Chapter 21
Rituals of the New Moon
Harry woke up with a pained rasp. His chest felt like it had been repeatedly stabbed with a butcher knife. Every breath he took brought a sharp agony that made him want to curl into a ball. The jangling of chains made him flinch, even as the manacles attached to his wrists kept him from falling to the floor. The joints of his shoulders ached. A warm wetness trickled down his arms. A pair of manacles were digging into the skin of his wrists.
He looked at his surroundings with bleary eyes, but no matter how much he looked, nothing seemed to have changed. His prison looked the same as he remembered the last time he woke up. Dirty white carpet, disgusting white walls, a cracked white ceiling, all of which was covered in crimson runes. This place had more in common with a barren mansion room than a prison—not like it mattered. Wherever this place was, it had clearly been designed to keep him from leaving.
His eyes trailed across the runes covering the room. They were a meshwork of various runic languages. Just from the one side he had view of, Harry could see everything from Roman, Greek, Latin, Norse, and Egyptian runes. Someone had combined numerous languages into a single, massive, runic array. The person who had kidnapped him had unbelievable talent.
More jingling made his eyes trail up to the manacles that wrapped around his wrists. Beyond the blood dripping from underneath the iron shackles, Harry could see the chain that was keeping him aloft. The chain was just long enough that his feet touched the ground if he stood on his tiptoes, but it was too short for him to stand properly. This left him in a precarious position. His left shoulder had also been dislocated from his last attempt to escape. His magic hadn't healed it.
Harry didn't know where his wands were. Both his and his mother's wand had been gone the first time he'd woken up in this place. At that time, he had tried breaking out by smashing apart the manacles, but they were too strong. He'd also tried to pick the lock, but not only could he not conjure anything with which he could use as a lockpick, the manacles didn't have a keyhole. They were probably conjured creations.
A loud creaking echoed from behind him. Harry would've turned his head, but he didn't even have the strength for that anymore. Footsteps played an ominous tune on the carpet. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. They were precise, measured, and calm, the walk of someone who knew how to play with people's mind.
Seconds later, a person walked in front of him. Red hair. Green eyes. Freckles. She was shorter than him, but the sense of presence, the dark aura surrounding her, was unlike anything he'd felt.
"You…" Harry could barely speak. His throat was parched. "Tom…"
"Ginny" chuckled. "You've already figured out who I am. I'm not surprised. You really are intelligent. You actually remind me a lot of myself when I was your age."
"Ginny…"
"Still here, I'm afraid," Tom admitted with a shrug. "It's sad, but I can't get rid of her soul. Bodies are strange things. While the soul and the body are separated by the ethereal and physical plains, they are still connected by threads that cannot be undone without suffering consequences. If I killed off Ginny, this body would become useless." Tom cocked his—well, Ginny's—head to the side. "Of course, there are ways of fixing that, but it takes a long time, and it's not worth the effort, especially when I don't have any plans for this body."
Harry tried to follow Tom's line of thought, but the discomfort in his shoulders and pain in his arm distracted him. It made processing the words difficult. All he understood was that Tom had no designs on Ginny's body, and that Ginny was apparently still alive.
"You don't know how difficult it was for me to remain in this body," Tom continued. "After you destroyed my diary, it took everything I had not to be destroyed along with it. Were it not for the fact that more than half of my soul had already been inside of her, I dare say I would've died. Not a pleasant prospect. No, not pleasant at all."
As he spoke, Tom played with Ginny's wand. Harry blinked. His focus shifted to the wand, which was being spun through Tom's—or rather, Ginny's—fingers.
"I had been weakened so much by what you did. My soul was waffling between slipping out of Ginny's body and destroying itself from the inside out. It took me months to stabilize my soul, and then it took me even longer to slowly subdue Ginny's mind without anyone realizing it. It didn't help that most of my magic had been consumed merely trying to keep myself inside of Ginny."
"Were you… responsible for what happened this year?" Harry asked, rasping.
Tom smiled. It looked creepy on Ginny's face. "Not everything. There were a good deal of fortunate coincidences that allowed me to accomplish what I have. I never would have been able to do anything so overt as kidnap you had Headmaster Dumbledore not been kicked out of Hogwarts."
So not everything that had happened was caused by Tom Riddle. It sounded like all the events outside of Hogwarts, such as Peter Pettigrew's death and whatever Lucius Malfoy was doing were separate issues. That sucked. Still, at least he now had a clearer idea of what was happening, though it wouldn't do him any good now.
"And why did you kidnap me?" asked Harry.
"Many reasons," Tom replied. "Revenge, hatred… if I had to choose one, I'd say the biggest reason is because I want your body."
It took Harry a second to realize what Tom meant. "You want to use this body as your own?"
