Hey everyone!
Please congratulate me! I guess most of you know I'm from Germany, do you? And guess what! I've managed to pass the Campridge CAE- test with 98 out of 100 points! (But tell me, is this really worth something? I only did this test because my English teacher made me do it...)
But enough of that. I didn't want to leave you with the cliffie any longer, so I decided to put this chapter up today.
Please have mercy with me, because I don't have a beta at the moment. (I'm waiting for a reply from someone I had in mind)
But I hope you like it anyway. If there are some really mayor mistakes, then please tell me and I correct them.
Chapter 27
'Damn him! Damn him and all of the fools that follow him!'
Harry was walking - or rather stomping - trough a small park not far away from Grimmauld Place. It was the way he always went when he was jogging, so he knew it like a second skin. One of his hands was buried deep into his pocket; the letter was still clutched in the other. He cursed some more and quickened his pace.
He sighed when he reached the edge of a small forest (as much of a forest as there could be in the middle of London) and sat down on a tree stump. He felt a little guilty about leaving just like that, but he was sure he would have blown something up if he had stayed. Or worse… he could have lashed out at Hermione.
He mentally slapped himself. He should have stayed to console her instead of running out like that. She was obviously scared and worried about herself and her parents. Probably about him too… but he just had left her standing in her room without saying anything. His face twisted in disgust. 'Am I… running away from Voldemort?'
Harry's eyes travelled back down to the letter. "How dare he…" he murmured quietly and let his head sink back against another tree behind him. He watched with slight satisfaction when black flames slowly started to lick at the bottom of the letter, eating away the offending piece of parchment. He dropped the letter on the ground and watched how it crumbled into a small heap of ashes.
He still felt his magic pulsing trough his veins and once in a while he saw small black flashes in front of his eyes. A sign for him that he really needed to calm down, but somehow that was impossible right now. Suddenly he felt something wet on his face and looked up. It had started to snow again. With a slight groan he let his head drop back, closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
Suddenly an idea hit him and he stood up and looked if someone could see him. Satisfied that he was alone he changed into his Phoenix form and stood on the ground with his wings stretched. He blinked a little baffled when he immediately felt the tingling sensation that he knew came with flashing. His vision grew blurry and with a large black flash he vanished.
Suddenly he found himself flying around over Knockturn Alley.
Satisfied that he had done it without any trouble, he carefully avoided being seen when he flew down in circles and landed in a small niche near the shop Borgin & Burke's. With another flash he was human again and waved a hand over himself.
His casual clothes changed into very expensive black boots and equally black trousers. He now wore a dark red pullover and a heavy black cloak over his shoulders. Harry threw the hood of the cloak over his face and slowly walked out of the niche.
With a sigh he straightened his back and walked straight through a group of whispering wizards with dirty black cloaks. They gave him angry scowls and one of them wanted to grab him. Harry threw him a cold glare and the men immediately recoiled and lowered his head. The other wizards pointed at his expensive clothes and then hurriedly continued walking.
Harry shook his head and continued walking through the dark paths of Britain's most famous alley for dark wizards. He once more wondered why the ministry didn't do anything against it, and just shook his head when a buckled witch with a raven on her shoulder passed him.
As much as didn't really like to afmit, he rather liked Knockturn Alley by now. It was a place where – with the right amount of threats and money – you could get everything. Be it information or dark, dangerous and ministry restricted objects and creatures.
Hell, Nicolas had even told him about a young basilisk he had acquired here some time ago in the nineteenth century. (He sure hoped that this had been a very rare exception.)
Harry passed a filthy looking book-shop and a very dark looking shop that emitted a distinct smell of rotten flesh. He scrunched up his nose and quickened his pace.
When he turned into a long and straight backstreet near the end of Knockturn Alley, a small group of black robed people passed him.
His shoulders tensed when he felt their eyes watching him. He knew that his magic was still spiking around him and every wizard who paid a little mind to his surroundings would easily be able to sense this. The group that consisted of four people, he noted, stopped and he felt a wand at the base of his neck.
"Halt. What's your business here?" asked a deep voice and Harry's eyes narrowed when he slowly turned around.
He didn't answer at first and immediately had three more wands pointing at him. With a slight flick of his wrist Harry casually waved his own wand that they could see that he wasn't afraid to fight them if he had to.
"I'd appreciate it, if you don't hold a wand into my face while asking questions," answered Harry slightly on the edge. "I don't think I've bothered you in any way, so what's it that you want?"
