Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Secret

by chadsgirl824

YEAR SEVEN Harry's 7th year at Hogwart's, and the hardest he's yet to face. New enemies and tough challenges await him, as well as the discovery of incredible new powers. Written PRIOR to OoTP

17. Chapter 17

Harry let go of the trunk, letting it crash to the floor with a bang; spinning around, he found several death eaters apparating into the room. Thrusting his hand into his pocket, he pulled out his wand as the closest death eater stepped towards him. It was Gridman.

"You might as well put that away," Gridman spoke with an evil grin, gesturing at Harry's wand with his own, "For all the good it will do you."

"No, I don't think I will," Harry spoke evenly, his eyes scanning the room, nervously. The doorway behind him was still unblocked except for his uncle, which he didn't think would be a problem, but he also didn't want to leave them there. Family was family, no matter how much he disliked them. Besides, whatever they had done to him in the past, it was nothing to deserve being tortured or killed by death eaters.

Gridman's smile broadened, as he saw Harry shift nervously.

"You're going to wish you never left us the other night," he snarled. You made our master quite.upset." trailing off, he flinched involuntarily. Harry couldn't imagine what Voldemort had done to them when they'd found he'd escaped, and didn't want to either. As far as he was concerned, it was what they deserved for allying themselves with the dark wizard to begin with. He glanced again over his shoulder to see an unreadable expression on his uncle's face, before turning again to Gridman.

"Look, they have nothing to do with this," he began, gesturing with a nod to his uncle, "leave them out of it. We can go outside and."

"Why, so you can get help from your friends who are waiting for you?" Gridman laughed. "We know you're not alone Potter, and we have no intention of losing you this time."

Harry's mind was racing. How did Voldemort know he was going to be at the Dursley's at this exact time? He couldn't leave his relatives alone, but he was greatly outnumbered. If they took him now, Sirius and Gazten would have no idea of it until they finally came looking for him, and he knew he hadn't been here long enough for it to be time for that yet. His only hope was to stall them.

"Don't worry, we have no plans to hurt the muggles," Gridman said in disgust, "so long as you do as we tell you to. We'll be out of here in a few moments, and they can continue doing.whatever it is muggles do. Now, you won't be needing your wand, so why don't you just give it to me?"

"I don't think so," Harry said calmly, tightening his grip on the wand. He wasn't going to make the first move, there were too many death eaters surrounding him. All he could do was hope to block whatever came his way, until he could think of a better plan.

"Fine, we'll do it my way," Gridman spoke flatly. He waved his wand in the air and shouted. "Expelliarmus!"

Harry felt his wand being ripped from his grasp, but this time something was different. This time he felt the invisible grip on his wand, trying to twist it from his hand. Bending his arm quickly, he brought up his free hand to take hold of the other end of the wand, pulling it towards him with such ferocity; he was able to draw it out of the spell. A brief wave of relief passed over him as he realized it had worked, and he quickly pointed the wand in front of him again, at a stunned, angry Gridman.

"Interesting," Gridman said through clenched teeth, eyeing Harry cautiously. His gaze fell upon the trunk that had been dropped to the floor. "Let's have a look at those crystals, shall we?"

Harry's eyes widened as Gridman stepped forward. No way was he going to let anyone touch the crystals. He shouted out the first curse that entered his mind.

"Compactum Crus!"

A stream of gold light emitted from his wand and hit Gridman in the shins, locking his legs together. The tall death eater fell forward from the momentum, hitting the floor knees first. Harry didn't stop to think, for he knew the other death eaters wouldn't waste any time in retaliating. Bringing his wand up and around in a spherical motion, he called out another spell.

"Veneficium Aegis!"

The air in front of him shimmered momentarily, as he watched the first curse heading his way. Upon impact with the shield Harry had conjured seconds before, the curse splayed itself against it and was rapidly absorbed, strengthening the block. Several more followed quickly, only to meet the same fate. Sparks flew as each one made contact, before they promptly dissolved.

"Idiots," a familiar voice muttered from above Harry and he began to turn around, wand outstretched as he heard the person descending the stairs, but he never made it. Something hard slammed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him entirely. He slumped to the floor in pain and gasping for air, as his wand was physically ripped from his grasp. Looking up through the tears that had sprung to his eyes, and coughing so fiercely it was close to retching, he saw his uncle straightening back up, holding his wand. It was immediately clear to Harry what happened. Vernon had punched him, obviously to get his wand, but he didn't know why.

"Very nice Dursley," Lucius Malfoy commented snidely as he reached the bottom of the steps and held out his hand. "I'll take that now."

Vernon looked hesitantly at Lucius for just a moment, before handing him Harry's wand.

"Where's my son?" he asked, meekly, his voice barely a whisper, sweat standing out on his shiny forehead.

"I told you he wouldn't be harmed," Lucius began, impatiently, "and he hasn't been. Your whale of a boy is asleep upstairs, and will remain that way for several hours." He turned away from the large man then and grinned down upon Harry. "I'm so very glad to see you again," he said maliciously, his eyes clearly showing his loathing. He glanced up at the other death eaters, then down to Gridman who was still struggling on the floor, looking disgusted.

"You truly are a pathetic lot," he spoke in a dangerously low tone, before raising his wand.

"Finite Incantatem."

Gridman jumped up instantly, snatching his wand up as he did so, and glared angrily down at Harry, who was still breathing heavy, but no longer coughing. The shield flickered out weakly, and Harry found himself surrounded by the death eaters, with nothing left to protect himself. He glanced sideways at the trunk, eyeing the lock, knowing he could never pick it in time to use the crystals, nevermind the fact that he hadn't the slightest clue how to do so.

"Stand up," Lucius spat, stepping in between Harry and the chest, having followed the younger man's gaze. Harry slowly pushed himself up and stood against the wall behind him. The dull ache in his stomach was completely masked by the sick feeling that was filling him. Surely there couldn't be too much time left before Sirius would come looking for him, but would he still be here when they arrived?

"How did you know I was here?" he asked evenly, glaring at Lucius, trying anything to stall for time.

"We have our ways," Lucius spoke crisply, taking a menacing step forward. Harry could see the tip of his wand poking out of the death eater's pocket, but he wasn't close enough to go for it. "Which I'm not about to share with you, now move." He reached forward and grasped Harry by the arm, shoving him away from the wall and towards the living room.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, looking around at the spotless room he had cleaned so many times.

"Sit down," Lucius said disgustedly, pointing to the sofa. Harry lowered himself into it cautiously as the other death eaters filed into the room. He saw there were six of them besides Lucius and Gridman, two of them carried his trunk in, and set it down near the fireplace. "Now we wait."

"For what?" Harry asked, fearing he already knew the answer as Lucius took a small sack out of his robes.

"For our passage through the floo network to be opened," he smiled, "it should only be a few more moments."

Harry looked around desperately, trying to clear his mind. He saw his uncle standing nervously in the doorway to the room, and his aunt had come up quietly next to him. They both looked rather pale and sick, and couldn't meet Harry's eyes.

"Shouldn't it already have been done by now?" Gridman asked impatiently, staring from Lucius to the fireplace and back.

"Calm down," Lucius said stiffly. "After your performance a few moments ago, we should leave you here wandless for his friends to find."

Gridman looked at him, indignantly, but stayed silent. His eyes scanned the room again, the Dursley's noticeably stiffening as he looked towards them, but he continued on until his eyes came to rest on Harry.

"I still want to see what's inside the box," he said maliciously, with a wicked grin on his face. He turned quickly and strode to where the box had been set down, kneeling next to it.

"No!" Harry screamed, jumping up from his seat. He attempted to lunge across the room to stop Gridman, but was grabbed by two death eaters standing nearby. They flung him back down to the couch, but he refused to stay put, he was on his feet again in an instant.

