CHAPTER 31: The Price of Innocence (Part 2)

It was the laugh.

It sent a chill through his spine, as if piercing his very soul. Demented. Maniacal. Wicked.

His body - throbbing with pain, screaming for relief - was being dragged up the stairs, a black sack covering his face, prohibiting him from seeing his attackers. His knees crashing against each step, trapped, no matter how much he tried to shake himself free. But it was the laugh that he was focusing on, the laugh that made his chest clench into itself as his heart began pounding in his head.

For a moment, he was an eleven-year-old kid again, being dragged into a hell that would burn away any sense of innocence left in him. Dread and powerlessness filled him as every step felt longer. They had been climbing for so long, they must be in some sort of tower.

He yelled, used all of his strength to muster any sound that would alert someone - anyone! But nothing came out of his mouth. Had he been silenced, or had he been ripped away from the ability to speak altogether?

"Drop him here, boys!" The voice said jovially, laughing like a small child at a playground. There was something so familiar about it, but at the same time slightly off. "Good lads, well done. Now, let's enjoy ourselves, shall we? CRUCIO!"

The pain, he'd endured it only a couple of days ago, and yet, he couldn't remember it being this intense. The quiet that followed his attempts to scream left him with no shelter from the agony, nothing else to focus on but the insurmountable pain. He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop. He would rip his body open with his bare hands, tear each of his organs out one by one if it would end his torment.

He convulsed around the floor, careless of his body as he unintentionally kept hitting himself across the floor. Maybe, if the pain from the hits was strong enough, it could distract him from the curse coursing through his body.

He couldn't take it anymore. Every second amplified the pain tenfold, he was reaching his breaking point. He couldn't hold it any longer, the urge to rip his eyeballs out, impale his neck, do anything to stop the torture.

And then it stopped.

The laugh rang inside his head as he stayed slumped on the ground. It was mocking, insane, as if the unimaginable pain he had been put through was nothing more than a child's joke. Suddenly, something struck his face, sending him tumbling back down onto the ground. And the laughter only grew louder.

He forced himself to ignore how his body shook violently, completely out of his control, and reached for the bag covering his face. He pulled it off, blinded by the lights of the room, before he was struck again by someone's foot.

"Ugh, you're such a bore. Always needing to ruin the surprise. CRUCIO!"

The curse struck him, and once again, he was sent into a whole new realm of pain. He rolled around the floor, his voice finally breaking through his throat as he screamed once more. But then it was over, the curse lasted but a second.

Just as he was about to sigh in relief, someone grabbed him. He was thrown back against the wall, the only thing he managed to see, the jet of black hair from his attacked.

"Montague," he croaked out, his legs shaking as he was forced to stand. Chains suddenly appeared on his wrists, pinning him against the wall, only to see his attacker step back, staring at him through round-framed glasses.

"Montague?" The boy laughed.

Harry was stunned into silence, his legs finally gave out on him as he was left hanging painfully by the chains. Standing only a few feet in front of him was himself… only, it wasn't. His hair, perfectly in place as he smiled evilly at him. His eyes, an unnatural shade of green, too vibrant and alluring to be anything but magical. He was pristinely dressed in formal robes, without even a speck of grime in his body.

"Am I starting to look like the old fucker, or what?"

Slytherin Fifth-Year Dormitories

November 4th, 1995

5:45 a.m.

He screamed before he was even aware he was awake. His heart was pounding against his chest, cold sweat almost dripping from his forehead. It took him a couple of moments to realise he had completely leapt from under the covers, sitting on his knees near the opposite edge of the bed. He forced his breathing to slow down as his hands gripped the sheets tightly, too shaken to lay down.

After four years of non-stop nightmares, Harry had been sure they had lost any hold they may have had on him. Ever since that Halloween night, Montague haunted his nights while subtly tormenting him during the days. That night stuck with him, never leaving him once… until he came in contact with Tom. Tom had gotten into his head and turned it into a living hell unlike anything he'd experienced before, feeding off the seed Montague had planted the year prior. It was only once the dementors came to Hogwarts when Montague stopped haunting his nightmares, exchanged for dreadful visions, memories, more disturbing than anything Graham could've done to him.

How many nightmares did he have to undergo before he could numb himself to them? Tune them out like an idiotic student at the back of the class?

You're a monster.

The words echoed inside his head, whispering constantly at him, just loud enough for him to hear them over the sound of his own breathing. The look of raw disgust and loathing from Granger shouldn't have affected him, those scathing words would have meant nothing to him a couple of months ago. But he kept hearing them, kept seeing her. Had he grown to care about her opinion of him during their work together in the DA? Or did a part of him agree with her?

Harry immediately shook his head, ridding himself of all thoughts and images that brought. Making sure the Aurors follow the trail they had set up for them had been a welcoming distraction, earning his full focus and leaving him with nothing to think of. Not the upcoming midterms that had been moved towards the following week, and certainly not about the actual events of that night.

But as the Aurors left, they took the distraction with them, and the reaction from the other students was immediately clear. Those oblivious talked in hushed tones about Tracey and the attack, about the safety inside the school after two students died less than six months apart from each other. Nevertheless, there were those who could see through the lies. Mostly Slytherins who knew full well of his relationship with Montague, a few Ravenclaws too smart for their own good, and the trio.

