Thanks so much for all the support. It always gives me so much inspiration to read all of your thoughts on the story!
I apologise if parts of this chapter feels a bit rushed, but I really did not see any point in re-writing the exact same scenes that happen in the book already. Much of OotP Chapter 22 and 23 is used (not literally of course, I don't wish to plagiarise), in order to move on with the story.
Enjoy!
Chapter 58 – Serpentine
It did not take much convincing for Dumbledore to take the vision seriously. No wonder if the man had already had some suspicions. Most of Harry's stomach-churning worries were about giving the Headmaster too much information though. About Harry's connection to Voldemort, about the way Horcruxes worked, and most of all about their vessels and number. In all the memories he'd been shown before, Nagini had not shown up, leading him to believe that Dumbledore might not have been aware of the Dark Lord's familiar yet. If, through wanting to save Arthur Weasley, he was putting Nagini in unnecessary danger, Harry would not be able to forgive himself.
However, he also did not see any other viable option to ensure the safety of both victims other than being truthful about what he'd experienced. Indeed, by giving Dumbledore some reason to believe that there was more to Nagini than met the eye, perhaps they would not outright try to kill her in retribution for the attack on Mr Weasley. Of course, that only applied if that second man he'd seen hadn't already taken her life, and if he'd been an Order member in the first place instead of a Ministry Employee. But if that second person had belonged to the Order, they'd already captured her. Nagini was sure to have some protection that may have lasted until now, but she would be seen as nothing more than a vicious beast who killed one of their own, one who was in league with the Dark Lord. Harry had no illusions that they would not put her down if he didn't interfere somehow.
Dumbledore stayed rather calm, asking few, precise questions. Harry noted with interest that for once, Dumbledore was the one avoiding eye-contact when asking about the perspective from which Harry had seen the vision. He considered how to answer. Dumbledore knew… would it be suspicious if he lied about this?
Yes, he concluded. Even if he wished to hide how the interactions between Horcruxes worked, being caught in a clear lie might make the Headmaster draw the conclusion that Harry knew more about being a Horcrux himself than he'd let on till now. The old man consulted one of his strange instruments, which spit forth a puff of snake-shaped smoke that split in two. Harry's stomach dropped when seeing it. Whatever that instrument was, when Dumbledore muttered 'but in essence divided?' it became clear that the Headmaster had just received all information he needed regarding Nagini.
Dumbledore sent Fawkes away with a cryptic message, then turned his attention to a pale Ron, whom he looked at empathically. ''We have tracked Voldemort's movements for a while and stationed people at places he seemed interested in. Two members were active tonight, your father was not alone. With any luck, his partner has brought him to Grimmauld place already. Phineas? Phineas!''
An old grumpy wizard who'd pretended to sleep jerked awake in his portrait, not very convincingly. ''What is it, Albus?'' he grumbled with clear displeasure.
''I need you to go to your other portrait and contact the Order to see if they already know more.''
''There's no-one there apart from my good-for-nothing, Gryffindor-''
''Phineas.''
''I don't see why I should make a move, when the situation is clearly being resolved on its own already, it's not as if anyone-''
A shouting match ensued between several different portraits, which ended in a ''Fine, ruin my sleep!'' from Phineas, who jumped up at last, walking out of the frame with his nose in the air.
''Forgive him, he can be a tad difficult,'' Dumbledore cheerfully spoke, smiling fondly at the now empty portrait. ''The most unpopular Headmaster Hogwarts ever had, but his loyalty for this castle never wavered.'' Neither Harry nor Ron reacted to that, too caught up in their own thoughts. ''Fear not, my boys. We know where Arthur was, and will find him soon enough even if William did not bring him back yet.''
''My brother was with dad?'' Ron asked hopefully.
''He was. As I mentioned, we always operate in teams whenever possible,'' Dumbledore explained, sitting down at his desk again. ''There has been so little movement from Voldemort that we can spare the manpower whenever he does express his interest in certain locations or items… He has contacted very few people as far as we know, so there aren't too many of his former followers to keep track of either.'' Harry frowned, wondering about the thoughts he'd shared with Nagini in his vision. She'd been there as a ruse, to distract them from something going on elsewhere, likely Voldemort's influence in the Hand of Magic and the press. But where had the snake been? What had the Order thought Voldemort wanted?
At long last, Phineas returned, reluctantly talking to them. ''Due to my inconvenient location in my ancestral house – you know of course that I was moved to a bedroom of all places instead of being hung above the mantelpiece as should be appropriate for my status – it took a while for my voice to attract attention. Only the faithful House-Elf of the Black family still respects-''
''The details about Arthur please,'' Dumbledore interrupted with a tired sigh.
Phineas looked rather offended about his self-indulgent rant being broken off. ''Very well,'' he bristled. ''William and Arthur Weasley arrived, and the blood-traitor was instantly taken to St. Mungo's as none could stop the bleeding. He was half-dead within minutes of the attack.'' The portrait sounded rather gleeful at that news.
''Is the coast clear at Headquarters for the arrival of a few more people?''
''It should be. Not that I'd waste my time, snake venom is rather lethal.''
''Thank you, Phineas, that was all,'' Dumbledore said in a tone that held enough of a warning to make Phineas shut up. ''Minerva, please fetch Ronald's siblings. If Arthur made it to St Mungo's, they have a right to visit him.'' She disappeared out of the door without a word. An uncomfortable silence descended over the office.
''Professor, may I ask…'' Harry hesitantly said. ''May I ask where they were?''
''Hmm?''
''Mr Weasley and Bill,'' Harry continued. ''You said they were on Order business, guarding something?''
''This is not really the right time discuss that, Harry,'' the man answered. Harry pressed his lips together to not shout 'It's never the right time for you to discuss anything'. For once, he figured the Headmaster was right. Harry had never seen his best friend so quiet. Even when he'd been puking slugs, Ron had tried to speak still. The redhead just stood there, hands in his pockets and staring into nothingness.
''He'll be alright,'' Harry muttered, coming closer to Ron again. ''He was transported to the hospital as soon as possible.'' A shimmer of hope flickered in Ron's eyes as he looked up at Harry.
''Thanks to you,'' the boy croaked. ''If you hadn't… if you hadn't seen-''
''Bill was there,'' Harry spoke, shaking his head. ''It wasn't any feat of mine. I only watched… They brought him to the hospital even before I told anyone. I couldn't make a damn difference. Only spread panic, I'm afraid.''
''Not true,'' Ron mumbled. ''I wouldn't have known so fast if not for you. They probably wouldn't have told us for a long time...''
''Did you keep training your Occlumency shields?'' Dumbledore rather suddenly asked. He hadn't turned towards Harry, studying a tapestry at the wall. ''I find it curious that, despite Severus' words about you having mastered the subject, such a thing could happen.''
Harry shrugged. ''He taught me how to guard my mind against Legilimency attacks, professor. Not against dream visions. I didn't know I had to actively guard my mind while asleep.'' The Headmaster nodded, apparently accepting that explanation.
The door opened again, the rest of the Weasleys stumbling in at the same moment that Fawkes returned in a bright flash of fire, leaving a small golden feather on Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster's face darkened, and he instantly went over to a cabinet, pulling out a small black cauldron. ''Professor Umbridge has apparently been notified of missing students, we need to be quick,'' Dumbledore hastily spoke. ''Minerva, hold her off?''
''Of course, Albus. Children… Be safe.'' And off she went again.
''Gather round,'' Dumbledore instructed them. He tapped his wand at the cauldron and turned it into a Portkey. ''The Floo isn't safe. I want all of you to go to Grimmauld place with this. Sirius will surely be delighted to see you, despite the circumstances. Remember, you have a legal right to leave school for cases such as hospital visits, do not let anyone tell you differently. Are you ready?''
They all nodded, although Harry could see that the eyes of the others were full of questions.
Those questions burst out as soon as they landed in the hallway of Grimmauld place.
''McGonagall said that you saw dad?'' Fred asked in astonishment.
His twin instantly joined with a: ''What were they all talking about?''
''There was a snake involved?'' Ginny threw in.
''Leave him alone,'' Ron grumbled, trying to shield Harry a bit. ''He's had a rough night too. Dumbledore said that Bill was with dad and they brought him to the hospital right away. I'm sure mum has been informed already too.''