"That's right." Lips peeling back to reveal shiny white teeth, Tom grinned with Ginny's face. "Out of all the people I've met, you have the most ideal body. Your body is strong and your magic powerful. What's more, you're the Boy-Who-Lived. You have everything that I want, so I'm going to take it from you."
Tom paced in front of him. Harry could do nothing but track the man housing himself inside of Ginny with his eyes.
"But don't worry. I'll be sure to take great care of your body. Yes, with your body, I'll become the most powerful wizard in the entire world. I'll become even more feared than when I was Lord Voldemort." Tom stopped pacing, spun to face him, and pointed Ginny's wand at him. "Sadly, you won't be around to witness my triumph. Crucio!"
From that moment on, Harry's life was nothing but excruciating pain.
XoX
An announcement had been made immediately after Madam Bones had spoken with Daphne and the others: The headmistress and DADA professor were dead, and Harry Potter had been kidnapped. It was not shocking that panic had ensued. The students had never been so freaked out before. It showed on their faces, it was displayed in their actions. No one even wanted to leave their dorms anymore.
The following days had been hard on Daphne. Aside from being forced to remain in the Slytherin den, Madam Bones had yet to contact them again, so she had been forced to rely on the Daily Prophet for information from outside.
It seemed the world at large knew about what had happened to Senior Undersecretary Umbridge, Professor Antus, and Harry Potter. The Daily Prophet had spent it's last two newspapers bashing the Ministry of Magic for it's inability to properly deal with this situation. Perhaps in a not so unusual turn of events, it had also run roughshod over Minister Fudge for forcing Dumbledore to resign. There had even been several front page articles calling for Dumbledore's return.
Classes were no longer held in the classrooms. With no headmaster in place to activate the wards, Madam Bones had instituted a new policy stating that classrooms would be held in the house common rooms. Instead of students traveling to and from classrooms, teachers traveled to and from the common rooms. They taught classes as best they could. That said, it wasn't an efficient method. There was simply no way teachers could rush to each common room, teach for an hour, and then rush to the next common room without suffering some kind of consequence.
Daphne had already noticed the effect this new policy had on her head of house. Professor Snape had not only been more irritable, refusing to speak with even his Slytherins, but he also had bags under his eyes and walked with a slump. Since the head of house was also required to be present until they needed to begin lessons in another common room, she would see him standing around the entrance, or sitting in front of the fireplace, his shoulders slouched and his eyes drooping. The other teachers were much the same.
It was hard to believe that only two days had passed. To Daphne, it seemed like much longer. The days moved by at a snail's pace as she waited for word from Madam Bones that they had found Harry. Yet no word had come, and since she couldn't see Susan because they were in different houses, they couldn't communicate either.
I wonder if that was the whole point.
Sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, Daphne entertained dark thoughts. She didn't want to assume it, but maybe all this, separating them into their houses, had been done to keep her and the others from trying to find Harry on their own. If so, it meant she had clearly underestimated Madam Bones's cunning.
"Man… I am so bored," Tracey muttered.
Daphne scowled. She loved Tracey. Truly. But, sometimes, her friend had a really bad habit of annoying her. While she was worrying sick about Harry, Tracey seemed more concerned with how bored she was.
Daphne knew that she was being hard on her friend; she didn't doubt that Tracey was also worried. Still, Tracey's carefree attitude in this situation bothered her. How could she be so calm when their friend had been kidnapped?
"There hasn't been much going on, has there?" Blaize said, seemingly in agreement.
"What do you think the others are doing?"
Blaize shrugged. "Probably the same thing we are."
She, Tracey, and Blaize were sitting on the couch. A fire blazed in front of them. They weren't the only people present. Numerous students of every year were inside of the common room, clumped together in groups as they talked. Perhaps not surprisingly, Draco Malfoy was the loudest. She could hear him laughing at something with his friends.
"This sucks," Tracey said.
"Agreed," Blaize said.
Unable to concentrate on anything, Daphne tried to listen in on Malfoy's conversation. She normally would never deign to taint her ears with his filthy voice. However, she didn't know what else to do, and perhaps she could learn something. There was a chance that the plan to kidnap Harry had been concocted by Malfoy's father.
"I bet you anything Pothead is dead already," Malfoy was saying. "I certainly wouldn't mind if he was gone. Would save me a lot of trouble."
"Who do you think kidnapped him anyway?" asked Nott.
"Don't know," Malfoy admitted. "It could have been one of the dark lord's former death eaters. If it was, it'd certainly serve him right. That fool's been trying to butt heads with Father ever since he showed his stupid scar covered face."
Daphne gritted her teeth as she listened to Malfoy. The longer he spoke, the more she wanted to show him what kind of spells her father had taught her.
"It's too bad the dark lord isn't here to see this," Pansy Parkinson said, her pug-like nose wrinkling as she laughed.
