Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling.
Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chappie, Enjoy!!
Chapter Thirty Two
Harry paced the floor in the Room of Requirement. He couldn't settle. The conversation with his mum and dad went horribly wrong, his meeting with Damien couldn't have been worse and to top it all off, he still wasn't any closer to figuring out the identity of the Dark Prince. So everything he had done and just went through was pointless. Sirius watched him silently from his chair. He didn't have anything comforting to say. The only thing that was coming to him was 'I told you so'. He didn't think Harry would want to hear that.
The door opened and a dejected looking Tonks came inside. She looked at Harry and Sirius and didn't even try to smile. Sirius felt his heart break for her. It looked like her conversation with Remus went as well as Harry and James'.
"Hey Tonks." Sirius greeted warmly.
Tonks didn't reply. She walked inside and threw herself into the chair next to Sirius. She hid her face behind her hands and tried to compose herself.
"I take it Remus was mad." Sirius asked. Tonks looked up at him, her eyes rimmed red.
"He didn't even talk to me. I tried to explain what happened but he doesn't want to hear it. He just sat there and gave me the silent treatment. The only thing he said in the two hours I spent with him was 'You should have told me' even though I explained why I couldn't!" Tonks told him emotionally.
"That seems to be the general comment." Sirius told her.
Harry was ignoring the other two. He couldn't think about them and how he had ruined their relationships as well as his own. If only he had caught the damned Dark Prince impersonator! Then at least he would have succeeded and all this would have been a lot easier to handle.
"Harry?"
Harry looked over to see Tonks looking intently at him.
"What?" Harry asked when he realised Tonks and Sirius were waiting for some sort of answer from him.
"I asked how things went with your parents?"
"Brilliant! That's why I'm spending my last night here!" Harry snapped back.
"Don't yell at me! I'm only asking." Tonks answered back sharply.
"Don't ask stupid questions then!" Harry hissed back.
"Harry, don't make things worse than they are. No one else is going to be talking to us three so let's not fall out with each other as well." Sirius said in a low voice.
Harry glowered at Sirius.
"Everything would have worked out if it wasn't for those Aurors! I should have just killed the lot of them!" He seethed.
"I can't believe he got away." Tonks said as she shook her head. "I don't think everyone would be as mad at us if we had caught him. At least it would be the end to this nightmare."
Harry and Sirius silently agreed with her. Most likely, James, Lily and Remus would probably still be furious but they would have acknowledged that success of their plan. But the Dark Prince had escaped and they were no closer to finding out who he was and why he was targeting Harry.
"At least we know something about him. We have his initials." Tonks offered as consolation.
"A lot of good that is!" Harry said with a glare at Sirius.
"It's something." Sirius answered, getting tired of Harry's attitude.
"I told you not to mess around with the map! I told you to leave it alone. If you had then we would have learnt his name and not be stuck with useless initials!" Harry yelled.
"There was no way we could have spotted him!" Sirius yelled back, unable to stop himself.
"Look, we may not have succeeded in catching him but this wasn't a complete waste of time. At least now everyone saw that you aren't the Dark Prince. The Minister can't frame you for anymore attacks and neither can the Dark Prince, that's something." Tonks told Harry.
"Tonks is right, Harry. At least your name's been cleared." Sirius added. "We have his initials, it's something. I'm sure we'll get more clues and soon we'll have him figured out."
Harry didn't say anything right away. He turned to look at Sirius and Tonks, his eyes clouded with aggravation.
"I don't know why but…I can't explain it, but I feel like I know him. He felt…familiar but I don't know why." Harry told them. This was the reason he was so quiet up until now. He was trying to figure out why the Dark Prince impostor seemed familiar.
"Um, maybe you didn't notice but he looked just like you. Maybe that's why he seemed familiar." Sirius said in an almost sarcastic way.
Harry threw him an annoyed look.
"So he's definitely a Death Eater then? That's why he seems familiar to you? You've probably met him before." Tonks asked, excitedly.
