Unintended Consequences 2

Continued from chapter 2 of Yet Still Even More Fragments!

McGonagall entered the headmaster's office quietly. Officially, she was there to pass on some paperwork for his signature; unofficially, she was there seeking some guidance over the Umbridge issue.

"Albus?" she called opening the door.

The headmaster was staring upward at the ceiling, showing no sign of having heard her voice.

Minerva tried again. "Albus?" she said stepping closer to the desk.

Finally Dumbledore broke from his thoughts and looked at her, his expression one of profound loss. "Ah, Minerva," he said his voice leaving him sounding old, "I fear that I may have been wrong in my decisions in regards to young Mr. Potter."

The transfigurations mistress gave him a look. "I'm sure you've done your best under the circumstances Headmaster," she said.

Dumbledore just sighed realizing for perhaps the first time that her reassurances were empty, and somehow over the past decade and a half, she had allowed herself to become a yes-man—er woman.

"Somehow Minerva, I remain un-reassured."

His deputy just nodded to herself before handing over the paperwork awaiting his signature of approval, which she had brought up as an excuse for this visit. "Please don't let these wait too long, Albus."

"I will attend to it today. Was there something further you wished to discuss?" he asked.

"Yes, Umbridge," Professor McGonagall told him.

Albus sighed, it was going to be a long day.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

Hermione was burning with curiosity; her friend, her accident prone best friend, Harry, was acting differently and hadn't been to see her about his detention with that cow, or should she say toad, Umbridge. Come to think of it, he'd come back rather early and with an unexpectedly cheerful expression on his face. He also hadn't complained about his scar hurting or the 'remedial potions' lessons at all this week.

Coming to a decision she put away her homework and marched up the stairs to the fifth year boy's dorm. Well, ok, she tip-toed as quietly and calmly as she could seeing how everyone else was already trying to fall asleep.

She gently pushed the door open and snuck a peek into the room to see if anyone was awake. Almost all of the fourposter beds had their curtains closed tightly except for two at the end, and the only light on in the room was coming from between Harry and Neville's beds.

Trying her level best to walk quietly across the room, which was only polite seeing how everyone else was asleep, Hermione approached Harry and Neville.

"Harry—" she started before letting out a gasp at the bird curled up on her friend's chest.

The phoenix shifted to look at her curiously before burrowing its head back under its wing and ignoring her.

Harry grinned at her and motioned for her to sit down. "Hi, Hermione."

"Is that a phoenix?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Harry and Neville grinned at each other before Harry answered, "Oh, so it is. Looky there, Neville, there's a phoenix on my chest."

"What's that, Harry?" Neville said with a grin before looking at the phoenix and faking an expression of shock. "That there's definitely a phoenix, mate!"

Hermione huffed and frowned at the two, rolling her eyes. "So when did the phoenix show up?"

Harry debated messing with her further before deciding to give her a straight answer. "I was sitting here, following the instructions, from that book you managed to find in that dusty corner of the library, when I managed to drop into the trance, I did some stuff and next thing I know it feels like I'm dying, I blacked out and then I woke up the next morning and my shirt is in ashes around me and there he is on my chest," Harry said pointing at the bird.

"Details Harry, I need enough to research this," Hermione said. "And what do you mean you did some stuff, didn't you read the book?"

Harry defended himself, "I read it, honest! After following the directions to put myself in the trance, it was just instinctive though."

Hermione just kept looking at him intently.

Harry sighed. "Fine, there was this big ball of energy, reminded me of a sun cause it felt warm to stand next to and it was made up of streamers of green and gold energy. And there was a braided cord of green and gold leading from it to my navel. There was also this funny, as in odd, jagged black stuff being held back by a red net off to one side."

"Continue," Hermione said having pulled out a notebook from somewhere though neither boy could recall it being with her when she walked in.

"Well the cord leading to my navel looked off, one color was brighter and thicker than the other. So I sort of instinctively grabbed the damaged looking one and tried to make it match the other one." Harry said.

