Chapter 12 – Staff Meeting and Christmas Holidays begin
Harry thought he was dead the Quidditch match had finished him catching the Snitch however shortly after he managed it, Dementors swarmed the field surrounding he and Draco neither had their wands with them so neither could produce a patronus that was if Draco could even do it. The two of them broke off in different directions however the majority of Dementors had gone after him. What is it about me and trouble? He remembered thinking just as he started losing consciousness seeing the green flash, the maniacal laughter, and his mother scream.
Waking up feeling remarkably intact for someone who fell off a broom some hundred feet in the air, Harry opened one eyes to see a cropping off blonde hair he gently reached out, as soon as he touched Daphne's hair she shot up, her face was tear streaked and laced with worry. "Oh Harry," she whispered taking his hand and squeezing it, he could tell she wanted to do more but was restraining herself.
"What happened?" he asked not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. Daphne quickly described what happened, Dumbledore slowing his descent, his Nimbus 2000 rocketing into the Whomping Willow smashing it to atoms, several Patronus's launching at the Dementors to drive them off. Dumbledore was as Daphne explained beside himself both in fury and worry.
"He couldn't explain it, Dementors don't focus on people yet they were practically drawn to you," Daphne explained.
"Need more information on them than what Blaise said they were, if what you're saying is true then targeting me isn't normal or someone is drawing them to me," Harry sat up grabbing the chocolate cake sitting on the table next to him taking a bite.
Daphne stood up fidgeting looking like she was going to say something but each time her face would turn pensive, her body would go ridged and she clench her hands into fists. "I-I better go," she stated softly feeling him take her hand she looked down at him and smiled before leaving.
He felt both encouraged and hurt at Daphne's mixed signals as many would call it. He wasn't even concerned about his broom being destroyed though he was saddened by it. It was only the second possession he ever owned that was gifted to him outside of Hedwig. Sure he had lots more now but it was a good broom. Plus how am I going to use a broom servicing kit without a broom.
XXX
Yugi Moto, Narcissa Black, Severus Snape, Filus Flitwick, Minerva McGonagall, Pomona Sprout, Vector, Trelawny, Baggles, Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore all sat round a table of oak coming together for the first of three staff meetings the school held every year, while true not all staff members were present these were the ones that held the most sway. "It has been a trying first term at least for our students," Dumbledore chuckled. "So let us get down to it," with that the meeting came together each teacher going at length about the students pass to fail, the study habits, what to encourage and the amount of supplies that had been used, current budget and the amount of detentions which aside from the token amount from the Weasely twins, nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Any other comments before I bring this meeting to close?" Dumbledore asked.
"Daphne Greengrass," Yugi stated solemnly.
"What is wrong with her Yugi?" Severus asked.
The star haired young man stood walking over to look out a window, "She is suffering from a rare magical ailment that is blocking most of her magic, also affecting her emotions."
"Is she in danger from it?" McGonagall asked looking concerned.
"Very much so, I think something occurred on the Express with the Dementor that sparked it, not really sure maybe a list of doubts that is currently plaguing her and her magic is reacting to it. But if she doesn't find relief before the end of the school it could do one of three things, kill her, drive her insane, or strip her of her magic," Yugi explained.
Dumbledore looked at his DADA professor over his half-moon glasses, "I take it her emotions are strong then?"
"What emotion isn't stronger than love," Yugi paused turning back to his fellow teachers. "It's like her magic is fighting her or something else at this one thing. At first I thought it wasn't a curse just that something the Dementor did caused this, but now I think it was simply a trigger."
"What do you suggest?" Dumbledore asked.
Yugi stepped forward putting both of his hands on the table looking at his colleagues feeling the world on his shoulders. "That I take her into the Shadow Realm and see if I can get this whatever it is to manifest itself, then I will duel it."
Severus looked at the younger man, "A shadow duel, weren't those outlawed after the end of the pharaohs."
"Yes, but I've done them before when I was younger," Yugi held up his Millennium Puzzle. "This is a Millennium item, one of the seven items that can open the door to the Shadow Realm and maybe Daphne's only salvation."
"How long will it take you to prepare?" Dumbledore asked shocking the other teachers.