"I don't know. I can't pinpoint what it is about him that seems familiar. It's like when you see someone but can't remember their name or where you know them from. It's so frustrating!" Harry hissed and took to pacing the floor again.
"Harry, do you know how much you look like James when doing that." Sirius had to say it out loud. It was annoying him for so long now.
Harry opened his mouth to answer but a sound behind him stopped him. He spun around to see the door smashing open and Malfoy came crashing inside, holding onto someone.
"Malfoy?!" Harry started in surprise.
The blond Slytherin was struggling to keep a hold on the boy next to him. His wand was pointed at the skinny boy's neck but that wasn't stopping him from trying to escape. Harry was more than surprised to see Nott trying to get out of Draco's grip.
Tonks and Sirius had joined Harry and were pointing their wands at Nott as well to stop him from fighting back.
"What is going on?" Tonks asked.
Nott's eyes widened when he saw the two Aurors standing next to Harry. All his strength left him and he stopped struggling.
"Guess who I caught trying to sneak out of Hogwarts?" Draco said as he pushed Nott towards Harry.
Nott stood on trembling legs before Harry. He was trying to figure out a way to escape but with Harry and two Aurors in the room it didn't seem like he would succeed.
"I don't understand." Tonks started.
"It's you." Harry said before Draco could speak, realisation hitting him hard. "You're the mole. The spy who's been passing on information."
Nott looked at Harry with a mixture of hate and fear but didn't say anything.
Sirius and Tonks both looked amazed. They fixed their wands to Nott, not wanting to lose him. They watched as Nott turned around to face Malfoy.
"You traitor!" he spat at him.
Draco's face twisted in anger at the insult.
"I'm not a traitor!" he hissed back at him.
"You chose him over the Dark Lord! After everything he did to our Lord, you continued to be his friend. You are a traitor! You chose him over the Dark Lord!" Nott spat at him, the look of hate intensifying on his face.
"I chose Harry over your Lord a long time ago." Draco said coolly. He smirked in his usual fashion before adding. "Did you never wonder who lead all the Aurors to Riddle Manor?"
Nott's eyes widened further and he stepped back in shock.
"Snape! Everyone said it was…"
"Snape wasn't alone." Draco cut him off. He was enjoying this. After nearly a year of hiding the truth, it felt immensely satisfying to say it out loud.
Nott couldn't find anything to say. He was taken aback by the truth of Draco Malfoy's loyalties. He felt a hand grab him from his shoulder and he was roughly turned around. He faced a livid looking Harry and he felt his knees buckle just at the sight. Harry grabbed him by the collar of his robes and dragged him across the room, Tonks and Sirius quickly following.
"Harry! Don't do anything to him!" Tonks said, afraid that Harry would kill the boy.
But all Harry did was throw Nott into the chair that had been previously occupied by Sirius.
"Start talking!" Harry spat at him. He desperately wanted to hurt him. He had found the spy and all he wanted to do, more than anything, was to make him bleed. He wanted Nott to suffer for everything he had put him through in the last few months. But Harry knew that he couldn't. He needed information from him and dead people couldn't talk.
"We need to get Dumbledore." Sirius said. He hadn't forgotten the ear bashing the Headmaster had given him earlier. They had to involve him in this.
Tonks pointed her wand at the door and whispered a spell. At once a silvery mist erupted from the end of her wand and formed into a Chameleon. It darted out the door and was away in a matter of seconds.
Nott watched, the colour fading from his face. His eyes darted to the four people standing over him, Harry, Draco, Sirius and Tonks. He nervously licked his lips, he knew he was caught and he couldn't see any way out of this.
It only took a few minutes for Dumbledore to arrive. He walked into the room and was informed of the situation by Tonks. The Headmaster turned his eyes to the skinny boy sitting awkwardly in the chair. His blue eyes pierced into the Slytherin and he looked almost ashamed.
"Tonks, inform the Ministry. You will have to escort Mr Nott there after I have a word with him."
