AN: So if I mentioned Sophia having a slight Irish lisp I'm sorry, I'm changing that since she was born in France and started speaking French before she spoke English. This one is a monster for the plot and will be full of stuff that happens very close together, as winter does tend to sneak up on you once the school year starts. Covering three books in a single fic ain't easy and I wanna get to books 6 and 7 because not only are they my favorite but we don't get much info on what goes on away from Harry. Also this one is a little rushed considering everything that goes on at the end of the year.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and do not make any profit off of this fic. Otherwise I wouldn't a a 20 year old who live with their mother. I only own the OC characters in this story and still make no profit from them as this is a work of FANfiction and very much AU. ITs only purpose is to entertain and generate a discussion on the works belonging to the literary Goddess and Queen of us Potterheads known as JK Rowling. I t also serves as a learning platform as I one day hope to follow her footsteps and write a book or more that will bring the joy her genius has brought to my fellow Harry Potter fans and myself. No Copyright infringement intended
I know present to you:
CHAPTER TWO: Spectrum
Harry was still anxious as they walked into Hogsmeade that day. His stomach still felt as though he had swallowed a plate of rocks, those sat heavy at the bottom stirring up more nervous nausea. Once they stepped in he remembered what Hagrid said about this particular pub, maybe having your face covered here was more of a safety measure than some sign that the person was a dark wizard not supposed to be seen so close to a school full of children. Then again that was a double edged blade, someone might think you had a good reason to cover your face apart from others noticing you and hexing you later because you where of the light. The barkeep, a time-weathered man with a strangely familiar face, motioned for them to go into the backroom after they ordered their butterbeers. Hermione offered a cheery 'Thanks' with a warm smile and he only grunted at her while he continues to clean a dusty glass with a grimy clothe, defeating the purpose of cleaning entirely.
As they opened the door to the storage room a goat nearly knocked the over as it tottered into the pub, the room and the pub's smell was explained. The storeroom was covered in dust and had several empty crates littering the place, along with papers and cobwebs. Hermione ushered them to a few chairs around some creates where they settled and talked, devising some makeshift lesson plans. They agreed that defensive spells were more than necessary but they couldn't stop at just blocking and disarming. The dusty bottles where half empty when the door opened again, the three Gryffindors jolted upright from their crouched positions before recognized some faces in the group of people and they poured in. Harry's eyes widened at the sheer number, in groups of two or three they stepped through the threshold of light the door cast into the dusty air. The number kept getting higher as more people filtered through. Hermione took out her wand and casted a silencing charm at the once it closed.
Harry scanned the crowd; Dean and Lavender who where followed closely by the Patil sisters with Cho (the sight of her made Harry's stomach do a summersault) and one of her bubbly friends. Then came Luna Lovegood with Neville and two dark haired students, he couldn't see the girl's face clearly because it was turned toward her housemate as they talked about something. Harry recognized him from Potions class, having been paired up once or twice. Luna was possibly listening but she had her absentminded air, as if she stepped in here by mistake. If the group wasn't already more than Harry had expected, Katie Bell stood behind them followed by Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Flechtley, Hannah Abbot and a girl with a long braid from Hufflepuff whose name Harry didn't know. Three boys, from Ravenclaw if he wasn't wrong, by the names of Anthony Goldstein, Micheal Corner and Terry Boot; Ginny was practically being covered by a tall and skinny blonde boy with and upturned nose who Harry might have seen on the pitch during a Hufflepuff match, and making themselves at home on a few sturdy crates were Fred and George Weasely with their friends Lee Jordan. All three surrounded by brown paper bags, full of Zonko's merchandise. The interested students settled around the crates and spare chairs that adorned the storeroom, placing them closer and sitting in a semi circle before the Golden Trio.
"A few people?" he all but hissed at Hermione in a low whisper, "A few people!"
Her only response was to say that the idea caught on better than she had thought. Fred was first to speak, asking them if they wanted butterbeers and told them to fork over the money because he wasn't about to pay for all twenty six butterbeers. He collected the coins and enlisted his brother to help him carry them; they could hear the barkeep harrumph as one of the twins asked but the clinking sound of bottles said he hadn't refused. Harry wished they'd come back quickly, he wasn't comfortable in this silence. Hell he would have preferred silence to the hushed whispered chats. His eyes fell on the dark haired girl; he hadn't been able to see her clearly because of the light glaring in his eyes. They had become accustomed to the little light in the storeroom. Once he was able to take in the sight of her he felt as if he'd seen a ghost.
The resemblance with Sofie was staggering, it was that same wavy black hair tied with a red ribbon in the exact same fashion. It was her, down to the evergreen peacaot. A little flicker of jealousy sparked inside him as she smiled at the dark hair boy next to her, that very same smile she had directed at him when they were children. Harry squashed that feeling, of coarse she'd give him that smile; she was friends with that guy and Luna it seemed.