They turned around at the sound of footsteps, and a haggard Sirius opened the door at the end of the corridor. ''Dumbledore just sent a message about you lot arriving. Come on through,'' the man said, making way for the Weasleys to enter the back of the house. Harry didn't even try to follow, hugging his godfather tightly. Harry's adrenaline over the vision was slowly starting to fade, making way for doubts and insecurities about the situation. He still didn't know why he'd been in Nagini's head, nor had he been able to inform Voldemort. Sirius' presence was the only thing that kept him from going crazy right now. Strong arms returned the hug fiercely, and he felt a little less lost. ''Will you tell me what happened? What really happened?'' Sirius whispered in his ear. Having practically already told Dumbledore everything anyways, Harry nodded.
''Is Mr Weasley going to be alright?'' he asked in return once the hug was released and they followed the others.
''I don't know. We contacted Molly right after Bill brought the poor man to the hospital and she is already on her way.''
''Can we go to visit as well?'' Ginny hopefully asked.
To their clear disappointment, Sirius shook his head. ''Not yet. Though word travels fast, your father was only just admitted. It would be rather strange for a parent of any random Hogwarts student to contact the Headmaster on such short notice, before even arriving at the hospital herself. None of us want to cast suspicion on Arthur for having close ties to Dumbledore.''
''But he'd our dad! Dumbledore himself told us that we have every right to leave school to visit!''
Sirius frustratingly retorted: ''And you do, but you have to wait. Merlin, you can't go running into the emergency room while your father isn't stable yet! He has to be examined, diagnosed, get first aid! It's a miracle if they let Bill and Molly close to him! It's good that Dumbledore got you here as soon as possible before that High Inquisitor can forbid you from leaving the school at all, but we have to wait for a word from your mother before I can allow you to leave this house. Understood?''
The twins still tried to protest, although it was clear from the start that it'd be futile. On Sirius' recommendation, Ron and Ginny already went upstairs to get some sheets and blankets, as they'd surely wouldn't be hearing any further news in the next couple of hours. Not wanting to sleep in separate rooms and possibly miss out on the first news, they created makeshift beds on the couches standing in the back room. While the others made preparations, Sirius took Harry aside in the kitchen with the excuse of getting them all something to drink before heading to sleep again.
''I had a vision,'' Harry explained. ''Of Nagini.'' Upon Sirius' non-comprehensive look, he added: ''She's Voldemort's pet snake.''
''Bill already thought that it belonged to him,'' Sirius muttered darkly. ''I hadn't expected him to be the type to keep pets, although it makes sense that it would be such a lethal one.''
''Nagini did what she was trained to do,'' Harry spoke in her defence. ''She was only planning on scaring Mr Weasley off until he pointed a wand at her. I'm not blaming him of course for doing so, but Nagini knows that a pointed wand is usually meant to attack. So, she struck first.''
Sirius' face lost most of its colour. ''And you know this… why?''
''I told you, I had a vision. I… I was her. I looked through her eyes, could hear all of her thoughts. I suppose that one of those weird flukes of magic happened that seem to define my life. I told Dumbledore, in case you are wondering,'' Harry spoke. Then, he couldn't take it anymore and asked: ''Do you know what happened to her? She only saw the shape of a second man – I guess Bill – who fired a spell. Everything went black and I woke up. Is she safe? Did she get away?''
''That snake attacked Arthur,'' Sirius spoke with an incredulous, almost accusatory tone. He looked at Harry as if never having seen him before. ''And you're asking if it's safe?''
''She's only an animal,'' he once again defended her. ''Acting on orders and instinct. Nagini isn't evil and yes, I want to know if she is safe!''
Sirius didn't answer, turning to the counter to open a few butterbeers. His hands trembled slightly. ''What did you do after you had this vision?'' the man asked in a tight voice.
Harry bit his lip at seeing how angry his admission had made Sirius. ''I warned Ron,'' he said quietly. ''And then McGonagall, and Dumbledore. I had recognised Mr Weasley in the vision, but Nagini hadn't gotten a clear look at Bill. I didn't know if the second person was a member of the Order or not and didn't want to take the chance of Mr Weasley being left there, bleeding out.''
''So you chose the Order's side, then?'' Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.
Now it was Harry's turn to get angry. ''Pick a…? I didn't pick anyone's side!'' he exclaimed heatedly. ''My best friend's dad was dying, and I possibly was the only one who knew! That other man could have been a Ministry worker, or a Death Eater! Mr Weasley has been nothing but kind to me throughout the years and always welcomed me when I visited. I had to help no matter what. To save his life. Not for the Order, or Dumbledore! For him!''
Sirius winced at the outburst, his previous anger fading. ''I'm sorry. I am… thinking too much in black and white again. You did well, kiddo. Putting the lives of people over your beliefs… I'm proud of you.'' Hearing the genuine pride in his godfather's voice made the breath rush from his lungs, and Harry once more accepted the - now far more hesitant – embrace. ''Get some rest as well, kiddo. Hopefully there will be some good news tomorrow.''
''Nagini…'' he spoke up, frowning.
Sirius grimaced and ran a hand through his long, black hair. ''She's alive, but any information about it is confidential. Sorry, we can't risk such a dangerous animal injuring more of us on Voldemort's orders. I can't tell you anything more.''
''Please keep her alive,'' Harry whispered, worried for the dear snake he'd come to regard as a friend. Fighting over seeing her wasn't going to bring him anywhere right now and causing a ruckus with so many other people in the house would only draw suspicion. It was a weight off his chest that they hadn't killed her at the very least, even if she was probably held captive somewhere. Harry could worry about finding a way to free Nagini later. Voldemort would surely go ballistic without her around. The teen had never fully understood the strange parent/child and master/pet dynamic that the two had, only knew that it was one of the strongest bonds with any living being that Voldemort had ever or would ever form.
Quiet hours passed, in which Harry drifted in and out of sleep. Unfortunately, he did not dream of Voldemort, and the two-way mirror was still at school. Perhaps it was better like this, Voldemort might start with unreasonable orders when figuring out that Harry had access to people who knew exactly what had happened to his companion.
While he still couldn't figure out why he'd had a vision of Nagini, it was certainly a relief to Harry that he knew it was likely because they were both Horcruxes and had connected before. The possibility of this having happened without any of his previous knowledge was a thousand times worse. He had the phantom taste of blood in his mouth still and the odd feeling of having too many limbs. What would he have thought otherwise? That he had attacked Mr Weasley? Or that he was going crazy?
Harry didn't know whether to bless or curse Bill's presence, to be honest. Having had the vision, Harry might have been able to warn everyone in time himself as well, without Nagini's life being endangered. The thought instantly caused a stinging guilt. He couldn't be certain that Mr Weasley would have made it even with the information he could have given. They would have had to get people in there to find the man first, losing precious time.
Very early in the morning, Mrs Weasley finally arrived, looking like she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, hair a mess and robes completely wrinkled. Not that most of them were in any better shape. Ginny had lain curled up on a chair all night, staring at the lone candle they'd left burning. Each time Harry had woken up from his light sleep, he'd seen the flame reflected in her eyes. Mrs Weasley brought with her the good news of her husband being stable, which finally allowed the rest of them to move to real beds and continue resting. Not having anything else to do for now, Harry joined Ron, hoping that he'd be able to reach Voldemort at one point through dreams. Of course, he wasn't so lucky… Who knew, perhaps the Dark Lord was just as worried as the Weasleys were at the moment, trying everything in his might to find Nagini instead of sleeping.