"I need whatever it is that is doing this to Daphne to get stronger first, it is a fine line if I wait too soon it'll retreat from the girl and wait until she leaves the school, all the while keeping her from expressing her feelings. If I wait too late and well it be pointless, if I had to judge the best time it be shortly after Valentine's Day. I have a feeling though that this entity inside Miss Greengrass isn't solely focused on her as we saw yesterday."
"Potter," Severus stated eyes widening.
Yugi nodded, "Yes, this thing is focusing these two above all others, to drive them apart or kill them I do not know my senses tell me it is both."
Trelawny who wasn't much into the conversation sipping her tea and eating her biscuits suddenly stood up, "On the night of the Lover's Moon the Death Lord will emerge to bring down House Emrys as the reincarnated fight the Evil Shades, only he who wields the Shadows Spell can defeat him. While the rat scurries to his dark master." Trelawny slumped to her chair shaking her head and frowning at the mess in front of her. "Tsk, tsk, messy."
Yugi blinked a few seconds, while Narcissa did an open mouth gape. "Emrys, as in Merlin Emrys the greatest wizard who ever lived?" Narcissa asked shocked.
"So it would seem," Dumbledore shoulders slumps face looking so morose, "The boy has so many burdens place upon him, alas another is placed upon him."
"And Daphne?" Pomona asked.
Yugi pulled out a chocolate frog card and tossed it to the middle of the table all the teachers looked at the image, and all of them went white. "Morgana Le Fey Emrys," Yugi stated calmly.
"You mean the rumors of them being married were true?" Minerva said in wonder and a bit of disgust.
"None no what occurred before Morgana fell to the darkness, we only have speculation and hearsay about the events. There is only one within this Castle that could tell us what happened in that time period," Yugi responded.
"Who?" Snape stated.
"Rowena and Godric's youngest child, we know her as the Grey Lady," Yugi stated.
XXX
This would be the first time since coming to Hogwarts that Harry would spend it outside of the school during the Christmas holidays, as he, Daphne, and Astoria boarded the Hogwarts Sunday morning. To actually sign the paper stating that he was going to spend the end of the year with family made his heart soar. As the train departed Harry watched as the haunted look Daphne had been getting slowly start to dissipate slowly the further from the school they got.
Daphne felt the oppressive weight on her heart seemed to lift ever so slightly, until while there and she still couldn't openly express herself to Harry, it was now a dull ache. Midway through the trip she curled up against Harry and went to sleep a content smile on her face. This led the bespectacled boy to look up at his future sister-in-law who exchanged a worried look. "You think it's the Dementors?" Astoria asked looking at her sister, the two of them had seen the increasing dark circles around Daphne's eyes as well as the fear as it drove a wedge between her and Harry.
"Don't know, but whatever it is she won't tell me and I'm worried about her, I asked Ron and Hermione to look into anything similar that occurred like this before," he sighed gently running his hand up and down Daphne's back as she slept. "I'm also going to look into it when we get home, your mom finished the Perevell-Potter Library minus the sealed books."
"Think there might be answer in those books?" Astoria asked her future brother-in-law nodded.
"There has to be something, her grades are dropping, Tracey told me she's been waking up screaming from horrible nightmares, because of those she doesn't sleep well, it's coming to the point where she's starting to ask Madam Pomphrey for Dreamless sleep draughts," he frowns looking down worry lacing his features. "Am I causing it?" he sighed.
"Don't talk rubbish, Harry," Astoria states firmly looking at her sister feeling helpless, "something is messing with her and it's stronger at the school, maybe this holiday is what she needs."
Harry clenched his hand into a fist face screwing up looking both angry and helpless, "I feel useless," he sighed pulling out the Marauder's Map placing it in his lap then taking out his wand. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," he whispered, he found looking at the map helped him think. Just casually glancing at all the names that were moving about, he spotted Ron, Hermione, and Tracey who agreed to stay to help the other two look into ways of helping Daphne, all three were currently in the library no doubt researching, he spotted the majority of the school staff in small meeting room, he was about to close of the map when he spotted someone he thought should be dead, P. Pettigrew was currently in the Gryffindor tower hovering over where Ron's bed usually slept. He blinked noting the name was stationary which one of two things the person was searching for something or the figure was a sleep. According to the twins the map is never wrong, so begs to question if it's not wrong and Pettigrew is indeed at Hogwarts why hasn't anyone seen him, I'm missing something. Rubbing his forehead thinking those thoughts vanished feeling Daphne nuzzle into him more, he looked down and pulled the blonde haired girl into a warm embrace.