Whilst Granger had confronted him directly, as the brash Gryffindor she was, the others kept as much distance from him as they could. Their eyes always searching him out, as if he would suddenly attack them if they weren't looking. There were looks of fear with a dose of respect, but those weren't the ones that worried him. It was the ones of hatred, those that promised retribution for his actions, that made him keep a tighter grip on his wand than before. His paranoia had slowly built up over the past three days, forcing him to retreat into himself and the Room more and more.

The DA, along with the classes of the last three days of the week, had been cancelled. In their stead, most of the teachers talked during the whole periods, about the recent events, even asking the students to let out how they feel. Others, like Snape and McGonagall, avoided those sessions, opting for reviewing for next week's exams. But that didn't stop him from reliving the events of that night even during those classes. It was as if the castle were forcing him to reckon with what had happened, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

Harry abruptly stood up from the bed and opened the curtains. Even without being able to look outside, he knew it was still dark. But that didn't stop him. He went about his usual morning routine, barely even aware of what he was doing. He had been spacing out recently, his body going on automatic without him even realizing. The feeling of hot water raining down on him didn't last long, but by the time he was out of the shower, Draco and Crabbe were already outside. Crabbe, who was putting on his gray jumper, barely paid any attention to him, the opposite of a half-naked Draco, who had half the buttons on his shirt done and was staring at him apprehensively.

It had been days since the Aurors had left and yet, the six of them hadn't talked to each other. It had been part of Snape's orders, keep as much distance between each other until Tracey's trial was over. They'd even taken to mingling with the other houses during the classes to avoid being placed next to each other. The loneliness made things worse, giving him too much time on his hands to spend inside his own mind. He'd caught himself looking at Theo and Pansy from time to time. They wouldn't understand, not really, but they were the ones closest to that.

The common room was empty. In Umbridge's absence, people had taken to roaming the halls again. The freedom would be short-lived, he was sure. Not many people were talking about Umbridge, she had disappeared into the Ministry without warning or note. She was planning something, and he worried about what other repercussions it might bring. The Aurors seemed to be just the beginning, and Harry began to wonder when the universe would stop punishing him for his actions.

He barely registered eating in the Great Hall before he had left, heading towards the Room. It was a Saturday, and with nothing else to do, training with the simulations was the best distraction he could think of in such a small amount of time. But before he could even begin to climb the stairs towards the seventh floor, his arm was snatched by a floating hand that quickly pulled him.

"Pansy?" He asked, confused, as he was forced into the invisibility cloak and saw his attacker. "What the fuck!?"

"Shut up," she silenced him, looking around the hall, as if searching for someone. "Snape wants to see us."

"He could've sent a note."

"And you could've avoided killing Montague, but here we are."

A feeling of numbness spread through his chest. "So much for being on my side."

Pansy turned to him coldly. "That doesn't mean I'm not pissed."

They didn't speak a word as they traversed the castle, ending up on an abandoned classroom near Snape's office, where the other four were already waiting inside.

"There he is," Blaise deadpanned, not even bothering looking at him as he began clapping. "Hogwarts' number one murderer!"

The claps echoed around the empty classroom, drowned by Granger's words inside his head as everyone stared at him.

You're a monster.

Draco was on the opposite corner of the room, sitting atop a desk with his feet on the chair beside it, keeping as much distance from the others as possible. His clothes were pristine and every hair in its place, but the look in his eyes betrayed his fear.

You're a monster.

Daphne was pacing behind the teacher's desk, using it as a shield between her and the rest of them. While looking much better than she had during the previous weeks whilst under Montague's threats, she was still fidgety with paranoid eyes, completely unlike her character.

You're a monster.

Blaise was in the centre of the room, purple circles adorned his eyes as he glared at Harry with unhidden disdain. The only thing keeping him from reaching for his wand or attempting anything other than spiteful comments was the dread Harry's name held these days inside the house. Specially to someone who was witness to the event.

Monster.

Theo had his back to them all, standing still as he stared at the white scars the blackboard held from its previous users. Harry hadn't missed the way Theo had been looking at him over the past few days, the disgust, apprehension, and fear rivalled even that of Vernon himself.

Monster.

Harry turned away from all of them, taking a seat on the closest empty corner before pushing up his legs over the desk.

"What?" Blaise pressed on, making his way towards him. "No snarky comebacks? No threats?"

"Zabini, shut up and sit down." Pansy said exasperatedly.

"Defending your boyfriend again?" Blaise snorted. "I'd say he wasn't capable of standing up for himself, but then again, I saw him murder a student in the most horrific way possible without any shred of remorse, so we all know that's not true."

"Then I'd be more cautious, if I were you," Harry whispered coldly, succumbing to his anger. "Cause right now, I'm feeling far from generous."

"There he is," the boy said with dark satisfaction. "Only takes a few keywords to bring out the real you, doesn't it? That ruthless killer we all know and love!"

Harry's heart sped up as that familiar feeling of rage settled in him, the way his chest tightened, his head felt like it was being pushed against itself. His hand shaking, the need to reach for his wand, to strike, to hurt, to kill.

Monster.

The classroom door suddenly crashed against the wall, breaking Harry out of his trance as he felt the rage slowly dissipate. A wave of shame flowed through him. Why was it so easy to get on his nerves? To push the right buttons and make him see red as his brain was shut off from his body.