That relaxed him slightly and then he spotted Cho, she gave him a sweet smile. It was shy and small but it got his cheeks burning as he returned it with a bashful smile of his own. Cho's bubbly friend sent him a death glare he averted his gaze to the would-be Sophie, who had apparently noticed him staring and followed his gaze. She caught the bubbly Ravenclaw's eye and scowled at her, the other girl instantly looked away. Her eyes wide and hands in her lap, like a child whose teacher had just caught cheating. Harry had to hide his smirk by biting his lip, she returned to her chat with the Slytherin next to her. Her hair flying in the air from the brisk movement of her head in an all too familiar fashion he couldn't place.
Once the twins came back they handed out the butterbeer, Fred leaned over and handed the dark haired girl a bottle with a fake bow. He met her eyes with a smile and she cocked her head to the side, a friendly smirk adorned her thin cold reddened lips. Harry caught the wink Fred gave her and she only raised one eyebrow. She was daring him to pull a prank? He heard George whisper honestly to Luna "Promise. No pranks today."
Sophia shot him a look with playfully narrowed eyes and a knowing smile, she wasn't buying it. Her grin was friendly but some of the other students eyed her suspiciously; Ron included. The boy next to her snorted and closed his eyes when he shook his head, a playful smirk on his own lips.
Harry stopped looking at her and took in the whole group; they were all looking at him now. He was going mad, the expectant eyes of other students coupled with Cho being in the same room as him and with the rising chances that the dark haired girl could really be Sophie; he was about to explode. Oh and lets not forget Ginny. All he wanted to do was go back to the dorms and sleep the day away. He decided to focus on the important.
"What've you told them?" he asked, still nervous. "What are they expecting?"
"They just want to hear what you have to say," she answered with a calming voice. However, Harry kept looking at her with enough anger slipping through that she quickly added "But don't worry, I'll speak first." She stammered at first, but remembering the rubbish defense classes they had she pushed on with more conviction. Micheal Corner asked that she would also like to pass the Defense OWLs, her answer was predictable. "Well, of course. But I also want to well trained in Defense because… because…" she paused and took a deep breath, summoning courage to finish her phrase, "because Lord Voldemort is back."
The reaction across the room varied, but it was imminent and predictable. Cho's bubbly friend let out a yelp and spill some butterbeer; Terry Boot sort of bounce in his chair flinching in voluntarily; Padma Patil shivered and Neville let out a squeak he managed to turn into a cough. The dark haired girl tightened her grip on the neck of her bottle and her lips were a thin line, dark grey eyes stormy with apprehension. The same look she had when she heard the rat and Harry offered the option of climbing the tree. Or at least it was what Sophie had done; he wasn't so sure she was Sophie. He had been all too sure Crouch had been Mad Eye last year. Ron thought he heard the boy next to her growl. All eyes focused on Harry, every single pair. Some curious, others doubtful or even accusingly, he could feel them thinking they were completely insane to believe him. A few pairs seemed to have grown a pair and looked at him, commitment and loyalty completely unveiled and open for all to see.
Harry was saved from continuing the speech by a question, voiced with a sneer and arrogance.
"What makes you think He Who Must Not Be Named is back?" said the blond boy Harry recognized as a Hufflepuff player.
"Well, Dumbledore believes…" started Hermione, her earlier resolve still present. An indignant look washed over her features as the blond interrupted her.
"You mean Dumbledore believes him." He countered, pointing accusingly at Harry with his chin. This one seemed to be siding with The Prophet.
Ron's eyes left the blond for a moment and observed the Slytherin girl, curiosity getting the best of him. She was holding her butterbeer in a death grip, her other hand in a tight fist. The redhead almost jumped as her stormy eyes flicked to his bright blues, what he saw there made him give a curt nod. Her lips where in a thin line much like his, the urge she felt to punch the blond was almost as strong as his and he could share that sentiment, but there was also calm there urging him to not do anything stupid and she wouldn't either. In the brief glance they shared Ron managed to hold back and asked the boy "What's your name?"
"Zachariah Smith" he said "and I think I'm entitled to know exactly what makes you think He Who Must Not Be Named is back." Hermione cut in before Ron could say anything, the choice words he had for the blond burned on his tongue.
"Look" she started, her tone leaving no room for argument. "That's not what this meeting is about."
"Let him, Hermione." Harry finally spoke, now he realized why people had come to the meeting. He caught Ron eyeing the could-be-Sophie, Harry could see that one the outside she looked calm and controlled but so did Seamus. Remembering their tempers and how she had acted toward their professor both Ron and Harry saw it for what it was, impulse control being exercised to near breaking point. The trio didn't miss Luna placing a fair hand on the raven haired girl's; the Slytherin looked at her and blinked. If they let people like Smith clutter up the meeting this could become a powered keg, Seamus looked like he would forego a wand and deck any bullshitters and Prophet Zealots now that he knew who the liar was. Hermione should have known that most of the people here had come to the pub to hear a Harry tell a tale of how and what had happened in the graveyard, told by none other that the start of the show.
"You want to know what exactly makes me so sure to say Voldemort's back." He found courage to speak from Merlin knows where and strength, that seemed to come from his very friends wanting to throttle Smith, as he stood. "I've seen him; I've had to fight him last year. You saw-" He stopped for a bit and Cho instantly came to mind, he didn't want to mention Cedric in front her but he had no choice. "You saw Cedric's body; that was him."
