Disclaimer: view Chapter 01 for that one
Author's Notes: See Chapter Seven ˆ-ˆ.
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˜...˜ Parseltongue
/.../ Telepathy between Harry & Carya (in italics)
' ... ' thoughts
˜°˜°˜ ... ˜°˜°˜ Flashback or changing POV
Chapter 08 - Potions Attack and Love or Making Amends and Suspension
When Harry finally got out, classes were already over and he searched for his friends. He only found Ginny and Draco though. Hermione was currently in the library for some research she wanted to do and he knew that his sister and Tom hadn't made amends by now.
He could still feel the dark cloud over his sisters emotions. The boy shook his head and the three of them went to dinner. Neither Tom nor Carya attended the meal. Hermione was missing too but it was known that she was a bookworm and forgot time while reading.
When Harry got up the next morning Tom wasn't there. From Ginny he found out that Carya hadn't returned the last night either. They were worried now. That was so unlike their two friends. But they both knew that those two had to work it out by themselves.
Draco joined them quickly and they met with Hermione in the Great Hall. When they got to Potions Tom and Carya were already there. Snape was present too. He made the students wait and remain standing until all had arrived.
Then he began pairing them up. Most pairs were okay. Tom wasn't thrilled to work with Neville but the boy hadn't blow up a cauldron in two weeks now so it was okay. Harry ended up with Blaise, Draco with Crabbe and Ginny with Goyle. Carya got the worst of it all.
She was paired with Ron Weasley of all people. The rest of the students eyed the two nervously. Snape was bound to know about their animosity. They would be damned if nothing happened that class.
'I hope Snape knows what he's doing. Carya is in a foul mood and if Weasel tries to anger her he'll succeed faster than he'd wish in a thousand years. I really hope he just keeps quiet today though I seriously doubt it,' Harry thought and glanced over to his sister and their 'enemy' - Ronald Weasley.
The first period went over quietly no major occurrences. Not even Neville made a mistake this time. Halfway through the second one it happened then. Carya was beyond fury right now because Ron just couldn't keep his mouth shut but she refused to let her temper get the better of her.
Snape noticed that too. He almost admired her self-control. Every other student would have snapped long ago. But he made the mistake of turning his back towards the class for a second. The next one he heard a yell, an explosion and a terrible scream.
When he turned around he saw Weasley standing calmly next to the work-table. His clothes we're slightly stained with potion but the Potter girl was nowhere to be seen. The anguished screaming brought his attention to the floor. The girl was lying there and was obviously in great pain.
Before he could ask anything the students started yelling. It immediately became clear that Weasley had been responsible from the shouts of the Slytherin's and the quiet Gryffindors. First priority was now to help Potter even if he disliked the girl.
Snape walked over and was about to take a look at her injuries when Tom Riddle suddenly rushed past him and lunged at Ron. He pressed the other boy into the wall hard and started hissing at him furiously.
The hissing sound was mixed with low growls and they could barely make out what the crimson eyed boy said but Ron paled more and more.
What they could make out was that Tom threatened Ron's life if Carya didn't recover completely from this and if there was any lasting damage he would make sure that the Gryffindor's life was a living hell until the end of his days.
Suddenly he turned away from the Gryffindor when Carya made a whimpering noise. Snape was again walking towards her and was just about to pick her up when Tom ran to her side. She looked at him briefly before fading into unconsciousness.
"Hold on Carya, I'll help you. I wont leave you. ... I love you," he whispered into her ear as he lifted his girlfriend from the floor and rushed towards the infirmary.
No one of the others heard that but Carya had. She lost the battle with consciousness right after that and was trapped in her own thoughts. The whole incident hadn't lasted more than a couple of minutes though.
˜°˜°˜ A little earlier - Carya's POV ˜°˜°˜
'Holy Slytherin can't that git stop talking for a second. I'm surprised that I haven't killed Weasel yet. I still don't know what to do about Tom though. What the hell ...,' I thought when the cauldron exploded. That was impossible since it was just simmering at this point. No direct heat. It couldn't explode unless someone added something to the potion.
All I felt was pain. Just as bad at the Cruciatus and I couldn't stay on my feet at all. I fell and screamed. It hurt so much and even my anger at Tom and now Weasley couldn't help to block the intense pain and burning sensation spreading through my body.