"Isn't it? I bet he'd get a hoot out of knowing that Pothead has been kidnapped. He might even be willing to give the person who did it a reward for their service."
As Malfoy and his thugs laughed, Daphne stood up. Blaize and Tracey looked at her, then at each other, and then they also stood up. They followed her as she wandered over to the stairs. Her plan was to leave the room so she wouldn't have to listen to Malfoy's drivel.
"Where are you going, Greengrass?" Malfoy called out, stopping her plan in its tracks.
"I thought that would be obvious, Malfoy," Daphne said in a cold voice as she turned her head. She gave the Malfoy heir a baleful stare. "I've no intention to listen to you spew your arrogant shite all over the floor."
Malfoy scowled, but the expression soon turned into a grin. "Hmm… I see. You're upset that your friend has been kidnapped. I don't see why. He was a stain on your family, always hanging around. Now that Pothead is gone, the Greengrasses can become a proper pureblood family again."
"The only improper pureblood family are yours and those like yours," Blaize said.
"I wasn't talking to you, Twink," Malfoy snapped. "I was speaking to Daphne."
"It wouldn't matter if you were talking to me or not," Blaize said, ignoring the insult with ease. "Her answer would have been the same as mine. Your family and those like it are the only traitors here."
"That's right," Tracey added, "So shut the frack up, Blondie."
"I see you're as uncultured as ever," Malfoy sniffed.
"Draco," Pansy crooned. Daphne cringed at her voice. "I'm tired of dealing with these slags. Let's just ignore them."
Tracey took a step forward. "Oh, you did not just call me and my friends slags."
Pansy wrinkled her pug-like nose. "Of course I did. That's what you are. You're all Harry's slags."
"Then I guess that would make you Malfoy's slag," Blaize said. "How much does he pay you anyway? Can other people hire you?"
Pansy's face turned purple. The way her skin wrinkled as though she was a rotten fruit amused Daphne.
"How dare you," she hissed. "I'll have you know that Draco and I are betrothed! It's only natural for two such people to be close, unlike you and yours."
"I'd recommend you tossers watch what you say," Malfoy added. As if to emphasize his point, Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward and cracked their knuckles.
Daphne slowly palmed her wand, sweat trickling down her scalp. If a fight broke out, she and her friends would surely win. They'd been training with Harry for about two years now. She was already plotting out how they'd be victorious. She'd take down Malfoy first. Without their head, the body would fall shortly after. Blaize and Tracey could easily dispose of Crabbe and Goyle before they got too close, and Pansy wouldn't be much of a problem. The only two issues that she could see were Theodore Nott and Charline Bishwick.
The one who worried Daphne the most was Charline. Not much was known about her. She was a year ahead of them, and all of her grades were supposedly mid-ranked. She was stuck solidly in the middle.
Going by her grades, there was nothing to worry about, but Daphne felt uneasy around her. The biggest issue she had was on how little knowledge was available about the girl. Charline was practically a ghost. Outside of her grades, nothing was known about her, not her family, not her history… it was if she'd just appeared on day. There was also…
She's smiling at me.
Charline's smile was calm, collected. It was the kind of smile that someone gave to people when they didn't have a single care. However, beneath that smile, Daphne couldn't help but feel like there was something lurking there, a hidden horror, an unknown monster. She didn't want to admit it, but that smile scared her. It scared her almost as much as her father's.
Before the situation could degrade any further, Professor Snape wandered into the common room. He took one look at the gathered crowd. Then he sneered.
"What are all of you doing?" he asked, though he didn't give anyone time to respond. "We've been summoned to the Great Hall for breakfast. There's going to be an important announcement, so I suggest you all follow me."
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were the only times when all four houses gathered. They were lead their by their head of houses. This was the only time that Daphne could speak with the others—not that they'd been able to take advantage of this fact. What they wanted to talk about was too sensitive to risk others overhearing it, and none of them had Harry's knack for creating silencing barriers.
This meant they could only speak in code.
"Stori." Daphne smiled as she greeted her little sister. "How is everything with the Gryffindors?"
They had chosen to sit at the Ravenclaw table that day; she, Astoria, Luna, Neville, and Terry sat on one side. Blaize, Hannah, Lisa, Tracey, and Susan sat on the other.
"Well, everyone seems to be pretty frightened," Astoria said as she spooned some oatmeal onto her plate. "Not that I blame them, mind. I mean, Harry Potter did get kidnapped right in front of most of them. I feel sorriest for the Weasley twins. They're still in shock."
Astoria spent almost as much time with Fred and George Weasley as she did Luna. Daphne wasn't sure how she felt about that, but she supposed so long as she didn't get into trouble, it would be okay. Besides, it made her sister happy.
"Has anyone else been acting unusual?" Daphne asked.
Astoria shook her head. "Not that I've seen."
Daphne nodded and looked at Neville, who shook his head. "I haven't noticed anything either."
