Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any character thereof! I do, however, like to play with them. =)

Chapter 76

"Nick! Got a minute?" It was a couple of days after Snape had told him that sex was bad and he desperately needed a distraction. Because of that talk, he had actually exploded something in class earlier that day. He had never exploded a potion before ... and as if that wasn't bad enough, it was a non-reactive potion. Even Neville didn't explode anything.

"Certainly young Harry. What did you need?"

"I was wondering if you could give me permission to -"

Harry suddenly couldn't finish his sentence.

"To? To do what?" asked Nick, clearly curious.

"To -" Harry suddenly got a headache. He sighed. Whatever spells were on that room was certainly annoying. "Argh," he said. "I found a place that has a lot of books in it and I was wondering if you could give me permission to remove them. There's an invisible barrier that raises whenever I try to take a book through the doorway."

Nick's eyes widened. Harry thought he saw a glimmer of recognition as to what he was talking about flash through his ghostly eyes.

"Certainly the librarian can give you permission," hedged Nick.

"These books aren't in the normal library."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you." Nick started to float away, rather quickly, thought Harry.

"Got a different question for you then," said Harry.

Nick stopped and turned around. His head wobbled dangerously as if it was about to fall over.

"In Hogwarts, A History, there was a passage about the Founder's ghosts lingering to protect the castle. Is that true?"

"Many things are written in that book. I see Bartholomew the Blasted. Gotta run!"

He frowned as Nick floated away toward another ghost. He didn't actually answer the question - which Harry realized.

"Nice Susan," said Harry sarcastically.

"I thought so. You should be pleased. The plant isn't throwing dirt at you anymore."

Professor Sprout had let everyone continue working on their plant project's for extra credit. Currently they were the only ones left in the green houses.

"Yeah, but it ain't doing much of anything else either. I can't believe you yelled at it."

"Fine," she said laughing. "I'll apologize to it."

"You should. The happier it is, the better extra credit grade we get."

"I don't know why you're so worried."

"I'm exempt from the end of year exams so I have to keep my grades up all year long and I got a Troll on the test last week."

Susan snickered. "That's because you let the Thistleweed bush almost die."

"I didn't mean too. It poked me and I lost my concentration."

She laughed again.

As they were leaving the green houses, Harry picked up a small clump of dirt and threw it at her for revenge.

"What?" Harry grinned innocently. "It wasn't me."

"Then how come Neville and Ernie's plant is pointing its leaves at you?"

Harry turned to glare at said plant. "Because it's a Tattle-tail bush."

Susan picked up the loose dirt on the ground and threw it back at him and then ran out of the door.

By the time they got in the castle, they were laughing really hard while gasping for air.

As Harry began siphoning the dirt off of himself and Susan, someone slammed into his shoulder.

"What the -" It was Gabriella. "Hey. Wait up Gabby!" he called.

Harry furrowed his brow. She acted like she didn't even hear him.

"What do you suppose that was all about?" he asked Susan.

"Er ... she knew you was with me right?"

"Yeah. I told her about the extra credit," Harry said non-plussed.

Susan was looking him over. "You really don't know do you?"

"No. I wouldn't have asked if I did."

"Oh Harry. She's jealous."

"Why would she be jealous? We're just friends."

Susan sighed. "She probably knows you asked me out to the ball."

"So?"

"You really are daft. She's afraid you like me as more than a friend. She's probably feeling threatened by how much time we've been spending in the green houses together lately."

Harry groaned. "I spend a lot of time with Hermione. Is she jealous of her too?"

Susan shook her head. "You've been friends since your first year."

"You know, you girls are too confusing. Someone needs to write all this stuff down somewhere. I've told Hermione the same thing."

Susan laughed.

Harry sighed. "I reckon I need to go talk to her. See you later."

"Good luck," called out Susan as she watched him walk away.

Harry then headed towards the Slytherin dorms, which is where he hoped Gabriella went.

It didn't take him long to get there. He then stood in front of the blank patch of wall that he knew housed the Slytherin door and looked at it. Curiosity got the better of him.

"Open," he hissed.

Amusingly enough, a door appeared and opened. Harry stepped back from it. He figured they wouldn't appreciate a Gryffindor having access to their dorms. The thought of just striding in one day like he belonged there entered his mind and he chuckled at the expressions most of them would have.

It was perhaps 10 minutes before a group of Slytherins came along.

They were only partially surprised to see him. He had waited on Gabriella a couple of times, but only outside. The Slytherin's didn't feel comfortable with him in their common room - and honestly, neither did he.

One of these, Harry recognized, was a prefect.

"Can one of you please tell Gabriella that I'm out here?"

"Get lost Potter."

"No."

The prefect made a face that was a poor imitation of Professor Snape's sneer. "Leave Potter."

Harry shrugged. "I will if you tell Gabriella that I'm out here."

The Slytherin's went inside laughing.