'Hell, someone help me, I can't stand this any longer. I was wrong. Even the Cruciatus isn't that bad. At least that's a steady kind of pain - always the same and everywhere in your body but absolutely not like this. This is hell!' I thought briefly.
I know I hate being weak but I couldn't help but cry. I heard yelling and some furious voices but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
'Why do they take so long? Help me, god damnit!' I couldn't help but to continue crying and whimpering slightly.
'I can feel that I'm loosing consciousness. The edges are growing black and everything seems so far away. Suddenly someone bends over me. For a split second I'm shocked. It's Tom and he looks ... scared? Frightened even. He seems concerned about something. Certainly not about me or is he?'
I could hear him whispering something before I succumbed to the dark abyss.
"Hold on Carya, I'll help you. I wont leave you. ... I love you," he says and I try to smile at him but I fail.
'I'm falling and the darkness consumes me. I'm trapped in my own thought's now. Was he really worried that much about me? Perhaps I have misunderstood him completely. One good thing about unconsciousness is that you don't feel the pain but I'd rather be awake to beat the living daylights out of Weasley right now.
If I get him he'll curse the day he was born. I'm pretty sure he'll only get detention from the headmaster although Molly Weasley might punish him severely when he goes home for the summer next year.
I can tell that she likes Harry and me. Ever since she accepted that Ginny is a Slytherin she has become like a mother for us. Like Aunt Petunia has been all those years before Hogwarts. I don't know how long I've been here but I can now hear hushed voices talking about something.
Perhaps someone is there for me to help me get better. How I wish I can talk to Tom right now but I doubt he'll even look at me the way I've treated him. It probably won't be long before the pain returns and I wake up again ...
It's still very dark and the voices seem to be floating all around me. How long have I been here? It seems like an eternity and no time at all. There's no way out. I try to concentrate on one voice but discover that I can't. Suddenly one of the voices gets through and I can feel the darkness fading.
I can hear clearer now but the pain is coming back too. One thing penetrates the foggy dizziness I'm trapped in though. It's a male voice laced with concern. He says, "Carya, please, please wake up! Don't die, please, you have to wake up!" And I do just that.'
˜°˜°˜ End Carya's POV ˜°˜°˜
˜°˜°˜ Tom's POV ˜°˜°˜
I'm running as fast as I can with Carya in my arms. I was so stupid. I know she wouldn't hurt me on purpose. Perhaps she didn't understand. I was only worried that she was gone, that she left me like everyone else always did. I'm angry though about being compared to that monster.
But that doesn't matter now. She has to get better first. There better be no lasting damage. Either physical or emotional. If there is I swear I'll kill Weasley. How dare he hurt my Carya?! No, I shouldn't think that. She was right.
She's a human being not a thing. I love her and I'm scared to loose her. I really hope I can make her understand. It's so difficult for me. All these feelings are something I have never felt before. I just wish we could work this out somehow.
When I reach the hospital wing Madam Pomfrey is already waiting for me. Has Snape informed her? I doubt it but wonder's never cease. Pomfrey throws me out while she's examining Carya and treating her injuries.
I can't stand it and want to be inside with her, I won't leave her even if she hates me for that. No, I won't accept that, not before we've talked it through. While I'm waiting Hermione, Ginny, Draco and Harry have joined me. They don't want to go to classes just like me but Dumbledore makes us go.
We barely noticed anything in Transfiguration and Arithmancy. McGonagall and Vector didn't punish us though. Perhaps they'd heard about Potions already? After classes we ran back to the infirmary. Carya's arms were bandaged now and the left side of her face seemed to be covered with a sticky orange substance.
I recognised it immediately - a salve for severe burns! I really hope it doesn't leave scars. God, how I hate Weasley! Dumbledore let us inside and now he's reprimanded for that by the nurse but she leaves us alone. The headmaster quietly stands behind us before leaving the room.
I can't stand seeing her like that. If I only could help her. I want her to wake up and I'm worried because she hadn't been conscious since the explosion. I can tell that Pomfrey is worried too. Something is wrong and I don't even want to know what but they are talking too loud not to hear it.
