A New Path
AN: Sorry this took so long, I'm having trouble writing anything at the moment.
And because I don't say it nearly enough, a big thank you to all my new, and old, fav and followers, and a big thank you to my reviewers too.
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CHAPTER 5 - To Hogwarts
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"Come on. Everyone, quick quick."
They rushed through the crowds, four Weasleys, Harry and Hermione; Mr and Mrs Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, Moody and a big black dog waiting on the platform.
Up ahead the scarlet steam engine whistled its warning as the final crowds of students climbed aboard.
"See you!" Harry called, Hermione, Ron and Ginny standing beside him waving through the window.
The train began to move and the figures on the platform began to shrink, but the big black dog bounded alongside the train causing the people he passed to laugh.
The train rounded the corner and it was all was gone.
"Well, can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later." And with that the Weasley twins were gone.
"Shall we go and find a compartment then?" Harry asked.
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.
"Er."
"We're - well - Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage." Hermione said awkwardly.
"Oh. Right. Fine."
"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey. Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."
"Well, I might see you later then?"
"Yeah. Definitely."
Harry left with Ginny to find a carriage with seats. At the end of the train they found Neville outside a barely occupied compartment.
Harry sat in the compartment with Neville, Ginny and a blonde girl introduced as Luna Lovegood. It was sometime before Hermione and Ron re-joined him.
In the time before his friends arrived, Harry found himself studying the strange new girl, Luna, in between conversations with Neville and Ginny, and a disastrous meeting with Cho Chang. There was something about her that he couldn't explain.
Later, after boarding one of the coaches, Harry felt the need to know this strange new girl grow stronger but preferably without his current company of Hermione, Ginny and Ron. She seemed to sense his gaze so he turned to look at the invisible horses pulling the coaches instead, musing on why only he and Luna could see them.
Once the coaches had stopped, they walked up the stone steps and through the oak front doors towards the great hall, ready for the feast and sortings.
The sorting was quick and relatively unsurprising. The headmaster stood to greet the new and returning students with the usual messages and warnings. During his speech, a squat, mouse-brown haired witch dressed in fluffy pink stood up, barely taller than when she was sat, hem-hemming to draw the hall's attention to herself. Dumbledore stopped, he and everyone else stunned into silence.
Harry remembered the pink witch, and new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, from his hearing. Dolores Umbridge. From what he heard in her dragging speech, she wasn't any nicer than his first impression had suggested. Harry, much like many other students, cringed as she spoke to the hall.
"Well that was very illuminating." Hermione said when Umbridge was done.
"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron asked incredulously. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."
"I said illuminating, not enjoyable. It explained a lot."
Ron look equal amounts disbelieving and surprised.
"It did Ron." Harry agreed. Hermione looked at him suspiciously so Harry continued. "It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts." He said. "Something about stopping stuff they don't like and halting progress and, um..."
Hermione looked surprised.
"Hey, I listened okay?" What he didn't add was that he'd had a lot of practice listening to hidden meanings over the summer from living with Voldemort.
.
It was almost a whole week into the school year before Harry finally found a chance to study the notebook from Voldemort. It surprised him to realise how much he missed the older wizard.
Later that night Harry knew he would be stuck with Umbirdge in detention again for daring to say the truth but for now he was alone.
The notebook lay open on the desk of a disused classroom. Harry, for the first uninterrupted time, looked at the pages. Suddenly the squiggles became familiar. Harry stared as they grew meanings in his mind.
What before had been mere lines he now realised were words. Like a child learning to read, Harry read the first few lines.
This is the written language of the snakes. It is of my own design.
Harry blinked and re-read the two sentences before continuing.
You will find enough here for you to attempt your own. This will be our safety measure when communicating. Write what you wish to say and I will see it. You are quite good at getting my attention with random thoughts so I will know when you have written a message for me. This will be how I contact you also, until I have discovered a better way.
Harry read the page four times before he believed his eyes.
Picking up a quill, Harry turned the page and began attempting to write parselscript. His first ten tries were pitiful and it took another seven before he could read it back to himself.
Harry was just about to try attempt eighteen when he suddenly found himself seeing another notebook in his head. Someone was writing something.
When the hand moved away, Harry grinned to himself.
Took your time, didn't you. It said.
Harry, turning to a clean page, wrote back. I only just got a chance to look at it. He argued playfully, then added. Why this? Why not use Dinky?
