Hello? *Pff-pff* Is this thing on? Well, I'd like to thank those who -did- review this chappie *cough ParanoiaIn2005Charmed_103KataniPetitedraArizosaAnne cough* Do you think I should get that checked? I've had such a terrible cough all week... Have I done something wrong? That's it, now I have to spice things up. That burning, terrible spicing. It's all your fault. Okay, stay with me for this and all shall be explained. Flame, review, just gimme some feedback! *ducks for safety behind a large couch where Snape is reclining ever so languidly* Hey, I'll have to hide after what I'm gonna put you through, and he's the only shield I trust *resumes hiding behind Snape who really has no idea what is going on*
Chapter 17- Mind Tricks
*********************************
Harry stood both incensed and dumbfounded before the hospital wing doors. His mind, clouded with rage and fury, was confused as to what exactly he was doing there. His heart, on the other hand, knew exactly what it wanted, and it was keen on destruction.
He shook his head slightly and leaned against the wall to try and fend off the nausea and vertigo his rage brought on. He had to slide down the wall, trying to fight it, so he could finish what he had set out to start. A frightened Hufflepuff ran past Harry in the hall on his way to breakfast.
Harry glared at the third year with malice, who hurried on ever more. If not for the anger that currently spurned him on, he would never have been able to reach inside his robes and retrieve his wand. Harry stared at a Dractnox with derision through nausea-blurred eyes, and fought his way back up the wall. It knew what he was up to, and Harry didn't care.
`Hearing the retreating footsteps of the Hufflepuff, he watched to make sure the child was gone. Good. He didn't want witnesses.
With fire in his eyes and the blackest night in his heart, Harry stood and entered the hospital with full omnipotence.
Madam Pomfrey was the first to be assailed by this new madness coursing through Harry's veins as she was hit with a paralyzing spell, sending her flailing over her medical supplies and falling to the floor. The crystal crashing of bottles as they hit hard stone were like music to Harry's ears. Madam Pomfrey lay motionless in a heap on the floor, and it gave Harry some strange satisfaction and exhilaration. His heart beat fast with the thrill of what he had done, savoring this new feeling...this new freedom.
It was as if some new force was driving him now, urging him on to greater heights. It felt good not to be responsible for his actions and let his inhibitions free. And he knew it would feel even better once he had destroyed the root to all this secrecy and madness.
He side-stepped Madam Pomfrey's paralyzed body and approached Draco's bed. Glass crunched beneath his feet as he came right up alongside the bed.
Draco's eyes were closed, either sleeping or unconscious, and he was fully defenseless and utterly helpless in such a state. It was a perfect state, as a matter of fact, for Harry to carry out Draco's sentencing; one that had come to him through the actions Draco had put Harry through for so many years of his life, as well as the most recent.
Harry glared disdainfully at a Dractnox, who gave him an equally scornful look. It obviously knew what Harry had in mind, and it also obviously disapproved.
//Try to stop me// he mentally challenged. But it couldn't. Dractnoxes couldn't do anything to change possible futures or outcomes, but could only convey information, and Harry knew this. Nothing was going to stop him in obtaining his goal, and that would be the death of the only Malfoy heir.
"I hope you've enjoyed your life up to now," Harry stated icily "because you're about to join the ranks of death." Draco didn't move, nor did Harry. He laughed once for the irony of his statement. The humor of it that Draco shouldn't join Death Eaters only to join death was very funny in his twisted mind. The malice he felt was like none other, and the desire to kill was so strong in him. He was considering which way he should do it to Draco. The fire burning through his veins set his mind aflame with ideas of how it could be done, yet none seemed fitting.
//-Use an Unforgivable-//
"Yes, that would be perfect." Harry's eyes gleaned in anticipation of it all. He wanted to savor the moment and get out of this accursed institution, taking many for the side of light with him. "Malfoy, wake up." He wanted the boy to be awake as he carried out his business. He wanted to cherish the sight of death upon his brow. "Malfoy! Wake up!" He prodded the sleeping boy who's eyes fluttered in an attempt to open.
