Author's Notes: Once again, thank you to all my readers in the past week, who have pushed this story to over 5,000 hits. And a special thanks to all my reviewers.
ProfessorChris: Well, I'd say if anyone heard the explosion, they'd think it was an attack by the IRA or something like that. And I won't be covering anything more about the second thing, at least not for now. Thanks for your support.
Okay, the Monty Python reference last week was one of Ginny's line to Harry in the daydream sequence, which is heavily based on a line from Dingo (played by Carol Cleveland) in the Castle Anthrax scene from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." I'm sure most, if not all of you have heard of it.
And now, lets move on to the next chapter.
Chapter 12: Conversations
Henry Gryffindor waited in the Hogwarts library on the fourth floor of the castle on the afternoon of September 6, 1997, which was a Friday on the Hogwarts schedule. And first year Gryffindor students had Friday afternoons off. He had told anyone curious about it that he was doing homework, which was true, but he had a more important reason for being in the library at this time. As a matter of fact, he had finished all the homework he had been assigned so far and was just trying to look busy to avoid the suspicious gaze of Madam Irma Pince. However, it wasn't working, as Pince walked over to Henry.
"Mr. Gryffindor, I know that there is no way you can still be working on homework," she claimed, "Your father raised you better than that, I would think."
"Is there some rule against spending your spare time in the library?" Henry inquired after a moment.
"As long as you're not causing trouble, I suppose not," Pince answered, "It's just unusual for anyone beside Miss Granger to spend more time in this library than necessary."
Perhaps if you were nicer to us, they'd be willing to stay longer, Henry thought to himself. However, he had the presence of mind to not speak these words out loud to Madam Pince. "That is quite true," Henry replied as he brought up his real reason for being in the library, "I'm waiting here for someone to study with."
Pince smiled at that one. "Only the end of the first week, and already you're studying?" she remarked, obviously not believing the boy's words, "Who are you studying with?"
"A girl named Megan Blaire," Henry replied truthfully, thinking nothing of his reply.
"Don't you think you're a little young to be taking a fancy to girls, Mr. Gryffindor?" Pince inquired.
"What?" Henry asked, contemplating what she had said, then was quickly on the defensive, "Oh no, it's not that! She's just a friend!"
"Oh sure, that's how it all starts," Pince said in an intimidating manner, "That is how it all begins."
"How what begins?" a girl's voice inquired from the doorway into the library.
Henry looked toward the door. "Nothing Megan," he assured as he waved to her, "Lets get studying, alright?"
"Yeah," Megan replied with a nod as she walked over to the table her friend was sitting at.
"Just don't be too loud," Pince grumbled, "Friday afternoons are my quiet times."
"We'll try our best," Henry replied quietly as Megan sat next to Henry, pulled out her books and opened them.
"I need some help with Astronomy," Megan admitted.
"Astronomy?" Henry asked perplexed, "If there is one class a Muggle could pass at Hogwarts, it's Astronomy."
"I was never one of those children who laid back in their yards at night and looked up at the heavens awestruck by what was there," Megan explained with a small amount of embellishment, "I just never saw space as very interesting. The stars are just big balls of gas that burn for billions of years. That's all. Their placement in sky is not important and shifts over time."
"That's the Muggle point of view, the purely scientific one," Henry pointed out, "But from the magical perspective, the cosmos is filled with power. And certain alignments of the heavenly bodies shift those powers. It is fairly important to understand those shifts."
"All I know about the cosmos is this song I once heard in a movie," Megan said.
"What song?" Henry inquired.
"Um, it went something like, 'Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving, and revolving at 900 miles an hour; and revolving at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned, around the Sun which is the source of all our power. The Sun, and you and me, and all the stars that we can see are moving at a million miles a day in an outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour, of the galaxy we call the Milky Way,'" Megan replied.
Henry chuckled a bit. "You shouldn't be able to see that movie," he commented, "But what exactly are you having trouble with?"
"Orion is giving me fits," Megan said.
Henry looked up at Megan with utter shock in his eyes. "Orion?" he asked incredulously, "Orion is the most prominent constellation in the sky. You can't miss it."
"No, I know how to find it," Megan elaborated, "I just keep getting Betelgeuse and Rigel mixed up."
"Oh, well, Betelgeuse is the red one and Rigel is the blue one," Henry explained quickly, "The two are the brightest stars in Orion. Try to remember it like this; Betelgeuse is always higher in the sky than Rigel, so think of it as hot, red Betelgeuse rising and cold, blue Rigel sinking."