She sighed. "Same as yesterday, then."
"I actually have some news that might cheer you up," Susan spoke up. "Aunty sent me a letter yesterday saying that she has some good news. She wouldn't tell me what, but her letter said there was going to be an announcement this morning."
"An announcement?" Lisa blinked. "She didn't say what?"
Susan shook her head.
"Well, that sucks." Tracey sighed. "It means we have to learn what's going on beside everyone else."
"If it was something that couldn't wait, I'm sure Madam Bones would have told us," Terry said. "Don't be so impatient."
"I'm not impatient," Tracey barked. "I just want to know before everyone else."
"That's the same thing as being impatient, idiot."
"Oh, shut up!"
Daphne tuned out Terry and Tracey as they argued. She tried to think about what announcement Madam Bones would be making, but she couldn't think of what might be important enough to tell everybody about. It could be anything. Even so, she didn't think it was about Harry—she was sure that Madam Bones would have told them before everyone else—so whatever the DMLE head had to say didn't mean much to her.
As if contradicting her thoughts, the door opened and in walked two people. One of them was Madam Bones. The other was…
"Merlin's scraggly scrotum!" Tracey exclaimed. "It's Dumbledore!"
Daphne couldn't even reprimand Tracey for her language; she was shocked as well. It was Dumbledore. At the same time…
"What is he wearing?" Neville asked the question that everyone else wanted to know.
Dumbledore was wearing the most unusual outfit she had ever seen. White swim trunks went above his knees, and he wore a button up T-shirt with motifs of palm trees and coconuts. He also a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. His beard had been braided. Sitting atop his head was a large straw hat. He also had a martini in his hand.
"Did I just step into an alternate reality?" asked Terry.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened," Hannah murmured.
Most everyone was silent as Dumbledore walked up to the front next to an exhausted Madam Bones. He reached the podium, turned around, and spoke in a voice that reached all corners of the room. "Students of Hogwarts! Forgive me for not being dressed for the occasion. I had been enjoying a vacation in Guam."
V-vacation in Guam? Daphne felt her hand twitch. Was this some kind of joke?
"Well, that explains why it took several days to get him back," Tracey said at last.
Terry nodded. "Indeed."
They're just accepting it?!
"I've heard about what happened," Dumbledore continued. "I do not believe there is any need to reiterate this point. Let me assure you all that I will do everything in my power to ensure that this school no longer has to deal with the hardships it's had. I will be working with the aurors to not only increase the security surrounding Hogwarts, but I'll also do everything within my power to locate Harry Potter."
Despite his ridiculous clothing, Daphne couldn't help but feel relieved by Dumbledore's words. She also hoped this would mean that they, Dumbledore and Madam Bones, would speak with her and her friends. She wanted to help find Harry, and she was sure that her friends felt the same way.
"The wards have been restored," Dumbledore kept talking. "So all of you will be attending your classes as normal. If you see anything suspicious, do not hesitate to report it to either a professor or one of the portraits. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need change back into my robes. Please continue eating."
Dumbledore—no, Headmaster Dumbledore—left after that, leaving the students to their conversation, which was now about the headmaster. Daphne listened to them for a moment. She stopped, however, because she soon became slightly disgusted about how everyone was now talking about how "Dumbledore would surely help them." These people had been scorning him before, but now they were praising him.
It's just like Harry said. Most of these people are nothing more than sheep.
"Did anyone else find that weird?" asked Tracey. Everyone shook their head. "Okay. Glad it's not just me."
Breakfast continued, except now everyone was talking about the headmaster's return. Daphne focused on her meal. While she was curious about Headmaster Dumbledore coming back and what that could potentially mean for her, she didn't have any information to go off of yet, so she wasn't about to start speculating.
When breakfast was nearing its end, Madam Bones came up to their group and said, "Susan, I'd like you and your friends to come with me to the headmaster's office, please."
Susan looked up. Then she looked at everyone else. Daphne also studied her friends, who were all wearing similar expressions. As a group, everyone nodded.
Susan turned back to her aunt. "Okay."
"Great," Madam Bones said. "Please follow me."
Since everyone was already done eating, they stood up and followed Madam Bones out of the Great Hall. As they walked, the group kept close together and spoke.
"What do you think this is about?" asked Hannah.
"If I had to guess, I would say it's about Harry," Blaize said.
Neville nodded. "I can't see any other reason they'd ask all of us to the headmaster's office."
"Me neither," Tracey added.
Daphne didn't speak. They arrived at the headmaster's office soon, and all of them had the pleasure of watching Madam Bones prepare to knock on the door—
"Come in, Amelia."
—Only to be interrupted.
"Harry told me about this," Tracey said with a snicker.