Tonks nodded her head and left the room. Dumbledore walked to Nott, and stood before him, his shoulder was almost touching Harry's but neither noticed.
"Mr Nott, you will be escorted to the Ministry soon. There you will probably be charged for intentionally holding back vital information regarding the attacks carried out by the person disguising themselves as the Dark Prince." Dumbledore calmly told him. Nott was losing more colour but kept quiet. "I understand that it was you who supplied the Sedare Potion to Mr Creevey so he could spike Mr Potter's drinks, is that correct?" Dumbledore asked.
Nott nodded his head, his eyes fixed to Dumbledore's.
"So you knew the nights the attacks were going to be carried out and still you didn't alert the authorities. You let innocent people die and get hurt. For this reason you will probably be treated like an accomplice of the Dark Prince and will be held responsible for many of the attacks and fatalities." Dumbledore looked intently at the young boy before him. "I have to ask you why you felt the need to help such a person? Why did you agree to pass on information to the Dark Prince?" Dumbledore asked, his tone getting harder with every word.
The question changed something in Nott. His face that was previously drained of colour suddenly flooded pink. His eyes darted to Harry and the look of pure hate and anger he threw his way was surprising.
"I did it because of him! To take my revenge." he spat, glaring at Harry.
"Why? Was it to avenge Voldemort? Somehow I don't see you being that bothered about him." Harry asked, showing no other emotion other than anger
"I did it to avenge my father's death! I wanted to hurt you because you killed my father!" Nott screamed.
Harry stared at him, completely thrown by him.
"What are you talking about? I didn't kill your father!" Harry spat at him.
"He may not have died by your hand but he died because of you!" Nott said, angry tears swimming in his eyes.
Draco stepped towards Nott, speaking quietly.
"Your father was killed by Voldemort. The person who you are still busy being loyal too, your Dark Lord, was the one who killed him not Harry." Draco told his fellow Slytherin.
Nott closed his eyes, blinking back his tears. He shook his head as if to clear it. He opened his eyes and fixed Harry with a glare again.
"He died because of you. I know how he was killed and I know why." He whispered angrily.
Harry didn't know that Nott senior had died, let alone the exact details as to why and how he died. The last time he had seen him was when he was almost captured by him and two other Death Eaters. Nott had tortured Harry when he was too weak to defend himself. The memory still made Harry's insides burn with rage.
"Your father's death has nothing to do with me." Harry stated coldly.
"The Dark Lord killed him because of you! He killed my father because he hurt you! My father was only carrying out his orders. He was trying to capture you. But the Dark Lord got angry because my father had hurt you in the process. He killed my father in punishment!" Nott cried out.
Harry felt like some sort of explosion had gone off inside his head. That couldn't be true, could it? Voldemort wouldn't have cared if Nott had hurt him or not. He hated him. Any care and love he had shown him before was just an act. It was more probable that Voldemort killed Nott because he failed to capture Harry not that he tortured him.
"Your father failed in his mission. He was killed because he failed, not because of anything else." Harry said, his voice sounding odd to himself. As if he was speaking from a distance.
Nott stared hard at Harry, his face arranged in a thoughtful expression.
"Do you know what he said to my father, just before he killed him?"
Harry didn't answer. He didn't want to know. Nott smirked before answering his own question.
"My father asked for mercy. He pleaded for his life and do you know what the Dark Lord said in response? He said that my father should have thought about his wrath, before raising his wand at you. He said that my father should have known that he wouldn't tolerate anyone hurting you. After everything you did to him, the Dark Lord still didn't want anyone hurting you."
Harry didn't want to believe him. He couldn't believe him. It was too hurtful to think that Voldemort truly cared for him. It was be too much to bear.
"How do you know that?" Malfoy and Sirius asked at the same time.