Snape stared around at the group, gaining insight into the situation, before shutting the door harshly and casting a series of unknown spells at the door.

"Not four days since your first murder and you're already itching to commit another, are you, Potter?" He drawled with revulsion. "Trust me when I say, I'd gladly see you shipped to Azkaban if that were the case. No matter how many favours I'm promised, I won't move a finger to save you another time."

Harry closed his eyes, pushing down the numerous retorts that flew to his mind as he gripped the chair.

"Cassius Warrington is leaving the infirmary later this afternoon." Snape said abruptly as he finished his work on the door and around the room. "Two days ago, I took the liberty of explaining the recent events to him, and he didn't take them well. When I told him it was Davis who murdered his friend, it was clear he did not believe me. Your name, Potter, came up in the conversation. I'm sure you're aware, Warrington is far from the only Slytherin to rightfully believe you were involved in it?"

"Yes."

"All of you will be targets of the likes of Warrington or any other individual who might be tempted to… take advantage of the current climate."

"Perfect, another thing to thank you for, Harry." Blaise said snappily.

"The six of us?" Daphne asked quickly. "Wouldn't it just be Potter? Maybe Nott and Parkinson, I can see, but the three of aren't exactly… friends, especially since we've kept our distance ever since the whole thing happened."

"People take notice of the details. While most of your dunderhead peers are focused on Davis' trial and Montague's murder, some people have been focusing on Potter, and by extent, the lot of you. Those people just so happen to be your enemies."

"And why do we have to deal with that shit!?" Blaise asked desperately. "Can't you just deal with them? Make it so they don't do shit!?"

"Watch your tongue, Zabini. I don't care to be spoken that way." Snape snapped coolly. "As for your suggestion, I've much more important business than focusing on teenage drama. While there might be those who might seek retribution, I believe Potter has shown himself adept enough to engage in any potential confrontation. Besides, I highly doubt anyone else might attempt another murder inside the Hogwarts grounds any time soon, specially given whatever Umbridge is off doing at the Ministry. Work together, and if there are any attempts against any of you, just make sure Potter doesn't go murdering someone else."

"It's not our job to babysit Potter-"

"It is now." Snape interrupted. "Keep him in check, and try to avoid escalating any conflicts from now on. Dismissed.

"But-"

"Dismissed."

Blaise fumed but held his tongue, hastily turning and storming out of the room.

"Potter, Parkinson, Nott. You three stay back." Snape called out to them as they were halfway out of the room. Draco and Daphne hesitated before quickly leaving, shutting the door behind them.

"There is another reason to this meeting, and while it only concerns you, Potter… I thought it's best for your… friends to be privy to it."

"Privy to what?"

"The Headmaster is aware of the true events of that night."

"What!?" The three students shouted simultaneously.

"Silence!" Snape snapped, immediately halting their sounds of outrage. "Lying to Albus Dumbledore is only slightly easier than teaching a muggle being able to use a wand. The best way to remove him out of the equation was demanding an unbreakable vow of secrecy before confessing the truth of Potter's actions. That is the only reason why you are still here and not half-way towards Azkaban already."

"If you two made an unbreakable vow, doesn't that mean he's neutralized?" Pansy asked. "He can't do anything to expose Potter."

"Indeed, but the vow only covered the events of Halloween. Dumbledore isn't pleased at all. Quite the opposite, he's made it one of his prime missions to stop you from doing anything to hurt anyone else ever again. He's keeping an eye on you, and he's forbidden me from having any contact with you outside of classes, hence the secrecy for this meeting."

"So, no more Occlumency lessons?"

Snape raised an eyebrow at him, eyeing him like a filthy bug that jumped on his robes. "No, it only means we'll have to be more careful about them."

"I can lend him my cloak," Pansy offered.

"An acceptable solution, it will do."

"So what does this mean about me? What will Dumbledore do?"

"In all honesty, I haven't a clue. But know this, Albus Dumbledore is not a person you want as your enemy. Keep your eyes open, and don't put a nail out of line. You are not to speak inside any class unless spoken to. You are to be an exemplary student. Don't you dare to think about even flicking a classmate's ear. Otherwise, Dumbledore will latch onto whatever you do, no matter how small it is, to set in his claws into your life. Don't give him the opportunity."

"So what? I now have Warrington and more of these arseholes wanting to kill me and I can't even fight back!"

"For once in your miserable life, use your diminutive brain, Potter!" Snape hissed. "There are other ways to defend yourself without killing your enemies. You're a Slytherin, for God's sake! Act like one!"

"We'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Pansy said, looking pointedly at Theo, who simply nodded numbly.

"You better. Cloud your movements, people will be watching you. Not just Umbridge. Warrington and Dumbledore are only the people we know have an interest in you. After your actions, you've gained the attention I warned you of seeking."

"Yes, sir." Harry gritted out.

"You've dragged us all into your mess, Potter." Snape sneered. "At least have the decency of trying to clean it up yourself." Without waiting for a response, the professor strolled right past the trio. "Stay here for a few minutes before leaving. Miss Parkinson, lend Potter your cloak when you leave, and head straight for the common room."

Pansy verbally agreed with Snape just before he opened the door, and left with a slam that filled the silence inside the room.