He moved to look at the crowd for the next few words, "I won't sit here and tell you about seeing a friend die. If you've come here to hear some story of what happened there, then you better leave and read the rot in the Prophet." He moved to sit back down not taking his vicious green eyes off of Smith.
"This is about standing up to how they plan to control what we learn. They want us defenseless so we cozy up to the idea that nothing is wrong. But Voldemort is back and I won't stand around and wait while we learn nothing." Harry paused, waiting for it to sink in.
"Out there is nothing like at school. In the classroom if you mess up, you can try again, but when you're a second away from dieing or seeing a friend die, there are no second chances." His voice was a little tight as he remembered the graveyard; he quickly looked at the twins, Luna, Neville and the would-be Sophie. He would not see them end up like Cedric, not on his life.
"I won't waste today talking about what happened. If that's what you're here for you should leave." He finished and then he waited from some people to say a few swears his way, insult his sanity and slip out angrily. Except, nobody moved. Nobody even said a word.
Harry thought he was going to have to walk out on them and head for the school but another annoyed male voice rang out. And Harry almost laughed.
"Well good, I came here to see about a decent DADA class. Not gossip about Moldyshorts." Said the boy next to the possible Sophie and Ron felt his world flip over as for the second time in under an hour a Slytherin made sense to him. His words carried a faux annoyance that lifted the mood slightly as this was still a possible powder keg what with Smith being snubbed.
The youngest Weasley brother sent the Slytherin boy a smirk and opened his mouth to speak. "You sure you wanna be seen with a bunch of Hufflepuff and Gryffindors?" but Hermione cut in, she asked in a slightly jesting voice, still not trusting the two snakes among the crowd. Ron sniggered and Hermione sent him a glower and a hissed out "Ron!" but the boy before them only shrugged, knowing why she used the houses when it meant something else.
"We don't give a crap about houses." He said proudly, motioning to the girl sitting next to him. "But" he paused and both Slytherins grinned. "We want to know what you've got planned for the lessons and how we can help." There were a few brave "heer, heer!" calls around the storeroom while others mumbled in disbelief or whispered about the two.
"Okay!" Hermione said; exhaling a deep breath as nervous excitement took over. They talked of the basics of what they would be covering and his friends spoke up about what he knew and wanted to learn. Harry was overwhelmed when Neville came to his defense as Cho's bubbly friend tried to lessen him in her eyes. Luna's inquiry to him knowing how to cast a Patronus seemed to settle any doubts the rest of the group had to him teaching them. The Slytherins smirked and looked at him warmly; Ron was handling so many paradigm shifts surprisingly well. Hermione produced a sheet of parchment and instructed the crowd to sign it, Harry and Ron had seen her working on that particular strip of parchment over the last few days. With what they didn't know but as soon as everyone signed she handed them a fake charmed galleon and they started filtering out. Luna, Neville, the Weasley twins with Ginny, Zachariah Smith and the two Slytherins were the last to sign. Harry felt the pressure in the room change slightly, his eyes darted to Luna and she stared back at him. She directed a small nod at him, the dreamy look suddenly absent from her fair feature and large eyes.
The Slytherin boy, whose name was Jack Corbeau apparently, told them he'd see them later about what they could bring to the lesson plan and insight on what the other side was armed with after he signed. Smith snorted and murmured something, Ginny pointedly elbowed his ribs. However this didn't escape Jack's ears.
"Care to share, Smith?" he said his eyes slightly narrowed in challenge. His friend tensed a little and stood next to him with one foot forward, ready to strike. What the trio and Luna had wanted to avoided finally happened. Why was it that even when they were on the same side house rivalry bubbled up at every turn?
"I said, of course the likes of you would know what spells Death Eaters use!" He smirked and Ginny looked livid. "You're a pureblood Slytherin! Who's to know you're not in queue to join up?" Jack hand was already at his wand when the girl spoke up.
"Don't start Smith." She spoke in a firm voice and stepped forward, shooting a cautionary glance at her companion.
"Why shouldn't I? Scared I might hurt your boyfriend?" the Hufflepuff sneered and Ginny couldn't hold back. "Shut up Zach, you're being a prick." She stepped away from him and went to her brothers, this only served to make the Hufflepuff angrier.
"First, he's not my boyfriend; he's practically my brother. And second, we're on the same side." She stated a light French accent mixed into her words and she went to go sign the list and put a hand on Corbeau's shoulder and guided him away.
As they left she looked at Harry over her shoulder with a warm smile and said "See ya around, Harry." The two disappeared into the pub and Harry stood there dumbstruck. The girl's sweet voice ringing in his head, it was too much. His slight crush on Ginny, his very obvious crush for Cho, the general awkwardness of the meeting and the airs of discord between Smith and the Slytherins; he was about to collapse from everything rushing in his head. When his friends led him out of the pub and down to the beaten trail between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts he was still slightly dazed.
They where walking on the bridge as they talked about where they could practice when Neville piped up. "Hey Luna" he started a little nervous. "Thanks for bringing Pierce and Corbeau along, they're pretty nice." Ron whipped his head around and asked what most of the group had been wondering.
