Thank you all of you who have read this story so far and to everyone who reviewed. Thank you Ana.
I wish all of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR, FULL OF PEACE, PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS!
Harry Potter and the Trip to the Past
----------------------------------------------
Chapter – 19
----------------
Charms went off smoothly, with Harry sleeping through the class. That day went by slowly and Harry watched Ginny carefully. She seemed alright and so Harry concluded that she had not gone into the Chamber and so did not discover that the basilisk was gone. Harry relaxed for the rest of the day sleeping in most of his classes. He had not been able to go to Snape's potion Lab and ward the containers that held the basilisk. In fact Harry was wondering if he should also place the basilisk in his vault. It would really not do for Dumbledore or anybody else to stumble upon it.
Harry finished dinner and walked down with Hermione, Neville and Malfoy to the dungeons and walked inside. Hermione also walked in determinedly intending to beg Snape to allow her to stay. She had been asked to help a few times, but for Hermione, those times were not enough and she wanted to do a lot more in the potion's progress.
Today, Snape, though looked at all them for a second, including Hermione's hopeful face. 'Potter stay. The rest of you leave!'
Hermione's face fell comically, but she still remembered George's words that if she insisted Snape, even at this stage of making the potion would stop it. So with a reproachful look at the Potions Master, who did not even look back at her; he was already striding to the ingredients room to presumably bring something; Hermione left the potions lab along with Neville and Malfoy.
'We will be in the Library, Harry. Or if you will be here until dinner,' Hermione's voice just had a trace of envy, 'then we will be in the Great Hall.'
Harry nodded and smiled and turned to the dittany and started attending to it. The moment all of them left, Snape came back with an armful of leaves and placing it all on the table, and spoke briskly to Harry.
'The containers are all here.' Snape flicked his wand and two shrunken boxes were visible at once corner of the potions lab. Harry quickly went to work and soon warded them with both Snape's and his own blood, so that apart from them no one could get to the shrunken boxes. It would take a true master of warding; someone like Dumbledore or Flamel to get around it.
Harry finished the warding and then quietly settled down to help with the potions, while Snape took the containers to his chambers to keep them safely. Harry finished with Snape and later that night he opened the map and sat down with it. But surprisingly, Ginny was still in her dorms. Having a sudden doubt, Harry sealed his curtains, cast the invisibility charms upon himself and changing into a Phoenix flashed to the second floor bathroom and checked it thoroughly. But three was no diary and he flashed back disappointed to his dorm.
He activated the map yet again, but Ginny was still in her dorm, and Harry feeling both relieved and anxious, for her, went to sleep. Ginny stayed away from the chamber in the next few weeks and slowly Harry relaxed. Quidditch practise had started and Harry was practising very hard for the most awaited match of the season. Gryffindors vs. Slytherins.
Harry wondered about the fact that Ginny/ Voldemort were taking a break. He tried to remember the last time and from what he could remember, he realized that the petrifactions had continued at regular intervals and not altogether at once. Harry checked the map everyday but when it looked that Ginny was in her dorm, he relaxed. He also flashed every night to the second floor bathroom and checked for the diary. He was still to have any success, in finding it, though.
The first match of the season was one of the most awaited matches in the School as well. Draco had been practising very hard and had wanted to make sure his place in the team would be fixed by his seeker skills, wanting to somehow prove himself in Hermione's eyes of all people. Her scorn and snorts on the train when he had told Harry about being chosen for the Slytherin team, had stung and Draco had had it at the back of his head ever since. He wanted to put up a decent show and prove to her and everyone else that he did deserve his place on the team. Besides, his father was also coming to watch him play and Draco wanted to make Lucius proud.
The day of the match was cold and cloudy, with the clouds looking dark and threatening to pour at any moment. Draco, waking up in excitement; he really did not sleep at all, was very dismayed by the weather. It would be tougher to show off his skills when he would be swaying in the wind and drenched to his skin. He would have to cast a warming charm on himself and also make sure Harry remembered it too. That thought came almost unconsciously to him and he never thought about the strangeness of it.