"Ugh, this is a mess." Pansy sighed, throwing herself onto the nearest chair.

"A mess?" Theo croaked out, speaking for the first time. "A mess!? Harry murders someone, and we help cover it up, and it's just a mess!?"

"What's on with you?" Pansy asked harshly. "You were there, we all agreed to everything we did!"

"Yeah, but Montague wasn't dead back then, was he!?" The boy turned towards Harry and the look on his face almost made him cringe. "You murdered Montague, Harry! He's dead, and you don't even look sorry, or even unnerved!"

"I…" Harry stumbled for words before gritting out. "I didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to!? You killed him! Hell, did we kill Tracey by sending her to Azkaban!?"

"Is that why you've so pissy these past few days? Montague was a psychopath who would've most likely gone to torture, rape, and kill countless people as soon as the war truly began, and Tracey- Tracey drugged Harry and was a willing participant to Montague's plan. And you're feeling… regret? Remorse? Pity?"

"Do you really feel nothing for this? Anything? We essentially just killed two people - we because we helped you cover it up - and you two don't feel anything!? How can you sleep like that? How can you live with yourselves, knowing you're no better than our par-" Theo stopped abruptly. "Than any other murdering psychopath?"

Pansy rolled her eyes at Theo, but didn't say anything. Silence filled the room as Theo looked between the two of them.

"We did what we had to," he forced out. "But that doesn't mean I can just… accept it. I don't think I'll ever feel right with it. I don't even know if I can even look at the pair of you after everything."

As one of the few two people he considered to be his friend turned around and left the room without saying another word, a hole in his chest began eating at him.

"He'll come around," Pansy said in a bored tone. "You know how he is, how he's been after the summer before third. He's too soft for his own good."

Harry gave a non-committal shrug, staring at the ground, as he was left with his last friend inside the entire castle.

The Great Hall

November 5th, 1995

8:30 p.m.

It was a subdued evening inside the Great Hall as the students finished their last dinner before the week began and classes resumed. Everyone had exhausted any possible topic of conversation about Montague's murder and Davis' trial, leaving the events to fully settle on their minds. Occasionally, you'd have some random Hufflepuff who never talked outside his badger friend group express their deep heartache over Montague's passing and his influence in their life, some Ravenclaw expressing how they knew the lack of security in the castle would lead to a tragedy like this, and how they had spent their whole educational years trying to prevent such a thing.

And here he was thinking Slytherins were supposed to be the fake ones.

Harry was sitting beside Pansy near the centre of the table, separated on both sides from their housemates. Theo hadn't spoken to them since their conversation after the Snape meeting, hadn't even turned to look at them. He'd tried to push him out of his mind, forget he had ever been friends with him at all. It used to be easy, but now, it was proving to be exceptionally hard, impossible even. Though Pansy seemed sure he would come around, he didn't share her views.

The other three had kept their distance as well. Blaise never failed to glare at him at any chance he got, sometimes he'd even catch him doing so while he wasn't paying attention. Draco was similar, but instead of anger, it was fear reflected on his face. They hadn't talked about what had happened that night, how close Draco truly was to be chosen instead of Davis. Harry had wanted to do it, God knows he ached for it, but it would have been the wrong decision. Perhaps, within time, he would believe that more than right now. And Daphne, while looking better by the day, kept staring at him thoughtfully throughout the day, her eyes analysing every inch of him. It wouldn't take more than a few weeks for her to go back to something resembling her old self, which meant that, regardless of whatever it was they shared that night, he didn't trust her.

Not one bit.

Snape and Montague's words over the past few days hadn't left his mind. They had both mocked him for his stupidity, how easy it was to get a rise to him, to stop him from thinking things through when someone he hated, someone like them, was involved. If that wasn't bad enough, he was now being babysitted by his friends and accomplices, put down as if he were nothing more than a whiny toddler. Like a black-haired Malfoy. He'd always humiliated the boy for that, always felt he was much better, much more mature and cunning than him, but the past few days had proven different.

Ever since the night he had told him about Occlumency, Pansy had told him he should start meditating before his sessions with Snape. Meditation, while not really a part of Occlumency, served to clear the mind and prepare him for the process he would endure. He'd neglected to do it until last night. The idea seemed absurd to him, a waste of time. But the nightmares had gotten worse as the days passed, the whispering ghosts in his head grew louder. His efforts at focusing on practice or reading to avoid them had come empty, and with nothing left to try, he shut the curtains around his bed, closed his eyes, and gave it a shot.

Not that it worked. Trying to meditate meant being forced to face all the accusations inside him, and that wasn't something he was ready to do. It was the last thing he wanted to do. So, after two minutes, he finally grabbed the compact radio he'd bought from Diagon Alley two years ago, placed it under his pillow, and fell asleep focusing on the words to whatever stupid romantic song was playing at the moment.

The two people he hated the most had ridiculed him and his temper, and while meditation might be something that could help control that, he'd have to find other ways of doing so. After his experience with that, counting to thirty didn't seem that bad.

Harry dropped the fork he had been twiddling between his fingers. He hadn't been in an eating mood since that night, hadn't managed to force himself to eat a full meal at all.

"What's with you?" Pansy asked dismissively.

"Exams," Harry said dryly, moving to stand when, abruptly, the doors to the Great Hall loudly opened, with a group of half a dozen people strolling inside led by a figure dressed in bright pink robes.