There was a pause before Harry saw the second book again.
Because Dumbledore would know. House elves may be able to travel through the apparition wards but I believe the current headmaster is informed of any non-staff elves that appear. It was not worth the risk. There was a pause and then Voldemort continued. That and I wanted to test what we could do through our link.
Harry was about to reply when a noise startled him. He looked up to see Peeves float passed with a bucket.
I may have to go. He wrote. I've just seen Peeves.
Also, I believe you should have been on you way to Potions a few minutes ago.
Harry's mouth dropped. He could practically hear Voldemort's amusement as he hastily shoved everything into his bag and ran out the door and down to the dungeons.
He reached the potions hallway just as the last of the crowd of students entered the classroom.
He sat down near Ron and Hermione, both of whom gave him a look.
"Close call." Ron whispered. "Where'd you get too?"
Before Harry could answer, Snape began the lesson.
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Detention that night was awful. More so than before. Voldemort, now he knew Harry could contact him, was paying far too much attention to what was happening in Harry's life and hence was well aware of what the lines he was currently writing were.
Harry winced for what felt like the hundredth time that night as Voldemort's anger reached him.
"Is there something wrong Mister Potter?" Umbridge asked sweetly, clearly thinking her detention was getting to him.
Harry felt the urge to stab her with the quill and absently wondered whether it was his thought or Voldemort's.
"No." He answered through gritted teeth.
"Carry on then."
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"Harry, you have to tell someone." Hermione was saying to him again the following evening. Harry blanked her out.
An essay on the properties of summoning charms lay on the desk in front of him, thousands of scribbled note littering the edges. I'm going to have to rewrite it, Harry thought as another helpful hint arrived in his head.
On the edge of his soon to be scrap essay, Harry scribbled a note in parselscript. Missing me?
"Harry?"
Harry looked up.
"Are you listening to me?"
"Sorry Hermione, I zoned out. But no. I can't tell anyone. Just, just leave it, yeah?"
She didn't look happy but didn't push.
Yes.
Harry blinked. What? He stared blankly at his essay for a moment.
Don't make me say it again.
You didn't say it the first time.
You know what I mean.
Harry smiled earning an odd look from Hermione.
Yep. You miss me. Ha! You can't live without me.
Shut it.
"Harry? If you need help just ask." He looked up, refocusing on the real world. "I mean just look at this."
"Huh?"
"Your essay. You've scribbled all over it. Professor Flitwick won't take it. You'll get a fail. No start again and I'll help."
"I'm ok Hermione but thanks." He said, grabbing a fresh sheet. "This was only a draft, I've got to re-write it but that's all."
Hermione was about to say something, probably about Harry never writing a draft unless she told him to, when Ron entered the room.
"You're not studying again?" He said shocked. "You're turning into Hermione."
The real Hermione cleared her throat.
Ron turned red.
"Not that that's a bad thing just that, um..."
"And I suppose you've already done your homework?" Hermione asked the redhead. "At least Harry here's thinking of his grades."
"Actually Hermione, I'm thinking I've got Detention again tonight and I want to be able to get to bed at some point."
That shut the girl up.
Harry caught Ron's quick glance at the back of his hand and scowled. "I'll finish it later." He said, packing his belongings away.
"Harry," Hermione called but he didn't listen.
You shouldn't alienate them. Voldemort wrote. At least not the girl. They may be useful.
Harry shook his head to clear the words from it.
Just something to think about. You need allies remember, separate to Dumbledore, and to a degree, myself.
Has Sirius replied to that letter yet? Voldemort asked as a change of topic even though they both knew he knew the answer.
When he reached the dorm, Harry threw himself on his bed and unearthed the notebook.
Not yet. Maybe later? He scribbled quickly.
Perhaps. Give him time. It is not easy to reply to a topic such as that And keep a letter void of precious information. Voldemort replied. And Harry? Please make your writing neater. Minny speaks the truth when she says it's terrible to read.
Harry smiled.
Perhaps he will contact you a different way. The dark lord continued to muse. If it were me, I would consider owl post the last option. In Harry's head the hand paused. Well, second to last. Last would be arranging an actually meeting face to face. In his position it would be a rather foolish and unnecessary risk.
So don't expect a letter? Harry reiterated.
Check the fire when you return from detention. Was Voldemort's only reply.