Harry in the meantime woke up and was not at all fazed by the weather. He had seen much worse before after all. Last time around, in Harry's third year, he had tackled bad weather, dementors and so much really. The weather was only cloudy and Harry knew it would rain before long, but he was not really bothered by it.
Soon all of them were at breakfast and this time, after breakfast, Harry, Hermione and Neville walked up to the slytherin table and grinned at a visibly nervous Draco. 'Good Luck, Draco. Play well.' Harry told him, holding out his hand and Draco smiled a bit, looking very pleased that Harry had come to wish him. However his nerves were all very high strung and he did not do anything more than nodding his head jerkily. 'You too Harry.' as he shook hands with Harry.
Harry grinned at him and walked to the changing rooms, while Hermione and Neville joined Ron, Dean, Seamus and others and went to the Gryffindor stands to cheer for Gryffindor and Harry. Harry changed and sat through Oliver's lecture and then all of them went to the field and there Harry met a nervous Draco Malfoy and grinned at him. Malfoy nodded his head and mouthed something that Harry did not understand. He frowned and tried to decipher Malfoy's words as he said something but before that Madam Hooch had already released the balls and was blowing the whistle.
Harry and Malfoy soared into the air. There Harry did a few loops as did Malfoy before, they got together and Harry hurriedly veered away to avoid a bludger. 'What was it Malfoy? You alright?' Harry screamed into the wind.
'Cast warming charms on yourself Harry, else the wind and the rain that's sure to come will get you.' He shouted at Harry, who grinned at Malfoy and showed the thumbs up sign and applied warming charms upon himself. He had intended to do it later, but now would be as good as a time as any, Harry thought smiling.
The two seekers flew slowly in circles high above the other players, searching for the snitch and trying to finish the game. Below them apart from the occasional bludger that flew towards them, it was the chasers, beaters and the keeper who had a busy time.
Lee Jordon was commenting and he was doing as good a job as he was before, with McGonagall stopping him whenever he acted up a little. 'Flint and his Slytherins may have better brooms than us, but clearly it is the Gryffindors who are superior in everything else.'
'Jordan!' McGonagall shouted into the microphone.
'Sorry professor. Well as I was saying, Gryffindors are the best. And the Slytherins really suck!' there was a sudden squabble as Lee was heard saying 'sorry professor' and McGonagall's voice saying warningly, 'careful Jordon, or else I will take over' before Jordon's voice came over a bit subdued.
The rain began to fall in huge drops and Harry, quickly cast a water repelling charm upon his eyes and indicated the same to Malfoy, wondering at the friendliness between them.
They were now about an hour into the game and Harry suddenly spotted something glittering by Slytherin stands, just a few feet above the ground. He took off at once and Draco followed furiously. They weaved in and out of the other players who were each obstructing the other side's seeker and Harry dodged the bludgers once as they came whizzing towards him and as he neared the Slytherin goal post he swooped with Draco almost level with him. There were screams in the Slytherin and Gryffindor stands each House encouraging their seeker.
At that time Flint, signalled to his beaters and two bludgers came for Harry. Fred and George took off after the bludgers, but they were a moment behind the bludgers that were really speeding.
Meanwhile Harry and Draco were neck to neck, and Harry kept one hand on the broom and stretched his other hand towards the snitch. The snitch was just a few feet in front of him, and in a minute Harry would have caught it, when WHAM! The bludger slammed into him and pushed him forward. Harry's outstretched hand got hold of something as another bludger slammed into his hand and with a shout of pain; Harry toppled from the broom and crashed to the ground.
Draco had just pulled himself up the last few feet and he too landed rather ungainly on to the ground. He scrambled towards Harry and looked anxiously at him. Harry was groaning with his hand in a very strange position, suggesting he had broken it.
Draco slowly removed the snitch from Harry's hand that he had apparently grabbed when he had fallen forward, making Harry stifle a painful scream, before the players and Madam Hooch descended upon them, along with Snape, Lucius and Lockhart. Harry groaned louder when he saw Lockhart, unable to believe even in his pain, that events were once again happening as before.