˜°˜°˜ End Tom's POV ˜°˜°˜
"Albus, I don't know what's wrong. She should have woken up by now. Really, the one who put her into this position should be expelled immediately. She very nearly died, Albus. The potion did not only burn her skin since it was highly acidic but it was quite poisonous as well.
If she doesn't wake up soon I fear the worst ...," Poppy Pomfrey told the headmaster who looked gravely now.
What the two of them didn't know was that Carya's friends had heard her too. They were frantic now and began talking to each other in hushed voices. Ginny was only still there because Draco restrained her from running off and killing Ron.
Tom was stunned. That couldn't be, no, Carya would live like she had done before! He was crying silent tears now and whispered the same sentence over and over with desperation in his voice.
"Carya, please, please wake up! Don't die, please, you have to wake up!" Tom said and for a few seconds nothing happened but then the girl stirred slightly.
Tom held his breath at first but then repeated the sentence again and the stirring increased. After a few minutes the girl on the bed slowly tried to open her eyes. She managed to get them open halfway only but she recognised the voice now.
"Tom? You're here? I heard you. You were asking me to wake up. I couldn't find the way first but you helped me, thanks," she croaked out and the other's had stopped arguing. They now looked at the figure underneath the white sheets and smiled under tears.
Their best friend had rejoined them in the world of living. Hermione slipped outside to get the nurse and Dumbledore. She was surprised to find Snape there too but shrugged it off quickly.
"Professor Dumbledore? Eh, Carya just woke up, sir. I thought I should tell you," Hermione told them and crept back into the room.
Albus and Severus were surprised as well as Poppy. They had hoped for that but not dared to believe it yet. Waking up was a big step into the right direction. The five kids couldn't be chased from Carya's side though.
Tom stood next to her bed the whole time and watched her worriedly. Albus noticed that and wondered why the boy was so scared all of a sudden when the two of them had obviously had a big fight a couple of days ago.
That was quite disconcerting for him because he normally knew almost everything that was going on in school. Then again, these six kept disappearing to a place he didn't know of and couldn't find either. The girl was currently arguing with Poppy about her staying in the infirmary.
Albus shook his head while Severus was torn between confusion and his usual nasty self which assumed she only wanted to draw attention to herself. She had just woken up from a magical coma which could have killed her and already wanted to be released from the hospital wing.
Somehow he understood that though. He couldn't stand being in here either. Severus watched her closely now. Her long hair was plastered to her head since they hadn't been able to wash it yet. Even cleaning charms could only do so much.
Carya suddenly started scowling and glared fiercely at the nurse. Both Snape and Dumbledore were shocked by that look. It seemed very familiar but they couldn't make out where they'd seen it before. The other five kids were now grinning and smirked into their dark haired teacher's direction.
Albus looked at Severus too and his eyes widened slightly. The scowl on Carya's face was the exact match to the one on the Potion's Masters own. He smiled and was curious how they could look that much alike. You could only see it if you truly searched for the signs.
He was startled out of his thoughts when the argument between the nurse and her patient grew louder. Carya was wide awake now and incredibly energetic for someone who had nearly died and only woken from a magical coma minutes before.
'Just like Severus was in his youth,' Albus thought briefly.
"No way in hell am I staying here for a whole fortnight! As soon as I can stand I'm going up to that dratted tower and beat the shit out of the Weasel! This time he won't get away. And don't even try to spike the water or the pumpkin juice, Madam Pomfrey.
You don't have access to an odourless and tasteless sleeping potion. I know that I'm right!" the girl growled in a hoarse voice and smirked at the last comment before saying,
"And despite our professor telling us about the imperfection of our potions I do know how a sleeping draught smells and tastes. You can try to force me but I would give you one hell of a fight. That's for sure!"
Poppy was upset now. No one but Severus had ever dared to yell at her like that. She tried to stay calm though.
"Carya, I understand that you've been through a lot today and that you just want to crawl into your own bed to get rest. And even though you have experienced worse before I ..." she explained but was interrupted by the girl.
"Worse? What do you mean?" Carya asked confused because she'd never experienced something as horrible as that potions accident.
"The Cruciatus Curse of course, dear!" Poppy said confused and all of them were shocked when Carya started giggling because they feared for her sanity.
