Harry Potter and the Cult of Shadows

by chadsgirl824

AFTER HOGWARTS Harry now works at Hogwarts and has his hands full as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. But Voldemort's fate is still a mystery and dark forces are closer than anyone imagines. Written before OotP

5. Chapter 5

Harry didn't even stop to think, feeling an icy chill run through him, and praying that no one was hurt as he ran towards the sound of the scream. He flew down the short corridor into a musty smelling room, where sure enough, there stood Hadley and Ariele, and Harry felt his jaw drop.

The two girls were just beside a decrepit, splintering desk that had only one leg left, and underneath it, he could barely make out the red Ashwinder eggs. But the mother, instead of lying curled around the eggs protectively, was coiled tightly around Ariele, pinning her arms down, its fangs sunken deeply into one of them.

Harry wasted no time and lunged forward, past Hadley who was simply gaping at Ariele, seemingly in shock. He took hold of the gray serpent by its head, knowing nothing would work on it except the freezing charm, and having no way perform it while the snake was holding Ariele, it would carry straight over to her, only causing more pain than she was already in. His only choice was to first pry it loose.

Harry could see Ariele was struggling to move her arms, whimpering almost inaudibly from the effort, but her strength was fading. Her knees began to buckle and Harry took hold of her, lowering her gently down so she wouldn't fall, while still trying to free her from the Ashwinder's hold. He had no time to think about anything except helping her.

"It's alright Ariele, don't worry," he said firmly, trying to assure her she was okay, seeing fear in her dark brown eyes as she met his gaze. Her breathing was coming too fast now, and Harry still hadn't been able to make the snake budge in the slightest. It only continued to tighten its hold, coiling itself further around the small girl, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

Feeling there was no other choice, Harry came to a sudden decision. He stared down at the blood red eyes of the Ashwinder, pulled his hands back, and started to speak.

"Let go of her now…" he hissed, hearing the words clearly in his mind.

The snake paused, becoming entirely still as it stared back at Harry, as if unsure.

"I said, let her go," Harry hissed again, forcing back the panic threatening to consume him. Ariele had gone very pale; she was barely putting up a fight at this point.

This time, however the Ashwinder stirred, pulling its fangs out of the small girl's arm, and slowly relaxing its muscles, loosening its hold. It slithered back towards its eggs, under the broken desk, as if nothing had happened.

"Ariele?" Harry asked immediately, urgency clear in his tone. "Ariele can you hear me?" He propped her up in his arms and pulled out his wand. The wound on her arm was bleeding freely, soaking her robes. Harry didn't have enough medical knowledge to treat the injury, but quickly conjured some bandages so as to put pressure against it. He was entirely grateful that the Ashwinder held no venom, so there was no danger that Ariele had been poisoned, though she still needed to see Madam Pomfrey right away.

What's going on?" came a small voice, which nearly made Harry jump. He glanced up to see what appeared to be the entire class now standing in the room. Most likely, they'd heard the scream as well, and came to investigate. They all looked shocked and frightened.

"What…what happened to her?" the student asked again, glancing worriedly from Harry to Ariele.

"It…it was…" Ariele tried to talk, but couldn't get the words out. Her breathing still didn't sound normal, but it was considerably better than what it had been only moments ago.

"It's alright, calm down," Harry soothed, seeing the pained expression on the young girl's face and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I'm going to take you down to see Madam Pomfrey, everything will be fine…"

But Ariele shook her head, insistently, struggling to sit up further, small beads of sweat running along her hairline.

"Ariele, please stop, I'm going to put you on a stretcher and…"

"No, she…she did it…" Ariele breathed, pointing feebly towards the left side of the room, where Hadley was standing apart from the other students, near a large, crooked painting. The look of horror that had been frozen upon the young Slytherin's face suddenly became one of shock…and then anger.

"What? I didn't do anything!" Hadley exclaimed defensively.

"She did…she did what…what you did…" Ariele gasped, looking back at Harry. "She t-talked to it…"

"She's lying!" Hadley cried, sounding outraged at the accusation.

Harry, simply looked at the small girl, questioningly. Ariele had no reason to lie about this, the two girls had been the only ones in the room, and this would be the first time in history an Ashwinder had attacked someone. Could Hadley possibly be a parsel mouth? Another painful moan from Ariele, however, quickly drew Harry back to the moment. He immediately conjured a stretcher, lifted her into the air and set her down gently upon it.

"Everyone follow me," he stated evenly. "Once we're back on the fifth floor I want all of you to get your things from the classroom and head back to your common rooms."

"Wait…wait," Hadley spoke up, sounding less angry, but wearing a worried expression. "You don't think I…" she began.

"Hadley, I'll speak with you about this later," Harry said firmly. "Now please, I need you to…"

"I didn't do it professor! I swear!" Hadley insisted.

"Hadley, I said we'll speak on it later," Harry said, somewhat forcefully.

"Please, just…" Hadley began again, refusing to give up, but was suddenly cut off by another voice.

"Gelidus!" Devon yelled, stepping forward abruptly, his wand aimed down at the floor just beneath the broken desk. A blue mist filtered out of its tip and quickly covered the red eggs that had been about to ignite.

"Sorry," Devon murmured, dropping his wand into his pocket after the eggs had been doused.

"No, thank you Devon," Harry nodded, realizing in all the commotion he'd forgotten about the Ashwinder eggs. The mother had already expired, Harry could see, by the circle of dust on the floor.

"Alright everyone," he started, taking control of the stretcher and directing it towards the door. "Let's go."

Two hours after the incident with the Ashwinder, Harry was on his way to find Hadley. He'd brought Ariele directly to the hospital wing and explained what had happened to a very shocked Madam Pomfrey. She set off straight away with Ariele towards the nearest hospital bed and began examining her. Harry waited for a long while, until the nursemaid finally emerged from behind the curtains.

Ariele was going to be fine. There had been severe pressure on her ribs and lungs, and she'd been heavily bruised, but after a night of rest in the hospital, she'd be ready to go back to classes the next day. Thanking Madam Pomfrey, feeling greatly relieved, Harry set off towards Minerva's office. He wanted to be the one to tell her what had happened first this time.

After a brief conversation with the headmistress, informing her he hadn't punished anyone yet as he still needed to speak to one student, Harry started into the halls again, promising McGonagall he'd inform her of what had caused the attack as soon as he knew.

Lunchtime was just beginning, and Harry entered the great hall briskly, turning immediately towards the Slytherin table. Barely anyone was there yet, as students were still only just getting out of their classes. Turning around, Harry stepped back through the doors and waited in the entryway. Less than five minutes later, he caught sight of a petite girl with long black hair moving slowly up the corridor amidst a group of Slytherins.

"Hadley," Harry said walking up to the group. "I need to speak with you for a moment…"

"Now?" she interrupted, obviously annoyed.

"Yes, now," Harry replied firmly, not willing to play this game. Ariele could have died and he wasn't going to wait until Hadley felt like talking. She had been all too willing to profess her innocence earlier, when she'd only seemed concerned with the possibility that she might be in trouble, delaying Harry in taking Ariele to the hospital. Under normal circumstances, he would wait until classes were over for the day, but this discussion couldn't be put off.

"Well, I'm hungry," Hadley shrugged, looking as if she were simply going to brush Harry off and continue on her way. Her friends had all grown silent, watching the conversation with interest.

"I'll write you a pass, you can be a bit late to your next lesson if this takes long," Harry said sternly, trying not to punish Hadley in front of her classmates. "Now come on, we'll go to my office," he continued, not giving her another chance to argue.

Hadley sighed in obvious exasperation, before huffing after Harry, a dark glare on her face. She didn't make a sound the entire walk, keeping her arms crossed over her chest and her mouth shut. When they'd reached the fourth floor, Harry led the way towards his office, opening the door quickly and stepping aside to let Hadley enter, before following her in and closing the door.

"Alright Hadley," Harry began once the two were seated on opposite sides of his desk. "I need you to tell me what happened today, with the Ashwinder."

"You saw what happened," Hadley replied stiffly. "It attacked that girl…"

"Ariele."

"Yes, her."

"Hadley, today is the first time in known history that an Ashwinder has ever attacked someone," Harry said evenly. "Now I need you to tell me what happened that made it go after Ariele."

"I don't know, she must've scared it…" Hadley shrugged, unconvincingly.

"We both know that isn't what happened," Harry said, trying not to sound irritated. "If you really want to spend the day in my office then by all means continue with what you're doing, but neither of us is leaving here until you tell me what happened…what really happened."

Hadley scowled at Harry, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing. The petite girl looked dwarfed in the large wooden chair, swinging her legs back and forth underneath her impatiently.

"I don't know why it attacked her," she said quietly.

"Then just tell me what you do know," Harry prodded, "What happened when you first saw the Ashwinder?"

"Well, we both found it at the same time," Hadley began slowly. "I wanted to do the freezing charm but Ariele said no, she found it first…" she trailed off.

"And?" Harry asked. "What then?"

"I don't really remember," Hadley said, cautiously, before continuing hastily. "But the Ashwinder went after her really quickly…it just lunged at her."

"And you have no idea why?" Harry asked. "What made it attack?"

"I don't know," Hadley said quietly, looking down.

"Why would Ariele say you made it attack her then?" Harry asked softly, not wanting to sound accusatory.

"She's lying!" Hadley said fiercely, looking up in an instant, her eyes flashing.

"Do you remember saying anything to the snake?" Harry asked, wondering if Hadley could speak parsel-tongue but wasn't aware.

"I didn't tell it to attack her," Hadley said, insistently.

Harry surveyed the girl carefully for a long moment, before speaking again, quietly.