"Potter?"
"You're about to die, and I want you to tell me how you feel." The echo of evil in his voice was enough to shock Draco awake.
"What are you talking about?" Harry withdrew his wand and pointed it at Draco's face.
"You're about to die. Any questions?"
"What are you playing at, Potter?" Draco saw Madam Pomfrey sprawled dead on the floor. "Oh Gods-"
"Oh yes."
Draco started screaming at the top of his lungs for help, realizing the reality of the situation, but none seemed to arrive. Harry cast an annoyed look at Draco.
"Finished?"
"...Why?"
"Enough of this. It's your time now, Draco. Say hello to mum for me."
//...what is this...//
"Avada-"
//...What am I doing?...//
"Kad-"
//...This isn't me...//
"-abra!"
The curse hit Draco with the force of a gale wind, passing through his being and taking the life out with it. His body was still and unmoving on the bed in a cruel imitation of sleep.
Draco was dead.
"Ha!" Harry began to laugh with true hate. Everything else seemed drained from his being. "Ha! Ha Ha HA!"
//...No...it's not me...//
"HA HA HA HA!"
//...it's not right...//
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
//NO! DRACO NO!//
`
***********
"NoNoNo!!"
Harry grasped at his head in pain before the hospital wing doors. He was still on the wall, wand in hand. He could hear retreating footsteps leaving the hallway, and saw the robes of that same Hufflepuff he had seen earlier...or was seeing for the first time.
"Wha-?" He was panting heavily in mental anguish. This was not deja vu he was experiencing. //What's happening to me?// As if in response, a Dractnox circled him with that glowing expression in his eyes. //Was it real?// What he had seen really happened, hadn't it? Yet here he was, where he had started out, in front of the hospital.
Fear seized him and he popped up, rushing into the hospital wing.
"MR. POTTER! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Madam Pomfrey's surprise was evident as she screeched at Harry. He had almost knocked her down in his fervor to get to Draco.
"Is he alright?!?! Is Draco okay?!?!"
"He's fine, Mr. Potter! You know he is! What's wrong with you?!" She put a hand to Harry's flustered forehead.
"I mean, is he really okay?!" Harry was checking Draco for a pulse and breath and anything else that would prove he was living and okay.
"Yes, Mr. Potter! Control yourself," she said having to forcibly move him away from Draco. "What is the matter with you? Are you having a reaction to that potion? How do you feel?"
"I'm just- Is he -really- okay?!"
Harry's immense concern for the Slytherin under her care was bringing about worries in Madam Pomfrey's head. //The potion I gave him must be having adverse effects...But Albus said it would help the poor boy...//
True, the potion she had given Harry only a little earlier that morning was experimental, but both Severus and Albus had assured her that it would help the boy 'concentrate', whatever that was supposed to mean. She knew it had something to do with the boy's constant headaches and his habitation in her hospital, thus having something to do with the Dark Lord.
"Mr. Potter, please remove yourself from Mr. Malfoy's body and have a seat." Harry shuddered. Her use of 'body' wasn't at all a comforting indicator.
Madam Pomfrey removed her wand from her robes and passed it over Harry's wearied body. Frowning, she repeated the process and put her wand away.
"Care to tell me what's troubling you so, Mr. Potter?" She couldn't find anything wrong with Harry, except for the fact that he was distressed, and that in itself was troubling to her. She didn't want any more surprises than she had already had with this single Gryffindor.
Harry bit his lip. He wasn't sure if he should disclose such information to Madam Pomfrey. As far as he knew, the only ones knowledgeable of his current ailments, or abilities, if you will, were Snape and Dumbledore, and he didn't want to start a panic of sorts.
"I...just wanted to make sure Draco was alright. Th-that was a pretty nasty curse." It was taking more strength than Harry currently had to say those words. His voice was faltering, and he didn't want to alert the nurse.
