Author's Note:
Quick update! Yep, you all get two updates in one day. I felt like being generous to make up for my writer's block a while ago.
It's hard to believe that this story already has ten chapters. I'd just like to thank all of you for your follows, favorites, and reviews. I wouldn't have continued this far without all of you to push me along. I know I've said this before, but if there's anything you want to see happen in this story, let me know and I'll try to work it in somehow if it doesn't go completely against the plot I have planned out. Also, I've made a decision; the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher isn't Umbridge. I might have more on that later if the plot bunnies don't leave me alone. Harry is, however, still going to have visions.
Chapter 10
*September 12, 1995*
Harry, Hermione, and Ron were eating breakfast in the Great Hall. Ron was tearing into a pile of sausage as usual, Hermione was eating a slice of toast while reading a spell book, and Harry was picking at a plate of eggs and fruit. Today was the day Charlie's letter was supposed to arrive, and Harry was nervous. They wouldn't have anything to go off of if Charlie didn't tell them anything, but at the same time Harry wanted to believe that everything was still the same. He certainly didn't feel any different, and it didn't seem as if anything had changed. He felt a bit stronger, but he'd spent the summer with the Dursleys where they barely fed him; it didn't take much for him to get stronger than he had been.
The owls flew into the Great Hall, a cacophony of screeches and flapping wings. Hedwig landed between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry picked up a piece of bacon and gave it to his owl as he untied the letter attached to her leg. Hedwig affectionately nipped Harry's finger and gave a hoot before she flew away to the Owlery. Hermione had helped Harry write the letter they had sent to Charlie, but they had all decided that Harry would be more likely to get an answer if he was the one to write and send the letter.
Harry began to unroll the parchment, and Hermione watched him. "Well, what did he say, Harry?" Harry looked down as the writing on the letter in his hands was finally revealed.
Tânăr balaurul,
I am using this name in case any of my mail gets intercepted. The flight
between Britain and Romania is long, and I would hate to leak information.
While I can understand your need for knowledge on what happened to you
at the end of last school year, Dumbledore has instructed all of us not to
give anyone information about what occurred. I suggest you ask him any
questions that you might have. Give my best wishes to my younger siblings,
as well as Hermione, and I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with
you as a result of what happened at the end of the Triwizard Tournament and
what we did to save your life. Everyone here at the dragon sanctuary stands
behind you, and we are currently saving The Daily Prophet as tender for any
bonfires we might have. I hope you have a fun and safe school year, and I
wish you the best of luck as your OWLs approach.
-Charlie
Harry passed the letter to Hermione and played with his eggs some more. The Golden Trio didn't have a class directly after breakfast, so they were going to the library. Hermione thought she might have a lead on the spell Charlie had used, but she wasn't revealing anything until she had researched it fully. Ron looked up as Hermione passed the letter to him.
Fifteen minutes later the three friends were in the library, each of them with a book in front of them. Hermione was looking through multiple spell books, and Ron and Harry each had an English-Romanian dictionary. Hermione had told them to find out what tânăr balaurul meant, just in case it had some hidden meaning. She had promised them that she had almost finished researching the spell, but they were never sure what Hermione meant when she said she was 'almost' finished with something.
Harry and Ron had been writing what they had found on a piece of parchment. They both knew that Hermione didn't like to be disturbed while she was reading, especially since she was furiously scribbling with her quill. Surprisingly, she closed her book and put her quill down before the boys had finished looking up their two words. Clearly Hermione had meant it when she said she was almost finished with her research.
When the boys had finished, she spoke. "Well, what does it mean?"
Ron and Harry looked at each other before Harry picked up the parchment. "Gosh, Ron, your handwriting is atrocious." Ron nodded; he'd been lectured on it by Hermione many times before. "It means young dragon, but he's around dragons all the time; I don't think he means anything by it."
Hermione looked from Harry, to Ron, to their parchment, to the letter, and finally to her parchment. "I might beg to differ. From what I've found, he could very well mean something behind it, although I'll admit that my research doesn't make much sense. I'm sure somehow it will all fit together if I talk it out to both of you."
Harry nodded. "Go ahead, 'Mione."
"Well, the only spell I could find that has Stupemagna Creatura in it is the spell they use to Ennervate Dragons, Ennervium Stupemagna Creatura. It reverses the effects of casting Stupesquamis Incursio on a Dragon."
"What could that possibly have to do with Harry? He's not a Dragon."
"You're right, Ron; Harry's not a Dragon. I'm not sure why they used it on him. Harry, you said that Charlie's spell mixed with Dumbledore's, didn't you?"
"Yeah, they did."
Ron grinned. "I've got it; they needed a really strong Ennervate to heal you."
"Ron, I hate to discourage you when you're thinking, but if they just needed to cast a stronger Ennervate on Harry they wouldn't have given him a potion to take with it."
"Besides, I wasn't under the effects of anything like Stupefy until Dumbledore cast it on me."
Ron sighed. "That's right; I forgot about that."
"Anyway, I looked up the Stupesquamis Incursio spell since Ennervium Stupemagna Creatura is the counter-spell. It's used to stun Dragons since they're so much larger than anything else and they have scales to protect themselves from magic. It's such a strong spell that it's fatal if cast on anything other than a Dragon. It doesn't immediately kill them, but it causes the animal's body to shut itself down without much reason, causing sourceless pain at the same time. Of course there's a reason for it, but because it's caused by the spell there won't be a source on any medical scans. There isn't a cure for it."
Harry thought for a moment. "They didn't know what was wrong with me, though. Doesn't that fit the same description?"
"Yes, Harry, but there isn't a cure for it. It's a fatal spell; if you had been hit by it you would be dead right now." Hermione looked up and cast a Tempus charm. "Oh, we have to leave right now or we'll be late for Charms."
In History of Magic class after lunch, Hermione turned to Harry with wide eyes and then began frantically writing on a spare piece of parchment. Harry looked over, surprised to find Hermione jotting information down about Dragons instead of Professor Binns' lecture. She was one of the few people who actually paid attention in the class. Hermione finished writing and looked over her notes before she turned back to Harry. "We need to go see Professor Dumbledore after this class ends. We won't have time after dinner since we have to go to Astronomy."
"Hermione, I've already tried talking to him once. He's not going to answer our questions."
"I think he will; if he doesn't I'll have to assume that he's done something to you that's quite illegal. I can threaten him with a report to the Ministry of Magic. You know they'd be thrilled to find more information that could harm his reputation. Of course if I sent them the report they would have more information to harm your reputation, but I won't send it if he tells us what we want to know."
Harry stared at his friend. "What do you think he's done to me?"
Normally not one to pass notes in class, Hermione looked around before scratching a sentence on her parchment and shoving it towards Harry. I think he somehow incorporated part of a Dragon into you.