"Filch," she called out pompously, carrying a stack of papers in her hand. "If you could please hang these with the others outside."

"Yes, ma'am," the grumpy caretaker nodded bitterly, making his way towards her.

"Dolores," Dumbledore spoke calmly. "I wish you had informed me you'd be bringing guests with you. Nevertheless," as he spoke, the edges of the Head Table expanded vertically, with three chairs on each side appearing. "They are more than welcome to join us."

"Thank you for the gesture, Albus, but that won't be necessary," she said with a sweet smile that made all the students pay rapt attention with trepidation.

Umbridge's heels clacked against the stone floor as she deliberately made her way towards the front of the Great Hall. She stood behind the Owl Lecturn, she ran her hands over the golden wings, as if basking in the moment, before staring up towards them.

"Children, since its inception, Hogwarts has been the prime institute of magic across the world. It has set the standard that the magical world has followed and has been a pillar of the community, being the place where many prestigious and worldwide-recognised witches and wizards across the centuries. Unfortunately, over the past decades, Hogwarts has lost its way. In the pursuit of knowledge, the vision and core ideals that defined the foundations of the school. Children are being taught dangerous and potentially felonious magic without being instructed upon using it in a responsible manner. Magic that used to be reserved exclusively to Aurors, that used to be unthinkable to be taught to an ordinary civilian, much less students, is now being used to attack children, to murder them before they even have the chance to complete their education."

Umbridge's voice cracked, and she stopped, looking away from the students in what felt like genuine shame and regret.

"The tragic events from the previous week have shaken me, the Ministry, and all of your families. Something like that should have never happened, and will never happen again. Things at Hogwarts, are far much worse than I feared, it is time to take immediate action. Over the past few days, I have worked incessantly alongside Cornelius, and we have agreed on forty-seven new educational decrees that were made with full intent to avoid any other tragedy. They will all be hanged with the others by tomorrow morning, among these are the installation of safety portraits all around the castle barring the dorm rooms and inside bathroom stalls, new duties for the Heads of House involving written reports straight to the High Inquisitor, and the change of curriculum, personnel, and activities in all classes without supervision. Which… leads me to the following."

Grabbing a small piece of parchment, Umbridge turned around to face the Head Table and cleared her throat.

"Professors Vector, Sprout, Trelawney, Flitwick, Burbage, and Madam Pomfrey, would you please stand up?"

Instantly, mutterings erupted from the four house tables as the six teachers mentioned stood up (with Flitwick standing on his chair).

"As I'm sure you know, over the past month, I observed various of your classes with the intent of judging your skills as a staff member, as well as the material that's being taught. I am saddened to say your classes didn't come to par with the Ministry standard." Sprout, Pomfrey, and Flitwick looked outraged at the words, making sounds of protest that were ignored by Umbridge as she went on. "Professor Vector, the material you teach to each respective year is well above the ministry mandates that should be followed. Professor Trelawney, you have no control of your students or anything valuable you teach in your class. Professor Flitwick, you actively avoid the ministry books that were tasked to the teachers at the beginning of the year. Professor Burbage, your muggle studies curriculum is far behind the culture and advancements from present day. Professor Sprout, you fail to follow ministry protocol when dealing with the magical plants, showing a level of unprofessionalism unbecoming of a teacher of this institution. Madam Pomfrey, with this most recent incident, it is clear you are not equipped to take care of our students."

With each word, the sounds of protest from all six members of staff grew louder, creating a commotion as the students were equally outraged - with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff being the loudest of them all.

"This is bullshit!"

"How is this going to stop another attack!?"

"You can't do this!"

"Go shove those decrees up your-"

"Silence!" Umbridge snapped, launching bright red sparks to the sky that crackled against the enchanted ceiling, creating a loud thunder that stunned all the students. With a deafening quiet, Umbridge turned towards Dumbledore. "Educational Decree N°200 gives me full authority over these decisions, Albus."

"Indeed," said Dumbledore, raising a piece of parchment up. "Cornelius called me earlier today informing me of this. I had hoped you wouldn't do something drastic, but it seems you don't waste a second."

"Quite right," she answered pompously. "Things inside the castle need to change. I hope, in due time, you'll see this is what's necessary for the children so that they can have a future, unlike young Mister Montague. After last week's events, surely you must see reason."

"Steps to avoid another tragedy like last week's are essential, Dolores," he said genuinely. "But not these, and not like this. The moment you oppress freedom for control, you become no better than Grindelwald or Voldemort."

"That's where we disagree." Umbridge said firmly. "It's once you allow full freedom, ignoring the rules and regulations in place, that you foment an environment that creates a Dark Lord." She turned towards the other professors. "When I came to Hogwarts, I wished to avoid any unpleasantness like this. Unfortunately, recent events give me no choice. You have until tomorrow evening to leave the castle before I call the Aurors to escort you personally-"

"Please, you can't do this!"

"Hogwarts is my home!"

"I have nowhere to go, please-"

"Children," Umbridge cut off Sprout, Trelawney, and Burbage, pointing towards the six individuals standing at the entrance of the Great Hall. "These six new respectable witches and wizards will be your new instructors for the respective subjects - you will meet them during your lessons as the week progresses. Finish up your dinners before heading up to bed, you have a lot to catch up on during these next few days."