"Shut up! We're asking the questions here!" snapped the person at the right side. It was clearly a man and Harry smirked under his hood. He knew that voice. It was the voice of the executioner that had wanted to kill Buckbeak in his third year. "What's your business here?"
"I'm running an errand," he answered with his voice devoid of all emotion now. "And I wish not to be disturbed."
"You don't need to spike your magic while running an errand!" hissed the person in the middle and Harry blinked when he realized that it was a woman. "And no one except a select few are allowed to enter this section of Knockturn Alley. You're probably one of those fools of Dumbledore who thinks he's almighty."
The man on the right site gave a mocking laugh. "Yeah, he's one of the light's lap-dogs, no doubt. Probably even the old coot's most trusted bootlicker."
Harry had him at the rim of his cloak immediately and pressed him against the nearest wall. "Watch what you say, Walden Macnair! I'm not in the best of moods right now and I'm known for my very short temper! I don't have time for your worthless accusations, so don't try my patience!"
"H-how do you know my name?" stuttered Macnair and Harry whirled around when he felt a shift behind him.
"Put your wands away you fools!" he hissed at the others. "You don't stand a chance against me. I have to meet an acquaintance of mine and do and do not wish to be disturbed! And besides… you wouldn't want to ruin one of the Dark Lord's plans now, would you?"
He let go of Macnair who stumbled over to the other three. They seemed to be petrified for a short time and then turned to each other and started whispering.
He mentally rolled his eyes. 'Honestly, you'd think they're not that easily fooled… snake-face has picked really clever people to conquer the world.' His eyes suspiciously darted from one to the other while they were whispering to each other. 'But as much as I'd love to beat them to a pulp, those four against me could be a tiny little bit problematic… let's hope they really buy it…'
"You're one of us?" asked Macnair finally.
"Took you long enough to figure it out," drawled Harry. "Pray that the Dark Lord doesn't get wind of your insolence, you pathetic little worms." He didn't even need to concentrate to unleash a burst of dark magic, because he still was so damn angry. "Now get out of my sight, before I make you!"
They slowly put their wands away and one after another turned around. When Harry was sure they were really leaving him alone he gave a sigh of relief. 'I'm lucky that they didn't ask to see the Dark Mark… I sure as hell refuse to even pretend having one!'
He shortly closed his eyes and then resumed walking along the consistently smaller growing alley. After five minutes he reached a small square that ended in a dead end. The only thing there was an old and rotten looking door and two small windows. Thick black curtains prevented one from seeing what was behind the windows.
Without knocking Harry opened the door and took a step into a dimly lit room. Five candles – one in each corner and one on a table in the middle of the room – were the only things spending light.
The door closed behind him with an audible 'click' and he snorted slightly when his eyes fell on the form of a man. The man had a very athletic body and everything around him practically screamed 'dangerous'. He was wearing some loose black pants and a brown shirt similar to a tunic. A shimmering earring in form of a golden fang was dangling from his right ear and a matching necklace hung around his neck.
The man was chewing on the tip of a quill and his head was leaned over a heap of papers that were thrown over the table. He had not once looked up from his work and Harry mused that he didn't think his presence was a threat to him. This surprised him a little bit because of his current state of agitation.
"Selwyn," Harry greeted and the man's head snapped in his direction. "I see you still didn't get rid of that nasty habit of yours."
Coal black eyes narrowed at him and a strand of very dark red hair fell into the man's angular, nearly feminine, white face. His sickly pale fingers grindingly picked the quill out of his mouth and Harry could see him inhaling deeply. A smirk formed on the man's lips when he stood up.
"Harry, I haven't seen you in a while," he said and Harry didn't even flinch when the men suddenly stood next to him. "Your magic's gotten stronger, but your blood is raging trough your veins like a wildfire."
Harry nodded his head a little bit. "Probably. I'm not in the best of moods at the moment. And I hope I don't make you uncomfortable because of that."
The man – Selwyn - pointed at the desk and Harry passed him and sat down on the second chair.
In an instant Selwyn was sitting in front of him and shook his head when he reached for the goblet standing next to some papers. It was filled with a deep red liquid. "Not at all. I just had something to eat."
Harry grimaced slightly when the man took a large gulp and shook his head. "I don't pretend to ever understand how you can stand the thought of drinking that."
The man put the goblet down and shrugged. "I've done it for nearly half a millennium. After the first hundred years you don't think about it anymore."
Harry nodded. "Where's Demetri? It's unusual to see you alone."
"He's up in the Highlands, trying to get a bunch of rebellious youngsters under control… again!" the man answered and rolled his eyes. Then he leaned forward. "But tell me Harry… what brings you here? I didn't think I would see you again so soon. I don't expect the light side knows about me and Demetri? They wouldn't have let you come here, would they?"