"What were they talking about? You know, before the meeting started." He asked the two who had been sitting next to them. He never liked a scheming snake, having two in the DA didn't make a huge difference to him.
"They're trying to create a tracking spell that'll let them know if the other is in danger." She spoke in that airy light tone that seemed a permanent fixture in her voice. "They're pretty far along and are looking to make it so they don't have to cast it various times, but their stumped on how to do it." she said and they continued on to Hogwarts. The others in the group could see the gears turning in Hermione's head, that would be very useful if they anyone in the DA was cornered by Umbridge.
The year seemed to pass in a blur for them. Harry felt like he was constantly angry but the good memories that had formed kept the anger at bay. Of course everything came crashing down with the Yule tide season swing in. The first thing to go wrong was that Sophia had been keeping secrets, she kept practically disappearing from the school every few weeks and Harry had had it. Corbeau missed a few meetings but they found out he was in the infirmary as his health wasn't the best. Harry felt that wasn't the full truth and somehow Sirius kept coming to mind when the brunette kept apologizing for one absence or five. He had been wandering around the halls with his cloak wrapped snuggly around him to ward off the chill when her spotted a girl leaving the dungeons and decided to follow her around after everyone else had gone to bed.
He couldn't believe what he found. He had followed her to a secluded garden near the smaller courtyard; she kept looking at the moon as it smiled down from them in a Cheshire Cat grin. She was bundled up in a dark blue coat and a black woolen cap with a thick scarf, her hands where in her pockets and Harry noticed she had her hiking boots on to trend the icy nighttime snow. The girl rounded a corner created by a few pillars and plants that clung to the stone, forming nearly impenetrable walls. Sophia stepped lightly on some sleet and yelped, she nearly skidded into a weather charmed rose bush but she managed to cling to a dim lamp post at the last moment to right herself. A good natured chuckle was heard as she regained her balance and a gloved hand took hers and pulled her close to its owner's body. For a moment he couldn't see the boy's face as it was covered by the hood of a leather coat that reached to the boy's knees. They danced to music only they could hear; some delicate waltz in the lightly falling snow. They seem to drift from place to place like the snowflakes themselves, and she laughed.
Harry had only heard her laugh a few times like that, mostly when they were together as kids. Only this time it was mixed with a warmer more intimate emotion. It was like a delicate crystals clinking tenderly in a winter breeze but with an earthy feel, like the wind though the greenest leaves of a fruit filled tree. A spark of jealousy surged with in him; he was the only one who had made her laugh like that before. He would not share his very first friend, the one that had made his heart speed up with every hug. Harry quickly stopped himself, he couldn't be this way. No, he liked Ginny now or at least thought he did after his disastrous date with Cho. His distracted thoughts cost him a chance to see the boys face as he picked Sophia up and spun around, twirling her in his arms. Another bark of wintry warm laughter filled the chilling air along with the boy's own mirth ridden chuckle. It was too familiar and slightly annoying to him, his memory was telling him it should be laced with arrogance and spite.
"So cheery, mon étoile." She stated once he set her down, her arms looped around his neck as he held her fast around the waist. "They said you could stay with me, I bet?" her voice was air light and sweet like when they had been up in the tree that first day.
"So long as your father is there with us and we sleep in different rooms." Harry's blood ran cold, the usual sneering and arrogant voice was filled with humor and; his thought train crashed into a brick wall. Was that caring? Caring, from Malfoy, and to Sophie of all people? What Harry heard next shocked him a little more.
"Da should be busy grading to come out of his study too much and well, you know." Draco nodded grimly and she gave his shoulder what appeared to be an unconscious squeeze "We're free to ransack his library and do as we wish." She grinned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, which Malfoy returned sweetly. He moved to guide her to a bench and cast a heating charm after Sophia dispelled the snow with a quick wave of her wand. The pair had begun to talk about nonsense and classes so Harry decided to leave them be and tend to his possibly frozen limbs. He'd ask Sophia at the next meeting, he needed some serious explanations and he was going to try and contact Lupin for an opinion, for umpteenth time that day he felt out of his depth. Maybe Ron and Hermione could clear a few things up about the nearly nauseating exchange between his friend and rival, soon to be enemy. What came out of the blonde's usually sneering lips stopped him dead in his tracks.
"I've been meaning to ask," Sophia looked at Draco while he spoke, he paused obviously nervous and he looked down at their joined hands "Why do you side with Muggleborns and Gryffindors? Doesn't Snape get mad at you for it, isn't he disappointed?" Most people would have hit Malfoy and insulted him from head to toe but she knew better. At the start of the year she had found him huddled at the end of a bookshelf in tears.
"I do it because it's what I believe, we all have magic and we all need to protect it from fading." Her lips pulled to a side of her face as she bit them like she wanted to explain herself better "Really, if purebloods keep marrying other pureblood it'll die out and I don't really care about houses unless it's either of the Cups." She finished with a grin like she was reassuring him of her Slytherin pride, then she fixed her ice colored eyes on his. Both Harry and Sophia could see Draco's cold kissed face and he looked… worried?
"He doesn't know. Lucias doesn't need to know either. You are your own person Draco, entitled to your own path and opinions." She held his hands in hers and the Slytherin boy plunked his slivery blond head on her shoulder playfully, just children being faced with a war and still keeping some innocence.