They filed into the room, which shut behind them. Daphne looked around. The headmaster's office had been restored to its former glory. She'd only been in this place once when Madam Umbridge had been headmistress. She didn't think she'd ever be so glad to see the room returned to its original quirkiness.
Headmaster Dumbledore was already sitting behind his desk, and he was no longer wearing that gaudy outfit. Dressed back in his wizarding robes, he looked more like a headmaster. Daphne was glad. His previous outfit had been… well, to call it shocking may have been understating the matter.
There was someone else beside him. She was a mousy woman with scraggly hair and large glasses that reminded Daphne of enormous pucks. Her wardrobe, an odd mixture of wizarding robes that appeared to have been made from patches and a quilted scarf, made her look even more like an oddball.
"Welcome, everyone," Headmaster Dumbledore said. "I'm glad to see you could all make it. Now, as we are pressed for time, please allow me to introduce Professor Trelawny. I'm sure some of you have her as your teacher. She's going to be helping us locate Harry."
"She is?" Tracey asked, her face wrinkling with skepticism. "No offense, Headmaster, but have you gone—kyaaa!" Tracey shrieked and spun around, holding a hand to her backside. "All right! Which one of you pinched my butt?"
"That would be me." Astoria raised her hand.
"Why would you do that?" Tracey asked, aghast.
Astoria shrugged. "Because if I hadn't, Daphne and Susan would have elbowed you. I figured this was the lesser of two evils."
Tracey grimaced, but she didn't say anything—probably because she realized that Astoria was right.
"I'd like to ask the question that I'm sure Tracey was going to ask," Neville said. "How is she going to help us find Harry?"
Professor Trelawny sniffed at them. "My dear children, I'll have you know that I am a true seer. My talents are born from a long and noble ancestry. In fact, many in my family were seers, and I am the first one to come in three generations."
"I know of a spell that we can use to divine Harry's location," Professor Dumbledore said. "Even if he is located behind a Fidelius Charm, the spell is so powerful that it cannot be blocked. Sadly, we can only use this spell once every two years, due to how dangerous it can be."
"If you've asked for us, I assume that means you have some need for our aid?" Daphne said.
Headmaster Dumbledore nodded. "Very astute, Ms. Greengrass. Yes, I need seven of you to help me with this spell. You see, this spell is unique in that, in order for it to work, it requires exactly seven people who are close to Harry."
Including Daphne, Harry Potter had exactly ten friends that he could rely on. Three of them would be excluded.
"Daphne should definitely be one of them," Tracey said. "Everyone knows that she loves Harry—ouch!"
"Please refrain from speaking," Daphne said as she lowered her hand, which she had used to karate chop Tracey's head.
"I'd also like to take part in this," Susan said.
"That's two. We need five more," Dumbledore said.
"I'll do it." Neville stepped forward.
Blaize also took a step forward. "So will I."
"I'd like to help out, if I can," Lisa said, stepping up with the others.
Luna looked at everyone, and then took her own step forward. "I think you all could use my experience with nargles to help find Harry."
"Hmph! If you guys are doing this, I'm not gonna stand back and do nothing," Tracey said, puffing up her chest.
Terry sighed. "I'll make sure Tracey doesn't muck up the spell."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Excellent!" Headmaster Dumbledore clapped his hands. "We have seven people who can help me perform the spell. It's good to see that Harry has such great friends. Now, the spell takes a good deal of time to prepare, so we'll meet on the seventh day of this month, at thirteen hundred hours, on the night of the new moon. Your head of houses will let you know when the spell is ready."
Daphne frowned. It was April 2nd, which meant they would have to wait five days for the spell to be ready. She didn't want to wait that long, but it didn't look like they had a choice. This spell must have been a complex one. Few spells required so many magical numbers and ritualistic symbols to cast.
I hate waiting, she lamented to herself.
XoX
Harry Potter stared at nothing. His body had long since lost its strength. Hanging limply within the shackles that bound him, he could no longer feel the blood dripping down his arms, or the liquid staining his robes. All he could do was dangle there like a piece of meat being displayed in front of a butcher store.
Time had lost its meaning; he no longer knew how much of it had passed. Hours? Days? Weeks? Years? He couldn't tell anymore. The numerous torture sessions he'd undergone had left him incapable of thinking about anything outside of survival. His internal clock had been busted after spending who knew how many hours under Voldemort's crucio.
The first few sessions had been the worst. Voldemort would come in and hit him with a crucio spell until he passed out, his mind overloaded with agony. Harry eventually became accustomed to the pain. However, once that happened, Voldemort decided to up the ante. He'd then begun attacking Harry with legilimency and crucio.
Harry quickly learned that Voldemort was a master legilimens. His attacks could brutal and powerful, but they could also subtle and cunning, strong yet flexible. Sometimes the mind attacks were like a sledgehammer being slammed against his mind. Other times it was like a rapier, slowly cutting away at his sanity piece by piece. The attacks were so varied that Harry never knew what kind of attack was coming his way until after it already happened.
