Soul of the Enemy

By Willow Spirit

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians and happy 4th of July to our neighbours to the south. Go see Superman Returns, it's a good movie!

Chapter 12 – Danger at Hogwarts

It was later that Monday evening when Alex knocked firmly on the door to the Head Lounge. She had been looking everywhere for the curly-haired Head Girl. Ron, who had managed to convince Harry to play a game of wizard's chess with him in the Gryffindor common room, said that Hermione was most likely there in the lounge, doing paperwork. Why Ron wasn't helping her, Alex didn't ask. As it was, though, Alex wanted to have a private conversation with her new classmate.

The door to the lounge opened wide, to reveal a cozy looking room and Hermione standing there in the doorway with a quill still in her hand.

"Oh!" Hermione looked fairly surprised to see who was currently standing out in the hallway. "Alex. I thought you might have been Harry…or Ron. He often forgets the password to this room. So…did you need something?"

"Yes, actually," Alex said matter-of-factly. "I was hoping that I could have a few words with you."

"Er…okay. Come on in," Hermione stepped aside and gestured to the sitting area in front of the warm fireplace. Alex entered the lounge and promptly took a seat in a large, comfy armchair. Hermione joined her, sitting in another chair opposite hers so that they would be facing each other. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to talk about you and me, and where we stand with each other," Alex's words were so blunt that they caught Hermione off guard.

"Excuse me?" Hermione blinked a few times. Talk about brutal honesty.

"I think you heard me," Alex repeated herself. "I want to be honest here and I want you to be honest too. I'd like to know what you really think of me and why you're acting the way you are around me."

"Well, you're certainly not one to waste time on idle chit-chat," Hermione raised her eyebrows at the other girl.

"Not when I have something to say," Alex said. "I also believe in being honest…when it comes to most topics."

"Alright," if that's the way Alex wanted to play, then Hermione could play it too. "You want to know what I think of you? I'll be honest, I don't trust you. We hardly know a thing about you and yet here you are, moving freely around the castle. You show up out of nowhere and you're immediately accepted into Gryffindor House. Everything is moving just a bit too quickly for my taste, thank you."

"I see," now it was Alex's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And here I thought it would be hard for you to be honest with me."

"It's not as difficult as you think," Hermione muttered.

"That's fine," Alex replied. "Because you know what? I don't entirely trust you guys either. Yes, I have some secrets, and I'm not trying to hide that fact. It's so obvious that I'm not telling you all certain things but I have my reasons."

"I suppose everyone has secrets," Hermione admitted.

"Of course!" Alex exclaimed. "Everyone has skeletons in their closets; some are just bigger and scarier than others!"

That earned Alex a slight smirk. "I think you're right about that," Hermione agreed.

"So tell me," Alex continued on. "You're not just concerned about yourself, are you? You're worried about something else, right?"

"Yeah…" there was a slight hesitation in Hermione's voice. She just finished saying how she didn't trust Alex, but Hermione was beginning to realize how good it felt to talk about these feelings. Maybe she could reveal more to Alex, but at the same time not tell her everything. "I am worried about Harry. In fact, what worries me the most is you and Harry."

"Me and Harry?" surprise quickly flickered across Alex's face.

"Yes, I know it sounds strange," Hermione began to watch Alex's face very carefully for any signs of reaction. "You see, here at Hogwarts, new people are generally not good news. We've had a few professors who've been very deceptive around here. To put it mildly, they wanted to kill Harry. We've also had some close calls with other people who we thought were out to get Harry."

"Now I get it," Alex kept her face perfectly blank as Hermione explained her deep concerns. "I walk in here, well…float in here on a stretcher, and suddenly I'm hanging around the famous Harry Potter. I could have some sinister, evil plot up my sleeve and no one would even suspect me."

"We have to be cautious," Hermione said sternly. "I was a bit naive back in my first year here. I thought that we were all well protected and that we would always be safe as long as Dumbledore was here. Now I know that Hogwarts is not a solid, impenetrable castle. I've seen too many people sneak into this place over the years. There are ways to get in, and I worry about Harry's safety now. I might not talk about it but it's always in the back of my mind. I don't want to see him get hurt. He's been my friend for seven years and I'll do anything to help him out."

Hermione paused to take a breath, waiting to hear what Alex had to say about her little speech.