The Boy Who Lived didn't know if it was the cold or what his friend was saying, but he left as quietly as he could to go back into the relative warmth of the castle and his partners in crime. He needed help sorting out the mess those two created in his head.
"Snakes might hunt in shadows but we bask in the light as much as any lion. For now we play our parts and once we can, we bolt and fight with everything we've got." She tilted her head to look at Draco who had been using he shoulder as a pillow. Her heart should be stammering but it was at peace sure of the words coming from her mouth and her conviction, a soothing and warm thump beneath her bones and flesh. She had thought of asking him to step away from his father's path so long she didn't even need to word it as a question. It had been at the forefront of her mind for nearly a year. She wanted him to live and she knew from seeing their head of house that the Dark Lord only spared his followers so he didn't have to do his own dirty work.
"I want to, I can't leave her." His muffled voice was barely above a whisper, by know he had his face buried in her neck, stealing away a few whiffs of her scent for when he had to go home and be in the same house as his father's guests and their master. He couldn't leave his mother, not his mother. She sided with his father but Draco would not forsake her. She was the only reason he didn't ask Dumbledore for help as much as he hated the fool.
"For know all you have to do is stay unmarked and not draw attention to yourself with them." He could hear Sophia's voice breaking and she held him close. For a moment he thought she only wanted body warmth but he caught the rattle of her breath as it caught and the telltale swallow that echoed within her chest.
"We'll find a way." She reassured him and pulled his face up to meet hers. "It sucks but it's all we've got, alright?" she managed to get out as tears threatened to spill. The fear was woven deep into their bones and they could see it in each others eyes and hear it in their silenced sobs. "Je t'aime, Mon étoile." Draco pressed their foreheads together as he let a nervous laugh escape his cold reddened lips. She laughed with him, shaking from the cold and the nerves of what she had just said. He could read the unasked question in her eyes clear as day and couldn't stand seeing it there.
"Always" Was all he could say without letting the harsh reality of everything crash down upon them. This time next year she could feel the complete opposite emotion in regards to him and he was not going to let that ruin this stolen moment in the snow past curfew. With a second thought he pressed his lips against hers and put as much emotion as he could into that chaste meeting of cold painted flesh. Draco instantly felt every inch of his skin crackle with a million sparks as her lips parted. It was innocent and sweet, warm and reassuring and he leaned forward again to revel in it. He was about to deepen the kiss when someone cleared their throat. He was about to answer with a very crude and quite muggle gesture with a familiar baritone accompanied the high-pitched "Ahem."
The two lovebirds parted with a small suction sound and looked wide eyed at the people who had caught them red handed. Before them stood a bat and toad bundled in their respective colors before the winter winds. Draco felt Sophia's hand squeeze his own in apprehension, answered with a comforting squeeze of his own.
"Perhaps we should move the following conversation into the castle, Ms. Pierce and Mr. Malfoy, as comfortable as you may seem in this particular setting." Snape drawled as he raised a single black brow and Draco could see his friend look at the ground and suppressing a smile, a red tinge to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold.
By the time Harry made it back to the common room, Ron had woken up and found him gone. Now he was ambushed by a pajama clad Weasley and Granger. Both of them not to happy he had been out in the halls and didn't tell either of them, Hermione was the most irked by the tempo of her fuzzy slipper against the stone floor.
"Harry James Potter, where have you been!" she nearly yelled with her arms crossed across her loose fitting jumper. Harry gave up looking innocent, he was anything but, and took a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace. He resigned himself to a thorough questioning with a sigh and dropped his cloak and the map next to him.
"I couldn't sleep." He deadpanned; it was almost a ritual now. Hermione or Ron would find him coming back from a walk and question him; he gave nearly the same answers every time. Only this time he had a reason to have been walking the halls aside from the usual nightmares. Without any further explanation he opened the map and rested the tip of his wand on it. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." The yellowed parchment came to life and he asked it to show him Sophia Pierce. "Look, this is my reason." He told his friends who had come to sit around him once he began to unfold the treasure.
"Is that really Pierce?" Ron still didn't like her much because of her Slytherin uniform but he still couldn't fully believe what he saw. The banner baring the name of the girl that had disarmed his one of his older brothers with Quidditch worthy reflexes was nearly overlapping one Draco Malfoy. A few months ago when Ron started freaking out about how Ginny's banner was sometimes overlapped by someone else's, Harry and him had taken to spying and found out what it meant.
Ron, of course, thought it meant someone was attacking his baby sister and they were faced with the truth of the matter. They found Ginny sitting in one of the more private areas of the grounds wrapped up in Zachariah Smith's arms, snogging with out a care in the world. "Thought he was with Pansy." The redhead frowned, he should've guessed it. "On top of being a prat he's cheat."
Hermione huffed and the boys turned to look at here, catching an eye roll and knowing smile on her lips. "It's a little known secret that Malfoy is only with Parkinson for appearances." She stated from her spot on the edge of the couch beside Harry, with her hands primly folded in her lap. This didn't skip Harry's eyes; Hermione had better posture and manners than most of the girls in the school, especially most Pureblood Slytherins.