He'd done his best to defend himself, of course, but Harry had soon realized that his skills, enviable though they may have been, were nothing compared to Voldemort's. Again and again Voldemort would rape his mind. The dark lord would extract his memories and torture him by replacing those memories with nightmares.
What made it worse was that Voldemort had discovered Harry's two greatest secrets: his eidetic memory, and his friendship with Lisa. The only silver lining was that he had yet to extract Lisa's location from him. Harry had zealously protected that information. It didn't matter if Voldemort discovered everything else. He would not let this man have that.
"You really are quite resilient," Voldemort complemented Harry after another torture session. "Everyone else I've done this to broke within the first day, but you've lasted for four. That mind of yours really is something."
Harry said nothing. He probably could have made a retort, if he wanted to, but that would have taken energy. It was better to save his energy. He would need it if he wanted to escape from this place.
"Nothing to say? That's too bad," Voldemort said in Ginny's voice. "And here I was hoping we could have a pleasant conversation. You're quite rude, you know."
He knew what Voldemort was trying to do. By talking while Harry was weak, he was hoping to make Harry reply as a means of testing how far along Harry's mind had broken. If Harry replied, it meant he was weakening because he didn't have the mental strength to keep his mouth shut.
And so Harry said nothing.
Voldemort sighed.
"I see you are still being stubborn. Very well." Rolling Ginny's wand between his fingers, Voldemort grinned. "Shall we begin again?"
As Voldemort cast a crucio while simultaneously attacking his mind with legilimency, Harry Potter's world became nothing but an endless cycle of pain. His screams of agony echoed within the small room.
XoX
Five days felt more like five years to Daphne. During that time, she had been unable to concentrate on anything, not her school work, not her friends, she barely even slept or ate. Almost all of her thoughts were consumed with worry for Harry.
Her friends were in the same boat. Most of them didn't do anything. When they should have been studying, instead they were idling around, doing nothing. When they should have been listening to their teachers, they were doing anything but. It had become so bad that even Professor Snape had asked her what was wrong.
Susan had also been hit particularly hard, but that might have been due to the personal conflict she was going to. Daphne wanted Susan to become one of Harry's wives. She had spoken with the girl numerous times before, and, for the past one and a half years, Susan had been teetering between what she wanted out of her relationship with Harry. That compiled with his kidnapping had probably left her more haggard than their other friends.
Fortunately, five days did eventually pass. Even so, that day was quite possibly the worst out of all them.
She and her friends were informed after breakfast that they would be performing the ritual. Professor McGonagall had given them a slip of parchment, which told them to meet in the central tour at midnight. The passcode to get through the door was "heir."
Sitting in Charms class, Daphne could do nothing but tap her foot against the floor and wonder how much longer she'd have to wait. They were supposed to be doing revisions on the disarming charm. However, Daphne couldn't even think straight, much less work on revisions.
"Hey, Daph." Tracey leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I know you're worried about Harry, but you really should focus."
"I don't want to hear that from you," Daphne snapped before grimacing. "Sorry. I don't mean to be rude. I'm just—"
"You're just worried about Harry," Tracey finished. "I know. Everyone knows. You really love him, don't you?"
Daphne's right ring finger twitched. "I… Yes, I do. He means a lot to me."
Tracey nodded. "He means a lot to everyone, but I can tell that he holds a special place in your heart. I'm kinda surprised. Never thought I'd see the day you would fawn over a boy."
"I'm not fawning over anyone." Daphne scowled, and then she sighed. "It's not fawning. Harry has done a lot for me these past three years. It's thanks to him that Astoria and I are as happy as we are now. Even if I hadn't fallen in love with him, I'd want to repay him for everything he's done to help us."
"Does Harry know you love him?" Tracey asked.
"He definitely knows I like him," Daphne replied neutrally. "He also knows that I would like him to consider marrying me in the future… but I don't know if he realizes that I love him. I'm sure part of him just thinks I want to marry him so Astoria and I can get out from under our father's thumb."
Harry was a boy who believed in practicality and acting in a manner that was based on logic instead of emotion. Whether it was befriending powerful pureblood families or creating places like the All-House Common Room, everything Harry had done served his own purpose in some ways. Always practical. Always logical. Daphne was actually surprised that he had been placed in Gryffindor. His ambitions and actions were clearly those of a Slytherin.
Since Harry believed in being practical, some part of him likely also believed that others acted in the same manner, especially those who were placed in Slytherin. There was no doubt that he thought Daphne wanted to marry him for the sake of hers and her sister's safety. He would not be incorrect in thinking that way either.
At the same time, she wasn't just doing this for that reason. She wanted to get away from her father, true, but she also wanted to be with Harry. If she had to become someone's mistress, then she wanted it to be with someone she loved.
