Disclaimer!
These characters do not belong to me nor do I make any money off this story. I am merely writing Fan Fiction. The characters belong to their respective authors. I hope you enjoy Joining Forces.
Harry POV:
That morning, Dumbledore came to visit me.
It was early in the morning when I heard the shuffles of footsteps and the sound of forced whispers nearby. It seemed as if Madam Pomfrey was rebuking his request to see me as much as she could. It made sense. This wasn't just about leaving a student to get better, it was a matter of if the virus would spread or not and Dumbledore was definitely someone who shouldn't get sick. At last, they seemed to have reached an agreement as Dumbledore soon entered the room, making his way over to my bed. He sat down at the end, his eyes twinkling as he looked over. "Good morning, Harry," He remarked, smiling.
"Good morning, Professor. Are you here to visit me?"
"Yes, I should check up on all the students, don't you think? This virus is very concerning,"
"Of course," I responded, then after some thought, continued. "Professor, do you know what's going on?"
"I'm still working through it. Hopefully, this virus will not remain for much longer." He said. "Come, let's take a walk to a more secluded area."
"I'm not allowed to leave the hospital wing,"
"I talked to Madam Pomfrey. She said since you are recovering really well and as long as there are no others than me and you, we're allowed a short period." I nodded my head and got out of bed, following Dumbledore to his office. The corridors were all empty as we walked through them until reaching the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's tower. "Professor, what time is it?" I asked as we made our way up the spiral staircase.
"Quite early, sorry. I'm not much of a morning wizard myself at times. Here," As we reached the top, we were greeted with the familiar scenery of Dumbledore's office. He picked up an acid pop from a bowl in the side, tossing it to me before taking one for himself. "Take more if you wish. Though, I recommend you eat it when Madam Pomfrey isn't looking." He slowly unwrapped the covering of the acid pop but never touched the sweet, only twiddling with the wrapper in hand. "Harry, I need to ask a favour of you, would that be all right? I need something that could help me discover more about the virus. If you do have an item like this, could you please lend it to me for a while?"
"What do you need, Professor?"
"Something that can track the wizards and witches at Hogwarts. One that can bypass invisibility cloaks, charms and such."
It was like there was a click in my mind.
"I have a map that can do that. Is this what you need? I have a question though, how can this help solve the case of the virus?"
"When asking some students about the symptoms, several of them felt as if they did something during the night though they couldn't remember anything of the such. Using an item that can monitor what happens at night can allow us to see if they truly go somewhere after hours. Perhaps unrecalled actions are part of the virus. I assure you, once I'm finished using it, I'll return it to you,"
"I don't think Madam Pomfrey will let me leave the hospital wing, especially to go to a crowded dormitory but tell Hermione. She'll explain how to use it and give it to you."
"Thank you, Harry,"
"Professor, one more thing, forgive me for saying so, and this is an awkward topic, something that I have wanted to ask you for a while-"
"You want to ask me about our American friends," Dumbledore finished. Harry nodded his head. Although he had become friends with Percy and at least acquaintances with the others, he still didn't understand why they were here in the first place. He knew it wasn't like the scenario for the Triwizard tournament, so why were there suddenly American students? He had tried to ask Dumbledore about it over the start of the school year but barely had the chance. Whenever they met, they'd exchange a few short sentences before the Headmaster would have to leave. He felt that Dumbledore was busy, and he shouldn't bother him about something like this. However, now that they had some time, he wanted to see if he could get a response.
"I feel you've become familiar with them in this past while. What's wrong?"
"We've never had transfer students from America before. I'm just a little curious, and I feel they are slightly suspicious after what happened at the start of the year with Bellatrix," Although he looks the same as always, I can practically hear him thinking: You're worrying too much, I can handle this.
"Harry," He said, at last. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course, I do, and after what happened during my fifth year, I know you would be probably aware of any ill-intentions they might harbour, but...I don't want you to die again."
The tips of Dumbledore's lips turned up, forming a smile. "Thank you for your concern. I truly do appreciate it. To be honest, this year is special, well more or less the same amount of special as your other years at Hogwarts. CHB is run by two people, one of whom is an old friend of mine. We chose to do this transfer this year to see if Hogwarts and CHB students can familiarize and collaborate."
"What do you mean by 'collaborate'?"
Dumbledore smiled cocking his head to the side. "Don't worry too much about Percy, Nico and Annabeth. I trust them, you should too. Remember they are allies and not enemies." He suddenly got up from his seat, walking towards the door gesturing for me to follow along. "You should eat that Acid Pop. I think our time together is running out, Harry. I wouldn't want Poppy to be upset. We should head back." I opened my mouth about to ask something else but instead gave one final nod before heading down the stairs, following after him.
When we arrived at the hospital wing, there was another large set of chattering between Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey before he smiled at me and went to check up on the other students. "Harry?" Ron mumbled, his voice unclear as he rubbed his eyes, moving around his bed. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, Dumbledore and I just talked for a bit, that's all."
"This early?" He mumbled. "That's mental." He tossed around in his bed some more. "Though if it's a conversation with Dumbledore this early, it shouldn't be just 'nothing'."
"He needed the map from me, said it might help him figure things out with the virus,"
"Really? How's that supposed to work? Frankly, I'm actually sort of happy that things are like this. No one has died so far, and Madam Pomfrey says everyone is recovering nicely, so it shouldn't be anything serious. No classes, no schoolwork! How great is that! The only bad side is the food us sick patients get served,"
"I have an acid pop. Do you want it?"
Ron turned around, looking at the still wrapped sweet in my hand. It seemed as if he were to say yes but then shook his head, wrapping himself further under the covers. "No thanks, I don't want a whole bunch of berates from Madam Pomfrey,"