About five minutes later Theodore Nott came outside.

"Leave my sister alone Potter."

"What's your problem? You've been fine with us dating for the past three months."

"That was before you made her cry."

Harry flinched. "I didn't mean to. Tell her I'm out here, please."

"No."

"Dammit. Look. I'm not leaving until you do."

"You will if I hex you."

"I'd like to see you try." Harry raised his wand into a defensive position automatically.

"Is there a problem gentlemen?"

Harry and Theodore both jumped. It was Professor Snape.

"Potter won't leave my sister alone, sir."

"I just want to talk to Gabriella."

"And I don't want him too."

The Slytherin door suddenly appeared in the wall and opened.

"It's okay Theo."

"No. It's not. He's no good for you."

"Mr. Nott, come with me for a minute."

Harry watched as Snape and Nott went up the hallway. He then turned to look at Gabby.

"There's nothing going on between me and Susan," he blurted.

"Really?"

"I promise. You can even ask her yourself."

She then flung herself at Harry. "I'm sorry. It's just that I know you asked her to the ball and when you're with her my bracelet never warms. And then I saw you two come in the castle ... and it looked like you were having a good time together ..."

"Gabriella, I do have a good time with her ... as friends. That's all."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Mr. Nott. I've talked with you about this before."

"I'm sorry, sir, but he made her cry."

"I'm sure it's not the first time, nor will it be the last."

"I don't like it."

"Mr. Nott. Your family is all about name, money, and prestige. I'm sure you remember those lessons you received while growing up."

"I also remember lessons about blood purity as well. Potter is a half blood with a mudblood for a mother," he spat viciously.

It took all of Severus' self control to refrain from hitting Nott right there. "You know that I do not tolerate that word in my presence."

Snape took a couple of menacing steps towards Theodore and saw him flinch. "Potter may not be a pureblood but he has the money and name behind him. A person doesn't get any more than famous than he. I have talked with your father about Potter and your sister dating."

"You did?" he interrupted.

"Of course I did you idiot boy. He agreed to let them date. If they break up badly, think of the information she could have gotten from him."

Severus could see Nott think it over and nod.

"Go on back to your dorm and I do not want to hear of you interfering in their relationship again."

"Yes, sir."

After Nott left, Severus locked and warded the unused classroom. He then put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples.

Something had tore in him to say those things as callously as he did. He felt dirty.

He had felt dirty the night he had talked to Theodore Nott Sr. too. It had been the day after Christmas. Severus knew that he needed to try to smooth things over before Nott Sr. could interfere. The man made Lucius look like an angel sometimes.

Taking a deep breath, he took down the wards and headed back to the Slytherin dorms. He had been going to talk one of the first years when he had came upon Potter and Nott arguing earlier.

When he got near the door, he heard Potter bidding good night to Gabriella.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night Harry. I'm sorry I acted so jealous."

"I'm sure I'd have been jealous too if I saw you like that with some boy."

He watched as Harry walked past him and heard him whisper, "G'nite Professor Snape."

Severus just shook his head. He had been using a spell to blend in with the shadows. No other student had ever been able to see past the illusion. He would figure out how the boy could tell that he was there.

"Death! Death all around you! You will not survive this next task!," said Professor Trelawney.

Harry tried really hard not to roll his eyes. "And you can see this in my aura because Mars is in alignment with Pluto and one of Jupiter's moons is upside down?"

"Yes, yes Mr. Potter! Doom! Doom!"

After class let out they hurried toward the dorm to ditch their books before dinner.

Ron was still making fun of Trelawney as they headed back to the Great Hall when Harry's vision and hearing dimmed.

He recognized the warning and blindly reached out and grabbed his two best friends.

They stopped walking and turned around.

He then felt himself being dragged somewhere.

"Quickly Wormtail! He's almost through the wards!"

Suddenly their location changed. Wormtail quickly and carefully put Voldemort down after shoving someone else onto the ground. He then untangled Nagini from his neck.

Voldemort was spitting mad. "I want to know what that fool is doing that caused him to come to the house! Write to him and tell him that if he does not have an explanation for this, I will kill him and it will not be a fast death!"

Wormtail transfigured something into a piece of paper and quickly wrote a note. He then cast a spell that immediately caused the note to vanish.

"Why am I surrounded by such incompetence? I've ask him to do a simple thing and he nearly fails!" continued Voldemort as he ranted on.

"Master, you appear to have your strength up. We could do it now or even use someone else."

"No Wormtail. I still need a little over two months to be ready so that I can survive the ritual and I must use the boy. There will be no one else. We cannot safely return to that house. It's time to head back to the place we started from for now."

"Yes Master. Right away master."

Harry slowly came back to his own head and took in his surroundings.

Severus had been on his way to see Professor Sinastra about overseeing a detention he had assigned when he saw a strange sight.

Weasley and Granger were dragging Potter into a hidden doorway behind a tapestry.