In the morning, Tonks and Kingsley arrived to escort them to the hospital. Harry wasn't even sure why it was necessary to bring two Aurors, but both Sirius and Mrs Weasley insisted that it was important after this attack to have as much protection as possible. For some reason, they kept casting sneaky glances at Harry, who wasn't sure if they were wary or worried. Either option didn't sit well with him. Tonks' prodding questions about the vision didn't help erase the feel of unease that settled in his chest. He wasn't sure if she was truly fascinated by the phenomenon or if there was something more behind her words…
His attention was pulled towards the ugly red brick building with 'Purge and Dowse Ltd' on the side. There appeared to be no particular reason for stopping by, and a passing Muggle woman muttered to her friend that the place had been closed for ages. Only when Tonks stepped up to the window, did he realise they were standing right in front of the hospital. He'd never thought much about where St. Mungo's supposedly was. He'd expected something like Diagon Alley or perhaps Hogsmeade: a building far away from Muggle eyes, concealed with other dimensions or isolation. This disguise of an abandoned warehouse did nothing to ease his mind about Muggles discovering magical places. Clearly, Muggles were able to see the building, even finding it curious that it was always shut down, so there were no Muggle-repelling spells in place at all. What if a group of Muggles decided to break in at one point? Would they succeed to get through to the actual hospital? Again, Voldemort was proven right in his claims that the measures of current separation were far too lax.
The awful dummy with its once-white dress and eyelashes that hung loose moved to beckon them in, at which Harry looked around quickly to check if no Muggles were paying attention. Really, were they trying to get noticed? As the others stepped through the glass and none of the people on the street seemed to care though, he figured that there must be at least a local notice-me-not-charm on the glass.
Inside was a cacophony of colours and sounds. Healers in green robes tried to make sense of the chaos, flitting through rows of newly arrived patients to help where they could. Harry saw manners of illnesses, hexes and jinxes that he hadn't been able to imagine in his wildest dreams. Compared to the winged child, the man whose head rang like a bell each time he moved and the woman with an elephant trunk, any magical malady Harry had ever had, was rather normal. He studied more of the patients, the healers and finally the floor plan, before Mrs Weasley was finally able to reach the witch at the desk to announce their planned visit to Mr Weasley. They didn't need to go far, only to the first floor for Creature-induced injuries (Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc according to the floor plan).
Harry wondered on which floor they would have potentially tried to undo the damage to his arm if he'd chosen to visit the hospital instead of the Dark Lord. Spell damage perhaps… Although the 'unliftable' in the description 'Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms' did not inspire much confidence in St. Mungo's Healers. Of course, neither did the knowledge that magical hospitals were so drastically underfunded that they held back finished research in the hope to gain donations. They marched in a long line, Mrs Weasley in front, and Harry tried to take in all the impressions of the hospital. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, nor if the place met those undefined expectations. Wails sounded in the distance, making him wince, and a strange odour filled the hallway as yellow fog seeped from under the crack of a room a few doors down. One thing was for certain: he was incredibly glad to have trusted Voldemort instead of some of the healers here. Ending up with a wooden arm would probably have been the very best-case scenario.
''I'll wait outside too,'' he said as the Weasleys went to enter Arthur's room, Tonks and Kingsley staying back to give some space. Mrs Weasley shook her head firmly and guided him inside too.
''I'm sure he'll want to thank you, dearie,'' she said with a smile.
Harry couldn't imagine why. As he'd explained to Ron before, he hadn't actually done anything that had helped. However, Mr Weasley's eyes lit up when seeing him shuffle closer and held out his good hand to shake it enthusiastically. Afterwards, Harry tried to keep back respectfully, giving Ron and the others time with their dad. Molly had a field day trying to get the Twins to stop asking questions about their father's mission, the snake and the Order. It was a shame, as Harry was also very much interested in all of those answers. He'd actually hoped that Bill would have been here still, but the oldest Weasley child had returned to work. Again one less person he could ask about Nagini's fate… Nothing in life could ever be easy, could it?
With interest, he tried to look at the other two occupants in the room, especially the werewolf. In that moment, the Twins apparently went too far with their questioning though, as Molly broke off their enquiry about the snake belonging to Voldemort and sent them all out, at which point Tonks and Kingsley entered instead. As soon as the door closed, one of the Twins held up a familiar flesh-coloured string that he hadn't seen in a couple of months. His heart jumped a bit at the thought of finally being able to get a scrap of useful information, and he accepted the extendable ear with a grateful nod, shoving it under the door.
''-said it's not a danger to anyone at the moment. Kept sedated and all that.''
''Why keep it around in the first place?'' Harry jumped a bit, as Kingsley's voice even boomed when he was whispering. ''Wouldn't it be better to erase the danger altogether? Look at what it did to you Arthur…''
''Albus surely has his reasons,'' Tonks answered. ''From what I gathered, he wishes to study it. Who knows, it might bring us closer. Give some clues as to… you know.''
''On another note, Albus appeared more than a bit worried about Harry,'' Molly whispered in concern. ''Understandable of course, but what worries me most is that Dumbledore did not sound surprised at all about this… this vision.'' At her words, the others who were listening in all looked at Harry, which he tried his best to ignore. ''It's odd, I very briefly spoke to him today to inform Albus about Arthur's situation and when he informed me about what Harry had seen, it almost seemed as if he'd been waiting for something like this to happen. I don't understand it. The boy is no Seer, is he?''
''I asked Harry the same on the way here,'' Tonks spoke softly. ''But there is no Seer blood in the Potter line, and his mother descended from Muggles… besides, he doesn't see the future, rather the present. And that through the eyes of an animal no less. I've never heard of such an ability.''
''Perhaps an affinity for snakes and other reptiles?'' Mr Weasley wondered out aloud. ''Wasn't there news years ago about him being a Parselmouth? And he calmed that dragon during the Triwizard Tournament too…''
A long silence stretched out, so long that Harry feared the extendable ears had stopped working. He barely noticed how tight he gripped the thing.
''He did kill a Basilisk though to rescue Ginny, surely he has no love for the creatures,'' Molly hesitated.
''There are many theories at the moment,'' Kingsley mentioned. ''Not the least of which is the possibility of You-Know-Who possessing the boy.''
Harry did pull the ear back now in shock. Possession? They thought that Voldemort was possessing him in his sleep? Was that even possible? He ignored the gasps from Ron and Ginny in favour of calming his own thudding heart. Well, he couldn't really find too many faults with that theory. Even if Dumbledore had concluded for certain that Harry was a Horcrux, the man only had had a few memories and one destroyed diary to work with in deducing how they worked. It wasn't unfeasible that the main soul would somehow be able to control the pieces, even if that wasn't how it worked practically as far as Harry was aware. Was this also why Dumbledore had suddenly avoided his gaze? Did he think he'd see Voldemort staring back?
Harry wished that the Dark Lord could possess him, that definitely would be practical in a great many situations. It certainly would solve the problem he faced now, surely Voldemort would instantly know how to find Nagini, free her and safely bring her home. Merlin, how he missed the man… the air of confidence, of security, of always having a solution. It almost physically hurt to be apart.
He clung to the thought of the Dark Lord during the way back, to not have to concentrate on the many stares on him. It made a lot more sense now that they'd insisted on bringing two Aurors. Not for their safety, but the safety of others. It was him they were watching, wondering when Voldemort would jump out. Once again, he was so incredibly glad for everything he'd been shown and told before already. He could barely imagine how scared he would have been otherwise. Anger flared up again at Dumbledore, who once again handled the situation awfully. Harry would have blamed himself for this attack if he hadn't known he'd merely been looking through Nagini's eyes, he'd have been terrified to death about the possibility of the most powerful dark wizard in history having access to his mind…
Of the lot, only Mrs Weasley tried to speak to him, commenting on how pale he looked. Harry brushed it off with an excuse and hurried upstairs as soon as they arrived back at Grimmauld place while Ron was still busy trying to awkwardly console his mother about Mr Weasley's current situation. He was glad that the Christmas holidays were starting in only one day and they were apparently allowed to stay here. The last thing he wanted to deal with now was Umbridge. Dumbledore could say all he wanted to about being allowed to leave the school for hospital visits, Harry doubted Umbridge would be lenient towards Harry, who was not actually family of the victim.
The trunks had arrived shortly before their hospital trip and he quickly dug out the mirror - before freezing when noticing a movement out of the corner of his eyes: on the wall near his bed, Phineas Nigellus walked into a picture frame that hadn't been there before and eyed him with disdain. The lid of the trunk had still covered the item in Harry's hands, so he quickly exchanged it for a schoolbook. He'd have to be extremely careful with that two-way-mirror in a house full of portraits loyal to either Dumbledore or Sirius… Even if Sirius let him make his own decisions, the man had made it clear that Harry was not to hamper Order business, and it looked like Nagini currently was considered such.