Last time Harry had fainted, this time he did not faint but still he had Lockhart looming over him, about to remove the bones from his arm. Snape was very unhelpful, watching, smirking mildly, his black eyes showing amusement at Harry's groan. He had been concerned at first, until he saw Harry was pretty okay, then he had stepped back to stand with Lucius who was looking curiously at Harry, to watch the fun. Harry cursed Snape a bit.
'Who caught the snitch?' Oliver was more concerned with that and he had paled like Harry, in equal pain, when he saw the snitch in Draco's hands. At that question, everyone looked at Harry and Draco and the Slytherins screamed with pleasure.
'We won, hey we won!' they chanted and Harry was screaming as well, that they did not, the Gryffindors had, only no one heard him. Madam Hooch after a few seconds blew on her whistle loudly and stopped the noise and turned to Draco.
'Did you catch the snitch?' she asked him.
Draco was incredibly tempted to say yes. He knew that any other Slytherin would have said yes and walked away. But he realized in that minute how important Harry's friendship and respect was, to him. 'No. Potter did.' He answered Hooch even as the other Slytherins glared disbelievingly at him.
'Of course I did.' Harry told them, before they could say anything to Draco. 'I told him to remove it from my hand because my hand was paining like anything and can I go to the infirmary please?' he asked Hooch. Draco looked mighty relieved at Harry's words and the other Slytherins subsided. If Harry was aware and actually told Draco to remove the snitch, then Draco had done the right thing. He would have got a lot into trouble otherwise.
'Why bother?' Lockhart asked loudly and even as Harry shouted that he would rather be treated by a blast ended skewt. 'Ten points from Gryffindor for being rude to a professor Potter.' Came Snape's silky voice and Harry turned to him, amazed at that. Snape was smiling genuinely and was looking very amused as he nodded at Harry. Harry groaned as he heard Lockhart clear his throat and mutter something.
Flash! Harry had forgotten Colin who had somehow pushed his way through and taken a snap of Harry being healed. Harry groaned once more and then cursed loudly, as his hand bent the opposite way, when Lockhart tested it. 'What did you do?'
'Er, yes, well, that can happen sometimes. Better go to the infirmary. I think that would be the best.' Lockhart said, even as he was backing away.
'You moron, idiot, $' Harry shouted as he thought of drinking the skele-grow and spending one night in the infirmary.
'Ten points from Gryffindor, Potter for being rude to a professor, again.' Almost sang Snape as everyone looked at him incredulously. Harry was livid as Colin snapped another photo as Hooch; this time was bending his arm the other way. 'Colin.' Harry ordered, biting his lip to stop really taking out his ire on the photography mad boy, 'stop that. Sir,' he continued turning to glare at Snape, 'that's not fair. Lockhart removed the bones in my hand. I think I was justified to curse.'
Everyone gasped at Harry's audacity to talk back to Snape. 'Get up Potter and that should be another ten points.' Snape said smoothly his eyes, still very amused and Harry stood up shakily. 'I will take him to the infirmary Madam Hooch. Come on Potter. I cannot keep waiting for you.'
Harry his face mutinous, walked behind Snape and Hermione came up to Harry and caught hold of him as he stumbled. 'Let him be Miss. Granger. I will take him with me now.' And Snape came to Harry and holding on to his now rubber like and senseless hand, dragged him away.
Harry waited until they were inside the School and waving his other arm and creating a privacy ward around them huffed irritable to Snape, who just smirked back. 'Unfair of you Snape. I was really hurt by your Slytherin goons and all you do is, take away points.'
'You were rude to a professor Potter.' Snape answered easily.
'That's a professor. Along with the likes of you and Dumbledore? Merlin, Snape you are magnanimous.' Harry attempted sarcasm.
'I could take some more points off you. I can do this and even out the points that you got through this game, and your precious Gryffindor will soon be evened out with us.' Harry was silent at this and after a few minutes, Snape looked sideways at him. 'What no comebacks from the great James Potter's son?"