"Yeah," Tracey agreed. "Harry's not really the kind of guy who thinks about romance and stuff, huh? A marriage to him would probably mean something like a political alliance between families or whatever."
"Most likely." Daphne smiled. "He's also a boy. You know that girls mature faster than boys."
Tracey nodded. "True that."
"I'm right here, you know," Blaize said with a small sigh. Neither of them paid attention to him, though.
Classes eventually came to an end. Daphne and the others went to their common rooms, but that did not bring an end to her anxiety. Indeed, the closer the chosen time came, the faster her heart seemed to beat.
The door to her dorm suddenly opened and Professor Snape walked in. Since he was the head of house, it made sense that he could enter the girl's dorm. He looked at her and Tracey. Both of them were sitting on her bed. Then he gestured to them.
"Follow me," he said.
She and Tracey looked at each other before standing up, slipping on their shoes, and following Professor Snape out of the girl's dorm.
Blaize was waiting outside of the dorm entrance. He nodded at them as they walked into the common room, and then filed in line.
Professor Snape exited the common room and lead them through Hogwarts. Daphne didn't even bother memorizing the route they had taken—not that she could. She followed Professor Snape as Tracey spoke to Blaize.
"What kind of spell do you think they're going to cast?" she asked.
"Who knows. It'll probably be some kind of ritual magic. That's the only reason they would require so much preparation time."
"I guess. Hey, do you know any rituals?"
"I know of rituals, but I can say that I know any."
Ritual magic was an offshoot branch of ancient runes. It used a combination of arithmancy, runes, and astronomy to accomplish. Certain rituals could only be performed during certain times of the day, or under specific seasons when certain star formations were visible. They required specific arithmetic numbers that would enhance the runic arrays power. Daphne didn't know much about rituals, but she knew that the one they were going to perform must be strong. Not only was it being done during a new moon, it also required seven people to perform it.
The ritual was being performed in the central tower, the tallest of the towers. Daphne and Blaize hiked up the tower in silence. Tracey groaned the longer they climbed.
"How many freaking stairs does this thing have?" she griped.
"Quiet, Ms. Davis," Professor Snape said.
Tracey fell silent.
The tallest tower was actually the astronomy tower. The top was normally where Professor Sinistra slept. However, at that moment, all of her personal effects had been removed. The room, barren of any sort of decoration or furniture, now played host to a massive runic array the likes of which Daphne had never seen. It was painted along the walls, floor, and ceiling, lines and symbols that she knew not. They swirled around the room like a mosaic.
Headmaster Dumbledore was already there. He looked a bit pale as the moonlight played off his face. Standing beside him were Neville, Astoria, Lisa, Terry, Hannah, Susan, and Luna, along with their head of houses. Professor Trelawny was also present. She stood away from the others, looking as though she was preparing herself for an arduous task. Daphne had the feeling she was trying to look important.
"Ah." Headmaster Dumbledore's eyes lit up when they arrived. "It is good that you are here. We must begin the final preparation for the ritual immediately."
As Daphne, Tracey, and Blaize walked over to their friends, Professor McGonagall frowned at the headmaster. "Perhaps it's time you tell us how this ritual is going to work."
"Of course," Dumbledore replied easily. "This is a magic based divination ritual. The seven students who will take part are there to act as anchors to Mr. Potter. Their love, respect, and friendship with Harry will be like threads that will allow Professor Trelawny to divine Mr. Potter's location."
Ah.
Now Daphne understood why they needed seven to perform the ritual. Seven was one of the most powerful magical numbers. By having seven of Harry's friends there to perform it, the power of the "threads" that tied them to Harry would be that much stronger.
Furthermore, new moons were seen as a symbolic point of attention and a symbol for new beginnings. New moons also represent the beginning of a new cycle. Magically speaking, it was the time when people rested to increase their power, meaning that in a ritual, the new moon was magically more powerful than a full moon.
Dumbledore continued his explanation. "While Harry's friends act as the threads that tie the ritual to him, you four, along with myself, shall provide the power necessary to activate the ritual. Meanwhile, Trelawny will become the focal point for the ritual."
That means there will be thirteen people in total.
Like seven, thirteen was a powerful number in magic based rituals and arithmancy. This ritual would eventually combine two magically powerful numbers together. Actually, if Daphne thought about it further, the other people taking part made six. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout, Snape, and Trelawny. Six was divisible by three, which meant this ritual used the three most powerful numbers in magic four times.
This spell must take a frightening amount of power.
"Okay." Headmaster Dumbledore clapped his hands. "Everyone, please get into position. Severus, Minerva, Sprout, Flitwick, please stand in the circles that represent power. Trelawny stand in the middle. Everyone else, find a circle and stand in it, please."