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Later that night, when Harry returned from detention, he found Ron and Hermione waiting for him. Ron had his various uncompleted essays on a table and was busy scribbling while Hermione kept a watchful eye on the working boy despite her head being in a book.
"You stayed up?" Harry asked, not sure whether he was happy or annoyed about it.
"Of course."
It was well past midnight and all the other students had gone to bed.
Harry stared at the fire in thought and then blinked.
"What is it Harry?" Ron asked, he was watching his friend's face.
"I just saw Sirius in the fire." He said.
"What?" Hermione asked. "You mean like when he wanted to talk to you last year during the T- Sirius!"
The head of Sirius Black smiled up at the three teens from the dancing flames. "I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else disappeared." He said. "I didn't think writing was a good idea so I've been checking every hour. Codes can be broken and this was the only other way I could come up with to answer Harry's letter."
"You've-"
"What if you'd been seen?" Hermione asked anxiously then stopped and turned to Harry. "You wrote to Sirius?" She asked accusingly.
Ron was staring at him too.
"It's alright Hermione. Well written, nothing for stray eyes to think twice about."
"That's not- well it's part of what I mean. You didn't say you had."
"Well, I, er, forgot about it." Harry said. Which was true up to a point. Up to the point where Voldemort had reminded him. Twice.
"Anyway, I think we should be quick. Don't want to be disturbed. So..."
"Actually guys, could I talk to Sirius alone for a bit?" Harry said carefully.
"Oh." Hermione said, taken aback. "Sure. Okay. Um, bye Sirius."
The face in the fire smiled up at her. "We'll talk another time, Hermione." He told her. "Bye Ron." He added to the boy.
Harry and Sirius waited in silence as the two teens left for their dorms.
When their footsteps had faded and two doors had been closed, Sirius turned to Harry. "So what was so special that you'd risk upsetting those two to talk to me about?" He asked seriously.
Harry hesitated, it was still too risky to talk outright. "What we talked about in the summer." He said slowly. "Do you still mean it?"
Sirius frowned. "Of course I do."
"There's things I want to run passed you but you may not like a lot of it."
You're going to tell him, aren't you?
"What kind of things?" Sirius asked.
Harry glanced around the room. "Not now." He said. "It's, um, I have to be careful."
Sirius nodded. "I understand. But we can't talk through owl post so unless you're trying to torture me can I have a hint or something."
Harry paused.
Tell him we have a plan that could involve him. Tell him, tell him that his brother was proud of him even if his parents weren't and that he died doing what Dumbledore would have wanted.
Harry faltered.
"Harry? What is it?"
"Um, I'm to say, um, we have a plan that could involve you."
And his brother...
"A-and that your brother was proud of you even if you're parents aren't and that he died doing what Dumbledore would have wanted."
Sirius frowned. "What?"
"Not my words." Harry said quickly.
"Then whose?"
"I can't tell you." Harry said quietly.
Sirius looked around the room. "Right."
"Sirius,"
"No, it's ok." He looked at Harry, saw his sad eyes. "It's ok pup. I understand. Doesn't mean I like it but I understand."
"Can I ask about the plan?" He said. Harry looked up, his eyes glazed over for a second. He shook his head. "Are you talking to someone?" Sirius asked before his eyes widened in realisation. "Him?!"
Harry bit his lip.
It's ok. Admit it. But tell him about the summer, that you were safe.
Harry nodded. "That's where I was over the summer." He said.
"Prisoner?"
"No."
"I need a minute to take it in." Sirius stared unseeing for a moment. He looked Harry in the eye. "Was there anything else?"
Harry shook his head. "Not that needs to be said today."
Sirius swallowed, taking a deep breath before he spoke. "We'll talk about this at a better time." He said slowly and clearly. "I trust you enough to know there must be a reason so your secret is safe with me but I can't do this now. Not yet."
Harry nodded. "Take the time you need." He told the older wizard shakily.
Sirius offered him a smile. "Tell me. Has he hurt you?"
"No."
"And you're not just saying that because he's listening?"
"He hasn't hurt me." Harry repeated and then, after a thought. "Dumbledore's hurt me more."
Sirius nodded. "I'll, uh, write to you when I, um, can talk."
"Bye Sirius." Harry said as a small pop indicated Sirius's departure.