Megan thought for a moment. "That's a great way to remember it, thanks," Megan said with a nod as she wrote that down on some white-lined paper with her pencil.
Henry had realized by this time that Megan was not in her peak condition for some reason. After another ten minutes of studying, her being distracted became obvious after she screwed up and swapped Sirius and Procyon right after he explained how to keep those two straight.
"Megan, there's something distracting you, isn't there?" Henry inquired.
Megan just sat still for a moment, then put her pencil down on the table and began to sob quietly. This was a painful sight for Henry to see and he wanted to end it as soon as he could.
"Megan, I don't like seeing you cry," he stated quietly, "Is someone hurting you?"
Megan hesitated for a little bit, continuing to cry silently, before answering. "They're just so mean," she explained quietly with more shock than sadness in her voice, "All the time, they talk about Death Eaters and torture and killing mudbloods, and so much worse. I never realized how hateful people can be. If they knew what I am, they'd kill me."
"Who? Who are saying these things?" Henry asked with great concern.
"The other Slytherins, especially the older ones," Megan answered, "And the younger ones are being indoctrinated to hate like they do. They're even trying to indoctrinate me. And it gets worse. Parkinson is trying to teach the other older Slytherins something called Avada Kedavra, and it doesn't sound good."
At the mention of the spell, Henry's head fixed itself in Megan's direction. His eyes were wide open in disbelief. "Megan, are you sure about that?" he asked with a tone that this was of extreme importance, "Are you absolutely sure?"
"It seems I'm the only Slytherin in this school who knows the meaning of the word 'discretion,' I'm afraid," Megan replied, "They really don't try to hide anything from us. Parkinson tells us that if we prove our hatred of mudbloods and half-bloods to her, she'll teach us the spell as well. Henry, what is Avada Kedavra?"
Henry looked around first, making sure Madam Pince wasn't watching them before he leaned over and whispered his answer into her left ear. "Avada Kedavra is one of the three Unforgivable Curses. They are the Unforgivable Curses because, with one exception, to use any of them against another human being carries a life sentence in Azkaban prison," he explained, "Avada Kedavra is also called the Killing Curse, because that is what it does."
Megan's eyes went wide and had she not been in a quiet library, she would have gasped. She instinctively pulled her head and body as far away from Henry as she could while remaining in her seat. "Parkinson is teaching the others how to kill?" she asked incredulously.
"Apparently, yes," Henry replied, concern filling his voice, "Has she been succeeding?"
"Not yet," Megan replied, "Parkinson herself hasn't even gotten the hang of the spell yet. But I'm afraid that may change soon."
"I don't think Crabbe and Goyle could perform the spell with their lack of brain power," Henry remarked, "Still, I have to tell my father about this immediately. He warned those students about fooling around with that spell, I know it. He'll have no choice but to expel her immediately."
"Good," Megan replied with a sigh of relief, "This school will be better off without her. Just make sure she and her goons don't learn I was one who opened my bloody mouth. I don't want to be known as a snitch by the entire school."
Henry glanced at the door as Hermione Granger entered and talked to Madam Pince about something. "You think she would retaliate against you if she learned?" he inquired.
"Bloody hell! Of course she would!" Megan exclaimed quietly, "So don't mention names to your old man."
"Megan, he'll need proof," Henry pointed out, "And I don't have that proof. My father will need to hear this from you. Don't worry, he'll make sure nothing happens to you. I swear it."
"Henry, you don't understand," Megan implored, "The others will be after me as well once they learn it was me."
"Do you really think that Goyle and Crabbe could figure it out?" Henry pondered, "And besides, once they learn that you're a Muggle-born, you're dead anyway, right? How long do you think it will take one of the brighter Slytherins to look in a book of wizarding families and not see the Blaire Family there?"
Megan thought about that for a long moment. "I suppose I should tell your father about this," she finally stated, "I don't want to have any blood on my hands. When can we see him?"
"He is teaching the sixth years right now," Henry answered, "We'll talk to him once the period ends."
Megan nodded, though she was obviously still worried about the prospect of effectively betraying her fellow Slytherin to a teacher. Even though she didn't feel welcome by many of the older students in her house, she was quickly gaining friends among the younger Slytherin students.
"Is there something wrong?" Hermione asked the two first year students as she walked up to the table, noticing the worried looks on both their faces.
"Well, actually . . . ," Henry began, intending to tell the Head Girl about Parkinson's activities.
However, he was cut off immediately. "No, nothing is wrong," Megan interrupted, "We were just studying."