"Do you know what a parselmouth is, Hadley?"

"No," came the immediate reply. Harry waited another moment, before continuing.

"Ariele said she heard someone speaking the way I did to the snake just before it attacked her," he said slowly, "Did you hear what I said to it?"

"I don't know…you hissed at it," Hadley shrugged.

"That's what you heard?"

"Isn't that what everyone heard?" she snapped.

"Hadley, listen to me," Harry said suddenly, looking angry for the first time throughout the conversation. "Ariele was nearly killed today, she could have died. Now you were the only other person in the room with her and I need you to tell me the truth…"

"I am telling you the truth!" Hadley yelled suddenly. "The snake attacked her! I didn't know it was going to…and I didn't know what to do to stop it! Then you came and hissed at it to let her go and she blamed me for…"

"Wait, what did I do?" Harry interrupted anxiously.

"You hissed at it…" Hadley began, trailing off suddenly; her eyes widening.

"I thought you didn't understand what I said to it," Harry said quietly, looking piercingly into Hadley's worried blue eyes.

"I…well…I mean, that's what you must have said, right?" Hadley asked, weakly. Harry didn't reply, he simply sat back in his chair, watching the small, nervous girl.

"Hadley, do you know what a parselmouth is?" Harry asked again, his tone stern.

"I didn't tell it to attack Ariele, professor," Hadley said softly, looking ready to cry.

Harry felt sorry for her, and still didn't know whether or not to believe her story, but he now knew for certain she'd lied about one thing. Hadley could speak Parseltongue, and that was the only way that he could think of, that would make the Ashwinder attack. The two girls were the only ones in the room until he, himself, had arrived, and the other students had shown up over the next few minutes. If anyone had told it to attack, it seemed it must have been Hadley, but she was denying it so insistently…

"If you didn't do it, then who did Hadley?" Harry asked quietly. "Did you see anyone else in the room with you? Did you hear anyone?"

Hadley didn't reply, she simply shook her head slowly, her eyes fixed on her hands. She was sitting entirely still now, waiting for whatever was coming.

"And you didn't speak to the snake at all?" Harry asked again, rubbing his temples as the headache that had been steadily growing continued to build.

"I didn't tell it to attack her," Hadley said yet again, barely a whisper.

"But…did you say anything to it?" Harry asked, realizing she hadn't exactly answered the question. For a long while, neither one spoke, and Harry simply stared at her, waiting.

"It was just a joke," Hadley said at last, so quietly Harry could barely hear her. "I didn't think the snake would go after her…"

"What did you say to it, Hadley?" Harry asked flatly.

"I told it Ariele was trying to take the eggs…" she said quietly, before rushing on. "But Ashwinders don't bite people so I thought that it would just hiss at her or something…not attack her…"

"Explain to me, how you thought this would be funny?" Harry asked tiredly.

"I…I only wanted…"

"You wanted to freeze the eggs first, right?" Harry asked, going on without waiting for a reply. "It wasn't a competition Hadley. And now Ariele was hurt…"

"I know," Hadley nodded faintly, her eyes on the floor.

"Why do you do this in all of your classes?" Harry asked suddenly. "Why the disruptive behavior?"

Hadley simply shrugged, not bothering to reply, and kept her gaze down.

Harry shook his head sadly, and leant forward in his seat, resting his elbows against the surface of the desk and speaking firmly.

"What you did, while you didn't mean for it to hurt anyone, was inexcusable. I'm only going to take twenty-five points from Slytherin, because I believe you truly didn't intend to hurt anyone, but you'll also be serving detention for it."

Hadley looked up slowly, her eyes red and puffy, but she nodded stiffly, her jaw set firmly as she met Harry's gaze. For a brief moment, Harry wanted to go to her, to comfort her. He could see she was sorry for what happened, and he hated himself for having to punish her, but the situation had been too dangerous to have just let it go. He knew from the expression on Hadley's face that she wanted to be alone, it was a look he was sure he must've worn many times himself over the past few years. She wouldn't accept any comfort right now, least of all from Harry.

"Come on, Hadley," he said gently, standing up slowly. "I'll take you back downstairs, you can have some lunch and I'll write you a pass to your next lesson."

Hadley didn't reply. She slid off the large chair and walked stiffly towards the door, anger evident in her eyes. Harry didn't ask her anything more. He crossed the room and stepped out into the hall, before the two of them set off together down the corridor.

"Are you serious?" Ron asked incredulously. "She's a parselmouth? What did McGonagall say when you told her?"

"She seemed surprised," Harry said, as the two best friends walked side by side through the halls. The rest of the week had passed quickly, and it was now Saturday evening. "But she didn't sound too concerned," he continued. "I mean, even though parselmouths are rare, it's not as if they're non-existent."

"She didn't sound concerned?" Ron repeated, his eyes wide.

"Well, no…not really," Harry replied.

"So that's it?" Ron asked. "Nothing's to be done about her?"

"No, not nothing," Harry said, feeling slightly insulted. "I did take twenty-five points from Slytherin, plus she has detention, with me, actually…tonight," he paused for a moment, before going on, hastily. "Hadley's still a student at this school, Ron."

"Yes, but she's a parselmouth…" Ron began.

"Right, just like I am," Harry replied defensively. "Should we expel her for that?"

"No, Harry I didn't mean it like that," Ron said quickly, realization dawning in his eyes. "I only meant…well, why is she a parselmouth? We know where you got your ability…so where did hers come from?"

"I don't know," Harry said, shaking his head slowly. "Though I hope to find out."

"Harry…" Ron began tentatively, "I really didn't mean…"

"Forget it Ron," Harry interrupted with a smirk. "I shouldn't have jumped on you like that, I guess I'm just tired…and a little frustrated…I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Don't worry about it," Ron said with a casual wave of his hand, clearly relieved he hadn't really insulted his friend. "I'd probably be handling all of this much worse than you…" he laughed.

"Yeah, probably," Harry nodded, smiling.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ron said sardonically.

"Anytime," Harry replied. "Alright, so tell me…how is everything going for you? I read about all the games, but I want to hear it from you…"

"Oh it's the best, Harry…I'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for me…"

"You got yourself on the team," Harry cut in. "If you weren't as talented as you are, my saying anything would have made no difference. Now, c'mon…tell me about it. Until I have time to actually come and see you play all I have to rely on is the sports reporter for the Daily Prophet, and he doesn't do his job as well as one would hope…"

"Yeah, we've noticed that," Ron laughed, before starting to tell Harry everything about practices and playing for a professional team. He'd actually come from a practice that very day, and had only stopped by for a quick visit. The two were on their way up to Harry's office, making their way through the familiar corridors and just having a good time.

When they'd turned into the hallway for the Gryffindor common room, they slowed down.

"Do you hear that?" Ron asked, stopping the discussion they'd been having and looking to the end of the corridor.

"Yeah, it's coming from around that corner," Harry replied, "near my office."

"Sounds like someone's banging…" Ron began, when suddenly a taunting voice rang out from the same direction, cutting him off.

"I know you're in there!"

"Peeves," Ron groaned, recognizing the voice immediately. "What is he up to now?"

"You can't hide!" Peeves yelled, cackling giddily now, the banging becoming louder and more insistent.

"Probably tormenting some poor student," Harry replied, rolling his eyes. "Come on…let's go rescue them."

"Oh so Peeves listens to you now that you're a professor?" Ron joked as the two began moving again.

"I guess we'll find out…" Harry shrugged with a smirk. They moved quickly towards the end of the long hallway, the shouting and pounding growing stronger as they went. But when they were nearly there, the noise stopped abruptly, and the corridor went silent.

Harry and Ron came to a halt, looking questioningly at one another, when suddenly a pale white figure floated swiftly around the corner, and they stepped aside to allow a very frightened looking Peeves through. The two stared after him in confusion, exchanging mystified glances, before jumping forward into a run, pulling out their wands and skidding around the corner to meet a most unexpected sight.

The Bloody Baron was hovering just outside of the door to Harry's office, staring at it intensely.

"What is he doing?" Ron whispered.

"I don't know," Harry replied, shaking his head slowly, dropping his arms to his sides and relaxing slightly. The baron didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular; he was simply staring at the door.

Taking another glance at Ron, Harry shrugged faintly, before turning back around and starting forward.

He walked slowly across the short distance to his office, stopping just a few feet short of where the baron lingered. His heart was beating quickly, it wasn't as if he was scared, but part of him was nervous. In all of his years at Hogwarts he'd never so much as spoken a word with the infamous Bloody Baron, so why was the ghost now hovering outside of his office?

"Er…excuse me," he began uncertainly. "Is…is something wrong?" he asked.

The baron didn't reply, and for a moment, it appeared as if he hadn't even heard the question, when ever so slowly, his gaze dropped from the door and fell upon Harry.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Harry said, somewhat apologetically, "but if anything's happened…" he trailed off, before continuing hastily. "Was it Peeves? Did he do something?"

The baron shook his head, slowly; his eyes fixed on Harry's all the while, when he abruptly dropped his gaze, and turned, floating off down the hall and out of sight.

Harry stood where he was, frozen to the spot while staring after the intimidating ghost. An involuntary shiver ran up his spine and he tried to block out the image of the dead, white eyes that had been boring into him.

"Alright there?" Ron asked quietly, stepping up beside him.

"Yeah…I'm fine, just confused," Harry replied. He glanced over at Ron and forced a grin to his face.

"So then I'm correct in assuming the Bloody Baron doesn't make regular visits to your office now that you're a professor?" Ron joked.

"Very correct," Harry nodded, turning his attention back to the door, curiously. "So what was going on then?" he asked absently. "First Peeves is banging on my door…and then the baron is staring at it."