Harry shook his head. "No, they don't know. I only told Draco a little bit who you are, but not what you are."
"So you finally perfected your Occlumency shields?" he asked and stood up to put away the mass of papers lying around on his table. "Five months ago they were easily breakable – even for someone without my powers. But- ah! I understand. You continued to use the time turner, didn't you?"
With a nod Harry lowered his hood and smirked at Selwyn. "Not only that. I've acquired my animagus form and I'm a magical beast. You know the traits of a phoenix, yes?" The man's eyebrows rose up and he nodded impressed. Then Harry's face grew serious. "But I didn't come here to catch up with you. I wanted to know if you've got any information for me."
Selwyn rolled his eyes. "Harry, you know that it's not so easy for me to walk around in broad daylight. It doesn't hurt me per say but I get dizzy when I'm exposed to the sun for too long. Add that the Dark Lord doesn't know what I am. Not to forget that he's a little annoyed by me because he can't read my thoughts. Oh! And the tiny little fact that I'm not one of the highest in rank."
"Your point?" asked Harry only.
The man smirked. "Okay, okay. I got a little bit about his plans, but you probably already know that he wants to have some crazy crystal-ball from the Department of Mysteries. The second thing…"
He stood up and went to a small drawer near an unused desk in the corner of the room. Harry saw that he closed his eyes and started to murmur some words he couldn't make out. After a short while a quiet click sounded trough the room and Selwyn took a paper out of the drawer.
He went back to Harry and laid it out in front of him. Harry studied it wordlessly for a moment. It was a drawing of some sorts. Old runes were scribbled on various spots of the paper. But those were runes Harry had never seen before. Not even at his time in Egypt. After Harry had looked at it for some time and still didn't come up with anything he looked up at Selwyn.
The man grinned and exposed two sharp and pointy teeth while doing so. "I believe it's a construction drawing. I was roaming around in his office when he wasn't there and saw it lying around on his desk. It made me curious."
Harry stared at him. "You were in Voldemort's office? You know where he's hiding?"
Selwyn nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, I know the location and the surroundings of his hideout by heart, but I'm afraid I can't tell you, because I'm not the secret keeper. The whole place's under the Fidelius."
Harry swore and looked back down to the drawing. "Do you have any idea what this is?"
"As I said: I believe it's a construction drawing. But why should the Dark Lord have a construction drawing of something that looks like a cupboard?"
Harry blinked. "A… cupboard? But what-"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence when a loud 'boom' resonated trough the room and a shock-wave, that made the windows clatter, threw the door open. He jumped off his chair and with a flick of his wrist his wand was in his hand.
He looked at Selwyn, who was staring at the door with narrowed eyes and then slowly walked forwards. Harry put the piece of paper in his jeans pocket and followed him while throwing his hood back over his head. When he reached the door he was only able to raise his eyebrows in surprise.
The four Death Eaters Harry had encountered earlier were lying sprawled on the ground and the one Harry had identified as a woman suddenly began screeching loudly, while pointing at a small rift between two houses.
"The grim! It's the grim!"
Macnair rose to his feet, his hood had been blown away. Harry could see his scowl. "Merlin, woman! Don't make such a fuss! It's only a fucking stray dog! You could've killed us with that blast!"
Harry cleared his throat. "May I inquire what you're doing here? I believe I said that I didn't wish to be disturbed."
Macnair looked at him and then his eyes widened slightly in recognition when he spotted Selwyn. He waited until his comrades where on their feet again. "Alexiel, you know this guy?"
Selwyn looked at him darkly and then at Harry, who was shaking his head slightly. "Not really. He just approached me before the woman started to screech."
Macnair scowled and raised his wand. "So you lied to us you little piece of shit!"
"You've met them before?" asked Selwyn in a low whisper when Harry took out his wand.
"Yeah. Shortly before I arrived here."
Selwyn cracked his neck. "Should I get rid of them?"
Harry scoffed and took on a fighting stance. "And risk your position as a spy? Start acting as if you fight me or play the part of the bored witness, but please don't interfere. Are they above you in rank?"
He shook his head. "Only Macnair. I don't even know the other two. Not to mention this screeching banshee"
Harry nodded and took on a fighting stance. His weight was now carefully placed on his left leg, which he shifted slightly forwards. His shoulders tensed and his hand twitched slightly in anticipation of the fight that lay before him. He felt his lips curl into a slight smile and waited for someone to move. His eyes flickered to the rift between the two houses, where the woman had fired the blast at and he caught sight of a huge black dog, that was observing them with keen eyes.