"My uncle was there and he told me. He even showed me the memory. I saw exactly what happened. I don't blame the Dark Lord. It wasn't his fault. He was blinded by your deceit! If you hadn't left the Dark Lord then my father would still be here. You're the one to blame. Lord Voldemort only did what he thought he had to do to protect you! Even at a time when you were out destroying his Horcruxes, he continued to protect you!" Nott finished, breathing hard, angry tears in his eyes.
No one spoke for a few minutes. Harry was staring at Nott, his ability to speak had been momentarily taken away from him by what Nott had said. He couldn't stop the words ringing in his head. Voldemort cared about him. No, he couldn't let himself think like that again. It was too painful.
Dumbledore broke the silence by clearing his throat. He pulled his eyes away from the silent Harry and instead stared at Nott. He walked closer to him and kneeled down so he was on the same eye level as him.
"Who is the Dark Prince?" he asked simply.
The question brought everyone's attention back to the more pressing issue of the Dark Prince's identity. Nott gulped a little at seeing his Headmaster's expression.
"I don't know. I've never seen his face. He's…he's always wearing that mask."
From the sound of his voice it was apparent that he wasn't lying. Harry cursed to himself. He was sure that finding the spy would lead them to the Dark Prince. Behind him the door opened and Tonks reappeared. She had sent word to the Ministry and they were expecting Nott to be brought in. Dumbledore asked Nott many questions but the Slytherin didn't know the answers to the many questions about the identity of the Dark Prince. Finally Dumbledore stood up and looked down on Nott.
"Sirius, Tonks, I think you should escort him to the Ministry now."
Nott was pulled up to his feet and Sirius and Tonks lead him from the room. Nott glowered at Malfoy and looked at Harry hatefully but didn't say anything to him. Harry and Malfoy followed them out the room.
They walked down with the other four until they reached the main doors.
"Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy, you both should stay here. I will accompany the Aurors to the Ministry." Dumbledore said.
Harry opened his mouth to object but Dumbledore cut him off.
"I would not advise you to go to the Ministry tonight."
"But I thought the Minister knows Harry's innocent?" Draco asked, confused.
"Oh he does. I was suggesting that Mr Potter stays out of the Ministry for the Aurors' and Mr Nott's sake." Dumbledore answered.
Harry looked at the Headmaster's face and saw the small smile on his lips. Malfoy sniggered quietly at Harry's expression.
"I think I have every right to…"
"To break every bone on Mr Nott's body, yes, I would think that you do. But that is not the right way of dealing with this situation." Dumbledore cut Harry off.
Harry cocked up an eyebrow at him.
"The right way? You're still lecturing me about right and wrong?" he asked angrily.
"It isn't up to me to decide what is right and wrong. But it is my decision as to how to deal with my student. I can't allow anyone to hurt him." Dumbledore's words were said with force, to show that he wouldn't step aside and let Harry have his way.
Harry didn't say anymore and stood back as Dumbledore, Sirius and Tonks, still holding onto the unresisting Nott walked out the doors and towards the edge of the wards. They were going to apparate.
Just as they passed the edge of the wards, Nott turned around and smirked at Harry. It all happened in a split second. Nott looked away from Harry and doubled over, crying out as if he were in pain. Sirius and Tonks loosened their grips on him in alarm and tried to see what was wrong with him. Harry and Draco knew what was going to happen and were already belting their way towards them but were too late. Nott looked up and met Harry's eyes. His fingers were wrapped around a chain around his neck. With a hate filled look his way, Nott disappeared with a loud pop. Sirius and Tonks were still holding onto his arms but were thrown violently away from him jut as he disappeared, almost as if they were blasted away. Dumbledore had fired a curse but Nott was already gone.
Harry helped Tonks up from the ground as Sirius picked himself up.
"What happened?! How did he do that?" Tonks asked, pressing her fingers to the cut above her eye.
"Isolation portkey." Sirius told her as he walked over to her.
"But, they're illegal." She said.
"I know, but that never stops anyone, does it?" Sirius commented.
Harry stared at the spot Nott had been standing in moments ago. He was probably given the portkey by the Dark Prince and now he was most likely with him. Harry turned to look at Dumbledore.