"You think the Cruciatus was worse than this? Holy Slytherin, you don't know how wrong you are. When you are under that curse you might feel horrible pain and can hardly do anything to stop it but it's just that - pain all over your body.
It's a steady flow. No changes until the curse is lifted apart from the cramping muscles that is. This is different. I can explain if you want it Madam Pomfrey. It's not only pain I've felt and not a steady one at all. It was like waves rolling from head to toes and backwards.
Pulsating pain at that. And to make it even more lovely the same goes for like being frozen to a block of ice. Same way, in waves but not the same frequency as the pain. The next thing is even worse. It feels like burning from the inside out.
Everything on fire and I mean real fire, not just hot. This one naturally had a third frequency though. You can't concentrate on all of them because it's too much and you can't concentrate on just one because the other's are overwhelming you then.
Thankfully I fell unconscious quite quickly. I doubt I could have taken more of that. Don't you tell me the Cruciatus is a problem," the girl told them a bit agitated now.
"Imagine if someone like dear old Voldemort found out about this potion and got his hand on the recipe, accident or not doesn't matter. Death Eaters torturing with the Cruciatus would be the least of our problems!" Carya explained dryly.
"What did you mean with falling unconscious quickly? You were awake for almost three minutes!" said Snape exasperated.
"Three minutes? It seemed longer than that but then again, it always does if you're feeling like shit," she said sneering slightly, again looking very much like a certain professor.
Poppy sighed. Of all her students this girl was probably the most difficult one since a certain Potion's Professor had been a student at Hogwarts himself.
"When can I get out of here, Madam Pomfrey?" the girl asked looking adamant to leave as soon as possible.
"When I'm sure that walking around and attending classes won't throw you back into a coma," Poppy answered and Carya looked thoughtful for a second before nodding.
"Alright, but please be honest with me. I know that you only want the best for your patients but I still can't stand hospitals. It has nothing to do with you, with doctors or healers in general. I just hate the smell and the whiteness, the sterile feeling those rooms emit," Carya explained with a shudder and this time Poppy nodded.
Albus left with Severus on their way he told the Potions Master where that scowl was normally seen. Severus of course denied any similarities to Carya Potter but he couldn't help but agree in his mind while wondering how that could possibly be.
Poppy left the students alone after Carya promised to relax and stay in bed. She currently talked to her friends about Ron and was having slight problems getting her opinion over to them. They were just plotting his demise.
"Hey, would you stop that. I want to hurt him too but I won't let myself go down to his level despite what I said when I woke up. We'll see what the headmaster does about him and if that isn't sufficient we can still think of something once I'm able to use all my limbs properly again," Carya interrupted them and caught Tom's eye.
"Tom, can we talk?" she asked softly and the others got the clue.
They left the infirmary and walked past Snape and Dumbledore who had just left the headmaster's office and were heading back towards the hospital wing to discuss something with Pomfrey. They wondered briefly why Tom wasn't there but then it hit them.
The boy still had to be in the infirmary. Both men walked swiftly towards the hospital wing and quietly opened the door to look if everything was okay. Sure, Tom had carried the girl to the infirmary but Snape in particular distrusted the teen greatly.
˜°˜°˜ Infirmary a couple of minutes ago ˜°˜°˜
"Thanks, Tom. I know it was you who helped me. You brought me up here, you gave me a light when all I could see was darkness. I'm sorry for ignoring you though. You have to understand that I really love you but I don't like being thought of as a possession," she stated softly.
"I know, I realised that when I had pinned Weasley to the wall in the dungeon. If you hadn't made a sound then I'd have killed that bastard. I was so afraid that you wouldn't make it. The whole thing scared the hell out of me. I love you Carya and I don't want to loose you ever.
It's just, I don't know how to handle this. These feelings, I have never ... I never had such emotions before. There was only distrust and hate. I'd like to understand but I can't do it alone," Tom said and tears were rolling down his cheeks.
Carya gently wiped them away with her right hand which wasn't bandaged. Madam Pomfrey had removed the orange substance from her face since it only had been applied to speed up the healing there. When Tom lifted his head he looked into the smiling face of his girlfriend.
"I won't leave you Tom. Now that I know what the problem is I won't react that violent again. I can't promise not to be angry though. I do have a mean temper sometimes. We have to go through that together I think. Never forget that I love you and that I won't leave you.