Suddenly Macnair rushed forwards and Harry felt a rush of excitement that shortly replaced the anger that still lingered within him. "Perfect. I need to get some steam out of my system."
"CRUCIO!"
He lazily sidestepped the curse and twirled his wand. A small shockwave made Macnair stop and now it was Harry's turn to rush forwards.
He held his wand up and narrowed his eyes while slowly whispering: "Avada…"
Macnair's eyes widened fearfully and Harry took some steps towards his frozen form.
"Y-you wouldn't dare!" exclaimed Macnair and stumbled backwards.
"Keda... just kidding!" said Harry then and lowered his wand before directly stopping in front of the Death Eater and ramming his fist with full force into his gut.
The man gave a grunt and stumbled backwards and stared at him with narrowed eyes after coming out of his stupor. "HOW DARE YOU?! You dare to use primitive muggle fighting on me?!"
"It obviously works," replied Harry cockily and threw a simple stunner in his direction. "Not everyone needs Unforgivables to beat someone."
Macnair rolled to the side and fired another Cruciatus-curse at him. Once more Harry wondered if that was the only spell every Death Eater had in his repertoire.
A jet of green light whizzed past his head and Harry stumbled a little bit when he looked into the direction of the other three Death Eaters. He narrowed his eyes. The woman was totally ignoring the fight around her and kept staring on the small rift between the two houses, mumbling something about a painful death.
The other two had taken on a fighting stance in front of her and the one on the right wanted to fire another killing curse when suddenly the woman gave a screech and fired a blast into the rift. "That beast isn't going away! It's standing there, mocking us and waiting for our deaths!"
Harry narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "My mood sure isn't getting better with her screeching around like that…" he muttered and he could hear Selwyn's slight chuckle.
"It's over!" the woman whimpered while the two in front of her threw a look at Harry when his magic spiked once again – black flashes cackling around him, "like my grandfather I will die…"
"Shut up already or I make sure you do right now!" bellowed Harry and his eyes darkened. "Ardeo!"
A circle of black flames engulfed the woman and she started screeching when the flames started to burn her clothing and slowly but surely her skin. After ten seconds Harry stopped the curse and the woman broke down, whimpering and cursing. On her left arm was a nasty burn, just like on her legt leg.
"Now leave!" he said icily, not wanting to lose his temper again. "Do whatever you want, but do it elsewhere!"
"You little-"
"ENOUGH!" boomed Selwyn and took a step forward. "I've got enough of that pathetic display! Leave, before I decide to report to our Lord how useless you are! I will the take matters into my own hands."
The four wordlessly stood up and with as much dignity as they could show – which was really little in Harry's opinion – walked back into the main part of Knockturn Alley, before disappearing.
"Impedimenta!"
Harry's eyes widened and before he could react he found himself flying through the air after having been hit by a strong blast. He twisted his body around and landed on his feet. His back painfully collided with the wall behind him because of the force and he gritted his teeth.
"Harry!" said Selwyn surprised and immediately crouched down in front of him, growling at the one who attacked Harry.
When Harry looked up he raised an eyebrow and scowled while sitting down on the ground with a soft wince. "What the hell was that for, you annoying dog?!"
With a grunt Sirius stepped out of the rift between the houses and lowered his wand. He flicked his black hair out of his eyes. "It was to beat some sense into you. Why'd you just run away like that? You've never run away from your problems… why start now?"
Harry said nothing and just stared at his godfather, while lowering his hood.
Sirius shook his head. "And come on, Knockturn Alley?! I've been looking for you for over two hours! The others probably are sick with worry! I told Remus that he should alert Dumbledore if I'm not back in an hour. The old man probably has the whole Order ready to search for you by now! And when I finally found you, I see you picking fights with Death Eaters!"
Harry sat up and sighed much calmer than before, as if the blast had blown some of the anger out of him. "I didn't run. I just had to get away for a little while and then I took care of something. I admit, that I can have quite a temper and… I didn't want to lash out at Hermione. I..." he drove a hand trough his hair and shook his head.
"Harry?"
He looked up at his godfather and shrugged helplessly. "It's getting too much Siri… it's slowly becoming more than I can handle…"
Sirius passed Selwyn, who was looking at him suspiciously, without a second glance and crouched down in front of him. "Harry… no one forces you to handle anything. However…" he shook his head when Harry opened his mouth to protest. "I understand that you can't just sit back and watch. You want to protect your friends and Voldemort's letters sure don't make it any easier, but… you have to take a break sometimes."