''Running away?'' the portrait finally said, which only served to confuse Harry. He withdrew his charms textbook and closed the trunk.
''No? I was invited to stay here by my godfather for Christmas, why would I run? Moreover, where would I go?''
The answer appeared to throw off the portrait, who'd surely had another snide comment ready. It grumbled a bit, then said: ''In either case, I have a message from Albus Dumbledore for you. Stay where you are.''
Harry almost laughed disbelievingly at that. Seriously? That was all?
''No tips on how to deal with being possessed in my sleep then? Stay here Harry, let more capable people sort it out?'' he venomously said, fed up with being treated of not being worthy of any information. He didn't care that he'd revealed knowing about Dumbledore's fears. Any Order member should know by now that nothing could be kept long from a bunch of determined teenagers, certainly not if two of those teenagers were the Weasley Twins. ''Thank him for his valuable advice!'' he still shouted, then marched out of the room, letting the door slam behind him.
The rest of the house wasn't any better than the bedroom with the former Headmaster's scornful stare. Hardly anyone spoke, and he surely did not imagine the wary glances. At long last, he searched out Ginny, who was once more staring into flames, of the fireplace this time. ''Hey,'' he tiredly said, plopping down on the couch next to her. She didn't flinch, which was a good start. ''I want your honest opinion. Do you think that I could be possessed?'' Because even if he knew he wasn't, it would be good to make a few other people realise that, and Ginny was the only one to actually have any experience with possession.
She gave him a critical look and asked: ''Do you have memory gasps? Large periods where you don't know what you did? Do you suddenly feel like you wake up and wonder how you got wherever you are standing at that moment?''
Harry briefly thought of his time with the Locket-Horcrux. There had definitely been a lot of memory gaps there. Odd how after only a month, he'd gotten so used to being by himself again… He shook his head, and she smiled at him. ''Doubtful that you've ever been possessed then. Thanks for remembering that you can come to me. All that happened in my first year is not something I can talk about much. My family and friends usually are happier pretending it never happened.''
''Can't you talk with Luna about it?'' he asked, frowning. ''She doesn't seem the type of person to mind.''
Ginny chuckled and threw her hands up. ''I tried once. The first question she asked me, very seriously, was whether or not I thought Voldemort had been birthed by a serpent.''
Harry snorted. ''Considering he descends from Muggles on one side and crazed purebloods on the other, I think he'd consider that theory a compliment.'' At her questioning glance, he elaborated: ''Dumbledore showed me several memories about his past and family. It was… rather pitiful, actually.''
''A sad backstory doesn't justify evil deeds done to others,'' she harshly responded. As much as Harry wanted to stand up for Voldemort, he tended to agree with her on this point. Awful things had happened to him too, and many other people who'd turned out good, caring human beings. And some of Voldemort's deeds had indeed been evil, even Harry could not deny that. If he wouldn't have had the full picture, he'd also have shoved any feelings of pity aside. Was that Dumbledore's goal? To harden him against Voldemort by showing only one side of the story? He considered telling Ginny this, but by the way she was glaring at the fire, he decided it would be unwise. He wouldn't be able to explain his hesitance in judging Voldemort as he was not allowed to speak of knowing the Dark Lord's plans. The teen wished he could. Here, they only saw the bad sides. The murders committed by the Dark Lord's hand or those of his followers, the chaos the man had caused in the previous war… And for Ginny personally of course the damage done by the Horcrux.
It was hardly everything Voldemort strived for, and he almost wished to run up to every Order member to shake them by the shoulders. Tell them that Voldemort wanted to protect their kind, that he'd killed slavers to free creatures, that he was trying to balance out magic without another massacre, that he'd make sure in the end that no magical child should suffer by the hands of Muggles again… Harry had no doubt that things would run smoothly with the Dark Lord overseeing everything. Corruption would not be tolerated, if only because Barty would otherwise lose his faith. Magic would bloom in every nook and cranny of the world that would be created. All of this, they were unaware of. They only saw the monster that Voldemort had made himself out to be to inspire fear and hope to seize control quickly.
When would that stop, Harry wondered? When would he be able to proudly declare his loyalty to Voldemort's cause without being gazed upon in horror? Some had already seen a glimpse behind the mask… Fleur for example knew now that the Dark Lord strived for good causes too. Though would she resent him for the death of her grandmother, caused by retaliation against the Hand of Magic?
He'd never thought too much about this group yet, other than knowing they worked for Voldemort and acted as a cover-up for the Death Eaters. Who were all part of this? How many members actually knew whom they were fighting for? The Dark Lord had kept his return rather secret for a long time. Even after Rosier had gone to the Ministry and started the nagging rumour that Voldemort was back, hardly anyone believed it. Voldemort himself tried his utmost to make it out to be some ludicrous lie by having the press ignore the topic unless it was in a ridiculing matter. Still, the very name of the group practically announced to the world who was pulling the strings. Hand of Magic, those chosen by Magic… It was literally a description of Voldemort's role.
Harry seriously wondered how other Lords of Magic had dealt with their tasks, and why everything kept getting unbalanced over and over. Voldemort had said he'd have to relinquish his source magic and title if he ever succeeded after all, so Harry assumed that was common practice. It wasn't a very well-working system if Magic kept having to appoint new Lords… A memory flickered in his mind, one that had belonged to Voldemort and he'd seen through the man's eyes when their link hadn't been stable yet. Magic had been there, reaching out, conveying her intentions through an overwhelming rush of feelings and… well, magic. It was indescribable. How Harry wished that he could meet this being himself, to ask it all the questions he had. That was probably never going to happen…
The following evening around dinner time, the bell rang as he just wanted to go upstairs again, so he answered the door, finding Hermione at the doorstep, huddled together in a thick winter coat to protect herself from the falling snow. The tip of her nose was red and brown curls were dotted with white snowflakes, giving her an angelical appearance. That is, until she rushed in and the door fell close behind her. ''It's so cold outside!'' She shivered. ''Harry, great to see you! I sure hope tomorrow will bring better weather for our shopping trip.''
Shopping… he'd completely forgotten about that during the mess that had been the previous days. Hermione had promised to go to Muggle London with him so he could buy a birthday present for Voldemort. Not that she knew who the recipient would be exactly. ''I didn't expect you to already visit this evening,'' he blurted out.
Hermione shrugged. ''I'll have the whole rest of the holiday with mum and dad. They're so excited… To tell you the truth, I'm not very fond of skiing, but I haven't spent many holidays with them as I was invited by Viktor this summer. So, I'll get myself together and hope I can enjoy the mountain view with a good book while they have the time of their lives zigzagging off pistes.'' She took off her scarf and coat, hanging it up with the rest. ''Dumbledore personally filled me in on why you, Ron, and his siblings left Hogwarts early. Umbridge is livid of course, so I still had to wait until the end of term. Mr Weasley is fine now, yes?''
''Not sure if fine is the exact word I'd use, he's still in the hospital,'' Harry spoke with concern. ''He is awake and stable as far as I heard, but they haven't found a way to stop the bleeding yet other than constantly applying bandages with strengthened pressure charms on them to keep the blood in. I think they're working on an antidote. Mrs Weasley goes there every day and told us that we can all visit him on Wednesday again.''
They went to the living room, where Hermione was greeted by the Weasley family and she expressed her concerns about Mr Weasley. All of them sat together and talked, while Sirius was going around, already starting to whistle Christmas songs and putting up decorations. It was clear that he'd missed having company. His good mood didn't even waver when Harry informed him that he and Hermione had planned on visiting a couple of bookstores the following day. Mrs Weasley, on the other hand, instantly interjected with: ''But that is dangerous! Two children, all alone!''
''They're not alone if there's two of them, Molly,'' Sirius cheerfully spoke. ''Besides, Voldemort is hardly going to pop up in Diagon, is he?''
''Actually, we're not even visiting magical London, I want to show Harry my favourite Muggle bookshops and maybe have some tea after.''
''That is even a much large area,'' Mrs Weasley muttered in concern. ''Harry dear, you shouldn't go wandering off. Not now…'' The advice he had received from Dumbledore came to mind, which Harry squashed down instantly. 'Stay where you are' didn't mean he couldn't even set foot outside the door for shopping, could he? ''I insist that someone at least accompany you!'' she adamantly spoke, putting her hands in her sides.