Gridman stood again, bringing his wand up in front of him, but Lucius had already began to move, he stepped in front of Harry, his wand aimed straight at him.

"I asked you," he hissed, "to sit down. You will be taught to obey when someone tells you to do something."

"Just keep him away from the crystals," Harry replied evenly, looking past Lucius to where Gridman stood. "And I will."

Lucius cocked his head, a cross between amusement and anger in his expression.

"You caused us a lot of trouble the other night," he began in a low voice. "And a lot of pain. I think we need to repay you."

Harry turned his eyes to meet Lucius' demented gaze, steeling himself for whatever was coming. He barely heard the words that left the death eater's lips, but knew as it hit him, it was the Cruciatus Curse. He fell to the floor, trying not to scream, writhing in agony, his back arched in pain. It went on and on, Lucius refusing to lift it, and soon it became impossible to hold in his cries. Anguished tears stung his eyes, blurring his vision, and he could no longer distinguish one death eater from another. He began to see black spots and his eyes rolled up into his head, it had become so very hard to breathe, and he fought with all he had left in him, to stay conscious.

"That," Lucius said, suddenly stopping, lowering his wand, "was your first lesson. There will be more.before you die."

Harry could barely move, he had the distinct impression someone was standing over him, laughing. Every fiber of his being was on fire, and his breathing was very shallow, but he wasn't going to lie there helplessly. Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to sit up, shaking badly. He saw Gridman smiling down at him, and a sick hatred filled him. His stomach twisted, much as it had two nights before, and he felt electricity in the air. As he lifted himself off the floor, his now weak legs shaking, a burst of flame suddenly exploded in the fireplace, and he knew the passageway had been opened.

"Bring him over here," Lucius said absently, and Gridman grasped one of Harry's arms roughly, forcing him forward.

"We don't want to take any chances," Lucius said, tossing floo powder into the fire. "I'll take him first, then the rest of you can follow. Gridman nodded, letting go of Harry's arm and stepping back.

"Move Potter," Lucius spat, pointing his wand again at Harry, but he didn't respond. He looked at the green flames, wanting their way out to be gone, when suddenly something flickered within them. He watched in amazement, as the green color faded out almost instantly, and the flames turned an eerie gray-white. Lucius noticed immediately what was happening, and looked accusingly at Harry.

"What did you do?" he screamed, angrily.

Harry stared at the flames in amazement, knowing again that he had caused this to happen, but not knowing how he did it. Only when Lucius physically pulled him around so they were facing each other did he tear his gaze from the now white hot fire.

"I asked you a question," Lucius spat.

"I.I don't know." Harry stammered. He had been furious only moments earlier, but now he was feeling nothing except awe.

"Fix it!" Lucius screamed.

"I can't!" Harry answered, trying to step away as Lucius' grip became uncomfortably tight.

"Maybe we should toss him in," Gridman quipped, smiling. "Then he can let us know if the floo powder still has any effect.and if it doesn't." he trailed off, his eyes gleeful as he stared at Harry. "Well we know he won't die anyway."

Lucius actually seemed to be considering the idea and Harry felt an icy chill run up his spine as he stood between the two men, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

Harry spun to look at the door, knowing it must be Sirius and Gazten. He was about to yell out to them, when a hand was clapped roughly over his mouth, and an arm wrapped over his own, pinning them to his sides.

"We outnumber them," Lucius whispered into his ear. "So stop struggling and maybe we'll let them live."

Harry nodded, faintly, knowing it didn't matter what he did, Sirius would not wait too long for someone to answer that door. He felt Lucius release him, only to see the twisted man point his wand at him again. Harry's arms were pulled behind his back as cords wound themselves around his wrists, binding them together, before Lucius grabbed him again.

"Answer the door," he hissed to the Dursleys still frozen to the spot in the entrance to the living room. "Stall them.and make it good.or you will regret it."

Turning back to the fire, Harry was afraid for a moment they really were just going to toss him in. The heat radiating from the flames was so intense he could feel the sweat beading along his hairline, almost immediately. But Lucius did not push him forward; instead, he reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the bag of floo powder again. He tossed it quickly to Gridman.

"Throw a bit more of that in," he spoke rapidly, "we'll see what happens." He looked up at the other death eaters in the room. "The rest of you, go, we will meet you back at the castle." Without even a moment's hesitation, the others in the room disapparated quickly, not daring to disobey Malfoy.

Gridman nodded, sprinkling some of the powder into his palm. He moved up directly in front of the fire, just as the voices in the hallway grew loud. Harry felt his heart beating so fast he could barely take it. Just a few seconds more, that's all he needed, then Sirius would surely push past and find him.

Harry watched as the powder hit the blaze and felt his heart sink as a fresh burst of green flames rose up, extinguishing the gray ones. He struggled against the cords around his wrists, and resisting with every ounce of strength left in him when Lucius attempted to force him forward, when at last Sirius burst into the room, looking furious. Gazten came up beside him, looking considerably more collected, but her eyes were narrowed dangerously.

Harry felt Lucius pull him again, this time so he was blocking the death eater from whatever curses the others may throw at him.

"Let him go," Sirius snarled, glaring menacingly at Lucius.

"You're too late," Lucius replied, Harry felt his grip tighten. He looked at Sirius, trying to remain calm. As he twisted his wrists, trying to free his hands his fingers brushed against something, and he realized it was his wand. Grasping the end of it tightly, he tried to lift it out of the pocket, but had barely any room to maneuver.

"Go," Lucius hissed at Gridman, seeing the other man standing there, as if waiting for orders. Gridman didn't waste any time arguing, he spun where he stood and nearly dove into the flames. Harry listened carefully, waiting to hear the name of where he was going, but the words never came.

A putrid smell filled the air almost immediately and Harry wanted to retch from the stench. He felt Lucius' grip loosen faintly. They both turned slightly looking to the fireplace, only to see the remains of what had to be Gridman, and realized instantly the stink in the air was burnt flesh.

Lucius spun back around, enraged. He glared at Sirius and Gazten's triumphant expressions, there was no way to take Harry now, and the tables had turned, he was outnumbered. Sirius took a step forward, keeping his wand trained on Lucius, who still had Harry in front of him, shielding him.

"Give it up Malfoy, you've got no one here to help you," Sirius said from across the room.

"Take one more step Black," Lucius called, loudly, "and you'll regret it dearly." Harry knew he was trying to use him against Sirius, but he was bluffing. Lucius couldn't do anything to kill Harry, and he had no way to get out of there with him either.

Malfoy seemed to realize this as well, as he looked wildly around the room. Harry felt Lucius let go of him and held fast to his wand, not wanting to lose it again. He felt a hand on his back as he was roughly shoved forward, his knees slamming into the floor, before the momentum carried him ahead completely. His head nicked the corner of the chest and he felt a twinge of pain, before he hit the floor, blood trickling slowly into his eye from the now open wound.

Pulling his knees up under him, Harry struggled into an upright position as Sirius rushed to his side.

"Are you alright?" he asked, a horrified expression crossing his face as he spied the blood.

Harry nodded slowly, shifting uncomfortably.

"I'm okay," he said quietly as Sirius untied him, "where's Lucius?"

"Disapparated," Sirius said angrily.

Harry nodded, expecting as much. He held up his wand in front of him for a moment, before sliding it into his pocket, and Sirius helped him to his feet. The effects of being under the Cruciatus Curse for so long were far from gone, and now that he didn't have other immediate problems, the pain was much stronger.

"He never stood a chance," Gazten spoke up from near the fireplace, a hand over her face in an attempt to block out the overwhelming stench. "He was gone the second he touched the flames."