When the two boys looked at her expectantly, either unaware of the gossip she rarely paid attention to or wanting in on it, she gave an exasperated huff. Not really peeved but enjoying the feel of knowing something trivial. Harry gave her a gentle shove on the shoulder and she giggled, shoving him back and caught him off balance making him collided against Ron with a chuckle.
Why would Malfoy appear to date one girl and then kiss another and not let people see him with that girl? "Parkinson and Malfoy are supposed to be the Ice Prince and Princess of Slytherin, a pureblood power couple." She looked up at them hoping they'd catch her drift; she hated the whole blood status malarkey but honestly! How could they not understand how it dictated who to court even as teenagers and delimitated the actions a witch or wizard could take?
Ron blinked and his eyes widened, "Oh!" he came to the realization and threw his head back a little, looking up at the air around him like it held what she meant in clear precise script. Harry looked from one friend to the other not quite grasping what was so important. Yeah, Malfoy was Death Eater material and Sophia was firmly planted in the Light but what did that have to do with cheating on Parkinson?
"What?" he glanced at the map and saw Snape's inky footprints being stalked by Umbridge while he walked away from the greenhouses where the greasy professor had been for nearly half an hour. For a moment the Potion's Masters prints hesitated and he headed for the secluded garden Malfoy and Pierce currently occupied.
"She's pretty much everything Malfoy hates." Ron looked at his sock clad feet like he could smell the sweat on them wafting up to his freckled nose. "Half-blood daughter of a blood traitor and a werewolf," his distaste was evident, the words where a spoonful of caster oil.
"Why would his parents let him stay with her on winter break then?" Hermione's eyes grew wide and Ron turned beat red as they shared a thought and Harry felt like laughing again. To break his friends free of the gutter he gave them a little more insight to what he meant by it. "Sophia said they were going to ransack her Dad's library and kind of told Malfoy he could side with us and his dad didn't need to know." Harry watched his two best friends closely and tried to see their trains of thought by their expressions. Hermione looked hopeful for a moment, she had been looking at the map and her eyes flicked over to his. It was a near impossible task what Sophia had planned. Ron looked like he could smell his feet again and looked sheepishly at Harry and Hermione, not bloody likely Pierce would get a chance.
"She might not be able to get Malfoy on board but she might soften him up a bit." The youngest Weasley boy looked at his friend with false hope and a pull on the left corner of his lips that would never be a smile. That might be all they could hope for but they had a snowball's chance in hell. Malfoy was the Ice Prince of Slytherin. Like hell he'd stop calling Hermione a Mudblood or cut anyone some slack with his horrid personality. That sneaky prick was probably getting her to lower her guard so he could hand her off to his bloody father's master as a thank you for branding him.
Harry's grim musings were interrupted by a roar and a flare of fire. Spooked, he gripped his wand before picking up on his Godfather's feature in the flames. The three Gryffindors nearly jumped from the couch and kneeled before the hearth as the animagus called his godson's name. He grinned when he caught sight of his pup's friends and greeted them warmly. The four began to talk about their year so far and Harry felt there was something more to his godfather's fire call.
"Siri, can I talk to you about something important?" He looked intently at his godfather and his friends shared a glance. He hoped Sirius caught his drift and didn't have anyone near him, his friends had moved back to the couch.
"How important pup?" He asked his eyes flickered to the side; they could here Remus say "Do you want me to leave?" to his godfather. The former professor was probably on the couch having tea.
Harry looked sheepishly and forced a blush thinking of Cho and averted his gaze as he mumbled a single word and his godfather didn't quite catch it by the confused look on the lined face. "Girls." He repeated and pretended the clump of ash near his elbow was particularly interesting.
"Alright, everyone but Remus has to leave and can't come back until we're done talking. Go to your rooms or the kitchen." He called out, not willing to move his head away from the Floo as a stern expression, no nonsense, rare at it was, fixed itself to his face. Someone complained and Sirius frowned. "Moony decided he has to be my conscience, it's his punishment to hear me giving Harry the talk." He smirked and winked at his pup when Harry paled at the thought of Sirius Black giving him the talk, his reputation as a Hogwarts Heartbreaker preceded him to this very day. There was a pause until he was sure that everyone in Grimmuald Place had gone away before he focused on Harry again.
"So, what do you need to know? I can tell you facts of life, contraception charms and how to move mountains." He grinned as Harry blushed and knitted his brows when his godson shook his head.
"I lied to get everyone out." He gave Padfoot a half hearted smile in apology when the animagus looked slightly crestfallen, ""it's about a girl but more DA related than anything." He added and Sirius perked up at the news.
"That's very Slytherin of you Harry; I think you might need to come over during winter break to get some proper Gryffindor back into you." The animagus said with a fake reprimand in his voice. "So you decided to stick it to the toad, good for you!" His godfather beamed and Harry smirked at him, "What about this girl now?"
"Its Sophie, I found her but I saw her meeting Malfoy in a garden tonight." When Black's eyes widened Harry explain that it was Draco and they looked really close almost like a couple; that she was trying to covertly lead him to switching sides. When his godfather looked to his left, they heard Remus say something and they Sirius asked a question that had Harry looking through nearly everything he saw and knew about Sophia Pierce.