Harry stared up at Sirius with a slightly opened mouth. When he realized that he quickly shut it. "Sirius, I know. But I can't. It's not knowing that Voldemort's after me that makes me unable to take a break, it's the fact that he wants to use my friends to get me."
"Believe me, I know how that feels…" answered Sirius with a bitter smile. "It wasn't very different for me in the first war. Every day you live in fear for your friends. You don't care what happens to you as long as they're safe. If Voldemort captured one of them and - even though you knew that it's a trap – you'd still go and save them." Harry just looked at his godfather and he continued while using his wand to draw circles in the snow. "That's a very admirable trait…"
Sirius suddenly looked up and Harry was surprised at the piercing quality of his silvery eyes. "But a very, very foolish one as well." he chuckled. "A Gryffindor trait one might say. And it's widely known that Gryffindors are a bunch of hot-headed, impatient and reckless dunderheads."
"I can't believe something like that's coming from you." Harry couldn't suppress it and snorted. "Snape would pay to hear that."
"But it's the truth!" Sirius' intent stare vanished and grinned and ruffled Harry's hair. "And it's something to be proud of. I'm the best example. But seriously, Harry. Don't worry too much. The whole Order ensured that everyone is protected as best as magic allows it. And not just the active members but their friends and families as well. They're all safe."
"Yeah… you're probably right." Harry frowned. "But it's pissing me off to no end that I can't do anything! And Fudge's still too stupid to heed the warnings Draco and I gave him!"
With a shrug Sirius stood up and brushed the dirt off of his pants. "Fudge's the stupidest guy to walk on earth. No surprise there." Sirius offered him his hand and helped him to his feet. "So? You're feeling any better yet?"
"I'd still like to blow something up… preferably snake-face himself!" he answered and rubbed his sore back. "But yes, I feel much better now. Thanks."
Sirius nodded and then looked at the Selwyn, who was still standing in a slightly crouched position, ready to jump in any second.
"It's alright Selwyn," said Harry. "He's my godfather."
"Selwyn?" asked Sirius slightly stunned. "Alexiel Selwyn? I can't believe…" His eyes fell on Harry. "What the hell are you doing in company of that barmy old vampire?"
"Wonderful to see you as well," drawled Samuel and bared his sharp teeth at Sirius, "oh mighty Lord of the most Noble and Ancient House of Black. It's really strange that you have that title now. Fifteen years ago you still were just the outcast of the family."
Sirius rubbed the back of his head. "Well… I was the only sane Black left after my dear mother had died, so I inherited the title."
Selwyn snorted. "Yeah sure, you and sane is like a troll dancing ballet. Not even James Potter was as crazy as you are."
Harry looked from his godfather to the vampire. "Um… do you two know each other?"
Sirius nodded. "Selwyn was an informant and spy of James' and me when we were Aurors. He worked for us after we stopped some of our colleagues from killing him after he had went on a rampage through a muggle village up in the north. We were able to discover two Death Eater hideouts with his help."
"You went on a rampage?" asked Harry with a slightly accusing tone of voice.
The vampire shrugged. "That's how I get after not feeding for a week. I kind of angered the Dark Lord at the time and he threw me into an old dungeon. When I was released I just attacked the first human I saw."
Harry nearly pouted. "Couldn't you just kill snake-face then?"
Selwyn shook his head. "His blood's tainted and one of the rare few that doesn't tempt me to drink it. I would prefer to starve before feasting on his blood."
Sirius, who was watching him with interest, now shook his head. "I guess I don't even want to know how you two met each other, but seriously Harry. A vampire? What the hell are you even doing here?"
Harry sighed. "I was getting information from a spy."
Sirius eyes lit up in understanding and he eyed Selwyn. "So you still do that job? I'm surprised that Harry here was able to locate you and get into contact with you. The last time I checked – granted it was fifteen years ago – you were very hard to find."
"Actually," interrupted Harry before the vampire could answer, "was he the one who located me. In my time training with the time turner Fleur, Draco and I each used the time turner so that we trained one-and-a-half moths by ourselves without the others hanging around. I was hiking through the highlands and a bunch of newborn vampires attacked me one night. Selwyn and Demetri, his sire, stopped them."
"You were attacked by a bunch of vampires?" asked Sirius incredulously and Harry nodded. His godfather gave a huff. "I swear, one of these days we're sitting down and you tell me everything that happened while you trained!"
Harry shrugged. "Sure."
Selwyn eyed Harry. "I guess our business here is done, isn't it? I suppose it's better you return home. Lots of people seem to be waiting for you."