Harry sighed. 'No. the great James Potter's son is struck dumb.' And kept quiet; his body was aching now and he felt the effects of falling the few feet on to the ground and the other bludger hitting him, and he just could not think of any comebacks to Snape who was now attacking his father along with him.
Suddenly Harry felt himself lifted off the ground and yelped. 'Keep still Potter. We are almost there.' Snape told him and lengthened his steps, levitating an open mouthed Harry who was shocked at the sensitivity Snape exhibited. But Snape was an extremely sensitive man. Harry knew that. Only he never displayed that sensitivity openly. He was also very prickly and would lash out if he was provoked.
They were soon at the infirmary and Snape called out to Pomfrey and placed Harry on a bed. Pomfrey had her wand out and was already diagnosing him, muttering all the time. She finished and turned to glare at Snape who simply stared back at her.
'Which idiot removed all the bones from Potter's hand?' she demanded, accusingly, as if it was Snape.
'The idiot who teaches the Defence against the Dark Arts here.' Snape answered blandly, and looking at Harry for a second, turned around on his feet and billowed away.
Madam Pomfrey bustled around and came back with a pepper up and a huge beaker of skele - grow. Harry looked at it in dismay and silently took it from her and drank it. He just managed to stop himself from retching and lay down, tired and completely down. Before he knew it, Harry had slept.
Harry slept all though the day and woke up at dinner time, his hand full of pins and needles as the bones were beginning to re-grow. Luckily, it was not his wand hand and Harry found his movements, not very awkward.
He had dinner and lay down, wishing for the night to be over. He had refused a sleeping potion, saying that he was sleepy enough, not to need it. He took a pain reliever potion, though. No one had visited him, when he was awake, though Harry learned from Pomfrey, Hermione, Neville, Draco, Pansy and Blaise had been to see him as well as the entire Gryffindor team while he had been asleep.
Snape came at about eleven and found Harry awake. 'Not asleep Potter?' he asked.
Harry grinned at him. 'I actually dozed off after dinner Snape. I just woke up a few minutes ago. My hand's killing me.' He winced as a spiky prickling feeling came over him. 'Shall I give you a sleeping dose?' he asked Harry who shook his head. 'I have been sleeping all through the day and I will feel dull if I take a potion tonight as well.' Harry looked at Snape was looking back at him, his face unreadable and Harry smiled, his own green eyes soft, green eyes that Snape had looked into before he died, the last time. 'Thanks for coming to check up on me Snape.' He said softly. Snape sneered mildly and without saying another word, turned and left.
Harry sat there in the darkness feeling nice and drowsy once more. The pain had become a little better and his hand was no longer poking him painfully. He was feeling very much awake and he decided to look at his books that Hermione had brought faithfully for him to look at. He opened his bag and took out his books and the map too fell out along with them, casting a lumos on his bed alone.
Harry opened it and as a matter of routine checked for Ginny and found her in the Chamber. Harry went still, before he sat down with the map. Ginny spent only a few minutes in the Chamber before she came up and started walking, towards the infirmary. It took Harry a few seconds to understand that Ginny was coming here and then he went into action, first using the Patronus to send a short message to Snape.
'Ginny is on her way here. Please come at once to infirmary, and stay invisible.' Having sent that off to Snape, Harry waited. He had sent a message to Snape, just in case he was overpowered. This would be fighting Ginny who would be possessed and if something like last year happened, Harry wanted to be prepared.
Harry held his wand in his right hand and experimentally tried some wandless magic with his left. To his dismay the lumos spell he had tried was very weak. Harry transferred his wand onto his left hand and tried some wandless magic with his right. They worked well. So he would not be at a complete disadvantage if he lost his wand.
At that time a doe came swiftly towards him. Snape's answer. 'On my way. Don't do anything stupid.' And she vanished. Harry kept his wand in his left hand and was alert, as his eyes kept watch on the map. She was at the corner and she would come into the infirmary anytime. Suddenly Harry had an idea. He accioed a pillow from another bed and transfigured it into rough version of himself and placed it on the bed and covered it completely, showing only the black messy hair. Then Harry masked his scent and making himself invisible, ran to a corner of the room and disillusioning the map, Harry waited. Only for a second, because Ginny was already at the door and Snape was running towards the infirmary and he would take a few more minutes to come.
