they'd get such an answer, neither boy would have considered....ugh...
"And just how large a stick does Snape have stuck up his butt?" Harry asked the Dractnox, laughing the whole time. Ron was laughing so hard that he emitted no sound.
"Leave you alone for a little while only to find out that -this- is what boys talk about?" Hermione popped through the portrait hole looking annoyed.
"H-h-ha-ha-ha-hi Hermione!" Ron erupted. He was on the floor, now laughing out loud with tears fully streaming down his face. "Y-y-you wouldn't -believe- the things we know!"
Harry had his head between his knees and was trying to calm down and stop laughing long enough to find out if Hermione unearthed anything useful. "Find anything?" His voice was muffled, and as he sat back up, Hermione saw his red face.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I even had Madam Pince help me, and she said there was no information on such things, and to stop wasting her time! She even accused me of making it up! The nerve!" Hermione then went into one of her rare impressions of an educator and said in a cranky Pince-like voice, "I've never heard of Dracknos! I've spent enough time looking for imaginary things for first-years all day, and I don't need these Dracneys to top it off! Especially from someone your age!"
Harry stopped laughing long ago, but Ron was still sniggering at her impression. Hermione returned her voice to it's normal pitch, and sat down in a comfy chair.
"Honestly! She's never heard of them! She's a -librarian-!" Hermione shot daggers at Ron, who was still sniggering, and looked to Harry. "So what -have- you two been doing all this time? You didn't find anything out, did you?"
"Actually," Ron started to snigger even more.
"Not now, Ron," Harry told him. No one needed to relive Parkinson's panties...uhhh..."No, not really." Hermione looked at him skeptically. "I mean it. Well, we did find out a lot more about Malfoy than you'd ever wish to know...but other than that, no. I've just been asking questions, then relaying the answers to Ron."
"Harry," Hermione said exasperated, "Why didn't you ask them about -themselves-?"
A light went on in Harry's head. A rather bright light that hadn't been there before. //What an idiot I've been! I can get all my answers from them! How stupid! I can't believe I've never thought of it!// Harry gave Hermione a I'm-so-happy-I-could-kiss-you look, and then addressed the Dractnox floating above him.
"I have a very important question this time. Maybe one of the most important I'll ever ask you. Exactly why am I able to see you, and how was it made possible?"
*********************************
12,780 words! Wowie! Okay, lot's o thanx to my reviewers! I feel so special! Sorry I had to end here, but I promise chapter 7 will be better! So, what did you think about Malfoy's dirty little secret? Eh? He likes barbies! Oh, and my disclaimer about that: I do not own barbie or anything to do with them!