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You are getting Detention far too many times. Harry saw written in his head as he left Great Hall for Charms after another talking to from McGonagall. Minny was right. Try to keep your head down.
Minny? Harry thought again.
I knew her when we were both younger alright. And before you find parchment to ask, yes, sometimes, I can hear your thoughts. You seem to send some to me. It can get quite annoying at times so you better practice those mind exercises I showed you. I KNOW you have skipped a few. You cannot see mine because I, unlike you, have control over my mind.
Harry smirked and bit down the retort about sanity since he had nowhere to write it.
"Harry."
He turned around to see Cho walk up him with a wavering smile of her own.
Oh not her. You can do so much better than that watery girl.
Harry pushed the moody dark lord out of his head, receiving a stinging scar for his efforts.
"Hi."
Really Harry, that incident on the train with the plant and the toad should be viewed as an omen for the pair of you. Stop wasting your time.
Harry ignored the dark lord and continued talking despite not knowing what to say. "Um, nice weather." He said at last before internally cringing, not again.
Cho smiled. "Another good day for Quidditch, managed to get out yet?" She said, Ravenclaw seeker that she was.
Harry was trying to answer when one of her friends walked up and tapped her shoulder.
"Well, um, I'll see you. Bye."
"Bye." Harry called after her.
Pathetic Potter.
Harry did his best to give Voldemort a headache as a reply. The result was a sharp twinge in his scar and an amused dark lord.
Nice try. Not likely to work.
Harry frowned.
Admit it. I'm better than you.
.
Charms passed quickly but it was Transfiguration that proved the highlight thanks to McGonagall's no-nonsense attitude, Umbridge's new role of Hogwart's High Inquisitor and a nosey dark lord who apparently had nothing better to do than pester his fifteen year old apprentice-maybe-heir.
And I thought Divination was bad. Harry read in his mind.
Please. I'm trying to listen. This is McGonagall after all. He felt laughter coming from the older wizard.
And that is why I now truly believe this Umbridge woman is a branch of stupid not even Crabbe and Goyle can top.
Harry had to bite his lip not to laugh.
Beside him, Hermione frowned and tapped Harry's parchment where, to her, he'd been doodling. Ron looked at them both and shook his head.
I think the Muggleborn disapproves.
Harry choked on a laugh that earned him a scathing glance from both Umbridge and McGonagall as well as Hermione and a few other students.
The rest of the class passed relatively like normal with Umbridge staying in one corner taking notes.
The following class, Care of Magical Creatures, featured the toad-like witch too. When they arrived, she was interrogating the stand-in CoMC teacher, Professor Grubbly-Plank, and Harry found himself worrying more than ever on the prolonged disappearance of Hagrid.
He's fine. You know where he went, my death eaters saw him. The only reason he's not back yet is because he's found some new and probably highly dangerous creature to adore. He's probably just having trouble bringing it home. The border wizards can be very strict on these things.
Harry relaxed a little. Yes that did seem likely.
His conversation with Voldemort meant he missed most of what was said but it was clear from the expressions on various faces - Umbridge, Hermione, Ron and Draco in particular - that the Hippogriff incident had been raised.
Hermione touched Harry's arm gently. "Thank you." She said quietly.
Harry looked at her, confused. "For what?"
"For not getting angry and saying something you'd only regret."
Harry looked away. She was right. Had he been paying attention he knew he would have said something and likely got further detentions for it.
See, I am useful. Not that I had a doubt.
.
It was that night, at around midnight, after Harry returned, hand bleeding heavily, from detention with Umbridge that Hermone brought it up. It started with another failed attempt to get Harry to go to tell someone about the detentions with Umbridge, falling into the failings of the witch herself.
"Well," Hermione began tentatively. "You know, I was thinking today... I was thinking that - maybe the time's come when we should just - just do it ourselves." She said.
"Do what ourselves?" Ron asked because Harry was busy soaking his hand in the small bowl of yellow liquid Hermione had offered while scratching behind Crookshank's ear with his left. The feeling of relief that the essence of Murtlap tentacles gave him was indescribable.
"Well - learn Defence Against the Dark Arts ourselves." Hermione answered.
Ron groaned. But what he and Hermione said next were lost on Harry because a certain dark lord had decided to make his own opinion known.
It would be a good idea. You can build the alliances and supporters you so sorely lack through a common ground. Hatred of that foul creature that calls itself a witch.
