A/N: Sorry for the late update. I went on vacation for 3 months to a place that didn't have ANY internet access. As soon as I got home it was just Facebook and email :) Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Somebody asked "Why doesn't the Sleeping Draught make Harry sleep?" I guess I didn't really explain it that well. Sleeping Draught is a very mild potion, it is supposed to help you relax so that you can sleep, and not knock you out like Dreamless Sleep does. When Harry only takes half of the Sleeping Draught it makes his mind slightly foggy and relaxed but doesn't make him start snoring. The relaxing properties of the Sleeping Draught makes things more sluggish for Shadow, hence the reason for Harry to take it in the first place.
Just Stop Trying
Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. -Mark Twain
Draco still hasn't shown any signs of awakening. All the Professors would come in periodically with books and notes, trying to undue whatever afflicted the young Malfoy. It wasn't common for the entire faculty to take such interest in curing a student. Over the years the Professors learned that magical accidents happened often during the course of trial and error that came with learning magic. Most cases were simple and cured within a matter of days. Draco Malfoy's case was far from simple or accidental though.
It was suspected that Sirius Black was the one who cast the curse on Draco Malfoy in order to hide the fact that he was present at Hogwarts. The Professors worked feverishly during their spare time to release the young Malfoy of this magical hold and find out what he had discovered of Sirius Black that would make the escaped convict so eager to cover up.
Severus Snape felt like he was the only one who could come close to curing the young Slytherin, besides Albus Dumbledore, of course. The other Professors were ignorant when it came to the Dark Arts, making their research useless as they looked blindly in books they knew nothing about. If it weren't for Severus, none of the other Professors would have known Draco was afflicted with a Dark Curse. He had sensed it the moment he first laid eyes on his young charge after finding him unconscious. The Dark Energy hung heavy in the air, muddling his thoughts. As a teenager the feeling of Dark Magic enticed him and filled him with a sense of control he never felt otherwise. Now it just constricted his breathing slightly and slugged his thought process. His curiosity and love for the Dark Arts had died many years ago.
Severus got up from his desk and gathered together all the books he had rifled through. So far none of them helped at all, but they inspired an idea. He was the only member of the staff who thought that the curse afflicted Draco's mind, not his body. It just went to show how dense his other colleagues were.
Severus had just managed to search through all of the Headmasters books concerning dark magic and the mind. Considering how he wasn't able to find any answers in the old man's extensive collection, he knew there was only one place left to look.
"Any luck, Severus?"
The Headmaster had conjured a chair and summoned two cups of tea the moment the Potions Master had walked in.
"Nothing solid Headmaster, but I have an idea."
Severus placed the burden of books on Dumbledore's desk and sat down as the Headmaster banished the texts to his private library.
"What did you have in mind?" Albus sipped happily on his cup of tea while Severus spoke.
"I know without a doubt that whatever curse that afflicts Mr. Malfoy is causing harm to his mind and not his body, as the other members of the staff seem to think."
"You know I have no doubts about that judgment. From what little time I've had to devote to research I can see where you get that conclusion." The Headmaster popped a treat in his mouth before continuing. Severus hated the predictable habits of the old coot. "Tell me, what is this idea you have? I have a hunch of what it is but I would like to hear it from you all the same."
Severus scowled inwardly. Of course Albus knew what his intentions were.
"Having exhausted all other methods I have concluded that there is only one place we can find some answers."
He paused and waited to see if the Headmaster would say anything, but of course he kept smiling and waited for him to continue. Old men and their games. How irritating.
"I ask that you allow me to perform Legillimency on Mr. Malfoy."
xXxXxXx
Harry was agitated. He had spent most of the week in the Room of Requirement, trying to modify the Sleeping Draught to last longer in his system without being depleted every time he used magic. Due to his poor knowledge of potions he failed miserable every time he tried, depleting his supplies further and leaving him more frustrated.
After giving up that approach he decided to make a Pepper-Up potion. Harry theorized that taking the Pepper-Up potion after the Sleeping Draught would help with his problem. Instead of the Sleeping Draught being depleted every time he used magic, it would deplete the Pepper-Up potion instead. If his theory worked it would mean that he would be taking two vials of Sleeping Draught and one vial of Pepper-Up potion throughout the day. The difficult part would be remembering to take small sips of Pepper-Up after each time he used magic. Though this plan will save his supplies, it would be riskier in that there were more opportunities for someone to see him sneaking sips of potions.