Hermione suspected that the young girl was lying, but decided this wasn't a matter worth pursuing at this time. "Alright," she replied as she walked toward the Restricted Section of the library.
"Why didn't you let me tell her?" Henry asked Megan as she began to put her books back in her bag.
"I'm telling Professor Gryffindor, not her," she replied as she picked up her bag and waited for Henry to do the same, "I want this to be between as few people as possible, and Parkinson shares that Defense Against the Dark Arts class with her."
"You can trust Hermione with your life, Megan," Henry assured as he got all his books in his bag as the two first year students left the library, "She's a Muggle-born just like you and has endured a lot of abuse over the years from the older Slytherins. She'd keep this to herself."
"No," Megan replied quickly as they walked toward the staircase down to the first floor, "I won't tell her, but I will tell your father."
For the life of him, Henry could not understand why Megan was acting like this, but he decided not to press the issue any further. "Fine, have it your way," he remarked as they continued down to the first floor, then thought the situation through in his mind completely before speaking again. "You know, you may have a point," Henry conceded, "Hermione might try to confront Parkinson herself if you told her, and that wouldn't end well either way. My father will make sure this stays between us."
"Good," Megan replied as she led the way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom as the final bell of the first week of classes rang, "Because I'm not planning to die anytime soon."
Wow, she's a really good Slytherin, Henry thought, I guess the Sorting Hat knew what it was doing.
--
"For homework," Professor Geoffrey Gryffindor began as the sixth year students began leaving the classroom, "I would like an essay on the origins of Dementors and their status throughout the history of the Wizarding world. There is plenty of material in the library and your books about this, so the essay should be at least 12 inches of parchment long. I will not be in my office tomorrow, but I will be there on Sunday to answer your questions. Have a nice weekend, everyone."
As most of the sixth years left the room, Ginny Weasley walked toward the professor's desk and waited for some kind of acknowledgment of her presence there. Geoff knew who was standing there without looking, and immediately knew he wanted to be somewhere else. I know exactly where this is going, he thought, I'm not going to enjoy this at all, but she leaves me no choice.
"Having trouble with your assignment already, Miss Weasley?" Gryffindor inquired.
"Professor, how is Harry doing?" Ginny asked, her eyes hopeful that she would get an answer.
Geoff wanted to shut down this line of inquiry immediately. He didn't want to have Ginny asking him about Potter. But he decided to begin with a more caring angle. "Ginny, I understand how you feel," Geoff consoled, "But if you care about Harry, you won't ask me about him again."
"You have no idea how I feel," Ginny replied angrily, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, "I haven't been able to pay attention to any of my classes so far and McGonagall is starting to threaten my place on the Quidditch team unless I get my head back into my school work. I need to know that Harry is okay to do that."
"Ginny, to tell you the truth, I haven't seen Harry since the semester began," Geoff admitted, "In fact, I'm going to see him and my brother tomorrow morning, along with an old friend of mine. Now, that's all I can tell you."
Ginny started to cry at this. Obviously, this explanation was insufficient for her.
"Look, I'll tell you this right now," Geoff elaborated, "This is a situation where no news is good news. Keep that in mind and I'll tell you what you need to know. I can tell you that since I haven't heard anything, nothing is wrong right now. If I hear anything that you might need to know, I will tell you."
"I'll learn for myself," Ginny claimed recklessly and without thinking, "I'll send him a letter."
This set Geoff off. "Ginny, do you have any idea what is going on here?" he asked forcefully as he stood up from his desk, "Do you have any idea what will happen if that letter is intercepted by Death Eaters?"
Ginny hesitated for a moment before nodding, knowing immediately what that would mean. "Yes Professor," she replied as the tears began to roll down her face.
"I hope you're not intending
To be so condescending, it's as much as I can take . . . "
"If everything goes right for us," Geoff explained, "Harry will be back in your arms safe and sound before this school year is over. I promise you that, Ginny."
Ginny nodded in reply. She understood why Harry had left her behind while he sought Voldemort's destruction. She understood that Harry wanted to keep her out of danger, and that Hogwarts was the safest place in Wizarding Britain at this time. Her mind understood everything that was going on. Unfortunately, the heart rarely understands anything outside of itself and its own desires. And that was certainly the case right now. Ginny's heart wanted Harry to be nearby to comfort her, to hold her, to . . . please her. As she left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, she continued to cry.
"Miss Weasley, before you leave, I'd like to tell you something I've learned from my experiences," Geoff called.
Ginny halted and turned back toward her Head of House. "Yes Professor?" she asked, struggling to hold back her tears.