"Mr. Potter, you're telling me that you ran in here like a bat out of hell in concern for Mr. Malfoy's well-being?"
"Y-yes..." She put her hand up to Harry's forehead once more. It was obvious she didn't believe him. "May I go? I need to see Professor Snape. Now."
If alarms were going off in her head before, then these words threw up the red flags. The boy was in good with Slytherins all of a sudden? If something strange wasn't going on inside of this castle, she swore she'd eat her wand.
"You may go, but remember to come and see me tonight, and to take it easy. I don't want you as a permanent resident, Mr. Potter."
"Yes, Ma'am." Harry darted out of the hospital wing and headed for the dungeons. He knew Snape never spent much time in the Great Hall, even if he really had wanted his breakfast. If anyone knew what was happening in Harry's head, it would be his current trainer and professor, if not the headmaster himself.
It took a minute or two, but at the speed he was going, Harry made it down to the dungeons. With supreme importance, he rushed into the potions class and straight to Snape's desk. The Potions Master was surprised in the least, if one could say that about Snape, of the intrusion upon his lair.
"I believe, Mr. Potter, that one knocks before entering a room. Ten points from Gryffindor for impertinence. You are also far too early for your lessons," he sneered, utterly annoyed with the boy. He was mixing a cauldron of something rather foul-smelling which Harry didn't care to know about.
"I-" Harry gulped and panted. //Maybe running all the way down here was a bad idea// "I-I...need...your help." He was trying to catch his breath, and by some courteous act of God, Snape conjured a glass of water for the boy. Harry took it graciously and gulped it down, receiving a revolted glare from Snape. There was no pleasing the man. "I need your help with something, Sir."
"Spit it out already, Potter."
"Sir, I saw something. I'm not sure if it was real or if it was a hallucination or what, but I experienced it just the same."
Snape had a calculating scowl on his face and moved his cauldron off the flame. It had only been, what, maybe half an hour since he had talked to the boy last? Had the Dark Lord done something to him? Had the boy attempted to speak with the Dractnoxes, and had seen something as a result? There were so many possibilities.
"What did you see, Potter?"
"Well, I was...angry...with everything. With Draco having made me this way, and everything that's come with it. I hate everything that's happened to me, and what it's doing to my life and my friends and...I'm not proud of it...I went to the hospital wing..." Snape recalled Harry leaving the Great Hall at breakfast. He considered for a moment the detentions he had given the Weasley boy that morning. "I-I...I was going to..." Harry couldn't tell the Head of Slytherin that he had set out to kill one of his own. "I had an idea that...Draco was powerless and I was going to..."
"You set out to kill him, Potter. Just say it." It was only too easy for Snape to guess. It was the ideal setting one would have as a Death Eater to destroy an enemy; to have them incapacitated for an easy kill. This thought alone put him on edge; he never would've guessed the Potter boy to have some Slytherin in him, and that unnerved him.
Harry's eyes were on the floor. This was becoming progressively harder than he had thought. "I wanted to kill him, to have him pay for what he's done to me...I should never have even thought it...he was just laying there helpless and..." Harry's throat filled with bile as shame torn through him mercilessly. His eyes stayed stuck on the floor. "I was right outside the doors, and I felt really sick, and after it had passed, I went inside and...I...I killed him..."
Snape went rigid. He had thought the boy was telling him something he had seen, not something he had done, nor coming to him for help against a murder. "You don't have it in you, Potter. It was a hallucination." His voice betrayed his doubt, and he locked eyes with the Gryffindor, not allowing him to look at the floor. He saw doubt in Harry's green eyes, and knew that whatever he was talking about, it had been no hallucination. His voice was grave and flat, and his pallid face showed no emotion. "Is Draco dead, Potter?"
Harry's face twitched with pain, and for a moment Snape thought it an indication that Draco really was. "...no..." //Thank the gods// "...but whatever I saw...I killed him there...and then I was back before the doors, exactly as I was before I entered..."
"You don't possess a timeturner, Potter?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Harry still shook his head no.