"I bet you're wishing you had let me hurt him now." Harry said coldly.
xxx
The darkened room was lit only by a single torch. Darkness hung in every corner of the room, throwing the room into shadows. Nott stood, trembling in fear and nerves in the middle of the room. A mighty crash made him jump nearly a foot in the air. He stifled his gasps as he didn't want to bring the focus back to himself. He didn't want to go through that again.
The man in front of him sent a table crashing to the furthest corner. The sound of the wood smashing against the wall covered the frustrated scream that left the Dark Prince. His robes were still those he wore tonight when he went to the Astronomy tower, his silver mask was still in place. Nott watched in growing fear, as he roared in fury and blasted the furniture around him. He turned his icy green eyes to him.
"Months of my planning ruined!" he screamed as he upturned a coffee table, sending the bottle of firewhiskey and glasses smashing to the ground.
Nott jumped as the sound of glass breaking echoed around him. The Dark Prince turned his full attention to the seventeen year old boy before him.
"You ruined it! You gave me the wrong information! You told me that he had killed that Auror!" he yelled as he advanced on the boy.
Nott cursed Malfoy under his breath for relieving him of his wand. He had nothing to defend himself with. Not that he could have taken on the Dark Prince. He had proved he was just as good as Harry tonight.
"I thought…he acted like he had, had…he played us! All of us! The whole of Hogwarts fell for his act. How was I supposed to know he was only acting?" Nott asked as he stumbled away from the enraged man.
The man dressed in dark robes stopped in his tracks and stared at the boy before him. His eyes, the only feature of him visible, were fixed on the Slytherin.
"You blew your cover."
Nott wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement.
"Malfoy caught me! The bastard was actually on Harry's side. He's been his friend all along!" Nott said in his defence.
"Malfoy? You mean Draco Malfoy?" he asked.
"Yeah, that traitorous bastard! He was the one who helped lead the Aurors to Riddle Manor along with Snape! Dumbledore had kept that quiet to protect him and just as well. He would have been ripped to pieces by the whole of Slytherin if we knew the truth!" Nott said angrily.
Something in the man's eyes changed. An emotion flickered within the emerald green orbs. Nott couldn't figure out what it was. It could have been anger, rage or even surprise. Whatever the emotion was it was gone and a cold look of fury settled in his eyes.
He turned away and walked across the room, his back to Nott. He stayed quiet for long minutes, prompting Nott to speak.
"Look, I need help. The Ministry Aurors are going to be looking for me. Dumbledore will surely put them after me. I need to get out of here. I need to go somewhere and lie low for a while. I can't go home because I know the Aurors will be watching out for me. I can't even contact my mum! You have to help me! You have to get me out of here."
The Dark Prince didn't answer but looked around at him. Nott could feel panic blossom in the pit of his stomach.
"Look, I helped you! You have to help me now. I did all that dangerous spying for you! I supplied the Sedare potion to Creevey! I told you when Harry disappeared from Hogwarts so you could inform the Ministry! I helped you smuggle in that disgusting body of Nagini and I even helped you place it Harry's bed! You have to help me now, like I helped you!" Nott cried out.
"Yes, you did help me." The man answered, his voice low and emotionless. "I won't deny that. I know you've been a great help to me."
Nott relaxed a little and let out a sigh of relief.
"Just help me lie low for a while. When things calm down, I'll come back and help you. We can't frame Harry for anymore attacks but we'll come up with another way to get him." He declared.
"Don't worry about that." The Dark Prince said quietly. He reached into his robes and pulled out a long thin wooden stick. He smirked behind the mask, admiring the wood and fine craftsmanship. "I still have a way to get him."
xxx
The ride on Hogwarts Express was the most awkward and uncomfortable journey of Harry's life. He wished he had taken Sirius' advice and had just apparated back. He had avoided his parents and brother by skipping breakfast and heading out of the castle so he could be one of the first people to board the train. He easily found an empty compartment and had quickly taken over it. Every so often someone would come into his compartment, take one look at him and scamper back so fast they usually fell on their backside. It would have been quite a sight if Harry wasn't in such a foul mood.