"Knowledge is power," Geoff began, "A power that can save your life. However, that power can also bring unwanted and unfriendly attention onto you. At this point, the less you know about Harry and his actions, the safer you are. He wants you here to protect you from harm, but I want you here so that you can't put Harry at greater risk than necessary."
"I would never betray him to anyone," Ginny declared.
"You say that now, and I believe you mean that," Geoff assured, "But has your resolve ever been tested by the Cruciatus Curse?"
Ginny looked at the floor before answering. "No, I've never been hit by that spell," she admitted, "But I have encountered it before. I've even had it fired at me."
"I have experienced its pain before," Geoff replied, "I cannot put into words how terrible the feeling is. All I can say is that within fifteen seconds, I started to wish that I would just die so that it wouldn't hurt anymore. And from what I understand, most start thinking that thought earlier than I did. I just cannot be sure that your resolve is that strong. And I don't want to test it, not just for your sake or my sake, but for Harry's sake as well."
"Yes Professor," she replied as she left the classroom.
"Ginny?" Henry inquired, seeing a severely distraught prefect walk past him.
Ginny stopped and wiped the tears from her face, her mind starting to take control of her body again. I have to be strong for the younger ones, she thought as she turned to face the two first years students, We will endure this. We must.
"Yes Henry?" she replied, putting up as strong a demeanor as she could.
But Henry saw right through it. He didn't have telepathic abilities like his father did, but he did have a very perceptive mind. "You seem distressed," he pointed out, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, this is something I have to deal with on my own," she explained as she walked toward the stairs leading up to the Gryffindor common room.
Henry began to follow Ginny when he felt a hand on his left shoulder. "Come on," he heard Megan say, "We have more important things to worry about than a lovesick prefect."
Henry was shocked for a moment at Megan's choice of words. He had only known her for a week, but he didn't think of her as a cold, uncaring kind of person. "Megan, she's obviously in trouble," Henry pointed out, "We should help her."
"If we spent our time trying to help out everyone with problems in this castle," Megan countered, "Parkinson will have taught those blockheads, Crabbe and Goyle, how to perform that spell before we could tell your father about it. Besides, I don't think there is much you could do for her right now."
Henry took a moment and decided that Megan was right about this. He turned and nodded to his friend. "You're right," he admitted, "But it's just that I hate seeing people in pain if I can help it."
"You can't in this case," Megan replied, "I have a feeling Weasley is having boy troubles, which neither of us can understand right now. But we can tell Professor Gryffindor about Parkinson. And that's what we are going to do."
Henry nodded again as he led the way into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where his father was packing his things into a large case. "Dad," he called out as he walked toward his father, Megan trailing behind, "I need to tell you something."
"Mr. Gryffindor, how many times have I told you not to address me like that in this castle?" Geoffrey sternly asked, without even looking up at his son. He was not going to show anyone preferential treatment as a professional.
"Oh, sorry Professor, but I have some news you need to hear," Henry stated, "Pansy Parkinson is teaching other Slytherins the Killing Curse."
That statement made Geoffrey Godric Gryffindor to freeze in place and drop the book that was in his right hand. As the book slammed on the floor, Geoff looked right at his son with an angry glare. "Henry, I thought I raised you better than this," he lamented, "I thought I taught you to not suspect others simply because of their appearance or their affiliations."
"I'm not!" Henry denied, trying to bring his evidence forward.
But his father would hear nothing of it. "Henry, you cast undue suspicion on your peers," he continued, "I made it absolutely clear to Miss Parkinson and the other seventh years in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class that if they fool around with the Killing Curse at all, they would be expelled immediately. I made sure that everyone in the class knew it wasn't an idle threat, so unless you have some evidence of your claim, Henry . . . "
"But he does have evidence," Megan interrupted quickly, seeing this as the right time to do so, "I'm the one who saw her trying to teach the spell."
Geoff's demeanor quickly changed. The stern father, angry at his son's failure to learn his life lessons, was replaced by a calm, even-tempered man much more fitting to his position as a teacher. "Miss Blaire," he began as he walked out from behind his desk, "You are saying that you saw Ms. Parkinson teaching the Killing Curse to Slytherin students who aren't in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"
"Unless Crabbe and Goyle are in that class, then yes," Megan replied, "And she's even offered to teach the spell to those outside of her little inner circle if we prove ourselves to her, whatever that is supposed to mean."
Geoff's eyes went wide upon hearing this. "I don't believe this," he said, "Did she think I was kidding?"