So far his plan was working well. Harry has taken only one vial of Sleeping Draught so far and hasn't had any problems with Shadow. Throughout Transfiguration and Charms he had to take small sips of Pepper-Up but nobody seemed to notice. He felt less nervous about being caught as he headed to Ancient Runes. No magic was performed in that class so Harry had no need to worry about sneaking doses.
Harry had started to regret taking Ancient Runes. It's been two weeks and he felt like he wasn't learning anything. All they did was take notes on dates and names of important people. It was almost as bad as History of Magic.
As the room filled up with students and class began Harry wished he had listened to Ron and taken Divination instead. Just because his mum liked this subject didn't mean he would also. Professor Babbling tapped her wand on her desk to signal everyone to quiet down so class could begin.
"Since we've covered a brief preview over what Ancient Runes is and how it acted in the past, we will be delving deeper into it's practical means."
The students took out quill and parchment as Professor Babbling conjured the chalk to write down on the board what she lectured.
"Magic has always existed in the world, even before people walked the earth. It is as ancient and mysterious as the universe. When magic first became known to man it was feared and shunned. As time went on some started to see magic as an untamed tool. The primitive man didn't have wands as a conduit for practical use, so, they developed runes."
She instructed everyone to open their Ancient Runes Made Easy and Runes Dictionary texts and study them while she continued.
"Runes is a language of magic. Inside every witch and wizard there is a bond to this language. Unlike Divination, where only certain witches and wizards can grasp that ability, all can learn to study and understand this art."
Harry was engrossed in the text. Although he couldn't understand what he was reading, it felt like there was a story just beneath the surface of the pages. A story that his magic was trying to tell him.
"What makes Runes so unique is the fact that its powers can be wielded by non-magic folk. Throughout history there have been instances where muggles managed to find some of these runes and use them to protect precious treasures. The Egyptians relied heavily on these runes to guard their pharaohs and the treasures in their tombs."
Professor Babbling paused as a hand shot up in the air. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"
"You said that only witches and wizards can understand this language. How is it that muggles would even know what the runes they found even did? If they can't understand it how did they know it would protect their treasures?"
Professor Babbling clapped her hands together. "I am glad you asked Ms. Granger! There is something you all need to understand before continuing your studies in this subject." She moved closer to the students, and spoke once all attention was focused on her. "Throughout the studies of your texts you will see that a portion of the Runes have a rough English translation of its meaning. The reason only a portion have translations is because the rest of the symbols are for you to translate yourself. You are here to develop your connection with this magical language so you can one day understand any Runes you come across and be able to properly use it without the aid of translation texts. All that the muggles have found are rare texts that have translations of a larger number of Runes. Even though the understand the meaning of Runes they very rarely used them properly."
Professor Babbling moved back to her desk and retrieved her wand. "Let me explain further what I mean when I say 'proper use'." She then pointedly showed the class how she levitated the stack of books on her desk.
"With wands all you have to do is say a phrase, and the rest is left up to you. All I did was say 'Wingardium Leviosa' then I chose to direct the magic on my books and decided how high I wanted them to float. Runes is different in that your own magic doesn't take over and decide the rest. If I were to do the same thing with Runes I would have to inscribe on the books when to float, how high, and how long." She slowly descended the books onto the previous spot on her desk.
"The muggles didn't understand this. They would simply inscribe a Rune that meant 'protect' or 'hide' but nothing more. They wouldn't elaborate what was to be protected, for how long, and from whom. So in most cases the Runes they used did nothing."
"Now, the most important thing you need to understand." Professor Babbling peered around the room to ensure she had everyone's attention. "As you advance in your education in this subject you will be required to take certain vows to keep the knowledge that you learn within the magical community." Her voice was serious yet calm. Before continuing she looked around at every one of her students to ensure understanding. "By keeping this knowledge to a limited amount of people it is more controlled. If certain muggles were to fully understand this language chaos would ensue. Our world would be revealed and every witch and wizard would be in danger. If you've payed attention in History of Magic then I need not explain further."