The hallway was fairly empty so no one else had noticed. Severus' curiosity got the better of him. He stalked over and pulled the tapestry back. Weasley and Granger gasped at the sight of him.

"What's wrong with Potter?" Severus knelt down and quickly took the boy's pulse. It was racing and he was covered in sweat. He noted that his scar was inflamed too.

Weasley looked like he was about to start throwing a barrage of insults so Granger spoke up first.

"He gets like this sometimes Professor. It normally goes away after a minute."

"Why do you care?" demanded Weasley.

Granger hit Weasley in the arm. "Honestly Ron. Behave."

"He'll just use this as ammunition in class," snarled the red headed boy, rather bravely.

Before Severus could disprove him of that notion, Potter sat straight up. His scar was bleeding now.

"Ugh."

Severus could see his eyes open in surprise when he saw who was standing over him. Potter had become nervous in his presence ever since he had given him the 'talk', which had caused Severus some pain and anxiety of his own. He didn't want Harry to be uncomfortable around him. The boy had even managed to explode a non-reactive potion in class a week ago.

"Professor?"

"What happened Potter? Are you alright?"

Harry reached up and touched his scar.

"It's bleeding," Granger said quietly as she handed him something to press to his forehead.

"This has happened before?"

Potter had a resigned look on his face. "Yes. At least I wasn't in class. I can only imagine what Trelawney would have thought of this."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Severus heard Weasley snicker, so he turned his death glare toward the boy.

"What is it? What's wrong with you?" he asked refocusing on Harry.

"Er ... I'm not sure I should say, sir."

Severus used a touch of legilimency. "Why can't you tell me?"

He watched as Harry's eyes widened then as the boy averted his gaze. "I was told not to tell anyone but the Headmaster and could you please not do that right now. My head is already splitting open."

Severus' own eyes widened. So Potter could indeed feel the brush of legilimency.

Harry stood once his scar quit bleeding and after he got his bearings said, "I'm alright now sir. Thank you for checking up on me. C'mon guys. Let's go eat. I'm not very hungry now but if I miss dinner, you may have to bury me because Gabriella will kill me."

"You shouldn't have missed lunch mate."

"Yeah, well. I was working on something," he said evasively.

Severus halted the trio before they left. "Headache potion Potter."

Harry's eyes widened. "Thank you sir." He quickly downed it and handed the empty bottle back.

Severus watched them leave. It was time to go interrogate Poppy. He had seen Harry in the hospital wing almost every week since the second task. Had the gillyweed somehow harmed him? He paused before coming out from behind the tapestry.

It couldn't have been the gillyweed though. It's a relatively safe plant.

With a determined scowl set on his face, he strode to the hospital wing with his robes billowing behind him.

Albus had a headache.

This was not looking good.

He had finally gone to check on Crouch before dinner only to find something he was not expecting. Not only was the house empty, having clearly been vacated about 5 seconds before he broke through the wards, but it reeked of dark magic.

Not just any dark magic either. The kind that only a few people could even stand to be around. The kind that normally Riddle surrounded himself in. He had not felt such a large amount of dark power in a long time.

He had examined the house for about an hour, which is all he could stand to be around it, before he came back to Hogwarts.

Any hope of it not being Voldemort was dashed when he saw Hedwig waiting in his office with a note attached to her leg.

Harry had another vision during the time that he had been at Crouch's home.

Then Alastor had came barging in his office saying that he suspected 3 of the staff members of evil doing yet wouldn't name them.

There was something off about Alastor but he couldn't put his finger on it. That, also, was driving him insane. He needed to figure out what was wrong with the man. Surely no one could have gotten in close enough to him to curse him, not with him being as paranoid as he is.

And if that hadn't been bad enough, Poppy had come storming up to his office saying that she found Severus trying to gain access to Harry's medical records. Evidently between the boy's mysterious weekly visits to the medi-witch and Severus seeing Harry in one of his trances (Harry's note had mentioned it) the man had finally had enough.

He idly wondered if this day could get any worse.

Suddenly his office door swung open again. He sighed. It was Severus.

Yes. Yes it could indeed get worse.

A/N: It's been a while since I had left off with any semblance of a cliff hanger. I figured you were all due another one. ;-) As you can see, I kinda deviated from canon again b/c in canon Dumbledore didn't pay a visit to Crouch's home. And poor Severus. Can you imagine the tongue lashing he received when Madam Pomphrey caught him trying to access Harry's medical file? *snickers*

Anywho, up next, if I leave the chapter the way it is now, it takes us almost but not quite all the way to the third task. I'm not sure about it yet though. It feels like I'm missing a scene or two. I figure I should have it up no later than Thursday. (My grandpa has a couple of doctor's appointments this week so that's why the longer delay with posting the next chapter.)

A/N: *sends Eternally a new keyboard* Sorry about that ... kinda. ;) Just wanna thank everyone for their reviews. =)