"And you didn't think to stop and read the book to see if it talked about this?" Hermione asked.

"I told you it was all instinctive, and happened kinda quickly!" Harry said. "Besides, by the time I looked up I'd already managed to make it match the other cord and the ball of fire looked all muddied and sometime, during when I was working, that jagged black mass was shredded. I felt weak and cold and the ball of fire looked like it was going to collapse and go dark when it went supernova instead."

Hermione gasped.

"Then I woke up and found Edmund on my chest," Harry finished.

"Have you tried going back into the trance?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked down sheepishly before answering, "No, and anyway when I had my 'remedial' lessons with Snape a few days later, he kicked me out."

"Tell me," Hermione asked sighing.

So Harry explained about the warm feeling that surged up from his chest and into his eyes and then what happened with Dumbledore.

Neville chose that moment to speak up, "Legilimency on a minor is illegal, they could be sent to Azkaban."

Hermione looked at Neville curiously.

"What? Gran made sure I know the rules," Neville said.

"What about quills that use your blood to write?" Harry asked.

"A blood quill?" Neville asked. "Those are restricted artifacts, originally designed for use in magical contracts."

"Then why is that toad allowed to force students to use them?!" Harry whispered vehemently, while trying to keep his voice down.

Neville shrugged and yawned. "Dunno, mate."

"It's late and we should probably go to bed," Hermione said. Her notebook having disappeared back to wherever she'd called it from. "Harry, you will tell me if you remember anything else about that, won't you?"

Harry nodded.

"And try to go back to that trance again and see what happened," she said before leaving the room.

"Can I see that book after you're finished, Harry? I want to see if it's any different from Gran's lessons," Neville asked.

"Sure," Harry replied, fishing the book out of his trunk and handing it over.

"Night, Harry," Neville said, shuffling back to his bed.

"Night, Neville," Harry replied, before focusing on his breath and trying to fall into the trance.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

"About time you showed up," a voice said next to him and he jumped in surprise. "I was beginning to think you'd never try again!"

Harry opened his eyes and turned to see a young boy with messy black hair like his own and with one green eye and one gold.

"What?" Harry asked.

The boy grinned. "We've got things to do, and some sense to knock into you."

"Edmund?" Harry asked.

"Who else?" Edmund replied.

Harry looked around at the open blue sky and then back at Edmund.

"What happened to the sun thing?" he asked.

"Look again," Edmund replied.

Harry looked around again before it occurred to him to try following the cord that led from him to it last time he was here. Looking down he noticed the cord was thicker than it had been last time and he couldn't tell where one color ended and the next started. He followed the cord, with his eyes as it led straight to the boy. "Edmund?"

Edmund just grinned.

"I know just as much as you do, just you need to sort it all and finish properly absorbing it," Edmund said. "And let me tell you, waking up and finding you're a bird staring up at yourself is scary as hell."

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

"Shh, I saw a light down at Hagrid's cabin," Harry told Ron and Hermione before sprinting back up to the dormitory to fetch the invisibility cloak and map from his trunk. Ron begged off going as he was in the middle of a chess game with a first year who was surprisingly good.

After a few minutes, Hermione returned wearing scarf, gloves and one of the knitted hats she'd been working on.

"What?" she said at Harry's expression. "It's cold out there."

They carefully made their way down to the entrance hall and out into the snow covered grounds, the snow underfoot crunching with each step and everything feeling muted by the wintery landscape.

Harry knocked on the door and yelled through the keyhole, "Hagrid, it's us!"

"Shoulda known!" said Hagrid's gravelly voice from within. "Barely home three seconds... back, Fang, yeh lazy dog, outta the way."

The bolt was drawn back and the door creaked open and Hagrid's face appeared in the gap.

Hermione let out a shriek before covering her mouth.

"Didja have to be part banshee? Keep it down," Hagrid said hastily, staring over their heads as he let them in. "Under that cloak of yours, are yeh?"