The class was quiet for a few minutes as they fully absorbed what was just said. The silence wasn't broken until a Hufflepuff student spoke up.
"Do we have to take vows as we advance in Potions? From what I've learned so far, the majority of Potions can be brewed without any magical abilities."
"Thank you asking Ms. Lockean. Potions is more controlled in the fact that many of the ingredients can't be obtained in the muggle world. However, you are right. If you get into NEWT potions you will be required to take vows in order to participate in the class. If you wish to take this class next year you will also be required to take vows in order to continue in this subject."
Another Hufflepuffs hand shot up.
"What about the Squibs? They have access to the magical world and all texts they need to learn Potions and Ancient Runes. How come there aren't any Squibs in those areas?"
"In order to study Potions and Ancient Runes at higher levels you have to take the vows. Squibs are unable to take their vows because they lack the magic that makes the vows binding. Because of these and other rules, the magical world has become an unfriendly place for Squibs. That is why the majority choose to live their lives as muggles, where they have more opportunities to do as they wish."
After Professor Babbling finished her lecture and answered all questions, she instructed the students on how to properly use their Rune Dictionary and how it can be used to reference information that will help identify Runes not in any of their texts.
This is more like it. Harry's doubts about the class started to ebb away. This was what he was expecting out the class. He assumed his mum was just as bored the first two weeks of class as he was. Harry would have to ask what his Uncle Matt thinks the next time he writes. From the looks on the other students' faces they were just as glad for the class' change in direction.
"I hope the lot of you like the Library. You will be spending a lot of time rifling through it's shelves. Your homework is going to require more sources of information than the ones you've got."
Hermione literally glowed with joy at Professor Babbling's statement. Harry himself wasn't to fond of spending hours of time in the Library. Hopefully with Hermione's extensive familiarity of the library he wouldn't have too.
"I recommend that all of you acquire a Divination textbook. Many of the Runes are based off of Divination symbols and vice-a-verse. It would help greatly."
Harry decided to wait a bit longer before deciding how much he loved this class and all the homework it came with; and how sane his mum was.
Everyone received the days homework assignment and filed out of the classroom. Harry hadn't expected to be so enthralled over his studies. The first two weeks of Ancient Runes were dull and the assignments seemed to be only busy work. Now, he could understand why Hermione was always engrossed in her studies. After what he learned in Ancient Runes he finally understood the value of dedicating himself to the studies of more than just Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"I never thought I'd see that look on your face." Hermione had caught up with him after assembling together the mountain of books she always seemed to haul around.
"What look?"
She smiled. It was good to see it directed at him. "The thirst for knowledge."
Harry wasn't sure what caused this newly found passion for school. Was it because of his determination to get rid of Shadow? Or was all this new enthusiasm coming from Shadow? Either way, it had something to do with the shapeless ink blot that constantly swam around his mind.
Harry grinned back at Hermione before returning his attention to weaving through the crowd of students. "I can finally understand why my mum loved that class."
"Do you know what else your mum liked?"
"Just what my Uncle's told me. She was brilliant at everything."
"Maybe if you write to your Uncle he could send you some of her old materials. It could really help you in your studies."
Harry stopped suddenly, angering several students as they bumped into him and dropped their things. He grabbed Hermione by the arm and continued walking down the hall.
"What makes you think my Uncle would have any of her school stuff?"
"Well, she was a muggle-born like me. She would want to share this new world with her family as much as possible. At least, I do. My parents keep all the stuff I send them and the homework I've done throughout the year."
"They really do that?" Harry wondered if Uncle Matt did the same. When he was younger he remembered his Uncle keeping all his drawings and school projects.
"Yes. It really does mean a lot to them. It makes them feel more connected to this world and less of an outcast as muggles."
They both scrunched onto the overly crowded moving staircase before it shifted again. What Hermione had said really did make sense. From the way his Uncle talked about Lily he was sure he had at least some of her school things.
After the staircase stopped Harry moved off of it quickly and turned into the nearest doorway before he could be swept in a different direction by the crowd of students. As he continued his course down the hall he turned to tell Hermione that he would write a letter to his Uncle when he noticed that she was gone. Harry knew she got off the staircase with him just a second ago.