"I think it's more along the lines of her thinking that she won't be caught," Megan corrected, "She believes she has all the Slytherins outside of her inner circle in a web of fear that prevents anyone from talking about her activities."
Geoff suddenly saw a golden opportunity to spy on the inner workings of Slytherin House, which was the one thing in Hogwarts he didn't know about up to now. But he didn't want his son to get mired in something like this. "Henry, I'm sorry I accused you of dishonesty," he stated, "I'd like to speak with Miss Blaire in private about what she has been seeing. Have a nice weekend."
"Yes Professor," Henry replied as he left the room. Once he did that, Geoff walked over to the door and closed it, making sure it was locked before returning to Megan.
"Obviously, you are not intimidated by Miss Parkinson, are you Megan?" Geoff asked the first year Slytherin.
"To be honest, I am a little intimidated," Megan corrected, "But I can't see anything good coming from what Pansy is doing."
Geoffrey decided to see what angle Megan was coming from in this matter. "But couldn't this spell give the members of Slytherin House a huge edge over all the others?" he asked as he sat down in a desk seat and motioned for her to sit in the one next to her.
"Quite the opposite, in fact," Megan replied as she sat down, "Considering that eventually someone will slip up and the teachers will learn that Slytherins who shouldn't be able to perform the spell can, and suspicion will be cast upon us all. And nothing good can come of that. We're already looked at poorly by the other students, and justified suspicion would only make it worse."
"For a first year student, you certainly have a very mature mind," Geoffrey complimented, amazed that those words were coming from an 11-year-old girl, "I suppose the Sorting Hat knew what it was doing when it sorted you into Slytherin."
Megan nodded. "Pansy and her inner circle do make me feel somewhat uncomfortable," she admitted, "But I find that quite a few of those in Slytherin are like me. And I think they feel the same way about what she is doing and want it stopped. I suppose you'll have no choice but to expel her now."
Geoff looked at Megan for a moment. Why does she bring that up so quickly? Geoff wondered, Does she want Parkinson gone? "If I did, that would leave a power vacuum inside of Slytherin House," he said to himself, but making sure Megan heard clearly, "Who would fill it?"
Megan did not reply verbally, but the widening of her pupils and the slight smirk that formed on her face told Professor Gryffindor everything else he wanted to know about Megan Elizabeth Blaire. She catches on quick, is very intelligent, very cunning, and is a power-seeker, even at such a young age, Geoff thought, This girl is trying to maneuver me into getting rid of her rival in Slytherin House. As a general rule, Geoff always tried to keep innocent children out of his schemes. But this was an opportunity he simply could not possibly pass up on over a question of morals. She has come this far on here own, so she can handle the truth, Geoff decided, Lets see how much she can handle.
"Megan, you are a Muggle-born, correct?" Geoff asked.
"I suppose Henry told you that," Megan answered, "Yeah, I am. But I haven't told that to any of the Slytherins."
"Then I suppose I'll have to tell you about our world, if you feel you are ready to hear it," Geoff posed to the girl.
"I have heard about this bloke named Voldemort, but he's usually referred to as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named by everyone outside of Slytherin and the older Slytherins sometimes call him the Dark Lord," Megan commented, "Does he have something to do with all this?"
"Pretty much everything to do with it," Geoff affirmed, "His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, but he goes by the name Lord Voldemort now. He is a very powerful wizard. He went to Hogwarts from 1938 to 1945, having been recruited from a Muggle orphanage by the late Headmaster Dumbledore. He always knew he had powers beyond what he should have, and once he got to Hogwarts he wanted to learn more about his legacy. He learned that he was the last of Salazar Slytherin's direct descendants, and his quest to learn more about his legacy lead him down a path of murder. By the time he committed his first murders, he sought to be all-powerful and immortal."
"Why would he want to do that?" Megan inquired, a sense of fear starting to creep into her about her own desires for power.
Geoff smiled upon seeing her reaction to her own power-hungry nature. "Don't worry Megan, I'll make sure you don't follow his path," he assured her, "You are already starting off down the right path, making friends with those around you. Voldemort never did that. He saw those around him as hindrances rather than helpers. Where he could have seen friends, he saw enemies instead. And when he learned of his Muggle heritage, he sought to destroy it."
"Wait, all the Slytherins say he is a pure-blood," Megan interrupted, "You're saying he's not?"
"A deception on his part to gather followers willing to kill for him," Geoff explained, "He is a half-blood wizard, but he has grown to hate anything but pure-blood wizards and witches. In fact, he trusts no one and has no real friends. That's the way he likes it, and if it weren't for his trail of destruction, I'd be sorry for him. I met him once. He's a shell of a man now, barely human at all."