"Harry, are you sure she's on our side?" his godfather's face could only be described as fatherly, stern and slightly wary that his child was making a bad choice. His worry was evident and Harry felt something warm unfurl itself in this chest.
"If she were anymore for the Light she would be Dumbledore." He said confidently, the two Slytherins in the DA had been a force to be reckoned with. They kept everyone on their toes, supplied enough enthusiasm to keep others interested and even tutored others in making healing potions. "I'm surprised the other Slytherins haven't kicked her out or maimed her or Jack yet." He said with a chuckle.
"Jack Corbeau, the only other Slytherin taking the class with us, Sophie and him are practically glued at the hip." Sirius' eyes flicked to the left again, meaning Professor Lupin had said something and then his godfather seemed to stair at the burning logs beneath him
"Listen Harry, the others don't want me to tell you but Voldemort is moving. He's looking for something he didn't have last time." They clearly heard Lupin calling his godfather with a firm tone. "I can't really tell you what it is but they think he's found it but can't get to it. Be very careful, pup." His godfather looked almost grim as he spoke his next words, "He will use anyone to get to you and the-" His godfather was pulled from the Floo and his face disappeared, they could here his friend chastise his friend and Sirius reply shortly followed by a defeated Lupin and the Fire call ended.
Harry frowned at the flames and moved to sit with his friends, they discussed what could be the thing Voldemort was after and reviewed the final meeting of the DA before Christmas holidays. Their serpent friends had asked to teach the group some healing spells that could be used in a pinch. They boys bid Hermione a good night and settled for a short game of chess and went to their dorm shortly after.
Harry tossed and turned in his sleep, visions a familiar door ran though his head with flashes of a glowing room. He saw himself slipping under the door and come rise to face a familiar looking man he was sure he never saw. Watched himself strike and crawl onto the man and as he moved away blood smeared his face and arms as he protected himself. The man fell to the ground after an energetic strike and Harry bit him in the juncture between neck and shoulder, he could feel the man's quickened pulse as he laid there trying to fight him off. He tasted blood and moved off the convulsing wizard, joy and the thirst for more blood running though his veins. Harry felt sick as he couldn't fight back the pleasure from attacking a defenseless man, he hadn't even had time to draw his wand.
Harry saw another pair of feet and moved behind this victim, he rose to the man's height and saw very familiar patched robes and graying red hair. His heart moved to his throat and Harry fought to wake up. Mr. Weasely's familiar face looked at him with shock and then terror as he drew back and delivered the first strike, his arms went up instinctively. The attack seemed to last for hours when he knew it was only minutes, the feelings of pleasure and joy were tainted by pain and guilt, sorrow made it through as Harry pleaded to make it stop. He felt himself saying "Don't please do hurt him. Hurt me instead" and heard a sorrowful "Forgive me, ssibling. I must, He commandsss me, young sspeaker" In return. He felt waves of guilt and hopelessness.
The emerald eyed teen bolted upright as he woke with a hissed and distinctively female "Be ssafe." Echoing in his mind as a sour taste settled on his tongue and a wave of warmth swept over him and he nearly fell to the floor and puked. He was met by a pair of strong arms and looked up to see a shocked Ron holding him tightly. He flinched and extracted himself from his friend's arms, a sudden rush of energy flared though him and he ran to McGonagall's office. He was saying things on his way and wasn't sure if it was proper English, one thought remained in his mind. I need to get to Dumbledore, he needs to know. Fuck him if he doesn't want to. I need to tell him. NOW!
The face of the first victim came to his mind and it faded to a smirking brown haired boy with hazel eyes and Slytherin crest over his heart. Corbeau. "Hermione go to Snape, tell him to take Pierce and Corbeau to Dumbledore's office." He said as he pounded on the Transfiguration teacher's office door. He was greeted by a night cloak clad McGonagall with a surprised look on her face and he didn't wait for her to speak.
"I need to see Dumbledore." He felt like he was going to fall over any minute, he could feel the sweat on his skin and his skin felt clammy but heated. He was on fire and shaking from the pain, disgust, horror and pure anger that coursed through his veins.
"Mr. Potter!" she began and took in his shaken state as well as his pajama clad friends in a flurry with worried looks behind him. "Voldemort?" she asked with wide eyes. Harry could only nod, he felt him vomiting. In a rush of movement he found himself in the Headmaster's office. He recalled his vision, the assault and described the first victim as best a he could. Once he was done with Mr. Weasely's attack he spoke tentatively of how, who he now knew to be Nagini, spoke to him. As a brother, a young speaker and how she sent her regret and sorrow at killing despite her need to kill. That she wasn't doing so at her own will.
"She didn't want to kill but had to, she hated it. I think because it caused me pain. She called be her sibling." He barely managed to get out before he felt the same sour taste on his tongue, like lemon juice. "Nagini told me to be safe." The Headmaster met his eyes and Harry was aware that he was finally seeing the wizards true age and Albus felt a twinge of sorrow at how old the teen before him seemed. The headmaster's eyes had grown wide; their twinkle left no trace of ever existing when Harry first walked into the room.