All of the professors moved into a specific circle with a runic symbol that Daphne didn't recognise. That left seven empty circles, which she and her friends stepped into. Professor Trelawny moved into the middle and began muttering.
"Ah, yes. I can feel it. Tonight I shall be forced to reveal my true power. Many moons have passed since I have needed to bring out my full power. The time is nigh! We'll unlock the mysteries of the future!"
Professor McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose as though disgusted by Professor Trelawny's act. Meanwhile, Headmaster Dumbledore smiled as he began to explain the next step. "All right. While the professors and I are channeling magic into the ritual, I want you seven to close your eyes and think of Mr. Potter. Do not think of anything else. Visualize Mr. Potter in your mind. Keep that image locked in place. This is important. If you're not thinking solely of Harry, the ritual won't work."
Terry and Trace gulped, but they were the only ones who appeared nervous. Neville's face had hardened and become stone, Blaize simply took several calming breaths, and Luna was staring at the sky with her head tilted. Daphne didn't even want to know what was going on through that girl's mind.
What if the ritual doesn't work?
The thought entered her mind before she could stop it. As much as she hated entertaining the idea, she knew that with so many people involved, there was a high chance of failure. Rituals were more difficult when more people were added. This was because they required people's minds to be in sync, but that was hard when there were so many people with different thoughts and mindsets.
What if I fail?
Her greatest fear was not just the ritual not working, but that she would somehow cause it to mess up. Harry meant a lot to her. In fact, the only person more important to her than Harry was Astoria. She didn't think she could bear the thought of being why this ritual failed to work.
"Okay, everyone," Headmaster Dumbledore said, snapping Daphne out of her anxiety. "We're now beginning the ritual."
Daphne shunted aside her fears, put away her doubts, and locked her worries in the furthest recesses of her mind. There was no time for that. She needed to focus.
Closing her eyes and clasping her hands together, Daphne emptied her mind. When it was suitably void, she imagined Harry, pictured his vivid green eyes and messy black hair, envisioned the scar on his forehead. She produced images of him during their times together, recalling all the little quirks that she remembered: how ridiculous he looked when he tried to wear a business suit, how he would sometimes roll his wand between his fingers when he was thinking, the way his brows would furrow, or how his eyes would light up while explaining magic to them. Daphne filled her mind with images of him, so many that she thought her heart would burst.
And that was when something happened.
It felt like something was tugging her mind. The images she conjured blurred and moved away from her, as though they were being pulled out of her head.
Daphne opened her eyes, not sure what she would find. The entire room was lit in a blood red glow. The runic array had magic visibly flowing through it, reminding her of a stream. All of the energy was flowing from the circles they stood in, following the lines, lighting up the rune symbols, and then traveling toward Professor Trelawny.
Professor Trelawny, whose eyes no longer showed her pupils. They were pure white. Glowing with magic as though her eyes had become lumos spells, the divination professor no longer looked like a joke. Her mouth opened, and a voice that sounded like Professor Trelawny but not at the same time spoke.
"The one with the power to defeat the dark lord shall be found within the ancestral home of that who can only be defeated by him. There, he shall be rescued by the ones who love him most. The one with the power to defeat the dark lord shall be found within the dark lord's ancestral home."
After she finished speaking, the glowing runes died out, and Professor Trelawny slumped to the ground like a marionette without strings. The other professors all fell to their knees. They heaved for breath as though exhausted. Even Headmaster Dumbledore was slumped over like he'd run two-hundred kilometers without rest.
"So, like, does anyone have any idea what Professor Trelawny meant?" asked Tracey.
"She said that the one with the power to defeat the dark lord will be found in the dark lord's ancestral home," Terry said. "She was clearly talking about Harry."
"Thank you for that, Boot, but that's not what I meant," Tracey snapped.
"The ancestral home is probably talking about the dark lord's birthplace," Lisa said. "Or perhaps the birthplace of his family."
"Very astute, Ms. Turpin," Headmaster Dumbledore said. "This divination was indeed talking about the birthplace of the dark lord's family."
"Do you know where that is, Headmaster?" asked Neville.
"I know of at least two potential places," the headmaster admitted. "One of them I cannot remember the exact location of, though I know what town it is in. It's likely under fidelius. I doubt we'll find Mr. Potter in that one."
"Where's the other one?" asked Daphne.
Headmaster Dumbledore gave Daphne a grim smile. "It is the place where Salazar Slytherin was born, and it is there that I believe we will find Mr. Potter."
Ties that Bind is reaching its conclusion. I've left a lot of loose ends in this story, which I'm hoping to expand into later plots and subplots in later books. With luck, it will help spice up the next book. For those who stuck with me, I hope you have enjoyed the story. There are three more chapters before this book ends. Thank you all for reading it.
P.S. If you would like to learn about what I am writing, then you guys are all free to follow me on twitter. My twitter account is BrandonBVarnell.