"Maybe Peeves thought the baron was someone else?" Ron suggested. "He could have been trying to frighten a student…like we thought, and it ended up being the baron. We know how scared Peeves is of him, which would explain why he passed by us without a second glance…"

"But it doesn't explain why the baron would be hovering about near my office in the first place for Peeves to confuse him with a student," Harry said thoughtfully, fingering the wand that he still held in his hand.

"Well, shall we go in then?" Ron asked, raising his own wand as well. "If there's someone in there we'll find them…"

Harry nodded faintly, raising his hand and grasping the latch, before he pushed the door open slowly. He stepped forward, poking his head through the small opening, and found it hard to see anything at all. It was fully dark outside, and there was no fire in the hearth as he hadn't been in this room all day.

Taking another step forward, feeling Ron right behind him, Harry quickly waved his wand at the fireplace, immediately lighting a warm blaze amongst the cold embers.

The room was illuminated at once with a fiery glow, and Harry and Ron scanned everything quickly, before stepping in further to take a closer look.

"I guess no one's here," Harry said after a few moments of searching. "It's not as if there's a great many places to hide anyway, as you can see…" he trailed off, turning around to look at Ron.

"Strange," Ron mused softly. "I wonder what that was all about then?"

"It's probably what you said," Harry shrugged, dropping his wand into his pocket. "Peeves mistook the baron for a student."

"But you said…" Ron began.

"If I get a chance to ask him why he was floating around by my office I'll let you know," Harry said. "Though he didn't exactly appear forthcoming when I asked him a few moments ago…" he trailed off, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "Hadley is going to be here soon," he said apologetically. "Sorry Ron, I didn't realize how late it was…"

"No don't worry about it," Ron grinned. "I promised Hermione I'd be back soon anyway…we're still fixing up the apartment…"

"That's right, I need your address," Harry said immediately, turning and heading towards his desk. "Here, write it down for me," he said, grabbing a spare piece of parchment and uncorking a bottle of ink. "What time should Mel and I get there?"

"Anytime after five," Ron replied, hastily dipping the quill and scribbling the address. "Hermione wants time to clean up…again," he said, rolling his eyes and grinning.

"Alright," Harry laughed. "We'll see you then."

"Good luck tonight," Ron said, opening the door and glancing back.

"Thanks," Harry replied with a wry grin. "I'm sure I'll need it."

Ron smiled widely, before stepping out of the office and shutting the door softly behind him.

Harry turned back towards his desk and lowered himself into the chair. He hadn't really wanted to be the one to oversee Hadley's detention, but as he'd been the one to give it to her, it fell to him to either find someone else, or handle it himself. As he'd never done this before, Harry was slightly nervous, despite the fact he'd had detention so many times himself to reference back to, he couldn't think of one that had went well.

In the end he decided to have Hadley meet him in his office and from there they would go to the dark arts classroom. There were two cabinets in the back of the room that Harry had been putting off sorting through since he'd arrived, so tonight would be as good a night as any to do it. It wasn't dangerous, and more importantly, Hadley wouldn't be out of his sight at all during the detention.

Glancing up at the clock again, Harry was surprised to see it was already ten minutes passed ten o'clock. Hadley was late. He pulled out his pocket watch, wanting to be sure that the time he saw was correct.

"Hmmm…" he frowned, seeing his watch read the same time as the clock. Was she trying to skip? Did she forget? Or could something have happened? He knew that Hadley knew where his office was, as he'd brought her there himself only two days ago.

Standing up slowly, Harry started to walk around his desk, intending to go look for the girl, when something caught his eye as he passed the window.

Squinting into the darkness, Harry saw someone moving across the school grounds. Pushing the window open, he shivered as an icy breeze swept through the opening, and leant out slightly.

"No," he whispered disbelievingly. The person below was wearing a dark cloak, with the hood drawn up over their head, but Harry could see long black hair whipping out around the edges, trailing behind as the person moved briskly over the grounds.

Their small frame immediately gave away that it was a student, and the hair only confirmed his suspicion.

It was Hadley, and she was heading towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Hadley!" Harry yelled loudly, trying to get her attention. But his voice was whisked away in the strong gusts pounding through the air, and the small girl never heard him. She wasn't running, but something in her walk made it seem she was determined to make it to the forest.

"Dammit, what is she doing?" Harry hissed, backing away from the window and glancing frantically around his office. He didn't want to lose sight of Hadley under any circumstances, but he had to get out there and stop her. In the time it would take him to get downstairs and out the door, she could already be well into the forest, and it was much too far of a drop from his office window to consider jumping.

For a brief moment, he considered going for his broom, but it was all the way up the hall in the closet in his quarters, and it would mean losing track of Hadley. Sighing in frustration, Harry looked helplessly out the window…he had to do something; he couldn't just watch her walk into the dark forest alone…

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wand, and glanced around the room, before settling on the enormous cabinet just beside his desk. Aiming quickly, Harry conjured a thick cord from his wand, tying it securely around the base of the cabinet, and letting the end of it fall out his window, down four floors to the dark grass below.

Slipping his wand back in his pocket, he looked out again, to find Hadley still crossing the grounds at the same pace. The wind thrashing about and whipping through his hair didn't comfort Harry in the least as he eyed the rope, and the long drop, but there was no other choice.

Taking a deep breath, he gripped the sides of the window tightly, and pulled himself up onto the sill, crouching so he wouldn't hit his head. He picked up the rope in his hands carefully and gave it a hard pull to assure himself it wouldn't give out, before edging himself out completely.

Harry put his feet up against the wall, intending to use the cord to help him walk down the side of the school. He was starting to wonder if this would really be quicker then using the stairs, when without warning, his feet slipped, and he lost his grip on the wall. The chilly air had left the side of the school damp and slick.

Harry's heart stopped in his chest as he glanced below him, his feet dangling. He started to swing his legs, hoping to possibly regain his grip, but the moment the cord rubbed against the hard stones, he felt it give.

It dropped mere inches, but Harry's hands slid harshly against the rough hemp at the sudden movement. He winced in pain as he was able to tighten his grasp, coming to an abrupt halt, but didn't dwell on it. Glancing as best he could over his shoulder, he was relieved to see Hadley was still in view, but he didn't have much time.

Deciding there was no other choice, Harry looked up at the window to his office, less than five feet away, before loosening his grip slightly.

His hands ran down against the rope, stinging in pain, and Harry had to clench his teeth, forcing himself not to halt his progress. When he was finally near enough to the ground, he let go, feeling his knees buckle under his weight, but regaining his balance quickly.

"Fantastic idea, Harry," he muttered sardonically as he examined the raw, tender skin of his palms. His hands were throbbing in pain, and he was only just realizing he hadn't grabbed a cloak, as the chilly air was filling his lungs, but he couldn't concentrate on it now. He glanced up towards where he'd last seen Hadley, to find her just about to enter the forest.

"Hadley!" he yelled again, as loud as he possibly could, but to no avail. Even if there hadn't been any wind, the distance between them was great enough that you wouldn't be able to hear someone calling to you. Slipping his hand into his pocket and taking hold of his wand once more, Harry took off into a dead run, praying he made it to Hadley before anything could happen.

Harry reached the edge of the forest, breathing heavily from the long sprint. He was grateful that the trees provided partial shelter from the biting wind, and brought his hands up, gently rubbing his arms and trying to keep warm, as he moved slowly through the dead looking underbrush.

Taking a deep breath, Harry shouted Hadley's name once more, hoping she'd be able to hear him better in here. Once again, there was no reply, though everything around him went eerily silent at the sudden sound of his voice. He looked out into the darkness desperately, not wanting to think about what could get to the small girl in here, and his heart leapt when he saw movement off in the distance. From where he was standing, he couldn't tell if it was Hadley, or something else that he'd probably rather not run into while alone in the dark forest at night, but at this moment, he had little choice.

"Lumos," he whispered, lighting the tip of his wand, and aiming it in front of him. He started forward through the mess of bushes and undergrowth, trying to move as quickly as possible for not having a clear path to follow. The figure in the distance was just barely in view, and Harry stumbled along, trying to close the gap.

The minutes ticked by and the darkness closed in around him as Harry moved deeper and deeper into the cold forest. He kept losing sight of Hadley, or at least what he hoped was Hadley, as he couldn't imagine her being much further ahead at this point. Her legs were a lot shorter than his, he must be close…

Harry came to a sudden halt as he became aware of something moving nearby. It sounded like something was crawling through the underbrush. The tall grass was swaying as whatever it was pushed its way through; it seemed to be all around him.

Starting forward again, Harry decided not to wait around to see what it was. He wanted to find Hadley and get both of them out of there, and then he wanted to find out why she would ever come into the forest on her own in the first place. Not only had she not shown up for her detention, but she'd directly broken a school rule, and McGonagall would not be pleased.

Harry had only made it a few feet, however, when he heard a soft whimpering just to his left, and aimed the light from his wand there immediately.

"Hadley," he breathed, feeling a sudden wave of relief. She was about fifteen feet away from him, trying to pry her foot out of a small patch of undergrowth.

"Hadley," Harry said, loudly this time. The small girl gave a final tug, freeing her foot and taking a step back to keep her balance, before looking up at Harry, her expression calm and even as small wisps of her long black hair were whipped around her face from the wind. "It's time to go back," he continued, starting to move forward.

Hadley made no movement, either to run away or to go towards Harry. She stood silently and watched him as he worked his way through the brush. Harry looked at her warily, wondering why she was behaving this way; he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't realize when the bushes just beside him start to sway unevenly.