"Harry please be mine, forever," she whispered in her sleep.
Harry looked at her and smiled faintly, "Gladly Daphne, till we're old and gray."
Deep within the recesses of her mind a small sliver of a crack formed around the magical block that separated her true feelings began to show, but would take more to shatter it.
XXX
Yugi and Dumbledore found the Grey Lady hovering quietly in the restricted section of the library looking out the window. "My dear Lady may we have a word with you?" Dumbledore asked the woman slowly turned her eyes focusing on Yugi a second before hovering down to them a small smile playing upon her features.
"I thank you for finding and restoring my mother's diadem, Professor Moto otherwise I may have ignored you," she stated crisply.
"Yes, what Riddle Jr. did was blatantly evil and corrupted not only your heirloom but your trust, I will not," Yugi stated. "We've come to ask you if you knew your grandmother?"
The Gray Lady looked at him with shock before composing herself. "A little I was four when she vanished, and I was in my fourth year at the school when she reappeared."
"Who was she?" Dumbledore asked.
"Morgana Le Fay Emrys of course," the Gray Lady stated fondly noting Dumbledore's shocked expression, "I take it you've read all those horrid old wives tales about her being an evil Sorceress. Unfair and untrue, she wasn't evil she was forced to be by my uncle."
"Salazar Slytherin," Yugi stated the ghost nodded looking down in sorrow and shame. "What was Morgana like before she was turned?"
The Gray Lady smiled serenely, "Never was there a gentler person, she adored her family, doted on her children and grandchildren, loved her husband passionately, never was there an evil thought in her. Then the Dark Lord Arawn came, my grandfather, father, and uncle fought and destroyed his army of the dead, in the final battle Arawn cursed our family, he used the Cruciatus Curse on my uncle which started his slip into darkness. Slytherin started viewing things like blood purity as the only true path to magic, he delved into the dark arts," the woman shuddered, "rumored he raped some girl from a pureblood noble family the Gaunts I believe," Dumbledore's eyes widen at mentioning the name, "heard she bore a bastard son. Salazar eventually drew grandmother away and used the Imperious Curse on her using compulsion charms and a forked tongue to change the loving woman I knew into a twisted evil version of herself. Incest, murder, slavery until grandfather met and faced her in a final battle, in my fifth year. I watched my grandparents die that day, grandfather looked so sad."
Yugi nodded crossing his arms in thought, "I take it this curse Arawn made is still in effect to this day?"
The Gray Lady nodded sadly, "It is why I am truly here, I have watched and followed my families lines to this day, waiting for my grandparent's reincarnations to appear, I saw them first appear two years ago at the welcoming feast, Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass they are Merlin and Morgana, this I am certain of."
Dumbledore slowly sat down in a chair feeling older than ever, "Tell me is there an outside presence focusing on Daphne?"
"Yes, but with all the Dementors surrounding the castle I cannot focus on what is causing it," the Gray Lady responded.
Yugi started pacing gathering his thoughts, "This would explain why the Dementors attacked Harry during the Quidditch match and why Daphne's mind is being plagued by these insecurities and nightmares, something means to destroy them, like in Trelawny's latest prophecy," Yugi pulled out three cards all strange, the first a yellow card with the picture on the card that depicted a golden bird/dragon hybrid, the second card was red with a coiled red and blue dragon with two mouths, the last was a blue card with the picture of a blue/gray monolith golem. "I pray I do not need to use one of these cards, but sense they may come into play."
Author's Note: In the home stretch so to speak as the plot is thickening I give this maybe six or seven more chapters until I done though I'm not sure. The voting is still a bit stalled so I'm going to wait until GOF to announce who's Yugi's going to be paired with, though Mana is edging out Narcissa and Nymphadora last time I checked.