Megan didn't hear the end of this part of Geoff's explanation, as her mind was disturbed by the implications of Voldemort's hatred. "Now I see why he must be destroyed," she stated, "He's like Hitler."
"His genocidal rages are certainly a reason why he must die, but I take a much broader view on this," Geoff began, "At Hogwarts, we really don't 'teach' you magic, as you had that from birth. Yes, we may be able to unlock some magical potential, but most would unlock that potential themselves through time and experimentation. The real reason we bring wizards and witches in the United Kingdom to Hogwarts today is to teach them to control their magical powers."
Megan nodded, understanding the rationale behind this. "If Muggles at large learned that wizards and witches are still around, there might be trouble," she concluded.
"Exactly," Geoff affirmed, "We teach you to focus your magic powers in order for you to understand discretion. However, Voldemort does not practice this virtue, and his actions will eventually lead to our kind being rediscovered by Muggles on the large scale. So far, the Ministry for Magic has been able to contain his actions, but I don't know how long they can keep it up for."
Something from a year ago suddenly popped into Megan's mind. "That was no hurricane in West Country last year, was it?" she asked.
"That was the work of giants," Geoff replied, "A freak hurricane was the cover-up the Ministry for Magic gave to the Muggle media. Fortunately, they bought it, but I don't think that they will remain oblivious for much longer at this rate. If Voldemort takes control, our kind won't stay hidden from Muggle view for long. I actually think that might be his mission, to expose us to the Muggles in order to start a war to prove our superiority. No matter the cost, that cannot be allowed to happen. It's a fight we aren't guaranteed to win, and the victory may even cost us too much."
Megan nodded her head. They had just entered an area that she was not quite ready to enter. Not because she couldn't handle the truth, but because she hadn't thought about the big picture before. "I can't worry about keeping this world hidden from view," Megan claimed, deciding that now was the time to press the point home to the professor, "But if you expel Pansy Parkinson, I can guarantee you that Slytherin House will be behind you. I have given you the evidence you need, and others have seen what's going on. They will support my story, I assure you."
Geoff was shocked by this maneuver. "What do you think this is? A deal between street gangs?" he asked with anger, standing up from his seat.
Megan chuckled at this. "I know a winner when I see one, Professor Gryffindor," she explained, "I have done my own research on you and your past. I admire those who are willing to take matters into their own hands, even if that means resorting to getting you hands dirty at times."
Geoff sat down and smiled. He now knew that Megan was everything he needed for his plans. "I didn't kill any of those Death Eaters, although I would have taken responsibility for their deaths if some conditions were met beforehand," Geoff replied, "They were not."
Megan was starting to get frustrated at Gryffindor for holding back. I guess he still thinks there's an innocent, little girl locked in this mind, she figured, How do I convince him otherwise? Megan decided to take a real risk at this point; she had no idea how he would react to this.
"How did it feel?" she asked innocently.
"How did what feel?" Geoff replied for clarification, although he had a sinking feeling he didn't want to know.
"How did it feel to watch a human being die because of your actions?" she inquired.
Suddenly, Geoff was the one being taken places he wasn't ready to go. He also knew that Megan was not looking for an honest answer to her question. She wants me to stop looking at her like she's a little girl, he realized, She wants me to look at her as an equal.
"Megan, I don't think we should continue this conversation anymore," Geoff said, testing her, "I don't think someone your age should be asking about that. You speak of death so casually that it disturbs me."
"My apologies, but I can't help being the product of my raising," Megan explained, "My father was a member of the Marines when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. He killed quite a few soldiers there."
"I know about that conflict, but what does that have to do with you?" Geoff asked.
Megan looked right into Geoff's eyes. "You know, I think we are a lot alike, Professor Gryffindor," she remarked, "We both feel that the world today has become far too soft and cannot handle simple yet ugly truths anymore. I hear all these pundits going on and on about how terrible death is and how it needs to be avoided at all costs. Death isn't some terrible tragedy, but often is a measurable cost of your actions. A lot of Argentinian soldiers were killed in that conflict. Some even by my own father. Their deaths weren't tragedies, no matter how anyone wants to paint it. Their deaths were the prices they paid for standing against Queen and Country."
In Geoff's mind, Megan grew a whole six inches in the blink of an eye. She had his attention as an equal now. "But that war occurred about four years before you were born, Megan," Geoff pointed out, "That can't be the only thing that influenced you into what you are."