"But why?" Harry asked, holding a hand up to his cut. "I didn't hear him yell in pain or anything."

"He was dead before he could," Gazten replied simply. "Something was wrong with the fire.maybe it was their floo powder."

"I.I did something to it." Harry spoke up quietly.

Gazten looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" she asked gently.

Harry felt nausea rising up in his throat, and had to look away from the corpse, tattered and singed flesh hanging off the blackened bones.

"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "But he was going to touch the crystals," he said, gesturing towards the fireplace, "and then the passageway was opened. I just got so angry.and something happened. I don't know what I did, but the fire went gray, and was so hot it hurt to stand next to it. When you rang the bell, Lucius gave Gridman the floo powder to try again.and it turned green.I thought it was back to normal, but I guess not."

Harry turned away completely, unable to stand the stench anymore. He felt dizzy for a moment, swaying on his feet, and put a hand out to steady himself.

"Well you used your powers without the crystals again, that much is clear," Gazten said. "And it's a good thing too, or they would have gotten you out before we arrived."

"Yeah, good thing," Harry replied. "I killed him."

"You did no such thing," Sirius spoke up, his tone one of concern and warning. "You have no real control over your powers yet, and you never forced him into the fire, he practically dove in on his own."

Harry nodded, not feeling entirely guilty over what had happened, but rather very ill over what he had seen. He pulled his hand away from his head to see his sleeve soaked in blood. As he turned his sleeve to use the other side of it for pressure, he looked up, and saw the Dursleys standing in the doorway, gaping at him.

"I know, I know," he spoke bitterly towards them. "Don't worry, we'll make sure everything's back to normal before we leave."

"Do you." Petunia began, hesitantly, almost scared to speak. "Do you want a cloth for your head?"

Harry felt his jaw drop in amazement and his hand slipped away from his wound.

"Er.excuse me?" he asked, positive he had misheard.

"Your head," Petunia said somewhat louder now, "it's bleeding quite badly. Let me clean it for you."

"After what you just did to him I think you need to just keep your distance," Sirius said angrily. "You stood by and watched, did nothing."

"What could we do?" Vernon shouted. "They threatened our son and they can do." he trailed off, not even wanting to say the word. "They can do magic!" he whispered fiercely.

"So can I," Sirius quipped, raising his wand in front of him.

"Sirius, no," Harry said, putting out a hand and pushing his godfather's wand down. "It's not their fault. We both know Malfoy would've killed them if they didn't do as he asked."

"That doesn't change the fact that they did nothing to warn you," Sirius said flatly. "They let you walk right into this trap, as it obviously was. Don't you wonder how the death eaters knew you were here?"

"Yes, I do," Harry replied, sounding calmer than he felt. "But I highly doubt the Dursley's were the one's to tell Voldemort I was coming."

"Come into the kitchen," Petunia said then, looking at Harry. He could see how scared she was, and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. "You need that cleaned," she gestured again to his cut, "and we can tell you what we know."

Harry looked hesitantly at the Dursley's, their pale, scared faces staring back at him. He glanced to his side, and nodded to Sirius and Gazten that this was what he wanted.

"Will you both clean up.that.?" he asked with a shudder, gesturing but not looking towards the fireplace. "I don't want to leave it here for them, and the muggle police would never understand."

"I'll take care of it," Gazten replied with a curt nod.

"Maybe you should take care of that gash too," Sirius began, pointing to Harry's wound while still looking distastefully at the Dursley's. "The quicker we."

"Sirius," Harry interrupted quietly, shaking his head. "I'm going to go out to the kitchen now, you can come if you want." He'd never had any semblance of a real conversation with his aunt and uncle. While whatever they were going to tell him probably wouldn't quite fit under the realistic category, it was better than being yelled at or ordered around. He'd never seen Petunia look so worried about him, and as much as he hated to admit it, he liked the feeling. She was the closest living relative he had, and the idea of someone in his family caring for him was wonderful to Harry, as it was something he'd never experienced.

"I'm so sorry about all of this," Harry said as he followed them into the kitchen he'd grown up in, Sirius close behind him. "I never meant to let anything happen to you.if I'd have known the death eaters would be here."

"You should be sorry," Vernon spat, angrily, his eyes still filled with fear. Harry stepped firmly in front of his godfather, who had balled his hands into fists, glaring dangerously at the large man. "This is exactly why we didn't want to keep you from the start! Brutes like that coming into our home, terrorizing us for."

"Vernon!" Petunia shrieked hoarsely, her eyes wide with fear. She moved very close to her husband and whispered fiercely. "How can you even think of accusing him after what we just saw?" Vernon glared stubbornly back at his wife, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm going to look in on our son," he hissed, emphasizing the last word while fixing Harry with a menacing stare. "Whose life was put in danger because of his kind," he jerked a thumb at his nephew, before turning from his wife and stalking out of the kitchen.

Sirius was positively shaking with fury and Harry looked at him pleadingly.

"He doesn't deserve the air he breathes," Sirius whispered fiercely, looking through the doorway as Vernon began stomping up the stairs.

"Just give me a few minutes," Harry said quickly, "I promise we won't stay long."

"He should be apologizing to you," Sirius went on, turning to his godson. "He has no right to."

"You're right," Petunia spoke up, cutting in. "We should be apologizing." She looked at Harry sadly, an expression he'd never received from her in his life. "We knew about those men being here. They came to us yesterday evening, knowing you would be arriving today for your trunk."

"Did they say how they knew?" Harry asked. Petunia sighed softly, shaking her head.

"Come and sit here, Harry. Let me get a wet cloth and some antiseptic before that gets infected," she said gesturing towards his head. She turned to the cupboards and pulled open a draw, removing a cloth from it. Moving to the sink, she turned on the faucet, and let it run until the water was quite cold, before dampening the cloth and crossing to where Harry was now sitting across the table from Sirius.

"Let's have a look," she said, moving his blood-drenched sleeve away from his head. He let his hand fall into his lap, feeling her put pressure gently on the wound.

"Thank you," he murmured, feeling somewhat awkward.

"What is it you have to tell us?" Sirius spoke abruptly, and Harry threw him a warning look, but he ignored it, staring intently at Petunia.

"I don't know how much help this will be to you, but I'll tell you what happened," she spoke, as she cleaned the cut. The bleeding had almost stopped from Harry having kept his wrist pressed up against it for so long, and she didn't need to hold the cloth there for very long. Crossing the room, she grabbed a bottle of peroxide from one of the cabinets, and began to explain.

"Last night, we had a knock at our door, very late. As we never have anyone over at that hour, and hadn't been expecting anyone in the first place, we tried to let it go and not answer. But the person was quite persistent and wouldn't give up, so finally Vernon answered the door."

Harry inhaled sharply as the peroxide stung the tender skin around the gash on his head, and gripped the arm of the chair.

"Sorry," Petunia said quickly. "It won't hurt for long."

"It's okay," Harry whispered, "please, continue."

Petunia nodded.

"The person at the door was the one who seemed to be in charge of all the others today. He introduced himself as one Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and said there was a small matter he needed to discuss with us, involving you," she said, looking down at Harry. "Vernon told him you no longer lived here, and that if he wanted to speak with you he should try.your.school." she trailed off, obviously not saying whatever it was her husband had truly said about Hogwart's.

"What did Lucius say?" Sirius pressed.

"He told us you would be coming here, today, for a trunk that had been given to us back when you'd first arrived. We tried to explain you'd already taken all of your belongings and wouldn't be returning, but Mr. Malfoy was quite persistent that there was still this trunk. Vernon finally remembered having buried a large chest sent to us shortly after we found you on our front stoop. He offered to show Mr. Malfoy where it was, told him he could dig it up and take it, but he was having none of that. He told Vernon that he wouldn't be digging it up, we would, and when you came to stall you long enough until they could come for you.and the chest."