"I think it may have something to do with the Dractnoxes, Sir. But...I don't know..." Harry's eyes were swimming, and for the love of him, Snape turned away, allowing Harry to wipe them away. He went into his office and reappeared with a few ingredients for the potion he was brewing.
"What you've seen, Potter, is most likely an effect of the potion Madam Pomfrey gave you this morning."
"And what was that?" Harry's eyes were now clear, yet red from irritation. Snape felt he owed the boy an explanation, if he owed him anything at all.
"It was a potion to help you focus so that you won't dissipate next time you speak with those creatures. It was vital that you took it for your training, and you will continue taking it until you need it no longer."
"But...what I saw...It was so real...like...I don't know, but it was definitely what I had intended to do to..." He trailed off.
Snape considered this information carefully as he added ingredients to the cooling pot. He handed Harry something very much resembling a pomegranate and mumbled for Harry to shuck it (A/N: something, by the way, that this authoress can do quite well).
//Potter's seeing things now...possible outcomes of sorts from these creatures. This complicates things//
Harry was shucking the strange thing Snape had handed him in silence as Snape pondered things. He was well over and done with it by the time Snape remembered he was still there.
"When you killed Malfoy in your vision, Potter, how did you do it?"
Harry looked taken aback. He wasn't expecting such a question. "I used an unforgivable..."
"Which one, specifically."
"Avada Kadabra."
Snape snorted at this admission and added bits to the potion. "You don't have it in you. You don't have enough hate nor willpower to do so so inexperienced and thus quickly." He stiffened suddenly and added as an afterthought: "Tell no one what you've seen or done today."
"Yes, Sir."
"Our sessions are to resume this evening."
"Yes, Sir."
"You're dismissed, Potter."
Snape watched as Harry left the cold of the dungeons in pursuit of the warm Gryffindor common room. He waited no longer than the boy had left to ward the room and enter his office. He warded the door and approached the great fireplace inside, throwing in some floo powder.
"Headmaster, we need to talk."
*********************************
The stress is really getting to Harry, you know? *ducks random flying objects with intent of saving her own life* *just barely dodges a glass bottle* Sorry you guys!! Yeah, I know I jerked you around with this one, but ya know what? Harry does go kinda nuts in the end of the fifth book, so there. That's my reasoning. For the beginning anyway. That, and I was kinda in a tight squeeze with this one. DAMN YOU EVIL PLOT BUNNIES! *dodges even more dangerous items and runs to Snape(of all people) for cover* *finds that you only throw things harder with even more zest* Ah crap! Okay, I really have no excuse for that! Just let me live and we'll see what I can do! Ya know, Snape's really just a great ol' softie. *Is pushed by Snape in front of Snape* Please spare me!
As always, tell me what you like, hate, or want to see...I need reviews! I'm dyin'!
ParanoiaIn2005: Happy Birthday to you! *sings happy birthday* *makes Snape wear a party hat* Ya kno, just for your b-day:) Draco would be a totally kick-ass club owner. He could use those goons of his as bouncers *g* Damn, no long rambly review. Oh well, thanx for having the time to review at all! Yeah, poor Ron. But don't worry, things will start looking up=^..^=
Charmed_103: Thanx for joinin' the family:) and thinking this fic is great. It's those few words that keep my ego at a healthy level:D And if Harry tells them, what of the consequences? Okie-dokie, but the tables are starting to turn.
Katani Petitedra: Your threats keep me going:) So I'll update then...NOW.