Continuing his way down the hall he assumed they just got separated by the crowd. Perhaps she went to find Ron to ask if he went to Divination this last period. Lately Harry had noticed his mate becoming more distracted with the girls.
xXxXxXx
"Harry, wait up!"
Harry had been on his way to the common room with Ron and Hermione after lunch when Oliver Wood called out to him. He told his pals to go on ahead and meet him at the library before addressing the Quidditch Captain.
"Hey Oliver."
"Listen, there's been a change in plans. We start Quidditch practice tonight."
"Why? We were scheduled to start next week."
"The Hufflepuffs managed to schedule in at that time before us. So we will have this week and the night before the game to practice."
"Hufflepuffs? You said we were playing against Slytherin."
"Well, we were." Wood looked a little uncomfortable. Then again, he must be upset about not being able to face off against Gryffindors greatest rival.
"What happened then?"
"The Slytherins decided to put off competing at the moment due to the condition of their seeker."
"Why do you look so...guilty about it?"
"I know the Slytherins are our top rival, but don't forget about sportsmanship. If Malfoy doesn't recover in two weeks time they will send him to St. Mungo's for more long term care."
Harry still didn't get it. "What does that have to do with sportsmanship?"
"I don't mean to sound selfish when I say this. With Malfoy at St. Mungo's the Slytherins will have to get a new seeker."
Harry was still confused, and Oliver obviously saw it in his face.
"I mean, the Slytherin team the past two years have been the toughest to beat yet. With a new player on their team the match won't be as challenging. And with this being my last year and all, if I don't win a victory over the original Slytherin team, I will never know just how great of a captain I am."
Oliver looked deep in thought as he reminded himself of his worries.
"You know these captain morals go straight over my head Wood, but I get what your saying. Really."
Oliver smiled and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Thanks Harry. Glad you don't think I'm mental. I have to go inform the rest of the players of the changes. If you see any would you tell them for me?"
"Will do."
Oliver turned back around and headed toward the Great Hall. As Harry watched him turn the corner he swore he saw Hermione dashing down the stairs to the lower level. He was positive she was spying on him now. But how? He saw Hermione head upstairs to the common room with Ron. How did she manage to walk past him and Oliver without either noticing?
Harry considered the possibilities while he headed towards the common room. He grabbed his second sleeping draught for the day downed the whole thing, taking a quick sip of pepper-up after to reduce the intensity of the fatigue that spread through him. Shadow hasn't shown any activity all day, meaning his plan was working perfectly. Maybe Shadow isn't as big of a threat as he originally thought.
He switched his Ancient Runes texts out for the potions materials before heading down to the library to meet up with Ron and Hermione.
xXxXxXx
Harry sat next to Ron when he spotted him. Hermione wasn't anywhere in sight but her bag was strewn on the table.
"Is everything alright with Quidditch, mate?"
Harry recited to Ron his discussion with Wood. The entire time Ron would periodically pop a piece of chocolate in his mouth when Madam Pince wasn't looking, making Harry laugh and lose track of what he was saying. At least there was something about Ron he still liked. Perhaps the past doubts about their friendship was influence by Shadow. It made sense. With Shadow more thoroughly contained Harry's temper was more in check and he was no longer annoyed by things that never had in the past.
"Malfoy's going to St. Mungo's?" Hermione appeared around a book shelf with a pile of texts in her hands. She plopped the stack on the table and sat down.
"Yeah, unless they fix him up pretty soon." Ron received a stern glare from Hermione as he popped another morsel of chocolate in his mouth. "But I say good riddance. This is the first calm year we've had since starting at Hogwarts. Even with Black on the loose this is the mildest year yet."
"I can't believe you Ron. Just because we've rivaled with Malfoy in the past doesn't mean he deserves what happened to him." Hermione yanked her bag open and started rifling through the assignments. "Besides, the Professors don't know for sure it was Black who attacked Malfoy. But whoever did it should feel terrible for what they did."
Harry didn't miss the pointed look Hermione shot his direction after that last statement. What is she playing at?