Without warning, Harry felt a sudden pinch around his ankles, and his legs were roughly clamped together as a thick vine coiled itself around them. He reached out with his hands, trying to grab hold of a nearby branch to catch his balance, but whatever the vine was attached to wrenched backwards suddenly, pulling Harry to the hard ground. He felt a snap of pain and tasted blood as his head hit the dirt, and he struggled to turn over as the vine began to drag him through the undergrowth, not caring what was in its path.

"Hadley, run!" Harry cried, not even sure where the girl was at the moment as he could no longer see behind him. He'd managed to get onto his back, and thankfully hadn't lost hold of his wand, gripping it tightly in his fist, but his legs were tightly bound together, and despite his thrashing to free himself, it did no good. The creeper pulled him mercilessly forward, through prickler bushes and over dead, jagged tree branches.

Fighting back a wave of panic, Harry tightened the grip on his wand, his hands aching and slick with sweat.

"Confervefacio," he choked out, as dirt that was stirred up continued to smack him in the face, getting in his mouth and down his throat. The light at the end of his wand immediately turned a searing hot red-orange, and Harry fought with every last ounce of strength he had to pull himself up into a sitting position as he was dragged along. He slammed the deathly hot tip into the nearest portion of the vine, and immediately cringed as an ear-piercing scream and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. But the vine released him instantly, and Harry wasted no time in jumping to his feet. He turned around quickly, scanning the area for Hadley.

Suddenly, the same voice that had screamed let out a cry of outrage and Harry was barely able to move a full pace forward before another vine twisted itself around his waist, lifting him high into the air. He felt the pinching much more forcefully this time, noticing what looked to be thorns of some sort all along the creepers.

The air was being pushed out of him as the vine slowly tightened around his middle, and he struggled to catch his breath.

"Confervefacio," he barely managed to say in one strangled breath, and slammed his wand full force into the creeper, piercing its thick hide, nearly choking on the stench as thin grey smoke billowed out of the burn. But it worked instantly, as the hold around him was released immediately, and Harry fell to the hard ground. Breathing heavily, he scrambled frantically to his feet and made a mad dash away from the tree nearest him, which he was positive had been the source of the screaming. He didn't care what it was or what it had been planning to do with him at this moment, he just wanted to be away before it tried to go for him again.

"Hadley?" he called out when he'd made it back to the area he'd originally found her in, keeping alert for any sign of movement. He wasn't sure if she'd listened when he'd told her to run or not, but he certainly wasn't going to simply assume she had, he had to be sure. "Hadley please, if you're here just answer me. It's time to go back to the school…" he called out, stumbling weakly through the brush, every muscle in his body aching, covered in scrapes and bruises. His shirt was dotted with small bloodstains around his middle where the thorns had pierced his soft skin, and judging by the stinging in his ankles, he was sure they were in much the same condition.

"Hadley?" he called again his voice shaking from exhaustion, feeling an overwhelming chill run through him as he came up to a small clearing just a short distance past where he'd first seen her. But as he reached the edge of the clearing, his jaw dropped in horror, and he felt his blood run cold at the sight before him.

Hadley was standing on the opposite side of the clearing, but the expression on her face was no longer calm, it was terrified. She was paralyzed with fear, her wide eyes focused on the two figures emerging from the trees barely five feet away.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat, recognizing them instantly.

Dementors.

After just a second's hesitation, Harry snapped out of his initial shock and raised his wand, intending to use the Patronus Charm, when a hand clamped roughly over his right wrist, jerking him violently around on the spot and slamming his back up against the nearest tree.

"Well, well…if it isn't Harry Potter," came a dark voice from beneath a hooded black cloak.

"Get off of me," Harry spat, trying to twist his arm free from the man's vice-like grip.

"You look tired, Harry," the man spoke softly, his voice dripping with mock concern, seemingly unfazed by Harry's struggling. "Had a bit of trouble back there with the Leech Tree, did you?"

"Let me go," Harry said in a strained voice, ignoring the question. He assumed this man had to be a death eater, but he didn't recognize the voice, and his face was entirely hidden. He raised his other hand, trying to pry loose the fingers gripped tightly around his wrist, but it was like trying to move steel, the man wouldn't budge.

"No! No please…don't!" a terrified scream rang out from behind him, and Harry craned his neck to see one of the dementors was holding Hadley from behind, pinning her arms down to her sides. She was fighting to free herself, but was visibly shaken and weak from whichever horrifying memory replayed itself in her mind. Her eyes were red, and tears streaked down the sides of her face as she whimpered helplessly, her knees slowly buckling beneath her as her strength was drawn away.

Harry gasped in horror, however, when the second dementor stepped up just in front of the small girl, and began to lower its hood, revealing the eyeless head covered in scabby grey skin. Its shapeless, gaping mouth was sucking in the air, and it clamped its cold hands around Hadley's small, fragile neck, raising her head towards its own.

"No, stop!" Harry yelled towards the dementor, knowing it would do no good, and using all of his strength to try to break the hold this dark man had on him. He tore his eyes away from the sight behind him to the hidden face in front, before his eyes fell on his wand in his captive hand. Abandoning his attempts to pry the fingers from his arm, he shot forward with his left hand suddenly, trying to get his wand, but the man was too quick for him. In a flash he held both of Harry's arms in his steely grip, and a low, wicked laugh rose out from under the black hood.

"You can't let them…I have to save her!" Harry said desperately, pleading with the man and beyond alarmed at how futile his attempts to free himself were. Despite being injured and tired, he should have been able to do something by now. But he could do nothing…and the panic was threatening to consume him as he fought to keep it at bay.

"Why? Is the girl special to you?" the man drawled, curiously.

"She's just a child," Harry said earnestly, looking away from the hidden face, praying there was still time. Hadley was straining with what little strength she had left in her to pull away from the dementor, and Harry felt his heart racing in his chest as he watched her slowly fading out of consciousness.

"Fair is fair," the man said suddenly, and Harry spun his gaze back around at once. "You saw her leave, followed her through the forest and fought off the vines of the Leech Tree," he went on as if talking about the weather. "Save her if you can."

With that, the man released his hold on Harry's wrists, and stepped back a pace. Harry wasted no time. Without sparing the man a second glance, he whirled around on the spot, raising his wand and aiming across the short distance to where the dementors stood.

"Expecto Patronum!" he shouted fiercely, squinting his eyes against the blaring white light that exploded from the tip of his wand, quickly taking the form of a stag and charging at the dementors, just as the one in front finally closed its gaping mouth over Hadley's. Harry held his breath, his heart stopping in his chest, but as always, the Patronus fought back the black beings, pushing them off of Hadley and out of sight into the trees beyond.

"Hadley!" he cried, racing across the clearing and falling to his knees by the limp girl's tiny form. She was breathing shallowly, and her skin was pale and cold as ice. Slipping his wand into his pocket and wiping sweat from his brow, Harry gently but hurriedly scooped Hadley up into his arms, paying no attention to the dull aching, which seemed to encompass every inch of him. He turned and started back in the direction he'd come, as quickly as possible.

The mysterious man was gone now, but Harry didn't care at the moment. He wanted nothing more than to get Hadley back to the school and make sure she would be alright…

Harry stumbled through the forest, trying to move hurriedly while holding Hadley tightly in his arms, feeling her shivering against him. He didn't want to put her on a stretcher, for fear that something else may suddenly jump out at them, and felt safer just holding onto her. He made sure to avoid the Leech Tree, as the dark man had called it, and could hardly believe it when, after what felt like hours, Hogwarts was finally in sight. Nearly out of breath and weak from exhaustion, Harry forced himself to walk across the school grounds, sweating and aching from all that had happened, the wind whipping Hadley's long hair into his face.

When at last he reached the entrance steps, he felt a wave of relief, but knew he wasn't done yet. Just a little bit further, he told himself as he entered the cool, stone atrium of Hogwarts. He immediately set off towards the hospital wing, his muscles screaming in protest with every movement. But as he turned the first corner, he ran into the last person he wanted to see.

"Watch where you're going!" Troy snapped as Harry swung blindly into the hallway, but his expression instantly changed from annoyed to confused, when he saw the state Harry was in, and who he was carrying.

"Didn't you have a detention with this one tonight?" Troy asked gesturing disdainfully towards Hadley before eyeing the blood and dirt that Harry was covered in and smirking. "You know Potter, I don't think wrestling is an acceptable form of…"

"Troy…move," Harry interrupted darkly, ready to collapse as he pushed past the arrogant man and continued up the hall.

"Despite being the unconscious one, however…she looks like she had the better time of it," Troy continued snidely, quickly turning and following after Harry. "Because you look horrible."

"Your concern is touching, really," Harry said hastily, struggling to make it up the corridor and refusing to look at Troy. "Just overwhelming. Now if you don't mind how about you make yourself useful and go find Minerva. Tell her to come to the hospital wing," then almost as an afterthought, "oh…and Snape too." Hadley was in the potions master's house, after all. He'd need to be informed of what happened.

"Poppy can summon them when you…" Troy began to argue, obviously not wanting to go.

"Troy!" Harry snapped in a strained voice. "Hadley is hurt, she was attacked tonight. Now will you please just go get Minerva and Snape? I'd rather not have Madam Pomfrey stop what she's doing to have to call for them herself."

Troy's smile faded immediately, and he glared at Harry, but nodded stiffly, before turning and strolling down the hall in the opposite direction.

Harry shook his head in exasperation, but refused to dwell on it now. The hospital wing entrance was at last in sight, and Harry had never felt more relieved to go through those double doors than he did right now.