With that, she walked away from the podium, heading straight to the teachers before leaving the Great Hall with them. The Head Table seemed to be in a stunned shock, but the four tables exploded into mutiny, with some students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff jumping off from their seats and rushing towards their Heads of House.

Harry's eyes quickly went to the Gryffindor table, where they met Granger's cold glare from all the way across the hall. No words were needed for him to understand the blame she was placing on him. Unlike last time, he was ready, he sneered at her before turning to Pansy.

"She just fired half the staff and still hasn't made a move on Dumbledore," she remarked absently. "I'm not looking forward to seeing what she'll do once she gets his position."

"You think she will?"

"Please," Pansy rolled her eyes. "With how bad things have gotten for Dumbledore in the past five months, I can't think he has more than three months left before he gets pushed out. It doesn't matter how smart and powerful Dumbledore is as a wizard, no amount of magic will ever be able to beat good old political influence."

The words sank into Harry as he stared quietly at the Head Table. Dumbledore had gotten up and was reassuring Professor Trelawney as well as some of the other teachers he didn't recognise. Things were about to get so much harder than before, he needed a way to make it to the Room of Requirement without being spotted by all of Umbridge's new portraits. It would possibly be the only room where he could freely practice magic, and a ton of new students would come in mass to Granger and Longbottom to join…

"Oi, Pansy," he said, a smirk creeping across his face.

"Yeah?"

"How would you like to fuck with the Gryffindors?"

The girl stopped mid-bite, turning towards him with a sceptical look. "You have a plan?"

Harry couldn't suppress his grin anymore.

Seventh-floor Corridor

November 6, 1995

5:15 p.m.

"Did you really have to insist on coming?" An annoyed Harry asked as he struggled to walk within the confines of the cloak. "You could've waited with the others?"

"After everything I've done for you, I think I deserve to be treated as more than just the others."

"Why? Just because you convinced them to go along with this?"

"I was thinking more of making sure you don't end up as a dementor's kissing partner," she hissed at him. "But yeah, that counts too."

"It's here." He said, stopping in front of the entrance.

"There's nothing here."

Harry scowled at her. "Just wait, can you? Also, try to keep up."

"Keep up with- eek!" She squealed as he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. "What are you doing?"

"Pacing."

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Ugh."

It was only once Pansy kept quiet that he was able to focus on the room he had designed for the DA meetings, though he made sure to enlarge it since there would be a lot more people joining them today. Soon enough, the door materialized and Pansy was left looking at it in awe.

"Save it and come in, we don't have much time."

"I didn't say anything!" She defended herself.

"You didn't have to."

Once they were inside, Pansy began looking wide-eyed across the room. Studying it with interest, Harry could almost see the hundred ideas that were flashing behind her eyes as she thought about all the possibilities with the limitations of the room. With nothing left to do, he began focusing on manifesting the door inside the fifth-year Ravenclaw dormitory where all the Ravenclaw boys met.

"So you can make this room anything?"

"Pretty much."

"And you've been using it… for duelling?"

Harry stopped, losing his focus. "Your point?"

"You have magic at a level unlike any other, and you use it to… practice spells."

"It saved our lives, didn't it?"

"Well, yes… but still. It seems a little… underwhelming."

"Life usually is, now could you shut up for a second?"

"How do you open this room?" She asked, ignoring him completely.

Harry sighed, giving his full focus to Pansy. He'd gone over this decision ever since what happened in Halloween. Theo and Pansy had certainly proven themselves as people he could trust, regardless of what Theo might be feeling. He still hoped the boy would come around, and given how Pansy managed to convince him of coming today, he didn't think it was completely impossible. He just wished it would happen soon. If there were two people he could trust, it was Pansy and Theo, and yet, forcing himself to make this decision was harder than he had thought.

"Come here, I'll teach you." He said before he could regret it. Pansy smiled smugly, pleased with herself, in a way that made Harry feel suddenly nervous. "Well… okay. Just stand here and picture the Ravenclaw dormitories."

"How can I picture something I haven't even seen?"

"Here," Harry reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out the pictures Granger had given him when they started this crusade. "Picture this in your mind, to exact detail. Do you have it clear in your mind?"

"Yeah," she answered after a couple of seconds.

"Good. Now, you're going to pace back and forth while continuing to picture that room. After the third time, the door should manifest, and we'll get access to the Ravenclaw dormitory."

"Just like that?"

"Since we're inside, yes. But you can only access this room from the seventh floor corridor we were just at. It's not like you can open it from every wall inside the castle."

"That's inconvenient."

"Eh," he shrugged. "You get used to it. It wouldn't be so tedious without Umbridge's decrees."

"And anyone can access it?"

"No, well, yes. Before me, yes, anyone could access it. But the room has sort of grown fond of me since I was its only occupant for two years, and I used to come here daily. So now only me and people I consider trustworthy - which is you and Theo, at the moment."

"Me?" Pansy asked, a wry grin crossing her features.

"Don't let it go to your head," Harry warned, already regretting saying that.

"Of course not." She smirked.

"Just shut up and go through the six pictures I gave to you while I set the room."

"Of course, I will… friend."

"I didn't say friend!"

"You didn't have to," she sing-songed.