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. They'd really wanted to just spend the day on their own, and since Harry knew that any Aurors would mostly be there to keep an eye on him instead of watching out for potential dangers from outside, he wasn't very keen on bodyguards. Then, he had an idea. ''Only if it's Sirius,'' he stated calmly. Molly turned red, while Sirius perked up. Harry caught a surprised, questioning glance from Hermione, but wasn't sure why she gave him that look. Clearly, the fight about going alone was already lost, and at least Sirius wouldn't be breathing down their necks.
''Dumbledore said that Sirius is not-'' the woman started, but Harry interrupted her.
''I understand that you only have our best interests in mind, but not many wizards and witches successfully blend in, and there are no Muggle-borns in the Order, are there? A dog, on the other hand, would not be amiss in a big place like London, and would ward off mages and Muggles alike who might have evil intentions towards us. Sirius, what do you think?''
''I think it is perfect,'' the man predictably said. ''Molly, it is one afternoon, a few hours at most. I'll be on guard. Besides, most of Voldemort's followers are snobby pricks who'd never set foot in a place like a London Muggle shopping centre. And if he has anymore large snakes to send out, I'm sure they have animal control for that.'' That particular joke didn't go over well, as her lips started to tremble when reminded of what had happened to her husband. Harry threw Sirius a warning glance to indicate he'd gone too far, and his godfather instantly looked guilty. ''Apologies Molly, I didn't mean to…'' he said, but she'd already turned and stormed out of the room.
''Dick move,'' Fred dryly told Sirius. ''You can be glad that dad is doing fine.'' Sighing, the twins slipped out of the room to go after their mother.
''I'd better cook breakfast to make up for it tomorrow,'' Sirius commented, scratching his head. ''You're really okay with me coming along as a guard dog?''
''Dead Sirius,'' Harry smirked.
And so, despite Mrs Weasley still protesting about being irresponsible and some other Order members who visited being a bit wary of their plan, they went ahead and slipped out of the door. Having Sirius with them did save them most of the trip itself: none of them were sure if any buses would allow large dogs to enter, so the man side-apparated them from the doorstep of Grimmauld place to a small alley in London. ''Ah, this place never changes,'' he said, looking around fondly at a bunch of trashcans and bare brick walls. ''I once set up camp here after a fight with my parents,'' he explained. ''Alright, no-one is looking?''
''The coast is clear.''
The man cracked his neck, which started to sprout long, black fur that matched the colour of his hair. A few seconds later, a large dog stood in front of them, and snow flew everywhere when Sirius shook his body. ''Let's go then,'' Harry spoke, blowing on his fingers. Maybe he should have put on some gloves… ''Lead the way,'' he told Hermione.
''It would have been nice if Snuffles would first have told us where exactly he'd brought us,'' the girl sighed, stepping out of the alley, narrowing her eyes to peer through the thick falling flakes. ''Although I told him where I wanted to go first, I can't seem to recognise… Oh, there! We're only a few streets away, maybe a ten-minute walk,'' she excitedly told Harry.
They left the alley with Sirius in tow, the snow they were trudging through freezing Harry's feet through the old sneakers he wore. They weaved through masses of shoppers who were looking to dive into their favourite café's, restaurants or shops, and finally arrived on a rather large, open road that was bustling with activity. A sign told Harry that they were at Old Brompton Road, which they followed until arriving at a bookshop called 'Waterstones'.
Hermione said with a beaming smile: ''They opened two years after I was born, this was the first location they had. I started picking out books from here that I wanted my mum to read to me and bought my first own books here too. They have a great selection! Of course, I still want to show you many other bookstores as well, but if we're lucky, they have the one in stock that I had in mind.''
They did not have Hermione's mystery book, and after asking the staff, it appeared to be impossible to still get an order in now that would arrive before the end of December, with Christmas orders swamping them. Harry didn't mind too much, knowing that Hermione surely had many other possible locations in mind. Having the entire afternoon at their disposal still, he searched through a great number of books and asked Hermione a million questions to get recommendations. He cast Sirius a pitying glance at times, who sat in front of the store window like a good dog. To avoid the same problem as they'd had at King's cross, Sirius had even allowed a simple leash to be put on. None of them wanted Sirius to be taken away by animal control instead…
Hermione was shocked to hear that Harry had never been allowed to visit libraries or own books that weren't absolutely necessary for school. She told him all about her favourite series and genres, and filled him in on the differences between high and low fantasy. She picked up a newly-published book herself called Sabriel. As it was supposedly filled with magic, intrigue and even necromancy, Harry considered it for Voldemort, then decided otherwise when seeing it was the first of a series. He really did not know if Voldemort was the type to like cliff-hangers or starting a series before it was finished. Moreover, it turned out to be Australian, and with Voldemort's odd takes on supremacy, he did not know if the man would deem anything that did not originate from Britain to be worth a read. Most other books about magic he found were unfortunately in the children's section. He almost laughed out loud at the image of giving Voldemort a colourful picture book about a boy who finds out he is a wizard.
It took them a long time before exiting the store again and Sirius let out a low whine when being informed that they still weren't done. He glared at the dark clouds and the ever-falling snow above, biting back at the freezing air. They walked for a long time before stopping at a massive building. ''Chelsea Antiques Market at King's road,'' Hermione proudly said as if she had personally built the place. ''We're lucky it's not a Sunday, wouldn't have been able to enter the place otherwise. We're searching for the stall of Peter Harrington.''
Searching a single stall amongst dozens was rather difficult in Harry's opinion, but Hermione headed straight towards it. Maybe it was in the same place each time, who knew. A man was sitting at a table, overflowing chests around him. Hermione greeted the man, who clearly recognised her. ''Mr Harrington sells rare books, art and maps,'' Hermione explained to him. ''I do not think he has what you are searching for, but I wanted to introduce you to this stall nonetheless. They have works going back to the fifteenth century! I sometimes stop by here during holidays to compare events we learn about in our… school history books, with the other side of events,'' she gushed. Harry looked with interest at a couple of old maps, and Mr Harrington even had a special chest with incredibly old editions of several of Shakespeare's works. They looked to be much older than the ones in Voldemort's house. Hermione chatted a bit with Mr Harrington and found out that the man was hoping to open up a bookstore within the next few years, already having a property in mind at Fullham Road.
Their long search came to an end at John Sandoe Books Ltd., which had a wide selection of all sorts of genres, from fantasy to biographies. Only a few minutes after they had entered the store, Hermione ran up to him excitedly and pressed a blue book with a sort of flower-symbol on the front cover into his hands, titled 'The Silmarillion'.
''If he loved the Lord of the Rings, he's sure to love this, it's the background story about it! It delves into the origin of Middle Earth, the creation of the races, the first wars and more. It's a treasure trove!''
With appreciation, Harry glanced down at the book. ''It's perfect,'' he smiled, his heart jumping a bit at the thought of giving this to Voldemort.
''Good thing Sirius is not allowed to come into the store, isn't it?'' she randomly said, at which he gave her a confused look.
''Not sure about that. It must be freezing out there even with his… fur coat. I'll go tell him about this book right after buying it!'' he excitedly said.
''But… don't you want it to be a surprise?'' she asked, looking slightly thrown off.
Harry blinked at her. ''Err… why?''
She flushed slightly and mumbled something about a misunderstanding, then dived into the next row of shelves. Puzzled, Harry went to pay and walked out, crouching down next to the black dog, patting Sirius' head. ''I got what I was looking for! Well, what Hermione told me I should be looking for.'' The man gave a happy yip and nuzzled his cold nose into Harry's hand.
''Hermione and I are still planning to visit a tearoom after. I'm sure she won't say anything to Molly if you decide to join us in your regular form,'' he said, knowing just how much Sirius missed not having to hide all the time. Harry absolutely did not think Mrs Weasley's fears were founded in this instance. Arthur had been attacked during a mission, and only because he'd tried to attack Nagini. There were no Death Eaters actively looking to take down Order members, certainly not in the middle of a Muggle city right before Christmas. They were sure to have different things on their mind, like organising Yule balls or so. Harry was glad that he hadn't received an invitation for any this year, perhaps because Sirius was still banned from the Malfoy's after last year…
Sirius managed to sneak into the back yard of someone through the bars of a half-broken fence, and emerged wearing his regular black leather jacket and ripped jeans. His body was racking with shivers, but that could not take away from the bright look in his eyes as he eagerly took in the other people on the street. ''I am outside,'' he whispered with a smile. ''Really outside. As a human.''