"I wouldn't worry about Malfoy so much Hermione. I'm sure whatever Black did, Malfoy will recover from it soon." Harry stated, trying to brush away Hermione's silent accusation. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that Hermione had been spying on him longer than he thought.
"Why do you say that?" Hermione's interest was immediately peaked. "Do you know what happened to Malfoy?"
Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything. Harry groaned to himself.
"Why would Harry know?" Ron's words jumbled out through a mouthful of sweets. Harry and Hermione ignored him.
"I'm not saying I know anything. It was Black who obviously attacked him. If he wanted Malfoy dead he would have killed him instantly."
"What makes you so sure about that?" Hermione's voice had slowly started to rise. Harry didn't have time to deal with this.
"He's an escaped convict from Azkaban! If Malfoy really did know something like the teachers say, then Black wouldn't have left him comatose and take the risk of it still getting out!"
"Well then if Malfoy doesn't know anything, why would Black attack him in the first place?"
Madam Pince had heard the argument and was coming their way. Harry didn't plan to still be around to hear the lecture about being quiet in the Library.
"How should I know? Maybe you should stop treating me like the escaped convict and ask Black yourself!"
He grabbed his bag and ducked to the back of the Library, taking the secret passage to the sixth floor. Hoping a little down time in the Room of Requirement would help quell the rising he anger he had towards Hermione. Not only had she been stealing his cloak, she had been spying on him too! Even though he knew Hermione had her reasons to worry about him, it wasn't her place to be snooping around. If she could have been any help at all with Shadow I would of told her everything already!
Perhaps he could lock up his invisibility cloak? Maybe even put a jinx on his trunk lock to set off when someone tried to open it? All he knew was that Hermione was going to get a hell of a surprise tonight when she tried to get his cloak. Harry grinned as he changed directions and headed to the next floor towards Gryffindor tower. Not only did his plan quell his anger, it would hopefully deflate Hermione's curiosity as well.
In the back of his mind, Harry knew this small excursion was partially influenced by Shadow. Though he had control of his thoughts and actions he could still listen to Shadow if he chose to. After all, who's to say Shadow couldn't have good ideas?
xXxXxXx
"I can't believe him!" Hermione and Ron had been kicked out of the library for that argument. "'It isn't appropriate for third years to be starting fights in the library.'" Hermione mimicked Madam Pince as she stormed off towards the common room.
"Well, Harry was right you know." Ron hesitated to continue when Hermione glared at him. "You really were overreacting. You were questioning Harry like he was the one who attacked Malfoy."
"Well, what if he did?"
"What do you mean? You know Harry doesn't know any dark magic. Even if he did he wouldn't use it on shit like Malfoy."
Hermione sighed. She hadn't really intended for Ron to hear that comment.
"Well, actually..." She thought about whether she should tell Ron the truth. It would help greatly if Ron knew that something was wrong with Harry. Then again, if she told Ron how she saw Harry attack Malfoy he would have to know about the Time-Turner. Professor Dumbledore had given her strict instructions to not let any of the other students know about it. "Never mind. I am just worried about Harry. Since the Dementors boarded the train he hasn't been acting himself."
"I know what you mean 'Mione. It doesn't mean that he was the one to attack Malfoy. Besides, if you hadn't noticed, Harry has been more himself these past few days."
The two Gryffindors entered the common room and sat down in front of the fireplace, both of them a little disappointed Harry wasn't there.
"I've noticed too, Ron." Hermione stared into the fire, hoping the flames would give her answers. "But it doesn't mean that everything's alright."
She opened her books and continued working on her mountain of homework, attempting to unmuddle her thoughts. Ron sat and finished off his last sweet. Noticing the other students were busy studying or gossiping, Ron decided to take out a book. It wasn't homework, but since reading seemed to be his only option to pass the time, it might as well be something interesting.
"What book is that?" Hermione had noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ron was actually holding a book of his own free will.
"Oh, just a book I found in Harry's trunk. There were pictures of dragons in it so I thought it might be something interesting."
Hermione motioned for the book, looking at it in disbelief. "I've been trying to find this book for the past week! Why would Harry have it?" She turned to the page marked and scanned the paragraphs.