Megan looked down at the floor. I suppose I'd better get everything out on the table now, she rationalized. "You want to know how I lost my innocence, don't you?" she asked with a tone of sadness in her voice.
"Did someone . . . ," Geoff began to inquire, thinking the worst.
"No, it's not like that," Megan quickly clarified, "It was only back in April that this happened, actually. There was this boy that I couldn't stand in school who kept bullying me. One day, he was calling me bad things in the hallway and I just . . . snapped." She closed her eyes, pained by the moments that followed.
"You lost control of your powers," Geoff stated.
Megan nodded. "I knew that there was something strange about me, but I had been able to hide it for the most part in school. But finally, I turned toward that boy and pointed my finger at him, intending to give him a good tongue-lashing. All of a sudden, before I could say anything, a bolt of electricity shot out from that finger and hit him. He went down to the ground and started to scream in pain, rolling around and even going into the fetal position. My mind was so shocked at what was happening at first that I couldn't do anything to stop it. And once I could do something, I found that my mind was being taken over by an urge to continue making him suffer for all the pain he had inflicted on me. 'He had it coming,' my mind told me, 'Make him suffer as you have suffered because of him.' After that, everything was kinda hazy and these strangers filled me in. He survived and made a full recovery. I guess I passed out or something because the next thing I remember after attacking that boy was that there were strangers trying to talk to me."
"Those were probably damage control personnel from the Ministry for Magic," Geoff informed, "They specialize in memory alteration. It sounds like you used an unfocused version of the Cruciatus Curse on that boy. It's not unheard of, but it is rare and I've only heard about it happening in the States."
"I was expelled from school immediately, but no lawsuits were filed against me, which was a miracle," Megan continued, "For the next three months, I just lived in my room for the most part, afraid that the smallest insult would get someone killed. And then the letter from Hogwarts came and everything suddenly made sense."
Geoffrey smiled at this turn of events. "As if one piece of a puzzle suddenly makes all the other pieces make sense," he assessed, "I know the feeling well."
"Initially, I was really excited about learning what I truly was," Megan explained, "And my parents found my being a witch to be something worth celebrating. But then I became a bit apprehensive about this place. But then I met Henry, and I must say that when we were put in separate houses, I was really disappointed. But I've grown to like it there."
Geoff nodded as he thought about his next move. "Megan, do you really have the ability to take control of Slytherin House if Parkinson were expelled?" Geoff asked, "Please give me the truth on this one."
"It might take some time, but I already have all the first years behind me," she answered, "And considering that it seems that the Slytherins get dumber as they get older, if Pansy were expelled, I'd be able to take over control of the house before Crabbe and Goyle could figure out what happened. Plus there seemed to be a bit of a power vacuum in Slytherin when I got here, as if someone who should be here and in control isn't."
"Your powers of perception are impeccable, I must tell you," Geoff replied, speaking to an equal now, "A young man named Draco Malfoy was supposed to be in his seventh year here, and he has been leading that inner circle of Slytherin students since they first arrived here. However, his father is a Death Eater who failed Voldemort on a mission of great importance to him. So Voldemort ordered Draco to kill Headmaster Dumbledore and find a way for the Death Eaters to invade Hogwarts. He was successful with the latter, but couldn't do the former himself. As a result of his actions, he has been suspended from Hogwarts indefinitely."
Megan nodded, starting to get a very good idea of what was going on. "From what Henry has told me, there seems to be a smaller power vacuum in Gryffindor as well," she stated.
Geoff had to tread very carefully at this point. "That's because Harry Potter is not here either," he informed, "I'll tell you more about him at another time, but if Voldemort is our Adolf Hitler, Harry Potter is our Winston Churchill, using our Muggle analogies."
"His greatest nemesis," Megan mused, "Is he a Muggle-born like me?"
No, like Voldemort himself, he is a half-blood. Now, I understand your concerns about the activities going on in Slytherin," he commented, reverting back to the original subject, "But I don't think I'll expel Miss Parkinson, at least not now."
Those words hit Megan with the force of about ten stunning curses inflicted at once. I gave him everything he needs to expel her, she thought, How can he deny me like this?
Geoff sensed the panic in Megan's mind. "Megan, I have a better idea," he assured, "If I expelled Parkinson at this point, you may not be able to gain control of Slytherin fast enough. Crabbe and Goyle might have just enough combined brain power to stop you. However, if I could demonstrate that I have her under full control, you'd be able to do your scheming with her distracted by a futile search for the traitor within Slytherin. What do you think about that?"