He crossed to where the initial examination beds were and carefully laid Hadley down on top of the soft sheets, before turning towards Madam Pomfrey's office. She was already heading quickly towards him, however, as she'd seen him pass by, and her eyes were wide with concern.

"Harry, what happened? Who did this to you?" she asked hurriedly as she reached him, her eyes taking in his disheveled appearance. He didn't even want to know what he looked like at the moment, and shook his head quickly.

"Poppy, don't worry about me right now," he said, both exhaustion and urgency coming through in his tone. "Hadley was attacked, you need to look at her first."

"Who attacked her?" Pomfrey asked, turning her gaze on the small girl just behind Harry and starting her usual examination. "At least sit down Harry," she added, giving him a pointed look.

"Dementors," Harry said dismally, nodding faintly and moving around to the opposite side of the bed towards the nearest chair. "Two of them."

"Dementors?" Poppy repeated, paling noticeably as she glanced up. "In the school?"

"No, in the dark forest," Harry replied. "I'll explain later…but one of them got to her, it started the kiss…I don't know if it affected her…" he trailed off, his stomach twisting with worry over the thought. "I didn't want to waste any time by trying to wake her up in the forest…I didn't know if the dementors would return so I just got her out of there…and I haven't even tried to give her chocolate yet."

"Calm down, Harry, calm down," Pomfrey said softly, gesturing with her hands for Harry to relax. "The kiss didn't affect Hadley…I'd be able to tell just by looking at her. Nevertheless, she is in need of chocolate right now…" she trailed off, reaching into her white robes and drawing out her wand.

"Enervate," she spoke gently, aiming the tip at Hadley. The small girl's eyelids fluttered open lazily and she blinked a few times before finally focusing her gaze on Madam Pomfrey.

"Good evening," Poppy spoke softly, smiling faintly down at Hadley.

"Where am I?" Hadley whispered in reply, looking confused and scared. She shivered visibly, and began struggling to get into an upright position. She stopped abruptly though, lifting her hands to her upper arms, and rubbing weakly. "It's so cold…"

"Here dear," Madam Pomfrey said soothingly, helping Hadley get situated before lifting her wand once again. She waved it swiftly in front of her, conjuring a thick block of chocolate from thin air and breaking off a piece. "Eat some of this," she said, handing Hadley the flat chunk. Harry watched anxiously, feeling immense relief when Hadley slowly bit into the chocolate, and the color immediately began to return to her face.

"Do you need some of this, Mr. Potter?" Poppy asked, holding out a second piece and giving Harry yet another pointed stare.

"No," he replied, shaking his head weakly. "I wasn't close enough to feel any of the effects…"

"Yes well, you were obviously close to something else," Poppy said worriedly as she eyed Harry's injuries once more. "I'll need to check you over…"

"Soon, I promise," Harry said quietly, turning away and looking at Hadley who was staring straight back at him, a wary expression on her face.

Before Harry had a chance to say a word, however, the double doors to the hospital wing swung open briskly, and Minerva strode into the room, followed closely by Snape. Troy was with them as well, though lagging slightly behind the other two, and looking curiously at Hadley.

"Harry, what's happened?" McGonagall asked hurriedly as her concerned gaze swept over both he and Hadley.

"That's what I was just trying to find out," Harry replied, looking up at the headmistress through tired eyes.

"And that means what, exactly?" Snape spoke up sharply, glaring darkly at Harry. "What was your plan for Miss Thurnes' detention this evening? You've obviously endangered her life and…"

"Severus!" Minerva's crisp voice cut the potions master off at once. Harry was just staring at Snape, shocked to silence.

"That's quite enough," McGonagall continued stiffly, "we haven't even heard what's happened yet."

"You heard what Troy said," Snape replied through clenched teeth. "Hadley was attacked…and look at Potter," he went on, gesturing to Harry's wounds and bruises, "obviously it was the truth…"

"I was attacked as well," Harry said, finding his voice and straining to keep it even. "But not by the same things that went after Hadley…and I certainly never planned on this. I planned on having the detention in the dark arts classroom…"

"Then how, pray tell, did you end up outside?" Snape asked, a steely edge to his voice.

Harry returned Snape's glare, and for a long moment made no reply, until finally he tore his gaze away and looked to McGonagall.

"Would it be possible to talk about this…somewhere else?" he asked, his eyes flickering towards Hadley for the briefest second and back again. Minerva caught the motion immediately, however, and nodded once. Harry was relieved for that, at least. He didn't want to upset Hadley by what he was sure would not be a pleasant discussion, and slowly began to stand. But the dull stinging in his ankles increased intensely, and Harry inhaled sharply, grabbing tightly to the post that ran alongside the bed to prevent himself from collapsing.

"Harry sit down," Madam Pomfrey spoke up firmly, coming around the bed as she spoke. "You're in no condition to…"

"Poppy, this can't wait," Harry said weakly. "It's too important…" he trailed off, noticing Hadley staring intently at him. She didn't look worried or scared, but rather confused.

"Look," he continued, hastily. "It won't take long to do this if everyone just listens," he said, looking pointedly at Snape, "and doesn't interrupt me. Please Poppy?" he asked, looking directly into her eyes.

"I'm timing you," Madam Pomfrey replied, no hint of joking in her tone. "You've got fifteen minutes, use my office if you'd like."

"Thank you," Harry nodded gratefully before taking a deep breath. He was prepared for the pain this time, and started to move forward around the bed.

"No you don't, Harry," Poppy said quickly, taking hold of his arm and lowering him back into the chair.

"But you just…" he began to protest, trailing off as she held up her hand to silence him. With a quick swish of her wand, the chair Harry sat in was lifted into the air, only inches above the floor, and he held tightly to the arms as Pomfrey directed it across the short distance to her office.

"Thanks," he said, not caring that Troy was snickering at him from where he stood away from the group. Pomfrey simply nodded, and stepped aside, allowing the other professors to enter the office, before she shut the door silently behind her.

"Not a word, Severus," McGonagall spoke up sternly, looking pointedly at the potions master as they took their seats, before turning her gaze away. "Now, please…tell us what happened tonight Harry."

Harry nodded faintly, not bothering to look at Snape to see his reaction, and began explaining, as quickly as possible, everything that had happened over the last two hours. Seeing Hadley on the grounds, getting down and going after her, the Leech tree, the dark man, and the dementors. Harry spoke hastily, wanting to make sure they were told everything, and hoping to get a chance to speak with Hadley when he was finished.

"I will have to report this to Albus," McGonagall said at once, a somber expression on her face. "Dementors near the school…attacking a student… The ministry must be told at once."

"Why was Hadley out there in the first place?" Snape spoke up suddenly, his eyes boring into Harry's own.

"I haven't exactly gotten a chance to ask her yet," Harry replied flatly. "She only just woke up before you arrived. I was hoping to speak with her about it now, actually."

"Yes, perhaps that would be best," McGonagall said seriously. Under normal circumstances, Minerva would want the student to get their rest and speak with them about it later, but this different, and they all knew it. She stood up from her chair briskly and started for the door, before turning and looking down at Harry.

"Maybe it would be better if you let Poppy tend to your wounds now, Severus and I can speak with Hadley."

"No," Harry said evenly. "I want to know what happened out there tonight, I won't be able to get any rest until I know…at least as much as Hadley knows, anyway."

Snape looked as if he wanted to argue this but McGonagall spoke up first.

"Very well," she said with a curt nod, an unreadable expression on her face. She turned back towards the door, lifting Harry's chair with her wand, and started out into the examination area again.

Harry looked away as the chair he was on floated through the doorway and Troy stood there, sneering at him, waiting anxiously for the professors to emerge. Harry could feel himself going red in the face over the way both Poppy and Minerva had decided he should not be allowed to walk on his own, and wished they hadn't chosen to move him around as if he were disabled, but knew it would do no good to dwell on it now.

McGonagall spoke briefly with Madam Pomfrey, who directed them to the back of the hospital wing, where she'd moved Hadley. The small girl was propped up against several soft, white pillows, her black hair splayed around her, and her eyes staring absently up at the ceiling. Her robes were hanging in the half-open closet just beside the bed, and she was now wearing a warm, white nightgown.

"Good evening, Hadley," Minerva said gently, a soft urgency in her tone as she set Harry down beside the bed and lowered herself into a nearby chair to his left. Snape and Troy went around to the opposite side of the bed, and seated themselves quietly. "I can imagine you must be quite tired after what you've been through tonight, but it's terribly important that we speak with you now. We need you to tell us why you went outside this evening."

Hadley ever so slowly lowered her gaze from the pristine white ceiling above her and fixed her big blue eyes on Minerva.

"I can't," she spoke softly, her voice barely above that of a whisper.

"Why not?" Troy asked quietly, a cynical eyebrow arched at Hadley.

Harry glanced darkly at Troy, wishing he weren't here for this discussion, as Hadley turned her gaze upon him as well.

"Because…I don't…I don't really remember…" she replied, hesitantly.

"You don't remember anything?" Minerva asked, curiously.

"Well…I remember leaving my common room, I was on my way to Professor Potter's office…" she trailed off, her expression becoming fearful. "And then all I know is that I was somewhere dark…and these things…I don't know what they were…" she was breathing quickly now, the memory replaying in her mind. "They wouldn't let me go…and one of them grabbed my neck…it tried to…it-" Hadley stopped abruptly, choking on the words as her eyes welled up.

"Shhh…it's alright, you're safe now," Harry spoke soothingly, leaning forward in his chair and taking one of the small girl's hands in his own. She nodded faintly, before quickly wriggling her hand free and wiping furiously at her eyes.

"So…that's it then?" Troy asked, his voice dripping with skepticism as he fixed his gaze on Hadley. "You simply don't remember, and that's the end of it?"