"You don't say," Alex mused. "Well that would explain a lot of things, like your hostile behaviour towards me."

"Sorry," Hermione apologized softly. "I tend to get a little paranoid. Harry and Ron would agree to that. It's just that I seem to be the only one besides the professors who is cautious around here. I have my reasons, though! Back in our third year…"

"What?" Alex asked, her eyes lighting up with interest. "What about your third year?"

"Oh, well…it's a long story," but as much as she tried, Hermione couldn't ignore Alex's penetrating and pleading look. "Oh, alright. Basically Harry was given a new broom after his old one was obliterated by the Whomping Willow. I was the only one to suspect that it was from Sirius Black. Turns out it was alright and there was nothing really wrong with it. Harry and Ron were furious with me, though. But at the time Sirius was supposed to be a mad criminal who escaped from Azkaban!"

"Yeah, I heard of Sirius Black," Alex said in a strangely calm tone.

For a moment, neither girl spoke as they each processed parts of their conversation. Hermione gave Alex a careful look before she opened her mouth to speak again. "Alex," she started slowly. "I don't know if Harry's ever mentioned Sirius before but if he hasn't I would caution you from bringing him up. Sometimes, depending on his mood, Harry can be very temperamental when it comes to Sirius."

"And the reason for that would be…"

"Sirius turned out to Harry's godfather," Hermione reluctantly remembered the difficult days after the incident in the Department of Mysteries. "He died, but that's all I should say about that. I've already said too much about it. I don't want to talk about him like this behind Harry's back."

"That's fine, I understand," Alex easily accepted Hermione's respect for friend-to-friend confidentiality. Instead Alex turned her attention to the small desk a few feet away that was literally covered with books and parchment. "So…doing some official Head Girl work?"

"What…oh, yeah, I've got some figures to calculate and such," Hermione lazily waved her hand towards the various piles. "I swear I'm the only one around here who knows how to balance the books."

Alex suddenly went very pale. "You mean math and numbers and stuff like that?" she asked with a horrified expression.

"Yes, it's very simple Arithmancy," Hermione was very confused by Alex's change in color.

"Sure, simple for some, maybe," Alex visibly shivered with disgust. "I hate math with a passion. Don't understand it and don't want to understand it."

"You sound like Ron," a small grin crept along Hermione's face.

"He's a smart one, I'd keep away too if I were him."

Hermione could only shake her head in response. "Speaking of my work, I'd better get back to it if I want to finish it tonight," she said to Alex.

"No problem," Alex gave her legs a good stretch before she pushed herself out of her chair. Hermione stood as well, and walked Alex to the door.

"I guess I'll see you in the common room later?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely," Alex agreed. "But, uh, Hermione, there was kind of one more thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"And that would be…"

"Well, I know our weekend sleepovers were fun and all, but I don't think they'll be a great permanent solution. So I was wondering if I could maybe room with you like we had talked about before."

"Actually…" actually Hermione wasn't sure what she thought about that anymore. If they were roommates then at least someone would be around Alex almost all the time. Now it was a matter of how much Hermione trusted Alex.

Alex easily guessed what Hermione was thinking. "Hermione," Alex just gave her an exasperated look. "If I was trying to trick you all or read your minds, then someone would have noticed. I've met your headmaster AND that dragon in a human costume called Snape. They're really powerful. They can detect that sort of thing."

"I suppose," Hermione conceded. "I really appreciate this talk, Alex. I must say, I feel much better about you being here now. Hopefully things will turn out for the best."

"I'm sure they will," Alex nodded as she opened the door to leave. "Bye Hermione, see you in a bit."

"Bye, Alex."

Once outside the in the hallway alone, Alex couldn't help but smirk with the deepest of satisfaction. She nearly laughed out loud as she remembered that old expression.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

-----

Harry didn't know what Alex and Hermione had talked about (neither of them would say anything about their conversation on Monday night), but he understood that something between them had changed. Hermione wasn't on her guard anymore, and she wasn't sending Alex any other suspicious glances. It seemed the two girls had settled their differences and come to tolerate each other's presence. Harry, for one, was glad, because their group did not need any extra problems at the moment. Things were stressful enough as it was, especially with only a few months left of school.