"Ugh!" Harry rolled his eyes, considering bashing his head against the wall.

Soon enough, the room began filling in with more and more people. All the while, Harry began setting his side of the room, adding the dummies, blackboards, and targets. Granger and the others would summon their books and stuff they trained with, Harry wasn't in the mood of giving them even an inch. He considered alienating all the Gryffindors, he certainly had the power now that you couldn't walk ten steps without encountering one of Umbridge's purple framed portraits with meowing cats staring out intently.

But what would be the point of playing the Gryffindors if they weren't here to give him the satisfaction?

Granger must've been busy recently, especially since Umbridge's announcement last night. Harry counted ten new Ravenclaws and four new Hufflepuffs, though Pansy still hadn't opened the door to the girl's dormitories. They must have people within each house to spread the word and hand out the contracts. Looney most likely for the claws, she had been sticking close to Longbottom lately, Chang as well, he wouldn't put it past Granger to use her clear infatuation with the Boy Who Lived to do her dirty work. From the Hufflepuffs he had no clue, perhaps Macmillan, since the boy was constantly trying to get Granger's attention inside the classroom. He had always been a stuck up arse-licker.

Any notion of Macmillan quickly escaped his mind as a flurry of blond hair cross his eyesight. He felt a tug at his arm and let himself be pulled away from the gathering crowd as he let himself be filled by Susan's recognisable scent.

It had been almost a week since they had talked to each other, it felt like a whole different life ago. So much had happened and because of everything, she had been completely absent from his thoughts until that moment. Suddenly, he felt as if the room was getting smaller, he got an urge to get away, leave the room and go back to his dormitory. He couldn't handle another situation like the one with Granger, not now, not any time soon.

"Where have you been!?" She hissed at him as soon as they were out of earshot from everyone else. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five days, and all you've done is ignore me!"

"I-"

"I know it was you, Harry." Susan said forcefully, interrupting anything he might have said. There was apprehension in her eyes, he could feel the hesitation practically vibrate from her. "I know you… killed Montague, I know you were the one who attacked the students."

"I…" he tried again, but what could he say? Yes, I killed him, I attacked them, I even made sure Tracey took my place instead of facing the consequences for my actions.

"Tell me," she blurted out, pleading. "Please, tell me it was them or you. Tell me you had to do it. Tell me you had nothing to do with Tracey getting framed for this."

And there it was. Susan had just given him what he needed, she gave him the answer. The way to make things better. The way to avoid another scene like the one with Granger. He could tell her they attacked him, that he defended himself, that Davis helped him out and was the one who went overboard who used the knife on Montague. Who killed Montague. That they had told the Aurors everything.

But he couldn't get his mouth to open. Susan was different from everyone else. She wasn't like Hermione, who mostly talked to him about DA business and meaningless small talk. Over the last month, he had grown to consider her a confidant, the person he enjoyed being around the most in the DA sessions. The co-leader of their own little faction. She had been understanding - even now, after everything - playful, someone he liked to be around. She hadn't even hesitated to warn him about Montague on Halloween.

He knew she would never be able to do something like what Pansy and Theo did, but he couldn't hold it against her. Theo himself was having trouble with being his friend after it, and Pansy, even if she didn't show it, had also changed a bit. She was more careful around him, flinched whenever he made a sudden motion or used his wand inside the common room. Pansy didn't seem to feel sorry for Montague and Davis, she must be just as fucked up as he was, but she was definitely more careful about him and his power. All the Slytherins were.

But that didn't matter with Susan because, at times, he enjoyed more spending time with her than with Theo and Pansy. She had been his escape, a way to avoid his problems inside Slytherin and with the Gryffindors. Someone who didn't seem to actively want something from him in the future, instead someone who just enjoyed being around him.

Which is why he couldn't lie to her.

"Yes," he forced out, the words rasping out of his throat. "I promise."

She gripped his arm, studying his face attentively in a way that made him appreciate how shorter than him, she really was. It wasn't something he had noted before.

"I swear, I didn't have a choice."

You're a monster.

He ignored it, forced himself to push it down.

"They ambushed me," he told her, the words escaping his mouth easily. "Kidnapped me, tortured me. I had to do it."

She looked up at him, her features contorted into horror and pity, the sight making Harry's stomach twist.

"I didn't have a choice."

"And Tracey?" She asked shakily.

"She was with them, she attacked me. I didn't have a choice, they were going to take me to Azkaban, they wouldn't have cared. I swear."

Susan seemed conflicted, reluctant.

"What the hell is he doing here!?" Weasley's obnoxious yell interrupted them as the Golden Trio strode towards them.

A circle of students began surrounding them as they had earnt the full attention of the room, and Harry did his best to focus his mind on the trio instead of Susan. He'd gone over his plan all night with Pansy last night, she had even forced him to practice, to keep his temper in check, which meant doing the least amount of talking. His eyes quickly found Parkinson's, and they exchanged a quick nod before she got to work with the door.

"What the hell's your problem, Weasley?" Terry Boot spat, putting himself in between the trio and Harry and Susan.

"Out of our way, Boot," Longbottom snarled as he shoved the boy away.

But the boy quickly shoved back, and in a flurry of movement, Weasley and Longbottom had pulled out their wands. However, they weren't the only ones, Susan and Terry already had theirs on their hands.

"EXPELLIARMUS DUO!"