Arizosa: Good to know what you think. I don't want to write a crappy story. This is the info I need. thankies! Yes, I think they'll all need therapy after this:)
Anne: Good to see you again *hugs* I love long reviews! The longer the review, the happier i am:) But hey, that's a butt-load of ideas right there. I do believe you've given birth to a new breed of plot bunnies *shields oneself from plot bunny attacks* Very interesting angles, and thank you again for responding to my plea of help *hugs the air outta you* aww crap... *makes Snape magically re-inflate you* He doesn't mind doin' that. He'll whine a bit *receives one of Snape's trademark glares* but he always helps. We'll see some Voldie soon. Remember, it's still only Saturday, and that is the day that the new recruitment was to be. Voldie's experimenting with that Omnivieve glass still, so we'll be seeing a lot of interesting things happen soon....*gives Snape the thumbs up*
Chapter 17- Mind Tricks
*********************************
Harry stood both incensed and dumbfounded before the hospital wing doors. His mind, clouded with rage and fury, was confused as to what exactly he was doing there. His heart, on the other hand, knew exactly what it wanted, and it was keen on destruction.
He shook his head slightly and leaned against the wall to try and fend off the nausea and vertigo his rage brought on. He had to slide down the wall, trying to fight it, so he could finish what he had set out to start. A frightened Hufflepuff ran past Harry in the hall on his way to breakfast.
Harry glared at the third year with malice, who hurried on ever more. If not for the anger that currently spurned him on, he would never have been able to reach inside his robes and retrieve his wand. Harry stared at a Dractnox with derision through nausea-blurred eyes, and fought his way back up the wall. It knew what he was up to, and Harry didn't care.
`Hearing the retreating footsteps of the Hufflepuff, he watched to make sure the child was gone. Good. He didn't want witnesses.
With fire in his eyes and the blackest night in his heart, Harry stood and entered the hospital with full omnipotence.
Madam Pomfrey was the first to be assailed by this new madness coursing through Harry's veins as she was hit with a paralyzing spell, sending her flailing over her medical supplies and falling to the floor. The crystal crashing of bottles as they hit hard stone were like music to Harry's ears. Madam Pomfrey lay motionless in a heap on the floor, and it gave Harry some strange satisfaction and exhilaration. His heart beat fast with the thrill of what he had done, savoring this new feeling...this new freedom.
It was as if some new force was driving him now, urging him on to greater heights. It felt good not to be responsible for his actions and let his inhibitions free. And he knew it would feel even better once he had destroyed the root to all this secrecy and madness.
He side-stepped Madam Pomfrey's paralyzed body and approached Draco's bed. Glass crunched beneath his feet as he came right up alongside the bed.
Draco's eyes were closed, either sleeping or unconscious, and he was fully defenseless and utterly helpless in such a state. It was a perfect state, as a matter of fact, for Harry to carry out Draco's sentencing; one that had come to him through the actions Draco had put Harry through for so many years of his life, as well as the most recent.
Harry glared disdainfully at a Dractnox, who gave him an equally scornful look. It obviously knew what Harry had in mind, and it also obviously disapproved.
//Try to stop me// he mentally challenged. But it couldn't. Dractnoxes couldn't do anything to change possible futures or outcomes, but could only convey information, and Harry knew this. Nothing was going to stop him in obtaining his goal, and that would be the death of the only Malfoy heir.
"I hope you've enjoyed your life up to now," Harry stated icily "because you're about to join the ranks of death." Draco didn't move, nor did Harry. He laughed once for the irony of his statement. The humor of it that Draco shouldn't join Death Eaters only to join death was very funny in his twisted mind. The malice he felt was like none other, and the desire to kill was so strong in him. He was considering which way he should do it to Draco. The fire burning through his veins set his mind aflame with ideas of how it could be done, yet none seemed fitting.
//-Use an Unforgivable-//
"Yes, that would be perfect." Harry's eyes gleaned in anticipation of it all. He wanted to savor the moment and get out of this accursed institution, taking many for the side of light with him. "Malfoy, wake up." He wanted the boy to be awake as he carried out his business. He wanted to cherish the sight of death upon his brow. "Malfoy! Wake up!" He prodded the sleeping boy who's eyes fluttered in an attempt to open.
"Potter?"
"You're about to die, and I want you to tell me how you feel." The echo of evil in his voice was enough to shock Draco awake.
"What are you talking about?" Harry withdrew his wand and pointed it at Draco's face.
"You're about to die. Any questions?"