Later on in the week, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Alex were heading back to Gryffindor tower after a full day of classes when they met Firenze around the main entrance area. It was hard for the students to miss the large centaur, so they slowed down to say hello.

"Harry Potter," Firenze greeted Harry in his deep, rich voice. "I hope the new year is going well for you and your friends. It has been some time since our paths have crossed."

"Hello, Firenze," Harry nodded to the centaur. "How are classes?"

"The same as always," Firenze gave Harry a slight smile. "And who, may I ask, is this new member of your circle?"

Everyone suddenly remembered that Alex was still a stranger to many people in the castle. "Oh, Firenze, this is Alex Reid," Harry jumped in with the introductions. "Alex, this is Firenze. He teaches divination here at Hogwarts."

"Pleased to meet you," Alex said in a very polite tone, while her cheek did this curious little twitch.

"It is an honour to meet another friend of Harry Potter," Firenze replied just as formally. Then he turned his attention back to Harry. "Harry Potter, may I have a word with you? It would only take a few moments of your time."

"Sure," Harry shrugged. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay. Meet you up in the tower?"

"Sure, mate," Ron said.

As soon as the other three had left, Firenze made a subtle gesture to Harry. "Come," he said. "My classroom is not far from here. I would rather speak there than out here in the open."

Harry followed the centaur to one of the most unique classrooms in the entire castle. Designed to resemble the outside and the forest, Firenze's room was far different than the neat and tidy rooms with straight rows of desks and chairs. Once they were both inside, Firenze firmly shut the door.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Harry asked, not wanting to waste much time getting to the point.

"I wish to talk about a certain evening, about one month ago," Firenze looked up to the ceiling, a semi-dark 'sky' sprinkled with stars. "It was a restless night for me, and I had journeyed outside so that I could observe the true stars. Harry Potter, I have kept secret for the past weeks what I saw in the stars that night. No one knows what the stars revealed to me."

"What was it?" Harry was almost afraid to know. "What did you see?"

"I saw great danger," Firenze answered softly. "Possibly the greatest danger Hogwarts has ever seen. It is coming…or it has already come."

"But what is the danger?" Harry suddenly felt confused and uneasy.

"That I do not know," Firenze said gravely. "The stars do not reveal such information. I only saw and felt a deep sense of warning, and that is all I have. But I do know that a danger is inevitable, that much is clear."

Harry paused for a moment to consider Firenze's words. Hadn't he experienced a deep, foreboding feeling himself, just after Christmas? Wasn't he worried about the upcoming months and Voldemort…

"Firenze," Harry had a gradual idea. "What if the stars were referring to Voldemort? What if this all means that he is going to come and attack Hogwarts? That would make sense, right? I mean, Voldemort would probably be the biggest threat this school has ever seen. I'm here, and so is Dumbledore. If Voldemort wants to take over the world, he'll have to get by the two of us first. Once we're out of the way, then nothing could stop him. He'll have to deal with us sooner or later."

"Those are good thoughts, Harry Potter," Firenze looked down directly into Harry's face. "That idea occurred to me as well. But I am afraid it is the obvious interpretation of the stars. Something tells me that the plot runs deeper than we realize."

"What do you mean?"

Surprisingly, Firenze seemed to hesitate before answering. "I believe that the stars point to someone other than the Dark Lord. Someone who will easily escape detection and suspicion until it is too late."

"Do you know who it could be?" Harry asked with fire in his blood. The thought of another disguised intruder parading around Hogwarts was almost too much for Harry to stomach. Hadn't they done enough in the past! How dare someone threaten his school again, which was practically his home?

"I need more time," was Firenze's simple reply. "I shall wait to see if the stars reveal more to me as the days continue."

"I see," Harry still felt anger flowing through him. "So why bother telling me? I'm usually the last to know things around here."

"I am mentioning this to you, because I feel that you will be affected by this forthcoming danger in any case," there was almost a hint of sadness in Firenze's eyes. "For it seems to me that you are always in the middle of any danger that comes to Hogwarts."

"Now that would be the understatement of the decade," Harry muttered sarcastically.

"Harry Potter, you have shown great strength for one so young," Firenze suddenly pulled himself up to his full height, with little patience for Harry's self-pity. "I believe you have the ability to fulfill your destiny, but you must heed my warning. Accept it for what it is, as centaurs normally do not share such information with humans. Though I would see you win this battle against evil so that our world will be a safer place.