"I assume he got it for Ancient Runes. There were a couple more like that in his trunk, along with his other Rune texts."
Tacenda Vis. This might be the spell Harry must have used on Malfoy. Hermione quickly read the text. It was an earlier form of a memory charm, probably used to remove the memory of the attack. Reading further she knew Malfoy would recover in a few weeks time, seemingly unharmed.
"This is the answer! This is what is wrong with Malfoy!" She got up and started pacing around.
"What about Malfoy?"
Hermione lowered her voice, not wanting the other students to hear. "I've been trying to discover what was wrong with Malfoy, and I think I figured it out."
"Wait, why would you be helping Malfoy?"
"Your missing the point the Ron." She plopped back down in her chair, staring at the book in her hands. "I might know what happened to Malfoy. If I could just make sure..." She jumped back up. "Wait! You said there were other books like these in Harry's trunk. Can you go get the rest of them for me?"
Worry started to mix in with Ron's confusion. "I don't know Hermione. Harry wouldn't like it if we just starting taking things out of his trunk."
"Listen, Ron." She sat next to him on the couch. "Just think about it. If the books Harry has contain the answer to what happened to Malfoy, why wouldn't he tell anyone? Why would he keep this information hidden?"
"So what if he did? It's not like Harry owes Malfoy any favors."
"Your not listening! Enemy or not, Harry should have known to report this information immediately to the Professors. You said so yourself that Harry wasn't acting normal. This just proves it."
Ron stared at the fire for a few minutes, trying to decide the best thing to do. "Alright, I will do this for Harry's sake. If your right then we need to figure out how to help him. This isn't Harry."
"Thank you Ron."
Ron gathered the books from Harry's trunk and gave them to Hermione. She stashed them in her own trunk to look at later. Right now, the both of them needed to head to class.
xXxXxXx
It was finally the end of classes for the day and the students were eager to go to Hogsmeade, trying to enjoy the good weather before October came around. Harry had already started looking around the village searching for Christmas gifts. He already had one picked out for Ron, but he needed more time to find the perfect thing for Hermione and Uncle Matt. His Uncle usually enjoyed little magical trinkets to collect. Last year Harry had given him a Remembrall. Uncle Matt had though it very amusing.
After searching an hour or so he gave up and headed to the Potion's Supply store. His little experiment had depleted his stock considerably. He didn't have enough to last the coming week so he needed to replenish his supplies. Afterward, he could take the items to the Room of Requirement and still meet up with Ron and Hermione in time for lunch at the tavern.
The door jingled as he walked in. A mixture of aromas filled his nose and made his eyes water slightly. He had no idea how somebody could spend hours working at a place like this without fainting on a daily basis.
"Hello Mr. Hanson. Can you get these for me?" Harry handed his list to the man behind the counter.
"Your Mr. Potter, correct?"
"Yes sir."
Mr. Hanson took a brief look at the list before rifling through a huge log book. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter. Afraid I can't help you." Mr. Hanson returned the list to Harry.
"What? I know you have the items on my list. I came here nearly two weeks ago for the same things."
"You already purchased your limit Mr. Potter. Students are only allowed to purchase certain amounts of ingredients."
"What? When did that happen?" Harry was horrified. This couldn't be happening.
"It's been regulation since I was student. What do you need so many ingredients for anyway?"
Harry had an answer prepared in case of that very question. Lying seemed to be something he did a lot lately. "I'm horrible at potions, Mr. Hanson. Practicing is the only way to ensure I get a decent grade this year." Well, not all of it was untrue.
"Sorry kid. I'd help if I could. Ask Professor Snape to help you if you're struggling. The man is a master in this area and can give you more ingredients if you need."
"Professor Snape?" Harry's voice squeaked in an unpleasant way. Mr. Hanson obviously didn't know Snape very well. "Why would he do that?"
"He's a teacher boy! That's his job. Besides, the Professors have unlimited access to ingredients. It really wouldn't be a bother for him to let you use his supplies."
Harry thanked the man for his help and left the shop. He needed a new plan. He would have never thought that he couldn't get the ingredients. He sat at the tavern and drank butterbeer. He would only have a short time to himself to think of a solution before Ron and Hermione arrived.