To minimalize the risk, Harry and Hermione flanked the man, entering a tearoom soon after, where Hermione treated them all to cake. Harry didn't have much Muggle money left anymore, and Sirius didn't own any in the first place. While the goblins didn't care - the reason why Sirius had been able to withdraw money from the vault to buy Harry a broom even on the run – Dumbledore had 'advised against' Sirius waltzing into Gringotts with a warrant still on his head. ''So, what did you get?'' Sirius asked, peeking at the bag that Harry had stowed under the table.
''A book, obviously,'' he joked, taking it out and handing it over to Sirius, who studied the cover. ''It's a fantasy book for a.. erhm… friend.''
''Huh. I don't know much about Muggle books, sorry,'' he said, giving it back. Then, Sirius suddenly stilled and narrowed his eyes. ''How many friends do you have who take a fancy to Muggle fantasy books?'' he asked with a sharp tone. Harry froze, having totally forgotten that in his rant about Voldemort being able to be a wonderful person, he'd revealed the titbit about the Dark Lord being interested in exactly such things. Rather specifically.
''It's the background story about Lord of the Rings, have you heard of that?'' Hermione said, which was rather unhelpful at the moment. Sirius' skin paled further.
''Once,'' he answered through gritted teeth. His fingers trembled slightly as he occupied himself with his piece of carrot cake.
During the very silent trip back to Grimmauld place later, Harry informed Hermione quietly that his godfather wasn't very fond of the person they'd been shopping for. Hermione quickly went inside to say goodbye to everyone before leaving for her parent's house, and Sirius took Harry aside in the tapestry room after.
''You're buying him Christmas presents now?'' he asked incredulously.
''No,'' Harry said, feeling like a small child having been caught with a hand in the cookie jar. ''He doesn't like Christmas. But his birthday is soon and… and he did give me birthday presents these past two years,'' he defensively said. ''So I want to return the favour.''
''He gave you…?'' Sirius sputtered, running a hand through his hair. He stared at his godson for a moment, then continued: ''You exchange birthday presents, you are friends with his creepy pet… Harry, I don't know how to say this but… it is one thing to objectively agree to his ideals for your personal reasons. It's a whole other to drink tea with… with James' murderer!'' Sirius was all but shouting now, tears of anger gathering in the corner of his eyes.
''You know I spent time with him,'' Harry tried to throw in. ''I told you where really I spent my summers.''
''And I told you that no matter whether you have seen him personally, you cannot know him!'' The man started pacing up and down in frustration. ''He's fooled so many… Look at what happened to Arthur! His murders just won't stop, no matter how much control you think he has. He kills people for fun, you only cannot see it because you speak so much to him, let him cloud your views...''
Harry was silent for a while, simply looking at his godfather. ''I didn't only have visions of Nagini,'' he spoke, fed up with not being able to counter his godfather's arguments. ''I know that he isn't manipulating me, that his thoughts and actions are genuine, because I've been in his head as well, at times he didn't know. It is you who hasn't got the faintest idea about Voldemort, so cannot belittle me on his character,'' Harry said in quiet fury. ''You've only ever seen him as this image of 'the enemy', catching maybe a faraway glimpse of him and hearing stories, tons of stories from different people whom you either did or didn't like, furthering your biases. I don't care what you say, or whether or not you'll give me information on where Nagini is, but I won't be stopped from visiting Voldemort on his fucking birthday at the very least. And if you tell Dumbledore, or anyone of the Order this, I will leave. For good.''
He tried his best not to look at Sirius' broken expression when marching out. He refused to get hurt again by another failed conversation that ended in nothing. Harry was so done with it all. Even his godfather, who had explicitly told Harry he'd give support as long as it didn't directly go against the Order's plans, just didn't understand. Didn't want to understand.
James' murderer… That was all Voldemort would ever be to Sirius. The killer of his best friend. No motive would have ever been good enough to justify that deed. Snape and Sirius were a lot more alike than they knew, Harry bitterly thought. Sirius hated Voldemort for killing James and loved Harry for looking so much like his father, whereas Snape hated Voldemort for killing Lily and hated Harry as well for not looking enough like his mother. The ironic difference was that Snape tried to protect Harry now by being on Voldemort's side, even as Sirius stubbornly fought for the same cause that Harry's dad had.
This wouldn't change anything; Harry was aware of that. The knowledge that Sirius would never switch sides no matter which arguments Harry brought up was still on the forefront of his mind. However, just maybe Sirius would finally lay off these warning talks now about Voldemort maliciously influencing Harry's judgement and ability to think straight.
It looked like he succeeded in that. No more words were exchanged about Voldemort, Sirius instead tried his best to get back in good spirits. The days passed eventless: everyone was preparing for Christmas, and Harry's search of the house for Nagini was fruitless. He really did try, even using magic in the hopes of tracking her down. Nothing worked. If she was being held somewhere at Grimmauld place number twelve, it was a heavily warded room he didn't have access to. Harry tried to at least trust that his godfather would inform him if the Order planned on killing her. On one night, he set his alarm clock for 3 am, and informed Ron that it had been a mistake when the boy woke up with a few panicked snores. Only it hadn't been a mistake, and as Harry had hoped, the portrait of Phineas Nigellus was empty. Most likely, he was dozing off in his other portrait at Hogwarts. Sneaking around to his trunk, Harry finally took the two-way mirror and snuck off to the bathroom to call for Barty.
To his crushing disappointment, no answer came. The mirror stayed as blank as the regular one on the bathroom wall. Knowing he would not be able to pull the same trick twice, Harry stuffed the mirror in the otherwise empty, filthy cupboard in the bathroom so he might try again from here another time. In the meantime, he hoped that Barty wouldn't try to return the call while Ron was using the bathroom. That might get awkward.
Awkward was also the perfect word to describe Christmas day. It started well enough, with everyone unwrapping their gifts and Harry receiving quite a number of useful items, although he side-eyed Sirius after receiving a book called 'Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts' from his godfather and Lupin. It would be dead useful for the D.A, that was true. However, the teen suspected that Sirius was starting to get so worried about Harry's prolonged exposure to Voldemort, that the man was trying to draw Harry away a bit from the Dark Arts after all instead of encouraging him to explore further as he'd done before.
During the next trip to Mr Weasley, Harry and the other Weasley children left the room rather hurriedly when Molly blew up about the failed application of stitches, and they were halted from their trip to the tearoom by stumbling upon Professor Lockhart of all people. The events that transpired after, Harry would rather forget. Upon returning from the hospital, Harry felt more shaken in his decisions than ever before since swearing fealty to the Dark Lord. The absent eyes of Frank and Alice Longbottom haunted him, making even Grimmauld place feel unsafe. Had he still been part of the Order, this surely would have strengthened his resolve. Now, it only left hollow emptiness and insecurity. Harry knew of course, the destructive nature of the Unforgivables. Barty had taught them all there was to know about them, or so he thought, yet Harry had never properly considered the long-term consequences before.
Even the few seconds he'd been subjected to the Cruciatus curse had made him wish to vanish. How long had the Lestranges tortured the Longbottoms for them to become mere shells forever? Had Barty truly tried to stop them… and if, when? After a minute? After five? After their voices had died?
These ponderings were clearly not shared by the rest of the house's guests. The Weasleys were all ecstatic about Mr Weasley's quick recovery - even despite the stitches, they'd been informed he was doing much better and should be home in a few days due to how quickly he'd made it to the hospital – which only added to today's Christmas cheer. The smell of food lightened the dark rooms and the house was full of noise and decorations. Harry tried to put his gloom aside for the sake of others, even if he kept mulling over all worries silently. He had no other opportunity to try the mirror, for Ron constantly sought Harry out to counter boredom, which Harry honestly wouldn't have minded if this would have been a normal holiday without added stress. Dinner passed without a hitch, and so did boxing day.