I trust you Tom. I trust you with my life. No secrets anymore, I want to tell you everything and want to be told everything. I feel safe when you're near. Safer than with Harry and he is my twin, a part of me," she told him and he smiled too now.
He gently helped Carya to sit up and sat behind her. She leaned against him and sighed. After that very brief conversation she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep. That was how Snape and Dumbledore found them.
˜°˜°˜ Infirmary - present time ˜°˜°˜
Albus and Severus quietly opened the door to the room Carya Potter was staying in. They heard soft voices and then a small painful hiss and a deep sigh. Silently they finally walked inside and were greeted with a surprising sight.
Tom Riddle sat on the bed with his back to the wall and Carya Potter was practically sitting on his lap and leaning against him. The girl was obviously sleeping now and Tom seemed to be falling asleep too.
Whatever they had expected when they arrived it hadn't been this. They had known that Potter and Riddle were friends but they hadn't known just how close they really were. This wasn't how mere friends would comfort each other.
This was how lovers helped their partner to feel safe, protected and loved when they were sick or hurt. Snape looked confused and angry at Carya's lack of judgement while Dumbledore was stunned and amused in the same second.
He was surprised that he had missed this and amused that those two seemed to be destined for each other. You could feel the flow of power between them when you knew how to sense it. He had thought about what she had said about the potion. The girl was right.
No one could know about the ingredients at the point when Ron had thrown an extra ingredient into the cauldron. Severus had destroyed the rest of the potion but he knew the state it had been in and he was also aware what and how much Weasley had thrown into the potion.
Snape had to admit that Tom's concern for Carya had been real. The boy didn't even notice his teacher's attempt to help the girl but instead had carried her up here himself. It was fairly obvious that he had changed from the one Snape knew from tales of Dumbledore and he definitely was nowhere near Voldemort's character.
'Well, I don't think that I will ever truly like the Potter's and Riddle but I can try to treat them like my other Slytherin's though. It's unbelievable that the girl can even talk about her experience like that. As if it was nothing.
She's really strong, even more so than Lily has been. Voldemort will have a hard time breaking and defeating her if he manages to come back one day,' Severus admitted grudgingly and left for his dungeons.
Ron had been restricted to a small room near the dungeons. He was locked in until a decision was made. His parents had been contacted and while Arthur looked incredibly defeated Molly was furious.
Sure Ron was her son but she loved the Potter twins just as much as her own kids. And now one of her son's had seriously injured Carya. Not only that but he had sabotaged the potion on full purpose and nearly killed her.
The guests had heard about the incident too and some were thinking it was a plot to take Harry's concentration away from the Tournament. Moody spoke of attempted murder and the friends were unavailable for any statements.
Carya recovered quicker than anyone would have expected. If you took the injuries and the seriousness of the situation into account she should've needed at least three weeks for a full recovery.
On Thursday, November 10th, six days after the accident she was once again arguing with Poppy Pomfrey about her stay in the hospital wing. The girl was stubborn enough to convince Poppy to let her out on the days if she returned for the next three nights.
When she didn't have any relapses during that trial period she would be allowed back to her dormitory. Carya smirked at the nurse. The trial period was beginning the next morning and Carya would start with Potions class.
She had breakfast in the infirmary and after much fussing from Poppy she finally was on her way to the dungeons. Her arms and parts of her chest were still bandaged but she ignored it. She managed to get to the classroom five minutes late.
'Well, here it goes. I'm curious how Snape will react to me being late. Hopefully Tom doesn't have a partner,' she thought and opened the door after knocking twice.
"Sorry Professor, Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me go earlier," she said and walked towards her seat.
Snape was speechless. The girl should still be in bed, resting but there she was. She was walking slowly and her movements showed that she was far from okay but her face didn't betray anything of it. Finally he found his voice and told her the same thing as every other student.
"Don't think that I will be lenient to you because of your condition!" he sneered.
"I wouldn't dream of it, sir!" Carya replied and was smirking slightly.
/Yes, back to normal!! I'm finally free!/ she thought and Harry who had naturally heard her answered.
/Happy are you, eh? I can understand that but why Potions of all classes? I mean, with Snape?/ Harry wanted to know.