"What are you playing at, Potter?" Draco saw Madam Pomfrey sprawled dead on the floor. "Oh Gods-"
"Oh yes."
Draco started screaming at the top of his lungs for help, realizing the reality of the situation, but none seemed to arrive. Harry cast an annoyed look at Draco.
"Finished?"
"...Why?"
"Enough of this. It's your time now, Draco. Say hello to mum for me."
//...what is this...//
"Avada-"
//...What am I doing?...//
"Kad-"
//...This isn't me...//
"-abra!"
The curse hit Draco with the force of a gale wind, passing through his being and taking the life out with it. His body was still and unmoving on the bed in a cruel imitation of sleep.
Draco was dead.
"Ha!" Harry began to laugh with true hate. Everything else seemed drained from his being. "Ha! Ha Ha HA!"
//...No...it's not me...//
"HA HA HA HA!"
//...it's not right...//
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
//NO! DRACO NO!//
`
***********
"NoNoNo!!"
Harry grasped at his head in pain before the hospital wing doors. He was still on the wall, wand in hand. He could hear retreating footsteps leaving the hallway, and saw the robes of that same Hufflepuff he had seen earlier...or was seeing for the first time.
"Wha-?" He was panting heavily in mental anguish. This was not deja vu he was experiencing. //What's happening to me?// As if in response, a Dractnox circled him with that glowing expression in his eyes. //Was it real?// What he had seen really happened, hadn't it? Yet here he was, where he had started out, in front of the hospital.
Fear seized him and he popped up, rushing into the hospital wing.
"MR. POTTER! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Madam Pomfrey's surprise was evident as she screeched at Harry. He had almost knocked her down in his fervor to get to Draco.
"Is he alright?!?! Is Draco okay?!?!"
"He's fine, Mr. Potter! You know he is! What's wrong with you?!" She put a hand to Harry's flustered forehead.
"I mean, is he really okay?!" Harry was checking Draco for a pulse and breath and anything else that would prove he was living and okay.
"Yes, Mr. Potter! Control yourself," she said having to forcibly move him away from Draco. "What is the matter with you? Are you having a reaction to that potion? How do you feel?"
"I'm just- Is he -really- okay?!"
Harry's immense concern for the Slytherin under her care was bringing about worries in Madam Pomfrey's head. //The potion I gave him must be having adverse effects...But Albus said it would help the poor boy...//
True, the potion she had given Harry only a little earlier that morning was experimental, but both Severus and Albus had assured her that it would help the boy 'concentrate', whatever that was supposed to mean. She knew it had something to do with the boy's constant headaches and his habitation in her hospital, thus having something to do with the Dark Lord.
"Mr. Potter, please remove yourself from Mr. Malfoy's body and have a seat." Harry shuddered. Her use of 'body' wasn't at all a comforting indicator.
Madam Pomfrey removed her wand from her robes and passed it over Harry's wearied body. Frowning, she repeated the process and put her wand away.
"Care to tell me what's troubling you so, Mr. Potter?" She couldn't find anything wrong with Harry, except for the fact that he was distressed, and that in itself was troubling to her. She didn't want any more surprises than she had already had with this single Gryffindor.
Harry bit his lip. He wasn't sure if he should disclose such information to Madam Pomfrey. As far as he knew, the only ones knowledgeable of his current ailments, or abilities, if you will, were Snape and Dumbledore, and he didn't want to start a panic of sorts.
"I...just wanted to make sure Draco was alright. Th-that was a pretty nasty curse." It was taking more strength than Harry currently had to say those words. His voice was faltering, and he didn't want to alert the nurse.
"Mr. Potter, you're telling me that you ran in here like a bat out of hell in concern for Mr. Malfoy's well-being?"
"Y-yes..." She put her hand up to Harry's forehead once more. It was obvious she didn't believe him. "May I go? I need to see Professor Snape. Now."
If alarms were going off in her head before, then these words threw up the red flags. The boy was in good with Slytherins all of a sudden? If something strange wasn't going on inside of this castle, she swore she'd eat her wand.