"Yeah, and thanks for the information. As little as it may be. By the way… could you try to find out who Voldemort's secret keeper is?"
"I can try," answered Selwyn, "but no guarantees. And Black…"
Sirius, who had already started to walk away, turned his head.
"… when you need a spy you know where to find me. I'd be happy to work for you once more. Of course only if the payment is accurate."
Sirius raised his hand in acknowledgement and Harry gave a nod to Selwyn, before following his godfather. They walked in silence.
Harry could still feel himself emitting small bursts of magic, but paid no real attention to it anymore. They silently left Knockturn Alley and Harry let his cloak disappear when they reached Diagon Alley. Without more words they went to the Leaky Cauldron and Sirius threw him a look that clearly said he should go first. Harry nodded and stepped into the flames. After whispering his destination he was whisked away.
As soon as he stepped through the fireplace, he no longer was able to see anything because a mass of brown hair occupied his vision there and then. He realized that Hermione was hugging him, but he wasn't even able to react before he could see again and Hermione was hitting him on the chest… hard.
"You idiot! You moron! You damn thick-headed bastard!" hissed Hermione and hit him once more. "Who do you think you are?!"
Harry caught her fist when she raised it for another strike and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry, Mione. I… I just lost it when I read the letter."
"I'm glad you're back safely Harry," said the headmaster when Sirius stumbled out of the fireplace.
Hermione, whose hand's he was still holding so that she didn't continue to hit him, grumbled and embraced him tightly. Her shoulders shook slightly and he heard her sniffling slightly with her face pressed against his chest. He felt guilt rising up in him knowing, that he was the cause of her distress and soothingly caressed her back, while looking over her head at the headmaster.
He noticed then, that Sirius hadn't been that wrong with his assumption that the whole Order was ready to search for him. Narcissa, Fleur, Tonks, Moody, Shaklebolt, Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle and Remus were standing around the table with relief written on their faces.
He titled his head. Even Fawkes was sitting on a perch near the fireplace, looking at him with his bright and intelligent eyes.
"Mon dieu 'Arry!" sighed Fleur and shook her head a little exasperated "Really, you 'ave to stop disappearing just like zat."
Narcissa just shook her head and Harry lowered his head a little when she looked at him with a chiding look. But he could still see, that she wasn't really surprised by his little trip.
Moody was looking at him, his magical eye spinning wildly in its socket. "Lad, I'm impressed. That's a whole lot of magic pouring out of you. You've got to tell me how you trained, maybe I can use some of your methods for the Auror rookies."
Harry didn't answer and stayed in Hermione's embrace.
Finally the occupants of the room seemed to get his hint and one after another left the kitchen, Sirius and Remus being the last ones. Harry could practically feel his godfather's reluctance to just leave him be and Remus' brow twitched ever so slightly while he held his nose. 'His keen senses must be screaming "vampire smell" at him,' thought Harry when he caught the Marauder's eye.
The only ones left now where Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore and of course Fawkes. With a sigh Hermione reluctantly let go of him and gave him a slightly tearful but pointed look. He nodded. They would talk later.
"You caused quite a ruckus, my boy," said Dumbledore and therefore interrupted the heavy silence.
He nodded and drove a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. It didn't want to upset anyone. I just had to leave before I could let out my anger on everyone. I wasn't thinking."
"I presume you have cooled down now?" the headmaster asked and gestured them to take a seat.
Hermione sat down, but Harry closed his eyes and gave a dry chuckle. "Looks like it, doesn't it? I can still feel my magic wanting to break out and destroy something, but I guess I've got it under control for now."
He went over to the cupboard and took a butterbeer out of it. He held a bottle in Hermione's direction and she accepted it with a nod. "Do you want to have one as well, headmaster?"
"No, thank you. I prefer my lemon drops at the moment," was Dumbledore's reply and when Harry turned around he saw one of the sweets disappearing into the headmaster's mouth.
With another small chuckle Harry finally went to the table and sat down in front of Dumbledore. "Once again I'm sorry. As I said, I didn't think."
Dumbledore nodded in understanding, even though Harry could see the worry in his eyes. The headmaster looked at him over his half-moon spectacles. Not for the first time Harry had the feeling to be rayed by those eyes.
Finally Dumbledore leaned back. "Is there something you want to talk about? Possibly… why you met up with a vampire?"
"He did WHAT?!" screamed Hermione and jumped to her feet in horror.
Harry chocked on his butterbeer and fell into a coughing fit while his girlfriend examined his neck - seemingly in search for a bite-mark.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Don't worry Miss Granger. He's still amongst the living and hasn't joined the circle of the creatures of the night."