"Troy…" Harry began through clenched teeth.

"No, no, no Potter, I'm trying to figure this out," the transfiguration professor said intently. "Hadley here has just informed us she was on her way to your office, and the next thing she knows she's in the Forbidden Forest and a dementor has its hands on her, is that right?" he asked, looking sharply down at the small girl.

"I was in the dark forest?" Hadley whispered, her eyes growing wide.

"Answer my question Hadley," Troy said curtly.

"Um…yes, that's right," she replied with a faint nod, looking hesitantly at the seemingly anxious redhead.

"Well, if you were on your way to Potter's office…why were you wearing your cloak?" Troy asked snidely.

"My cloak? I wasn't wearing my…" she trailed off as Troy jumped up from his seat, turning towards the closet against the wall near where he sat, and reaching in.

"Is this yours?" he asked quickly as he drew out a warm, black cloak. He flipped the hood back and pushed up the tag. "H. Thurnes. It's yours alright. Halls a bit chilly for you, were they?"

"But I didn't…" Hadley began, defensively.

"You didn't take your cloak?" Troy asked, curiously, a small grin on his lips. "Then how come you were wearing it when Potter found you?"

"I don't know," Hadley replied, barely audible.

"Stop badgering her," Harry spoke up then, glaring angrily at Troy.

"You should be more appreciative of what I'm doing for you here, Potter," Troy spat darkly.

"What are you…?" Harry began.

"Who's to say her little story here isn't all an act?"

"Troy, that's enough," McGonagall spoke up then, her tone severe and her expression stony. "Hadley has had a very trying evening and I suggest…"

"Minerva, please…just hear me out…" Troy interrupted, earnestly.

"Only if you refrain from accusing anyone without proof," McGonagall replied evenly.

"Alright…" Troy nodded, before lowering his eyes once more to Hadley, who was looking up at him apprehensively. "You say you don't remember taking your cloak, leaving the school and going into the forest…fine. Do you remember anything that happened while you were on your way upstairs? Did you see anyone? Talk to anyone even?"

"No," Hadley replied quietly, barely shaking her head.

"So…what then…you just, blacked out?" Troy prodded.

"I…yes…" Hadley nodded weakly. "I remember feeling a little dizzy…"

"A little dizzy, okay," Troy repeated, before looking up and addressing McGonagall. "That, to me, makes it sound as if someone inside the school cursed Hadley…or hexed her…in order for her to, I assume, do as they wanted. Now my confusion is this…Hogwarts is extremely well guarded, far more so now then ever before. It's impossible for an intruder to get in. But, let's say one did manage to make it inside. If they were after Hadley, why wouldn't they simply finish her off then and there? Why send her outside and into the forest…stopping back to get her cloak first, of course…and then lead her to the dementors?"

"Who's to say that's what happened at all?" Harry spoke up icily. "We can't just assume…"

"Exactly my point," Troy cut him off, darkly. "In all actuality, I think there's a strong possibility that this was all a trick someone tried to get to you…"

"Well then why do you seem to care so much?" Harry asked fiercely.

"That's enough!" Madam Pomfrey's voice cried out as she strode briskly towards them. "This poor girl needs rest and the two of you screaming at each other isn't helping anything!"

Harry lowered his gaze, only now realizing how loud he'd been speaking.

"Professor," Pomfrey continued, a more calm tone to her voice as she looked down on him. "I must insist on having a look at those wounds…"

"Just a few more minutes," Harry said quietly, before turning his gaze on McGonagall.

"Harry," the headmistress began, looking pointedly at him. "You can't keep…"

"I swear this is the last time, I'll go with Poppy soon," Harry said hurriedly.

"Fine," Madam Pomfrey spoke up curtly. "But no more questioning for young Miss Thurnes tonight," she said quickly, stepping past Harry and over to the side of the bed. McGonagall didn't argue, as she too obviously thought this to be a good idea, and watched as Pomfrey handed Hadley the cup she'd been holding.

"Drink all of that dear," she said soothingly.

Hadley simply nodded, looking quite relieved that the discussion would be ending, and raised the cup to her lips. Harry watched as she began to sip it down, barely making it halfway through the potion before her eyelids began to droop. Poppy reached out quickly, catching the cup as Hadley's arm fell to the bed sheets, and tucked the now softly sleeping girl in, before turning away.

"Next time I come back it's your turn, Harry," Pomfrey said pointedly as she started to walk away. Harry looked after her for a brief moment, before turning immediately back to McGonagall.

"Professor, it's obvious Hadley's in danger," he began seriously. "we need to find out who…"

"In danger?" Troy interrupted, sounding ready to laugh. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

"Yes, and it didn't seem to make much sense," Harry said darkly.

"Then let me explain it clearly," Troy snapped. "I believe it's possible, that earlier this evening Hadley left her common room with no intention of going to your office. She took her cloak and left the school, heading for the dark forest. You happened to see her, and followed. Now when she realized you were after her, she started to panic…why? Because she was meeting someone in the forest, and I'd be willing to bet that person works for Voldemort. But if you were to see her with this person, that's the end for her, she can no longer be a useful spy. So she made sure to keep ahead of you, warning the person that you were there, and staging that dementor attack so it appeared to you that she was just an innocent victim. No one went after you because they didn't expect you to be there, they weren't prepared. But surely you're the person Hadley is here to watch. Now she knows she'll have to find another way…"

"No," Harry interrupted. "There's no way what you're saying is true."

"And why not?" Troy asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"For one thing, if Hadley were a spy and she was out in the forest to meet with one of Voldemort's followers, do you really think she'd choose the one night she has detention to do it? She'd know I'd come looking for her…"

"Thurnes has detention quite often," Troy spoke up. "It must be hard for her to find a night when she doesn't, thanks to her disruptive behavior."

"Even still, there's no way that's what happened," Harry insisted, his tone becoming grave as he went on. "You didn't see her in the forest…the look in her eyes. She was beyond terrified…and I don't believe she could simply fake that emotion…especially in the short amount of time she had before I caught up with her."

"I think you're underestimating the power some of the dark lord's servants have," Troy spoke up crisply.

"And I think you're basing your entire theory on a cloak," Harry snapped back.

"Both of you, calm down," Minerva cut in, looking exasperated, obviously sick of the arguing. "Now we are not going to decide who is responsible for tonight's events using the precious little Hadley was able to tell us and guessing the rest. I'm reporting what we know to Albus first thing in the morning. The only thing we can do at this time, and it is for Professor Snape to decide, is if Hadley should receive any punishment for this."

Harry looked over towards the potions master at once, realizing suddenly that Snape had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the entire discussion thus far.

"I see no reason to punish Miss Thurnes at this time, headmistress," Snape said evenly. "Until we know more, I believe her explanation, and it seems she had no knowledge of her actions. I can't very well deduct points or give detention for that…if we find, however, that it was another student who did this to her…" he trailed off, darkly.

"Very well," Minerva replied, satisfied with Snape's decision. Harry sighed inaudibly at hearing this; glad to know Hadley wasn't in trouble. Nothing that anyone said would convince him Hadley knew of the dementors' presence that evening, he would never forget the look in her eyes.

"Severus," Troy spoke up then, sounding somewhat uncertain. "I hope you understand, when I suggested Hadley might be a spy…"

"No need for an apology, Troy," Snape interrupted curtly. "I'm afraid we all have to be suspicious these days. If any student in my house were passing information to Voldemort or another outside source in some way I would want to know immediately."

"Harry," Pomfrey's voice floated over to him as she made her way towards the group yet again. "I must insist that…"

"Alright, I know…" Harry nodded, having no excuses left.

"I should be getting back to my office as well," Snape said quietly, standing up suddenly. "Minerva," he continued, nodding to the headmistress. "Please keep me informed as to what the ministry discovers regarding this incident."

"I intend to Severus. Good night," McGonagall replied quietly. Troy said goodnight to the headmistress as well, though both he and Snape ignored Harry entirely, before turning away and heading for the exit.

"He was certainly quiet tonight," Harry mused as Poppy helped him out of the chair. He winced faintly, however, as the stinging in his ankles ran up his legs, and was greatly relieved to sit down upon the nearest bed. Now that he was thinking about his injuries, he felt the pain much more.

"Just relax Harry," Poppy said gently, but looking worriedly at the small punctures surrounding Harry's waist as she lifted his shirt.

"Severus?" McGonagall asked in response to Harry's comment, an amused grin on her lips. "Yes, I'm sure he was at a loss for words."

"But…why?" Harry asked, confused.

"Because Severus would have normally been doing exactly what you did for Hadley. He defends the students of his house, no matter what. The fact that you were doing it for him probably took him off guard."

"So because he couldn't argue with me he didn't say anything?" Harry chuckled. "Nice of him. Though if I'd said what Troy had I would be willing to bet everything he never would have sat there in silence."

"And I wouldn't bet against you," McGonagall said with a short nod, before stepping closer to where Harry lay, as Madam Pomfrey scurried about checking for any scrapes and bruises she might have overlooked. "How is he Poppy?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh before meeting Harry's eyes.

"Did you run through the dark forest with a blindfold on, Mr. Potter?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That probably would have hurt much less," Harry joked, but inhaling sharply as Pomfrey gently inspected a particularly dark bruise on his chest.

"Well it's obvious you've encountered a Leech Tree," Poppy said absently, going back to the tiny punctures. "You've lost some blood, but nothing too serious, thankfully," she said, then looked down at his ankles. "Try not to move much, I'll be right back," she continued, looking up at Harry briefly before starting across the room towards the many cabinets that held various medicines and antidotes.