"Why did you go along with that?" Sirius asked angrily.

"Because." Petunia said weakly, her eyes glassed over with fear and despair. "Because they threatened to kill us, starting with Dudley, our son."

"It was still wrong of you to not even try to warn him." Sirius trailed off seeing Harry glare angrily at him.

"I'm so sorry Aunt Petunia," Harry began gently as she finished placing the last bandage on his head. "I never meant to get any of you involved in this."

"And I'm sorry we let this happen. I wanted to do something.to stop them.when they.they." she trailed off, shaking her head miserably as if trying to rid herself of the thought. "What they did to you.it looked so painful, so inhuman.so cruel.I'm sorry." She put a hand up to her face, and turned away from the two men. Walking back to the sink, she began to run the water again, splashing it lightly on her face.

"What did they do to you?" Sirius asked evenly, looking seriously at his godson.

"It.he." Harry sighed, not wanting to talk about it. "Lucius used the Cruciatus Curse.for a very long time," he spoke quietly, the effects of the curse still causing a dull pain in his muscles, "too long. I think seeing it must've.scared her," he said, nodding towards his aunt who had shut off the water and was now heading back to them.

Sirius looked nearly murderous at this point, and Harry stared at him earnestly, pleading with him silently to calm down.

"I'm sorry," Petunia laughed nervously. She cleared her throat looking again at Harry.

"You're sure there was nothing else Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked. "Lucius never mentioned anyone telling them I was coming?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Petunia replied softly. "He only told us that you would be here today, and that if we didn't do this." she trailed off, tears again brimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I have to go check on Dudley.you seem better now, is there anything else you need?"

Harry shook his head, standing up slowly.

"No, I'm fine," he answered. "Thank you for this," he said with a small grin, pointing to the bandaged wound.

Petunia nodded once and stepped closer to Harry. For a moment he was under the impression she was going to hug him and had to stop himself from stepping back. It was just too awkward, but as she raised her hands, placing them on his shoulders, she didn't pull him into an embrace, but rather leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"Good-bye Harry. Please don't ever come back."

Harry looked at her, confused and sad as she stepped away from him. She never even gave him a second glance as she turned towards the door, passing Sirius and heading for the stairs. He listened as she ascended the steps, to where Vernon and Dudley were surely waiting for her, and for Harry and the others to leave.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, seeing the pained expression on his face. Harry nodded, swallowing hard. What did he expect after all? The Dursley's would never accept him as family. Petunia was upset by what she'd seen, but that didn't change her true feelings for him. Meeting his godfather's gaze, he tried to smile.

"C'mon," Sirius continued, walking over and putting a comforting arm around his godson's shoulders. "Let's get out of here."

The ride home was utterly silent, which Harry was quite glad for. He tried to rest for the most part, letting the motion of the car, and his exhaustion from all that had happened, lull him to sleep. When at last they'd arrived at Hogwart's, long after the sun had set for the day, Harry was feeling slightly better.

"I'll get the trunk inside, meet you both upstairs," Sirius said, pulling out his wand. Harry and Gazten merely nodded, and began to ascend the steps. They headed straight for Dumbledore's office and went directly inside when they'd reached it.

"Do you ever go anywhere without getting hurt, Potter?" a nasty voice snarled at them when they entered the office. Harry looked up to see Malfoy standing in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest, looking almost furious.

"How about you ask your father?" Harry shot back, suddenly angry. "He's the one who did this."

"Lucius was there?" another voice asked and Harry turned to see Lupin standing nearby. Glancing quickly around the office, he saw Dumbledore, Cole, Marzia and Neville were also present.

"Several death eaters were," Gazten answered for him, moving into the center of the room. "They set a trap for Harry.they knew he would be there."

"But how?" Marzia asked, her eyes wide. Harry had to stop himself from laughing. During the ride back to the school, he'd had ample time to consider what had happened. Out of the people that knew he was going, Marzia was the only one he didn't trust.and if she were working with Saaneeraa, or being controlled by her in any way.then it would have been easy for her to pass this information along the night before, in time for his visit today.

"We don't know how," he answered stiffly. "Someone obviously told them though.unless they can read minds now."

"It must have been some trap," Cole spoke up then. "Mr. Malfoy here was in a great deal of pain," he said, looking at Draco evenly. "But it was good practice."

Draco glared from Cole to Harry in disgust, his hands balled into fists.

"Everyone just calm down," Dumbledore spoke up then, standing from behind his desk. "Harry, please come sit down, you too Allison. Tell us what happened."

Sirius entered the room then, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"The crystals are in your dorm," he said looking at Harry, who nodded in reply.

"Oh wonderful," Cole said happily. "We will need to begin working with them right away."

"There will be time for that tomorrow, Cole," Dumbledore spoke firmly. "Right now, however, we need Harry to explain what happened today.and then I think it's best he gets some sleep."

Harry looked gratefully at the headmaster, knowing he was not up to starting on the crystals tonight, and began re-telling the events of the day.

That night, Harry went to bed quite early. He finished telling Dumbledore and the others what had happened at the Dursley's, leaving out only what Petunia had said to him at the end. When he'd finished he listened for a short while, as the others discussed what should be done next. There was no doubt someone in the school was leaking information. Someone who could obviously get very close to them as they knew where Harry would be that day, when very few people in the school had been aware of it.

He glanced across the room, where Malfoy was slumped in a chair, as far away from Harry as he could get, looking decidedly angry. Harry did feel somewhat sorry for him, Draco had probably never felt the Cruciatus Curse before, and now that he had, it was more painful for him then it was for Harry himself. Draco looked up to see Harry staring at him, fixing him with a furious glare.

Sighing quietly, Harry shifted his gaze. Marzia was participating animatedly in the discussion the others were having, which made him uneasy. He had to find some way to be sure if she was truly the one working with Saaneeraa. It was too big of an accusation to just place upon someone without being positive, but he was also worried about not doing it soon enough. Today had been too close, and while it was only a death eater who had lost their life, it was still someone dying, and it could've been much worse.

Dumbledore looked up from the conversation at the students still in the office.

"Why don't you three get some rest now?" he asked gently. "There are things we need to discuss and you don't need to worry yourselves with any more than you have to right now."

"Fine by me," Malfoy said, jumping up from his chair. He stalked past Harry and Neville, and strode through the door, stomping down the stairs, angrily.

Harry and Neville exchanged knowing glances, rolling their eyes at Draco's behavior. They said goodnight to the others, before heading downstairs themselves, and starting towards the Gryffindor tower.

"I see Malfoy is handling this just as I expected he would," Harry said, walking slowly beside his friend.

"Well," Neville began. "He actually wasn't doing too badly earlier.Cole was working with him, showing him the same magic Allison had shown to me, when suddenly everything changed. He fell to the floor, screaming.something was hurting him horribly and it was nothing either Cole or I could see. We knew it had to be from you, but it was so painful Malfoy wasn't even listening as Cole tried to explain to him what to do." Neville trailed off, staring straight ahead. Harry could see a far away look in his eyes, almost watching the scene play over in his head.

"I.I don't know what to say." he stammered, feeling guilty all of a sudden. "If I hadn't provoked Lucius.he probably wouldn't have."

"Stop it Harry!" Neville shouted abruptly, making Harry jump. He stopped walking and turned to face him. "You blame yourself for everything that happens.and I think you need to face the fact that there are things in life you cannot prevent, no matter what you do. If you stop something from happening once, it doesn't mean it won't happen again later. Things happen that you don't want to.sometimes it ends tragically, other times it doesn't, but you can't keep believing everything is your fault.you just can't."