Try to steer the conversation towards yourself. Should the young witch intend this to be a group occurrence they will require someone to teach and if it is you you will have more room to manoeuvre.
Harry shook the writing from his head.
"Harry? What do you think?"
Harry blinked a few times to settle back into reality.
"Um, sorry, about what? I, uh, zoned out again." He smiled. "This stuff is really good, thanks Hermione."
The girl smiled but then seemed weary.
"Hermione thinks we need a teacher." Ron said. "She wants someone to teach us."
Harry forced a frown despite the background celebratory emotions coming from Voldemort. "Who? You mean like Lupin?"
Hermione shook her head. "No. He's too busy with the order and we wouldn't be able to see him often enough. At best we could meet him on Hogsmeade weekends but that's probably it. No, isn't it obvious?" She finished with a sigh. "I'm talking about you, Harry."
Say yes. No! Wait! Don't say yes. Not yet. Don't seem too keen. She'll get suspicious.
Through the mental writing Harry stared at the girl. "Me?"
"Yes. You teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Your mad."
Too much.
"Harry." Hermione tried.
"It's a good idea." Ron agreed.
"What is?" Harry asked dumbly.
"You, teaching us." Ron explained. "You're the best in the year at Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Me? No, Hermione's beaten me in every test."
"Actually I haven't, you-"
Harry cut her off. "Are you both serious?"
"Yes." Said Hermione. "We're not talking about exam results, just think about what you've done."
"What'd you mean?"
A list of his achievements followed, pitted with comments from Voldemort regarding such topics as how annoying Harry was for ruining his plans of the time with begrudged compliments for managing to do so against the odds. It culminated in Harry getting angry and unintentionally smashing the bowl of Murtlap essence while explaining how it was all luck and not skill, which only annoyed him more.
"We weren't having a go, mate," Ron said, "we didn't - you've got the wrong end of the -"
"Look Harry," Hermione said timidly, "don't you see? This... this is exactly why we need you... we need to know what it's r-really like ... facing him ... facing V-Voldemort."
Good to know she's scared of me. And you by the sound of it.
Shut it, Harry thought viciously.
Hermione's words reached Harry and calmed him. It was more the fact that she had said Voldemort's name, for the first time, than anything else.
He sat down, still breathing hard.
"Well think about it." Hermione said quietly. "Please?"
Harry couldn't think of anything to say. He was ashamed at himself for his outburst.
"Well, erm... night." Hermione left the common room for the dorms.
Ron got to his feet too. "Coming?"
Harry looked up at the redhead. "Yeah. In ... in a minute. I'll just clear this up." Indicating the smashed bowl on the floor.
Ron nodded and left.
Harry muttered Reparo at the shards which flew back together reforming the bowl as good as new. He put it on the table.
It was oddly quiet with no one else in the common room. Tiredness filling his mind and body, Harry traipsed up the stairs after Ron and went to bed.
.
Voldemort was strangely absent from Harry's mind the following morning. Over the last few days, Harry had gotten used to being woken with a message from the man so when he woke up on his own it felt strange.
Breakfast happened in a rush of food and owls and as soon as he was done Harry rushed back up to the dorm and grabbed the notebook from its secret place in his trunk.
Voldemort? He wrote carefully.
The reply wasn't instant, in fact it took several minutes for the second notebook to appear.
What do you want?
Harry could tell he'd done something to upset the dark lord but couldn't think what it could be.
A memory of the night before drifted to the forefront of his mind unprompted.
Sorry? The question mark appearing of its own accord.
No you're not.
To be fair you weren't helping my mood much.
There was only a blank page for some time.
Perhaps it served a purpose. Voldemort wrote eventually. Harry had been about to pack up and leave for class. You proved you can return thoughts to me the way I can to you.
So maybe in the future we won't need the notebooks? Harry asked.
With practice, perhaps.
"Harry?" Ron called. Harry looked up. "Gonna be late for class, mate." The teen said.
Harry nodded and went to pack his things away. Ron left, Harry could hear him trot down the stairs.
I'm sorry. He wrote into the notebook sincerely. You know I didn't mean it. Not really. Speak to you later? He finished hopefully.
He packed the book back into his trunk and headed to the door.
Just as he was leaving through the portrait, Voldemort wrote back.
Sure, speak later.
Harry smiled.