Megan thought about it for a moment. All of those in Slytherin who know about my friendship with Henry are those I trust, Megan thought, And no one in Slytherin saw us on the way to this room or entering the library. I know Henry's mouth is shut. And Granger's mouth is probably sealed. If not, Professor Gryffindor will see to that.
Megan slowly nodded her head. "At least this way, I won't seem suspicious to the older Slytherins," she admitted, "I think this could be that start of a fruitful partnership for both of us, Professor."
"One last thing, although I guess this goes without saying," Geoff reminded, "This conversation doesn't leave this room. Don't even tell Henry about this."
Megan nodded. "Of course," she replied, "I like him the way he is right now anyway."
"I've been hearing about your interactions with him from Professor Slughorn," Geoff informed, "Which reminds me that I need to talk about that Felix Felicis potion I had him make for me. In any case, I hope Henry isn't too shocked by this side of you."
"Felix Felicis?" Megan inquired.
"It's a very special potion, and very dangerous if abused," Geoff explained, "Think of it as liquid luck. Drink a little and everything will go your way for a certain amount of time."
"I suppose you should make sure Henry doesn't get his hands on that when he starts liking girls," Megan joked.
Geoff gave a hearty laugh in reply. "I think you know Henry well enough to understand that he isn't the kind of person who would take advantage of anyone," Geoff pointed out.
Megan nodded in agreement as Geoff went to the door of the classroom, unlocked the door and looked out into the hallway. Seeing no one around, he nodded to Megan as a signal for her to leave the classroom. Megan did so, walking normally down the hallways to the Slytherin Common Room, a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. Meanwhile, Geoff sat down in his chair in the classroom and analyzed what had just occurred carefully. For the most part, he tried to justify using an 11-year-old in his plans for controlling Hogwarts. She's not an innocent little girl, he argued to himself, Bloody hell, her take on the world is almost the same as mine. I couldn't do anything to help her upbringing, and she understands exactly what's going on here. She knows that Voldemort would kill her. The only reason I'm conflicted is that she has a 15-year-old mind in an 11-year-old body. Despite this, he still felt guilty about all this. He knew that he shouldn't get Megan involved in this, but she offered him something he otherwise could not get. He understood that Hogwarts was divided between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins. He also knew that the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs were going to or already had taken sides with the Gryffindors. The Battle of the Department of Mysteries two years ago and last year's invasion of Hogwarts itself by Death Eaters pretty much cemented everyone against the Slytherins, the house which created practically all of them.
And now it appeared that the younger Slytherins were starting to question the direction of the older ones. Can't say I blame them, Geoff thought, Most of them aren't pure-bloods anyway and would be killed because of that. It's just that the sentiment against Parkinson and the other seventh years is splintered right now. But he knew that Megan had the ability to unite that sentiment within Slytherin House and become its leader. And once Geoffrey Gryffindor had control of the Slytherin common room, he would have control of all Hogwarts. And with that control, he could put his plans in motion with more effectiveness than he thought possible.
I wonder just how many more opportunities like these will pop up for me, Geoff thought as he finished packing his bag and left the classroom, locking the door behind him. He would be heading back to London tomorrow morning on the Hogwarts Express to check up on things at Harry's home. He could just Apparate directly into Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place from any secluded place in Hogsmeade, but he knew that the Ministry was keeping a close eye on things near Hogwarts, and since they wouldn't be able to find the place where he would appear, someone would investigate. His using the train wouldn't be tracked, and he could make up an excuse if he needed one. He walked up to his office on the second floor, where he found three students waiting for his help.
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Author's Notes: Yeah, I know the whole Megan being more than what she seems thing didn't come off well, but it was the best I could do. I was playing Jade Empire at the time I was writing this chapter, and some of the things in that game influenced parts of this chapter.
The point of this chapter is one I'm going to be making many times over in this story, and is a criticism I have toward J.K. Rowling's way of ending the Harry Potter series. While Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a great book, the ending did feel somewhat hollow in a way. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll just say the end was too easy. Rowling ends the series saying that good only triumphs over evil, which is a complete fallacy in my opinion. Good alone will always be trampled into the dust by evil. But good can use evil against evil and win. That is why you're going to see the "good" guys in my stories doing evil things at times. Is it right for Geoff to use a girl in his quest to ensure Voldemort's destruction? No, of course it isn't. But good must resort to using evil to destroy a greater evil. I could go on a rant now about how much this has hurt our civilization, but that's for a later chapter.
Well, that's about all for now. Until next week, read, review and enjoy.