He stopped speaking suddenly, and an awkward silence fell over the two of them. Neville stared cautiously at Harry, his cheeks blushing furiously, and Harry looked down at the floor, his shoulders drooped.

"I'm.I'm sorry." Neville spoke, seeing how sad Harry now seemed.

"Don't be," Harry spoke hoarsely. "You're entitled to your opinion."

He looked up then at Neville, feeling tears in his eyes. Neville didn't know what it felt like, when someone died because of something you did, whether you intended it to happen or not.it wasn't something you just got over. And what had happened with Cho was far too recent for him to just forget about. He averted his eyes quickly and turned away, walking up the hall in silence. Neville looked after him for a moment, before beginning to follow him.

While his friends had been waiting up for him, Harry didn't much feel like explaining everything again. He told them he was too tired and needed to sleep, and that if they wanted to know what had happened they could ask Neville. He felt bad about brushing them off, but after the events of the day, and the mood he was in thanks to Neville's comments, he wanted nothing to do with anyone right now. Changing quickly, he slipped into bed, noticing the chest of crystals next to his trunk, before pulling the curtains around him. Despite having slept in the car, he fell asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, he felt himself being shaken awake gently, and he rolled over slowly, hearing a familiar voice calling his name.

"C'mon Harry, we have to get you started with your training," Gazten spoke in a low voice, not wanting to wake anyone else in the room.

"Wh-what t-t-time is it?" Harry asked, trying to stifle a yawn while giving a large stretch.

"Seven o'clock," she replied handing him his glasses. Under normal circumstances, Harry would object to being woken so early during a holiday, but he did no such thing. Nodding absently, he pushed the covers away and swung his legs over the side. Gazten went to wait for him downstairs, levitating the trunk behind her. Changing quickly, he grabbed his wand and watch off the table out of habit, and raced through the door after her.

"Where are we going to do this?" he asked as they walked stepped through the portrait hole together and into the hallway.

"We're going to use the dark arts classroom for now," Gazten replied, grinning down at him. "In the event you might lose control.or something.it has a good supply of antidotes and elixirs."

"Will the crystals be dangerous?" Harry asked, feeling worry creep up inside him. "I thought they were supposed to teach me."

"Harry," Gazten cut him off softly. "We're only doing this as a precaution. I highly doubt anything will go so wrong that we'll need an antidote, but better safe than sorry."

Harry nodded faintly, still feeling much more tense than he was a moment ago, but kept his pace steady with Gazten's, until at last they reached the classroom.

"Here we are," she said quickly, setting the trunk down and waving her wand. The candles throughout the room lit at once, casting a warm glow across the room.

"Now," she continued, gesturing to Harry to come closer. They knelt beside the trunk together, and she turned to look at him. "Open it."

Harry turned to meet her gaze, puzzled.

"How?" he asked.

"I don't know," Gazten replied. "You're the Psion, and as such the only person who can get this trunk to unlock."

Harry spun his gaze again to the chest, and the large keyhole that blared tauntingly back at him.

"I don't suppose.using my wand." he began, reaching a hand into his pocket and wrapping his fingers around his wand.

"Psions don't need wands," Gazten said curtly. "Don't bother."

Harry nodded, sighing faintly. He was off to a great stop. Reaching his hands out in front of him, he began to feel around the sides of the chest, looking for a hidden switch.a key.anything, but the surface was utterly devoid of any such clues.

Hesitantly, he extended a finger, pushing it into the keyhole ever so slowly, hoping there was no surprise waiting for him. He kept pushing until his finger hit the back of the lock. Unable to move any further, he started feeling around from side to side in the tiny keyhole, but couldn't find any trigger to release or button to push. Removing his finger from the hole, he stared at the trunk in frustration.

"I don't know what else to do," he muttered, glancing at Gazten before bending forward to look inside the keyhole. "I can't find anything that will."

He stopped abruptly as his eye stopped in front of the lock, and an eerie silver light began to glow inside. Every crack on the chest began to light up as Harry jumped back, startled, and they both heard a loud click, as the catch finally popped, and the lid began to open slowly.

Harry's breath caught in his throat as the trunk lid swung to a stop, now completely open. He leant forward, peering cautiously inside, almost expecting something to jump out at him.

"Wonderful," Gazten spoke suddenly, startling him. He jumped back and turned to look at her. She was smiling warmly back at him. "You figured it out much sooner than I'd expected."

Harry grinned at the compliment, shrugging modestly, before glancing back at the trunk.

"What now?" he asked, expectantly.

"Now, you introduce yourself to them," she replied. Harry looked at her questioningly.

"How exactly do I do that?" he asked.

"Actually, you won't have to do much of anything," Gazten answered, she shifted in her spot, crossing her legs in front of her as she went on. "You see, there are fourteen crystals altogether. Each one embodies a specific emotion or trait, such as courage, knowledge and fear. You and you alone will be able to communicate with the crystals, and ask their advice whenever you wish. Sometimes, they will give it even when it is not requested. While they may not always agree with each other, they will all be trying to do what's in your best interest, leaving the final decision, ultimately, up to you."

"Sounds confusing," Harry said uncertainly.

Gazten laughed softly.

"I agree," she smiled. "But at least for you, the confusion won't last long. You will be able to see and feel what I'm talking about, where as I will only ever have that explanation."

"What about what Cole was talking about?" Harry asked suddenly. "He said I would be able to channel energy through the crystals.to do magic."

"First things first Harry," Gazten said. "This entire process is going to take quite some time, and before we can get into anything as powerful as that, you need to introduce yourself to the crystals. Now before you do that, I must warn you, the crystals will need to form a bond with you. When you touch them, one at a time, the crystal will absorb a splinter of your personality, for whichever emotion it embodies. The courage will draw from your courage; fear from your fear.and so on. The only downside being, you will be overwhelmed momentarily, by that particular emotion, as it is being drawn from you. This is the only time, however, that you will have no control over that. Once you have bonded with them, you can draw from them as you wish, the key is, to use the emotions wisely."

Harry nodded, still feeling very uneasy about everything, but at the same time, excited. He exhaled slowly, and looked back to the trunk.

"Okay," he said quietly, tentatively reaching down into the chest, "here goes nothing."

Harry reached down to where a thick cloth, yellowed with age, was spread out covering the contents of the trunk. He pulled it away absently to uncover what he'd been looking for. The fourteen psicrystals lay side by side in two even rows at the bottom of the chest. They were nestled into heaps of the thick fabric that had been covering them, to keep them from rolling about.

"Wow," he breathed faintly, taking in the sight. They were absolutely stunning. Fourteen crystals, each the size of his two hands folded together, shimmering and shining like new. They reminded him of large diamonds, and as the candlelight reflected off of them, Harry could see the rainbow prisms of light that sparkled from each delicately cut corner. "They're amazing," he said, not taking his eyes off of them.

"That they are," Gazten replied with a grin. "Now, it's time to begin. Are you ready?"

Harry nodded, so captivated by the crystals he could not have turned away if he wanted to. Bringing up his hand again, he lowered it towards the closest stone, hesitating for just a moment, his fingers hovering anxiously above it, before finally closing them around the cool surface of the crystal.

The result was immediate. Harry felt a jolt of energy flow through him for mere seconds, when suddenly sweat formed along his brown and running down his face, stinging his eyes, he began to shake fiercely, inexplicably afraid. He wanted to drop the crystal, to run and hide, everyone was after him, he was going to die, to suffocate, to drown.he needed to get away, get away now!

"Stop!" he screamed, trying to get away, shoving himself violently away from the trunk. "Stop, please make it stop.make it."

"Harry!" Gazten yelled over his cries, grabbing him firmly. "Harry, you have to control your emotions!"