/You do know that I love the subject, not the teacher, right?/ she sent grinning at her twin.
/Urrgh, thanks for the mental image Carya, really!/ he replied making a face.
/Hey, it's not my fault that you have such a sick kind of imagination!/ she threw back cheekily and they concentrated on the lesson.
Their friends noticed the odd faces and decided to ask them about it later. Sometimes they pretty much envied them about their mind link.
Carya partnered with Tom. She helped preparing the ingredients but tired quickly and Tom took over at those times. They got the brew right and were miraculously awarded ten points for a successfully made potion - the Slytherin's attempts that is, the Gryffindors only lost points.
/Is Snape sick or something like that?/ asked Carya her twin through the bond.
/Not that I know but then again, he's even better at hiding such facts than you are and you are a genius in that area,/ Harry told her.
After Potions they wandered towards Transfiguration. McGonagall nearly fainted when she saw Carya sitting among the students chatting happily with her friends although she looked pretty tired. Minerva just shook her head.
'She somehow reminds me of James but also of Severus. They were both very stubborn and hated being weak or ill. Definitely her father's daughter,' she thought and started on the lesson.
After Transfiguration the six friends walked down to the Great Hall. Due to Carya's injuries they were the last to arrive. Everyone's attention turned towards them when the entered. Carya hated that. She scowled but then she had an idea.
She walked towards her seat with Tom next to her and before she sat down she looked around the Great Hall, smirked and asked something,
"No one hungry? Or is there something wrong with lunch?" she said loud enough to be heard in the whole hall and raised an eyebrow at them.
Most students turned away at that being extremely embarrassed. A few still stared but that didn't bother Carya so much anymore. She had gotten most of them to stop staring. She ate slowly and not too much either because her body was still recovering from the poisonous effect the potion unfortunately did have.
Dumbledore shook his head and smiled at the Slytherin girl. What had someone told him about Severus one day in the past? 'That man is far too stubborn to simply die'. Lily Evans had been right back then and Albus thought that it fit for her daughter Carya perfectly as well.
The next class was Arithmancy. Professor Vector was just as shocked as the other teachers but didn't say anything either. He had already seen her at lunch and would ask the headmaster about this later. Like most of the professors he had only heard rumours.
Only the heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin had been informed on this. Viridian thought it was time that Albus told them what had happened during Potions last Friday. It must have to do with the fact that Ronal Weasley was currently confined to a room near the dungeons.
Later that day Sirius and Remus arrived too. Albus hadn't allowed them to come earlier since there had been no immediate danger after Carya woke up. Sirius gently hugged his adopted daughter carefully as though not to hurt her any further and Remus did the same.
She smiled at them and told them that she'd be alright but they had been told what she had felt while being under the influence of the potion. Sirius was positively livid - another reason why Dumbledore had forbidden them to visit before then.
The animagus would've killed Ron the first time he set his eyes on the boy. After the meeting with the headmaster was over Carya was really tired. The friends met in the infirmary since Carya was supposed to return there before dinner. Remus and Sirius accompanied her.
They were quite surprised when she leaned against Tom who sat next to her on one of the beds. Remus knew what this was. He had smelt it earlier thanks to his werewolf senses. Carya had smelled of infirmary and medical potions but there had been something else and definitely male.
Lily's daughter was in love. Remus didn't exactly like her choice of partner though and neither did Sirius. He was about to yell at her when she looked up and stopped him.
"Siri, I know you don't approve of Tom but you really should get to know him. Did Dumbledore tell you that it was Tom's voice that helped me wake up? No? Thought so! We are together and I'd like to have your blessing for this friendship.
Regardless if this becomes more or stays like this," she told them and looked pleadingly at her godfather.
Sirius thought about it and sighed heavily," Okay, but he had better never hurt you or I will ...," he began but Remus cut him off.
"Padfoot, I'm sure Tom knows that you are very protective of Carya. He for sure won't hurt her intentionally. Carya trusts him and she doesn't trust easily," soothed Remus and Sirius relaxed after comprehending what his best friend had just told him.
Shortly before the two adults had left Ginny asked what had been going on in Potions and Harry explained grimacing. As soon as the friends heard what exactly Carya had said to Harry they burst out laughing.