"Please, Harry Potter, keep your senses open to all that is around you. Watch carefully for any signs of danger so that my warning will not be in vain."

"I'm sorry, Firenze," Harry quickly felt a rush of shame, something that he wasn't used to feeling lately. Luckily, the good centaur reminded Harry that this approaching danger would affect more than just him; most likely it would engulf the entire school. "I'll be careful, you have my word. If there's anything suspicious roaming around the castle, my friends and I will find it."

"I hope so," Firenze replied in a more gentle tone. "Take care of yourself as well, Harry Potter. Until we see each other again."

"I will," Harry promised. "Bye, Firenze. And thank you for the warning."

"You are quite welcome," Firenze raised a hand in farewell to the young wizard. He watched Harry carefully as he slipped out of the nature-style classroom and away from sight.

As soon as he was alone, Firenze raised his eyes to his magically simulated stars. "I only hope," he whispered to himself. "I only hope that he has the strength to see what stands before him even now. May his mind be clear and free from the power of his heart."

-----

Whether it was only a coincidence, or a direct result of his conversation with Firenze, Harry Potter experienced later that same night one of the most bizarre dreams he had had in a very long time.

Harry was standing in the middle of an empty Gryffindor common room. A fire roared in the fireplace but no snapping or crackling sounds could be heard. In fact, the whole place was silent as a grave. Harry looked over his shoulder, wondering where everyone else was, when he suddenly heard the voice.

"May it be when darkness falls…"

Turning around and around, Harry couldn't find the source of the voice. It was singing. It was singing this slow, sad song.

"You walk a lonely road…"

There was something about the voice. It was familiar somehow, and yet it was slightly different and faintly changed. But Harry couldn't quite figure out whose voice it was. He turned to face the fire again and quickly saw that he was no longer alone.

There, sitting before the raging fire, was a black panther. Its tail twitched as it studied Harry closely. It had piercing green eyes that seemed to break into his soul. At first, Harry didn't know if he should be afraid of the large cat or not. Though something in the back of his mind told him this was only a dream, and as long as he was dreaming the cat couldn't hurt him.

"When the night is overcome…"

There it was again! Harry wondered briefly if the panther was the source of the song, but then soon dismissed that idea. It didn't look like the panther was singing; it just sat there doing nothing.

Then, without any warning, the panther got up and silently padded its way over to the door. Once it got there it paused, looking back to Harry as if it was telling him to follow it. Harry hesitated, not knowing it if he should trust it. But the panther wasn't going to wait for him. The door swung open on its own, and then the panther immediately turned its head around and proceeded to leave the common room.

Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he took off after the panther. He followed it as it roamed through the halls of the school. If Harry thought that it was empty in the common room, then what he found outside was even stranger. That's because there was not a soul in sight in the entire place. Surely there would be some people in the halls, but there were none at all. It gave the school an eerie atmosphere, like it was an abandoned ghost town.

"Mornie utulie…"

Now the voice and the panther were leading Harry through the school. He wondered where they were taking him when he suddenly realized that they could be heading towards the front entrance.

"Mornie alantie…"

They soon arrived at the front doors that lead outside, confirming Harry's suspicions. The panther paused again, and this time turned completely around to face him. Once more, Harry found himself staring into its eyes. He wondered why the panther would bring him here of all places.

"Mornie alantie…"

Suddenly, the front doors opened a crack, letting in a blinding, unnatural light from outside. With the light came the sound of hundreds of voices. Maybe that's where everyone was! But what were they doing out there? Harry tried to step forward and look through the crack but the panther moved to stand in his way.

"Mornie alantie…"

The doors began to swing open, revealing more light and noise. Harry had to step back or else be overwhelmed by it all. The panther stared at him with a knowing look, if panthers could show emotion on their faces at all. Soon the voices outside became a roar, and Harry found that he was being swallowed by the light. But above all the other voices, he somehow heard the one voice that had been singing to him before. But this time it did not sing, it whispered one last phrase to him as the light took him.

"Darkness has fallen…"

-----

A/N: the lyrics at the end are from May it Be, by Enya. I am only borrowing them and I'm not trying to say that they're my own work. I know they aren't, they belong to Enya. Please review!

Next Chapter: Harry and Alex have a heart to heart