"I can't I can't.I.I." he began trying to shrug her away at first, but slowly calming down. "I.what." he was breathing heavy, wiping sweat from his eyes, he sat back up. "What was that?" he asked, feeling exhausted and shaken. "What just happened?"

He looked down at the stone in his hand, now glowing a deep shade of green.

"It appears." she began, straightening up where she sat as well, "that you picked the fear crystal first. Unfortunately not the best choice, but you can't be expected to tell them apart just yet."

"That.that won't happen every time, right?" he asked, praying for her to say no.

"That won't happen ever again when you touch that crystal, no. The rush of emotion you felt will happen, but not for fear. You will see what happens as you continue."

"Do you really want to go through that again? Get out while you can!"

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, looking around uncertainly. He was positive he'd heard someone speak, but didn't see anyone besides Gazten.

"Are you listening to me? Go!"

"Who's there?" Harry asked, looking around wildly. He glanced at Gazten to see if she heard it too, but found her smiling back at him.

"Harry, calm down. No one else is here. The voice you're hearing, is the fear crystal."

"But.then why."

"What was it saying?" she asked.

"It was saying I should get out of here now, so that wouldn't happen again."

"Exactly, because it now possesses a splinter of your personality. It knows you didn't like what just happened, and being the embodiment of fear, is telling you to run."

"So.that's how they communicate with me?" Harry asked, still feeling dazed and looking warily at the crystal. "But, you didn't hear it. Everyone's gonna think I'm nuts, walking around talking to myself."

"No, they won't," Gazten smiled. "They can read your thoughts. You don't have to speak if you don't want to."

"Oh," Harry replied simply. He looked down again at the crystal in his hand, still glowing green, before placing it gently back into the trunk.

"Are you ready for the next one?" Gazten asked. "Or do you need a break."

Harry looked up at her, determinedly. "No, I don't need a break," he said. He moved his hand to the next crystal, taking a long, deep breath, this time a bit more prepared for what was about to happen, before closing his fingers over the crystal.

As he expected, the jolt of energy shot through him again, causing him to sway from the force of it. He began to scan the room anxiously, seeing every crevice and crack along the walls. He could almost hear each individual flame flickering on all the candles surrounding him. His breathing was strong and measured, and he could hear Gazten's just as clearly as his own. Catching movement out of the corner of his eyes, he turned to see a small mouse flitting about under the instructor's desk. It raised itself up on it's hind legs and wiped at its snout with its paws, and Harry could hear the scraping sound it made as if the mouse were performing this action in the palm of his hand.

Suddenly, everything snapped back to normal. The walls appeared regular, he could barely hear his breathing, and the mouse was just a speck across the room, under the desk.

"Did you see that?" a strange voice floated up to him, sounding curious.

Harry nodded.

"Yes, I did," he replied faintly, looking down at the crystal, which was now glowing light orange.

"That seemed to go much better," Gazten spoke up. "What happened?"

Harry explained quickly about the clarity in which he'd seen and heard everything in the room, finishing with what the crystal had asked him.

"The observant crystal," Gazten stated. "Will definitely be useful when you know how to use it."

Harry nodded, placing it back in the trunk, watching the glow fade. He grabbed hold of the next crystal without hesitation, followed by another rush of energy.

Out of nowhere, he was overcome with the urge to fight. He wanted to punch something, to rip it apart. He glared angrily at Gazten and she stared evenly back at him, tensing as she saw the look in his eyes. She pulled out her wand, pointing it at him, refusing to break eye contact.

Eyeing her suspiciously, he lowered his gaze to the wand, weighing his chances of getting it away from her, when suddenly the feeling began to diminish. He looked immediately down at the crystal, glowing red, and felt he already knew what this one was for.

"What's wrong with you? Are you chicken? After everything that's been done to you someone else needs to feel some pain!"

Harry flinched away from the snarling voice, very much hoping to never hear it again.

"Anger?" he asked, looking at Gazten. "Is there an anger crystal?"

She nodded once.

"I figured as much, by the look in your eyes. You were ready to fight, and I mean ready."

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly, lowering his head. He quickly placed the crystal back in the trunk, not wanting to think about what he could have done if it had lasted any longer. He glanced quickly at the next crystal, hoping for it to be a good emotion, before scooping it up in his hand.

As soon as his fingers touched the crystal Harry felt an immense pressure in his head. He winced in pain but it subsided almost instantly. Images began to flash through his mind, so quickly he could barely keep track. Everything he'd ever seen, ever known, ever done, was playing back to him in short clips, starting with his earliest memories. He saw his parents, smiling down at him, followed by a green flash of light. Then the Dursley's yelling at him, Dudley teasing him, Hagrid telling him he was a wizard, meeting Ron, Hermione, Draco, Images from school, with friends and enemies, quidditch matches and class experiments alike. His breath caught in his throat as Cho flashed briefly in front of him, he saw her as she was the first time he'd ever laid eyes on her, in her quidditch robes on the pitch, but it passed quickly. It went on like this for seconds that felt like hours, memories from his past, and soon they were too fast to see anymore, colors swirled in his head and he wanted to shut them out, make them stop pounding in his skull, and at long last they did.

He opened his eyes and blinked several times, wanting to be sure the images were truly finished.

"What happened that time?" Gazten asked gently.

"I saw.everything," he said slowly. "Anyone I'd ever looked at, or talked to, anyplace I've been.everything."

"Then that," she said pointing to the crystal, now glowing faintly yellow, "is your memory crystal.

"Well, what's it good for?" Harry asked. "I mean, if it's only my memories."

"The crystal will remember everything you've ever done, seen or heard Harry. Things you think you've forgotten can be resurfaced by means of the memory crystal. It can be one of the more powerful ones, when properly used.

Harry shrugged, not really seeing how it could truly be that useful, but not about to argue the matter. He placed the crystal back into the trunk, the glow fading quickly, wondering why it didn't talk to him as the others had done. He moved his hand to the next in line, and pulled the crystal out of the box, grasping it tightly.

The now familiar rush of energy swept through him, and he waited for the new emotion to take over.

Suddenly he began to have strange thoughts. He wanted to spy, to sneak around the school, to hear things that no one would say in front of him. He glanced around the room, spotting several hiding spots where he could effortlessly slip into unnoticed and eavesdrop. A sly smile crossed his lips as he thought of all he could discover, before the feeling began to fade away, diminishing slowly.

He shook his head of the thoughts as a voice drifted up to him.

"There's so many things being kept from you, but they don't have to be."

"Oh good, that's just what I need," Harry replied sardonically. "A ticket to detention."

He looked up to see Gazten looking questioningly at him.

"So, is there an eavesdropping crystal?" he asked, placing the now silvery gray stone back into the box, watching as it faded.

"The sneak crystal," Gazten said with a grin. "Another one that could come in handy, just don't abuse the power it gives you. It can be very tempting."

Harry nodded in agreement.

"I can definitely believe that," he said, looking back at the crystal. No, he thought, before allowing himself to consider the possibility too long. You are not going to use it unless it's necessary.

Pulling his gaze from the crystal again, he moved on to the next one.

As his fingers closed around the sixth crystal and the new emotion took over, he suddenly started to think of excuses. Reasons to get away from Gazten, leave the room, avoid his friends, skip his classes, put off homework. Lies and deceptions were filling his head, things he could use to get out of trouble, though surely would only get him in deeper when he was found out. The urge was so strong, he was about to look to Gazten, tell her he had to leave, he was sick, and it would have worked too. He knew without a doubt that he could be very convincing in his act, and she would believe him to be ill, but forced the thought from his head, as at last the feeling began to grow fainter.