"You may go, but remember to come and see me tonight, and to take it easy. I don't want you as a permanent resident, Mr. Potter."
"Yes, Ma'am." Harry darted out of the hospital wing and headed for the dungeons. He knew Snape never spent much time in the Great Hall, even if he really had wanted his breakfast. If anyone knew what was happening in Harry's head, it would be his current trainer and professor, if not the headmaster himself.
It took a minute or two, but at the speed he was going, Harry made it down to the dungeons. With supreme importance, he rushed into the potions class and straight to Snape's desk. The Potions Master was surprised in the least, if one could say that about Snape, of the intrusion upon his lair.
"I believe, Mr. Potter, that one knocks before entering a room. Ten points from Gryffindor for impertinence. You are also far too early for your lessons," he sneered, utterly annoyed with the boy. He was mixing a cauldron of something rather foul-smelling which Harry didn't care to know about.
"I-" Harry gulped and panted. //Maybe running all the way down here was a bad idea// "I-I...need...your help." He was trying to catch his breath, and by some courteous act of God, Snape conjured a glass of water for the boy. Harry took it graciously and gulped it down, receiving a revolted glare from Snape. There was no pleasing the man. "I need your help with something, Sir."
"Spit it out already, Potter."
"Sir, I saw something. I'm not sure if it was real or if it was a hallucination or what, but I experienced it just the same."
Snape had a calculating scowl on his face and moved his cauldron off the flame. It had only been, what, maybe half an hour since he had talked to the boy last? Had the Dark Lord done something to him? Had the boy attempted to speak with the Dractnoxes, and had seen something as a result? There were so many possibilities.
"What did you see, Potter?"
"Well, I was...angry...with everything. With Draco having made me this way, and everything that's come with it. I hate everything that's happened to me, and what it's doing to my life and my friends and...I'm not proud of it...I went to the hospital wing..." Snape recalled Harry leaving the Great Hall at breakfast. He considered for a moment the detentions he had given the Weasley boy that morning. "I-I...I was going to..." Harry couldn't tell the Head of Slytherin that he had set out to kill one of his own. "I had an idea that...Draco was powerless and I was going to..."
"You set out to kill him, Potter. Just say it." It was only too easy for Snape to guess. It was the ideal setting one would have as a Death Eater to destroy an enemy; to have them incapacitated for an easy kill. This thought alone put him on edge; he never would've guessed the Potter boy to have some Slytherin in him, and that unnerved him.
Harry's eyes were on the floor. This was becoming progressively harder than he had thought. "I wanted to kill him, to have him pay for what he's done to me...I should never have even thought it...he was just laying there helpless and..." Harry's throat filled with bile as shame torn through him mercilessly. His eyes stayed stuck on the floor. "I was right outside the doors, and I felt really sick, and after it had passed, I went inside and...I...I killed him..."
Snape went rigid. He had thought the boy was telling him something he had seen, not something he had done, nor coming to him for help against a murder. "You don't have it in you, Potter. It was a hallucination." His voice betrayed his doubt, and he locked eyes with the Gryffindor, not allowing him to look at the floor. He saw doubt in Harry's green eyes, and knew that whatever he was talking about, it had been no hallucination. His voice was grave and flat, and his pallid face showed no emotion. "Is Draco dead, Potter?"
Harry's face twitched with pain, and for a moment Snape thought it an indication that Draco really was. "...no..." //Thank the gods// "...but whatever I saw...I killed him there...and then I was back before the doors, exactly as I was before I entered..."
"You don't possess a timeturner, Potter?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Harry still shook his head no.
"I think it may have something to do with the Dractnoxes, Sir. But...I don't know..." Harry's eyes were swimming, and for the love of him, Snape turned away, allowing Harry to wipe them away. He went into his office and reappeared with a few ingredients for the potion he was brewing.
"What you've seen, Potter, is most likely an effect of the potion Madam Pomfrey gave you this morning."