Harry watched as Ginny crept in silently, her red hair, all unkempt and she looked around the room and then walked silently to the bed and removed her wand. 'Avada Kedavra' she said in a cold high voice, unlike hers and then, she smirked and even laughed a little, 'Harry Potter', the cold high voice whispered as Harry stood there turned to stone and completely numb, 'Harry Potter, so you vanquished me. As if you could. Die Harry Potter.'
Then she stopped speaking and fell silent, and with another contemptuous look at the bed, walked away swiftly, almost running from the room. Harry stood there shaken to the core. Had he taken a sleeping potion or had he been asleep, he would have died in his sleep. He shivered uncontrollably as he simply stood there unable to process what he had just seen.
Ginny/Voldemort had just killed him, Harry in cold blood and had walked away. Harry peered into the map after he removed the disillusion charm off it and saw Ginny running towards Gryffindor Tower and Snape entering the infirmary. Somehow their ways had crossed without their knowledge and Harry watched as Snape came running in, through the map. He could not see Snape in the infirmary, where he was bending down and shaking Harry, because he too, was invisible.
That was when Harry came to his senses and he cleared his throat and called out to Snape, looking at Ginny, who had reached the Tower by now and was going inside. 'Snape, I'm here.'
Snape who was by then shaking what looked like a corpse, turned around, making him visible, even as Harry became visible himself and simply stood there slightly shaking. Even though he knew it was Voldemort and not Ginny who had come there, still to see the figure of a girl, whom he had loved and married, kill him so callously somehow made him feel paralysed with shock.
Snape, Harry saw was ashen and sweating profusely. His black eyes were full of horror and terror, before relief flooded into them after seeing Harry. Harry had never seen those eyes so expressive the last time and he watched as Snape came striding, almost running towards him, his eyes taking in Harry's pale face and slightly shaking demeanour and caught hold of his arm and took him to his bed. Harry cancelled the Transfiguration on the pillow, before banishing it to its rightful bed and turned to Snape.
Snape sat him down and took a vial from his robes. 'Open your mouth, Potter.' He said softly, before pouring the vial of pepper up potion into Harry's mouth. Harry felt better after a few minutes and he looked at Snape.
'Did you see Gi… Ginny?' he stammered, his eyes still a bit chaotic and stormy. Snape nodded his head. 'But I was invisible and allowed her to get away.'
'You did the right thing, Snape. What possessing her is Voldemort alright, but that is the earliest horcrux and it will not know you as his death eater and would have killed you on the spot. Like it killed me.' Harry finished bitterly.
'What?' Snape asked startled and then slowly Harry told him everything. 'I will have to take the diary somehow from her and destroy it, Snape, before, she starts killing others in their sleep.'
Snape was horrified when he heard what had happened. 'Perhaps we should go with this to the Headmaster, Potter?' he asked, tilting his head, a bit and looking right into Harry's green eyes.
Harry shook his head at once. 'No Dumbledore. Sorry.' Snape was burning with curiosity to know why, but this was not the time to ask questions and he looked at Harry. 'Sleep now. I will stay here, until morning. How's your hand?'
'Uh...Okay, I guess.' Harry said, and Snape sneered at his words. Harry smiled a bit. He had forgotten about the prickliness of his hand in the sadness and fear of what he had been seeing.
Harry lay down and watched Snape remove another potion. The sleeping potion and he shook his head, but Snape would not agree and Harry took it, grateful that someone would be there watching out for him and was asleep in a few minutes.
He woke up the next morning, fresh and Pomfrey checked him and allowed him to leave. Harry did not know when Snape had left and if he had any sleep at all last night and he sighed as he took his bag and walked towards the Gryffindor common room.