Harry followed her progress for a moment, before turning his gaze upon Minerva, who was waiting off to the side, wanting to be sure Harry was alright before leaving.

"I meant what I was saying before," he began softly. "I believe Hadley is innocent…and that someone is after her…but I don't know why."

"That is what I believe as well, Harry," McGonagall nodded faintly. "However just as I told Troy…I'm not going to assume anything. The ministry can investigate this further…we will see what comes of it."

"Do you think there's any chance of them figuring out who that man was?" Harry asked.

"I hope there is," she replied quietly. The dark forest has only one Leech Tree, and if you were past it then that means you were also past the apparation barrier. But for now, at least, it doesn't seem as though they've gotten inside the school."

"Haven't they though?" Harry asked. "Someone got to Hadley…they must've. Why else wouldn't she remember anything?"

"There are, unfortunately, a great many ways to modify someone's memory, or erase it. Without knowing more, there's no way to say for certain if someone did indeed manage to get into the school without our knowledge."

"I have to ask you something," Harry said suddenly, his tone very grim. McGonagall gave a brief nod, waiting. "After what happened tonight, I would very much like to teach the students the Patronus Charm."

"Harry, that's far too advanced," McGonagall said immediately. "Even the most skilled wizards…"

"I know many of them might never come close to performing the charm correctly," Harry interrupted solemnly. "I remember how Remus made sure I was aware of just that when I started out as well. But if any of them are able to learn it then it's worth it. The dementors were here tonight because someone wanted them to get Hadley. If that same someone decides to try again, or if Hadley isn't the only target…I'd just feel better knowing that they would have some chance of defending themselves…" he trailed off, looking earnestly up at Minerva.

"So, if I were to agree to this," McGonagall started slowly. "How would you go about with the lessons? Would you be stopping your current lessons for all the students? Because that would take all year for some classes…and learning the Patronus Charm cannot be the only lesson…"

"I wouldn't stop the current lessons for the rest of the year, no," Harry said quickly. "I would stop them for two or three weeks, and after that the students that show they've got a good chance at learning it, or those that want to work on it further, can come to me for extra help. I'll set up a schedule for when classes are out, once a week…and anyone that wants to can come."

McGonagall seemed to consider what Harry had said, an intent gleam in her steely eyes.

"I want you to understand," she started evenly, "I do not like the idea of trying to teach the children this particular charm, especially when many of them are not nearly powerful enough yet to be successful in performing it. But…since it won't, in any sense of the word, harm them to attempt the charm, and since I do believe your point is valid, you may begin teaching the students how to create a Patronus. No more then three weeks of class time is to be used though, that is all I ask."

"Thank you, Minerva," Harry nodded gratefully, feeling relief swell within him. He hoped that once the ministry was notified of what had happened, something would be done to keep the dementors from ever entering school grounds again, but until then, he was going to make sure the students had a chance at defending themselves, should it become necessary.

"Alright Harry," Poppy's voice floated over to him as she strode back towards his bed. "We'll need to put this on the pricks you received," she said, holding up a blue cream. "And you'll need this for the rest of your bruises, and this is to get rid of any infection…" she continued, while placing several more bottles on the table beside the bed.

"Well it seems that you'll live through this," Minerva said with a tiny grin as Poppy began applying the first cream to Harry's wounds. "Good night Poppy, Harry. See you in the morning."

They both said their goodnights as well, and Harry watched as McGonagall made her way back across the hospital wing, before turning his attention back to Madam Pomfrey. Nearly a half hour had passed before the nursemaid was finished with the various medicines that Harry needed, but at long last, she gathered up her things to return them to the large cabinets.

"Thank you Poppy," Harry said, starting to slide off the bed.

"No you don't Harry. I want you here tonight," Poppy said in a very no-nonsense tone seeing him starting to leave.

"But I'm fine," Harry protested. "What does it matter where I sleep?"

"I want you in the hospital wing just so I can be sure…"

"Poppy, really…it isn't necessary," Harry said quickly. "If I need to take anything else, I will…but I don't want to spend tonight in the hospital wing."

"Let's see you stand, Harry," Poppy said curtly, giving him a pointed stare.

Harry hesitated a moment. He didn't feel any pain in his legs…so he began to slide slowly towards the edge of the bed dropping his legs over the side to where his feet softly touched the floor. But the second he put his weight on them, the pain fired up in his ankles, and he winced sharply, pulling himself back into the bed.

"The effects of the Leech Tree get worse before they get better, Harry," Madam Pomfrey explained flatly. "Now I want you to stay off your feet for the next eight hours…it's the only way you'll heal. The medicine will prevent you from feeling any of the pain so long as you don't push yourself by putting weight on your ankles. Understood?"

Harry nodded faintly and watched as Madam Pomfrey moved quickly back across the room to put the medicine away. He leant back against the pillows with a sigh.

"Not even a student anymore and somehow I always manage to spend at least one night in here…" he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

As he sat back up, looking around briefly, his eyes fell upon Hadley's sleeping form in the bed just beside his, and he couldn't help but feel worried for her. Who had wanted her dead? Or out of the way, at least. And why? Did she know something she wasn't supposed to? Or was there another reason? But no matter how many questions raced through his head, Harry kept coming back to one name.

Voldemort.

Who else would the dementors obey without fail? Harry had never heard of any other wizard having such control over them. Even the ministry seemed to have fairly little hold over the strange, sinister beings. However, if it was Voldemort, what did he have against Hadley? The dark lord only returned just over three years ago, when Hadley would have been around 8 years old. What could she have possibly done in that time to make Voldemort come after her?

"Here Harry," Madam Pomfrey's voice cut through his thoughts as she came back around to the side of his bed. "You should get out of those clothes now, I brought you some night clothes."

"Alright," Harry nodded absently. "Thank you Poppy."

"Do you need me to…" she began.

"I can get changed by myself," Harry laughed lightly, realizing what she'd been about to ask.

"Very well, just please do it soon," Pomfrey said quickly, setting the cup she'd been holding down on the bedside table. "When you're finished I want you to drink this right away, so you get your rest."

"Poppy, I know…I've got it," Harry laughed. "Don't worry. I'm a professional at this now."

"And sadly, you're telling the truth," Pomfrey replied, shaking her head. "Alright, I'm going…but I'll be back to check on you later, so please…get some rest."

"Good night Poppy," Harry said softly as the nursemaid walked back across the room. After another moment, he sighed inaudibly, and for the first time really looked himself over.

Bruises were covering his arms and chest, but they were fading noticeably as the seconds ticked by, thanks to the medicine. The miniscule puncture wounds around his middle were bright red, standing out harshly against his pale skin, but he thankfully couldn't feel any pain from them anymore, so long as he didn't touch them.

Moving gently and pulling his feet forward, Harry started to get changed, making sure not to put any weight on his ankles as he did so. He tossed the bloody, dirty garments in the general direction of the nearby closet, before lying back against the pillows, wide awake. After another moment, he reached over to the sleeping potion on the table beside him, intending to drink it down quickly, when he heard Hadley let out a soft moan.

Glancing over towards her once more, he saw her eyes fluttering open, the look in them one of confusion and fear.

"Hadley?" Harry called out softly.

The small girl's head turned sharply in his direction, a suspicious glint in her eyes, but it immediately eased when she realized who it was.

"Hello professor," she said quietly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, wondering if he should call Madam Pomfrey back over.

"I'm fine," she nodded stiffly.

Harry nodded softly as the girl looked away, her eyes taking in the room around her.

"I think you musn't have gotten enough of the potion before," Harry said quietly, gesturing towards the bottle Madam Pomfrey had left by Hadley's bedside. "You should probably finish that off…"

Hadley glanced at the sleeping potion hesitantly before looking back to Harry.

"Do I have to?" she asked apprehensively.

Harry was speechless for a brief moment, not expecting that to be the young girl's reply, before finding his voice again.

"Is there a reason you wouldn't want to?" he inquired softly.

"I just…I…I'd rather be awake right now," she replied quietly. Harry looked into her fiercely blue eyes, seeing the smallest hint of fear in them.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked gently, feeling he knew exactly why she was afraid. What eleven-year-old wouldn't be after being attacked by dementors?

"What do we have to talk about?" Hadley asked curtly, her eyes now fixed on her fidgeting hands.

"Nothing, if you don't want to," Harry replied. He watched her for a few more minutes as she stared around the room, looking at anything besides him, before he came to a sudden decision and began sliding slowly towards the edge of the bed.

Bracing himself, he let his feet touch the floor, feeling the pain burning in his ankles the moment he put his weight down. Feeling his knees start to buckle, Harry forced himself forward, making a fierce grab for the chair a few feet in front of him and catching its back. He stood for a moment, his breathing heavy, and slowly edged around until he was able to lower himself into the soft seat.

"Why can't you walk right?" Hadley asked quietly, a confused expression on her face as Harry looked up to meet her gaze.

"It's nothing…you need…to worry about," Harry managed to get out between deep breaths. He sat there in silence a moment more, feeling Hadley's eyes upon him while he regained his composure.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you," Harry said at last, sitting forward in the chair.

"You didn't," Hadley replied simply.

Harry had to stifle a laugh, not sure if he should be insulted by her bluntness.

"Alright, well then enough about me," he said with a grin before growing serious. "How are you? Is there anything you need?"

"I'm fine," Hadley replied quietly.

"Yeah, you said that before," Harry said knowingly. "Is it the truth?"

Hadley dropped her gaze quickly, giving no indication that she intended to reply. Harry sat in silence beside her, not sure if he should prod her for more, or try to get her to drink the rest of her potion, when she spoke up delicately.