Then suddenly, on the 27th of December, Grimmauld place emptied out. Order members went back to work and the rest of the Weasleys returned to the Burrow to prepare the house for their father's arrival, which was scheduled for the 30th. Harry remained behind with only Sirius for company. Mrs Weasley had tried to convince Harry otherwise, but he'd kindly declined. At Hogwarts, he could see his friends every day still, but as soon as the holidays were over, he'd have to wait till Easter again to spend time with his godfather. Even if they could not work through their differences, Harry did not wish to leave Sirius behind with uncleared grudges. Molly only unwillingly accepted that decision. She was once again clearly concerned about Sirius' ability to take care of a teenager. Truly, Harry would have shared those concerns if not for his opinion that he could very well take care of himself.
Besides, he'd never be able to continue his investigation at the Burrow as it didn't seem like the Weasleys had received any further info on what had happened to Arthur's attacker, not even Bill. All Harry knew now, was that she'd been knocked unconscious before being transported to Grimmauld. Whatever happened after remained a mystery that apparently very few Order members knew about. Harry was aware that his godfather knew more, but the man was incredibly tight-lipped, especially after Harry's previous outburst.
When Harry went downstairs to search for his godfather the next day, he noticed that they weren't as alone as previously thought. He found Sirius in the Order's meeting room in the cellar, together with Dumbledore, Vance and Doge. The moment Harry pushed the door open, he felt a silencing ward shatter. Dumbledore still finished saying ''-research has been completed,'' before turning his attention to the teen, who stammered:
''I didn't know there would be meetings so soon. Sorry. I was trying to find Sirius…''
''Well, you found me,'' the man said with a hesitant smile, jumping up. ''We were just about done here anyways. Albus, do what you think is best. I'll concentrate on spoiling my godson rotten for the rest of the holidays.'' He shuffled Harry back upstairs towards the living room.
''I really didn't know about the meeting, had not expected anything so shortly after Christmas,'' he still said, finding it important that Sirius knew he wasn't trying to listen in.
The other waved it away. ''I know, I know. Oh Merlin, it's already ten? Everyone sure took their time. I bet Witherwings is growing grumpy and hungry. Last time I forgot to feed 'm, the old brute destroyed every single one of my pillows in retribution. Count yourself lucky for only having an owl.''
''An owl that might have some Hippogriff blood,'' Harry grinned. ''I once had to put her on a diet at the Dursley's, after she had been used to Hogwarts food for a whole year. She was less than pleased in the first few days. I was afraid that she'd rather starve than swallow her pride over only receiving some watery vegetables and soup.''
Sirius patted him on the shoulder and spoke: ''You can give her all her little owl heart desires here.''
They prepared Buckbeak's meal together in a part of the kitchen that had been reserved for that exact purpose, and Harry snatched a couple of pieces for Hedwig as well. He balanced a bowl of raw sausages and a plate with a large hunk of meat, while Sirius brought a couple of dead, whole ferrets. Possibly due to being late, the Hippogriff refused to return their bows until Sirius threw one of the ferrets towards the animal as a peace offering. Harry grimaced slightly as a sharp beak ripped it in two within a second. He much preferred animals that swallowed their prey whole.
''Dumbledore asked me to watch you,''' his godfather sombrely said out of the blue, still looking at Buckbeak.
Harry looked up in shock. ''He did? Watch over me or watch me?'' he asked for clarification, although he had the sinking feeling of already knowing the answer.
''Do you think Voldemort can possess you?'' Sirius asked in all seriousness, glancing over at his godson, who shook his head.
''I doubt it. It would have been a much easier way to communicate, but he's never given the slightest indication of being able to. I've seen into his head through these visions a couple of times but.. that was all involuntary. The experience wasn't pleasant for either of us. Besides, he noticed. I should notice too if he were to take control of me.'' What he didn't tell Sirius was that Voldemort knew more secrets of magic than Harry could possibly think of, including creating new laws of magic. So, he still could not be a hundred percent sure if Voldemort couldn't possess him at one point. Through the experience he had with the Locket, Harry could only say with certainty that the Dark Lord hadn't possessed him as of yet.
''I'm not sure what to make of Albus' instruction.'' Sirius sighed. ''I thought that you ought to know nonetheless. Obviously, I'm not going to spy on you for him.''
''Thanks,'' Harry muttered. ''I understand Dumbledore less and less… Gives me lessons to show me things about Voldemort's past, yet refuses to say what for. Watches me closely at Hogwarts, then gets concerned when seeing I'm not such good friends with Malfoy of all people as he thinks I should be. He hasn't done anything concrete to give me reason to doubt his good intentions, but following information I have from very reliable sources, the Headmaster has plans that could directly endanger my life.'' Sitting down on the bed, Harry started stroking the stormy grey feathers of the Hippogriff to have something to do with his hands.
''You aren't the first person who can't figure him out,'' Sirius spoke grimly. ''Don't confuse my conviction to stay with the Order as blind loyalty to Dumbledore. I know his flaws better than most. My sentence in Azkaban was partially because he deemed the cause more important than me.'' Harry was about to comment on that when Sirius raised a hand. ''I agree with his decision from back then, and he more than made up for it by supporting my escape and extended hiding. Anyone who knows of my location without informing the Ministry is aiding a fugitive and thus acting against the law. Dumbledore can lose everything if it becomes known.''
''So can every other Order member, it doesn't make him special,'' Harry replied aggressively.
''And I'm very thankful for that too.''
They fell into further silence. Harry really wished that this blockage between them was gone, that he could enjoy regular conversations. In an attempt to initiate lighter conversations, he informed his godfather about the progress on his Animagus form, which did indeed get Sirius excited.
''How did you and dad get enough of the potion by the way?'' Harry asked. ''We've added the juices of specific plants but did not want to risk diluting the thing too much. In the original recipe, it looks like it should only be a single sip to transform completely, or never again. We wished to go with your method, practising a couple of times to transform while drinking part of the potion. Still, there is so little of it…''
Sirius looked a bit sheepish. ''Err… we just poured more water in it. Before it was ready of course, not after anymore. We each had a decent vial, I think we had about twelve sips each? James and I both managed a full transformation after ten sessions. Peter needed sixteen, we gave him the leftover potion we had.''
Harry winced at that information. ''Ron and I both have eight tries max. Maybe seven, and we already used up two. I can transform both of my arms into bat wings of sorts, but that's it.''
''For two tries, that's amazing,'' Sirius encouraged him. ''Who knows, maybe our potion wasn't as strong since we watered it down.''
They chatted more about the process and Sirius told him elaborately how the stages of his own transformation had happened. The day passed in relative peace, with a pleasant dinner on top. Satisfied, Harry went to bed after telling Phineas to go bother people in his other painting while Harry changed into pyjamas. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.
The humans were there again. More this time. He nervously fidgeted, barely able to move due to the cold metal bars all around. He eyed the humans distrustfully, tensing as they drew their wands. His head was finally clear again, not clouded by their sticks, and the old one had left. She hated the old one, he smelled of dust and light. Something about him made her shiver. She'd been unable to do anything as he'd taken her out of the cage they'd put her in, inspected her body and even milked her venom without permission. None of them could speak, unlike her master… Oh, why had Marvolo not come to get her yet? Could he not find her?
The sticks were pointed at her, and Nagini tried to rear her head, finding her jaws unfortunately bound together. A flash. Pain. She hissed wildly, bashing her heavy body against the metal bars. The flashes continued, and she tried to make as much noise as she could as impossible pain flared up. Never in her life had she felt this: her insides were on fire, her scales were being pulled from her body. Why? Was this revenge for biting the other one? She stared at them in fear, and past her she saw freedom… a larger room with tables and chairs…
Harry screamed, waking with a shock. Unable to form coherent thoughts, he wiped the blood from his forehead and stumbled out of the door, going down the corridor. He heard a rustling sound and footsteps from upstairs now too. The screams must have woken Sirius. Harry did not care, storming downstairs and into the cellar as soon as he could, his scar pounding all the while. And there they were. As he threw open the cellar door and peered past the long meeting table, he saw another door that he'd never noticed before. It was open, and two figures were firing spells…
~No!~ he yelled, not noticing that only hissing came out. He drew his own wand as the people turned around, shock on their faces. Vaguely, he recognised them as Elphias Doge and Emmeline Vance, two members of the Order that he had had little to do with. The same ones who'd been in the meeting this morning…
''Harry!'' Doge spoke in warning. ''Wait, don't go close to that thing!''