Perhaps I can steal them from the shop? No. Mr. Hanson would now it was me the minute he found his stock missing. I could research alternative ways to control Shadow, or get rid of it permanently. Using Runes could help but it would take time to research all the right runes. He'd only been taking the class a few weeks, he hardly qualified to be using runes on something like Shadow right out of the bat. In the meantime he still needed the potions, especially the Dreamless Sleep he took every night. He would just have to steal his supplies from Snape's stores until he could find a way to properly use runes.
"Hey, Mate. How'd the shopping go?" Ron sat next to Harry as Hermione went to get the two of them drinks.
"Pretty good. I still haven't figured out what to give 'Mione though."
"So...you aren't mad at Hermione?" Ron asked timidly, fumbling with his fingers.
"I'm not really mad at her. I mean, Hermione has been our best friend since first year. I just thinks she is reading to much into things, trying to find trouble."
"I know what you mean, Mate." Ron crunched on an apple that he pulled out of his pocket. "We're just worried about you."
Harry downed his drink and motioned at Hermione who was still at the counter to get him another one. "I know, but there really isn't any reason too."
Hermione sat down at the table and gave each of them a butterbeer, and sat down a plate of biscuits for them to share. They just talked about the summer and school. Ron got irritated when Harry and Hermione started talking in great detail about their Ancient Runes class, feeling a bit left out and worried that his friend was turning into a bookworm like Hermione.
Harry liked the small talk. He never felt more himself since Shadow awoke on the train.
"Are you excited about the vacation Ron? Has your mum decided where to go yet?"
The red-head immediately perked up at the change in topic. "Yeah, we're going to Romania to visit Charlie and see the dragons. We'll only stay for a few days before spending the rest of our vacation in Egypt." He shoved a whole biscuit in his mouth and mucked it around his mouth. "But, mostly I'm excited for the extra time away from school."
"Ronald, don't talk with your mouth full! And you shouldn't think of this trip as a good excuse to miss classes. There are a lot of things you could learn in Egypt." Hermione sighed and nibbled a bit on her biscuit. "I've always wanted to go there."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Only you could turn a vacation into an experience worse than school."
The prefects started announcing the time to leave and everyone was escorted out of Hogsmeade and back to their dorms. The students were eager for the weekend ahead and the chance to sleep in.
The dorm room was in an excited tumult when Harry got out of the shower. All the boys were gathered around Ron in amusement.
"What's going on Dean?"
Dean looked at Harry with a smirk. "Someone's pranked Ron! Look at him!"
The boys parted so Harry could get a look at his friend. Ron stood there just in his pajama pants, his skin pigmented a glowing, neon green. With his gangly looking arms and legs Ron would have looked like an alien from a distance. Even with no lights on, Ron's luminous skin would act like a very bright and large night light.
Harry growled in anger as he shoved his roommates aside and opened his trunk. "What did you take from my trunk, Ron?"
The green glow of Ron's skin dimmed slightly as he paled.
"What did you take? I put that jinx on the lock in case anybody broke into my trunk. Tell me what you took Ron!"
"Well...I didn't really think it would be such a big deal. Hermione saw me reading one of your books and she said she had been trying to find them..."
Harry didn't even listen to the rest as he bolted from the dorm and down the stairs. He stopped at the foot of the staircase that lead to the girls dorms and started shouting. "HERMIONE! HERMIONE! GET DOWN HERE!" He felt a thumping in his ears as his blood pulsed through his veins. Shadow squirmed in front of his vision and transformed the world into black and white.
Hermione walked down the stairs in a huff, a handful of girls behind her who were curious about the commotion. "What, in gods name, is wrong with you? You don't have to shout!"
"YOU STOLE FROM MY TRUNK! GIVE ME BACK THOSE BOOKS RIGHT NOW!"
Hermione backed up the stairs to where Harry couldn't grab at her. "I don't know what you're talking about Harry." Her voice was shaky and her face was pale.
"DON'T LIE! First you've been stealing my cloak and now you're taking my things!" Harry could feel the barrier that prevented him from running up the stairs and getting the books himself. "You don't understand anything Hermione! You think you can help but you can't! Stop trying to help Hermione, just stop trying!"