"And what was that?" Harry's eyes were now clear, yet red from irritation. Snape felt he owed the boy an explanation, if he owed him anything at all.
"It was a potion to help you focus so that you won't dissipate next time you speak with those creatures. It was vital that you took it for your training, and you will continue taking it until you need it no longer."
"But...what I saw...It was so real...like...I don't know, but it was definitely what I had intended to do to..." He trailed off.
Snape considered this information carefully as he added ingredients to the cooling pot. He handed Harry something very much resembling a pomegranate and mumbled for Harry to shuck it (A/N: something, by the way, that this authoress can do quite well).
//Potter's seeing things now...possible outcomes of sorts from these creatures. This complicates things//
Harry was shucking the strange thing Snape had handed him in silence as Snape pondered things. He was well over and done with it by the time Snape remembered he was still there.
"When you killed Malfoy in your vision, Potter, how did you do it?"
Harry looked taken aback. He wasn't expecting such a question. "I used an unforgivable..."
"Which one, specifically."
"Avada Kadabra."
Snape snorted at this admission and added bits to the potion. "You don't have it in you. You don't have enough hate nor willpower to do so so inexperienced and thus quickly." He stiffened suddenly and added as an afterthought: "Tell no one what you've seen or done today."
"Yes, Sir."
"Our sessions are to resume this evening."
"Yes, Sir."
"You're dismissed, Potter."
Snape watched as Harry left the cold of the dungeons in pursuit of the warm Gryffindor common room. He waited no longer than the boy had left to ward the room and enter his office. He warded the door and approached the great fireplace inside, throwing in some floo powder.
"Headmaster, we need to talk."
*********************************
The stress is really getting to Harry, you know? *ducks random flying objects with intent of saving her own life* *just barely dodges a glass bottle* Sorry you guys!! Yeah, I know I jerked you around with this one, but ya know what? Harry does go kinda nuts in the end of the fifth book, so there. That's my reasoning. For the beginning anyway. That, and I was kinda in a tight squeeze with this one. DAMN YOU EVIL PLOT BUNNIES! *dodges even more dangerous items and runs to Snape(of all people) for cover* *finds that you only throw things harder with even more zest* Ah crap! Okay, I really have no excuse for that! Just let me live and we'll see what I can do! Ya know, Snape's really just a great ol' softie. *Is pushed by Snape in front of Snape* Please spare me!
As always, tell me what you like, hate, or want to see...I need reviews! I'm dyin'!
ParanoiaIn2005: Happy Birthday to you! *sings happy birthday* *makes Snape wear a party hat* Ya kno, just for your b-day:) Draco would be a totally kick-ass club owner. He could use those goons of his as bouncers *g* Damn, no long rambly review. Oh well, thanx for having the time to review at all! Yeah, poor Ron. But don't worry, things will start looking up=^..^=
Charmed_103: Thanx for joinin' the family:) and thinking this fic is great. It's those few words that keep my ego at a healthy level:D And if Harry tells them, what of the consequences? Okie-dokie, but the tables are starting to turn.
Katani Petitedra: Your threats keep me going:) So I'll update then...NOW.
Arizosa: Good to know what you think. I don't want to write a crappy story. This is the info I need. thankies! Yes, I think they'll all need therapy after this:)
Anne: Good to see you again *hugs* I love long reviews! The longer the review, the happier i am:) But hey, that's a butt-load of ideas right there. I do believe you've given birth to a new breed of plot bunnies *shields oneself from plot bunny attacks* Very interesting angles, and thank you again for responding to my plea of help *hugs the air outta you* aww crap... *makes Snape magically re-inflate you* He doesn't mind doin' that. He'll whine a bit *receives one of Snape's trademark glares* but he always helps. We'll see some Voldie soon. Remember, it's still only Saturday, and that is the day that the new recruitment was to be. Voldie's experimenting with that Omnivieve glass still, so we'll be seeing a lot of interesting things happen soon....*gives Snape the thumbs up*