"Now this could be useful for divination," he said with a grin, looking up at Gazten.

"How so?" she asked, smiling.

"Well," he began almost sheepishly. "Professor Trelawny really doesn't.explain things very clearly," he said, trying to remain polite. He was after all talking to one instructor about another. "And sometimes.we have to make up our.predictions," he continued, shrugging apologetically.

"I can completely understand," Gazten laughed at his expression. "Divination, I'm afraid, can't really be taught. If you're a seer, you are born with the ability. If you aren't.well, I guess then you teach others about it." she trailed off, smiling widely. Harry stared at her in amazement, unable to keep from laughing at her comment.

"Just don't tell her I said that," she said, winking.

"You're secret's safe with me," Harry replied. "So," he continued. "This must be a lying crystal then?"

"Oh good, a smart one." a sardonic voice answered.

Harry looked down at the crystal, which was letting off an eerie black glow, both bemused and insulted.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh marvelous, this one will be such a joy, I can tell."

"Liar."

"What?" Harry cried. He opened his mouth to continue then clamped it shut. What am I doing? Arguing with a rock? He shook his head, feeling stupid, and lowered the crystal back into the box.

"Go with that feeling."

"Shut up," Harry hissed, dropping the stone back into place, watching the black light fade.

"The liar crystal," Gazten spoke up then, and Harry caught the amusement in her tone, "another very tempting power."

"Actually, I think I'd be happy not touching it again," he replied, glaring down at the crystal. Pulling his gaze away, he looked at the last crystal in that row and reached for it.

The next crystal filled him with such a sense of concern it was almost unbearable. He looked at Gazten, seeing her watching him, wondering if she was alright.

He wanted to make sure she was comfortable, safe, secure. His thoughts centered on her well-being, wondering what he could do to ensure she remained as she was, at ease and unharmed.

The feeling began to diminish suddenly, and he looked down at the crystal, now emitting a pink glow.

"Pink, ey?" Gazten said. "I would bet everything that would be the caring crystal."

"I wouldn't bet against you," Harry replied, feeling somewhat awkward. He was supremely thankful the emotion had faded before he'd had the chance to speak to her, and embarrass himself.

"You need rest, time to recuperate, relax. Don't push yourself."

"Oy," Harry said, dropping the stone quickly and turning away from it. The last thing he needed or wanted right now was pity, and coming from a crystal as well. No thank you.

"I hope the next one isn't so sappy," he commented as he reached up to the next row, grasping the first crystal in line. As the rush of energy passed, he began to feel very creative. Quidditch and chess didn't interest him, but rather poetry, painting, dance. He felt he could do any of these effortlessly, as if he were born for that specific purpose. The feeling didn't last long however, shorter than any of the others, and he looked up at Gazten when it had faded.

"Um.an artistic one.maybe?" he asked, as the crystal glowed violet in his grasp.

"The artiste crystal," she replied with a nod. "Didn't last very long, did it?"

Harry shook his head.

"You relate to all the crystals on a different stage. Different levels of necessity. Each Psion has their own qualities and talents that they are born with. You, not being very artistic, will relate to that one on a lesser level. It doesn't mean you can't have that trait, it just means you don't consider it as one of the more important ones."

"So I relate closer with lying and sneaking around?" he asked.

"You tell me," she replied with a smirk.

Harry merely grinned back at her.

"Firm hands.so many things you could build.create.."

"Not today," Harry said with a shrug, already realizing how little he cared about that one. He looked to the next crystal, anxiously, and lifted it out of the trunk.

This time he was filled with the feeling to be obedient. He had the sudden urge to find the headmaster and make sure they were allowed to use this room while there were no classes in session. Breaking rules was utterly out of the question and he went so far as to lift himself off the floor, taking a step towards the door, before the feeling faded.

"Where were you going?" Gazten asked as he turned around, questioningly.

Harry had to laugh at what he'd been about to do.

"To ask Dumbledore if we were actually allowed in here. I was worried about breaking a rule.or something. What crystal is this?" he asked, holding up the pale blue gem.

"The meticulous crystal. It pays serious attention to detail, and is adamant about rules and customs. You only felt half of what it's capable of."

"Well why do I need this when I've got Hermione?" Harry joked. "There isn't a rule she doesn't have memorized. And she can remember the smallest of details."

"Now you can too," Gazten replied. "If you want to."

"Are you sure you should be here? You might need to wear safety gear in this room.are there any creatures about that could be a hazard? What will you do if."

"Okay," Harry said with finality, dropping the crystal back into its spot. "The nagging crystal is a better name, I think."

"Hey," Gazten spoke up with a grin. "They're all pieces of your personality here. You insult them, you're only insulting yourself."

"Yes but they're magnified pieces," he shot back with a smile. Looking back into the trunk, he moved his hand towards the next crystal.

As soon as he gripped it everything in the room seemed to darken except the crystal. He saw it in his hand, standing out against his dim surroundings, unable to hear or see anything else. The floor below, the ceiling above and the walls around him were gone. If someone else was in the room with him, he couldn't tell. He could see only the crystal, and it was all he cared about. Its gleaming surface was magnificent, and the detail with which it had been cut was exquisite. He was taken aback by how stunning it appeared to be, when suddenly everything came rushing back.

He sat up straight, looking around curiously, before settling his gaze on Gazten.

"You were leaning awful close to that crystal there, Harry," she commented, nodding towards the stone, which had absolutely no color to it. The crystal was as clear as the sky on a cloudless day, and you could see through it almost as if it weren't there.

"You were gone," Harry replied. The room, the light.everything. It was just the crystal and I."

Then that's the focus crystal. It allows you to focus on the task at hand, and since you were introducing yourself to it, the crystal itself was the task."

"You better stop all this needless chatter. There are four more crystals in that box."

Harry chuckled softly as he laid the crystal back in its spot.

"So basically it will keep your mind from wandering, right?" he asked.

"To put it simply, yes," Gazten replied. "But remember.you are being overwhelmed with these emotions now, but this is the only time that will happen. When you are using them after this, all you will receive is their advice, and when you make a decision on whose advice to take, that is when you can utilize their power."

Harry nodded, not sure he understood completely, but knowing he would probably learn it soon enough. The crystal was right however, there were four more to go. He lowered his hand again into the trunk, reaching for the next stone.

The surge of energy that flowed through him was promptly followed by a rush of confidence. He felt he could accomplish anything with ease. No matter what the lesson was, he would breeze through it. The battle would be won and he would be victorious. The feeling was intoxicating, addicting. He was invincible.

"Whoa," he said shakily as the emotion subsided. "That was.I mean.I felt.like I couldn't lose."

"Like you couldn't lose." Gazten mused. "I would think that's most likely the confidence crystal."

"Most likely?" Harry asked. "You don't seem sure this time."

"Well, I didn't experience what you did, so I can't be positive. However, there are two that are very similar to each other. Confidence is one of the two, and I'm pretty sure it's the one you just felt."

Harry looked down at the deep blue crystal, curiously.

"There's nothing you can't do.you are more powerful than they are."

"What's the one it's close to?" he asked, not taking his eyes from the gem.

"Let's just wait," Gazten said. "You only have three left, when you come across it, I'm sure you'll know."

Harry looked from Gazten to the confidence crystal and back. He raised his hand and lowered the stone back into the trunk, before moving it over to the next one. Hovering above it for just a second, he grasped the crystal and pulled it out of the box.

The resulting emotion was almost identical to what he'd felt a few moments ago. The same feelings of confidence filled him, the same exhilaration. But something was off by a hair. The sensation of being invulnerable was there, but his will to be the victor was much stronger. So much to the point that anyone who might be harmed by his actions was inconsequential. He would do whatever it took, no matter what the cost. No price was too high, not even another life.