"Come on, Harry. They're just books. They belong to the library anyway." Neville had been standing the closest to Harry during his rampage.
"That's not the point!"
Hermione started running up the stairs back to her dorm, shaking.
"Don't ignore me Hermione! I don't care what reasons you have, you had no right to be looking through my things!"
A few of the girls glared at Harry as they retreated up the stairs to check up on Hermione. The rest of the Gryffindors had assembled themselves around the staircases to witness the confusing scene. Some of them looked angry at Harry, but most of them were just confused.
Harry pushed his way back to his room and isolated himself on his bed, the curtains drawn and silencing charms up. He had no idea what Hermione was going to do with those books. He had a feeling that she knew he had attacked Malfoy. Was she going to turn him in once she discovered what spell he had used against Malfoy? What would the Headmaster do once he found out? I'm going to be sent to Azkaban.
He screamed in his pillow, letting his uncontrollable rage flow through him. He had to stop Hermione, had to make her forget about all of this. Shadow swirled in front of his vision, trying to get control. Harry blinked his eyes trying to get Shadow to go away. He grabbed a vial of Dreamless Sleep and downed it. He wasn't desperate enough to let Shadow help. Not yet.
xXxXxXx
Hermione sobbed silently, knees pulled up and head down, as the other girls started crowding around her.
"God, I never knew he was such an ass." One of the girls nearby her said.
"I know, and the way he looked like he was going to hit Hermione. What a bastard."
"I couldn't believe all that yelling was over a few books."
"Hermione probably didn't take anything in the first place."
"Even if Hermione did, why would she give them to him after the way he yelled at her?"
The girls were murmuring angrily around Hermione as she tried to calm down, a few of the girls rubbing her back soothingly and whispering calming words. After a few minutes her shoulders stopped shaking and she was able to look up and wipe the moisture from her face.
"I just wish I could help Harry." She hiccuped out.
"Hermione, you don't owe anything to that boy. There is no reason why you should help. He was born a jackass and will die one. There isn't any reason trying to change him." Missy said sternly.
Missy had been her one friend besides Harry and Ron. She had been there at the beginning of the first year before she became good friends with Harry and Ron. She was there at the hospital wing when she had turned into a cat from the Polyjuice potion and when she had been petrified by the Basilisk.
"Missy, you know what you're saying isn't true. Harry has never acted like this before and I need to help him to be his old self again." Hermione folded her legs down in front of her and peered at the room of girls.
"It probably isn't anything you need to worry about." A muggle-born fourth year said. "All boys turn into jerks at puberty." The girls in the room nodded in agreement.
"I know it's not that! Didn't you guys hear what he said before I left? 'You think you can help but you can't.' That means that something really is wrong. Somethings happening to Harry that he can't fix."
She rubbed some more tears out of her eyes. "That's why I'm crying, not because he yelled at me. Harry is one of the most caring and considerate persons I know, and something is changing that."
The girls eventually settled down and started heading to bed. Hermione forbid any of them from reporting Harry's behavior to the Professors. Before she fell asleep Hermione looked at the books Ron had taken from Harry's trunk. At first she thought that Harry was acting out for some reason after the Dementors attacked him, but now she knew it was something more serious.
From what she knew there wasn't any other book in the school that had the Tacenda Vis spell. And she knew for a fact that Harry had never checked out this book. Before this year he never had a book in his hands unless it was essential to completing an assignment. Well then how did Harry know about the spell in the first place? It couldn't be because of his Uncle. He was muggle. And none of the other students had ever used that spell before and none of the classes in the school taught dark magic.
In her mind's eye, the memory of Harry attacking Malfoy flashed before her. Maybe it has something to do with the Parseltongue! Harry had never used his Parseltongue in either casual conversation or spell casting. Parseltongue was something Harry knew not to show off to the general public. In her first year Ginny was possessed by Tom Riddles diary. Perhaps the Parseltongue has some sort of control over Harry? It didn't make any sense at all, but at least it gave Hermione somewhere to start. Somehow, the use of Parseltongue was a clue, and she would follow where it lead her.
A/N: Sorry if there are any typos or grammar mistakes. I read through and clean it up the best I can but sometimes you just miss things. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!