"What did those things want?" she asked. "Why were they after me?"

Harry shook his head slowly.

"I wish I knew…" he replied quietly, trailing off as he saw small tearstains appearing on the sheets. He reached out, gently placing his fingers under Hadley's chin and lifting her face.

"Hadley…oh Hadley it's okay!" he insisted, soothingly, taking both of her hands in his. "You're safe now, they can't get you."

"But w-what did they want?" she sobbed quietly. "W-Were they going to k-kill me?" she asked, the tears coming harder now.

Harry pushed himself up from the chair quickly and grabbed hold of the bed tightly, slipping upon it and moving back against the headboard until he was next to Hadley. He put his arms around the tiny girl, letting her sob against him, letting out her grief and fear.

"Don't worry about it anymore," he whispered soothingly. "You're safe. I promise you I won't let anyone get to you. Never."

Hadley didn't reply, she simply wept, pressing her face into his chest. Harry felt a surge of anger at what had been done to the poor girl. She was shivering in his arms, obviously scared out of her mind, and having no idea why she'd been put through this horror.

Harry didn't try to make her talk any more; he didn't want to upset her any further. As the minutes ticked by, her sobs grew softer, and soon she was breathing deeply, sleeping soundly against him.

Letting out a tired sigh, Harry leant his head back against the headboard, not wanting to move for fear of waking her. Hadley was in need of sleep, and he wasn't going to disturb her for anything.

Harry went over the events of the evening again and again in his mind, coming up with no answers, but at long last, he felt his eyelids begin to droop, and all of his thoughts slipped away.

It felt as if he were only asleep a few moments, but when Harry next opened his eyes the sun was streaming through the window beside the bed. He raised his head slowly, inhaling sharply as he felt a pinch in his neck and realizing immediately it was stiff. It was then, however, that he realized exactly what had woken him.

Hadley was squirming on the bed beside him, moaning and thrashing about in her sleep. Harry sat up quickly, gently lifting the small girl in his arms.

"Hadley," he said, whispering urgently. "Hadley, come on…wake up," he said softly.

For a moment there was no response, and Harry opened his mouth to try again, when suddenly Hadley's eyes sprung open, and she looked terrified.

"Hadley! What is it, what's…?" he began, but trailed off as the small girl continued to wriggle around, trying to push Harry away from her and whimpering in her efforts.

Harry didn't know if she was still dreaming or not, but he drew his hands back in hopes that she would calm down easier.

Hadley stopped moving at once, breathing heavily from her struggling, her head hanging limply on her neck.

Harry sat motionless beside her, not knowing if he should move or speak, and not wanting to frighten the girl by doing either, when she slowly began to raise her eyes to meet his.

"Sorry," she breathed quietly. "I was…I-I…it was…a nightmare…" she stammered.

"It's alright now," Harry said gently. "You're safe."

Hadley nodded faintly, and looked away at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Good morning," Madam Pomfrey said curtly as she made her way to the side of the bed. "I imagine you'll be needing this, professor," she said, looking pointedly at Harry as she dipped her fingers in a jar of cream and applied it to the back of his neck. The pinching sensation dissipated immediately and Harry grinned sheepishly at the nursemaid.

"I saw you in Miss Thurnes' bed last night and had a very strong feeling you'd be needing this," she said knowingly.

"Thank you Poppy," Harry nodded.

"Can I go back to my room now?" Hadley piped up eagerly, her hopeful eyes fixed on Madam Pomfrey.

"How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey asked evenly, placing the jar she'd been holding down on the bedside table.

"Fine," Hadley nodded quickly.

"Well I still need to look you over once more," Poppy said gently, smiling at the girl's anxiousness. "But I'm sure you'll be able to go back to your dormitory today, yes."

"I'll just get out of your way then…" Harry trailed off, sliding forward.

"Hold on just one moment, professor," Madam Pomfrey spoke up, pointedly. "I want you to wait over on that bed right there, and after I've finished with Miss Thurnes, I'll need to have another look at you."

"It's really not necessary," Harry began, lowering himself gingerly over the edge of the bed and feeling greatly relieved when no pain resurfaced in his ankles.

"Sit," Poppy replied firmly, gesturing towards the closest bed.

"Yes ma'am," Harry sighed with a laugh, knowing it was pointless to argue.

The wait wasn't long, and nearly fifteen minutes after Madam Pomfrey had drawn the curtains around Hadley's bed, they reopened, and the small, eager girl slid happily to the floor, starting immediately for the exit.

"Don't run!" Madam Pomfrey called after her before turning to face Harry, rolling her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Harry joked, then nodded towards Hadley. "I'm on her side. Can't blame her for running."

"You're supposed to be setting a good example for the students, you know," Poppy spoke witheringly.

"Do you see any students here?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"Let's have a look at that stomach injury again, shall we?" Madam Pomfrey said, rolling her eyes once more in exasperation, before starting her routine examination yet again.

"So Hadley's alright then?" Harry asked after a few moments.

"Physically she's fine," Madam Pomfrey nodded absently, concentrating on the exam.

"She had a nightmare last night," Harry said softly.

"That's certainly not surprising," Poppy said quickly. "What child wouldn't after that ordeal? I take it that's why you were in her bed? I considered waking you, but decided against it."

"Well, I went over with her because she woke up, and she was scared," Harry explained, "but the nightmare came later. She was thrashing about and moaning in her sleep, and when I tried to shake her awake…I'm not sure…I think she might have still been dreaming for a moment because she tried to get away…but settled down as soon as I let her go."

"I see," Madam Pomfrey nodded, at last finishing her check-up and standing up straight. "Truly I don't think there's anything to worry about. I would bet that young Miss Thurnes will have a few restless nights after this. We will just have to watch her, make sure she still eats enough and resumes her classes as normal. There is no way to know how a child…or an adult for that matter, will handle something like this. Each case is different."

"Yeah, I guess you're right Poppy," Harry nodded faintly. "Thank you."

"You just remember to watch out for yourself as well," Poppy said quietly. "Now go on, get changed. I'm sure you don't want to be here any longer…"

Which was the truth; Harry quickly drew the curtains around his bed after the nursemaid had walked away, and threw on his now wrinkled clothes from the day before. He left the hospital wing and walked swiftly through the corridors, his wounds now completely healed.

After making his way back upstairs, Harry washed up quickly and threw on a fresh set of clothes, before setting off again into the halls. He wanted to speak with Minerva as soon as possible, to see if she'd contacted the ministry yet, and find out what their response had been.

When he reached the stone gargoyle that had once been the entryway to Dumbledore's office, Harry came to a stop.

"Honey berries," he said with a small grin. McGonagall had decided to keep with the tradition of giving this particular office a password that consisted of something sweet. As the statue slid aside, Harry made his way up the stairs to the next doorway and knocked lightly.

"Come in," Minerva's voice called out softly. Harry pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Oh, good morning Harry. Did you sleep well?" the headmistress asked pleasantly from where she was seated at the large desk. The room, while having the same set up as it had when Dumbledore was there, looked quite different. There were new paintings and wall hangings. The candles were placed around the room in a different pattern, and most noticeably, Fawkes' perch was no longer there.

"Fine, thank you," Harry replied politely, lowering himself into a seat as the headmistress motioned for him to do so. "I'm sorry to bother you, Minerva. I was just wondering if you'd gotten a chance to contact the ministry yet."

"I spoke with Albus this morning, actually," McGonagall replied with a nod. "He was, of course, just as shocked as we were to hear of dementors so close to the school. He unfortunately cannot make it here himself today, but he's sending several ministers shortly. They'll want to speak with you and Hadley about what happened before beginning their investigation."

"Of course," Harry nodded, wanting to do anything he could to help. "But, do they really need to question Hadley? She's been through so much…and I can tell them what happened…"

"I would prefer not to put her through this again as well, Harry. But unfortunately, I don't have a say in this. The ministry will need to speak with both of you, today. Once it is decided there is to be an official investigation, everyone must be questioned."

"I understand," Harry nodded slowly, but hating it just the same. "Would you like me to get Hadley?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Minerva replied, shaking her head quickly. "I've already informed Severus…he should be here with her soon. Now what about you? The ministers should be here any minute…are you feeling up to this?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine, honestly," Harry assured her quickly.

"Very good,' McGonagall nodded, and looking up as the door to the office swung open yet again. Hadley walked slowly in, a sour expression on her face, with Snape close behind her.

"Good morning Miss Thurnes," Minerva spoke pointedly.

"Morning," Hadley replied dully, before looking up at the headmistress, and continuing. "Do we have to talk about this again?" she asked, a slight whine in her tone.

"Yes, I'm afraid we do," the headmistress replied evenly, "and I'm very sorry for that, but it is necessary. Now please, have a seat."

Hadley trudged over to the nearest empty chair and let herself fall into it with a huff. Snape watched his student with one eyebrow arched during the brief conversation, before taking his seat as well.

"When are we expecting the ministers, headmistress?" he asked quietly.

"Albus told me that he'd be sending someone immediately to speak with Miss Thurnes and Professor Potter, then after that, several more ministers will be arriving to begin their search of the school and the forest."

"But, how will searching the forest help?" Harry asked. "I'm sure the dementors and whoever that man was wouldn't just wait around for someone to find them…"

"Dementors have been known to leave a magical residue behind when they attempt to administer the kiss, Potter," Snape spoke up, as if the answer should be obvious. "They might be able to trace it, find out if the intruders are still nearby, or if they've fled."

"Oh," Harry replied faintly, and opened his mouth to speak again, but never got the chance. The fire in the hearth suddenly turned a bright green, as the first of the ministers arrived.