Harry thanked Merlin when the train pulled out and they were on their way back home. He knew once he got back to Potter Manor it was going to be pointless to avoid his family but he couldn't muster up the energy to make peace with them just now. He had seen Damien through his window and had seen him board the train alongside both his parents and the three Gryffindors. Harry found himself staring intently at Ginny as the red haired girl limped slightly as she got on. He felt the familiar burn of guilt churn inside his stomach. He honestly hadn't meant for anyone, especially Ginny, to be hurt during the attack. He remembered what Ginny had told them, what the Dark Prince had said before throwing her off the roof. Whoever this impersonator was, he knew that Harry had been involved with Ginny. He targeted her on purpose. That revelation was making the hairs on Harry's neck stand on end.
Harry tried to distract his mind from late last night's development. The words Nott had spoken were still trying to fight their way to the forefront of Harry's mind but Harry kept pushing them away. He couldn't believe Nott. Voldemort didn't care about him. Harry knew that and he believed it, no matter how hurtful it was. Instead he distracted himself with Nott.
The spy had been Nott. Harry couldn't believe he had both the Dark Prince and his spy in his grasp and both had managed to get away. He knew that the isolation portkey that Nott was carrying was designed so that only the person holding the portkey would be transported. Harry couldn't have done anything about that anyway but he couldn't stop blaming himself. He knew that his health was still suffering. He had been stuck at Hogwarts and couldn't do any of his usual training. He swore to himself that as soon as he got home, he would start up his training regime and get himself back up to his usual standards. His sleepless nights were taking a lot of strength out of him and his magic since that was the only thing keeping him on his feet, but Harry hoped the sleeping spell would make a difference. He wasn't going to ask James for it though. If his dad was still mad at him and didn't do the spell then Harry was just going to make do without sleep. It wasn't as if he had never done it before. He would rather go for weeks on end without sleep then to ask for his dad for help and be turned down.
The door to Harry's compartment opened again and Harry turned around to see who had come in. he saw both Sirius and Tonks walk inside. Harry saw that both looked like they had hardly slept as well. They sat down opposite him and gave him weak smiles.
"Dumbledore told James and Remus about Nott." Sirius informed him. "He was looking for you, James I mean. I think he wanted to see how you were."
Harry scoffed at that but didn't say anything.
"Why did you leave so quickly?" Tonks asked.
"I knew there wasn't any point in hanging around. I preferred to get here early than be stared at by the whole population of Hogwarts." Harry replied.
Sirius and Tonks both nodded their heads to show they understood. After a few silent minutes, Tonks spoke.
"There's something I don't understand about last night. Nott blames you for his father's death and yet he knew that it was Voldemort who killed him. That doesn't make any sense."
"I think that kid is a bit loose in the head. A lot of what he said made no sense." Sirius supplied.
"No, it makes perfect sense." Harry answered. Both Aurors stared at Harry, waiting for an explanation. "It's very simple. Children of Death Eaters are brought up believing one thing 'Voldemort is always right'. Death Eaters know that if their children are to survive they have to believe in Voldemort and all he does. If they contradict him, they won't live very long. The fear of Voldemort is ingrained into their upbringing so no child of a Death Eater will ever stand up to Voldemort. Nott is just an example of that. He would rather blame me for his father's death than to place the blame on Voldemort."
Sirius and Tonks were gaping at him in surprise.
"Just something I picked up on." Harry told them with a tired smile.
"That does make sense. My parents were like that, but I think I survived because of my friendship with James. I preferred his way of living and supported his beliefs. Stands to reason why my parents were upset." Sirius said with a ghost of a smile.
"My dad is a muggle, probably why my mum was disowned." Tonks offered.