Harry who was still coughing took a wheezing breath and Hermione seemed to take pity on him and softly patted him on the back. After finally having calmed down, he looked at Dumbledore with wide eyes and quickly tested his mental shields. They were perfectly stable.
"What… how? I mean…" Harry heaved a sigh and let his chin rest on his hand with a slightly annoyed look on his face. "How do you know that?"
Happily popping another sweet into his mouth Dumbledore smiled at him. "Mr. Blaise Zabini is not the only person in Hogwarts who is able to see a persons' aura. I was able to master this remarkably hard piece of magic seventy years ago. But unlike Mr. Zabini I'm also able to see in ones aura when they were near a magical creature or a powerful wizard or witch. They all leave magical signatures."
Harry said nothing and Dumbledore continued. "And seeing your reaction let's me assume that I was right with my guess and you really did meet a vampire."
"What the hell where you doing in company of a vampire?!" demanded Hermione, who had finally stopped looking for injuries, to know.
Fawkes gave a small trill and Harry who had forgotten that the Phoenix was there jumped slightly and looked at him.
Harry shook his head. "Sorry, but that's not important. I've sworn not to reveal his identity to anyone. But…" Harry took out the piece of paper Selwyn had given him and held it out to Dumbledore, "he's trustworthy. He gave me this. It's directly out of Voldemort's office, but I have no clue what it could mean. I've never seen runes like this before."
Dumbledore examined the paper carefully and then looked at him with slight amusement in his eyes. "You're already having your own spies in Voldemort's ranks? If I may say it, but you don't mess around for long. But please Harry, be careful. Vampires are dangerous beings."
He nodded and Hermione meanwhile had begun pacing behind him, mumbling to herself about how reckless he was. Harry could feel that she was still angry at him for leaving. "
Dumbledore finally shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm at a loss myself. Do you mind if I keep this for further examination?"
He shook his head after thinking about it. "Not at all."
With a nod Dumbledore pocketed the piece of paper and then looked at Harry with his piercing gaze once more. "Harry, I understand that you've been angry. But the fact that you magic is so uncontrollable when you lose your temper worries me greatly. It was not so long ago when you told me that you could even kill somebody when they anger you."
Harry nodded a little dejected. "I know. I don't understand it myself. Before I started training I've only ever unleashed accidental magic three times." He took a sip of his buterbeer and frowned. "The first time was when my aunt cut my hair and it looked the same as always the next morning. Then when I was nine I apparated onto the school roof while my cousin chased me. The third time was when Marge badmouthed my parents before my third year. But those were by no means as dangerous as they're now."
"Then Harry, promise me to keep your temper in check until we find a way to get your magic better under control," implored Dumbledore. "If something were to happen at Hogwarts I fear I won't be able to keep the ministry off your back. Not with Dolores Umbridge around."
"I'm trying!" answered Harry and stood up. "I just don't understand why everything is happening at once!" he continued and shook Hermione's hand away from his shoulder when she wanted to stop him. He heavily leaned against the kitchen counter and buried his head in his hands.
"First my parents, then Cedric and now he's after my friends as well. He's gone too far!"
Hermione approached him once again. He felt Hermione's hands on his own and this time didn't slap them away. He lowered his own. She was looking at him with a concerned look that made him want to punch the wall.
"Harry," she said and looked directly into his eyes. "Remember the first night of the new term, when we were on patrol after the headmaster told you the prophecy?"
Harry blinked and then nodded; having no clue what she was on about.
She lowered her eyes, staring at their joined hands. "You told me then that you don't fight against Voldemort because of revenge, but rather because of the will to finally end it all."
He titled his head and observed Hermione, who was examining the hand that he had punched the wall with. "I… yes, I know. And I still only want it to end. But…" he thought for a moment to find the right words while Hermione continued to examine his hands. Finally he shrugged helplessly, using one of Nicolas' favorite phrases to describe his situation. "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…" answered Harry and looked at the headmaster.
"Ah, Isaac Newton. One of the most formidable muggle physicists, mathematicans and astronomers of all time," nodded Dumbledore and reached into his cloak for another lemon drop, "and his famous third law even fits the use of magic. I believe Nicolas was very fond of him and taught him quite a bit about Alchemy as well."
Harry inclined his head and sighed. "That's true. But not what I was on about… I'm afraid I don't know which kind of reaction I'll show Voldemort. I… I'm not afraid of facing him… I'm afraid of what I'll do when the time comes."
"What are you trying to say Harry?" asked Hermione with a frown. "Are you… afraid that you can't control your magic?"