It was too funny and they agreed that it was indeed a horrible mental image. Sirius was nearly rolling on the floor once he got over the shock of said image. For him to imagine his own nemesis from his schooldays kissing someone was just too unbelievable.
Remus was grinning at that. He didn't really get along with Snape but he didn't exactly hate him either and he knew something that the others didn't know about the sour potions professor. The guests from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were astonished by Carya.
They thought it was a miracle that she even lived, well it was but that was unimportant. They had found a new respect for the Slytherin girl and treated her brother with more respect too now.
They had thought he was just a little boy playing adult games but now they realised that Harry Potter was more mature in many ways than other boys his age. The day of the first task was only about a fortnight away now and Harry started preparing himself.
What could he possibly face then? He didn't know. Carya was released after the three day period because there weren't any relapses. The bandages were removed but the one on her regular wand hand remained for now. Her left hand had to heal properly after all.
Meanwhile Molly and Arthur had come to Hogwarts too. They had talked to Albus, the teachers, Carya and to their son. Needless to say that they were really disappointed with him. Had he been two years older he would have had to face the possibility of being sentenced to Azkaban for attempted murder.
But since he was still underage the punishment lay with the headmaster. Molly had yelled at Ron and it had been loud enough for half the castle to hear. Not even the Gryffindors were on his side anymore.
Sure they were arch rivals of Slytherin but they'd never attempt to kill them or seriously hurt them. In the end Ron was given detention on every weekend for the rest of the schoolyear with Filch and Hagrid as well as being suspended from school for two month.
This probably meant that he would most likely have to repeat the year since he was missing all classes and all assignments would be marked with a 'D' while he was away. Hogsmeade visits were cancelled for him too.
(A/N: I know J.K. Rowling used different grading in her books. I think I've used the A to F grading system before so if you still see something of that please tell me and I'll correct it. Look at the Disclaimer Chapter for the explanation if you haven't read book five by now. I'll use that grading system for everything. ˆ-ˆ)
On the 19th the 'Slytherin Six' were sneaking out of the castle after curfew. They wanted to run through the forest in their animagus forms for a change. The children didn't get that far though. Near the edge of the forest they heard someone.
When they found the voices they were shocked. There in front of them were six real dragons. Hordes of wizards cared for the magnificent beasts. Karkaroff and Maxime were there too and by the looks of it they would tell their students what they were up against.
While leaving they heard Charlie Weasley say something to Hagrid, "I only hope Harry doesn't have to fight the Horntail. A vicious beast she is. If mum knew she'd come and drag Harry out of here faster than you'd imagine."
Harry pondered if he should tell Cedric or not. In the end he decided on going all Hufflepuff on them and tell the boy. The opportunity arose on Monday afternoon. They only had three more days until the first task and Harry was already training very hard.
Harry caught Cedric on his way to Transfiguration and he purposely ran into the other teen. Harry said he was sorry and tried to tell Cedric what was the first task.
"Eh ... sorry Diggory, didn't see you there," he said audible before going on. "... Listen, Cedric, the first task is dragons, believe me. I'm not telling shit, it's true, I've seen them," he whispered and Cedric looked at him in disbelief.
"Why are you telling me this?" the Hufflepuff asked.
"Let's say I hate injustice. The Beauxbatons' and Durmstrang's know too. It would be extremely unfair if you were the only one who didn't know. Not that I had an ulterior motive anyway," Harry told the boy, smirked and left for his own classes.
They had tried many charms, spells and hexes but nothing seemed to work though. Worst of it all was that Professor Moody was always near them now. They hated it because Carya was always quite agitated when he was watching them.
"If we only could get you a broom Harry. That would be the solution," Hermione said and suddenly Ginny's face lit up.
"I got it! You can only keep your wand with you right? But you can use every charm, correct? Well, what about Summoning Charms? You can simply call for your broom Harry! It's not against the rules, quite the opposite.
We can start to train those particular charms tomorrow," Ginny told them matter of factly.
It was really simple and since Harry already knew the basic charms he only had to train them for long distance calls where you couldn't see the item you were summoning. Soon it was the 24th and Harry couldn't really concentrate on his classes that day. He was too excited about everything.
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R&R,
Carya
2008-02-02