Harry sat back and let the other two talk amongst them. He was exhausted. He wished he could fall asleep but knew what was waiting for him. The last thing he needed on top of everything else was more nightmares of Voldemort.
xxx
Harry dragged his trunk to his room as soon as he arrived home. He kept quiet throughout the journey from the train station. No one had said a word to him. Damien hadn't even looked his way. He tried not to let Damien's cold behaviour towards him bother him but it was in vain. It annoyed him to no end. Harry had barely begun unpacking his things when James knocked on his door.
"Do you have a minute?" he asked as he walked into the room.
"sure." Harry replied.
"I spoke to Dumbledore this morning. He told me about Nott." Harry didn't say anything but fiddled with the dress robes in his hands. "I'm sorry that he got away. Did you find out anything useful from him?" James continued sitting down on the bed.
Harry shook his head. "No, he claims not to have seen his face either. Apparently he keeps the mask on all the time."
James nodded his head awkwardly.
"There's an Order meeting set up in a few days time. Dumbledore thought you should come along as well." James said.
"I'll see." Harry answered. He wasn't sure if he wanted to attend a meeting with Aurors.
Tense minutes passed but no one spoke. Harry could see that James was trying to find a way of talking to him without bringing up yesterday. Harry decided to make it a little easier and started the conversation.
"Dad, about yesterday…"
"No, Harry. It's okay. You don't have to apologise. I understand what you must have being going through." James interrupted.
Harry didn't speak for a few minutes. He wanted to make sure he was hearing things correctly.
"I wasn't going to apologise to you. If anyone should be apologising it should be you." Harry said.
"Excuse me? What do I have to apologise for? I wasn't the one who lied to everyone and risked my life for a stupid, half thought out plan." James answered.
"Half thought out it may be but it gave us more information than the rest of your Aurors put together!" Harry retorted.
"Don't start with that again." James said tiredly.
"Don't start with what?" Harry asked angrily.
"I don't want to go through this with you again. I know it's pointless to argue with you. You'll never admit you were wrong." James said getting up to his feet, intending to leave.
"That's not fair!" Harry said at once, standing up as well.
"You did something incredibly stupid and risky and you did it without even thinking about how it would affect us, your family. And after putting all of us through hell, you didn't even apologise!"
Harry stared at James. Is that what this all was about? Is that all they wanted from him? An apology?
"Would that make you feel better? If I apologised?" Harry asked carefully.
"It wouldn't make much difference to be honest but it would show that you are sorry for what you did." James explained.
"But I'm not sorry." Harry said quietly. "I'd do it all again in a heartbeat."
James opened his mouth to argue but then shut it again.
"I give up, Harry. Just do what you want, think what you want." He said and turned to leave. He was tired beyond belief and wasn't willing to play anymore games with Harry.
Harry watched as James left and wished he could leave as well. He really wanted to be away from all of them. But where would he go? Remus was the first choice but he was mad at him and wouldn't speak to him. Sirius would be the next choice but Harry didn't want to go to the Headquarters and have to see the Order members, especially Dumbledore. He could go and stay with Malfoy, that would probably be okay but then he would have to deal with Narcissa and Marco. Narcissa was okay but he knew Marco didn't like him much. He was always against Voldemort. He had stopped talking with Bella as well when she joined him.
Harry sighed deeply and sat back on his bed. He didn't have anywhere to go. He calmed down enough to realise that it was best that he stayed in Potter Manor. He knew he had to fix things with his family anyway. He couldn't stand them being angry at him, especially Damien. He went back to unpacking his things and trying to figure out how to make peace with the rest of the Potters.
xxx
Harry only left his room when Lily called him down to dinner that night. At first Harry ignored her but his stomach was starting to cramp with hunger. He hadn't eaten in the last three days. He left the privacy of his room and walked into the dinning room. He joined the rest at the table and sat in awkward silence.
Lily was the only one who smiled at him as he sat next to her. Damien was sitting opposite Harry but was not looking his way. James had already started his dinner. Harry started filling his plate with food and was contented to just sit in silence. No one spoke which was unusual as Damien and James usually talked throughout all the meal times.