"Sorry," Hermione said after calming down. "I just—"

"It's nuthin," Hagrid said, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains, the two teens stared at his matted beard, his left eye reduced to a slit amidst the puffed up bruises. His hands and arms covered with scrapes and cuts, some of which were still bleeding.

Harry suspected a broken rib with how gingerly the half-giant was moving. It was obvious he'd only just returned, his traveling cloak was hanging from the door and a large sack, big enough for a few small children, lay next to it.

"What happened to you?" Harry demanded.

"Told yeh, Nothin," Hagrid said firmly, placing the large copper kettle over the fireplace.

"Hagrid, you've been attacked," Hermione said incredulously.

"Fer the last time, It's nothin!" Hagrid said firmly.

"I know I'm going to sound like a hypocrite with this considering how much time I spend there and how I hate it, but you really should see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid," Harry said.

"I'm dealin' with it alright?" Hagrid said turning towards Harry as a small bird crawled out of Harry's collar from underneath his jacket. "Blimey, Harry is that a phoenix?"

Edmund trilled and Harry grinned before telling Hagrid, "His name's Edmund."

"Where did you get him Harry?" Hagrid asked in awe.

"He just showed up one morning," Harry replied as Edmund finished extricating himself from Harry's coat and hopped over to Hagrid where he cried a tear on his arm and then flew up towards his head.

"I think he wants you to lean back, Hagrid," Harry said.

Hagrid tilted his head upwards and the phoenix cried a tear into his bruised eye before returning to Harry. "That's better. Normally I'd have used this," Hagrid said pointing to the large green-tinged, bloody, steak a little larger than a VW beetle car tire.

Hermione shuddered. "That looks poisonous."

"It's only Re'em's meat," Hagrid said.

"Isn't Re'em's blood restricted?" Hermione asked.

"Sure if yer buying the blood, but tha's a steak." Hagrid smiled.

Hermione smiled. "Hagrid would you mind terribly if we, ahem, collected some of that blood into a few potions vials?"

Hagrid just shrugged. "If yeh want."

After a few minutes of pleading with him, (which if you want to read then go pick up the cannon book and re-read chapter 20) they finally managed to get Hagrid to tell them about his secret mission to the Giants, and then caught up on the rest of the events since they last saw him.

It was pretty late by the time they left Hagrid's and made their way back up to the castle. Unfortunately they forgot to put the cloak back on as they snuck through the castle and the map was tucked up in Harry's pocket, so they had no warning when they bumped into Professor Flitwick on the second floor.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, what on in the name of Merlin are you two doing out of bed?" the diminutive professor asked them.

"Sorry, professor," Hermione whimpered at the thought of lost points or worse expulsion. "We were down visiting Hagrid and lost track of time."

"Ms. Granger, I know that Hagrid returned shortly after curfew so for you to be down there you'd have to have broken curfew to visit in the first place." Flitwick told her.

"I'm afraid I'll have to issue the two of you a detention for Saturday, my office, after lunch," he told them, walking them back to the dorm.

Saturday came and the two entered Flitwick's office, wondering what he would have them do.

Flitwick stood up from his desk and motioned them to sit before reseating himself. "Mr. Potter, Ms, Granger, it's come to my attention that you've checked out a certain book from the library. Now, now, you aren't in trouble, I make sure that book is in the library at the beginning of each year because it's a vital discipline to potential duelists."

Harry and Hermione nodded their understanding.

"Now, I know Hermione will have already read it, and passed it onto you Mr. Potter, and regardless of what the headmaster thinks, he isn't the only one who knows a lot about what's going on around here," Flitwick said.

"You mean they aren't the only one's who know... occlumency?" Harry asked.

Flitwick snorted. "I was quite surprised to learn that Professor Snape was giving you, what Dumbledore referred to as 'remedial potions' lessons. Considering the general attitude you both have in regards to each other. And no, they aren't the only ones. I am a professional duelist, Mr. Potter, even if I haven't participated in years. The discipline is required among duelists."

"Are you offering lessons professor?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Fragment continued by: Stephenopolos