Just before he entered, he cast a notice-me-not harm upon himself, and checked the map. Ginny, Hermione, Neville and the others were at breakfast and Harry did not waste another minute. He went into the common room and ran up to his dorm. He quickly cast invisibility charms on himself and changed into a Phoenix and flashed to Ginny dorm and finding it empty, went to her bed and placed his wand on his palm and said, 'point me Ginny's Diary.'
The wand pointed him at the door. Harry could have cried. Ginny had it with her and, his visit was wasted. He removed all traces of himself and changing once more, flashed to his room and slumped on the bed. So she came out and walked among others possessed and was moving among the students as Ginny/Voldemort. Harry was completely shocked. That was very dangerous and Harry decided to somehow grab the Dairy at the earliest, before Ginny could do real harm, something from which, she would not be able to recover, even after the Diary was destroyed.
A few minutes later, Harry armed with his bag, set off to the Great Hall and he entered cautiously, looking straight at Ginny. Ginny was eating her food and looked up as Hermione called out loudly to Harry, her fork dropping from her hand and clattering on to her plate. Harry kept looking at her, his green eyes not readable, but very confident and knowing as he replied to Hermione's questions about his hand.
Harry finally looked away as he sat by Hermione and ate his breakfast. Ginny, who was sitting on the opposite side, though a little to Harry's right, was glaring at Harry, her brown eyes, showing disbelief and shock. Harry noticed all that and also the way she shook off Percy's hand and slowly looked at the Head Table. Dumbledore was looking at him and smiled back, when Harry smiled at him, a bit guardedly though, and Harry frowned inside. Now what did Dumbledore suspect?
Harry finished quickly and stood up with his friends for the first class of the day. Potions. Ginny also stood up and Harry knew she was going to attack him and this time kill him. They walked out of the Great Hall and Ginny was right after them. They were by the main doors when, suddenly Harry turned back and smiled at Ginny.
'Accio Diary.' He called loudly and fired a stunner at her even as she lifted her wand. The diary came whizzing towards him and enraged, Ginny was about to fire a spell when Harry cried out, pocketing the book, 'look, Ginny everyone's here to watch' and hoped that she would take the hint and not cast the killing curse.
But Ginny did not seem to care and she screamed at him, 'I'll kill you Potter, if it's the last thing I do. Just watch this.' And raised her wand and fired the killing curse. Harry accioed the armour and watched it shatter and shouted to Hermione, 'conjure more or Accio more stuff, Hermione.' And fired another stunner and ran away outside.
'Stupefy!' Harry cried out with his wand that missed her narrowly and suddenly Ginny sank down like a rock and Harry turned to see Dumbledore walking towards him with his wand aloft. He had fired the stunner. All the Weasleys came running to their sister, and Dumbledore was bending over her checking her and in the confusion, Harry went up to Snape who had run along with Dumbledore, his wand aloft as well and handed over the Diary surreptitiously to him. Snape stepped back, the Diary already in his robes, and Harry cast notice-me-not charms on himself and Snape and also conjured a piece of paper and quill and wrote out the instructions for destroying this piece of horcrux and pushed it into Snape's hand.
Snape took it and read it and then was gone. Harry conjured another Diary that looked just like the one he gave Snape and cancelled the charms and went and sat down by the steps, waiting for Snape to destroy the horcrux, with the basilisk fang.
Ginny, in the meantime woke up and she looked at Dumbledore and the others and blushed. Her brothers were asking her all sorts of things; all of them together and in very loud voices and Dumbledore was looking around for someone. His eyes found Harry, sitting by the steps and Hermione and Neville and Draco running towards him and he simply looked penetratingly as Harry smiled tiredly at them, showing his hand that he had hurt the day before.
Suddenly, Ginny screamed, and screamed and screamed as something came out of her and vanished altogether. Harry stood up and ran to the edge of the crowd and watched with satisfaction as Voldemort came out of her and vanished. Dumbledore was stunned and shocked as he recognized the 16 year old Tom Riddle.
Ginny had fainted and Dumbledore collecting himself together and asked Percy to take Ginny to the infirmary and walked towards Harry, just as Snape was running out with a few vials in hi hand.
End of Chapter – 19
---------------------------