"Damien, pass the potatoes." Harry said, thinking that he could at least say this much without causing a fight.
He was wrong.
Damien pushed the plate of roast potatoes towards James.
"Dad, can you pass these to Harry. After all he shouldn't trust me with them." he said icily.
Harry narrowed his eyes at him.
"You know what, you're right. You'll probably just end up dropping them with those butterfingers of yours!" Harry retaliated.
"You know what? You're just an inconsiderate jerk who uses everyone and doesn't care about anyone!" Damien hissed angrily.
"Yeah, that's me." Harry answered insolently.
"Damien, that's enough!" Lily told him but the fourteen year old wasn't listening.
"Did you even think about what you were doing? Did you consider that fact that you were jeopardising Tonks and Remus' relationship and that you may lose Sirius his promotion? Did you think about them? No, you probably didn't. You were too self involved!" Damien spat at him.
"Damien, that's enough!" James reprimanded.
"Self involved? That's a bit rich coming from a spoiled brat!" Harry spat right back at Damien.
"Harry! That's enough!" Lily tried to stop him.
"Go to hell, Harry!" Damien yelled.
"I already have my place reserved." Harry answered back.
"Enough! Both of you!" Lily yelled cutting both off. "You both are acting like five year olds!"
Both quietened down but continued to glower at each other. Another few minutes passed in silence before Damien threw down his fork.
"How could you say that you don't trust me?!" he yelled at Harry.
"Damien!" Lily warned but he wasn't listening to her.
"Because I don't!" Harry snapped, even though he didn't mean it but he was too angry to care right now.
Damien stared at Harry, his eyes showing how much those words hurt him.
"Do you really mean that? Do you really not trust me?" he asked, his voice quieter now.
Harry knew he should tell the truth but the vindictive side to him was taking control.
"You haven't given me any reason to trust you. If anything you've nearly had me killed on many occasions! It would be safer just to stay away from you." He answered coldly.
Damien didn't say anything. He stared at Harry before getting up and leaving the table, his food left untouched. Lily called after him but he didn't respond. James gave Harry an angry look before getting up and following Damien. Lily and Harry were the only ones left at the table. Harry didn't mean to say that to Damien, he was just being hurtful.
"I don't know why you always have to make things worse." Lily said angrily to Harry.
"Me? I wasn't the one who started it!" Harry answered back.
"But you could have ended it!" Lily shouted.
"I wasn't…" Harry started.
"Enough! I don't want to hear another word from you." Lily yelled. Harry was so stunned he forgot to argue with her. This was the first time he was yelled at by Lily. "I know you think what you did at Hogwarts was right and at this particular moment I don't care. If you're not going to apologise to your parents then that's fine but don't you dare speak to your younger brother like that! You may not have noticed but you're his world, Harry. Damien depends on you so much! What you said to him was just downright hurtful! He trusts you more than his life and you know it! And for you to say something like that to him is plain spiteful."
"Yeah, I know but he's the one who…" again Harry was cut off mid sentence.
"I don't want hear it! I don't particularly care if you do trust him or not but you listen closely to me. You are going to make things right with him because he has taken a lot of grief for you. He's only a child and he has dealt with tremendous pressure because of you. He loves you and contrary to how you may act, I know you love him too. So make things right with him!"
Lily got up and started to walk away.
"And Harry, don't speak to me until you have apologised to your brother."
Lily walked away from Harry after saying that, leaving him sitting all alone at the family table.
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(smiles evilly)
You guys know what to do. Read and Review. My PC is fixed so I can get back to updating normally again! Yay! Please let me know what you think of this chappie. Cheers!!
Note : There is plenty of stuff to happen yet. A lot of action is yet to come (I mean that in the sense of more than just fighting sequences) I can't say how many more chapters there are but just think that we are probably three quarters of the way through the story. The identity of the Dark Prince will not be disclosed yet but I welcome all of you to tell me of your suspicions. Cheers!!