Longbottom's and Weasley's wands immediately flew out of their hands, flying easily towards Harry, who had been faster than any of the four. He turned to Granger, who hadn't pulled out her wand, but was trying to kill him with nothing but her glare. Harry couldn't resist the urge to sneer at them, Pansy had explicitly advised him against it, specially today of all days, but he couldn't help himself.

"Anyone else feeling the urge of raising their wands?"

"Go back to your common room, you murderer!" Weasley snarled.

Murderer, he abhorred its connotation. Coming from people who were there like Theo and Blaise, it affected him. Coming from people who he had grown to appreciate their company like Bones and even Granger in a way, it hurt. But coming from Weasley and Longbottom, it fuelled cold anger that didn't make him blow up and react, it only enticed him to destroy them as humiliating as possible. And beating Gryffindors in a duel was too easy to be satisfying.

"That's a hell of an accusation," Harry said slowly. "You better have some proof for it."

Granger bit her lip, as if assessing the situation. In their earlier meetings this year, he had been as calm and collected as he was right now. No wonder it put her on edge, he knew what he was doing back then. Before letting Montague push him off the rails.

"We know you did it, Potter!" Longbottom snarled. "You can lie to the Aurors, but that doesn't change the facts."

"Are you seriously calling me a liar, Longbottom?" He yelled, letting out some of his anger. "You're the biggest liar in this room! The Daily Prophet has been exposing you ever since you cheated your way into the tournament, and hasn't stopped in over a year! Every week there's a new article of one of your lies, so save your grand speech and shut up."

That got everybody's attention, murmurs of assent began ringing around the room, and Harry was using all his focus to keep himself from smirking. Granger finding out it was him was always a security risk, but if he had learned something recently, it had been the value of discrediting the witnesses, and that's precisely what he'd just done. Granger was fuming, forgoing logical thought, just what Harry wanted.

"Neville didn't cheat his way into the tournament!" She spoke up, striding towards him and not stopping until she was only half a foot away from his face. "He didn't lie about anything!"

"So the Goblet magically chose Longbottom?" Harry snorted. "Hell, that would be more believable than Voldemort returning. Forget that it's impossible to come back from the death, you mean to tell us Longbottom survived a duel against him? The most dangerous and powerful Dark Lord of all times? I just disarmed him without breaking a sweat!"

He threw the two wands on the ground to emphasize his point.

"And I, myself, don't fancy being slandered by you three, or any of the Gryffindors, for that matter!" He yelled, spotting the doors opening from all the way across the room. "Any of you three take that tone with me again, and I'll force the Room of Requirement to kick you out, so don't tempt me!" Granger glared at him, for she could do nothing more. He hadn't needed to use the threat in all their time leading the DA, but it hadn't been forgotten. "You and your lot can practice on the other side of the room, anyone who wants to practice with me is more than welcome. Slytherins!" He called out to the nine Slytherins who had entered the room. "Come with me."

"What!?" Granger screeched, looking back and forth. "You let them here?"

"Didn't you see Pansy at the door?" He asked innocently.

"We agreed, no Slytherins!"

"Did we?"

"We agreed before I let you join! They are a security risk!"

"No, they're not. They signed the parchment, just like everyone else here. They won't be able to snitch, if that's what you mean by security risk."

"I… I…"

"It's about time there were some snakes in here," Susan said suddenly, smiling at Harry in a way more shy than in previous weeks. "I was starting to think we Hufflepuffs were going to have to adopt you at some point."

Harry laughed a genuine laugh, more relieved than anything as he realised what the words really meant. He began walking away from the Golden Trio, rounding up his students, as Susan followed beside him.

"Not a chance, Bones. I think I'm finally coming to like my status as a snake."

The impotent expressions from the Golden Trio were worth every knut inside his vault.

Back by popular demand!

This is the second of these three standalone chapters you're getting before the next arc! I hope you enjoyed it. I know, it's been a while since I've posted, but I'm not dead. This chapter was just hard to write given how it's really introspective, and I needed to figure out how Harry and the rest of the characters would be feeling in the aftermath of the events of Halloween.

Everyone's reaction is different and complex, something you'll see more of in the following chapters. This was a life-changing event for everyone and, right now, a lot of them are still in shock. Guilt, regret, fear, shame, acceptance, there's a lot of emotions flowing, and there are characters, like Harry, who are at war with themselves because they don't know how to feel about the whole thing.

It's certainly something that will be explored, specially in the months of November and December (in-universe). Unfortunately, Harry won't have a long time to rest and reflect as his actions have brought a hail of shit down upon him.

Next chapter will be titled The Invitation, and will focus on setting up the following arc, which will take place for at least three chapters, though there might be more. The arc is titled: A Long Day At Hogsmeade, and I'm really excited to write it!

Specially since it's going to introduce one of the villains I'm most excited to explore in the form of Antonin Dolohov! You'll meet him soon enough!

Anyhow, that's it for me today! I will be back! I hope to post chapter 32 in less than two weeks! No more month-long breaks, not this time, at least.

As always, thank you for reading, favouriting, and commenting! I appreciate all of you! :)

I've decided to open my own discord server where I'm going to be active and will include the opportunity to get the chapters earlier! Please, feel free to join using the following link: discord . gg / jyPfbGqhJT.