He shook his head. "It's not the magic which worries me." He went back to his chair and Hermione followed him.
He tipped his forehead with his index-finger. "It's my mind. The fact that the dark arts can corrupt you and that you can get addicted to them worries me. I'm not sure if I can withstand the power that comes with using dark magic. Purely dark magic feels like…" he thought for a moment and then sighed, "well… like you're dreaming the most beautiful dream. You don't feel fear, only pure luck and contempt. You think you can do everything, every damn thing without much effort. And the worst of all is, that you feel euphoria while hurting others."
Harry shook his head and quietly said: "When fighting against Voldemort… I guess I'll have to delve into the deepest of the dark arts. You can't beat him with a simple Expelliarmus. Many people have tried to fight him with only light magic… death is what they got in return."
"So… you fear… that you could lose yourself?" asked Hermione quietly. "Lose your mind?"
Harry said nothing, but they both knew, that this was exactly what he feared. After a while the headmaster coughed quietly to get their attention and smiled softly at them. "I'm impressed Harry."
"Huh?" was his intelligent reply and even Hermione didn't seem to understand.
Dumbledore happily popped another lemon drop into his mouth and nodded. "Yes, I'm really impressed. It seems that you – and I mean your friends as well – did quite a lot of growing up since the Triwizard-Tournament."
Harry looked at the golden Phoenix that was sitting on a perch at the fireplace. 'Is he on a sugar high?' Fawkes clicked his beak with slight disapproval and then hardly visible shook his head. 'No, young one, listen to what he says and then you'll understand.'
"Sir?" asked Harry with raised eyebrows. "Did I miss something?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No Harry, you didn't. But as I said, I'm really impressed. Not many – maybe three percent of the wizarding population from all over the world – understand the dangers of dark magic as well as you. You're absolutely right to fear the Dark Arts."
He paused shortly to see if Harry understood what he meant. When he nodded the headmaster smiled. "It seems that you understand perfectly, that you don't have to fear dark magic as much when it's used against you, but rather when you actually use it yourself."
"That was the first thing Draco, Fleur and I realized," replied Harry. "We started our training with a simple blood-boiling curse. When we cast it, we felt the pleasure while thinking of seeing someone writhing in pain…" Harry scrunched his face up in disgust. "Fleur didn't talk for two days after that and Draco hid himself in the library of France Manor. I was disgusted with myself at that time, because I knew it was a curse that would hurt someone and I enjoyed casting it. For a short time I feared, that I was turning evil..."
Hermione suddenly squeezed his hand. "You're not evil. I felt the same way after I used a dark curse for the first time. It… it's a horrible feeling you have to come to terms with at first."
Dumbledore smiled widely at them and stood up. "It seems I don't have to worry about you then. I believe I should return back to Hogwarts. I fear if I leave Dolores and Minerva alone for any longer the school will be in ruins."
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look and then both of their faces broke into a grin when they realized the truth of that statement.
Suddenly the kitchen door opened and Draco entered, looking slightly annoyed, but worried at the same time. "I'm sorry for interrupting, sir" he said to Dumbledore. "but would I be able to speak with Harry and Hermione alone? It's rather important."
Dumbledore nodded with a smile and stood up. "That's quite alright young Mr. Black. We talked about all the things that needed to be talked about anyways. I was just preparing to leave." He turned to Harry and gave him a slight nod. "I will be going then. Please take what I said about your temper to heart."
Harry nodded and Fawkes flew over from his perch. Dumbledore grabbed his tail and disappeared in a burst of flames.
Draco stalked over to Harry and bunched him roughly on the shoulder. "You prick! Why didn't you tell me that this Selwyn fellow is a vampire?!"
With an exasperated sigh Harry threw his arms in the air and gave Draco a playful glare. "Why do I even try to keep secrets when everybody finds out anyways?! I start to believe I just learned Occlumency to kill time!"
Draco smirked. "Could be. But, no, I heard Remus talking about it with Sirius."
Suddenly Hermione's hand wiggled out of his grip and he looked at her in question. She didn't look at him and went over to the door. "I'm a little tired after all this stuff. I'm going to lay down a bit," she said quietly and disappeared trough the door.
Harry looked after her and a lump formed in his throat. 'I'm an idiot…'
So what do you think? Give me a review to motivate me!
I've got so much schoolwork at the moment, that I have barely any time to write. (And even then I can only think of physics and maths)
Dark Phoenix of Slytherin
And please don't forget what I told you at the beginning of the last chapter! I need you guys for the prequel!!!