When the emotion finally eased, fading quickly, Harry's hands were shaking.

"I don't." he began. "I don't want to use this one. Ever."

Gazten's eyes flickered to the coppery looking stone, before she raised them to meet Harry's

"Resolve," she said simply. "Your resolve will be unbreakable with the aid of that crystal."

"So I gathered," Harry said curtly. "But.it was so.callous."

"Not callous," Gazten interjected. "Determined."

"Whatever it was."

"What are you complaining about? You have the power to control. To rule. Anything you want is yours."

Harry shuddered involuntarily.

"It sounds like.like Voldemort," he whispered. Not wanting to touch the crystal any longer, he lowered it back into the chest eagerly, letting it plop into place.

"The key is not to use it as Voldemort would," Gazten said gently. "You have amazing power Harry. More so than you can even imagine. There will be times when this crystal can give you the best advice, please don't disregard it before you've given it a chance."

Harry nodded, noncommittally. He was afraid of what could happen, what he could do, if he let that feeling take control again. It was just too frightening to think about. Forcing these thoughts from his mind, he reached for the next crystal.

As his fingers closed around it and the energy pulsed through him, he found himself doubting everything. Looking at Gazten, his mind began to race. Could he trust her? He hadn't known her for very long.but she was helping right now. Was it all an act? If so, then why? Was there something she could gain from doing this? Moreover, would that be the reason.or was there something else.

Harry felt the feeling diminishing and looked down to the pale green stone in his hand.

"Sounds familiar," he quipped, unsure of his feelings for this crystal.

"What does?" Gazten asked.

"Well, it just made everything seem very.shifty. It was suspicious.but confusingly so." he trailed off, hesitating. "But it sorta reminded me of talking with Ron and Hermione.when we're trying to figure something out."

"The psychological crystal," Gazten stated, with a smirk at Harry's comment. "Probably the most puzzling of the lot. Each stone has its specific trait, but the psychological one analyzes every angle, sometimes thinking of questions you wouldn't normally think to ask."

"Sounds like a headache to me," Harry said, looking back down at the gem.

"Too many strangers here." was all the crystal said. Harry looked at it, baffled, but it remained silent.

"Something wrong?" Gazten asked, seeing his expression.

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head. "No, everything's fine. Like you said, I guess. Puzzling."

He shrugged it off, placing the stone back in the chest gently, before settling his gaze on the last crystal.

"Last one," he murmured to himself, before wrapping his fingers around the crystal tightly.

A jolt of energy and emotion unlike any he had felt up until now consumed him. He cried out, not in pain or alarm, but in awe. Everything that he had ever feared in his life began to surround him. He felt the presence of dementors and could see death eaters everywhere. But in the center of it all, staring straight at him, was Voldemort. The dark wizard was smiling down at him, the glowing red eyes piercing straight into Harry's soul, but he was not afraid. He pushed himself up and stood to face his enemy, sure of only one thing, that this was the way it had to be. No matter who won the battle, or the war, it would ultimately come to this. He would face Voldemort, no matter how afraid he was for himself or those he loved.

The emotion did not fade as the others had, it ended abruptly and harshly, and Harry took a step forward to catch his balance. The crystal in his hand had a deep gold color to it, shimmering brilliantly.

"Courage," he stated, not needing to ask.

"Yes," Gazten confirmed, firmly. "The last one. And seemingly, the one you relate to the strongest. I could feel the power.the energy, all emanating from you."

"You.you could?" Harry asked, smiling.

Gazten grinned warmly, before her expression turned serious once more.

"Be careful Harry. Courage is truly a wonderful trait to possess, but if you aren't careful with the power, if you don't use it properly, you will lose. Your personality is split among the fourteen stones, and if you rely heavily on one or two of them, it will result in your defeat."

"How do I learn then?" Harry asked. "I remember Cole saying the crystals will teach me."

"That they will," Gazten said. "You won't be starting that today though, Cole and I need time to prepare."

"I don't understand," Harry began. "If the crystals are going to teach me then what do you need to do? What are you going to prepare?"

"The crystals need a reason to teach you Harry," Gazten answered. "They won't do anything if you're just sitting in a classroom holding them."

"A reason?" he asked, feeling strangely nervous.

"Don't think about it right now," Gazten replied. "You did wonderful today, kept control very well over everything. For now I think it's best you take the crystals back to your dorm and then go to the headmaster's office."

"Professor Dumbledore? But."

"He asked that you stop in to see him," Gazten cut in, "when we'd finished. I'm sure he's anxious to hear how it went.among other things."

"Right," Harry replied, feeling silly, thinking he probably should've known that to begin with. "I guess.that's it then?" he asked, feeling somewhat torn. He was definitely tired from the literal whirlwind of emotions, but at the same time, he'd enjoyed the time spent introducing himself. He was somewhat unwilling to stop working with the crystals now, but after what Gazten had said, could find no reason to argue. No use in sitting around holding them when nothing would come of it, though he hoped whatever they needed to prepare could be set up soon.

"I will let you know when you can start your training, I promise it won't be long," Gazten said, smiling warmly, seeing the expression on his face. "Did you have any other questions?"

Harry shook his head slowly.

"Not right now, anyway," he shrugged, grinning.

"Well if any come up, please feel free to come find me, I'll try to answer anything I can."

"Thank you," Harry replied with a nod. "I'll see you later then," he said as he closed the trunk, hearing the lock click. Using his wand, he levitated it up, and directed its movement in front of him, heading towards the Gryffindor tower.

When he stepped through the portrait hole, before he could even head for the stairs to the dorms, Harry heard his name. Looking up, he saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny, all standing near their chairs, as if they had just gotten up when they saw him enter, beckoning for him to join them.

"I can't," he called, shrugging apologetically. "I need to go see Dumbledore." Before any of them could argue, he turned away and started up the stairs. His stomach was knotting over the idea of talking to his friends. He just knew they'd bring up Cho, and he didn't want to think about that right now. He missed them terribly, but he wasn't up to the discussion he knew would ensue, everything felt better when his mind was occupied with other matters.

Placing the trunk on the side of his bed, he heard footsteps coming into the room behind him, and turned to see Ron.

"What's going on Harry?" he asked, seemingly pleasant, but the look in his eyes told Harry he was more than concerned.

"I told you," he replied casually. "I need to go speak with Dumbledore. He asked me to come see him after the lesson this morning."

"Oh," Ron replied, disappointed. "Well do you want me to come?"

Harry shook his head immediately.

"No, thank you," he said evenly. "He asked me to come, I don't know if he wants to talk to me alone."

"I could walk you there then," Ron pressed. "I'll just turn back when we get to."

"Ron," Harry interrupted firmly. "Thank you, but no. I'm perfectly capable of walking through the school on my own."

"I wasn't implying that you couldn't," Ron said, holding his arms out to his sides. "I just."

"I have to go Ron," Harry said suddenly, feeling a fresh wave of grief pass over him. The look in Ron's eyes was plain as day and Harry didn't want to be pitied. What good could come of crying, in front of Ron no less? He didn't want to have his friends see him like that.

Stepping past Ron, he headed for the door without looking back, and went downstairs. Hermione and Ginny called to him, but he waved politely, before escaping through the portrait hole again.

He moved quickly, wanting to get to the headmaster's office before any of his friends could follow him, if they were even going to try. Why couldn't they just see he needed time? Talking about what happened any more than he already had was not top on his list of things to do. Cho was dead, end of story.

Before he knew it, the stone gargoyle was in sight, and he trotted the last few feet before reaching it. After giving the password and watching it swing aside, he started up the stairs to the office, only to stop dead in his tracks, as his path was suddenly blocked.