"Minerva, please gathers the Weasely children. Contact Molly and send them home along with Ms. Pierce and Mr. Corbeau. I'll gather the Order and conduct the search." He paused and rubbed his chin through his waist long beard, not acknowledging Harry in the slightest.
The door spun open and Harry swerved back, still on edge, to see Sophia, Snape and Jack. Jack was protectively standing in front of Sophia and she had her hand in his, Snape held up the rear and had his hand on the girl's shoulder. She locked eyes with Harry and worry set itself in the dark grey orbs, Harry knitted his brows and her eyes widened slightly. The girl looked back searching for an answer from Snape when she saw the amount of people. "Severus."
The Potions Master walked toward the Headmaster and they looked each other in the eye for several moments before the younger man broke the stair and went for the fireplace, he threw a handful of Floo powder in the dieing embers and call for Grimmuald Place, Lupin answer and Snape snarled at him to come through. A second later the werewolf was in the office and the Weasely children arrived.
"Remus I need you to take Mr. Corbeau to Grimmuald Place for the time being and gather the available order members, be ready to depart in a two minutes." Remus seemed to ignore Harry as well as he moved towards Jack; he shot a brief glance at Harry as his only acknowledgement to his presence and moved to the alert teen.
He could feel the anger rage through him and stood shockingly, rooted to the same spot he had been in since her stepped in. No one gave him any explanations, he could feel the need to kill still lingering in him from his vision and it made him sick. Red clouded his vision and wanted to scream, he wanted to break things and hurt. A wave of nausea left him clammy as he gripped the edge of an antique cabinet holding several spinning and glistening artifacts.
"I'm not going anywhere without Sophia." The Slytherin stated and Remus saw a flash of yellow in the teen's eyes, he could smell the wolf in him and how unsettled it was. The girl next to him gripped his arm with her free hand and the wolf seemed to calm. Remus nodded and led them to the Floo. He thought he heard a growl when he moved to put a hand on the boy's shoulder and found slightly narrowed grey eyes on him. A determined and guarded pale face looked back at his slight shock features; the fact that it was framed by sleep tousled black hair didn't lessen the intent on it. The older wolf closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly and went to grab the Floo powder.
Before he could, the glass in the room shattered and small objects flew from the shelves in hazardous patterns. The candles when out and Lupin could make out the crouched form of the young wolf next his friend. His eyes glowed in the darkness as he was set on alert again. The curious thing was that his human companion was covering him from most of the glass flying around and the strange object that crashed into each other and broke. The Marauder went over to them and shielded them as best as he could bodily until things seemed to right themselves. He cast a cautious glance over his shoulder to see Harry was the only person standing, everyone else had taken refuge.
"What is wrong with me!" he screamed at the silver haired wizard who was looking intently at him. "Pay attention to me!" they could see the tendons in his neck and a vein throbbing in his temple. "What the fuck is going on!" he felt like he was going mad. He felt everyone abandon him and he felt the air being torn out of his lungs and his vision began to blur, no regret what so ever registered in his mind for wrecking the Headmaster's office. Surges of pain wracked his body for a minute and he felt the floor move from beneath him. Harry vaguely registered the scent of sandalwood and peppermint around him before his world went black and fell limp in someone's arms.
In the destroyed office people moved quickly, Remus helped the two Slytherins to their feet and kept them behind him. Snape laid Harry down on a couch McGonagall had vanished the shard of metal and glass off of, and checked him over for wounds and confirmed his vital signatures. The Weaselys huddled together and Albus took in the damage as Fawks trilled softly to easy the occupants of the room. Remus jumped back from the Floo as it flared and stepped before the two children, the three of them had their wands out and pointed at who ever came through.
Out of the fireplace and into the demolished contents of the office came Tonks, Moody, Hestia Jones and Kingsley Shacklebolt, they all payed attention to the damage done but asked no questions when they spotted the unconscious form of one Harry James Potter. Dumbledore seemed to recover from his apparent shock and left instruction for Minerva to have Molly take the Weaselys and the two Slytherins to Grimmauld place. Moody's eye was spinning nonstop and paused for a moment on the two Slytherins behind Lupin when Albus mentioned them, he was rewarded with a glare from both and noted they hadn't lowered their wands. A glance from Lupin and a reassuring smile form the tawny haired man changed that but they didn't pocket them, Yew and Dogwood were firmly clasped in their owners' hands. Moody gave them a nod and listened to the Headmaster's orders. As soon as they had come the Order members had left for the Ministry with their leader's instruction.
The Heads of House had Pomfery look Harry over and decided that Albus was right, he needed Occlumency training. The teen was exhausted and it would take a few days until he had properly restored his magic and recovered from the shock, without consulting the Headmaster they moved the slumbering teen to his godfather's house. Every one who could help with his recovery was there and they would notice if anything went amiss.
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So this is chapter two. You're reviews are encourage and even craved, they would help me get a clear view on what I'm doing wrong and I really want to know what you would like to see!
I know I rushed this when it came to the attack on Mr. Weasley (and somewhat before but the time jump was necessary) and we will soon find out who the other man was, as clear as it is.
Next stop Christmas.