Stupid stupid stupid. The mantra kept repeating in Harry's head. He'd just spent twenty minutes wondering what to do next, and it had just now dawned on him.
Damn, he was dense sometimes.
He stood up from the chair in the Gryffindor common room and stretched out his muscles.
The door swung open as he stepped out into the empty corridor. Hogwarts was unbelievably creepy when it was deserted.
Sometimes it was scary when it was full of people..
He shook his head and tried to focus on the sound of his footsteps on the tiled floor as he made his way down the hall. He finally approached the door, whispered a password, and was presented with a brilliant spiral staircase. He started to climb them, but paused when he thought he heard a voice coming from the office above. He crouched down on the stairs, and, minutes later, started to feel ridiculous. Right as he was about to stand up and continue walking to the office, he heard his beloved headmaster say, "Ah, young Mr. Malfoy. To what to I owe this pleasure?"
That git was here? Great, that shot down Harry's plans.
Malfoy's cold, clear voice rang out through the room. "My father is dead, Professor. My mother killed him because he was trying to kick me. I..I don't know what to do. It feels like it's my fault. And I didn't know who else to turn to…"
His voice trailed off and Harry could practically feel him tremble. This must be seriously scaring him, otherwise Malfoy would be acting like a complete prat.
He heard Dumbledore stand and walk over to the young man's chair. He said, "He will be greatly missed, Draco. Your father was a great man, and an excellent resource to our side. Have you or your mother informed the Dark Lord of his demise?"
Harry's eyes widened and he shook his head. Did he hear that correctly? Our side? Which side was Dumbledore talking about?
Draco sniffed. He was crying? Oh, gods. This was bad.
Harry shook his head again. Why did he care that Draco was crying? Oh, right. His mum just murdered his dad. Of course Harry felt bad for him.
The words he heard next made his head swim and caused everything he knew about life to fly out the window.
"No, we haven't told him yet. You know what our Lord will do when he finds out Mother killed him. I, for one, am in no hurry to have that conversation."
OUR Lord? What the heck was going on here?
Draco's drawl continued, "But sir, since my father is now..out of the picture..I don't have to go by the plan he had laid out for me. I can be who I want to be, and not who he expects me to be. I can be my own person. And because of this newfound freedom, I've decided that I want to be resorted. I don't want to be a Slytherin anymore."
Harry barely stifled a gasp. He found himself unconsciously leaning towards the room, as if to hear better.
"Draco, I think we should inform Voldemort of this unfortunate event. Please, just relax. I'll summon him." Harry crawled up the stairs on his belly just in time to see Dumbledore lift his sleeve.
His left sleeve.
To reveal a frail, white arm. An arm that had a tattoo the darkest of dark green ink in the shape of a skull with a serpent biting its own tail.
The dark mark.
His heart stopped.
Harry ran down the stairs, not caring if he was heard, and burst out into the corridor. He took off for the common room, racing through the hallways as fast as he could. He slammed the portrait door shut behind him and sink down to the floor.
This could not be happening.
Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up in bed. Her head whipped around from side to side, trying to recognize her surroundings. When she finally remembered where she was, she sighed deeply and slumped back against the pillows.
Jamie was in The Leaky Cauldron, having been there a few times with Jane. She was supposed to go into Diagon Alley today to get a few things for the perilous journey that awaited her. She shuddered when she thought of it. Hogwarts was going to be awful, she thought.
Rolling out of bed, she stretched like a cat and tried to shake the sleep from her eyes. Reaching for a clean set of clothes, she started towards the bathroom. She stopped when something moving on the floor caught her eye.
She leaned down and pulled up a newspaper. Someone must have delivered it for her while she was still sleeping. On the front page was a picture of a boy, about her age. He was smiling brilliantly, and had glasses that slightly enlarged the brightest green eyes Jamie had ever seen. Well, besides her own. She looked down at the headline, and her breath caught in her throat.
Harry Potter: Our Hero, or Just a Silly Kid?
She took one last look at the paper, then tossed it into the fire.
Albus Dumbledore sighed when the young Malfoy lad left his office. The news had not gone over well with the Dark Lord, and Draco had to escort the man to Malfoy Manor. Narcissa would be in for a shock.
He gazed around the room, and his twinkling eyes rested on the Sorting Hat. Would he allow the boy to be resorted? Of course he would wind up in Gryffindor. And that would put him in danger. He knew that the Gryffindors despised Draco. And the boy was much to important too put in harm's way.
His thoughts were disrupted by a portrait of a former headmaster. She whispered, "Albus, someone has just crossed the school wards."
He stood slowly and nodded to the woman in the painting. He walked calmly out of his office and down the staircase. He reached the bottom and hurried down towards the front lawn. A girl was standing just outside the gates, looking up at the school. The look on her face was a mix between awe and confusion.
When she spotted him, she called out, "Excuse me, sir! Sir! Can you help me out?"
He smiled knowingly, and opened the gates to let her in. When she strode up to him, the smile on her face was obviously forced.
She said, "Oh, you're Albus Dumbledore. I've read all about you." She flushed slightly, but continued. "You see, you're just the man I'm looking for."
His eyebrows rose a bit, then settled back down. He asked, "And how may I be of assistance to you, my dear?"
She smiled and stuck out her hand. "My name is Jamie Potter, and I've come to enroll in your school."
A/N: Okay, so Dumbledore isn't dead. I wish he was, but he isn't. What will he say to Jamie? How did he wind up on the dark side? And how was Harry going to find out?
I'd really like to know..
Also, sorry for the slow update. My internet's acting up and not being very nice. I'll have the next chapter up soon, though.
Reviews = Love. 3