Harry shoved Vance aside and knelt down at the cage, horrified at the sight. Blood was streaming over Nagini's beautiful scales, her snout was taped up and the bars pressed into her body. Uncaring about the audience, he stuck his hands through the bars without hesitation. ~Nagini… Nagini,~ he whispered, trying to calm the panicking snake down. ~I'm so sorry I didn't find you sooner. I'll get you out of here, I promise you,~ he hissed, choking up. She leered at him with an unfocused eye. He sprang to his feet, red in the face. ''You monsters! What the hell do you think you're doing, abusing a trapped animal!''
''Harry, you don't understand,'' Vance spoke, trying to sound reasonable while Doge only gave him a fearful look. ''This is the snake that attacked Arthur. You-Know-Who's snake.''
''I-DON'T-CARE!'' he yelled back. ''She is an intelligent, sentient animal who is in pain for your sadistic need to harm her! Get her out! NOW!''
''Harry-'' said Sirius, who had just arrived in the room, looking at Nagini with a mixture of shock and disgust. ''They're not doing this to cause her suffering. Dumbledore found that she is doused in Voldemort's magic, they're trying to remove it by force as other methods haven't worked yet.''
Harry stood there silent in shock. They were trying to separate Nagini from Voldemort's magic? Horror dawned on him as he figured out what Dumbledore was trying to do. Horcruxes were extremely resistant to most anything, only several magical means such as basilisk venom were destructive enough to kill them. Although Voldemort had never wanted to risk testing those limits with his living Horcruxes, it was extremely unlikely that Dumbledore would have so quickly found a way to destroy Nagini and in turn, the Horcrux. The man only knew for certain that Basilisk venom could kill it, but the Chamber of Secrets had closed again. Without the ability to speak Parseltongue, the Headmaster wouldn't be able to go down there. So now he was trying to get his people to extract the soul from her by force? Perhaps damage the vessel so much that it would get out? It didn't work like that, Harry knew as much. He doubted that the piece of soul inside of his scar would otherwise have remained with him through all of those years at the Dursleys…
''She is scared, and in pain,'' he hissed through clenched teeth, trying to fight the pain in his scar. ''If you won't get her out, I will,'' he decided, pointing his wand at the bars of the cage, neatly slicing them through. The snake unfurled, then instantly curled herself around him. He gently stroked the patches of skin that were undamaged. ~It's okay girl, I'm here now. I'll get you away from here,~ he softly spoke.
~Harr-son?~ she tiredly asked. Her head swayed a bit and the hisses slurred, barely audible because of the tape around her snout, which he worked to get off quickly.
~Yes, it's me. Hold on there for me, okay?~
''He is communicating with her,'' he heard Doge whisper. ''Sirius, Albus might have been right, maybe thatis him, right now! Quick, before he gets away-'' A moment later, a wand was pressed against the back of the teen's neck.
''Oh no you don't!'' Two red flashes of light were fired in short succession, and as Harry turned around with difficulty, he saw Sirius stand over two stunned bodies. The man crouched down quickly, checked their vitals, then wiped their memories. His expression as he turned back to Harry however, was furious. ''Put it back,'' he snarled in a warning. ''Dumbledore has already decided what will happen to it. You have no idea how important this snake is. Do not jeopardise Order business.''
''She is my friend, it is just as much my business as that of her kidnappers,'' he coolly spoke. He nudged Nagini to get her to release him, then positioned himself between her and his godfather. ''I appreciate your help,'' he nodded to the unconscious, obliviated other people, ''But I can't do as you want me to. When it was only about information, I could very well agree to not tell Voldemort anything I heard here that shouldn't concern me. This, Nagini's very life, is a whole different matter. She may be a mere animal to you, but she is far more than that. She is sentient, magical.''
''Enchanted by him,'' Sirius spat.
''No,'' Harry denied, shaking his head. ''She was already like this before Voldemort found her. She doesn't have many memories of the time before, but she was always self-aware and unique.''
''I don't care. It belongs to him now, has attacked a friend of mine and may be the key to defeating Voldemort,'' Sirius spoke, frustrated. ''You cannot stop me either for protecting what I stand for. I will see the murderer of my best friends dead. If I have to harm his precious pet to do so, then so be it.''
Harry had only seen Sirius like this once before, when the man had been hell-bent on killing Peter until Harry had decided he should go to Azkaban. Now too, there was only irrational madness. ''You don't even know why she's important, do you? Or did Dumbledore reveal his grand scheme to any of you?'' he asked to try and distract his godfather.
''He didn't need to. It is enough that it will somehow harm that bastard.''
''Even if you'll have to go through me?'' Harry stubbornly said, raising his wand higher. ''I won't go down without a fight.''
''Don't forget that I used to be an Auror,'' Sirius answered grimly. With a movement that was faster than Harry could follow, he flicked his wand and yelled: ''Stupefy!'' It was only by trained reflexes that it missed Harry by a hair's breadth. A struggle ensued, shields being put up and broken down mid-air, ropes flying around and Harry trying to cast every movement-hindering hex on Sirius that he knew. The other man got more and more frustrated during the fight, not having expected such resistance. Well, Harry hadn't trained with Voldemort, Barty and then the entire D.A. for nothing.
''I won't let you defile James' memory!'' Sirius shouted, enraged. Harry slowed, shocked at the accusation. With a flash, he recognised the far-away look on Sirius' face, Harry's heart sinking to his stomach. In the last moment before an unidentifiable spell crossed the distance between them, his godfather shouted: ''You damned Death Eater, I'll make you eat your own creations! Sectumsempra!''
The spell had been meant to hurt. Voldemort's shields activated, black magic crackled as it caught the curse and flung it back at the caster. Invisible knives sliced Sirius up, cut him open right in front of Harry's shocked eyes. Sirius slumped to the floor in a pool of his own blood, coughing up even more. His eyes slowly cleared again. ''H-Harry? What… What did I- What did you-''
He couldn't freeze, not now. This couldn't be happening, but he would have time to be shocked later. Now, he needed to help Sirius, heal the man… Harry flung his outer robes off and tried to press it against the wounds while attempting to close the ones he could reach. ''Episkey, Episkey!'' he shouted in vain. Whatever this spell had been, it was immune to regular healing. Thoughts raced, dozens per second about what he could possibly do and mentally crossing them off even faster. Even if he would wake Vance and Doge, they'd still be dazed from either the Stunner, the Obliviate or both. He couldn't move Sirius all the way up to the fireplace to floo without risking him bleeding out before they reached there. Even if, he couldn't exactly drop an alleged criminal off at St Mungo's, that would be a death sentence. The only other thing that remained, the only other feasible option…
~Nagini, come here,~ he hissed urgently before he could change his mind about this stupid, stupid plan. In clear pain still, she did as told, completely trusting him. Praying to whatever beings were out there, he wrapped Nagini around him quickly, held onto Sirius and touches his own glasses.
''Morsmordre,'' he spoke clearly, activating the Portkey while hoping that Voldemort would not kill him on the spot.
*drum roll* I don't need to tell you that there will be drama incoming ;) Much of this story has been building up to what will happen the next chapter..
If you have too much time on your hands and want more to read, maybe check out my newest HPLV one-shot 'Sugar Demon' with -you guessed it- Demon!Voldemort. (might not remain a one-shot if enough people want an epilogue, but it is for now)
Some notes:
- Peter Harrington, owner of the bookstore 'Peter Harrington modern and contemporary prints' is a real person, who sadly passed away in 2003. The store itself is still open and run by his family at Fullham Road.
- Waterstones is of course still a popular bookstore, but you won't find it at the address used in this story, their first location closed.
(Yes, i tried to stay as historically factual as I could with the muggle shopping trip. Who knew bookshops moved so often)
- Sabriel is a real book which came out in 1995 and is one of the earliest books that has been compared to LotR as far as I could find, although it never received as much attention in Europe. I haven't personally read it, but I sure will do so after reading the description.
Please Read and review if you liked the chapter :)
xx GeMerope